-Press release by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha and Peoples' Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG) dated 9 July, 2019 Even as many parts of the county suffer from drought, the new government at the centre has allocated a mere Rs 60,000 crores for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for the ongoing financial year. This is Rs 1,084 crore less than the revised budget estimate for 2018-19. Expenditure would have been much...
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Rajya Sabha clears bill on voluntary use of Aadhaar as ID proof -Shreya Nandi
-Livemint.com * The law ensures that no one is denied any service for not having Aadhaar as ID proof * An Aadhaar holder can now opt for offline verification through QR code with consent The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, allowing voluntary linking of the 12-digit identification number as part of know your customer guidelines to open bank accounts or get a mobile connection. The law...
More »How WhatsApp messages from Bhutan are saving lives in Assam -Shailendra Yashwant
-Scroll.in/ The Third Pole Flash-flood warnings routed through NGOs are giving border villages precious lead-time to escape the wrath of suddenly rising rivers. In the last few weeks of June, a series of WhatsApp messages were sent from Bhutan to India to warn cross-border friends downstream of the Aai, Saralbhanga and Manas rivers about cloud-bursts, swollen rivers and possible flash floods affecting people in the Indian state of Assam. Although originating from officials,...
More »Despite being one of its birthplaces, India has forgotten many varieties of rice -Pooja Pillai
-The Indian Express The story of rice in India is complex, influenced as much by geography as by taste, faith, politics and contemporary nutrition science. But, after years of getting panned for being unhealthy, it is finally making its way back to the centre of the table. Is Basmati rice, with its pristinely white grain, the only variety that lends itself to making a biryani? It seems a rather silly question...
More »Economic Survey 2018-19: School going population peaks as fertility rate declines -Richard Mahapatra
-Down to Earth Nine states, which have fertility rates well below the replacement rate, will have an aged population by 2030s India’s population growth rate will decline faster than assumed, according to the Economic Survey 2018-19. In fact, the fertility rate in many states has reached the replacement rate. “India is set to witness a sharp slowdown in population growth in the next two decades,” analysed the Economic Survey. "The country will enjoy...
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