New rural development minister Jairam Ramesh is working to overhaul the United Progressive Alliance's six-year old flagship rural jobs programme to rid it of all 'manmade' flaws and make the job entitlement more demand driven. The Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNERGA), which costs the government Rs 40,000 crore a year - the largest spend on any social welfare scheme - played a key role in catapulting theUPA government...
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Now, Yamuna E-way farmers look to court by Hamari Jamatia
At mahapanchayat, 31 villages decide to appeal in court on Thursday Villagers of area surrounding the Yamuna Expressway held a mahapanchayat on Sunday to discuss the issue of compensation. The villagers have been paid Rs 800/sqm for the land acquired in 2008 by Yamuna Expressway Authority. They claim the money paid is Rs 50/sqm less than the approved circle rates of the time. The villagers who feel “cheated” and 31 villages, of...
More »CM imprint in bill draft by Suman K Shrivastava
The proposed land acquisition bill unveiled by the Centre today will not override provisions of two landmark laws that seek to protect the interests of tribal landowners, thereby addressing a serious concern of states like Jharkhand where bulk of the land being eyed by industry is in forests inhabited by tribals. On a day the Draft National Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill, 2011, was put in the public domain,...
More »Vote-catching MGNREGS to be revamped by Smita Gupta
New-look programme to be rolled out in 2,000 most backward blocks within a year As part of a coordinated and aligned initiative, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, a re-energised Union Rural Development Ministry and the Planning Commission are working in tandem to make up for the time and money lost due to the underperformance in UPA-II on the government's flagship programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Even as...
More »Tea firms see losses ahead as workers strike by Manish Basu
Two of India’s biggest tea companies, Goodricke Group Ltd and Duncans Industries Ltd, said they may plunge into losses as workers, backed by key political parties, agitate for more pay. The labour unions reject this contention. The two companies are the main plantation owners in West Bengal’s Dooars region and do not have too many gardens elsewhere. Between them they produce about 34 million kg of tea a year; Goodricke is...
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