-The Deccan Hearld Just days after the government launched the Aadhaar enabled cash transfer system; a national panel has been set up on Thursday to expedite implementation of the direct electronic cash transfer system to help beneficiaries under various welfare schemes. According to a PMO statement, The National Committee on Direct Cash Transfer, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will identify the schemes to be covered and oversee the smooth rollout of...

-PTI Mahatma Gandhi cannot be accorded the 'Father of the Nation' title by government as the Constitution does not permit any titles except educational and military ones, the home ministry has said. In an RTI response to Lucknow-based student Aishwarya Parashar, the home ministry has told her that no action was taken on her plea to the President to declare Mahatma Gandhi as 'Father of the Nation' because Article 18 (1) of...

-DNA On July 18, 2012, social activist TJ Abraham had filed a complaint with the court stating that while constructing the NICE Road, huge tracts of land has been grabbed illegally. The land belonged to poor people and farmers and has been purchased for lesser price than the market value. NICE for its project has occupied 20,193 acres land in total, in which it illegally encroached around 5,972 acres, Abraham had filed...

-Tehelka Dalit and Tribal activists plan a “Dilli Chalo” campaign demanding an amendment to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act The National Coalition for Strengthening Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act on Thursday 25 October 2012, announced the launch of “Dilli Chalo” a nationwide campaign to pressurise the government to amend the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act. The campaign will culminate...

-The Economic Times The Food Security Act would encourage below poverty line women to have more children, defeating the government's population-control efforts, says one of the 1.6 lakh opinions the standing committee on food and consumer affairs has received. The suggestion, hence, is to remove pregnant women from the list of beneficiaries of the food security bill. This is not the only shocking suggestion. Another suggestion is to avoid nutritional protection to...