-Scroll.in Like Chhattisgarh earlier, now West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh are covering over 80% rural poor under the ration system, and have reduced grain pilferage. Is the public distribution system in India irreparably dysfunctional, or can it effectively provide nutrition and economic support to the poor? In the last three years since the National Food Security law was passed, a number of state governments have expanded the provision of subsidised foodgrain, and the...

-The Hindu Business Line The unique needs of those who work in cities even as they maintain homes in the village must be addressed by policymakers   Cities bring with them a sense of permanence. Many of them have been around for hundreds of years. Some of their more memorable institutions too tend to have long histories. It is no surprise, then, that most of urban policy takes aspects of a city to...

-Livemint.com Delays in payment and indifferent implementation, among other reasons, have blunted the programme’s effectiveness Procedural lapses have marred the implementation of the state-funded job guarantee programme aimed at alleviating rural distress in India, according to a review of the scheme in eight states by the Rural development ministry. While delays in disbursal of funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have held up wage payments in Madhya...

-The Indian Express Between 2005 and 2012, structural changes drove poverty reduction — non-agricultural incomes rose the fastest, and the largest shifts from farm to salaried non-farm employment were seen among the poorest. The significant shift from farm work to non-farm sources of income accelerated the decline in poverty in India. Non-farm jobs pay more than agricultural labour, and incomes from both were propelled by a steep rise in wages for rural...

-The Times of India RANCHI: Jharkhand government has bagged appreciation from the union ministry of Rural development (MoRD) for its effective implementation of MGNREGA schemes. The centre has allowed 50 more blocks-- highest in the country-- to be included in CFT project (Convergence of MGNREGS, National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) and Cluster Facilitation Team (CFT)). Centre directed other states to take lesson from Jharkhand model and implement some of the best...