-The Times of India While Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh waxed eloquent on the "success" of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and called it a key instrument for "financial inclusion" at a government conference in New Delhi on Saturday, latest data reveal a picture of declining employment generation under the scheme. Even more startling: Jobs created for the most marginalized sections - dalits and adivasis - have...

-The Hindu Sivaganga offers plenty of scope for work under MGNREGS Sivaganga: For Ramaiyu, a 62-year-old widow and Nagajothi, a young pregnant woman, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has provided economic independence and the confidence to face life amid poverty. Hailing from Thondur village, they were among more than 200 women engaged in de-silting the Singathuraipatti Oorani in Melayur Panchayat of Ilayankudi block under the MGNREGS. The aged widow enrolled...

-The Hindu Hailed as path-breaking, the scheme completes seven years on February 2. Six districts were chosen as part of the first phase in 2006. As in other parts of the country, the scheme has thrown up several issues such as livelihood security and gender empowerment. Starting today, we will be carrying a series of field reports. VILLUPURAM: Divergence of views prevails over the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment...

-Economic and Political Weekly A cost-benefi t analysis by the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy of the benefits from Aadhaar integration with seven schemes throws up huge benefi ts that are based almost entirely on unrealistic assumptions. Further, the report does not take into account alternative technologies that could achieve the same or similar savings, possibly at lower cost. Reetika Khera (reetika.khera@gmail.com) is at the Institute of Economic Growth on...

-The Hindu Only 75% of MGNREGS workers have been enrolled; many without Aadhaar number denied access to benefits GOLLAPROLU (EAST GODAVARI, AP): The popular tagline for the Aadhaar-linked Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) is Aam aadmi ka paisa, aam aadmi ke haath (People’s money in their own hands). The DBT pilot project was launched in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh earlier this month, with Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh hailing the scheme...