-PTI With UPA facing allegations of corruption, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said his government wants to use new technology to curb dishonesty and bring transparency in governance. Dudu (Rajasthan): Speaking at the launch of Aadhar-enabled Service Delivery system, he said the unique identity numbers will help 1.5 crore students get scholarships, two crore elderly get old age pensions, three crore to avail health insurance and five crore people get the benefits...

-The Hindu Intelligent management of ecosystems can help to turn local economies around and give destitute households a chance to increase their incomes Protecting biodiversity is humanity’s insurance policy against the unprecedented biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation which has occurred in recent decades, undermining the very foundations of life on earth. This is why this week’s 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, which India is hosting, is...

-The Hindustan Times The industries opened up to foreign investment in the past 20 days produce less than a tenth of India's national income. On the face of it, this number is too small to justify the opposition to foreign direct investment (FDI) in supermarkets, airlines, insurance and pensions. Or the government's resolve to open these businesses to foreigners with or without majority control. The picture changes when you see how fast...

-The Hindu In its attempt to demonstrate to foreign capital that it is committed to reform, UPA II has launched on what many consider a liberalisation blitz. A principal feature of the new measures is the greater space and influence being afforded to foreign investors in sectors varying from retail and civil aviation to insurance and pensions. Multiple arguments have been put out by official spokespersons to justify the new measures:...

-PTI Regulator IRDA has come with a draft proposal to expand the reach of insurance cover to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in the next five years. "The target group shall be the BPL population... Each insurer shall prescribe the target in proportion to their market share. IRDA shall prescribe annual target so as to cover entire BPL population in the next five years," Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) said in...