-The Business Standard Yogender Alagh who headed first ever task force on poverty line in 1978 is dismissive of present methodology devised by Suresh Tendulkar The Planning Commission has issued poverty estimates based on the Suresh Tendulkar methodology, while admitting it was not taking this seriously. Which is also what quite a few statisticians feel about these estimates, including the man regarded as the father of India's first official poverty line...
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Steep drop in number of poor gifts UPA talking point, raises eyebrows
-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Manmohan Singh-led UPA government can finally grab an official statistic to burnish its aam aadmi credentials. The percentage of people living below the poverty line has fallen to 21.9 per cent of the population in 2011-12 from 37.2 per cent in 2004-05 - the year that the Congress-led UPA stormed to power. The percentage of people below the poverty line has been estimated at 25.7 per cent in...
More »Govt plans RTI shield for political parties
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Centre intends to exempt political parties from RTI scrutiny on the ground that they are not "substantially funded" by the government and so are not required to reveal details such donors and other funding sources. The government expects to consult political parties to firm up a consensus on undoing the Central Information Commission order putting parties under the ambit of the Right to Information Act...
More »Citizens write to parliamentarians to oppose RTI amendments -Himanshi Dhawan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Eminent citizens including former Delhi high court chief justice A P Shah, former cabinet secretary TRS Subramanian and former information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi have urged parliamentarians not to sign amendments to the RTI act when it is tabled. The government plans to bring amendments to the act to exclude political parties. The letter says that the RTI act has been used to uncover "certain arbitrariness and...
More »Soon, buy 5kg cooking gas refills at petrol pumps-Sanjay Dutta
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Within a fortnight, you may be able to pick up a cooking gas refill from petrol pumps owned and operated by state-run oil companies in the four metros and big cities such as Bangalore and Hyderabad. Oil minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday approved the proposal allowing sale of 5-kg cylinders at commercial rate. The cost of the small refill will be Rs 361, oil company...
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