Poor, pregnant with third child? Even the state’s giving up on you. Why Less For More     * The ministry of health and family welfare wants to target poor, pregnant women with more than two children, take away entitlements and benefits     * Critics say the two-child norm will severely restrict the number of beneficiaries of the Janani Suraksha Yojana scheme. The scheme, launched in 2005, has been a great success.     *...

A rare praise for the UPA government in the 743-page CAG report on the Commonwealth Games was courtesy Railways. Applauding the work done by the state-run transporter, the government auditor mentioned that all the major activities relating to the makeover of New Delhi Railway Station were completed before the Games and within the budget. Though the CAG in its initial review of rail projects in January-February 2010 revealed substantial delay at every...

The past couple of months have seen a renewed attack on the National Advisory Council (NAC). The NAC has been decried as an unconstitutional, undemocratic, “super-cabinet” where unaccountable “jholawalas” hatch harebrained schemes guaranteed to run the government aground. Another line of criticism has focused on the process of the formation of the NAC, its space within the Indian Constitution, and its capacity to influence policy. The two criticisms merge with...

State governments have been asked to roll out the model in which payments would be made through bio-metric authentication at the village level For speedy disbursal of payments to workers under the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the ministry of rural development has decided to introduce the business correspondence model, to be followed by banks. State governments have been asked to roll out the model in which payments...

-The Times of India   The Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 were supposed to celebrate sport while showcasing the capital city of a rising nation. But the mega-event's legacy isn't shining. As investigations into the organising of the Games continue, the corruption taint is spreading. In a performance audit report, the Comptroller and Auditor General indicts the Sheila Dikshit-led Delhi government for serious lapses and irregularities in the procurement of Games-related items. The...