Every family below poverty line may get over Rs 400 per month from the government from April next year in lieu of fuel subsidy for kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders as part of India's first direct cash transfer scheme. The move, which is expected to be considered by Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on June 9, is aimed at checking use of kerosene for fuel adulteration and reduce financial...
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Price of delay
-The Business Standard Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was being economical with the truth when he said that last Saturday’s petrol price hike decision was entirely that of oil marketing companies (OMCs). True, the government correctly but belatedly deregulated petrol pricing several months ago, but it is clear that despite a sharp increase in global crude oil prices in the past six months, the OMCs restrained themselves from increasing domestic...
More »The Case for Direct Cash Transfers by Rupa Subramanya Dehejia
Would you rather buy a necessity like kerosene or food grains at a subsidy or receive an equivalent amount of cash instead? Would you prefer that the government decides your consumption pattern rather than figuring out on your own how to spend your income? One of the “big ticket” reform items in the budget was the announcement that subsidies on kerosene, fertilizers and Liquefied Petroleum Gas and delivery through the Public...
More »Aadhaar sets stage for cash transfers by Surabhi Agarwal
In line with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s budget announcement on Monday that the government is looking at direct cash transfers as an alternative to the current subsidy on kerosene and fertilizers and to prevent leakages, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is planning to open Aadhaar-linked bank accounts for the purpose. These can be used for other financial transactions as well. The authority is in the process of empanelling banks...
More »‘2 Lakh Gujjar, Bakarwal Families to get Ration under BPL Scheme' by Sumit Hakhoo
The state government has decided to bring two lakh nomadic Gujjar and Bakerwal families in Jammu and Kashmir under the Public Distribution System (PDS). “Temporary ration cards will be issued to the nomadic Gujars and Bakerwals so that they could get ration while migrating from one place to another without any difficulty,” Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Qamar Ali Akhoon told Greater Kashmir on Sunday. He said that...
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