The current debate on the Lokpal Bill is split along two lines: the UPA’s draft and that of Team Anna Hazare. But now, not just the political establishment, other sections of “civil society” are standing up to call for a wider debate and cautioning against a rush to push any version through. So while the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council may have made it clear that it wouldn’t discuss the Lokpal...
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EGoM to discuss Food Security Bill, grains' export by K Balchand
It will estimate the NAC's and Food Ministry's recommendations and finalise the food security coverage The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) is meeting here on July 11 to consider the crucial Food Security Bill and allowing export of foodgrains. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the Food Security Bill last week along with Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, ahead of the EGoM meeting which would...
More »Share 26% royalty, not profit: Govt’s U-turn on mining by Priyadarshi Siddhanta
In a sudden U-turn, the mines ministry has decided against asking miners from mandatorily sharing 26 per cent of net profits with the affected local population. Instead, it has proposed that miners set aside 26 per cent of the royalty they pay to states for sharing with locals. This dramatically changes what locals will get if the proposal becomes law. For example, for a tonne of iron ore which costs about...
More »UIDAI proposes directcash transfer of subsidies by Sujay Mehdudia
In a move that could revolutionise the subsidy payment mechanism for LPG cylinder and kerosene oil to the beneficiaries, especially the poor, and change the fertilizer subsidy payment mechanism for the farmers, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has suggested direct cash transfer through banks and ATMs to the targeted groups to ‘plug leakages' in the implementation of these schemes. The move is also likely to revamp the working of...
More »She earned Rs 9 a day and educated herself by Abhishek Mande
After she failed in her grade ten examinations, Aarti Naik would've ended up being a domestic help like most of her classmates but chose to fight the situation she was in. Today she teaches schoolgirls from her neighbourhood for free lest they fail in their examinations and in life. Sometime in June 2003, when she received her State Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination mark sheet, Aarti Naik was crestfallen. She had failed...
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