-The Hindu It has brought about financial independence to a certain extent for them Women, particularly Dalits, in rural areas of Madurai district find the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to be empowering, resulting in financial independence to a certain extent. The percentage of workers among the Scheduled Castes seeking MGNREGS jobs has remained constant in the district, only with a few changes over three years from 2009-10 to 2011-2012....

-PTI   Congress President Sonia Gandhi today strongly pitched for utilising MNREGA to increase agricultural production, saying the flagship scheme can play a big role to usher in second green revolution in India. "I am of the belief that MNREGA has tremendous potential to increase agriculture production, which we have not been able to tap fully till date. There are many possibilities not only for creating community assets in villages but also providing...

-The Guardian Inequity such as that symbolised by Antilla, the world's richest home, thwarts poverty reduction – and policymakers must act If you want a glimpse across the yawning chasm that separates the world's super rich from the ultra poor, there's no better place than Mumbai's Altamount Road. Look up and you'll see Antilla, the world's most expensive home. With spectacular ocean views, swimming and gym facilities, and no fewer than three helipads,...

-PTI Four vagabond children, who were victims of trafficking, drug abuse and shocking sexual exploitation and violence, narrated their tales to J S Verma committee alleging that police personnel used to extort money and even indulge in sexual exploitation of women. The committee has annexed their interview in the report in which the children, whose names have been withheld, claimed that they saw police personnel of a Police Control Room van taking...

-The Hindu Panel for declaring western districts as ‘child right violation zone’ A public hearing on child rights violations in western districts here has identified caste-based discrimination in classrooms as a major reason for rise in the number of school dropouts in six western districts of the State, especially Salem. Dropout among girls, it is found out, has led to the high rate of child marriages. A shocking 13 per cent of children,...