-The Hindu Direct Benefits Transfer is potentially a game-changer, but with certain pre-requisites: Mihir Shah Planning Commission member, Mihir Shah, speaks to The Hindu about a wide range of issues, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and his contribution to the 12 Five-Year Plan. Excerpts: * The MGNREGA has come under criticism from many quarters, including the CAG. Do you feel this criticism is warranted? How do you...

-The Economic Times Like his predecessor, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan too remains worried about inflation. And despite repeated attempts, the RBI has had mixed success in taming prices. Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has clearly decided to play spoilsport to the markets. By making it clear that he, like his predecessor, remains worried about inflation, he has also effectively signalled that with consumer prices at 9.5%, markets shouldn't expect those...

-Frontline Interview with Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Rural Development. THE passage of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013, is being perceived as a major achievement by the United Progressive Alliance government. The Bill that has replaced the colonial Land Acquisition Act, 1894, went through several changes in order to arrive at a middle path, a term coined by Union Minister for...

-Frontline The government pushes through the Land Acquisition Bill, but critics say it will take away more than what it purports to give. CLOSE on the heels of the passing of the National Food Security Bill, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government pushed through its other game-changer initiative, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013, or LARR Bill, ostensibly to address the injustices...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Good monsoon, between June and August, has substantially increased the water storage position of several reservoirs and river basins across the country, raising hope for bumper harvest for 'rabi' (winter-sown) crops and spurt in hydro-power generation. Water storage position data - released by the Central Water Commission (CWC) this month - shows that the country's 85 key reservoirs have collectively reported increase of around 35...