MP H Vishwanath expressing disappointment over the slow progress of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the district, asked the officials to work in co-ordination with each other to ensure that the Scheme reaches as many Beneficiaries as possible. Addressing the District Vigilance Committee meet on Tuesday, he said that the programmes are made by the Government for the people. All the programmes will fall meaningless if it...

75% of population to get 35 kg of foodgrains; 20 kg for rest After months of hard bargaining with the Planning Commission and the government, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) on Saturday appeared to have got a consensus on a universal food security system with legal guarantees, even though with differential entitlements. However, the NAC has expanded the concept of below the poverty line (BPL)-PDS Beneficiaries, virtually doubling their number...

The National Advisory Council, headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, on Saturday settled for a much less ambitious National Food Security Act than it had previously agreed to. Scaling down its recommendations, it decided to recommend subsidised foodgrains for 46% of the rural Indian population and 28% of the urban population. The pruning of the recommendation had an immediate fallout, with the NAC member Jean Dreaze, face of the right-to-food security campaign,...

To be implemented in 52 districts Cash incentives to be based on certain conditions The scheme will be implemented through ICDS NEW DELHI: To improve maternal and child health, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday approved the Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY) — a monetary scheme for pregnant women and lactating mothers — on a pilot basis in 52 districts in this Five-Year Plan. Each pregnant and lactating woman will receive...

The Union government's efforts to provide quick and quality insurance services to 38 lakh rural landless agricultural labourers in the state under the Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) have suffered a serious setback with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) refusing to renew the scheme. The LIC's decision has not only resulted in hardships not only to the poor households over the past six months but also to the children...