The government has a plan to reach welfare to the poor without wasting money. It wants to put hard cash in their hands instead of spending on welfare programmes. To begin with, it wants to end the public distribution system of food grain and give money directly to the people. Its logic: the new system of cash transfer will plug leakages and save an enormous amount of money. But is it...
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Prime Minister and Sonia promise more MGNREGA reforms by K Balchand
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday promised to usher in more reforms in the scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and increase the number of days of job guaranteed to Below the poverty line households. Speaking at a function here to mark the completion of the fifth year of the MGNREGA, Dr. Singh promised to reform the delivery mechanism...
More »Helpline to solve wage problems in Central employment scheme by Satyanarayan Pattnaik
Udayanath Kandhapan of Girligumma village under Dasmantpur block was engaged in a field canal work under the MGNREGA. But one year after the completion of the work, he is yet to get his wages; so are other labourers working on the project. They have approached concerned officials several times regarding the matter, but to no avail. Disturbed over the apathetic attitude of the officials, Kandhapan registered his grievance at the...
More »The problems of fisherfolk need better coverage by S Viswanathan
A recent newspaper report noted that the Union Government had gazetted the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2011 and received strong criticism from organisations that work for protecting coastal ecosystems and fight for the rights and welfare of fisherfolk. About 20 organisations working in the field of protecting fishermen's rights and lawyers backing them have taken strong exception to the notification. This is on the ground that the new notification,...
More »Promise of 583 grain banks
The state government will open 583 foodgrain banks at villages across Jharkhand and provide grains to every below poverty line (BPL) family immediately. Food and civil supplies minister Mathura Prasad Mahto said this today after a review of the district under North Chotanagpur commissionerate, where he instructed officials to check hoarders and prevent hunger deaths by supplying foodgrain free of cost to the poor. The minister said the government had also decided...
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