-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The NDA government, which came riding on a huge anti-corruption wave wiping out Congress last year, has dropped crucial amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act that would have ensured India ratifying the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Sources said the government has not considered incorporating Article 12 and 16 of the UNCAC in the proposed amendments to the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act likely to...

The Publics and Policies Programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in partnership with Goa Foundation and the Inclusive Media for Change is holding deliberations on “Permanent Fund Model for Ethical Mining: Land, Livelihoods and Intergenerational Equity” starting with a one-day conference on Feb 18 at India International Centre, New Delhi. The debate will continue on the im4change website. The idea is to discuss natural resources extraction...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The finance ministry has favoured a proposal to increase the "material" component in projects under the rural job guarantee scheme to facilitate the creation of durable assets. The rural development ministry is, however, having second thoughts, although it had proposed the change in the labour-material ratio from 60-40 to 51-49 for projects under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The scheme, which seeks to provide 100 days...

-Financial Chronicle From the inner recesses of Chattisgarh to the upper crevices of Sikkim, a look at how MGNREGA initiatives are changing lives The large blackboard outside the police station reads like a rate list. There are different monetary awards for Naxalites' surrender with different weaponry, the highest, Rs 4.5 lakh, for surrender with a light machine gun, Rs 3 lakh with an AK 47, and only Rs 30,000 with a 12...

-Outlook New Delhi: There is no central programme as popular as MNREGA; this was some state governments' message to the Centre as they conveyed their displeasure over the fund crunch for the scheme. On the occasion of 10th MNREGA Divas celebrations today, these states narrated how the rural job scheme did "exceptionally well" in the insurgency-hit areas of the country particularly in the northeast and Naxal-affected districts. The northeastern states conveyed their difficulties...