-The Hindu * Why is the Election Commission keen on voters linking their Aadhaar with voter IDs? The story so far: Reports have surfaced online of instances where block level officers have asked individuals to link their Aadhaar with their Voter IDs, failing which their Voter IDs could be cancelled. This comes in the aftermath of the Election Commission’s (EC) campaign to promote the linkage of Voter ID and Aadhaar that began...

-Newsclick.in The brake on the release of funds by the Centre, which has found blatant and persistent violation of norms by Nabanna, has queered Mamata Banerjee's pitch. Kolkata: It’s a tough call suddenly for Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal’s chief minister Mamata Banerjee; TMC’s very comfortable majority in the Assembly notwithstanding. Mamata finds herself in an awkward situation after the arrest of two of her trusted aides – Partha Chatterjee and...

-The Hindu Most welfare schemes contribute to improving human development outcomes, also resulting in higher growth Concern over ‘freebies’ in Indian politics has recently been expressed by those in the highest offices in the country. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Bundelkhand Expressway (Uttar Pradesh) on July 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned youth not to get carried away by the ‘revari culture’, where votes are sought by promising ‘freebies’. He...

-Newsclick.in Modi had promised the creation of 2 crore jobs every year during the 2014 Election Campaign. Two questions asked recently in Parliament elicited answers from the government that reveal the horrendous state of jobs and vacancies in the Central government. One of the questions (#1803 answered on July 27) asked how many people applied for jobs in the Central government and how many actually got permanent jobs. In reply, the minister...

-Newsclick.in Perhaps for the first time, TMC leaders concede in private discussions that after Bogtui the party finds itself on the backfoot and the carnage has been proving hugely embarrassing for the party chief and chief minister. Kolkata: Perhaps for the first time in the 11 year-regime of Trinamool Congress, a section of Imams who function under the banner of Bengal Imams Association and Welfare Trust (BIA) have targeted TMC supremo and...