-The Times of India NEW DELHI: BJP on Wednesday made a strong pitch for increasing the minimum pension to beneficiaries under the employees pension scheme (EPS) to Rs 3,000 per month and link it to the price index, against Rs 1,000 proposed by the government. "The BJP demands that the minimum pension under EPS 95 (EPF Pension) should be declared at Rs 3,000 per month and not at Rs 1,000 as government...

A new report on India's housing sector confirms with facts and figures what has been suspected all along: that despite growing demand for affordable housing, supply side responses have been weak and sluggish. This means even though the housing sector can directly impact employment and income generation, and has multiple forward and backward linkages with various industries, it needs innovative ideas, pro-poor thinking and policy stimulus. (See link below for...

-The Hindu     Policies being pursued in India are based on the growth-at-any-cost model. The poor and the enviroment suffer while the corporates and organised sectors reap the benefits The Aam Aadmi Party, having won the trust vote, is now in the saddle in Delhi. By announcing several measures to benefit Delhiites, it had already impacted the political discourse in the nation. The established political parties are trying to follow suit. Why did...

-The Business Standard Mumbai: The Ministry of Agriculture proposes drastic reduction in the market fee and commission charges paid in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee ( APMC) markets. To this effect, it also suggest abolishing the present system of licensing of traders / commission agents by substituting it with system of registration. Accordingly, there will be a single unified registration for the main market and collection...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC order empowering CAG to audit private telecom companies would not only kick off a massive audit exercise,but also ensure that CAG is empowered to audit PPPs (public-private partnerships), and similar engagements where Private Sector is engaged in some of the traditional government functions. "It is a landmark judgment, it will be quoted and discussed for years to come," a senior audit official said,...