Its eye on the UP Assembly elections, the Centre is going to package the reservation for backward Muslims being planned out of the 27 per cent OBC quota as part of a series of reservation measures, covering a large bracket of beneficiaries. Apart from designating the quota for Muslims as part of a larger reservation for “minorities”, the UPA government is planning to promise a quota for “the most backward”...

Expenditure incurred on advertisements to be recorded in ‘shadow expenditure register' Advertisements inserted by candidates contesting the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh will have to be signed by them as well as by two witnesses in order to differentiate these from paid news and deter the candidates from having their way. The district election officers would ensure that the expenditure incurred on the advertisements was recorded in the ‘shadow expenditure register',...

The United Progressive Alliance government appeared determined on Monday not to roll back its decision to permit foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector, despite intense pressure from allies and the Opposition alike, not to mention the Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit which faces an uphill task in next year's Assembly polls. At best, sources said, the government might postpone a decision on its implementation by referring it to an...

The all-crucial Below the Poverty Line (BPL) survey will not be completed ahead of the start of the 12th Five-Year Plan and consequently the execution of the promised food security entitlement, for which the government intends passing legislation in the coming Parliament session, will suffer. Following a review meeting with officials of all States here on Friday, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh admitted that the deadline for conducting the Socio Economic...

The Centre is preparing to introduce its own version of the Lokpal bill following its assessment that Team Anna’s Jan Lokpal bill does not enjoy as widespread a support among experts as assumed initially. A Parliament standing committee is looking into the bill now. Not all the panel’s recommendations may be accepted but the government has taken heart from the developments during the committee’s talks with various groups. “We have interacted with...