-The Indian Express Agriculture’s contribution to poverty reduction is five times more than that of metropolitan centres Speaking at the third BRICS Urbanisation Forum in Visakhapatnam on September 14, Deputy Chairman of the Niti Ayog, Arvind Panagariya, announced that “Without cities we can’t grow rapidly”. He added, “urbanisation plays an important role in poverty alleviation”. Both claims are exaggerated and somewhat misleading. A recent report prepared for the UN points out that, over...
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Work and welfare: MGNREGA 2.0 -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express The flagship rural jobs programme has shown improved performance after initial neglect by the Modi government. New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government may spend close to Rs 60,000 crore on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the current fiscal, a record for the programme that was a baby of the previous United Progressive Alliance regime. The Union Budget had allocated Rs 38,500 crore towards MGNREGA for...
More »40% roads in India not metalled, 78% NHs have one or two lanes: Data -Dipak K Dash
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In a stark indication of how far India has to go in developing its highway network, latest official statistics reveal that around 78% of national highways are either one or two-lane affairs. One third are less than two lanes, making the task of four-laning India's economic lifelines a challenging endeavour. A report of the road transport and highways ministry also shows that nearly 40%, including rural,...
More »Gujarat's 'uncles' and their employment exchanges -Rutam Vora
-The Hindu Business Line Despite a recent crackdown, employers continue to wield power in the child labour racket Rajan (name changed) is nowhere to be seen. About a month ago, the 12-year-old and his younger brother Yash (name changed) were working at a roadside tea stall located on one of the busiest roads in the financial capital of Gujarat. The tea stall, as claimed by the boy, was owned by his 'uncle'...
More »Pushback against civil liberties -Satish Deshpande
-The Hindu The sense of impunity that drives discrimination against Dalits is at the heart of recent demands for the dilution, or even repeal, of the Act for prevention of atrocities against SCs and STs It is the sense of impunity nurtured by caste hierarchy that prepares the social ground for the “shockingly cruel and inhumane” crimes against Dalits called atrocities. It is this impunity that the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled...
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