-Down to Earth No funds released under Jal Shakti Abhiyan, MGNREGS works incomplete: District officials Over 400 kilometres from Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district — where construction of bunds under Jal Shakti Abhiyan helped revive groundwater — is another that paints an opposite picture. Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district ranked 205 among the 255 water-stressed districts in terms of successful water intervention schemes under Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) and community participation. Rajgarh district collector Mrinal Meena...

-The Hindu The absence of playgrounds and electricity in govt. schools speaks poorly of policy priorities It should rank as an irony that as a founder-leader of the International Solar Alliance, India has not yet electrified a significant number of government schools, while extolling the elegance and virtue of photovoltaic electricity to the rest of the world. The lack of power in schools is taken note of by the Parliamentary Standing Committee...

-TheWire.in Caught in a quagmire of legislations, most construction workers of a particular colony have had no money to deal with illnesses and daily needs. New Delhi: Mariam spent her younger days toiling as a construction worker. When she could no longer work as an elderly person, she got the benefit of a special pension meant for construction workers. This pension of Rs 3,900 per month became the main source of her subsistence...

-ANI/ The New Indian Express The LDF government is planning to complete 100 apartment complexes using dry construction pre-fab technology in the coming days. THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac on Friday said that state government has achieved a milestone by completing two lakh houses under the Life Mission, a government scheme, to provide houses for the needy. "The Left government is committed to providing housing for all. We have achieved a milestone...

-Down to Earth Advent of modern water conservation systems and unequal distribution of labour work in Karnataka, Kerala districts have pushed them into decline   'Kattas' — temporary check dams built across streams and rivulets — used to be a common sight in the districts of Kerala and Karnataka till two decades ago. These traditional structures were constructed every year to conserve water for summer irrigation. Thousands of these structures were prominently found...