-The Hindu Business Line The draft laws do not take a holistic view of surface and groundwater management. Nor are institutional issues spelt out The draft National Water Framework Bill 2016 was placed in the public domain for comments in end-May by the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation. Around the same time, the ministry also placed the Model Bill for the Conservation, Protection, Regulation and Management of Groundwater 2016...

-The Indian Express Price and technology-led incentives alone will not help boost pulses and oilseeds production in the country. Indian agriculture is governed by an impossible trinity or “trilemma” that requires it to meet three simultaneous objectives — global competitiveness, social inclusiveness and environmental sustainability — each often at odds with the other two. Official policy has largely tilted towards supporting the first two goals, with token, if not grudging, acknowledgement of...

Two back-to-back reports that shed light on the status of MGNREGA implementation in the country, have been released recently from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). A review of MGNREGA implementation in 8 different states of India by a team of experts during the month of May this year reveals that in many of the drought affected districts, the Gram Panchayats have no work to offer under the programme. (Please click...

-The Indian Express This is the first time in the decade-long history of the rural livelihood generation scheme that the ministry has released a performance outcome of assets. Marking a shift of focus under the MGNREGA from mere job generation to asset creation, the Ministry of Rural Development has released a report on creation of irrigation potential for more than 46.57 lakh hectares, and individual assets for 33 lakh people under...

-Livemint.com Report says only 10.1% of the total households that had been provided employment had been able to complete 100 days of work as stipulated by the MGNREGA New Delhi: The rural job guarantee programme provided only 49 days of work on an average across the country in 2015-16 when drought in several states affected farm output and crimped income. Rural development minister Chaudhary Birender Singh, though, highlighted this number as a...