-The Indian Express K V Thomas set the tone of the debate, citing the difficulties being faced by consumers in his constituency Ernakulam. While the cabinet acceded to Rahul Gandhi's wish and increased the annual cap for subsidised gas cylinders from nine to 12, the meeting on Thursday saw a heated debate between ministers on the linkage of LPG subsidies to Aadhaar and bank accounts so much so that an exasperated...
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Pay of midday meal workers doubled to Rs 2,000 a month -Akshaya Mukul
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Acceding to a long standing demand of 28 lakh cook-cum-helpers of midday meal scheme just ahead of general elections, the Finance ministry has cleared the HRD ministry's proposal to double their monthly honorarium from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. The decision will cost the government Rs 2,000 crore annually and benefit 28.29 lakh cook-cum-helpers across the country. More than 82% of cook-cum-helpers are women, 25% belong...
More »Aadhaar-based LPG subsidy put on hold-Jyotika Sood
-Down to Earth Cap on subsidised cylinders raised to 12 per year In a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre decided to suspend its ambitious project of transferring subsidy on LPG cylinders directly into the accounts of consumers. To avail the subsidy, all consumers were required to get their Aadhaar or unique identification number linked to their LPG consumer number and bank accounts. Besides, the Centre has...
More »Everywhere, a Maoist plot -Nandini Sunder
-The Indian Express Chhattisgarh government is unable to accept the right to protest and unwilling to hear the people's voice. By going to town as the Chhattisgarh police and media have recently done on my alleged Maoist links, the real questions have been sidelined. As citizens of this country, do we have the right to protest democratically and constitutionally, and as journalists, researchers or human rights activists, are we free to pursue...
More »Blamed for ‘policy jam’, but CAG can’t monitor 60% of govt schemes -Sandeep Pai
-The Hindustan Times Facing allegations of policy paralysis, the government has often said bureaucrats are afraid to take decisions in the face of increased scrutiny by the national auditor, but HT has found that CAG doesn't have the authority to monitor more than half of the Centre's schemes and programmes. In fact, a draft bill to broaden and clarify the powers of the Comptroller and Auditor General, which has had several run-ins...
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