-The Hindu BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh is the face of the reformed public distribution system in Chhattisgarh and indeed, he is still banking on it for a third consecutive term despite the anti-incumbency factor against several MLAs and a few ministers in his council. In his recent vikas yatra, he showcased development and focussed on the path-breaking Public Distribution System (PDS) reforms that were dovetailed into the Chhattisgarh Food Security Act...

India's landmark Right to Information Legislation is called the biggest single step since independence to build transparency in governance. However, its remarkable success is owed only to just 0.3 per cent of Indians who file RTI applications. It's anybody's guess as to what would be the impact if even one or two per cent of Indians began to ask tough questions to hold their rulers accountable. It is noteworthy that...

-Live Mint Difference between average spending in urban and rural areas declined by 0.6 percentage points between 2004-05 and 2011-12 The seven years between 2004-05 and 2011-12 have been among the most prosperous phases India has ever seen. What makes this phase unique is that the gains from high growth have been more evenly shared between rural and urban India than before. Real rural consumption expenditure grew at an average annual pace...

-The Times of India HYDERABAD: There are as many as 414 death row convicts in jails across the country. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has reported that there as are many as 106 death penalty convicts are in jails in Uttar Pradesh. Those on the death row in other states include 63 in Karnataka, 51 in Maharashtra, 42 in Bihar, 27 in Delhi, 19 in Gujarat, 16 in Punjab, 14...

-Live Mint Not only have Bihar and Odisha grown faster they have also ensured that benefits accrue to the poorest; in Gujarat, growth has bypassed the poor Going by logic, the poor in richer states should be better off than their counterparts living in poorer states. This is especially so when the country is seeing a welcome trend: Income growth in rural areas and poverty reduction has witnessed unprecedented acceleration. Not necessarily. Not...