-Outlook UPA’s populist trumpcard of 2008—the farm loan waiver—has fallen short of its intended target, as a CAG audit throws up The Scheme 2008 Union finance minister P. Chidambaram announces farmer debt waiver and relief scheme in budget; PM Manmohan Singh writes to beneficiaries “seeking their support” Rs 52,275 cr Total money that was disbursed to eligible farmers across the nation as part of loan waiver scheme Rs 50,000 The loan...
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Elementary failure
-The Hindu The Ministry of Human Resource Development recently informed Parliament, that 12 States in the country could not meet the demand for professionally qualified teachers. Moreover, there are more than 8.7 lakh teachers in the country who do not have the necessary training to perform their role. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the independent annual study by theASER Centre into schooling outcomes in rural India has found a...
More »'Inclusive growth' will ring hollow sans universal pension, Aruna Roy tells Sonia
-The Hindu If the UPA government fails to universalise pensions for every senior citizen in the country, then it cannot claim to be a champion of inclusive growth, says National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy. In a letter to NAC chairperson Sonia Gandhi, which was handed over at Monday’s meeting, Ms. Roy has pointed out that the government’s Rs. 200 a month pension is restricted to BPL families. “For the elderly, the BPL...
More »Govt puts food security Bill on fast track to Parliament
-Live Mint The food security Bill could be taken up by Parliament in the first part of the budget session, which is set to start next month The politically sensitive food security Bill could be taken up by Parliament in the first part of the budget session, set to start next month, after the food ministry took a remarkably brief one week to consider and accept almost all the recommendations on the...
More »No sweetening this bitter pill-K Sujatha Rao
-The Hindu Unless the government regulates the growth of the private sector and makes it accountable, the worn-down public health infrastructure cannot be revitalised The absence of a well thought out policy framework for strengthening the health system is the most important issue facing the health sector in India. In the government, there is no clarity on what the nation’s health system should be 10 years hence. Should it be a public...
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