-The Business Standard     They were unimpressed by the UPA's misguided socialism, but they worry about the new regime's free-market orientation too Consider this paradox. The Congress Party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was decimated in the elections in spite of several years of good monsoon and rising agricultural production. Consider another paradox. This was the regime that implemented policies that were presumed to be pro-farmer: the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the...

-The Hindu     Erode (Tamil Nadu): Farmers here believe the BJP Government's commitment to link agriculture to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) would result in revival of village economy in the long run. Several public works, particularly those aimed at strengthening water bodies, and improving ecological balance, under the programme are already agriculture linked. The works include digging new agriculture ponds, renovating existing ones and other small water bodies, cleaning...

-PTI   Munde said proper implementation of the land acquisition Act and providing every household with sanitation and drinking water will be his priority   New Delhi: Narendra Modi government will restructure United Progressive Alliance's flagship programme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by linking employment with development in rural areas and "rigorously" implementing the new land acquisition law.   Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopinath Munde, who took over as the minister...

-The Telegraph   New Delhi: Jharkhand's blooming lotus has a not-so-hidden thorny challenge.   The state, which has rewarded the BJP and the Narendra Modi government with 12 MPs, has also thrown the new Gopinath Munde-headed rural development minister a MGNREGS zinger. Along with Odisha and Bihar, Jharkhand is at the bottom of the bucket list of states as far as the actual expenditure of funds under the national job guarantee scheme goes. In each of...

-The Hindustan Times     On the first day on his job, rural development minister Gopinath Munde hinted that the Modi government could go for restructuring of the rural job scheme NREGA.   He also defended the land acquisition bill saying it was not against industrialisation and urbanization.   Talking to reporters after taking charge on Tuesday, he said he liked NREGA but it needed changes. "This scheme is best for villages. Basically, people get employment, but proper...