-Outlook New Delhi: The Centre today asked state governments to put all information related to implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and Public Distribution System in public domain. It has also asked states to ensure proactive disclosure under Right to Information (RTI) Act of information on public works done by a department at block and panchayat levels. Section 4 of the RTI Act, 2005 lays down that information should be...

-Outlook Patna: The Bihar government would bear the interest rate above 7 per cent on loans taken by Self Help Groups (SHGs), Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today. The SHGs paying loan on time would be given incentive by providing loan at a lower interest rate of 4 per cent, Kumar said addressing a review meeting of "Jeevika" (Bihar state rural livelihood mission) here. Banks are at present providing loan to SHGs at...

-The Business Standard The structural changes in India's rural workforce Seldom in the past has the country's labour market gone through structural changes faster than it has in recent years. Apart from a sharp decline in the proportion of workers employed in agriculture, the perceptible withdrawal of women from the workforce is the most striking feature of India's labour market. Going by the numbers the census and the National Sample Survey Office...

-The Times of India PATNA: Those not having a toilet in their home will not be allowed to contest panchayat or urban local body elections in Bihar. Announcing this at a World Toilet Day function on Tuesday, chief minister Nitish Kumar said the state government will bring the necessary amendments to the Bihar Panchayati Raj Act and other statutes governing the elections of urban bodies to raise public awareness about the benefits...

-Outlook New Delhi: Sanitation activists today observed 'World Toilet Day' and alleged that 3.75 crore lavatories in India as claimed by Ministry for rural development did not exist and were "missing". Activists of Right to Sanitation (RTS) Campaign's India chapter demanded an inquiry into the "huge gap" in the number of toilets existing on the field and the number provided in the data by the rural development Ministry and Census 2011. On the...