-The Pioneer Citing security reasons, State Governments have rejected the Centre's proposal to dole out cash to the MGNREGA beneficiaries in the villages having poor network of internet or banks and post offices in the country. Sources in the Union Rural Development Ministry, which is executing the MGNREGA scheme, said that the Central Government had recently asked the States to identify 800-1,000 blocks where rural job workers have not been able...

-The Indian Express Goa, with just 6.3% of its population under the poverty line, tops the list: Panel. Nearly half of Chhattisgarh's population has been estimated to be below the poverty line, according to the new definition of poverty. In contrast, Goa, with just 6.3 per cent of its residents under the poverty line, tops the list of states with the lowest poverty count. The findings are a part of the new poverty estimates...

-The Business Standard C Rangarajan, former head of the former Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, answers questions on the latest official poverty estimate by a committee he'd chaired. Edited excerpts of a talk with Indivjal Dhasmana: * Your panel has suggested these poverty lines be delinked from social welfare schemes. What would be the exercise's relevance? Is it of only academic interest? Poverty ratios have already been delinked from various social programmes. The...

-The Hindu Business Line   Perpetual growth is a piece of nonsense. The focus should be on protecting livelihoods through sustainable means Construct a building, demolish it, reconstruct, break it down again, and go on repeating this meaningless exercise. You will have economic growth, as currently measured. But no net gain in employment during the endless cycle of construction and demolition, no net increase in productive capacity, and no appreciable change in poverty...

-The Hindu Ahmedabad: The Centre has indicated that it seeks to replicate nationally the ‘Beti Bachao Abhiyan' or ‘Save the Girl Child' campaign of the Gujarat Government. However, impact of the drive on improving the poor sex ratio in the State is still unclear with experts pointing out that the campaign has not moved beyond pursuing an awareness agenda. Prime Minister and former Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi started the campaign...