Karnataka is expected to be one of the first beneficiaries of a major subsidised housing programme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana' for the benefit of the urban poor to be taken up by the Union Government. Bangalore with 577 slums and with a population of nearly 10 lakh living there will stand to be the biggest beneficiary. To begin with, people residing in a total of 3.05 lakh dingy structures or thatched huts in...

The latest National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report, 'Migration in India', has found Gujarat to have the highest rate of urbanisation among all other states in the country. Based on a survey carried out by NSSO across India in 2007 and 2008, the report significantly suggests that fast pace of urbanisation in Gujarat is mainly due to intra-state migration with large sections of rural people migrating to urban areas within...

India's Public Distribution System (PDS) has been in a bad shape for decades, often thought to be beyond repair. Recent experience, however, suggests otherwise. Political will, increased transparency and community participation have led to an amazing revival of the PDS in Chhattisgarh though the state has only shown contempt for people's rights in other contexts… Somehow, the PDS became a political priority in Chhattisgarh and a decision was made to turn...

Labour Bureau has been conducting quick quarterly employment surveys in the selected sectors of the economy at the enterprise level to assess the impact of economic slowdown on employment in India. With a view to study the overall employment-unemployment situation in the country, Labour Bureau has now conducted its first national level Household Survey in 28 States/UT Except five North Eastern States and the Islands of Lakshadweep and the Andaman...

The unemployment rate in the labour force was estimated to be 9.4 per cent during the 2009-10 financial year, a government survey has said. The Indian jobless rate was till now arrived at strictly by guesswork. According to the first national level Household Survey conducted by the Labour Bureau, out of 1,000 employed persons, 455 were employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries group during this period. The survey was conducted with a view...