-The Hindustan Times After a report by the government's auditor (CAG) last month that slammed the UPA's flagship right to work scheme, a survey by an NGO says that MG-NREGA has been successful in improving quality of land and generating extra income for marginal farmers. The survey in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh - by Sambodhi, a Delhi based NGO is in collaboration with...

-The Business Standard 42% households that sought employment under MGNREGA and on whose land work was undertaken, did not come back to work on MGNREGA According to a study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and non-governmental organisation (NGO) Sambodhini, 11 per cent of those who used labour under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for work on their fields recorded a shift from traditional agriculture to horticulture. The...

-The Hindu The south leads in the number of medical and nursing seats, with for-profit private colleges dominating the scene. It will take major capacity expansion in the government sector to meet WHO norms on access to health professionals. India has achieved major organisational and technological successes but the health system's performance is abysmal. This cannot be attributed to poverty. It is poor health that places India 134th in the Human Development...

-The Hindu Jaipur: Rajasthan is set to play a major role in solar and renewable energy, according to its Governor Margaret Alva. "Energy is the key to progress. At the same time, it is a big challenge too. Rajasthan is a national leader in solar energy and under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, a majority of the solar projects are located in Rajasthan. In wind energy, India is globally positioned at...

-The Times of India CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to ban the production, stocking, distribution and sale of tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala in the state. The decision came in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's remarks in a case recently, seeking to know the action taken by state governments in curbing the use of tobacco and its products. The order will be passed in a...