-Frontline After the year-long Jansamvad Yatra and Jansatyagraha, the Ekta Parishad has a written commitment from the Rural Development Ministry to advance Land reforms.  Celebration and caution. These sentiments dominated the deliberations of senior activists of the Ekta Parishad as they gathered at Delhi’s Gandhi Peace Foundation office on October 18, one week after the organisation and the Union government had signed a 10-point agreement to advance Land reforms. The agreement had...

-Live Mint While natural disasters grab our attention, everyday events like illness drag most people into poverty  In a small town of Gujarat, I met Chandibai, a woman, about 50 years of age. Fifteen years previously, her husband, Gokalji, had owned a general-purpose shop in the town centre. The family also owned a house and some agricultural Land. In 1989, Gokalji developed an illness that confined him to bed, sometimes at home...

-The Economic Times There has been a change of guard at the power ministry and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the new man in charge, has described his task as daunting. To simplify the many complexities, it's worth keeping in mind an adage that's particularly apt for rural India: Nothing is more expensive than no power. While on one hand there are thousands of villages that still remain to be electrified, on the other even...

-Outlook Rains and strong gales hit Nellore in Andhra Pradesh and other neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu under the influence of cyclonic storm 'Nilam'. The cyclone is expected to make a Landfall this evening between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Nellore, bringing in heavy rains in the region with tide expected to reach levels of 1.5 meters. The Andhra Pradesh Government has put administration of the coastal districts under alert to face the...

-Outlook Fresh changes have been made in the draft Land Acquisition Bill under which the consent of Landowners for acquiring Land for private purpose has been made stiffer following a suggestion from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The percentage of Land owners, whose consent is a must for acquiring Land for private purpose, has been raised from 67 per cent to 80 in the proposed bill. Disclosing the changes in the measure, Agriculture Minister...