-The Hindustan Times Finance minister P Chidambaram’s grand plan to redefine how the Centre spends its funds through state governments is facing stiff opposition from within, pushing the Planning Commission to seek the cabinet’s views on the proposal. The Centre disburses billions of rupees to states for achieving national developmental goals, but its effective use remains an area of concern. Though the Planning Commission had suggested reforms, Chidambaram — in a...

-The Hindustan Times The UPA government's ambitious unique identification or Aadhaar project would result in saving of about Rs. 1,10,000 crore by 2020, around 58% of expenditure of major public welfare schemes, a Planning Commission study released on Saturday said. The Prime Minister's Office had given April 2014 as the deadline for disbursing cash transfer through the UIDAI platform for all major government schemes. A cost benefit analysis done by the National...

-Mainstream Weekly Dr Binayak Sen, an internationally renowned medical practitioner and social activist (a leading figure in the People’s Union for Civil Liberties), was incarcerated in Chhattisgarh and held in detention in Raipur having been branded as a Maoist for his activities in defence of poor tribals in the State. He is now out on bail. The following is the text of the Arvind Narayan Das Memorial Lecture he delivered in...

-The Telegraph An outcry against the LPG policy at the day-long Surajkund Congress conclave today forced Veerappa Moily to assure the party of some relaxation on the cap of six subsidised cylinders. As most speakers disagreed with the cap and stressed that it could impact the party’s poll fortunes, the petroleum minister said: “We are already examining the matter. I will consult the Prime Minister and the finance minister and see how...

-The Times of India The government is moving rapidly to enable cash transfers through the Aadhar platform with 51 districts to be covered by January 1, 2013, and half the country four months later — a bid to rollout an initiative aimed at streamlining subsidies while also earning votes. The plan is to put money directly into bank accounts of beneficiaries of government schemes like scholarships, cheap food under the Public Distribution...