-The Economic Times Everyone knows poverty is rampant in India, but nobody knows exactly how many of us are poor. That's because we've tried to count the poor many times with different assumptions, and come up with widely different numbers. In 2004-05, the Planning Commission reckoned that only 27% of Indians were poor. This was debunked by a committee headed by Suresh Tendulkar in 2009, which pegged the number of poor...
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National Advisory Council to prevail on food security law by Prabha Jagannathan
The government is likely to accept most of the recommendations of Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) on the proposed food security law despite warnings that the suggestions would add to subsidy burden, increase dependence on imports and distort the country's food economy. The food ministry has set out plans that are in line with the NAC's proposal to widen the scope of the legislation, which seeks to provide legal...
More »Shanti Bhushan expresses concern at slow Lokpal Bill drafting by Gargi Parsai
Terming the process of drafting the Lokpal Bill “slow,” joint drafting committee co-chairman Shanti Bhushan has expressed doubts about its completion by June 30, the deadline set by the government. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Monday. In a letter written on Thursday to Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the committee, Mr. Bhushan said: “The deadline for drafting the Jan Lokpal Bill is June 30. The progress...
More »Lokpal talks not inclusive by Chetan Chauhan
Within two months of constitution of the joint drafting committee on Jan Lokpal Bill, a civil society group has termed deliberations as “non-inclusive” in a clear indication of growing dissent over the working of the committee. In a similar letter written to two co-chairpersons of the committee, Finance minister Pranab Mukerjee and Shanti Bhushan, who represents civil society, the National Campaign for People’s Right To Information (NCPRI) said even though the...
More »Lokpal Bill: Civil members to ask for speedy drafting
-PTI Civil society members are expected to make a strong pitch for speeding up the process to draft the Lokpal Bill when they meet the representatives of the government tomorrow. The fourth meeting of the team led by Anna Hazare is expected to ask the ministerial team led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to call at least three meetings every week to complete the drafting process by the June 30 deadline set...
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