-Down to Earth Schools in Maharashtra do not want responsibility, say the scheme hampers teaching THE Maharashtra government may allow schools in the state to outsource midday meal with the consent of school management committees (SMCs). The Mid Day Meal Committee, constituted by the state government, recommended in early November that education societies which run more than one school can outsource midday meal to a single agency if the SMCs agree. The...

-The Hindu     States that increase minimum wage will have to bear extra cost from their own resources A committee set up by the Ministry of Rural Development to revise wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has offered suggestions that are likely to iron out long-standing issues relating to disparity in earnings under the scheme. Currently, MGNREGA wages are lower than the minimum wages in several States, including in...

-The Hindu Looking to capture demand effectively for its flagship scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Ministry of Rural Development will pro-actively register demand in select districts of the country. The Ministry has launched a "Kaam Mango Abhiyan" after recognising that the decline in people demanding work under MGNREGA is not necessarily due to a lack of demand but caused by a failure to capture demand effectively. This...

-Down to Earth 'Kaam Mango Abhiyan' aims to popularise the ambitious flagship programme of the UPA government In the view of the declining demand of work under the ambitious Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has launched a campaign "Kaam Mango Abhiyan", which literally means "ask for work". Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh launched the awareness campaign last week. To begin with, the focus will...

-The Hindu A total of Rs. 5.17 lakhs paid as compensation to 91 workers Workers who have been denied wages for over two years under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act were awarded compensation of Rs. 2,000 each in a landmark order passed by the Jharkhand Labour Commission in Murhigram panchayat, Khunti block. According to the MGNREGA Sahayata Kendra which pioneered the move, on Tuesday, a total of 91 workers were...