The rural population is at present estimated at 85 crores. Ten per cent of the households are completely landless. Another 52 per cent have holdings of less than 0.2 hectare. The per capita agricultural land in the rural areas has come down to 0.12 hectare. According to the National Sample Survey, the annual income of an agricultural household from farming is less than Rs 12,000 and from all sources it...

Is drought being used as an excuse to delay the national Food Security Act? An informal network of organizations and individuals involved in the Right to Food Campaign believe so. The campaign groups are demanding that a national consultative process on an improved draft bill must be started immediately so that the proposed Food Security Act could be passed as soon as possible. The campaigners also demand that exports of...

President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday called for enrolling women in a big way to make cleanliness a pivotal campaign in the rural areas and to build character and healthy habits among children. Addressing the winners of the Nirmal Gram Puraskars for the year 2009, the President emphasised on enlisting the active participation of women, self help groups, anganwadis and other women institutions for the success of the cleanliness crusade launched...

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (2005) differs from the other poverty alleviation measures in two significant respects. Where most welfare programmes cast the state in the role of benefactor offering handouts to the poor, the NREGS is built around notions of citizenship and entitlement. Secondly, the NREGS also facilitates disclosure by means of regular social audits. These audits, mandated to be done by the Gram Sabhas, are intended to...

Villagers in Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh agitate and get their dues under the rural job scheme; but the authorities are not giving up easily Villagers had to fight to get unemployment allowance worth Rs 14 lakh in Sitapur’s villages though this is something they are assured under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Villagers in Misrik and Pisawan blocks in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh would vouch for the benefit...