-DNA   The state government on Monday took strong objection to Union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s statement about irregularities in implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state. State government spokespersons Jaynarayan Vyas and Saurabh Patel described Deshmukh’s allegations as baseless. “Gujarat’s record in implementation of projects for the rural poor is impeccable. It has been lauded by the Planning Commission and experts,” they said. Reacting to Deshmukh’s...

-DNA   Following reports of a three-year-old receiving remuneration in Kutch under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the central government will probe into corruption in implementation of the Act in Gujarat. This was informed by Union minister for rural development and panchayati raj, Vilasrao Deshmukh on Sunday. Deshmukh also threatened to cut short Union government's fund if the state government fails to take appropriate action to stem the...

“Government will not be able to face the consequences of my satyagraha” Yoga guru Ramdev on Monday asked the Centre to immediately accept his demands, even as more non-Congress parties were expected to support him in his anti-corruption crusade. He said the government would not be able to face the consequences of his satyagraha. Talking to reporters, he said seeking justice for the nation was no crime. He thanked the Supreme...

-The Times of India   The ministry of petroleum and natural gas on Saturday said that kerosene allocation to Gujarat has been reduced, keeping in view the substantial LPG penetration in the state. Gujarat's monthly quota of kerosene for distribution under the public distribution system (PDS) has been slashed by 32.19% from 76,712 kilolitres (KL) in 2010-11 to 52,020 KL in 2011-12, effective from June 1. The state government had raised...

Indian farmers have much to celebrate this year with a bumper wheat harvest. As predicted by the ministry of agriculture, wheat farmers have begun to harvest what is shaping up to be a record crop, projected at 84.27 million tonnes. We are growing more wheat than ever before. The earlier record of 80.8 million tonnes of wheat production was achieved in 2009-10. Estimates show that foodgrain production including wheat, rice, pulses...