-The Economic Times In a first for the state, newly elected Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has publicly declared his assets worth 4.83 crore, setting the tone for his cabinet colleagues to come out and declare their net worth. Agency reports said that in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when Akhilesh Yadav filed his nomination papers for Kannauj parliamentary seat, he had declared movable and immovable assets of more than 5.52...

-The Times of India   Barkatullah University will have a separate counter to accept Cash from RTI applicants seeking information related to BU issues soon. The facility will save RTI applicants from paying more money, the university registrarsaid. The decision came a day after the TOI carried a story on how RTI applicants are forced to cough up Rs 27 for a photo copy because the university doesn't accept Cash and insists on...

-PTI   Setting a precedent before his cabinet colleagues, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has officially declared his assets and liabilities worth over Rs 4.83 crore.  Akhilesh, 38, who uploaded details of his assets and liabilities on the official website of the state government, is the first Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to make a public declaration.  In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when Akhilesh filed his nomination papers for Kannauj parliamentary seat, he...

Consumption-based measures don’t accurately estimate poverty Since the publication of poverty estimates purportedly based on the Tendulkar methodology and the 2009-10 consumption survey of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), many in Parliament and outside, from different political parties, have questioned its conclusions. Concomitantly, media reactions have speculated on poverty’s relationship with fertility, growth, specific schemes, et al. But, India’s poverty, like itself, refuses to classify itself in simple boxes. Beyond the...

-PTI Eminent economist Madhura Swaminathan on Tuesday said the UPA government's flagship Food Security Bill should have a universal appeal as any targeted selection would lead to complications in picking the beneficiaries in a big country like India. The Indian Statistical Institute Professor, whose research falls in the area of food security, agriculture and rural development, said: “the draft Bill, as envisaged currently, will exclude a huge segment of the population.” “Experience shows...