The poor man’s fuel, kerosene — paid for by state subsidy — is diverted to adulterating diesel mostly for truckers. And the industry is estimated to be worth half the sum the government spends on employment for the rural poor every year. Welcome to the Great Indian Kerosene Racket, which hit a new high this week when additional collector Yashwant Sonawane of Maharashtra’s Nashik district lost his life in a...

The National Advisory Council (NAC) had been widely credited with framing three pro-people legislations — the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), the Right to Information (RTI) and the Forest Rights Act — under the UPA 1 government. So when NAC 2 began discussions on the Food Security Act in mid-2010, expectations were high. The initial vision of an act with a universal public distribution system (PDS), extensive children's entitlements...

Women continue to reap less benefits from employment in agriculture than men in rural areas, and the recent global financial and food crises have slowed down progress towards gender equality in farming-related labour, three United Nations agencies said in a joint report unveiled today. According to the report, compiled by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), women...

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may have revolutionised Rural Households in more ways than one but on the flip side the UPA government’s flagship scheme has affected agricultural production. Reports on the “negative influence” of NREGA have poured in from every nook and cranny of Meghalaya though the scheme aims to enhance the livelihood and security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage-employment in a...

The Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council has decided to take its battle with the government on the now-controversial issue of food security into the public domain. Eight days after the Rangarajan panel, appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, rejected its recommendations on food security, the NAC has decided to dig in its heels, reflecting, council sources said, “Ms. Gandhi's determination to go ahead.” Indeed, on Friday, the NAC, at its ninth...