-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Is corruption really an issue in elections? Some surveys claim that people worry more about the economy than corruption. Poll data for 2004 and 2009 general elections show that not only do political parties continue to repeatedly field candidates facing corruption charges, people even vote for them. Analysis of affidavits filed by Lok Sabha candidates shows that in 2004 general elections, a total of 12 candidates...
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Only 120 winning candidates in 2009 got over 50% votes
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Is our democracy truly representative? Election Commission (EC) data on percentage of votes secured by winning candidates in various constituencies show it may not be so. In the 2009 general elections, only 120 winning candidates out of the 543 could secure 50 per cent or more votes polled in their respective constituencies. This meant that on remaining 423 seats (nearly 78 per cent of seats), the...
More »Employer of the last resort? -Sonalde Desai, Omkar Joshi and Reeve Vanneman
-The Hindu The Centre's rural employment guarantee scheme can be substantially improved, but it has undeniably helped Dalits, Adivasis and women find work In an era of growing globalisation and rising inequality, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as a unique attempt to provide a social safety net via a massive public works programme. The government as an employer of the last resort is an idea that...
More »Scientists hint at negative impacts of climate change on farming-Gerard Wynn
-Responding to Climate Change Forthcoming UN study could reveal median crop yields may fall by up to 2% per decade for the rest of century Scientists are gradually narrowing uncertainty over the impact of climate change on food production, pointing towards a more pessimistic picture. The degree to which people can adapt to climate change is part of a wider debate about the urgency of cutting carbon emissions. Adaptation is especially relevant to agriculture,...
More »MGNREGS social audit lessons from AP -Yamini Aiyar
-Live Mint Andhra Pradesh's experience with social audits holds important lessons for the Congress's empowerment agenda At the heart of the Congress party's narrative on the rights-based welfare state is the idea that rights laws, to quote Sonia Gandhi, "put pressure on the executive to be more responsive and accountable" and in doing so bring about an "empowerment revolution". To enable this revolution, rights laws have had built into them procedural...
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