-The Telegraph The Centre has turned down the Mamata Banerjee government’s request to allot additional foodgrain to keep the state’s pet project of supplying grains at a subsidised rate to about 20 lakh people running in 2012-13. Although these people are “needy”, according to the state government, they are not part of the BPL category (annual income of less than Rs 30,000). The Mamata government gives rice at a subsidised rate of...

The latest round of data on the 2011 Census shows that the country is exhibiting distinct signs of trading up as material living conditions improve for large sections of the population. Although this aggregate picture is not uniform across the country, analysts believe that the upward material mobility in society is creating the basis of a new consumer boom in the economy—serving up a perfect backdrop ahead of the presentation of...

-The Business Standard Cotton export ban was an example of poor policy The government’s sudden move to ban cotton exports – rolled back in less than a week following anger from cotton farmers and adverse political fallout — reflects very poorly on its policy management. The commerce ministry clamped down on exports without clear logic; prior consultations with other ministries concerned were also cursory or non-existent. Unsurprisingly, most players in the cotton...

-The Times of India The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to 6 Andhra Pradesh ministers and 8 IAS officers on a plea alleging that the CBI was not proceeding against them despite having sufficient evidence that they helped former Congress leader Y Jaganmohan Reddy accumulate massive illegal assets. A bench headed by Justice Dalveer Bhandari issued the notices to the ministers and the IAS officers and sought their stands on the...

-The Hindustan Times The UPA’s record of policy flip-flops endures. The latest instance is a ban on exports of cotton that seems headed for revocation less than a week after it was announced. The commerce ministry’s line that India has exported more cotton this season than it can afford to without hurting consumption at home does not wash with partners of the ruling alliance or with the political bosses of cotton...