The mammoth Rs 2,162 cr NREGA biometric project that will enable real time data capture of crucial processes such as attendance and measurement for muster roll preparation has finally kicked off with rural development ministry inviting expression of interest from the private sector companies. “The ministry of rural development envisages that the existing processes under NREGA can be digitized through a biometric based ICT solution that can be implemented at the...

The Aadhaar or UID project has grave implications for every Indian. It will enable the government to profile every citizen and track their movements and transactions. There is no guarantee that intimate personal information -- pre-existing illnesses, romantic relationships etc -- won't be shared with other agencies, warns Praful Bidwai. An elaborate charade has begun with the rolling out of the first Aadhaar unique identity numbers in a tribal district of Maharashtra by...

To avoid graft in the implementation of the Nat-ional Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), e-muster olls will be launched for job seekers in the state from November 1. The implementation of NREGS has been facing a lot of criticism of graft ever since it was introduced a few years ago. In order to arrest such graft, the NREGS implementing agency, the district water management agency, is creating a database of...

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to consider a proposal for opening of weekly branches in unbanked panchayats in the state. Gumla is one among the 16 districts, which have been classified as under-banked districts in the state. Delay in disbursing wages under MGNREGA and executing other welfare schemes will now be sorted out by reaching banking services to hitherto unbanked areas and new measures have also been initiated. Before the...

‘Under no circumstances the labourers should be paid less than the wage rate' Angry workers returned the Re.1-wages to the government on October 2 Rural Development Ministry considering possibility of paying bonus to workers The Centre has decided to direct the Rajasthan government to pay the admissible wage rate under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) to those workers of Tonk district who were paid a mere pittance of Re....