-The Indian Express The finance minister plans to scrap the supply of subsidised kerosene through the public distribution system (PDS) and high time, too. To begin with, why has the kerosene subsidy needed reform for decades and yet reform never materialised? Kerosene obtained through the PDS, being cheaper, is used to adulterate diesel and petrol. Kerosene leakages in the PDS are estimated to be 40 per cent of total allocations. The diversion...
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On offer: Cost-effective measures to rid India of air pollution -E Somanathan
-The Hindustan Times Delhi has the dubious distinction of being the world's most polluted city. In fact, the entire country, including the rural areas, is heavily polluted as anyone who has taken a flight in India knows. The fog that engulfs north India in winter is largely a consequence of the smoke particles in the air on which water condenses easily. Why have matters been allowed to reach this state? One...
More »Decoding the oil price fall -Raghuvir Srinivasan
-The Hindu Year 2015 will be crucial as shale oil firms begin to feel the pinch of low prices Are falling oil prices good or bad for the global economy? And how do they work for India? Till recently these questions were no-brainers. Cheaper oil is obviously good for the global economy; for an energy-intensive economy such as India's, which also depends on imported oil for meeting four-fifths of its needs, a...
More »Centre raises import duty on crude, refined edible oils -Sanjeeb Mukherjee
-Business Standard Increases duty on crude edible oils to 7.5% and on refined edible oils to 15% To protect the interests of farmers and provide a level-playing field to domestic oilseed processors, the government has raised the import duty on crude edible oil from 2.5 per cent to 7.5 per cent and that on refined edible oils from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. "Yes, the government had raised the import duties...
More »Govt. LPG subsidy capped at Rs. 20 a kg -Puja Mehra
-The Hindu The Union government has also decided to resume providing subsidy on cooking gas through direct cash transfers straight into consumers' bank accounts. The Modi government has frozen the budget subsidy for cooking gas at Rs. 20 a kg. This will not mean any increase in price for the consumer right away. However, if international prices were to rise, as they normally do in winter, then the government will be faced with...
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