-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...

-The Times of India While allegations of irrigation-related illegalities continue to fly thick and fast, with Maharashtra at the epicenter, the status of irrigation projectsacross the country presents a dismal picture.  Stalled projects are not only symptoms of corruption, they are depriving farmers of life-saving water for crops, weakening food security and pushing them to the brink of pauperization. In all, 77 major and 86 medium irrigation projects are running delayed by anything...

-Outlook Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar will head a 10-member global task force to plan a knowledge management system to promote global cooperation in anti-corruption measures and keep check on black money. "Central Vigilance Commission has been chosen to lead the global task force and prepare a knowledge management system. It will be a first-of-its-kind which will help in promoting international cooperation in anti-corruption measures," Kumar said. It will help in dealing effectively...

-The Hindu In the State that leads in incidents of rape, the shame-inducing statistics are pushing the administration into action Time was when Payal (name changed to protect her identity), a standard VII student from Madhya Pradesh’s tribal dominated Betul district, had only school, friends and family on her mind. But her little world changed dramatically in March this year. The 15-year-old, a resident of Betul’s Majhinagar slum, was abducted in public by...

-The Hindu Jairam Ramesh concludes two days of intense negotiations The Central government will come halfway — literally — in its bid to prevent the thousands of landless poor now marching along National Highway 3 from actually reaching the capital. After two days of intense negotiations with the march’s organisers Ekta Parishad, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has decided to head to Agra — slightly before the halfway point of the Jan Satyagraha...