Five years ago, the Prime Minister launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), calling it the single-largest initiative of the government of India for a planned development of our cities. This unique, Rs 50,000-crore (subsequently enhanced to Rs 66,000 crore) programme to be implemented over a seven years from 2005 to 2012 focuses mainly on 65 mission cities with provision kept also for other small towns. While the...

The Bihar Government's plans for a mega power plant at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district went for a toss as an agitation by a large mob of farmers turned violent on Saturday, resulting in the torching of an empty passenger train. The farmers were agitating against the acquisition of 1871 acres of private land by the State Government for setting up 3300 MW power project, on grounds that the State Government had...

Crop loss estimated at Rs 625 crore For Andhra Pradesh tobacco farmers, 2010 was a tough year. Heavy rain in the last week of November and the first week of December damaged the crop extensively, resulting in a loss of around Rs 625 crore. “According to our estimates, standing crop in 52,000 hectares out of the total 110,000 hectares has been either partially or fully damaged. This is the worst crop loss...

Rolling out a slew of measures for the working class in 2010, the government effected key reforms in some labour acts while also raising the annual rate of returns on employee provident funds to 9.5 per cent. The steps came as the government also unveiled the draft national policy on employment with suggestions of launching of a employment guarantee scheme in urban areas on the lines of NREGA. It amended the Payment...

Says the bank has also stopped refinancing farm loans Says no NABARD official has visited his office in a year Criticises Milma for deposits in a private bank Cooperation Minister G. Sudhakaran said here on Monday that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) had not been taking the initiative to hold discussions on implementing the Vaidyanathan committee report on cooperative sector reforms and had stopped refinancing farm loans in the...