-Scroll.in Experts say that this delay is impacting Government schemes and programmes. The Union home ministry on Tuesday told the Lok Sabha that India’s decennial census 2021 has been deferred till further orders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. India’s first census was conducted in 1872. The census determines the country’s population, literacy rate, migration, and demographics like age, gender and marital status along with housing and economic activity, among other key factors. The...

-The Hindu The price surge in LPG cylinders has pushed consumers to lower the number of LPG refills with 5% of the PMUY beneficiaries refilling just once per year in FY22 The price of a 14.2 kg cylinder has skyrocketed to ₹1,053 in July 2022. Though a subsidy of ₹200 per cylinder was recently announced for the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, the subsidised rate of ₹853 is still double the amount...

-TheWire.in States like Delhi (despite its unique multi-party governance architecture), West Bengal, Kerala (or even Goa and Sikkim) perform better compared to UP when it comes to being measured for securing access to basic social, economic services. In a veiled attack against BJP’s political opponents, accusing them of promising ‘freebies’ (revdi) in exchange for electoral votes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday cautioned people, especially the youth, against this “revdi culture”, saying...

-Deccan Herald District-level officials have been mounting pressure on the Government to give beneficiaries cash instead of foodgrains The Karnataka Government is under pressure to consider replacing foodgrains with cash benefits to not only plug pilferage but give citizens a say in their consumption basket amid concerns that they are not eating all of what they get under the public distribution system (PDS).  The cash-based food subsidy is being piloted in Puducherry, Chandigarh...

-TheWire.in Why should the money collected through purpose-specific cesses be funneled into a state's consolidated fund? On July 20, 2022, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG)’s report on Kerala’s finances for the fiscal year 2020-21 was tabled in the state assembly. Amongst several other observations, this report has noted how funds being kept outside the ‘Consolidated Fund’ of the state. The context here is the manner in which Kerala treats cess...