-The Hindu For working India’s federal system, one has to go beyond brute parliamentary majorities and grapple with the multilevel government-opposition matrix, which is the architecture of Centre-State power-sharing Apart from the promise of providing a Congress-free India, the most frequent leitmotif of Mr. Modi’s electoral campaign was that he would usher in a new era for Indian federalism. Based on the idea that a state leader’s vision from below could transform...
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Taking a comprehensive view of quakes -CP Rajendran
-The Hindu The tragic Nepal quake is an opportunity to learn and understand the threats of great temblors. The Nepal earthquake of April 25 is the largest in the Himalayan region since the 1934 quake which measured 8.2 on the Richter scale and destroyed not only parts of central Nepal but also the plains of northern Bihar in India. Mahatma Gandhi, shaken by the Bihar tragedy, wrote in the Harijan that the...
More »How Bihar mended its ways -Jean Drèze
-The Hindu The State’s recent experience shows that even the worst-governed States can reform their public distribution system and make good use of the National Food Security Act. “In Lalu’s days we had a lal card [BPL card], with Nitish we got coupons, and when Manjhi came we got this new ration card”. This is how Anuj Paswan, a Dalit resident of Tetar village in Gaya district, sees recent changes in Bihar’s...
More »Disease mapping in Krishna, Guntur districts begins -T Appala Naidu
-The Hindu MACHILIPATNAM (Andhra Pradesh): The Department of Science (DST) has roped in Krishna University to conduct disease mapping and documentation of geospatial data on health hazards owing to indiscriminate usage of pesticides in Krishna and Guntur districts. The study, which began at Ayyanki in Krishna district, will cover seven mandals, including Thulluru and Amaravati in Guntur district, where use of pesticides has been excessive. In Krishna, it will cover Diviseema region....
More »Revamping public procurement -Mukul G Asher, Tarun Sharma & Shahana Sheikh
-The Hindu A properly designed and implemented procurement law is long overdue. It can improve financial management, and bring large financial and governance benefits Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s 2015-16 budget speech signalled the government’s commitment to formally legalise India’s public procurement system as a part of its continuing reforms in public financial management. Following this, the Ministry of Finance is seeking suggestions to refine the Public Procurement Bill of 2012, introduced by...
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