For the record

Contrary to public perception, coalition governments do not slow growth. Instead, they spur public spending

Clueless on banking

Till December 2011, Abhimanyu Thakur of Hare Tola in Bunkheta panchayat of Ramgarh district got his old age pension of Rs 400 a month through his account in Bank of Baroda. He used to spend Rs 50-60 every trip and it was not certain he would be able to withdraw his money. Sometimes, the bank official would be on leave or the computer would go on the blink. But in January 2012, he was told that the bank would come to him: a business correspondent (BC) would disperse the money at the panchayat office, just a couple of km from his home.

On foot and pedal

The civil spring

It is a spring India’s civil society will remember for a long time. A series of government and judicial pronouncements this February has created a flutter among non- government organisations (NGOs) and activists working on key governance issues.

Kudankulam meltdown

Voiceless representatives

IN his Budget speech this year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee forecast a bright future for the Indian economy, announcing fiscal 2012-13 to be a year for revival. At the same time, he ensured that the “pro-market” Budget took one more step towards limiting Parliament’s role in crucial economic decision-making.

Letters - April 15, 2012

Authority to fight hunger

Climate cynic busted

Heartland Institute, the Chicago-based free market think tank behind efforts to discredit climate change, is on the back foot after the climate change monitoring blog, Desmogblog, posted its confidential documents, which included details of where the institute gets its funds from.

Money matters

The web is getting tighter. The South is realising that funds that were to pay for global environmental problems are entangled in countless issues.

Texts of prey

UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has initiated a crackdown on firms that send out unsolicited emails and text messages offering credit or promising to write off debts.