In this year's budget, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has essentially tried to consolidate the gains from the initiatives he had launched during the previous two budgets. Thus, in agriculture there is no new initiative except increasing the target for agricultural credit to Rs.5,75,000 crore during 2012-13. This represents an increase of over Rs.1,00,000 crore from last year. The interest rate of four per cent recommended by the National Commission...

A government panel has floated the idea of making voting compulsory in civic and panchayat elections, with a fine of Rs 25 for anyone who chooses not to vote despite the absence of disabling circumstances. The panchayati raj ministry task force has argued that higher polling is likely to reduce the influence of money power on election results. A low turnout suggests that only committed voters and those who have accepted money...

Cast your vote online in municipal elections, no matter which part of the globe you are in, is the government's message. Online voting has also caught the fancy of Norway, which has failed to come up with a well-tested system. The Panchayati Raj Ministry has directed the State Election Commissions (SECs) to allow this facility at the earliest in a bid to encourage lax urban voters to exercise their franchise. The State...

The Orissa government finds itself in the midst of an embarrassing controversy following allegations of official relief being distributed in bags emblazoned with conch, the election symbol of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). Miffed at the ruling party’s bid to make political capital out of the relief operation, flood-affected people in Nadiabarei village of Kendrapara district refused to accept dry food packets containing flattened rice (chudda) as they bore the...

Heavy security bandobast is in place for the third phase of panchayat elections which will take place tomorrow in 61 blocks of 20 districts, with many of the areas considered rebel strongholds.This phase covers as many as 999 panchayats where 40,471 candidates are in the fray for 12,011 posts of gram panchayat members, mukhiyas, panchayat samiti members and zilla parishad members. The electorate strength is over 32.58 lakh.“Polling parties have...