NAC wants some APL families to also get subsidised food. But guess what? They may already by getting it since 21.5 percent of the grains meant for BPL households actually accrue to APL folks.
Why this is a big deal, even if it shows up only the tip of the iceberg.
Five years ago, this belt was barren. In just a couple of years, it has sprouted factories. That is the ground where trade unions operate. It is a constituency that is tempting for them.
The government is planning to raise food support prices, and rural and urban wages are rising. This means as wages and prices chase one another, the only alternative is to slow down the economy drastically.
Rising inflation in 2010-11 has not only seriously diluted returns on the Sensex, it has also negatively impacted an already lopsided performance of the 30 individual Sensex stocks.
India induces great despair on a daily basis with its many failings. But the long view is rather more hope-inducing. Cheers!
In terms of the number of world heritage sites, India ranks 7th in the world. Yet, in the global travel & tourism competitiveness index, it ranks 68th among 139 countries surveyed by the World Economic Forum.
The recent dollar uptrend is far from over, which should put commodity bulls on notice. Next week investors must wait for a correction in the dollar index to the 74.50 level before going long.
The IMF needs to reinvent the game, not provide 'jobs for the boys'. It needs someone who transcends politics and lays out the economics of the new global order.
In keeping with the long-term trend of the Hindu population declining consistently over the past 100 years, Census 2011 will likely see the Hindu population drop below 80 percent. Higher child mortality among Hindus and relative longevity among Muslims are also contributory causes.
A headless IMF would vastly benefit from the services of our man at the RBI.
As we mark the 13th anniversary of Operation Shakti, in which India conducted five nuclear test explosions, and the 37th anniversary of Smiling Buddha, when Indira's India first went nuclear with a test explosion at Pokharan, we find ourselves in the gutter with a bloody nose and several stinking questions.
Even as India continues to kill off its girl children even before they are born, those that are born tend to live longer.
The debate on whether a stronger rupee serves India better needs to be revived. Businesses want a weaker rupee to help exports, but the export sector is developing resilience. Ambedkar's view that a stronger rupee will help the poor is now worth considering.
Kashmiris are doing much of the killing themselves - in the womb. The state tops the list of those reporting a dramatic increase in female foeticide.
Is the case against Rajat Gupta all that strong? The only evidence against him is through wiretaps - which were authorised for dealing with organised crime and not white collar crimes.
Gupta, who rose from a lower-middle-class home in Kolkata to head McKinsey, faces criminal charges in Wall Street's biggest insider trading case.
CBI Judge OP Saini set the trial date as November 11. In a 700-page plus order, the CBI court charged former Telecom minister A Raja, Kanimozhi and former telecom officials with criminal breach of trust that could amount to life imprisonment.
India is urbanising at a rate where we will need 15 new cities every year for the next 20 years. Despite some illegalities, Lavasa is a pilot project to learn from.
When Mukesh Ambani built his 27-storey mansion in Mumbai, critics carped about how he could live in such brazen splendour surrounded by so much poverty. Well, it turns out that a year after his grand housewarming party the tycoon doesn't actually live in Antilia. He just serves canapes there.
Maharashtra's Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad has given the city's slum project builders an easy way out of their contractual obligations. The loss to exchequer: upto Rs 20 crore each for 32 sites.
Nick Leeson stayed less then 3 years in prison for bringing down Barings. Mike Milken spent only 22 months in jail. Does Rajaratnam deserve 11 years?
A Kotak Securities report suggests that as much as $40 billion of Indian black money held abroad may have returned through overinvoiced exports and fake FII inflows.
The CBI's FIR states that Sun TV was overvalued and thereby kicked off a series of events that led to Maran walking away with a cool Rs 550 crore.
Sending businessmen to jail may not be a good way to entice investment, but that does not mean everything must be brushed under the carpet.
GE Energy Financial Services will invest $50 million and Hyderabad-based Greenko $65 million to create 500 megawatts (MW) of wind projects, enough to power 8,75,000 Indian homes, according to a company statement.
The debate over the value of an IIT education set off by Narayana Murthy needs to be widened. Our entire educatin system is Jurassic and needs overhaul if it is to meet the challenges of the future.
Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs, who started up and built what was inarguably one of the world's most innovative companies, is dead.
Talk about visa power! To revive a down-and-out economy, the US is rolling out the red carpet to big-spending Indian and Chinese tourists with visa reforms - and some enticing shopping deals.
Following a wave of accounting fraud allegations, Chinese companies listed on US stock exchanges come under the scanner.