-Livemint.com Convergence aimed to synergize efforts to improve livelihoods through horticulture, plantation and farm forestry and collectively address climate change concerns New delhi: Aiming to increase India's forest cover, address climate change concerns and achieve a faster growth rate in the rural economy, the government has decided to merge the Green India Mission (GIM) with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Since taking over in May 2014, Prime Minister...

-The Indian Express As of the first half of March, 786 million of those who are 18 and older have got Aadhaar numbers. The largest absolute numbers are in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. There are two broad channels for Aadhaar enrolment - the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) itself and the Registrar General of India (RGI). For instance, in Lakshadweep, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal,...

-The Telegraph New delhi: The Centre is weighing what appears a never-used parliamentary option to be able to re-promulgate the land acquisition ordinance before it lapses - having two budget sessions instead of a two-leg one. Ordinarily, the budget session is conducted in two halves, separated by a one-month recess. The first leg this year was to end on March 20 and the second leg to begin on April 20 and continue...

-The Telegraph New delhi: Millions of villagers are on course to missing out on livelihood-sustaining work under the national job scheme this year if figures released by the government are any indication. The figures suggest that by the time this financial year draws to a close, far fewer families will have benefited under the scheme compared with 2013-14, while the number of persondays of work generated would also drop significantly. According to official...

-The Times of India NEW delhi: Government has stepped up taking measures, well in advance, to avoid any situation of abnormal increase prices of onion and potato. Two major entities at national level - National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (Nafed) and Small Farmers Agri-business Consortium (SFAC) - will be tasked to procure the two major kitchen staples and store them so that the supply can be pumped in when prices go...