-The Hindu The Centre's rural employment guarantee scheme can be substantially improved, but it has undeniably helped Dalits, Adivasis and women find work In an era of growing globalisation and rising inequality, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as a unique attempt to provide a social safety net via a massive public works programme. The government as an employer of the last resort is an idea that...
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Catching up with the rest of the nation-Santosh Mehrotra
-The Hindu Gaps between Muslims and the national average on most human development outcomes are narrowing, reflecting their improving condition The Prime Minister's high-level Sachar Committee, which analysed the social, economic and educational status of Muslims in India - based on data for the 1990s, concluded that Muslims were doing much worse than the rest of the population on most social indicators. Here, we examine how the socio-economic indicators of Muslims...
More »India's right to health-Nitin Desai
-The Business Standard The Congress party's suggested right to health, if implemented, would be a game-changer This is the season for party manifestos with their vague and quite unexciting promises. But in this sea of platitudes, sometimes something stands out that is worth talking about, because, if implemented, it would be a game-changer. For me this is the reported inclusion of the right to health in the Congress party's manifesto. It is well...
More »Unseasonsal rain, hailstorms trigger farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra, 18 dead -Chittaranjan Tembhekar
-The Times of India MUMBAI: The issue of farmers' suicide seems to have resurfaced with a vengeance in Maharashtra following the recent bout of unseasonal showers and hailstorms in the state. While sources working closely with the government have said that around 18 farmers have killed themselves between February 22 and March 18, social activists claim the figure could be between 80 and 100 - more than the average for every...
More »Narendra Modi’s Gujarat not a role model in urban spending
-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi-led Gujarat may be high on economic growth, but it is not a state companies would rush to for selling their goods. Per capita monthly spending in urban Gujarat is below the national average and rural Gujarat does not figure among the top spenders, according to a National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report based on household consumer expenditure survey of 2011-12. Haryana and Kerala headed...
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