-The Hindu Reports that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government intends to radically restructure the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) have re-ignited public discussion on the scheme. Since its launch, debate on MGNREGA has been synonymous with ideological contestations on the role of the state and its welfare functions. Inevitably, the contours of the debate have been shrill, leaving little space for an evidence-based discussion on the...

-Livemint Move will give firms more flexibility in hiring and firing of staff, make tougher the registration of labour unions New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday gave his assent to key labour reforms, including amendments to the Industrial Dispute Act, Contract Labour Act and Factories Act that the Vasundhara Raje-led rajasthan government had forwarded to the Union government after they were passed in the state assembly two months ago, a central...

-The Hindu By providing food & firewood, the State tree supports rural economy Jodhpur: rajasthan's State tree - Khejri - is dying a slow death, scientists and environmentalists have warned. Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) covers about two-thirds of the total geographical area of the State and and is of immense significance culturally and economically. The tree supports rural economy like no other wild vegetation does. The fruit of the tree is eaten as sangria, cooked...

-The Indian Express For the last 10 years, farmers in India benefited from both increased production and higher price realisations - leading to rising rural incomes and declining poverty rates. That happy story may now be near its end - which could be the precursor to a renewed crisis in agriculture. The main reason is declining global prices for most agri-commodities (see Table 1). Over the last five-six months, corn, wheat and...

-India Climate Dialogue A small village in rajasthan sets an example by its model of environment governance which combines traditional and religious practices with scientific concepts to tackle problems brought on by climate change Lapodiya, a village of 200 households in rajasthan, is a shining example of how environment governance at the grassroots level can save a village from natural disasters. Here, people have adopted innovative water conservation practices and a culture...