-IndiaSpend.com/ Scroll.in GST and demonetisation continue to hurt the livelihoods of workers in India’s IT hub. Kurubarahalli is a congested corner of India’s technology capital, packed with narrow roads, alleys, heavy traffic, shops and darshinis, as small self-service eateries are called here. The area starts humming with activity as early as 7.30 am. Among the first to arrive at the labour hub here are daily wagers seeking employment. On any working day you...
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No change in MGNREGA wage rates observed between 2018-19 and 2019-20 for 4 states & 2 UTs
Non-payment of MGNREGA wages on time to workers and non-revision of daily wage rates, among other things, have kept the poor away from the programme in many states. When the notified daily wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (2005) Act (MGNREGA) for 2019-20 was announced on 26th March 2019, it became clear that the existing wage rates were not revised (viz. as compared to 2018-19) in...
More »MS Swaminathan, father of Green Revolution, interviewed by Vishwanath Kulkarni (The Hindu Business Line)
-The Hindu Business Line Eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan, Chairman of the much discussed Farmers’ Commission whose report mooted an MSP at 50 per cent above cost, feels that income support can be given in the form of free inputs or higher procurement as well. While welcoming ‘PM-Kisan’, he says cash transfer should not become a form of patronage and that the focus should shift from loan write-offs to long-term policies....
More »Jobs or doles: which is the way forward? -Mahendra Dev & Pronab Sen
-The Hindu Governments can provide direct cash transfers while creating conditions for employment With the Congress promising through the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) scheme ?6,000 every month to the poorest 20% of households if voted to power, Mahendra Dev and Pronab Sen talk of the importance and problems of direct cash transfers. Providing social protection is important even as governments try to create conditions for income-generating activities, they say in a discussion...
More »Callous disdain for the wasted lives of the poor
-The Telegraph The most important implication of underfunding the MGNREGA is that the NDA denies that there is a jobs crisis Given the fact that a significant amount of jobs has been lost by casual rural workers in the recent past, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act gains added significance. It is supposed to provide 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every adult in a household...
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