-The Hindu India could be living through a reprise of the ‘Congress system’, but with significant differences in the BJP’s re-enactment At the first signs of stress, the grand vision of a nation unified in a singular system of taxation, was supplanted by a policy of every-state-for-itself. Just over three years ago, the introduction of a unified “goods and services tax” (GST) was heralded by a midnight session of Parliament, a theatrical...

-Gaon Connection While the central government continues to assure farmers that it will stand by the minimum support price of Rs 1,888 per quintal, farmers are being compelled to sell their paddy at Rs 1,200 a quintal or less. Jarnail Singh from Kabirganj in Pilibhit district in Uttar Pradesh has just returned from Paliya Mandi a dejected man. The 50-year-old was unable to sell his 250 quintals of ‘good quality’ paddy. “I...

-Livemint.com * Barring some major cities, the fear of hefty traffic fines last year was short-lived, new data on road accidents suggests Just over a year ago, dramatic traffic penalties under the amended Motor Vehicles Act made headlines across the country. The centre claimed the fines would curb road accidents. But latest government data show the reality was mixed and the fear of the law may have fizzled out quite soon. A total...

-The Indian Express Nitish’s 15 years have seen high growth, especially in welfare indices, spending; industries slower to catch up. New Delhi: As Bihar heads into an election that promises to be a battle of proxies fought between former and present allies, on the state’s economic conditions alone, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seems to have a clear edge. The state has improved in the last five years in terms of growth of...

-Business Standard Government officials have claimed that Aadhaar has helped save over Rs 90,000 crore by weeding out fake beneficiaries New Delhi: The Finance Ministry and other government departments have told a Right to Information applicant they do not have information on rules or procedures to identify beneficiaries of state-sponsored subsidies under the Aadhaar Act. Business Standard assessed the government's responses to the RTI application filed by Dr Anupam Saraph, who is based...