Social activists up in arms against proposed reforms; impact on procurement feared   The Union Government's new move to give primacy in the revised draft of the National Food Security Bill, 2011, to controversial schemes like cash transfers and issuance of food coupons to identified public distribution system beneficiaries in lieu of foodgrain entitlements has got social activists up in arms. The scheme was introduced under ‘Schedule II' in the initial draft of...

It seems the people's representatives are oblivious to the fact that making phone calls costs money and they have to pay bills like the man on the street. Altogether 405 present and former members of Parliament owe Rs 7.30 crore to public sector Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd for bills not paid for years. Every MP is entitled to two fixed line telephone connections – one in Delhi and other in his...

-IBNS   A group of about 35 women economists from different countries of Europe, UK, US, Australia and India, have written an open letter to Prime Ministers and Presidents of South Asian nations, including India, which are facing acute sanitation crisis. From India, Jayati Ghosh, Professor, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Bina Agarwal, Director, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi University and Isher Judge Ahluwalia, Chairperson Board of Governors, Indian...

-The Telegraph   Team Anna members today lobbied BJP leaders over their Jan Lokpal Bill but failed to get a commitment. Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley told the team that their party wasn’t opposed to the government introducing separate bills to tackle corruption in the lower bureaucracy and judiciary. The team wants these brought under the ombudsman. Hazare’s associates were also told that the BJP favoured a strong Lokpal but not a draconian one,...

-The Times of India   The debate about Planning Commission's controversial poverty line could finally be buried. The UPA is now mulling doing away with the BPL-APL divide and providingsubsidized grains to all except those who get automatically excluded in the ongoing socio-economic caste census. But on the flipside, it also wants to reduce the entitlement from the proposed 35 kg to 25 kg instead for the poor.  Along with the move to...