September 24, 2026

August 2026

US crude bound for Israel for first time since 2023

US crude bound for Israel for first time since 2023

Vamsikrishna01 mins mins

Malta-flagged Aframax tanker Captain John loaded crude at Enbridge’s Ingleside terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas and is bound for Israel’s southern port of Ashkelon A cargo of US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is headed to Israel for the first time in nearly three years, according to ship-tracking data.The Malta-flagged Aframax tanker Captain John…

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Madras University result 2026 declared for UG 1st to 4th semesters at unom.ac.in: Direct link to download scorecards

Madras University result 2026 declared for UG 1st to 4th semesters at unom.ac.in: Direct link to download scorecards

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

The University of Madras has released the 2026 undergraduate results for first to fourth semester examinations conducted in April. Madras University result 2026: The University of Madras has announced the Madras University Result 2026 for undergraduate students of the first, second, third and fourth semesters. Candidates who appeared for the April 2026 semester examinations can…

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‘Jana Nayagan’ star Vijay watched Dhanush’s ‘Thiruchitrambalam’ with fans in Hyderabad and called the actor after the screening to laud his performance, reveals lyricist Vivek

‘Jana Nayagan’ star Vijay watched Dhanush’s ‘Thiruchitrambalam’ with fans in Hyderabad and called the actor after the screening to laud his performance, reveals lyricist Vivek

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Lyricist Vivek has shared an interesting memory of watching Dhanush’s ‘Thiruchitrambalam’ with actor Vijay, giving fans a rare insight into the ‘Jana Nayagan’ actor’s love for cinema. During a recent interview, Vivek recalled how Vijay insisted on watching the film in a theatre despite the security challenges. The lyricist said the experience remains one of…

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Jana Nayagan Full Movie Collection: ‘Jana Nayagan’ box office collection day 10 [Live]: Vijay and Pooja Hegde starrer sees weekend boost, crosses Rs 184 crore in India | Tamil Movie News

Jana Nayagan Full Movie Collection: ‘Jana Nayagan’ box office collection day 10 [Live]: Vijay and Pooja Hegde starrer sees weekend boost, crosses Rs 184 crore in India | Tamil Movie News

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Vijay’s ‘Jana Nayagan’ is holding its ground at the box office as it runs successfully in its second weekend. After a strong opening week and crossing several milestones, the action drama continues to attract audiences despite the expected slowdown in collections. Trade experts are now closely watching whether the film can register a healthy jump…

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President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill amending the anti-paper leak law, days after Parliament passed the legislation to introduce stricter penalties for examination-related malpractices.In a Gazette notification issued on Friday, the ministry of law and justice said the President has given assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, days after it was passed by both Houses of Parliament earlier this week. The Centre said the amendments highlight its commitment to strengthening the integrity of public examinations and safeguarding the interests of students.The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote on Thursday amid a walkout by several Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc. The Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation a day earlier.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesSoon after Parliament passed the Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video message on Instagram, saying that the “important task of making a stringent law against paper leaks has been completed.”The Prime Minister said the government was taking steps to curb paper leaks and examination malpractices, adding that it had become imperative to strengthen the examination system through the use of the latest technology. He also said the government was working to ensure that “no paper-leak mafia plays with the future of students.”Under the amended law, individuals found guilty of paper leaks or using unfair means in public examinations will face imprisonment ranging from five to 10 years, along with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.For organised offences, the legislation prescribes a minimum jail term of seven years and a fine of not less than Rs 10 crore.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosThousands March With Constitution, Jharkhand Witnesses Massive Student Agitation Over JPSC Exam Leak’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner123PhotostoriesSitting for hours every day? These 5 yoga poses can ease tight hips, stiff backs, and desk-related aches in just 10 minutesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill amending the anti-paper leak law, days after Parliament passed the legislation to introduce stricter penalties for examination-related malpractices.In a Gazette notification issued on Friday, the ministry of law and justice said the President has given assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, days after it was passed by both Houses of Parliament earlier this week. The Centre said the amendments highlight its commitment to strengthening the integrity of public examinations and safeguarding the interests of students.The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote on Thursday amid a walkout by several Opposition parties belonging to the INDIA bloc. The Lok Sabha had cleared the legislation a day earlier.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesSoon after Parliament passed the Bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video message on Instagram, saying that the “important task of making a stringent law against paper leaks has been completed.”The Prime Minister said the government was taking steps to curb paper leaks and examination malpractices, adding that it had become imperative to strengthen the examination system through the use of the latest technology. He also said the government was working to ensure that “no paper-leak mafia plays with the future of students.”Under the amended law, individuals found guilty of paper leaks or using unfair means in public examinations will face imprisonment ranging from five to 10 years, along with a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh.For organised offences, the legislation prescribes a minimum jail term of seven years and a fine of not less than Rs 10 crore.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosThousands March With Constitution, Jharkhand Witnesses Massive Student Agitation Over JPSC Exam Leak’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner123PhotostoriesSitting for hours every day? These 5 yoga poses can ease tight hips, stiff backs, and desk-related aches in just 10 minutesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Bill amending the anti-paper leak law, days after Parliament passed the legislation to introduce stricter penalties for examination-related malpractices.In a Gazette notification issued on Friday, the ministry of law and justice said the President has given…

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Fallout in West Indies camp? Alzarri Joseph hits back at Daren Sammy over ‘declined selection’ claim | Cricket News

Fallout in West Indies camp? Alzarri Joseph hits back at Daren Sammy over ‘declined selection’ claim | Cricket News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Alzarri Joseph and Daren Sammy (Agency Image) West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has responded to head coach Daren Sammy’s comments regarding his absence from the ongoing home Test series against Pakistan, insisting that the public narrative surrounding his decision lacked important context.When Cricket West Indies announced the squad for the two-match series, the board…

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‘Recovery agent would call and abuse me because I didn’t have the money to pay’: ‘Saiyaara’ actor Rajesh Kumar opens up about financial crisis during farming stint

‘Recovery agent would call and abuse me because I didn’t have the money to pay’: ‘Saiyaara’ actor Rajesh Kumar opens up about financial crisis during farming stint

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Rajesh Kumar, known for Rosesh Sarabhai in ‘Sarabhai vs Sarabhai’, opened up about leaving acting at 42 for farming, losing everything, and enduring humiliation from recovery agents who abused him over unpaid debts. He even sold his car. Yet these hardships, he says, made him more human, grounded, and instinctive as an actor. ‘Saiyaara’ and…

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Despite Trump’s backing, Vivek Ramaswamy can’t curry favor with MAGA bros in Ohio

Despite Trump’s backing, Vivek Ramaswamy can’t curry favor with MAGA bros in Ohio

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

Vivek Ramaswamy finds himself in a surprisingly competitive contest against Democrat Amy Acton The TOI correspondent from Washington: Every Indian child grows up hearing at least two pieces of parental advice: study hard, and don’t talk back. Vivek Ramaswamy followed the first well enough to become a biotech billionaire before he turned forty. But talking…

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Minnesota’s largest coal plant once burned 30,000 tonnes daily; its existing wires now carry 710MW from 1.7 million solar panels powering about 150,000 homes

Minnesota’s largest coal plant once burned 30,000 tonnes daily; its existing wires now carry 710MW from 1.7 million solar panels powering about 150,000 homes

Vamsikrishna05 mins mins

America is retiring coal plants slowly and steadily. The boilers are cut up for scrap, the smokestacks get dropped on camera and the land tends to sit in permitting limbo for a decade. But in Becker, Minnesota, the state’s biggest coal plant is being used, not for all this hardware but for a plug.On July…

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Gwyneth Paltrow joins TikTok with bold debut featuring topless clips and playful multilingual introduction

Gwyneth Paltrow joins TikTok with bold debut featuring topless clips and playful multilingual introduction

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

Gwyneth Paltrow joined TikTok with a lighthearted introductory video featuring playful multilingual greetings and behind-the-scenes moments from her daily life.Image credit (Instagram) Gwyneth Paltrow is an Oscar-winning actress best known for roles in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ and ‘Iron Man’ as well as being the founder and CEO of the wellness and lifestyle brand Goop. The…

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Asmita Dey Judo Gold: “Everything had finished after my father died”: Behind Asmita Dey’s historic gold medal lies an emotional story of her father who earned ₹300 a month by fixing cycles

Asmita Dey Judo Gold: “Everything had finished after my father died”: Behind Asmita Dey’s historic gold medal lies an emotional story of her father who earned ₹300 a month by fixing cycles

Vamsikrishna05 mins mins

India’s Asmita Dey won gold medal in the Women’s 48kg judo event at the Commonwealth Games 2026, in Glasgow. (Photo credit: PTI Photo) When 23-year-old judoka Asmita Dey stood on the podium in Glasgow with a Commonwealth Games gold medal around her neck, she wasn’t just celebrating India’s biggest moment in judo. She was silently…

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India’s quiet overtesting crisis (AI-generated image) Walk into any diagnostics lab in a major Indian city and you will likely be handed a laminated menu, not of food, but of the body. Silver package, gold package, platinum package. Forty tests, sixty tests, ninety. Fasting blood sugar, thyroid panels, vitamin D, cardiac markers, tumour markers, all bundled together and priced to feel like a bargain rather than a medical decision. Nobody asks whether these tests were prescribed by a doctor, because increasingly, they aren’t. They are sold.This is the quieter side of India’s healthcare story, one that gets far less attention than the shortage of hospital beds or the scarcity of rural doctors. In the country’s cities, among its insured and upwardly mobile, a different problem has taken root: too much testing, too often, for too little reason. Corporate wellness programmes hand out annual full-body checkups as a perk. Insurance companies fold preventive panels into premium plans as a selling point. Diagnostic chains run festive discounts on scans the way electronics stores discount televisions. The result is a population of healthy, asymptomatic people walking out with reports listing dozens of parameters, several flagged in borderline yellow, and no doctor in the room to explain what any of it means.The consequences are not trivial. Overtesting drives a cascade, a mildly abnormal number on an unnecessary test leads to a follow-up scan, which leads to a biopsy, which leads to weeks of anxiety over something that may never have caused harm.Doctors describe patients arriving with thick folders of test results and no clinical complaint, unsure why they were tested in the first place, but certain that more tests must mean better health.The question this raises is not whether early detection saves lives, it does, but whether India’s growing test-industrial complex has confused detection with reassurance, and reassurance with health.When does a test actually become necessary?Ask a doctor practising evidence-based medicine when a test is warranted, and the answer rarely begins with the test itself. It begins with a conversation.”It’s an individualised question,” says Dr. Haripriya Jagadish, Internal Medicine Specialist at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Chennai. “Most practitioners go by evidence-based medicine. The doctor will elicit the history, which will include all the symptoms of the patient, and based on that, the tests are done.”That process, history-taking, is the part of clinical practice most invisible to the patient and most absent from the retail model of testing. A doctor working through a patient’s symptoms, duration, family history and risk factors is, in effect, narrowing a list of possibilities before ordering a single test, so that each test serves to confirm or rule out something specific. A preventive package sold off a billboard skips that step entirely, running dozens of tests without first asking what, if anything, the patient’s body is signalling. India’s overtesting epidemic (AI generated image)According to Dr Jagadish, the reasons a test is actually indicated tend to fall into a few well-defined categories. “The common reasons start from infections, chronic diseases, inflammation and malignancy,” she says. “Everything is based on the symptoms and the science.” An unexplained fever might point toward an infection workup. Unexplained fatigue or weight change, paired with family history, might justify screening for a chronic condition such as diabetes or thyroid dysfunction. Persistent, localised pain or an abnormal finding on physical examination might warrant investigation for inflammation or, in some cases, malignancy. In each instance, the test follows the symptom, not the other way around.This is the clinical logic that preventive test packages tend to bypass. Rather than starting with a patient’s history and narrowing toward a hypothesis, they start with a menu of everything available and work backward, hoping that volume compensates for the absence of a clinical question. For Dr. Jagadish’s generation of evidence-based practitioners, that inversion is precisely the problem, not that testing itself is harmful, but that testing without a preceding clinical reason strips it of the context needed to interpret what the results actually mean.Regulation that hasn’t caught upWhen a pharmaceutical company in India wants to advertise a prescription drug to the public, the law steps in, such advertising is restricted, and in most cases requires government authorisation before it can run. When a diagnostics chain wants to advertise a bundle of forty preventive tests, including several with genuine cancer-screening implications, no equivalent threshold exists. The test package occupies a regulatory blind spot: not quite a drug, not quite a medical procedure requiring a prescription, and therefore largely free to be marketed the way any consumer product would be, with discounts, urgency, and appeals to fear.India’s oversight of diagnostic laboratories does exist, but it is aimed almost entirely at technical quality, accreditation bodies set standards for how accurately a lab must run a test, not for whether that test should have been sold to an asymptomatic customer in the first place, or how the results should be communicated once they arrive. There is no requirement that a preventive test package be accompanied by pre-test counselling, no mandate that a qualified clinician interpret results before they reach the patient, and no restriction on marketing screening tests directly to consumers with no clinical indication.This is not a uniquely Indian problem, direct-to-consumer testing has expanded globally, and regulators in some markets have begun responding, tightening requirements around what claims these tests can make and how aggressively they can be marketed to healthy people. What distinguishes India is the pace of that catch-up. As the market for retail diagnostics has scaled rapidly across metros and now smaller cities, the regulatory apparatus governing how these tests are sold, and to whom, has largely stayed where it was decades ago, built for an era when a blood test still required a doctor to ask for it.The anxiety economyThe report itself rarely arrives with context. It arrives as a PDF or a printed sheet, rows of values, reference ranges in brackets, and a handful highlighted in red or yellow, with no accompanying explanation of what those deviations actually mean for a specific person’s health. For a patient with no symptoms and no clinical history prompting the test, that ambiguity becomes fertile ground for anxiety.The pattern is a familiar one to clinicians. A mildly elevated tumour marker, a borderline nodule on an incidental scan, a number just outside the “normal” range on a test that was never clinically indicated in the first place, these findings, once flagged, tend to set off a cascade. The patient seeks a specialist opinion. The specialist, unable to rule out concern from a single data point, orders a follow-up scan or a repeat test. In some cases, that escalates further to a biopsy or invasive procedure, undertaken to investigate a finding that may have had no clinical significance to begin with. The anxiety economy (AI generated image)Dr Jagadish points to this as one of the central risks of indiscriminate testing. “The problem with getting too many tests, especially ones like cancer screening, is when you do them and get an abnormal value, unless there’s a medical correlation, it can do more harm than good,” she says. “Especially this generation has a lot of anxiety around that. It unnecessarily drives up the medical cost of the patient as well as the psychological trauma.”That psychological toll rarely features in conversations about overtesting, which tend to focus on financial waste or clinical inefficiency. But for the patient sitting with an unexplained abnormal result, the experience is rarely just administrative. It is weeks of uncertainty, repeated consultations, and a growing preoccupation with a number that may resolve on its own, or may never have meant anything at all. For a generation already primed toward health anxiety, amplified by symptom-checking apps, wellness content and a culture that treats more data as inherently reassuring, an unexplained flagged result can be harder to sit with than the absence of information ever was.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesWhat gets lost in this cycle is the fact that not every abnormality requires action. Medicine has long understood that some findings are incidental, present, but clinically irrelevant, yet a system that tests first and interprets later leaves little room for that nuance. The result is a quiet, largely undocumented cost of overtesting: not just money spent on unnecessary follow-ups, but the accumulated weight of worry carried by people who were never actually sick.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner’My Father Was Almost Lynched’: Injured Delhi Cop’s Daughter Emotional Appeal After Violence | Watch123PhotostoriesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you5 ancient Egyptian rituals that are deeply disturbing123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

India’s quiet overtesting crisis (AI-generated image) Walk into any diagnostics lab in a major Indian city and you will likely be handed a laminated menu, not of food, but of the body. Silver package, gold package, platinum package. Forty tests, sixty tests, ninety. Fasting blood sugar, thyroid panels, vitamin D, cardiac markers, tumour markers, all bundled together and priced to feel like a bargain rather than a medical decision. Nobody asks whether these tests were prescribed by a doctor, because increasingly, they aren’t. They are sold.This is the quieter side of India’s healthcare story, one that gets far less attention than the shortage of hospital beds or the scarcity of rural doctors. In the country’s cities, among its insured and upwardly mobile, a different problem has taken root: too much testing, too often, for too little reason. Corporate wellness programmes hand out annual full-body checkups as a perk. Insurance companies fold preventive panels into premium plans as a selling point. Diagnostic chains run festive discounts on scans the way electronics stores discount televisions. The result is a population of healthy, asymptomatic people walking out with reports listing dozens of parameters, several flagged in borderline yellow, and no doctor in the room to explain what any of it means.The consequences are not trivial. Overtesting drives a cascade, a mildly abnormal number on an unnecessary test leads to a follow-up scan, which leads to a biopsy, which leads to weeks of anxiety over something that may never have caused harm.Doctors describe patients arriving with thick folders of test results and no clinical complaint, unsure why they were tested in the first place, but certain that more tests must mean better health.The question this raises is not whether early detection saves lives, it does, but whether India’s growing test-industrial complex has confused detection with reassurance, and reassurance with health.When does a test actually become necessary?Ask a doctor practising evidence-based medicine when a test is warranted, and the answer rarely begins with the test itself. It begins with a conversation.”It’s an individualised question,” says Dr. Haripriya Jagadish, Internal Medicine Specialist at Apollo Spectra Hospital, Chennai. “Most practitioners go by evidence-based medicine. The doctor will elicit the history, which will include all the symptoms of the patient, and based on that, the tests are done.”That process, history-taking, is the part of clinical practice most invisible to the patient and most absent from the retail model of testing. A doctor working through a patient’s symptoms, duration, family history and risk factors is, in effect, narrowing a list of possibilities before ordering a single test, so that each test serves to confirm or rule out something specific. A preventive package sold off a billboard skips that step entirely, running dozens of tests without first asking what, if anything, the patient’s body is signalling. India’s overtesting epidemic (AI generated image)According to Dr Jagadish, the reasons a test is actually indicated tend to fall into a few well-defined categories. “The common reasons start from infections, chronic diseases, inflammation and malignancy,” she says. “Everything is based on the symptoms and the science.” An unexplained fever might point toward an infection workup. Unexplained fatigue or weight change, paired with family history, might justify screening for a chronic condition such as diabetes or thyroid dysfunction. Persistent, localised pain or an abnormal finding on physical examination might warrant investigation for inflammation or, in some cases, malignancy. In each instance, the test follows the symptom, not the other way around.This is the clinical logic that preventive test packages tend to bypass. Rather than starting with a patient’s history and narrowing toward a hypothesis, they start with a menu of everything available and work backward, hoping that volume compensates for the absence of a clinical question. For Dr. Jagadish’s generation of evidence-based practitioners, that inversion is precisely the problem, not that testing itself is harmful, but that testing without a preceding clinical reason strips it of the context needed to interpret what the results actually mean.Regulation that hasn’t caught upWhen a pharmaceutical company in India wants to advertise a prescription drug to the public, the law steps in, such advertising is restricted, and in most cases requires government authorisation before it can run. When a diagnostics chain wants to advertise a bundle of forty preventive tests, including several with genuine cancer-screening implications, no equivalent threshold exists. The test package occupies a regulatory blind spot: not quite a drug, not quite a medical procedure requiring a prescription, and therefore largely free to be marketed the way any consumer product would be, with discounts, urgency, and appeals to fear.India’s oversight of diagnostic laboratories does exist, but it is aimed almost entirely at technical quality, accreditation bodies set standards for how accurately a lab must run a test, not for whether that test should have been sold to an asymptomatic customer in the first place, or how the results should be communicated once they arrive. There is no requirement that a preventive test package be accompanied by pre-test counselling, no mandate that a qualified clinician interpret results before they reach the patient, and no restriction on marketing screening tests directly to consumers with no clinical indication.This is not a uniquely Indian problem, direct-to-consumer testing has expanded globally, and regulators in some markets have begun responding, tightening requirements around what claims these tests can make and how aggressively they can be marketed to healthy people. What distinguishes India is the pace of that catch-up. As the market for retail diagnostics has scaled rapidly across metros and now smaller cities, the regulatory apparatus governing how these tests are sold, and to whom, has largely stayed where it was decades ago, built for an era when a blood test still required a doctor to ask for it.The anxiety economyThe report itself rarely arrives with context. It arrives as a PDF or a printed sheet, rows of values, reference ranges in brackets, and a handful highlighted in red or yellow, with no accompanying explanation of what those deviations actually mean for a specific person’s health. For a patient with no symptoms and no clinical history prompting the test, that ambiguity becomes fertile ground for anxiety.The pattern is a familiar one to clinicians. A mildly elevated tumour marker, a borderline nodule on an incidental scan, a number just outside the “normal” range on a test that was never clinically indicated in the first place, these findings, once flagged, tend to set off a cascade. The patient seeks a specialist opinion. The specialist, unable to rule out concern from a single data point, orders a follow-up scan or a repeat test. In some cases, that escalates further to a biopsy or invasive procedure, undertaken to investigate a finding that may have had no clinical significance to begin with. The anxiety economy (AI generated image)Dr Jagadish points to this as one of the central risks of indiscriminate testing. “The problem with getting too many tests, especially ones like cancer screening, is when you do them and get an abnormal value, unless there’s a medical correlation, it can do more harm than good,” she says. “Especially this generation has a lot of anxiety around that. It unnecessarily drives up the medical cost of the patient as well as the psychological trauma.”That psychological toll rarely features in conversations about overtesting, which tend to focus on financial waste or clinical inefficiency. But for the patient sitting with an unexplained abnormal result, the experience is rarely just administrative. It is weeks of uncertainty, repeated consultations, and a growing preoccupation with a number that may resolve on its own, or may never have meant anything at all. For a generation already primed toward health anxiety, amplified by symptom-checking apps, wellness content and a culture that treats more data as inherently reassuring, an unexplained flagged result can be harder to sit with than the absence of information ever was.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesWhat gets lost in this cycle is the fact that not every abnormality requires action. Medicine has long understood that some findings are incidental, present, but clinically irrelevant, yet a system that tests first and interprets later leaves little room for that nuance. The result is a quiet, largely undocumented cost of overtesting: not just money spent on unnecessary follow-ups, but the accumulated weight of worry carried by people who were never actually sick.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAadrita HalderWrites on social matters, geopolitics, and trending issues for the Times of India.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner’My Father Was Almost Lynched’: Injured Delhi Cop’s Daughter Emotional Appeal After Violence | Watch123PhotostoriesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you5 ancient Egyptian rituals that are deeply disturbing123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

Vamsikrishna08 mins mins

India’s quiet overtesting crisis (AI-generated image) Walk into any diagnostics lab in a major Indian city and you will likely be handed a laminated menu, not of food, but of the body. Silver package, gold package, platinum package. Forty tests, sixty tests, ninety. Fasting blood sugar, thyroid panels, vitamin D, cardiac markers, tumour markers, all…

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IIT Kanpur launches six-month online certificate course in AI, ML, and business analytics; admissions open

IIT Kanpur launches six-month online certificate course in AI, ML, and business analytics; admissions open

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

IIT Kanpur has opened admissions for a six-month online certificate programme in Advanced Data Science and Machine Learning for Business Analytics. Starting October 3, 2026, the course targets graduates and working professionals, offering practical training in AI, machine learning, generative AI and business analytics to meet the rising demand for data-driven decision-making across industries (Photo/…

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Salman Khan takes massive fee cut for ‘SVC63’ with Vamshi Paidipally, charging Rs 70 crore instead of Rs 120 crore: Report

Salman Khan takes massive fee cut for ‘SVC63’ with Vamshi Paidipally, charging Rs 70 crore instead of Rs 120 crore: Report

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Salman Khan takes massive fee cut for ‘SVC63’ with Vamshi Paidipally, charging Rs 70 crore instead of Rs 120 crore: Report Salman Khan has reportedly agreed to a substantial reduction in his remuneration for SVC63, the upcoming action entertainer directed by Vamshi Paidipally. According to reports, the superstar will charge around Rs 70 crore instead…

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‘Extensive response plans’: Iran threatens US energy sites after Trump warning

‘Extensive response plans’: Iran threatens US energy sites after Trump warning

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

The official warned that Tehran had prepared “extensive response plans” Iran has warned it is prepared to retaliate against any fresh US or Israeli attacks by targeting critical energy infrastructure across the region, hours after the White House signalled that President Donald Trump was considering expanding military operations against Tehran.According to Iran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News…

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Ajit Doval is the country’s longest-serving National Security Advisor. NEW DELHI: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday received the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune in recognition of his contribution to strengthening India’s national security.Union home minister Amit Shah presented the award at a ceremony held on the 106th death anniversary of freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Watch NSA Ajit Doval Flags Evolving Terrorism And Disruptive Technologies At BRICS MeetThe event took place at the Kataria High School ground in Mukundnagar and was attended by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, along with several senior political leaders and dignitaries.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe award, presented by the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust, honours individuals for their outstanding contribution to the nation. Trust president Rohit Tilak had earlier announced that Doval was chosen this year for his role in strengthening India’s national security.Doval, the country’s longest-serving National Security Advisor, has played a key role in shaping India’s security strategy and has been associated with several major operations, including Operation Sindoor, the Balakot air strike and the surgical strikes.Instituted in 1983, the Lokmanya Tilak National Award has previously been conferred on several eminent personalities. Veteran socialist S M Joshi was the first recipient of the honour. Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh are among the distinguished recipients. Union minister Nitin Gadkari received the award last year.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosThousands March With Constitution, Jharkhand Witnesses Massive Student Agitation Over JPSC Exam Leak’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner123PhotostoriesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you5 ancient Egyptian rituals that are deeply disturbing123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

Ajit Doval is the country’s longest-serving National Security Advisor. NEW DELHI: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday received the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune in recognition of his contribution to strengthening India’s national security.Union home minister Amit Shah presented the award at a ceremony held on the 106th death anniversary of freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Watch NSA Ajit Doval Flags Evolving Terrorism And Disruptive Technologies At BRICS MeetThe event took place at the Kataria High School ground in Mukundnagar and was attended by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, along with several senior political leaders and dignitaries.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe award, presented by the Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust, honours individuals for their outstanding contribution to the nation. Trust president Rohit Tilak had earlier announced that Doval was chosen this year for his role in strengthening India’s national security.Doval, the country’s longest-serving National Security Advisor, has played a key role in shaping India’s security strategy and has been associated with several major operations, including Operation Sindoor, the Balakot air strike and the surgical strikes.Instituted in 1983, the Lokmanya Tilak National Award has previously been conferred on several eminent personalities. Veteran socialist S M Joshi was the first recipient of the honour. Former President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Ministers Narendra Modi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh are among the distinguished recipients. Union minister Nitin Gadkari received the award last year.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosThousands March With Constitution, Jharkhand Witnesses Massive Student Agitation Over JPSC Exam Leak’I Was Influenced’: Jantar Mantar Protest Accused Apologises As PM Modi Offers Forgiveness’They Abused My Late Mother, But I Forgive Them’: PM Modi Signals Relief For Protesters Facing FIRsMigrant Labourer Killed In Kulgam Terror Attack, Security Forces Launch Massive Search OperationCauvery Row Escalates As TN Farmers Protest, DK Shivakumar Delays Meeting With VijayDelhi Riots Case: Tahir Hussain, Four Others Get Life Term For IB Officer Ankit Sharma’s MurderIndia Signs Rs 4,000 Crore Credit Agreement With Bhutan, Reviews Rs 10,000 Crore Development PackageIndian Navy Receives Indigenous Diving Support Vessel Nipun, Strengthens Deep-Sea Rescue CapabilityCabinet Approves ₹84,084 Crore Samudra Manthan Scheme To Boost Offshore Oil And Gas ExplorationMeta India Head Named In FIR As Posts Criticising PM Modi Surface; Social Accounts Under Scanner123PhotostoriesWhat happens when you roast garlic with olive oil wrapped in aluminium foil in the oven? The chemistry explained5 plants that can grow in small pots and are suitable for small spacesStop making these 8 dosa mistakes: The science behind perfect dosas5 small plants that never die5 Plants with red leaves to add a splash of colour to your homeAlways saying sorry in your relationship? Here are 5 things couples should never apologize forHe thought it was food poisoning until doctors found a kidney stone: The warning signs that are easy to missWhy Indian royals chose emeralds over diamonds: The fascinating history behind their favourite gemstoneWhat happens when you say ‘thank you’ every day? These 5 spiritual changes may surprise you5 ancient Egyptian rituals that are deeply disturbing123Hot PicksHurricane IrmaRuchika SinghRRB Group D Admit CardNEET selective edit windowCommonwealth Games LiveUS work permit feeE20 petrol debateAssam floodsKanwar Yatra 2026Top TrendingSaurav DasBengal JeM Terrorist ArrestedJaisalmer Military Station AccidentCM VijayDehradun Teacher SuicideAnkit Sharma Murder CaseAam Aadmi PartyShraddha Walkar Murder CaseMumbai Building CollapseStock Market Up

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Ajit Doval is the country’s longest-serving National Security Advisor. NEW DELHI: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday received the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune in recognition of his contribution to strengthening India’s national security.Union home minister Amit Shah presented the award at a ceremony held on the 106th death anniversary of freedom…

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Quote of the day by George Clooney: ‘You’re never as good as they say you are and you’re never as bad as they say you are’ when the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ icon explained why balance matters more than praise.

Quote of the day by George Clooney: ‘You’re never as good as they say you are and you’re never as bad as they say you are’ when the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ icon explained why balance matters more than praise.

Vamsikrishna06 mins mins

George Clooney believes the healthiest mindset is to stay grounded, reminding people that praise and criticism are rarely the complete truth.Image credit (Instagram) George Clooney is one of the last true movie stars. The man who parlayed a television career into one of the most elegant and purposeful film legacies of his generation, who has…

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