The government has a plan to reach welfare to the poor without wasting money. It wants to put hard cash in their hands instead of spending on welfare programmes. To begin with, it wants to end the public distribution system of food grain and give money directly to the people. Its logic: the new system of cash transfer will plug leakages and save an enormous amount of money. But is it...
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Finance ministry rules out tax amnesty for black money
The finance ministry has ruled out a fresh tax amnesty scheme, saying that no such proposal was on the table. Ministry officials told Parliament's Standing Committee on Thursday that the issue of a new tax amnesty has not even been discussed, scotching the speculation suggesting that one was being mulled. The officials said that they did not know how this started. Members of the Standing Committee asked the government to use India's...
More »'RTE holds good for private schools' by Satya Prakash
The Centre on Monday asserted before the Supreme Court that the Right to Education Act (RTE) applied to private unaided schools, including minority schools and it did not violate any rulings of the top court. "The provisions… regarding grant of admission by private unaided schools, to the extent of at least 25% of the strength of class-I to children belonging to weaker section and disadvantaged group in the neighbourhood and provide...
More »Startling growth in “businessmen MPs” by Vidya Subrahmaniam
A potential for conflict of interest, says study by National Social Watch As many as 128 members of the Lok Sabha, forming nearly a fourth of the strength of the lower House, fall in the categories of “industrialist/trader/businessperson/ builder.” In the Rajya Sabha, MPs from these groups (25 out of 245) account for a more modest 10 per cent. However, in a potential conflict of interest, many of the MPs are...
More »No new Bill on quota in posts and services: Centre by J Venkatesan
The Department of Personnel and Training has made it clear that at present there is no proposal to introduce in Parliament a new Bill, viz SC/ST (Reservation in Posts and Services), though the earlier Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2008 was later withdrawn. The DoPT stated this in reply to a query raised by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Vichar Manch general secretary R.L. Kain whether the government would come out...
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