-Hindustan Times Among the major concerns of the Gram Sabhas with the proposed acquisition of the forest land is that it is being done without their consent and even before the land is diverted under the provisions of the forest conservation act Ten Gram Sabhas from Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, mainly consisting of people from the Gond tribe, have raised objections to Centre’s intention to acquire 712.072 hectares (ha) of land for mining...

-The Telegraph The government has not institutionalized SAUs which are at times intimidated when it comes to accessing data on various programmes The auditing agility of government programmes seems to have gained strength. After the recent floods in Assam, the state planned to carry out a social audit of relief measures to look into corruption and bribery. This is the first time that any government is trying to reinforce a social audit...

-TheWire.in Gram Sabhas have this federal power under the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Mohali: There are over 13,000 Gram Sabhas or village councils in Punjab. Following large-scale protests against the Centre’s newly enacted farm Bills, in what is being called one of the largest democratic and federal processes in the country, almost all councils in Punjab are mobilising to pass resolutions against the Centre’s agri-marketing Acts and register their opposition. As of...

-Down to Earth State forest officials deter Kalahandi district’s village to procure kendu leaves through gram sabha    Residents of Dhanarpur village in Odisha’s Kalahandi district have hit a roadblock in procuring kendu leaves through Gram Sabhas — one of the most prominent minor forest produce (MFP) in the state.   The Odisha government granted relaxation for collection and harvest of MFPs when the nationwide lockdown was extended for the second time in...

-News18.com Another approach to improving citizen engagement could be through community platforms like Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Gram Sabhas. The Poshan Abhiyaan intends to do this, but lacks how these platforms reinforce accountability. We are a nation that carries 23.8% of the global burden of malnutrition, with a total of 195.9 million under-nourished people. But it is reassuring that the government is committed to tackle malnutrition on a war footing with...