-The Telegraph New Delhi: Maneka Gandhi has asked non-profit organisations to move beyond stereotypical skills like stitching and tailoring to "specific vocations" while applying for funds to train women and warned of a crackdown if the course didn't lead to employment. Sources in Maneka's women and child development ministry said the advisory, sent to all NGOs working with the department, had basically two objectives: weed out fraudulent applicants and impart skills with...

-Business Standard The Government accords priority to the issue of nutrition, particularly in respect of children, adolescent and women of poorer sections of the society including tribal population and has been implementing several schemes/programmes of various Ministries/Departments through State Governments/UTs. These schemes, interalia, include Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) of Ministry of Women and Child Development, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Mid Day Meals...

Animals, which are used for food, fibre, labour etc. hold a special place in ensuring rural livelihoods. It has been found by the NSSO's 70th Round Report that among the agricultural households having less than 0.01 hectare land (which includes landless agricultural households too), a little above 1/5th reported livestock as their principal source of income whereas 56.4% depended on wage/ salaried employment. However, as the land size went up,...

The agrarian crisis is far from over. Amidst news of farmers' suicide reported from parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, an official document released in December by the National Sample Survey Organisation states that nearly 52% of India's agricultural households were indebted during July, 2012 - June, 2013. The average amount of outstanding loan per agricultural household in India was Rs. 47000 (see link below). Based on a survey of...

-The Indian Express Kolkata: The government on Wednesday passed the West Bengal Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2014, in which the ambit for exemption has been widened. In addition, the government has also been lenient with industrialists who have plans to sit idle with their land. Earlier, while industriaists were allowed to keep the allotted land unused under Section 14Y for a maximum period of three years, under the new law they will...