-IANS Farmers of Assam, that recently boasted of having a record rice harvest, are losing interest in paddy cultivation, saying they were facing financial ruin in the absence a minimum support price and adequate procurement centres for their produce. Rice production is going down as the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has not fixed the price to buy back the farmers’ produce, say farmers’ representatives. And there are only 20 FCI procurement...
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Why this will be a reform budget-Surjit S Bhalla
Most of us don’t even get a single shot at making history — Manmohan Singh has a second chance The fiscal deficit is an outcome, not a policy. It is the net resolution of the policies pertaining to taxes and expenditure. It is worth analysing separately the two components of the deficit. The table reports the results of relating the tax and expenditure share of GDP to per capita income for...
More »Congress MP B S Gnanadesikan demands surveillance of NGOs receiving foreign funds
-PTI A demand was raised in Rajya Sabha today that the Government should put in place a strong surveillance network to monitor inflow of foreign funds to NGOs besides creating a data base in the interest of national security. "Government should establish a data base of NGOs to whom foreign contribution is increasing day by day. There are reports that funds are being utilised to fuel unrest in government projects," B S...
More »NAC releases draft on Social Security-Anuja and Remya Nair
The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) has released draft recommendations for a Social Security package for the country’s unorganized sector, which envisages providing life, disability and health cover, maternity benefits and old-age pension to workers. NAC, in a draft released on 7 March, suggested that the different welfare schemes being run by the ministries of women and child development, health and family welfare, finance and labour and employment should be...
More »Need regulation to make sure that financial inclusion becomes cost-effective by Ashok Khemka
One of the key factors to inclusive growth is financial inclusion for all. Financial inclusion refers to universal access to a wide range of banking solutions and financial services in a fair, predictable and transparent manner at affordable costs. The poor tend to be ignored because the transaction costs in serving them are high. Initiatives that reduce these costs will allow service providers to begin thinking of financial services for...
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