-The Hindu Business Line New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has found the estimated savings on account of Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG in 2015-16 to be lower than that of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, primarily because of the differences in assumption of key variables. In a report titled ‘Implementation of PAHAL (DBTL) Scheme’ tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the CAG found that the...

-Livemint.com The difference between wholesale and retail prices was as high as 52% for a variety of pulses, shows an analysis of available data New Delhi: High prices of pulse varieties have been a constant point of worry for consumers and governments over the past year. While consecutive years of deficit rain cut supplies, leading to higher imports and a spike in prices, what went unnoticed is the divergence between retail...

-The Hindu Business Line Price increases in inputs may raise break-even for poultry farmers and keep egg prices up There’s a hue and cry about the soaring price of pulses, the primary source of protein for Indian vegetarians. But non-vegetarians, or more precisely eggitarians, too, don’t have it easy. Prices of their key protein source have been hitting record levels in recent months, with retail egg prices in some pockets of the...

-The Hindu Business Line Govt’s production and distribution processes are out of sync with Consumption patterns Of late, with growing income and awareness about nutritious food, there has been a noticeable decrease in the Consumption of rice (a high-carb food) in Indian households. This change in Consumption pattern, however, is not reflected in India’s agriculture policy which continues to revolve around rice and wheat. Moreover, current policies related to production, procurement, storage...

-The Hindu We need to rethink social safety nets in India’s growing economy so that they can also focus on the accidents of life rather than solely on the accidents of birth. Sometimes the grand narratives of the Left and the Right do not seem to have any relationship with the lived experiences of ordinary Indians. For the past two decades, the Left has tried to expand social welfare programmes for the...