The Planning Commission's laughable estimates of the ‘poverty line' follow from a mistake in method that it made 30 years ago and has clung to ever since. The affidavit that the Planning Commission recently submitted before the Supreme Court stating that a person is to be considered ‘poor' only if his or her monthly spending is below Rs.781 (Rs.26 a day) in the rural areas and Rs.965 (Rs.32 a day) in...
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Smart card: A solution for public distribution system problem by Anil Swarup
The government of India's Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)a¦ is now internationally recognised for its innovative approach to harnessing information technology to reach the poor, says the World Bank in the context of the smart card-based cashless health insurance scheme. The RSBY has now been picked up by UNDP as one of the 19 schemes worldwide for its publication, Sharing Innovative Experience: Social Protection Floor Success Stories. About 20 million...
More »CAG's initial 2G loss figure was Rs 2645 crore: RTI
-IBN Fresh controversy is set to erupt over Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai's loss estimates on the 2G spectrum sale. CAG documents accessed through Right to Information Act (RTI) by accused show that CAG overruled its own auditor on 2G loss calculation. According to Director General Audit (Post & Telecommunications) RP Singh the issue of Unified Access Service (UAS) licences and allotment of 2G spectrum caused a loss of Rs...
More »Female foeticide a grave challenge, says Health Minister
-The Hindu Describing female foeticide as a grave challenge, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said information, education and communication (IEC) could play a role in building a positive environment for valuing the girl child, particularly at the grassroots level. He said the Centre had decided to provide funds to States for setting up dedicated cells to monitor the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic...
More »Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner interviewed by Priyanka
Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi sold off his business in 2003 to do something relevant. The Indian Institute of Technology-Mumbai alumnus soon became a prolific user of the Right to Information Act and filed more than 800 RTI applications. He was appointed the Information Commissioner at the Central Information Commission, New Delhi, in 2008. In this freewheeling interview with rediff.com's Priyanka, Gandhi says that appellants must understand that law describes 'information' as something...
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