Ashok Gehlot's Budget speech lays emphasis on social welfare measures Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's Budget speech in the Rajasthan Assembly here on Wednesday laid emphasis on “positive results” of the State Government's work during the previous year for development of various sectors, and made a number of announcements for the welfare of different sections of society. In a significant declaration, Mr. Gehlot said a State-level Advisory Council would be constituted shortly in...

Poor allocation of funds to key social sectors shows the government’s lacklustre approach to inclusive growth. We are reaching the end of a remarkable fiscal year,” said the finance minister as he rose to present the Union Budget 2011-12. Agreeing with the government that the year gone by presented us with several opportunities and challenges to address critical concerns pertaining to the social sector, the overall sense is that this Budget,...

The promise of the FRA remains largely unfulfilled, says a committee set up by the Ministries of Environment and Forests and Tribal Affairs. IT seems hard for a government used to controlling most of India's common lands to let go of them. Even though it has passed a law mandating more decentralised governance of forests, the government itself is proving to be the biggest obstacle in its implementation. Other than in...

The Midday Meal (MDM) scheme catering to 12 crore children — all set to increase manifold with the implementation of the Right to Education Act — is likely to get a paltry increase of Rs 6 crore in the 2011-12 general budget. Last year, Rs 10,380 crore was allocated for the scheme. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) may see a big jump in allocation — Rs 21,000 crore from Rs 15,000 crore...

Providing free and compulsory education for all children aged between six and 14 under the Right to Education (RTE) Act violated the unfettered rights of unaided schools in making admissions of their choice, senior counsel Vikas Singh argued in the Supreme Court on Thursday. Under the Act, every child in the said age group shall have the right to study in a neighbourhood school till completion of elementary education. A three-judge Bench...