NGOs To No Go’s     * NGOs have mushroomed; so have instances of misappropriation of funds     * Not disclosing expenditure and receipts; nor revealing who funds them     * Not setting up NGO for the task it was funded for     * Flocking to 'hot' topics, inviting accusations of singing to industrialists’ tunes     * For every NGO supporting a cause, another springs up against that cause *** NGO numbers     * 3.3 million Number of NGOs...

A courier company in Mumbai shows the way in providing employment for the hearing impaired. IN the milling crowds of Mumbai, they stand apart with their orange T-shirts printed with the name Mirakle Couriers. Every day, during the busy hours of the working week, one sees them on the sidewalks, in public transport and elsewhere with large black bags slung on their shoulders. It would not be enough to say...

The class bias in government policy is clear in the decision to release a small amount of foodgrain in the open market to tackle inflation. MOST people would agree that there is a strong element of speculation underlying the current inflation and that forward trading contributes to it. Yet the government, though it has banned forward trading in certain commodities under public pressure, is curiously reluctant to see this point....

MP Ramesh Jigjinagi has instructed the officers concerned to ensure that the funds released under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) are utilised properly and jobs are provided to the needy in rural areas of the district. Speaking after reviewing various development works taken up under Central funds here on Thursday, he said that employment cards provided under the scheme should be renewed every year to stop misuse of...

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may have revolutionised rural households in more ways than one but on the flip side the UPA government’s flagship scheme has affected agricultural production. Reports on the “negative influence” of NREGA have poured in from every nook and cranny of Meghalaya though the scheme aims to enhance the livelihood and security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a...