Calls for “suitable directions” on paying statutory minimum wages A follow-up to NAC meeting, which felt there should be no deviation from statutory wages Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat Chief Ministers have also made a strong plea for minimum wages Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging “suitable directions” on paying statutory minimum wages to workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS). The November 11 letter is...

India's Public Distribution System (PDS) has been in a bad shape for decades, often thought to be beyond repair. Recent experience, however, suggests otherwise. Political will, increased transparency and community participation have led to an amazing revival of the PDS in Chhattisgarh though the state has only shown contempt for people's rights in other contexts… Somehow, the PDS became a political priority in Chhattisgarh and a decision was made to turn...

A total of Rs 3,79,29,000 have been paid to the unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGA so far in the state, said Union Minister for Rural Development Dr C P.Joshi informed Shantaram Naik MP in a written reply to the question asked by him in the Rajya Sabha on the subject. Minister said that at the time of commencement of the scheme wage rate in Goa...

Justice Soumitra Sen may be making history as only the second judge on his way to impeachment but he still enjoys a big salary. Despite being indicted many times for corruption, the judge has comfortably managed to exploit the loopholes in the system. Excluding allowances and perks for fuel, attendants, house rent, phone and medical bills, Justice Sen's salary today stands at Rs. 80,000 per month. That means roughly Rs. 160,000...

The poster boy of microfinance is now seeking some anonymity. In Andhra Pradesh, the epicentre of the worst crisis faced by microfinance in India, SKS Microfinance is playing down its identity and going into preservation mode. At its modest office in a residential colony in Warangal district, India’s largest microfinance company has taken down its board. At its head office in upmarket Begumpet in Hyderabad, it hung a cloth mesh...