-Outlook The Centre today told the Supreme Court that securing Aadhar cards, being issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), was optional and it has not made it mandatory for the citizens. The apex court, hearing a batch of pleas against decisions of some states to make Aadhar cards compulsory for a range of activities including salary, PF disbursals and marriage and property registrations, asked the Centre not to issue it...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Onion hoarders and unscrupulous traders could be looking to make a killing over the next 15-20 days as 85-90% of the country's onion stock is over and only 3-4 lakh tonnes remain available for consumption. Since traders are aware of the depleting stock, and know that arrival of the kharif crop from October will ease supplies and depress prices, they seem to be trying to extract...

-Outlook Onion prices, which have again gone up to Rs 70 per kg in retail markets, are expected to soften by early next month with supplies from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka improving, Food Minister K V Thomas said today. He also said the Centre has asked producing states like Maharashtra to crack down on hoarders of onion, a politically sensitive commodity. Normally, onion prices rise during the lean period of June-August. But prices...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Onion prices have again hit the roof in Mumbai, Delhi and other major cities after stabilizing briefly in August, leading the Centre to suggest that traders and speculators might be "artificially" increasing onion prices and has asked whether a seasonal shortage in supplies is being exploited. "Governments of Delhi and Chandigarh were addressed to look into the possibility of traders and speculators creating an artificial...

-The Pioneer Forget about doling out mandatory unemployment allowance under the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), majority of the Congress-ruled States in the country are yet to notify unemployment allowance rules under the UPA's flagship rural job scheme launched in 2007. The rules mandate the States to pay the daily allowance to a registered worker if he is not provided a job within 15 days of the receipt...