-The Hindu Every effort needs to be made to reform MGNREGA, as it has been both a major success and a huge failure. The best way for this is to study carefully the conditions that made it a success and also to undertake a diagnostics of its failures An impression has gained ground in recent weeks that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre is inimical to the Mahatma Gandhi...
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In the greater scheme of things -Rohini Somanathan
-The Indian Express Recent announcements on possible changes to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and restrictions on its coverage are baffling and worrisome. The passing of the MGNREGA and the Right to Information Act heralded a new vision of citizenship and state responsibility. The former created a safety net for the rural poor. The latter gave taxpayers and voters an opportunity to bridge the gap between state...
More »Now, a scam in organic farming -Mayank Aggarwal
-DNA Activists want PM Narendra Modi to investigate manipulation of land data New Delhi: Delhi's total geographical area is around 1.48 lakh hectares and if government's own data - National Project on Organic Farming (NPOF) - is to be believed, over 1 lakh hectare was brought under organic farming. Considering Delhi's population and spread of residential areas, the figures look unbelievable, especially when data points that the very next year the area...
More »A little irony: Don’t hype to hit headlines, Jaitley advises CAG
-The Indian Express Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the government has learnt a valuable lesson on allotment of natural resources like coal and spectrum, but cautioned the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India against "sensationalising" its reports and creating an environment of "finger pointing". Addressing an annual conference of the CAG, Jaitley said the Auditor "doesn't have to sensationalise... he doesn't have to get into the headlines." Noting that the...
More »When all the boards did shrink -Himanshu Upadhya
-Hard News Floods in Kashmir could have been managed better if there was a reliable early warning system The first fortnight of September saw Jammu and Kashmir being ravaged by severe flash floods. But, according to the snatches of news we got, the monsoon was below average in the state until the last week of August. Thereafter, four days of incessant rain in the Valley and in Jammu made almost all the...
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