-The Economic Times There is a ray of hope for consumers facing difficulties in getting timely delivery of cooking gas cylinders as the oil ministry may increase the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders and iron out glitches in the supply system to calm tempers ahead of crucial assembly elections. The new oil minister, M Veerappa Moily, discussed the matter with top executives of state oil firms and senior bureaucrats on Tuesday, government...

-The Times of India Everyone agrees that India needs to deliver social protection to the aam admi; the forthcoming Food Security Bill is one such attempt. Everyone also agrees that the government service delivery pipelines are riddled with leakages and largescale corruption. Direct cash transfers have been proposed as a way to remedy this defective system. However, as could be expected, the debate has become polarised, with one side believing that cash...

-The Times of India GURGAON: US retail giant Walmart is planning a series of partnerships with small and mid-level suppliers in India across product categories to create a big list of private label brands that will be priced substantially lower - as much as 10-15% - than established products and brands. The move is part of the company's strategy to go deeper into the Indian market and create cost-effective and efficient...

-The Indian Express The government’s proposal to price-control certain drugs will create more problems than it will solve From clothes to cars, prices of consumer products the world over are determined taking into account input costs, margins and competition, popularly called the cost-based pricing system. Departing from this sound, fair, tried and tested principle of commerce, the government’s new drug pricing policy, approved by the Group of Ministers headed by Sharad Pawar,...

-The Hindu In its attempt to demonstrate to foreign capital that it is committed to reform, UPA II has launched on what many consider a liberalisation blitz. A principal feature of the new measures is the greater space and influence being afforded to foreign investors in sectors varying from retail and civil aviation to insurance and pensions. Multiple arguments have been put out by official spokespersons to justify the new measures:...