-Livemint.com Transfers to states are stagnating at a time when developmental demands on state governments are rising Five years ago, when the 14th finance commission recommended an increase in devolution of funds to state governments and a hike in the share of untied funds they received, it was heralded as a new era for fiscal federalism in the country, and one that would significantly empower state governments at a time when they...

-Press statement by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha dated 19 July, 2019 While it is heartening that a discussion on rural development lasted for nine hours in Parliament with important issues on MGNREGA being raised, we are deeply disappointed at the statement of the Rural Development Minister that not only displays a lack of understanding of the program but also betrays the clear anti-poor sentiment of this government. On the central issue of inadequate...

-The Times of India Group, which has supported the Citizenship Bill, denies ties to the BJP, demands an ‘error-free’ register New Delhi: Seeking “sample re-verification” of Assam’s draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Supreme Court, the Union Home Ministry, in its affidavit, attached a letter from an Assam-based NGO, Sachetan Nagrik Mancha, Axom (SNM), that had demanded an “error-free NRC”. The Supreme Court has directed that the final NRC be published...

-The Hindu Business Line Almost half of the budgetary exercise is over, but Parliament is yet to see formation of department-related standing committees (DRSC). This means demands for Grants and the Finance Bill will not be vetted by DRSCs as of now. The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Finance Bill for consideration and passage during the week starting July 15. There will also be discussions and voting on demands...

-PTI New Delhi: The RSS-affiliated SJM on Sunday demanded ban on use of glyphosate, a commonly used herbicide, which it claimed to be carcinogenic. Swadeshi Jagran Manch's co-convener Ashwani Mahajan said soon the organisation will approach Home Ministry and will submit a memorandum in this regard. In 2015, International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC), a body under the World Health Organization, had found in its research that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic, Mahajan...