-The Times of India Come July and you will have cash equivalent to your Cooking gas subsidy in your bank account, marking the biggest shift in delivery of handouts which could help government curb leakages and reduce the strain on public finances. The switch is part of the ambitious three-phase deadline set by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the "kind-to-cash" transition based on the Aadhaar numbers. At a meeting chaired by Pulok...

-The Hindu Government, oil companies to work out modalities THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to provide subsidy for up to nine cylinders of Cooking gas (LPG) a year to all domestic consumers. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told the media here after the weekly Cabinet meeting that the Centre was providing subsidy for six cylinders per household. The State government had earlier decided to extend the subsidy for nine cylinders to people living...

-The Business Standard The government needs to be braver with cash transfers On October 20, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to launch the first major step in integrating the Unique ID, or Aadhaar, with government welfare schemes. The event is supposed to take place in Dudu, a town in Jaipur district in Congress-ruled Rajasthan. The presence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi also seems to suggest that the United Progressive Alliance...

-The Telegraph Calcutta: Demand for commercial gas has risen sharply in Bengal, prompting suggestions that the subsidy cap on domestic cylinders has unmasked one of the worst-kept secrets in the country. The sudden spurt is being attributed to demand from commercial establishments and auto-rickshaws that were so far depending heavily on the subsidised Cooking gas rampantly pilfered from the domestic segment. “We have been selling 6,000 (commercial) cylinders a day (to establishments) after...

-The Times of India The government is set to step up its push for cash transfer of subsidies and adopt it as a policy doctrine in the run-up to elections, with two pilot projects validating the assumption that it would lead to significant savings for the government while enhancing benefits for users. A pilot project for Cooking gas in Mysore run by state-run oil companies saw the number of connections dropping 40%...