-Frontline.in The Assembly elections have put under intense scrutiny Narendra Modi’s Gujarat model of development which is touted as worthy of replication throughout the country. Audit reports of the CAG provide ample evidence of it being inefficient, corrupt and not beneficial to the common people. THE standard indicators of development, as is understood in theory and practice, comprise a range of indices, and not necessarily the level of private investment in...

-The Times of India BENGALURU: In last year's budget, Union finance minister Arun Jaitley promised a health cover of Rs 1 lakh per poor family under the National Health Protection Scheme, which was meant to replace the UPA government's Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). However, with the programme yet to see the light of day, the Centre is forced to continue with RSBY, which seems to be losing ground. An RTI application...

-PTI Pregnant women and lactating mothers are eligible to receive a cash benefit of Rs. 5,000 in three instalments. New Delhi:  The Modi government on Wednesday virtually halved the number of beneficiaries under its Maternity Benefit Programme (MBP) by restricting the scheme to firstborns instead of 'first two live births' as applicable earlier. PTI had earlier reported that reduced allocation of funds of Rs. 2700 crore for the scheme in the Union...

-TheWire.in After the government cancelled certain cesses that were meant for labourers’ welfare in preparation for the GST, activists suspect that many such moves may be around the corner. Assaults on the hard-earned rights of several categories of workers have been on the rise in recent times, evidenced by the cancellation of cesses meant to be utilised for workers’ social security. If left unchecked, such changes can lead to much bigger losses...

-The Hindu In the last three years, important entitlements for children have been undermined by the Centre The recent notification of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, making Aadhaar compulsory for midday meals in government schools, has attracted the criticism it deserves. This notification serves no clear purpose other than to force children to get enrolled under Aadhaar. The government, unfortunately, managed to create the impression that the notification had been retracted,...