Social Health and Regulatory Issues - Newspaper Summary

 The sources reveal that in October 2025, the global and Indian business landscape is grappling with a convergence of critical Social, Health, and Regulatory Issues. These range from public health crises caused by contaminated medicine and the social impacts of lifestyle drugs, to major regulatory overhauls aimed at protecting consumers, standardizing digital services, and restructuring India's financial ecosystem.

I. Health Crisis and Public Safety Regulation

The most urgent health and social issue highlighted is the failure of pharmaceutical quality control, which has led to fatalities.

1. Toxic Cough Syrup Deaths and Regulatory Failure

The sources document a severe public health tragedy related to contaminated medicine manufactured in India, which has been dubbed the "pharmacy of the world".

• The Incident: Criminal action has been launched against Sresan Pharma, the maker of the ‘Coldrif’ cough syrup, after the product was found to contain dangerous levels of the toxic chemical diethylene glycol (DEG). This contamination is suspected to have caused the deaths of over 10 children in Madhya Pradesh.
• Wider Scrutiny: India's pharmaceutical exports have faced scrutiny previously, with its cough syrups being linked to child deaths in Cameroon, Gambia, and Uzbekistan over the past few years.
• State Action: Tamil Nadu’s drug authorities are set to cancel the license of Sresan Pharma. The department swiftly acted upon receiving communication from Madhya Pradesh, inspecting the facility, drawing samples, and issuing an immediate stop production order after the batch was determined to be "not of standard quality".
• Regulatory Onus and Blame: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) came out in support of the paediatrician arrested in Madhya Pradesh, arguing that arresting a prescribing doctor "shifts focus from real culprits". The IMA contended that the onus of failure lies with regulatory bodies (CD-SCO and MPFDA) and the pharma firm, not the physician, who prescribes approved drugs. They noted the manufacturer had a responsibility to test formulations but the investigations showed no evidence of such testing done by Sresan Pharma. The IMA cited the 2003 Mashelkar Report, which highlighted problems in the regulatory system due to inadequate control infrastructure, insufficient testing facilities, and a shortage of drug inspectors.

2. Preparing for Lifestyle Diseases

India is proactively addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) driven by lifestyle factors.

• Curriculum Overhaul: The government is set to introduce mandatory courses on preventive healthcare for all medical postgraduates. These courses will focus on areas like obesity, cancer prevention (including cervical cancer), non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and women’s and child health.
• The Scale of the Challenge: This change, implemented by the National Medical Commission (NMC), reflects the nation's health challenges, with obesity becoming the major driver for NCDs. A Lancet study projected 440 million overweight and obese Indians by 2050, second only to China. Furthermore, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) estimated 1.46 million new cancer cases in 2022, expected to rise 12.8% by 2025.
• Improving Clinical Practice: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) president welcomed the move, noting it will help doctors advocate for the prevention of NCDs like high blood pressure and diabetes, ensuring students gain sound, in-depth knowledge of preventive healthcare.

3. Societal and Ethical Impact of Weight-Loss Drugs

The introduction and rapid rise of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy (GLP-1 agonists) are having a significant, even disruptive, social impact globally.

• Disruption of Social Movements: An activist column noted that the "Ozempic era" has erased the hard-won gains of the fat liberation and body neutrality movement. The author observed that body positivity, which was gaining ground in fashion and media, is now giving way to renewed societal pressure to lose weight ("what's your excuse now there’s a pill?").
• Layoffs in the Pharma Sector: Paradoxically, Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, is undertaking a global restructuring that has resulted in layoffs impacting 100-150 junior- to mid-level employees in India across sales, marketing, and global business services (GBS) functions in Bengaluru. Novo Nordisk plans to launch Ozempic soon in India, having launched Wegovy in July.
• Investment in India's Pharma Ecosystem: Despite the layoffs at Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and Co. plans to invest more than $1 billion in India to build new contract manufacturing capabilities and a manufacturing and quality hub in Hyderabad.

4. Sunscreen Regulation

India has introduced its first-ever standardized testing protocol for sunscreens.

• Need for Standards: The Indian sunscreen market ($523 million) has long operated without a uniform testing framework.
• New Protocol: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), collaborating with the Indian Beauty and Hygiene Association, developed transparent protocols to evaluate sunscreen efficacy. The new protocol uses the Individual Typology Angle (ITA) measurement, which scientifically classifies diverse Indian skin tones based on their reaction to sun exposure.
• Focus on Indian Skin: The new standards recognize that for the majority of Indians, the primary concern is preventing uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation, rather than skin cancer (the primary concern for lighter skin tones with higher ITA values). Industry executives expect these new norms to safeguard consumer health and ensure product efficacy.

II. Regulatory Overhauls and Consumer Protection

India's regulatory environment is undergoing massive changes aimed at enhancing digital governance, financial transparency, and housing security.

1. Standardizing the Gig and Digital Platform Economy

The government is moving to impose uniform standards on digital platforms to protect their partners (gig workers).

• BIS Mandate: Online aggregators such as Uber, Swiggy, Amazon, and Airbnb may soon have to follow uniform standards formulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to govern how they sign up, assess, and retain partners (drivers, delivery workers, vendors, etc.).
• Addressing Inconsistency: This move addresses the "gap in the system" where companies currently follow their own opaque procedures, leading to inconsistencies and complaints regarding assessments, incentives, and dispute redressal. Partners have previously staged protests over alleged high-handed practices.
• Goals: The proposed standard seeks to create a transparent and fair framework for both workers and consumers by defining parameters for partner evaluation, grievance redressal, feedback systems, and privacy safeguards. The aim is also to help Indian platforms align their practices with internationally accepted norms, enabling them to compete globally.
• Social Security Context: The regulatory move aligns with existing efforts to protect gig workers, including government plans to extend healthcare benefits through the Ayushman Bharat scheme and facilitate registration via the e-Shram portal.

2. Protecting Homebuyers and Regulating Realty

The Supreme Court (SC) and regulatory bodies are acting to protect homebuyers amidst widespread unfinished projects and litigation.

• Shelter as a Fundamental Right: The SC, in its September 2025 judgment on the Manasi Brar case, pronounced shelter a fundamental right and the protection of homebuyers a constitutional obligation of the state.
• Judicial Directives: The court highlighted the reality of homebuyers being compelled to service loans and pay rent for undelivered homes. It directed the government to frame specific guidelines for insolvency proceedings in real estate, focusing on project-specific resolution rather than treating the entire corporate debtor as insolvent.
• RERA and State Authorities: To restore consumer trust, the sources recommend regulating indiscriminate borrowing by builders (only against net worth, not mortgaging projects) and empowering State-level Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs) to rigorously evaluate project viability and monitor them closely until delivery. State authorities should not withhold completion certificates due to a realtor's pending dues, as buyers are not responsible for these obligations.

3. Financial Transparency and Unclaimed Assets

A major regulatory issue is the amount of inaccessible funds held in dormant accounts.

• The Problem: Unclaimed financial assets across banks, insurance companies, mutual funds, and pension schemes amount to ₹3.5 trillion and remain inaccessible due to scattered accounts, missing nominee details, and the absence of a unified registry.
• Supreme Court Intervention: The SC has agreed to examine a public interest petition seeking the creation of a centralized digital platform (Aadhaar-linked, e-KYC-based portal) that would allow individuals to track all their financial assets (active, dormant, or unclaimed) across all regulated entities.
• Government Focus: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched an awareness campaign, stating that unclaimed savings represent the "hard-earned savings of ordinary families" intended for education, healthcare, and financial security.

4. Macroeconomic and Fiscal Transparency

Regulatory bodies are working to improve the foundation of economic data and policy frameworks.

• Revising the CPI: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has proposed a methodology to appropriately reflect free food grains distributed through the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This is crucial because CPI data is used for monetary policy, social welfare schemes, and estimating real GDP growth. Experts noted that including free PDS items is complex but necessary due to the scheme's scale.
• Inflation Targeting (FIT) Fine-Tuning: The sources discuss the need to fine-tune India’s flexible inflation targeting (FIT) framework to protect low-income households from high inflation and volatile commodity prices. Although FIT has delivered lower average inflation since 2014-15 (5% vs. 8.5% previously), fine-tuning is needed to prevent high real interest rates during low-growth periods. The sources recommend explicit government coordination on commodity prices and potentially pre-announcing a strategy for counter-cyclical use of oil excise taxes to manage supply-side inflation.

III. Social Impacts and Regulatory Constraints on Business

The business environment reflects social and regulatory pressures related to governance, financial stability, and infrastructure.

1. Governance and IPO Scrutiny

Concerns about governance and valuation are impacting market appetite, notably in major IPOs.

• WeWork India IPO: The IPO of WeWork India struggled with tepid interest on the penultimate day, partially due to its expensive valuation and several criminal cases filed against the company, its directors, and promoters. Petitions were filed in the Bombay High Court alleging the offer was designed primarily to provide an exit for the promoter (Embassy Buildcon) and would not create any tangible assets for the loss-making company.
• SEBI’s Focus on Investor Fraud: The SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey warned retail investors against fraudsters using technology (fake apps, social media scams, dubious "finfluencers") to promise guaranteed returns. A SEBI survey revealed that although 63% of Indian households are aware of market products, only 9.5% actually invest, and only 36% possess moderate or high knowledge, making them vulnerable to fraud. SEBI is launching new tools like the ‘SEBI Check’ verification and upgrading the Saa₹thi app to empower new investors.

2. Urban Infrastructure and Affordability

Infrastructure projects in Indian cities are facing issues related to social equity and financial viability.

• Bengaluru Metro Fare Hike: The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corp. Ltd (BMRCL) raised fares by 71%, sparking public debate over affordability. This increase was based on a hidden Fare Fixation Committee (FFC) report, which was later released and showed the committee had recommended a smaller 51.55% hike spread over 7.5 years.
• Social Impact: The steep rise resulted in a 6% drop in ridership and stoked fears of worsening traffic congestion. The average cost of travel in Bengaluru (₹3.97/km) is now higher than in Mumbai (₹3.20/km), Delhi (₹2.72/km), and Kolkata (₹0.90/km).
• Financial Strain: The BMRCL relies overwhelmingly on passenger fares, which constituted nearly 89% of total revenue in FY24, while its debt servicing costs are projected to swell to over ₹2,700 crore by FY30. The state government has historically shouldered most of the responsibility.

3. Environmental Regulation and Governance

Environmental concerns are reflected in local governance and industrial activity.

• Air Pollution (Stubble Burning): Stubble-burning cases declined significantly (nearly 65% year-on-year) in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh due to extended monsoon showers and strict monitoring. However, incidents surged by 283% in Uttar Pradesh. Authorities are leveraging growing farmer awareness and adequate crop residue management (CRM) machines.
• Urban Environmental Action: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is inviting expressions of interest for the “Pink Army” scheme for solid waste management, focused on localized labour cooperatives and NGOs. The Tree Authority issued a public notice regarding proposals for the removal or transplanting of trees in Zone-IV.