The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has been snubbed once again by the government, this time by the tribal affairs ministry. The ministry rejected all recommendations made by the council to reform the implementation of the Forest Rights Act — the UPA's flagship programme and law to give land rights back to tribals and forest dwellers. The National Advisory Council had recommended strong measures for restoration of forest lands to...

Centre will bring in amendments to the essential commodities Act to achieve this purpose: Thomas Union Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies K.V. Thomas has said the Central government will soon institute mechanisms to regulate private retail chains in the context of the fluctuating price regime and shortages in the supply of essential commodities. Addressing a ‘meet-the-press' programme organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalist Trust here on Saturday, Prof....

The government’s Bill for funding the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) has risen steeply, due to its decision to revise wage rates under these projects and to link these to the inflation rate. The government had agreed to indexation, but not to activists’ demand to pay at each state’s set minimum wage rates, indexed to inflation. The wage rates continue to be delinked from the statutory minimums applicable; in many...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has raised the red flag over a potential spike in global prices of sugar and cereals, especially wheat. Although India might just get away thanks to a bumper output this year, it could get caught in the spiralling milk and edible oil prices. In any case, the government has virtually thrown its hands in the air on taming fruit and vegetable prices. But it isn't just...

Microcredit lifted 10 million Bangladeshis out of poverty between 1990 and 2008, according to a report. The work of Grameen Bank and others helped many families to raise their income above $1.25 a day, said the US-based Microcredit Summit Campaign. The study follows recent criticism of microfinance, which works by providing small loans to people to invest in generating their own incomes. Some experts argue the report may have missed the bigger picture. They...