Delhi will soon get rid of problems related to scarcity and adulteration in kerosene Oil being used by lakhs of poor families for cooking every day as new scheme is coming up replacing kerosene stoves. The Delhi government, along with the union government, has been giving final touches to a scheme which will replace kerosene Oil stoves with LPG and further provide subsidy through banks to the poor. This will make...

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has admitted in parliament that he made an "error of judgement" when he appointed the head of India's anti-corruption watchdog. Mr Singh said he accepted full responsibility for appointing PJ Thomas as anti-corruption chief last year. Mr Thomas was forced to resign by the Supreme Court last week. The court overturned his appointment on the grounds that he himself faced corruption charges dating from 1992. Mr Thomas denies the...

Centre to also give 50% subsidy for new mills, technical help to cultivators. The Union agriculture ministry has identified eight states where the Budget annoucement on expanding the area under Oil palm cultivation can be implemented. It has decided to provide 50 per cent subsidy for setting up palm Oil extraction units. India imports about 8.2 million tonnes of edible Oil in a year and 80 per cent of this is palm...

In a unique move to curb corruption in the public distribution system (PDS), ration coupons in Bihar will be bar-coded from June. The next set of PDS coupons —a for June 2011 to May 2012 — has gone into print and will have bar code to prevent duplication. A bar code is a group of thin and thick lines printed on products you buy in a shop, and which a computer...

Two key issues Budget-2011 is seen as having failed to address are inflation and mass hunger. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced in his budget speech that the long-promised National Food Security Bill would be moved in Parliament “during the course of this year” but failed to make any financial allocation to back up this statement. Against the backdrop of fresh warnings by experts that the outlook is grim given the...