-The Hindu Financial burden has to be assessed before scheme is extended to higher income groups: Chandy Consequent on the Congress party’s core committee recommendation to raise the number of subsidised LPG cylinders from six to nine a year, the Kerala government on Wednesday announced that the additional three subsidised cylinders would be targeted at the BPL (below the poverty line) category on the basis of the consumption pattern in 2011-12. Addressing a...

-The Hindu Business Line A system that generates wealth and jobs for millions will be replaced by retail giants with the pricing power to squeeze farmers and consumers. The UPA Government announced its policy last week, of inviting big multinational retailers to come and take over the Indian market. Predictably, the pro-lobby that has worked behind the scenes has expressed delight. Oddly, the words and concerns of the masses who are about to...

-CNN-IBN Food Minister KV Thomas has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against LPG cap and diesel price hike. “The decision to raise diesel price as well as to keep number of subsidised cooking cylinder at six a year will not go well with the middle class,” he said in the letter. He said the government should charge only Rs 50 extra for consumers seeking between 7 to 12 LPG cylinders per household...

-Reuters Food prices for consumers accelerated to 12.03% in August from 11.53% in July India's annual consumer Price Inflation (CPI) picked up in August to 10.03%, driven by a rise in food prices, government data showed on Tuesday. India's retail inflation is the highest among the Brics group of emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa - and is way above what the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) calls its comfort...

-Economic and Political Weekly  The Government of India is considering a proposal to notify farming as an essential service. This is ostensibly to bring drought relief to farmers suffering from a weak monsoon - a laudable goal indeed. However, if farming is deemed an "essential service", farmers and farm workers could lose many of their political and civic rights because the government can then invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act to...