-The Economic Times The government has done well to scale down the initial reach of the direct cash transfer system of handing out subsidies. Direct benefit transfer (DBT), as it is called now, will cover only 20 districts and seven scholarship schemes instead of 51 districts and 34 schemes planned earlier. Limiting coverage makes eminent sense. It is better to do a thorough job than to fumble at a mammoth task,...

-The Hindu The Delhi Government has saved nearly Rs.30,000 crore due to power privatisation and this money has been invested in improving the infrastructure. This has resulted in meeting the peak power demand of up to 6,250 MW and minimal power cuts despite the average annual per capita power consumption in the Capital being 1,450 units, almost twice the national average, Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf said while replying to a...

-The Economic Times The oil ministry may raise prices of diesel by Re 1 a litre or that of cooking gas by Rs 100 to neutralise the impact of its plan to increase the supply of subsidised cylinders to households, government officials said. "A Re 1 hike in diesel prices would generate about Rs 8,000 crore a year, which is sufficient for three additional cylinders in a year. About Rs 100 hike...

-The Times of India Crest The biggest hurdle for the DCT programme is the identification of the poor. The "gamechanger" announcement of the UPA 2 government on Direct Cash Transfers (DCT) for 45 schemes has generated much debate through the week with opinions flying around faster than money can get electronically transferred. At the heart of it, the idea of this proposed DCT is unexceptionable. Existing programmes where government transfers money to...

-PTI A day after Election Commission rap, oil minister M Veerappa Moily on Wednesday said the government has not yet taken any decision on raising cap on supply of subsidised LPG cylinders and the EC would have been informed before announcing any decision. "If the proposals had been concretised and it was to be announced or decision was to be taken... I would have definitely written to Election Commission of India," Moily...