-First Post If we are willing to believe the best practice examples of cash transfers from Brazil and Philippines, and trust the UPA on the fact that their cash-for-subsidy is going to be all hunky-dory, we also have a right to believe Sitaram Yechury’s concerns about the fancy plan. According to the CPM leader, the cash transfer is a ploy by the government to dismantle the PDS and systematically reduce subsidies. “This is...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Visitors to Haryana may soon face fingerprint checks-Varinder Bhatia
-The Indian Express The Haryana Police are installing fingerprint scanners at border checkposts in a bid to check crime in the state. Visitors entering through 30 checkposts on Haryana’s borders with Delhi, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh will be randomly stopped and asked to undergo the test, which will then be checked against a database of known criminals in the state and neighbouring districts. The scanners have already been procured...
More »Why not levy 25% green tax on diesel cars, Supreme Court asks -Dhananjay Mahapatra
-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre's response to a radical plea for collection of 25% of the cost of a diesel car or SUV sold in the National Capital Region as green tax at the time of its purchase to deter people from buying more polluting personal vehicles and help fight the growing levels of pollution in Delhi. The court also sought the Union government's response...
More »Cash is no cure-all-Lant Pritchett and Shrayana Bhattacharya
-The Indian Express Cash transfers seem to be the latest fad. With elections looming, the Prime Minister’s National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers has been tasked with an ambitious mandate to provide vision and direction to enable direct cash transfers of subsidies under various government schemes and programmes to individuals to enhance efficiency. Certain activists warn against an ill-considered and hasty transition from food to cash. Others believe directly transferring the...
More »Why children remain at risk-Leela Visaria
-The Indian Express As the 2015 target for achieving millennium development goals adopted in 1990 approaches, the time has come to take stock of various countries’ performances and identify areas that need more attention. The Unicef recently released a report which categorically stated that India will not be able to achieve the goal of an under-five mortality rate (U5MR) of 42 by 2015. The report further stated that only six of...
More »