-Economic and Political Weekly The platform known as the JAM Trinity (an acronym for Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and mobile numbers) may enable a shift from the current Public Distribution System, based on price subsidies, to the direct transfer of benefits. However, it is incorrect to argue that JAM technologies will necessarily lead to the demise of the PDS. State-level experiences of computerisation, recounted here, reveal that the same technologies can...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Aadhaar card is now the most widely held identification document in the country with a voluntary enrolment of 92 crore people. It is also perhaps the sole ID for many of its holders, including many families below the poverty line. In comparison, 5.7 crore people have passports, 17 crore people PAN cards, 60 crore voter ID cards, 15 crore ration cards and 17.3 crore driving...

-Business Standard Seek relaxation of order restricting Aadhaar usage in PDS and LPG subsidies The Securities Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court for modification of the apex court's order on Aadhaar, issued in August. The two regulators sought relaxation of the order, which stated the unique identity card should not be insisted upon except for public distribution scheme (PDS) items...

Two recent reports show that this social sector scheme has had a causal impact in improving lives, especially for women and children Fourteen million people escaped falling into poverty under the world’s largest anti-poverty programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In 10 years of its existence, the scheme reduced poverty by 32 per cent. Recent data also shows that more women are drawing cash incomes, more children...

-Livemint.com The inclusion of digital tools in the lives of NGOs will not only make them a mass producer of digital content, but will also help make the voices of civil society louder Amid all the negativity about the roles and responsibilities of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), mostly from the government and in many cases the business sector, one fact that nobody can take away from the non-profits is that theirs is...