-TheWire.in Given the negative impact biometric point of sales machines have had in Jharkhand and Rajasthan, the group urged Bihar to continue its own PDS reforms. A group of economists and social scientists have urged Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to not buckle under pressure from the Centre to use Aadhaar-based point of sales (PoS) machines for the distribution of rations under the public distribution system (PDS). These machines have been found...
More »SEARCH RESULT
No direct cash transfers under revised fertilizer subsidy regime -Gireesh Chandra Prasad
-Livemint.com New system to settle dues to fertilizer firms within a week, record detailed transaction data at time of sale New Delhi: The direct benefits transfer (DBT) scheme for fertilizers that will go on trial in eight districts this month will not entail what its name suggests— the transfer of cash to farmers’ bank accounts. Under the direct transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidy, customers pay the entire amount for cooking...
More »The dynamic nature of poverty -Sonalde Desai & Amit Thorat
-The Hindu We need to rethink social safety nets in India’s growing economy so that they can also focus on the accidents of life rather than solely on the accidents of birth. Sometimes the grand narratives of the Left and the Right do not seem to have any relationship with the lived experiences of ordinary Indians. For the past two decades, the Left has tried to expand social welfare programmes for the...
More »NGOs have to register with NITI Aayog for grants -Anuradha Raman & Puja Mehra
-The Hindu New Delhi: Stepping up its scrutiny of NGOs, especially their financial dealings, the Centre has made obtaining unique identification numbers and registering them on the NITI Aayog portal, including the details of the Aadhaar and PAN numbers of all their trustees and office- bearers, mandatory for them to apply for grants from any ministry. The decision was taken by the Aayog at its meeting on May 9, which Prime Minister...
More »CAG audit nails Centre’s claim on LPG subsidy saving -Josy Joseph and TCA Sharad Raghavan
-The Hindu The audit has also found substantial systemic problems with the Direct Benefit Transfer in LPG scheme, called Pahal by the government. The Centre claims it would end up saving almost Rs. 22,000 crore in the financial years of 2014-15 and 2015-16 since launching its two-pronged approach on cooking gas subsidy — introducing direct bank transfers of the subsidy and asking better off consumers to voluntarily give up theirs. However, a CAG...
More »