-Outlook Opposing direct cash transfer and FDI in retail, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh today said inordinate delay in decision making and complicated procedures for statutory clearances were hurting the country's economy growth and investor sentiment. He told a meeting of National Development Council (NDC) here, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that the 12th plan has been made on "patronage model" and impinges on the autonomy of the states by making...

-Outlook Rejecting contentions that government is implementing the Aadhar enabled Direct Benefit Transfer (cash transfer) system in a hurry, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told Rajya Sabha today that the measure being implemented step by step will eliminate leakages, delays, duplicacies and falsification. "It will lead to seamless transition. We believe that the new system, which we will introduce, will be more transparent. It will eliminate leakages, delays, duplicacies and falsification. Government firmly...

-The Indian Express The UPA’s cash transfer scheme — delivering over Rs.3.2 lakh crore in subsidies and welfare programmes to the poor, directly to their bank accounts — has raised fears in many quarters about the capacity of a rickety state apparatus to cope with messy implementation issues. Our collective self-confidence about being able to implement any new policy is so low today, we seem to be paralysed by the mere...

-The Hindu In the latest move on its social welfare agenda, the government may expand its pension scheme, widening the net for widows, single and divorced women, disabled people, Dalits and tribal senior citizens, as well as increasing the amount paid to older people. The Rural Development Ministry, which is proposing the expansion, estimates the additional cost at more than Rs. 18,000 crore per year. The Ministry has just accepted the recommendations made...

-The Indian Express Unhappy over the Planning Commission attempt to convert flagship schemes of the Union Ministry for Rural Development from Centrally-sponsored schemes to additional Central assistance schemes, Minister Jairam Ramesh has shot off a strongly-worded letter to Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the commission.   Apprehending that such a move will transfer the financial control of schemes such as MGNREGA and PMGSY to the Finance Ministry, Ramesh in his letter said,...