-TheWire.in The current policies and systems of implementation result in heavy losses and are a huge disservice to farmers and consumers. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh once remarked in an interview that “we are a democracy but we are also an indisciplined democracy.” I think he was referring to our bad habit of not putting our house in order till things don’t get completely out of hand. This propensity is shown by our...

-The Hindu Business Line We need a holistic policy to address India’s housing shortage issue With the Union Cabinet clearing a ₹81,975-crore plan to build one crore houses in rural areas over the next three years under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Rural, the Narendra Modi government has given concrete backing to its promise of achieving universal coverage in housing by 2022. While providing housing for all has been the dream of...

-Business Standard CM Virbhadra Singh recently announced a programme for developing varieties that require less chilling and can survive in low altitude areas as well Climate change is impacting India’s agriculture in varied ways. It has, for instance, cast a shadow over traditional apple cultivation in Himachal Pradesh (HP).   HP’s  apple belt has been predominantly spread across the districts of Shimla, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Sirmaur and Lahaul-Spiti. These have seen a...

  Social audit is an important tool not just to ensure transparency and accountability in the MGNREGS, but also for successful running of the programme. The MIS (Management Information System) data provided by the website www.nrega.nic.in reveals that at the national-level roughly one-third of all districts were covered under social audit during the financial year 2015-16, as on 26 March, 2016. The top 5 states during 2015-16 (FY) in terms of the...

-Livemint.com Regulation and disclosure of political funding and lobbying activities is no guarantee for lack of political corruption and vested interests influencing policies New Delhi: The recent sting by news portal Naradanews showing Trinamool Congress legislators accepting cash to lobby for a private company has once again exposed the dark underbelly of corruption in Indian politics. But this is not the first time. In 2005, 11 MPs were expelled from Parliament after a...