-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Two super-speciality hospitals in the capital have not admitted any patient but auditors point out that both have already spent crores in maintenance. In 2011-12, Rajiv Gandhi Super-Speciality (RGSS) hospital had spent Rs 4.83 crore out of a budget allocation of Rs 5 crore. The following year, the allocation was increased to Rs 6 crore even though the expenditure on medical treatment remained the same -...

-The Tribune Chandigarh: There is nothing much for Punjab in the Union Budget. In fact, it has left important issues pertaining to state's fiscal health and economy untouched. As far as Punjab is concerned, the Union Budget is disappointing," said eminent economist Sucha Singh Gill. The Budget has left state's debt issue untouched. When Pranab Mukherjee was the Finance Minister, he had proposed to set up a special committee at the Union Government...

-The Tribune Faridkot (Punjab): The Union Budget neglecting the organic farmers in Punjab and allocating Rs 100 crore for its development in the North Eastern states has left many organic farmers in the state despondent. To save fast-depleting table of ground water and avoid excessive use of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture in Punjab, the organic farmers in the state were expecting subsidy on the pattern of chemical based agriculture to give...

-The Hindu Business Line Budget allocation for rural jobs scheme raised marginally to ₹33,353 crore NEW DELHI: In a major rejig of the UPA's flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the BJP-led Government has converted the programme from being a Central to a State Plan scheme. This change, however, did not find explicit mention in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Budget speech. In the previous Government's 2013-14 Budget, a total amount...

-The Times of India   The NDA government committed to continue UPA's flagship Food Security Act to ensure that the poor get wheat and rice at subsidized rates. The budgetary allocation has been increased to Rs 1.15 lakh crore in comparison to Rs 92,000 crore during the last financial year. Finance minister Arun Jaitley said, "Even if due to inadequate rainfall there is a marginal decline in agriculture production, stocks in the...