-TheWire.in After an all-party meeting on June 1, the chief minister said all parties, including the BJP, unanimously supported the move and replied in the negative when asked if he faced any opposition. New Delhi: Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, June 1, said his government would carry out a caste-based “count” instead of a “census” to avoid legal complications. “We will propose a caste-based count, not census, to avoid legal complications,”...

Every year in the month of either February or March, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) announces the notified MGNREGA wage rates (i.e., notified daily wage rates for MGNREGA workers) for various states and Union Territories (UTs) for the upcoming financial year. The MGNREGA rates are notified every year based on the increase in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL). Like the previous years, in 2021 too, experts and civil...

-The Hindu What is the Opposition-ruled States’ stand on reduction of value added tax to bring down petrol prices?  The story so far: Petrol is retailing at more than ₹100 per litre across India. While rising crude oil prices have added to the burden, the primary reason behind the steep increase in pump fuel prices over the last few years is the gradually rising Central Government's excise duty component. Currently, for every...

-The Hindu Business Line Seeks taking necessary action as very large hoardings had taken place The Centre has asked Madhya Pradesh government to “step in to take necessary action” under the Essential Commodities Act after its team found “very large hoardings” of soyabean and mustard seeds in Dewas, Shajapur and Guna districts in excess of the stock limit prescribed under the law. Stressing the need for effective enforcement of the EC Act by...

-TelanganaToday.com India’s food subsidy programmes have the capacity to respond to increased demand. Thoughtful adjustment would reap large-scale benefits. Covid-19 lockdowns aggravated food deprivation in India. The pandemic also revealed opportunities to expand the country’s food subsidy programmes. India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) offers subsidised foodgrains to eligible households. Public pressure during Covid-19 lockdowns led to a brief expansion in the number of beneficiaries in States such as Delhi. Though temporary, the expansion...