-The Hindu The factories in Vetapalem are in an immediate need of mechanisation ONGOLE: The cashew industry, which has flourished for hundreds of years in Vetapalem village near Chirala town in Prakasam district, is beginning to show the first warning signs of a slump. Cashew units are reportedly struggling to sustain operations in the wake of a shortage of raw material and a skilled workforce, with fingers being pointed at the Mahatma Gandhi...

-The Hindu Business Line How a cluster of villages in Rajasthan embraced transparency, spurred a nationwide movement and inspired the birth of a digital portal to counter the dilution of the RTI The walls were painted a bright yellow. Drawn on them in black were statements of income and expenditure, breaking down figures in meticulous detail with rows and columns stretching across two and sometimes three floors. The paintings weren’t just on...

-Down to Earth Govt has made tall claims on NREGA implementation; but it is neither keen on providing dignified wages nor allocating adequate funds for the scheme The Union Budget for 2019-20 ignored issues of social security and employment and did not show any intent to boost rural India. The Budget tabled by Nirmala Sitharaman on July 5, 2019 was a disappointment for 13 crore rural households dependent on the Mahatma Gandhi...

-The Telegraph The Code on Wages Bill would have no implications for the rural job guarantee scheme New Delhi: The minimum wage to be stipulated under a proposed central law will not apply to unskilled labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the government said on Wednesday. Labour minister Santosh Gangwar and rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the Code on Wages Bill would have no implications for the...

-Down to Earth The employment scheme generated 20.23 average working days in the state against the mandated 100 days, according to a Punjabi University report A high incidence of illiteracy, low levels of education, a major lack of awareness and dependence on Panchayat members and sarpanches have led the much-publicised Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to fail in Punjab. The scheme generated only 20.23 average days' employment a year...