The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) set up to finance agriculture and rural development, has been giving evasive replies to specific questions raised by the Union finance ministry and by Parliament on the nature of recommendations made by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to restructure the bank. Some MPs believe that the restructuring violates the role mandated for Nabard by Parliament. DNA earlier reported that the restructuring/repositioning of Nabard...

After a lukewarm response to the phase I of the Unique Identification Number (UID) scheme, the state government has decided to do away with majority of questions in phase II to boost registrations. The move may expedite the process but is likely to double the work for various agencies at a later stage. The registrations for AADHAR cards under phase II are likely to begin next month. Unlike in phase I,...

-The Economic Times A record high of 31% of Indian adults - or about 240 million Indians - rate their lives poorly enough to be considered 'suffering', according to the 2012 Gallup research released Monday at the Behavioral Economics Forum in New Delhi. This is against 24% "suffering" in 2011. Engagement in Indian workplaces is also a concern, with 8% of Indians who are employed for an employer being engaged, versus 32%...

-The United Nations The global employment situation is alarming, says a new United Nations report released today, which also warns that recovery is not expected any time soon. The World of Work Report 2012: Better Jobs for a Better Economy – published by the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) – says that around 50 million jobs are still missing compared to the situation that existed before the global economic crisis. It also warns...

-The Hindu The e-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011 will come into effect from Tuesday. The rules were notified in May 2011 and aim at reduction in the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment by specifying threshold for use of hazardous material including lead, mercury and cadmium. These rules were notified in advance to give the various stakeholders adequate time to prepare themselves and also to put in place...