Aadhar, the project to give unique identification number to every resident, will be launched in the State by Chief Minister K. Rosaiah in a week. In the first phase, 3.11 crore individuals are targeted to be enrolled by March next in seven districts. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Minister for Civil Supplies J. Krishna Rao admitted that there was certain percentage of pilferage in every government scheme. Aadhar (UID...

The subsidy-driven development model of Punjab is one of the reasons why state is the worst performer in the country on economic equality front measured through Gini co-efficient. Not only this, revenue collection is the lowest in the country at 6.86% as against a national average of 10-12%. Subsidy is going to only the rich with peasants being pushed out of agriculture. It has come to focus as its reduction is...

The first phase of the much-awaited enrolment of citizens for the unique identification programme, or Aadhaar, begins in Karnataka on Friday in Mysore and Tumkur districts. While Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and Governor H.R. Bhardwaj are scheduled to be present at the inaugural function in Mysore, Energy Minister Shobha Karandlaje will launch the enrolment campaign in Tumkur district, of which she is in charge. The cost of the enrolment exercise in the...

District-level committees also to scrutinise any instances of ‘paid news' The constitution of an Expenditure Monitoring Division in the Election Commission of India indicates that the ECI is stepping up its efforts to tackle ‘paid news' and other abuses of money power during elections. The 2009 elections, to the Lok Sabha and to some State legislatures, saw a spate of complaints as millions of rupees were spent by powerful political parties...

As the common man continues to reel under the spiraling rise in prices of essential commodities especially key food items and vegetables the forever-rising food inflation is posing a serious challenge to policy makers. Though top government officials, including the Finance Minister and the Chairman of the Planning Commission have repeatedly assured that the food prices will soon stop rising, in reality it has gone the other way.   The rising spree...