News

In his Hindustan Times column, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan examines why women’s participation in India’s workforce remains low despite rising educational attainment.   He highlights barriers including limited access to suitable jobs, concerns about safety, restrictive social norms, and women’s lack of control over their earnings.  Drawing on examples from Tamil Nadu, he shows how […]

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In his Hindustan Times column, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan writes that youth unrest stems not only from unemployment but also from the widening gap between education and job opportunities.  Drawing on examples from India and other countries, he explains how rising educational attainment, limited employment, and unfair recruitment processes can leave young people frustrated and […]

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In this conversation, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan examines the major challenges facing India’s health system, highlighting the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases and the need for sustained public health efforts beyond high-profile health campaigns.  He discusses a range of public health concerns, including disease eradication and elimination, dengue, extreme heat and climate change, Nipah virus, […]

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In The Economic Times, Rohini Nilekani highlights how social isolation and declining face-to-face interactions can affect mental well-being, despite our growing digital connectivity.  Drawing on OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan’s book, Bacteria to Buddha, she explains how human biology is shaped by cooperation, trust, and social relationships.  She emphasizes that mindfulness, compassion, and meaningful social connections […]

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In his Hindustan Times column, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan writes that unreliable land ownership records limit access to capital and hinder entrepreneurship in India.  Despite digitization efforts, buyers still face complex checks to establish ownership, while disputes can take years to resolve. Unclear property rights leave families and small landowners vulnerable to costly litigation.  Dr. […]

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In his Hindustan Times column, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan examines whether GDP alone is an adequate measure of prosperity and national progress.  He argues that economic growth figures do not capture the full range of assets that contribute to people’s well-being, including human capital, infrastructure, and natural resources such as forests, freshwater, and fisheries.  Dr. […]

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In a Hindustan Times interview, OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan discusses how cooperation shaped the evolution of life, consciousness, and human relationships. Drawing on his book, Bacteria to Buddha, he traces cooperation from microorganisms to humans, highlighting how social connections helped build language, traditions, and civilizations. He explores how meditation and self-awareness can help individuals regulate […]

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Business Standard highlighted a decline in antibiotic sales in India, while raising concerns that lower consumption does not necessarily indicate more appropriate antibiotic use.  The article drew on insights from OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, who emphasized that India’s antibiotic use remains skewed toward second-line antibiotics, with some potentially being used unnecessarily while access to the […]

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In this piece by Sukumar Ranganathan, “Delhi, from one mishap to another,” examines a series of recent incidents in Delhi before turning to questions around artificial intelligence, consciousness, and what makes us human.  The article mentions OHT’s Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan’s new book, Bacteria to Buddha: How Co-operation Shaped Consciousness, and Made Us Human, which explores the role […]

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