-IANS The Indian government's subsidy burden is expected to reach 2.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for the fiscal ending March 31, the highest in 10 years, due to higher price of crude oil and other commodities, a report showed Tuesday.  The total subsidy is expected to increase to Rs.2,23,000 crore in the current financial year, which is 2.5 percent of GDP at the current market price which is...

-The Times of India   With elections in five states out of the way, the government-run fuel retailers on Monday ratcheted up their demand for an increase in petrol prices by as much as Rs 5 a litre. The demand could leave the government with a political cleft stick, coming on the day Congress received a severe drubbing in the assembly polls.  Piling losses of state-run firms appear to leave little choice for...

The Bill governing the unique identity project is unlikely to be introduced in the budget session of parliament, as the Planning Commission needs more time to finalise its revised version.  The Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI) Bill, which aims to give legal status to the collection of biometric data and issue of unique identification numbers to all resident Indians, was rejected by a parliamentary committee last year.  "There are many issues...

-The Times of India A TOI report on Union government's letter to the state government for a CBI probe into forest and herbal park scams allegedly involving two Haryana ministers and senior government officials created a furore in the assembly on Monday.  Angry words were exchanged as Haryana finance minister H S Chatha prepared to present the budget. Noisy scenes were witnessed soon after the question hour when Anil Vijh, leader of...

National Sample Survey Organisation's report on the average calorie intake per person in Indian households points to a much higher incidence of poverty in the country than reflected in estimates of the proportion of the population below the official "poverty" line. Among the features that sully India’s “growth story” is the persistence and possible worsening of malnutrition in the country. The subsistence nutritional intake adopted when defining the official poverty line...