-The Indian Express At a high-level meeting in July itself, Modi set a target of one billion Aadhaar enrolments "at the earliest". Putting to rest speculation about the fate of the previous UPA government's most ambitious scheme - issuing Aadhaar cards and linking all benefits to this unique identity - the NDA government has given it a decisive push with Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself taking a keen interest in its rollout. At...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: With all the buzz around double-income power couples, it is easy to believe that more and more urban families have given up the sole breadwinner model of the past. But that would be a mistake, as just released Census 2011 data shows. An overwhelming 51 per cent of urban households live on the income of a single earner, while double-income families are a distant 26 per...

-The Indian Express The Modi government had recently directed all central government offices to introduce Aadhaar-based biometric attendance systems. In what could be a revolutionary step towards monitoring and tracking the work of government officials, the NDA government has launched an "attendance website" to serve as a centralised database for all central government employees. Though the website, attendance.gov.in, is still in the process of being developed, officials said it is expected to be...

-The Business Standard Nilekani probably managed to save the project by a persuasive talk with Modi, but the concerns haven't gone away It is widely believed that Nandan Nilekani's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saved the ambitious Aadhaar project from oblivion or a takeover by the home ministry. Within a couple of days of the meeting, Modi gave directions to expedite enrolments through Aadhaar, along with the direct benefits transfer (DBT) project...

-Al Jazeera The UN claims that its Millennium Development Campaign has reduced poverty globally, an assertion that is far from true. The received wisdom comes to us from all directions: Poverty rates are declining and extreme poverty will soon be eradicated. The World Bank, the governments of wealthy countries, and - most importantly - the United Nations Millennium Campaign all agree on this narrative. Relax, they tell us. The world is getting...