PM Manmohan Singh established an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for efficacious management to deal with drought like situation. The 11 member EGoM, will be. The EGoM is allowed to reassess the situation and take rapid and well-timed decisions on policy issues as well as other issues for effectual management of drought and linked issues.

India in a major breakthrough in its fight against Malaria, has indigenously developed an anti-Malarial drug ‘Synriam'. Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad held that it is land mark accomplishment in the whole pharmaceutical sector. Mr Azad urged the manufacturing company to keep the price of the drug at affordable levels so that poor and needy people are able to access the drug in remote and backward districts of India.
Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad held that India's pharmaceutical industry is now the third largest in the world in terms of volume and 14^th in terms of value.

Actor Madhuri Dixit awarded the prestigious “Master Dinanath Vishesh award for her contribution to cinema. The award comprises a memento and Rs 1,00,000 cash.

Minister of State for Finance, Namo Narain Meena held that the government has taken an in-principle decision to link diesel prices with market rates. Yet, there is no proposal currently to completely deregulate cooking gas price. He also opined that the government continues to fix the price of diesel in order to protect the common man from the affect of rising crude oil prices and the ensuant inflation.

While petrol prices are market-linked, the government fixes the rates of LPG, kerosene and diesel, which results in a large budgetary expenditure on subsidies.

China is planning to bring in a fresh visa regime titled "talent introduction" in an attempt to pull more skilled professionals from abroad. A draft law in this respect has been submitted to the China’s top legislature.