-TheWire.in The Department of Personnel and Training, responsible for implementing the RTI, has claimed it is exempt from sharing details on the appointment of information commissioners. New Delhi: When it comes to transparency, it seems the Narendra Modi government is moving in reverse. The Department of Personnel and Training, the nodal agency responsible for effectively implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act, has refused to share details on the appointment of information...

-Deccan Chronicle Farmers need to be educated on non-chemical methods. Nellore: Abnormal use of pesticides on vegetables and leafy vegetables has been discouraging gourmets from consuming vegetables not only due to fear over chemical residues also because of chemical odour even after cooking. Vegetable growers have been applying pesticides despite advice by entomologists against the practice pointing to threat to health from chemical residuals. Agriculture officials and scientists claim that they appeal to...

-TheWire.in The Right to Food Campaign responds to the HRD ministry’s recent mandate on linking Aadhaar with the mid-day meal scheme. New Delhi: According to a notification issued by the human resource development ministry last week, children at schools across the country will now be required to either register or have an Aadhaar number in order to avail of the government’s mid-day meal scheme. Additionally, as per the government’s notification, any cooks or...

-IANS Kolkata: Lack of policy directions for ensuring quality implementation of programmes makes the Union Budget 2017-18 allocations to ailing core social sectors like education and health inadequate in delivering the benefits, experts say. Schemes like Swachh Bharat-Urban and the National Social Assistance Programme saw no increase, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan got a mere 4.4 per cent rise in allocation, while the Integrated Child Development Services got an enhancement of about five per...

-Livemint.com MGNREGS has to cover significant ground to evolve as an effective demand driven asset creating public work programme Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s claim that he was making the highest ever allocation to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in this year’s budge made headlines. Here are five questions which can help understand why MGNREGS related discussion needs to go beyond talks of budgetary allocation. * Is 2017-18 record allocation for...