-The Hindu Disagreements within the government seem to have stalled any attempts at ensuring that the UPA regime’s flagship rural job guarantee scheme pays minimum wages in all States. While the Rural Development Ministry has made a deal with the activists who took the government to court over the matter, strong opposition from the Finance Ministry has reportedly stalled any move to amend the law. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,...
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Anti-rape bill diluted, Cabinet approves new version-Smita Gupta
-The Hindu Lacking support for stringent provisions from parties,government comes up with consensus bill Under pressure from the Opposition, the Union Cabinet on Monday approved a diluted version of the bill dealing with sexual crimes against women. The new version will be introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. This was just hours after the UPA failed to convince opposition leaders, primarily the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata...
More »Jairam Ramesh incurs states' wrath over 'Homestead' Bill-Ullekh NP
-The Economic Times A Bill that envisages offering the rural poor right to land and a home has invited criticism from states for not consulting them and for being "impractical". Land is a state subject. The National Right to Homestead Bill, 2013 - drafted by a task force chaired by Union minister Jairam Ramesh -would offer a poor family in the country side right to a piece of land of not less...
More »Private banks reluctant about rural lending -Dinesh Unnikrishnan
-Live Mint Experts say private banks achieve lending obligations by buying out loans from non-banking entities Most private banks in India have not been able to meet the needs of farmers although they are expanding their rural and semi-urban branch network. This is why the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is insisting that at least one-fourth of the branches of the new banks that will be given a licence must be located...
More »Finance red flag over 38% jump in food subsidy-Ravish Tiwari & Manoj CG
-The Indian Express The annual subsidy bill for the UPA’s proposed food guarantee law has been estimated at Rs 1,24,747.1 crore, 38.6 per cent over the budgeted food subsidy of Rs 90,000 crore for next year. An alarmed Finance ministry is learnt to have red-flagged some major changes proposed in the original National Food Security Bill, sources said. It has objected to the proposal to do away with the original categorisation of beneficiaries...
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