Although social activists and concerned economists demanded at least Rs. 1 lakh crore to be earmarked in favour of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), the Finance Minister in her budget speech on 1st February allocated only Rs.61,500 crore to it for the financial year 2020-21. As compared to the fund spent on MGNREGA in 2019-20 (i.e. revised estimate of Rs.71,001.81 crore), the amount set aside for the...
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Large sections of poor are unlikely to benefit from extension of food grains scheme -Swati Narayan
-The Indian Express Expansion and universalisation of the PDS, pensions, cash grants and employment guarantee schemes in both urban and rural areas are essential to tide through these difficult times. The Prime Minister’s extension of free food grains for 800 million Indians till November is undoubtedly a relief. The granaries of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) are overflowing with more than 100 million tonnes of food grains. But the economy has,...
More »PM's One-Nation, One-Ration Scheme - What Not To Do -Reetika Khera
-NDTV On March 26, the Finance Minister made the announcement of doubling the entitlements of PDS ration card holders for the months of April-June. Since then, it has been clear that the PDS has served as a lifeline for millions of Indians who were left high and dry when the sudden and complete lockdown had been announced two days prior. As we approached the end of June, pressure had been mounting to...
More »Nikhil Dey, social activist and founding member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, interviewed by Civil Society News (CivilSocietyOnline.com)
-Civil Society News As people pour into villages from cities in a desperate effort to get back home, the only work they can hope to get is under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). The rural employment scheme was designed to help people in distressful situations like a flood or drought so that they had something to fall back on when there was nothing else. Will it be able to...
More »Amartya Sen, Noam Chomsky on board as Kerala govt launches debate series on new development models
-The New Indian Express The first episode will have Chomsky, Sen and WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan speaking on 'Kerala - Future Paths of Development'. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a novel initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government is launching the 'Kerala Dialogue' -- a debate series on new concepts and development models. A series of visionaries including noted political thinker Noam Chomsky and Nobel-laureate economist Amartya Sen will join this unique...
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