-The Hindu   The urban future depends on making cities intelligent, and that applies equally to both new and old parts of the city Smart cities, the flagship project of the Bharatiya Janata Party's urban vision, have received a firm financial allocation in the Union budget. The government has provided Rs.7,060 crore to build 100 smart cities as satellite towns on the outskirts of large cities to accommodate the burgeoning urban population. Foreign...

-PTI The finance minister says restructuring FCI, reducing transportation and distribution losses and efficacy of PDS would be taken up on priority New Delhi: The government on Thursday said it will give priority to restructuring of state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) for improving the public distribution system (PDS). "Government is committed to reforms in the food sector. Restructuring FCI, reducing transportation and distribution losses and efficacy of PDS would be taken up...

-The Business Standard Slew of monetary allocations show no clear shift in strategy Finance Minister Arun Jaitley peppered his long speech with announcements of 28 schemes and projects of Rs 100 crore each. This suggests the National Democratic Alliance had grafted a social and agriculture agenda different from the United Progressive Alliance's.   However, it was a relatively low-cost trick to dazzle and distract in a year when fiscal constraints remain as worrisome. The...

-The Hindustan Times In what could be a relief to Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, the C Rangarajan panel on poverty estimation report has said that in Bihar the poverty ratios dipped by over one-third in just two years between 2009-10 and 2011-12 - much greater than any other state in India. Kumar had resigned as Bihar chief minister after receiving drubbing at the hands of the BJP-led...

-The Hindu Business Line   Perpetual growth is a piece of nonsense. The focus should be on protecting livelihoods through sustainable means Construct a building, demolish it, reconstruct, break it down again, and go on repeating this meaningless exercise. You will have economic growth, as currently measured. But no net gain in employment during the endless cycle of construction and demolition, no net increase in productive capacity, and no appreciable change in poverty...