In his general budget for 2011-12, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has announced an increase in allocation for the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) of Rs10,000 crore to Rs58,000 crore.The finance minister has proposed an identical hike for the Bharat Nirman scheme, and also proposed to give Rs3000 core to the national agricultural development board, NABARD.Mukherjee also said the government has decided to index the wage rates notified...
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Budget could have done more for the farm sector: Agri experts
Several agri-experts, including noted scientist M S Swaminathan, today said the Budget 2011-12 did not address several important issues facing agriculture, although they welcomed some proposals as being pro-farm. Swaminathan, known as the father of the Green Revolution in India, said the Budget had several good proposals but it did not have a strategy to keep farmers on farm and attract youth in the agriculture sector. "It is unfortunate that in a...
More »How realpolitik got in way of Ramesh's all-out green zeal by Kunal Bose
To many, ecology clearances coming in quick succession first for the 12-million-tonne steel project, including a captive power complex and a minor port that the South Korean Posco is diligently pursuing for close to six years and then for SAIL’s three mining leases at Chiria in Jharkhand appear as history bending revolutions. This is because the ministry of environment and forests, led by environment zealot Jairam Ramesh was till the...
More »Funding crisis hits efforts to make banking services easy for Nrega beneficiaries by Devika Banerji
A funding crisis has hit the government's efforts to leverage the banking correspondent model to provide banking services to the beneficiaries of its flagship rural employment guarantee scheme. Work has stopped in Orissa, the first state to adopt the model in all districts, after State Bank of India (SBI) refused to bear the cost of this financial inclusion drive for the beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee...
More »Draft food bill near completion,to cover 70% population: Thomas
The government today said the draft Food Security Bill, which entitles nearly two-thirds of the population to subsidised foodgrains, was almost ready. The Bill will legally entitle up to 70% of population to subsidised foodgrains as against the NAC's proposal to cover 75%. "We are going to introduce the Food Security Bill, almost 65-70% of the population are going to get the benefit," Food Minister K V Thomas said at the National...
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