-Outlook Delhi witnessed over 1,700 fatal road accidents in last year, a 13.26 per cent decrease from that of 2011, while strict enforcement saw maximum number of prosecution in drunken driving cases. Delhi Traffic Police said the number of people killed on Delhi roads has done down significantly with the number hitting an all-time low of 1,786 in 2012. Last year, the number of fatal accidents reported were 2047. The decrease is despite...

-Outlook A PIL today urged the Bombay High Court to direct the Maharashtra Government to implement effectively the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act and Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act. Though the Acts were enacted long back, they were not being implemented, the PIL, filed by Advocate Rajendra Ambhule said. No special homes for children have been set up in every district of Maharashtra as per section 9 of...

-The Economic Times The government plans to introduce direct cash transfer for food subsidy in six Union Territories and 'willing states' for PDS scheme, taking a key step to plug leakages in welfare schemes. In the PILot project, expected to be rolled out from April, beneficiaries will receive the subsidy amount in their bank accounts, and will buy rice and wheat from the fair price shops. The fair price shops will sell...

-The Telegraph The Centre is poised to launch a PILot project to study the delivery of food subsidy through direct cash transfer, a proposed system that civil society groups feel will end up inconveniencing the poor beneficiaries. The food and consumer affairs ministry will start the PILot scheme in the six Union territories next month, a top government source told The Telegraph. Now, households buy food grains at subsidised rates (called the “central...

The total expenditure on central schemes for the poor and on the major subsidies exceeds the states' share of central taxes. These schemes are chronic bad performers due to a culture of immunity in public administration and weakened local governments. Arguing that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state, a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments...