-Outlook Corporate karza maafi reaches new heights, social spending new lows This year's budget write-off in customs duty on gold, diamonds and jewellery (all aam aadmi items, of course) is Rs 75,592 crore. That's well over twice the "record" amount allocated to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. As Prof Jayati Ghosh points out, the MNREGA has given billions of person-days of work to tens of millions of poor...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on Tuesday cleared introduction of the black money bill later this week, including a provision to allow the government to launch a one-time compliance scheme for those with black money abroad to come clean before the new law kicks in. The details of the compliance scheme, including the penalty, are expected to be announced as part of the rules. The offer for full disclosure...

-The Indian Express With the land acquisition ordinance set to lapse on April 5 and a united opposition blocking the amendment bill in the Rajya Sabha, the government is set to prorogue parliament after March 20 to facilitate re-promulgation of the ordinance. While the budget session, which began on February 20, is set to continue till May 8, a month-long recess is scheduled from March 20 to April 20. But the government...

-Livemint.com Govt will be judged on how it deals with the crisis; recognizing the problem is the first step, but a lot depends on how it executes the rescue The bout of unseasonal rainfall in north India over the last few weeks has triggered fears that standing Rabi crop may have suffered extensive damage. It may or may not be true. Regardless, it has once again put the spotlight on the agriculture...

-The Indian Express Given indicators that the government is considering moving to cash transfers and replacing the public distribution system (PDS), and the release of the Shanta Kumar Committee report, the debate on how best to provide food security has been rekindled. The report has a careful analysis of the sources of inefficiency at various stages of the procurement, storage and distribution system. Especially heartening is the admission that the Food...