In order to understand why the Union Budget 2021-22 is being termed as ‘transparent’, it has to be read simultaneously with the 15th Finance Commission Main Report for 2021-26. But first, let us discuss 'fertilizer subsidy'. The budget documents for Union Budget 2021-22 show that the spending on ‘fertilizer subsidy’ was slashed from Rs. 1,33,947 crore in 2020-21 (revised estimate) to Rs. 79,530 crore in 2021-22 (budget estimate). However, the budgetary...

-The Indian Express Supreme Court's attempt to resolve government-farmer problem over new laws creates problems of its own Forty-eight days of protest and eight rounds of Centre-farmers talks later, the Supreme Court has stepped in, and with all due respect, has overstepped the line. It has taken into its hands a political problem that was, that still is, the government’s to negotiate and resolve. The apex court’s interim order on Tuesday —...

-The Indian Express This is perhaps the first time the apex court has stayed a law passed by Parliament without sparing even a single hearing to examine its constitutionality — the court’s primary function. With its interim order staying the implementation of the three new farm laws, the Supreme Court has entered into uncharted territory. This is perhaps the first time the apex court has stayed a law passed by Parliament without...

-TheWire.in While dismissing an appeal, the statutory body also held that revealing the details of donors would violate the provisions of the Right to Information Act. New Delhi: In a significant ruling, the Central Information Commission has held that disclosing the identities of the electoral Bond scheme donors is not in the public interest. The statutory body for the implementation for the RTI Act also held that revealing the details of donors would...

-The Hindu While the youth have abandoned villages for work in distant towns, children have dropped out of schools after pandemic Andrahal: Perched at a height of 3,500ft above sea level in the hilly Malkangiri district of Odisha, this village is difficult to access and so are its inhabitants — the Bondas, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, known for their secluded lives away from the mainstream. However, the lack of access has not...