-The Hindu CM criticises move to remove levy obligation on sugar mills Chennai: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has strongly opposed the Centre's decision to remove the levy obligation on sugar mills, contending that it will impact on the public distribution system in the State. Under the levy obligation, as part of the regulation of the sugar sector, every sugar mill mandatorily surrenders 10 per cent of its production to the Central government at a...

-The Business Standard Govt should streamline its free medicines plan The Centre is reportedly going to shelve a plan to procure generic drugs for free supply to patients throughout the country. This is a serious error. Reportedly, states will instead be asked to do so; but, if a perceived inability to procure, stock and distribute these drugs is the reason for backtracking on the plan, how precisely will states be free of...

-Firstpost.com After the UPA-II released its self-congratulatory 79-page ‘Report card to the People', National Advisory Council (NAC) member and leading social activist Aruna Roy has come down heavily on the government for its poor performance in the social sector. Roy, an instrumental force behind the Right to Information Act, criticised the government for stalling on essential legislations such as the Food Security Bill, the Land Acquisition Bill and the Lokpal Bill. Roy spoke...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The comptroller and auditor general has started conducting secret studies, called management reports, which are not tabled in Parliament. Starting with a report on Commonwealth Games (CWG), four such reports have been out. In the form of advisories, these reports are meant to forewarn the government on systematic faults and alert the departments to adopt fiscal prudence. Besides the one on CWG, the official auditor has produced...

-Live Mint The varying demographic trends in modern India could create disagreements in the political system There were 180 million more Indians in 2011 than a decade ago. Around half this increase in population came from the villages and half from the cities. The urban population actually grew slightly more than the rural population, perhaps for the first time in Indian history. The big picture is generally known. It is in the...