-PTI Aadhaar card is not mandatory to avail of subsidies under government schemes including on domestic Cooking gas, the government on Friday said in the Rajya Sabha. "Aadhaar card is not mandatory for availing subsidies. If any public sector undertaking is doing it, we will correct it," Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla said. He was responding to members' concerns that despite giving an assurance that the card was not...

-The Hindu The UPA government has decided to bring amendments to the National Food Security Bill to help secure more support for the "game changer" legislation in Parliament. The government may move some of the changes proposed by other political parties, such as the DMK, the BJP and the Left parties, as official amendments. At a meeting of senior Cabinet ministers convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, it was decided that...

-The Hindu While the UPA is showcasing cash transfers as a key initiative and has even made a provision for it in the National Food Security Bill (NFSB), there is a strong resistance to it. Major Opposition parties are moving amendments against cash transfers, food coupons and cash allowances in lieu of food even as the law is to come up for approval. So far, Delhi and Bihar are keen on providing cash...

-Outlook Against the backdrop of death of 23 children in the mid-day meal tragedy in Bihar last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the scheme will be reformed and "concrete measures" will be taken to ensure that meals provide under it are nutritious and cooked hygienically. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of historic Red Fort on the 67th Independence Day, he said the "tragedy" which happened in Bihar should not...

-The Hindu blog The state that pioneered the successful noon-meal scheme may just have cooked up the next big idea. In his latest book, 'An Uncertain Glory - India and its contradictions', economist-philosopher and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has devoted almost ten pages to sing Tamil Nadu's praise for its efficient delivery of public services. "Tamil Nadu's capacity for innovation and creative thinking in matters of public administration is an important example for...