The Union government has cleared an external loan to finance part of the programme launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in left wing extremism-affected villages. The clearance is for a loan of $500 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to speed up construction of rural roads. Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has, in a letter, urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to issue directions for negotiating and early signing...

-PTI   Centre released an additional Rs 200 crore to Kerala under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a central scheme for building rural roads. "I am happy to inform you that my Ministry has released an amount of Rs 200 crore to your state towards part payment of first installment of Phase VII under PMGSY pending audit report and final utilisation certificate for the year 2010-2011, maintenance certificate etc," Ramesh said in...

The Union rural development ministry has decided to ape Planning Commission's discussion with states for annual finances to send a stronger message about Centre's authorship on welfare schemes, a move aimed at addressing the longstanding gripe of Congress that states were cornering all the credit. The ministry has asked states to prepare for "annual plan discussion for RD schemes" from 2012, a consultation to finalise their budget for each scheme...

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh admitted lapses of the past but spoke of a new beginning today in Saranda while unveiling an action plan for the forest region that was under the shadow of Maoist terror for over a decade. Armed with goodies like bicycles and transistor radios for residents of Chotanagra panchayat, about 120km from district headquarters of Chaibasa, Ramesh made it clear that the implementation of the development...

Rural Development Ministry seeks to give the scheme a base Disregarding apprehensions sounded by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the Ministry of Rural Development will press ahead with its pilot project to link payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Aadhaar number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India in a bid to give the scheme, which is currently stuck, a base. In Ramgarh district,...