-The Financial Express In a drought period, its job-insurance function critical Never perhaps in its decade of existence has the rural employment guarantee programme —MGNREGA—been more relevant than it is now. After two weak monsoons, the critically low water levels in reservoirs have resulted in drought-like conditions in large parts of the country. Critics of the scheme would argue that even in its best days, the programme hasn’t accounted for more than...

-The Times of India Bhubaneswar: At a time when the state government is under attack for listing ineligible beneficiaries for ration cards under the National Food Security Act, it informed the assembly on Saturday that it has included a number of destitute and homeless families to counter the criticism. Food supplies and consumer welfare minister Sanjay Das Burma said the state government has included 14,830 destitute families (54,892 persons) under the food...

It seems that not only civil society activists, but even the poor and marginalized themselves are not happy with the Centre’s social welfare policies. Following the recent protest by 150 eminent persons regarding failure of the NDA Government to take-up urgent measures for employment generation and ensuring food, nutrition & drinking water security in the backdrop of severe drought in roughly 1/3rd of Indian districts (please click here to access),...

-The Tribune While there are have been debates about the plight of farmers, hardly have we ever heard or read anything about the condition of agricultural labourers. They are the victims of economic downturn in the rural sector. THE economy of Punjab today, embroiled in various economic issues, is showing signs of crisis in the agrarian sector. We often hear and read about the woes of the farmers who are committing suicides,...

-NDTV Latehar, Jharkhand: Over a hundred letters, Rs. 5 enclosed in each of them, addressed to the Prime Minister's Office in Delhi. The senders are the villagers in Jharkhand's Latehar, who say they could do without the Rs. 5 wage hike under MNREGA. In a season of drought, the Centre's increase of wages in Jharkhand -- from Rs. 162 to 167 a day - has added insult to injury, say the villagers....