-The Times of India NEW DELHI: On World Environment Day, this could be worrying news for the new environment minister. A study by forest researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) has concluded that India could be grossly "over-reporting" its forest cover. The researchers say that the existing forest cover, in reality, may be what the Forest Survey of India had reported back in 1997. This is because, they say,...
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Boosting agriculture growth a major task
-Deccan Chronicle New Delhi: Tipped to be agriculture minister, Radha Mohan Singh has an arduous task at hand to boost the growth, which could not meet the target of four per cent per year in recent years. Also, the El Nino threat to the monsoon rains will be the immediate challenge, which can affect the foodgrains productions in the next financial year. Even though there has been record foodgrains productions in the past...
More »UPA out, rural ministry plans to scale down NREGA -Brajesh Kumar
-The Hindustan Times What was inconceivable only few days ago in the corridors of the rural development ministry is now openly being pitched for - how to scale down UPA government's brainchild NREGA. Ministry officials are busy drawing up a blueprint for the new government to tweak NREGA in a bid to increase the efficiency of the 2006 rural job guarantee scheme. Some of the proposed changes include a focus on select blocks...
More »Ministry officials want Modi govt to look at land laws-Sanjeeb Mukherjee
-The Business Standard Agriculture ministry wants review of clamps on holdings; rural development ministry seeks centralisation of records With Narendra Modi set to take over as prime minister in the next few days, the department of agriculture is proposing a comprehensive review of land ceiling laws as a first major reform in the sector. Land also figures in the to-do list of the rural development ministry. It has proposed centralisation of land records...
More »Advice to cut reach of job scheme -Basant Kumar Mohanty
-The Telegraph Officials are set to propose to the Narendra Modi government that the UPA's blockbuster rural job scheme be restricted to select districts as the decision in 2008 to extend it to all districts was not required. The officials of the rural development ministry are expected to tell the new minister that the funds allocated for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) were not adequate for national...
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