THE government has directed public sector banks to provide data on corruption charges against bank officials involved in the agricultural loan waiver scheme after complaints that many of them took bribes for processing applications. The finance ministry wants to put such cases on fast track as the performance audit of the scheme has already been initiated by the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG), the government’s statutory auditor. The...

A seven-state survey on rural internet awareness revealed that close to 84% were ignorant of the medium’s existence. Of the ones who did know about it, 85% used the net only to access emails, 13% to know about the latest farming techniques and 8% to look up fertilisers, among other uses. We can acknowledge that internet penetration so far has been weak; but the past is not a guide to...

The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, has proposed that organised sector employers be mandated to initiate jointly funded health insurance cover for their employees. In the process he has flagged off what should be a major debate. As the Indian state raises its abysmally low expenditure on health care, should it all go into better funding of the public health-care system or should a part of...

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar said on Sunday the authorities were not taking enough steps to bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor. He raised questions over the implementation of major schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) and accused the Union government of “relentlessly” supporting the stock market, thinking its health reflected the people's health. Delivering a lecture here...

When it was launched by the Centre 10 years ago, the Intensive Cotton Development Programme came as a ray of hope for cotton farmers in Punjab. The scheme was meant to enhance production through technology transfer, supply of quality seeds and educating and training the farmers — promising them a beautiful tomorrow. But 10 years down the line, the scheme has remained where it was for the cotton farmers, caught in...