The total expenditure on central schemes for the poor and on the major subsidies exceeds the states' share of central taxes. These schemes are chronic bad performers due to a culture of immunity in public administration and weakened local governments. Arguing that the poor should be trusted to use these resources better than the state, a radical redirection with substantial direct transfers to individuals and complementary decentralisation to local governments...

-Frontline Farmers protest against the Central clearance for coal bed methane exploration in Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu, as they fear it will devastate agriculture in Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts.  THE woes of the delta farmers of Tamil Nadu are far from over. While the Cauvery tangle continues unresolved, they fear the proposed multi-crore project for commercial exploration and exploitation of coal bed methane (CBM) in the Mannargudi block of Tiruvarur district will prove...

-The Economic Times MUMBAI: The ministerial panel entrusted with framing the country's drug pricing guidelines will meet Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday to discuss its final draft policy. The Group of Ministers, led by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, has decided to keep the market-based pricing mechanism but tweak the methodology used for calculating the price increase, a move it hopes will address the concerns of the finance ministry. The ministry was initially...

-Live Mint Panel recommends consent of 80% of land owners; key ministers say it would lead to unreasonable delays  Land acquisition for public-private partnership projects (PPP) will become tougher if the government accepts the recommendation of the group of ministers (GoM) and includes it in the new land Bill that it proposes to move in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. The ministerial body has recommended that the consent of 80% of farmers...

-Pratirodh.com Social activist and National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) leader Medha Patkar along with other activists demanded resignation of Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar for his involvement in Lavasa scam.   Here is the full statement:   Corruption of one politician after another in nexus with the builders and corporations are getting exposed. The scandals which were already investigated and prosecution initiated also are to be re-viewed in the renewed context and taken to...