In a bid to check wasteful fuel and fertiliser subsidy and reach it to the intended beneficiaries , the government has set up a task force to suggest a suitable mechanism of direct transfer of subsidy to the consumers. The task force will be headed by Nandan Nilekani , Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India ( UIDAI )) and has been asked to submit an interim report within four months....
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Thomas food bill push by Radhika Ramaseshan
New food minister K.V. Thomas has set the ball rolling on the food security bill, a top priority for the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC). Thomas, who last month replaced Sharad Pawar as minister in charge of the department, met council members Harsh Mander and N.C. Saxena on Thursday to discuss the bill. The minister’s push is being seen as an indication that Sonia’s team may get its way against objections...
More »Govt bites the bullet on subsidies by Sanjiv Shankaran
In a reformist move long recommended by various economists and panels, the government has set up a task force to create a way to directly transfer cash to the ultimate beneficiaries of various subsidy schemes, which are, at best, messy and, at worst, ineffective. The task force will be headed by Nandan Nilekani, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India. A pilot will be rolled out in the next four...
More »CAG finds flaw in PDS beneficiary list
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has found that the Food and Civil Supplies Department of the State neither conducted any survey for identification of beneficiaries nor followed the survey conducted by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in 1998-99, to select the beneficiaries of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) for the Public Distribution System (PDS). The status as of September 2007, as per the BPL census of 2002,...
More »NGOs hold pre-Budget meeting with Pranab by Aarti Dhar
At present, the government spending on education is about 3.4 percent of GDP ‘It is imperative that the government increase outlays in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' A delegation of the People's Budget Initiative met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee here on Saturday to demand enhanced resources for the social sector which was crucial for the development of human resource and the nation. Formed in 2006, People's Budget Initiative is a coalition comprising representatives from people's...
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