The first tentative moves towards the formation of a representative body of farmers — the National Alliance of Farmers' Associations — were made by the Bharatiya Janata Party at a meeting here over the week-end. The BJP said it was of the view that efforts must be made to set up a farmers' organisation akin to the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry...
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In India, greed creeps into microlending, critics say by Rama Lakshmi
The microcredit revolution has been celebrated for helping poor women in developing countries start small businesses. By borrowing money for purchases such as a buffalo or sewing machine, the women were able to help lift their families out of poverty. But critics say the microcredit model has been perverted by commercial greed in India, with reports of abusive collection methods and sky-high Interest Rates. "What began as a simple, innovative model...
More »Food Security Sans PDS: Universalization Through Targeting? by Smita Gupta
The case of the Food Security Bill gets curiouser and curiouser. What started off as a fight between universalization and targeting has ended (or so it would seem) in a complete victory in the National Advisory Council, Government of India (NAC) for targeting through universalization (if such a thing was possible), with the honourable exception of Prof Jean Dreze, who has to be commended for his ‘note of disagreement’. On...
More »NAC's recommendations discouraging: Yechury
Terming the recommendations of the National Advisory Council on the proposed Food Security Bill as discouraging, senior leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Sitaram Yechury on Friday underlined the need for a people's movement to pressure the Manmohan Singh government to go in for a universal public distribution system to ensure food security in the country. Addressing a seminar on food security at the CPI(M) State headquarters here, Mr....
More »Centre and states labour over NREGA wage fineprint by Seema Chishti
The Centre and states may vie to take credit for the MNREGS, but when it comes to footing the Bill for the job guarantee scheme, the story is different. Asking the Centre to notify new, revised wage rates “at the earliest” is, interestingly, a Congress-ruled state—Rajasthan. It also happens to be the home state of minister for rural development C P Joshi. Rajasthan principal secretary CS Rajan last week sent a letter...
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