-Deccan Herald System overhaul: Transparency measures with strong accountability mechanisms can usher in change The National Food Security Act (NFSA) passed in 2013 gives statutory backing to the Public Distribution System (PDS). Up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population is entitled to receive food grain under the Act. Beneficiaries are categorised into priority households, entitled to 5 kg of subsidised grains per person per month, and Antyodaya...

-The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement demonetising high denomination notes on November 8, 2016, will do little to address the prime objective of flushing out black money but will adversely affect the economy in the short term, especially the informal sector, which is predominant in India, says M. Govinda Rao, a Member of the Fourteenth Finance Commission and Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public...

-Livemint.com Supreme Court directed the Centre to suspend the licenses of firecracker manufacturers and sellers and not hand out fresh licenses till further orders New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday banned the manufacture and sale of firecrackers in the national capital region (NCR) to stem air pollution in Delhi and neighbouring towns. A three-judge bench headed by T.S Thakur, Chief Justice of India, directed the Centre to suspend the licenses of firecracker...

-The Economic Times Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants India to go cashless. And it seems that automated teller machines, or ATMs, have been taking the lead ever since the demonetisation drive began. They are absolutely what PM wants the economy to be — cashless. The result: people's frustration is building up because ATMs are either getting emptied faster than they are refilled, or they are just not working. ET reports from commercial hubs...

-The New Indian Express BHUBANESWAR: Gopal Krushna Panda was happy to hear the announcement on demonetisation of higher currency notes with a hope that the black money will be wiped out. But his happiness was short-lived as the currency crisis gripped the nation. A native of Gopalpur village in Balasore district, Panda requires at least Rs 40,000 to harvest paddy from his 10 acres of agricultural field. While the paddy has already...