-The Indian Express The Centre is pushing and many states are implementing Direct Benefit Transfers – and encountering little political opposition The entire focus on ushering in a direct benefit transfer (DBT) regime for delivering subsidies to the targeted populations has so far centered around cooking gas, and to some extent, on isolated pilot experiments with food subsidy. Agriculture subsidies, especially on inputs other than fertilisers, have largely escaped attention in...

-The Indian Express A decade after ‘Prakash Singh’ judgement, police reform remains undone. Anniversaries and birthdays are joyous occasions. The 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Prakash Singh case should be one of them — a reason to look back with pride at the court’s seven directions in its September 22, 2006, verdict aimed at propelling police reform. The judgement was intended — but perhaps not expected — to...

-The Hindu Business Line Hyderabad: Millet Network of India (MINI), an umbrella organisation of activists, scientists and non-governmental organisations, has demanded the Union government implement the National Food Security 2013 and include millets in public distribution system (PDS). MINI Convener PV Satheesh has said that the network has launched a national campaign this week to bring pressure on the government to achieve their demands. “The month-long campaign would highlight the importance of bringing...

-The Times of India PATNA: "I am disappointed to find no further progress in the public distribution system (PDS) in the state", says noted development economist Jean Dreze in a letter addressed to the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. In a letter to CM Nitish Kumar on Monday Dreze said: "As you know, we have been watching the PDS in Bihar with keen interest. We were impressed with the rapid improvements that...

-Business Standard The efficacy of farm debt waivers is ambiguous, but it has proved to be a potent potent weapon in the run-up to elections With elections round the corner in agrarian states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, his party’s Punjab chief ministerial candidate Amarinder Singh and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal are trying to woo farmers of the two states with promises of farm...