-The Indian Express Notwithstanding the recent Supreme Court judgment re-drawing their eligibility criteria, Attorney General G E Vahanvati has said that the central and state information commissioners can continue for now. According to him, the SC ruling will be operative with prospective effect, but the government should not delay its review petition as the apex court’s decision is capable of creating “disarray” in their functioning. In his opinion submitted to the government...

-The Economic Times Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has taken charge of the UPA's initiatives to directly transfer welfare benefits and subsidies into individual beneficiaries' bank accounts - a system that would plug the rampant leakages of funds earmarked for the poor via schemes such as NREGA on which the government spends over 3,00,000 crore annually. A new ministerial co-ordination committee under the PM would now fast-track the architecture for cash transfers while...

-The Telegraph The enormity of the real challenge before Manmohan Singh is far higher than that posed by Mamata Banerjee. A “perfect storm” is gathering around the economy, according to a Centre-commissioned report packed with suggestions for a series of tough measures that will affect daily life and test the government’s resolve to wade further into unpalatable waters. The report presented by the Vijay Kelkar panel, which was asked to suggest a road...

-The Times of India The Centre on Thursday asserted that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant was safe enough to withstand a Fukushima-type disaster but the Supreme Court said it would not hesitate to stop the project irrespective of the amount of money spent on it if the installation was found wanting in safety aspects. During the hearing on a petition filed by G Sundarrajan alleging that 17 safety recommendations by the Centre's...

-NDTV The Supreme Court has said that it will not hesitate in stopping the work at Kudankulam nuclear power plant if it finds that safety measures at the plant in Tamil Nadu are unsatisfactory. The court made these observations while hearing an appeal against the Madras High Court order that allowed fuel loading at the plant. A bench of justices K S Radhakrishanan and Deepak Misra said the safety of plant and...