-The Financial Express     MGNREGS fails to deliver on even its own targets   Given how less than a tenth of households applying for jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have ended up getting the guaranteed 100 days of workin FY14-the figure was 14.5% in FY09-it is obvious the scheme is failing under even its own stated goals. At a time when both economic growth and jobs creation is...

-The Hindustan Times New Delhi: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation on Saturday surveyed more than 100 houses built illegally on forestland in the Neb Sarai area and sealed 10 of them. The forest department, on its part, issued 40 notices, ordering the occupants to vacate the premises. Action is likely to continue. The authorities swung into action only after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday had ordered Delhi's two top...

-The Hindustan Times   New Delhi: The absence of an elected government in Delhi has seemingly slowed down the pace of several infrastructure, development and social welfare projects in the Capital. While the administration - under the Lieutenant Governor - has taken control of the day-to-day affairs and has managed to carry out "routine" work with ease, sources confirmed that several development projects, which require constant direction, coordination and monitoring, have lost pace. construction...

-The Economic Times   If there are two statistics that summarise a nation's overall well-being, these are the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the maternal mortality rate (MMR). India has registered remarkable progress on both fronts over the last decade. IMR has declined 28% from 58 in 2004 to 42 in 2012. MMR has come down 36% from 280 in 2005 to 178 in 2012. The decline has been more spectacular in some...

-The Hindu   Since 2004-05, for the first time in the history of India, more workers have left agriculture for productive work in industry and services Higher than normal inflation, high current account deficit, a depreciating rupee and slowing GDP growth might hold true in recent times. However, when it comes to employment, the facts are quite different as between 2009-10 and 2011-12, non-agricultural employment grew rapidly. Between 1999-2000 and 2004-05, National Sample Survey...