A report released by a Parliamentary standing committee has expressed concern over the reduction of funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The report by the Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj released on 14 March, 2023 said that the Budget Estimates for MGNREGS has been reduced by Rs. 29,400 Crore for 2023-24 when compared to the Revised Estimates of 2022-23. The report said...
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How will Indian Cities Fare if a Turkey-like Earthquake Strikes the Subcontinent?
On 6 February, 2023 Southern Turkey and the adjoining areas in Syria were hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake followed by several aftershocks. The tremors have flattened buildings and destroyed roads and other infrastructure. At least 35,000 casualties (UPDATE) have occurred across Turkey and Syria, with the vast majority being in the former nation. A news report cited the Turkish environment minister saying that 24,921 buildings across the region had collapsed. What...
More »Jean Dreze: No Point In India Growing So Fast If Wages Stagnate And Social Spending Is Slashed - Shreehari Paliath
Budget 2023's allocations for most critical social security schemes have declined in real terms, says economist Jean Dreze - IndiaSpend The last full Union budget before the next general elections in 2024, which was presented on February 1, gets "a big zero" in terms of welfare spending from economist and social activist Jean Dreze. Budget allocations for most critical social security schemes have declined in real terms, Dreze said. The Union government withdrew...
More »Banks eye Rural loan growth to push credit-deposit ratio - Mihir Mishra, Shayan Ghosh
Mint India’s rural borrowers and small businesses owners may have easier access to credit with public sector banks (PSBs) planning to increase financing to these segments, after the Union finance ministry urged lenders to improve their credit-deposit ratio. The C-D Ration indicates how much of a banks' deposit base is being utilized for extending loans. The development may help expedite the revival of the rural economy, which is struggling to reach pre-covid...
More »Expand PDS to include non-Ration card holders and 10 crore excluded by using old census figures: Right to Food Campaign
A coalition of civil society activits has criticized the Union Budget 2023-24 for reducing government spending on the social sector by a massive amount. The economic crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic was borne disproportionately by those at the bottom of the pyramid and in this context spending on social protection schemes such as the Public Distribution System, anganwadis, pensions and MGNREGA is especially important. But the Government of India has...
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