-The Indian Express Earlier this month, the ministry of finance announced that over 50 million new bank accounts have been opened and 17 million debit cards issued since the launch of a bold new plan to grant financial access to the poor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this initiative, called the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), in a speech in August. Its ultimate goal is to reach 150 million unbanked...
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Fighting India’s silent epidemic -Soumya Swaminathan and Chapal Mehra
-The Hindu Tackling TB requires both strengthening the public sector and engaging the private sector Over 60 per cent of all Indians seek health care in the private sector according to India's last National Family Health Survey. This undoubtedly makes the private sector the largest provider of health services in India. The government health system, though vast and well-intentioned, continues to be overburdened with multiple challenges including long waiting hours, an ageing...
More »Labour Minister Shri Tomar announces launch of Minimum Pension Scheme across 120 locations in India
-Press Information Bureau/ Ministry of Labour & Employment The Union Minister of Labour & Employment, Steel and Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar announced the launch of a guaranteed minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month under Employees' Pension Scheme, 1995. Speaking to journalists at a press conference in here today, he said, the Union Government has decided to organize functions in every office of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation spread across...
More »Steps taken to check irregularities in MGNREGA
-PTI Govt has received a total of 3,641 complaints, of which 1,769 have been disposed of The government admitted to irregularities in implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and said it has taken steps to rectify them and improve the scheme's delivery. Minister of State for Rural Development Upendra Kushwaha told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that the ministry has established a comprehensive system of...
More »Union Budget and the 'Digital Divide': Old Wine in New Bottle -Vipul Mudgal
-Economic and Political Weekly The emphasis on use of digital technologies to bridge the "rural-urban gap" in the union budget is limited to high talk and minimal allocations. The need for a more comprehensive and peoples' participation-oriented rural action plan should have been the focus while setting sectoral allocations, but that is not to be in this mid-year budget. Vipul Mudgal (vipulmudgal@gmail.com) heads the Inclusive Media for Change project at the Centre...
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