The Centre is keen to resolve differences with rights activists over the remuneration under its flagship rural job guarantee scheme, which can potentially save it from paying 7,000 crore in arrears to states that have higher minimum Wages.  Wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have risen for all states after the government made adjustments for price rise last month. But despite the revision, the payout is...

-The Business Standard Rising per capita income and growth have reduced poverty among all classes, including socially-disadvantaged classes. Though there are skeptics who argue that growth has bypassed the socially disadvantaged classes, the analysis of National Sample Survey (NSS) data proves otherwise. But, high prevalence of poverty in the states where more SC, ST populations are living still remains same. A Columbia University, USA, study that had analysed the NSS figures from...

At the instance of the Supreme Court, the Union government has initiated steps for an out-of-the-court settlement of the controversy arising from non-payment of minimum Wages to MGNREGS workers. While admitting the Centre's special leave petition challenging the Karnataka High Court ruling in September for payment of minimum Wages to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme along with arrears, the Supreme Court, however, refused to stay...

A woman prisoner has sought the Supreme Court's intervention in getting her the Wages for the work she was made to do inside the Tihar Jail for nearly four years while serving sentence after being convicted in a criminal case. Phool Kumari was convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a Delhi court. On appeal, the apex court had reduced the sentence to a five-year jail...

-The Times of India   Outsourcing staff of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), who have been on strike for the past one week, have called off their stir following an assurance by MNREGS minister D Manikya Vara Prasad to take a considerate view of the issues raised by them during the cabinet sub-committee meeting on April 3.  The strike since March 24 has affected the livelihood of thousands of poor...