-The Times of India CHENNAI: After years of delay, marked by technical glitches and protests, the Kudankulam nuclear power plant at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli, south Tamil Nadu is finally a reality. At 2.45am on Tuesday, nearly 160MW produced by unit 1 of the plant was connected to the southern grid. The significant synchronization process came as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wound up his visit to Moscow after talks about possible future...

-Down to Earth   14.5 per cent decline in employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, says country's chief auditor The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India recently released a report on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), highlighting the irregularities committed by the Uttar Pradesh government in implementing the scheme. CAG has pointed out that non-adherence to rules and regulations and inefficient financial management and monitoring of the...

-The Economic Times Sometimes, putting one and one together does make 11, but many of us seem hardwired in our thoughts to assume rural income growth is a zero-sum game. For example, some people believe subsidies have driven the 15-20 per cent a-year growth in rural wages over the last five years. They come up with "explanations", including "people are selling land and consuming", "rising minimum support prices", and "NREGA is...

-The Hindu While the Delhi rape incident saw mass protests for justice, crimes against Dalits hardly evoke such outrage, which is why the killers in the Laxmanpur-Bathe massacre have got away The response by the state to the 2012 Delhi gang rape case was immediate and effective - a commission to review legislative protections and recommend amendments, and a new enactment. The judiciary responded similarly - death penalty for the accused and...

-The Business Standard A study finds migration doesn't lead to child labour; it impacts the education of child migrants Migration has helped rural incomes and, to a certain extent, agriculture. Typically, migrants from rural areas are short-term migrants. Often, adult migrants take their children with them, and this leads to the overall picture being distorted. A 2010 study on the impact of short-term - often as short as a month - migration on...