-The Economic Times In what could hobble the government's plans to give Aadhar a key role in banking and a central pin of the direct cash transfer scheme, several state-run banks have refused to bear any liability for transactions done with customers that were authenticated through the unique identity (UID) mechanism. Banks and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had been convinced by the finance ministry to use Aadhar to fulfill the...
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Bihar lowers wage under MGNREGA -Jitendra and Alok Gupta
-Down to Earth State blames poor financial condition for the move The Bihar government has defended its recent move to lower its minimum wage rate offered to unskilled labourers, saying the state is in poor financial condition. Bihar has lowered its wage rate offered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from Rs 144 to Rs 135, while the state minimum wage is Rs 168. This is despite the...
More »Towards a gender-just society-Zoya Hasan
-The Hindu The Justice Verma Committee report acts as a blueprint for the radical transformation of gender relations within the framework of constitutional guarantees and gender equality. However, the adoption of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 by Parliament on March 19, 2013, does not go beyond legal change. Prof. Hasan argues that if political parties are serious about the rights of women, the Women's Representation Bill must be passed...
More »Women activists protest ‘murder’ of Dalit woman-Rahi Gaikwad
-The Hindu Activists claim their colleague was brutally raped and murdered Women's groups staged angry protests on National Highway 28 in Muzaffarpur district after a Dalit woman activist was found dead at Mandai village. According to Rinku Devi of the Janwadi Mahila Samiti - a group that the victim was a member of - the woman was raped and murdered. "The activist was raped and murdered in a brutal fashion. According to the family,...
More »A scheme for the poor, not a poor scheme-Neelakshi Mann and Varad Pande
-The Indian Express Of late, there has been much public debate around the effectiveness of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), particularly on its targeting of the poor and the socioeconomic profile of its beneficiaries (most notably in this newspaper). It is important to look at these claims closely, not as much to counter them but as to present the real picture that has been undermined by often-unsubstantiated...
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