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Ramanan Laxminarayan
Articles by Ramanan Laxminarayan

When the exam room is an oven

If a child scoring in the 60th percentile took the same test at 40°C instead of 30°C, the heat alone could lower their effective performance to the 40th percentile. In our system, where a few marks determine admission to professional colleges, half a standard deviation is all the difference in securing a college admission. (HT Archive)
Updated on May 14, 2026 18:01 IST

India’s dual opium crisis

Tramadol — marketed as non-addictive — has flourished precisely because it fell outside the strict controls on classical opioids. But the drug is widely abused. (Reuters)
Updated on May 1, 2026 09:00 IST

India needs a national development corps

India’s demographic dividend can well become its Achilles heel and lead to significant unrest if not managed carefully. A young population can accelerate growth or strain institutions depending on whether credible pathways to purpose exist. (PTI)
Updated on Apr 9, 2026 15:54 IST

India’s slow-motion arsenic tragedy

Individuals exposed to higher arsenic concentrations had significantly elevated risks of death — not only from cancers of the lung, bladder and skin, but also from cardiovascular diseases. (HT Archive)
Updated on Feb 20, 2026 24:47 IST

Can Ayurveda serve population health?

Insights from Ayurveda can inform better public-health approaches tailored to regional needs or to population sub-groups. These approaches require evidence — but evidence suited to complexity
Updated on Dec 19, 2025 04:50 IST

Rational taxation can help improve health

Bidis are consumed widely, but the tax burden is low. A 20% tax-induced price increase in bidis could lead to seven million years of life gained (YLG) over 15 years and an increase in government tax revenues by  <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>34,820 crore over the same period (AP)
Updated on Jan 30, 2023 14:33 IST