-The Hindu ‘The government has taken steps to destroy MGNREGA, an act that gives purchasing power to the rural poor, following prejudicial contentions of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders' It's no secret that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. MGNREGA is perhaps the only law in the world which guarantees 100 days of wage employment a year to one member of a rural...

-The Indian Express Moves to dilute labour-material ratio in MGNREGA and focus exclusively on select backward blocks will adversely impact rural poor. Before the general elections, free-market fundamentalists had lobbied fiercely to reshape so-called wasteful social-sector expenditures. Primary among their targets was the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which, according to them, should become an unconditional cash transfer scheme. Post-elections, the late Gopinath Munde's espousal of the MGNREGA went...

-MillenniumPost.in Social activist Aruna Roy has alleged that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government is cutting funds for flagship rural scheme MGNREGA on the sly. The people-friendly rural employment scheme was conceptualised by the National Advisory Council, a quasi-government body under the UPA government, where Roy as a member had played a steering role. The former NAC member levelled strong allegations against rural development minister Nitin Gadkari for diluting MGNREGA by changing the...

-The Hindu Sangareddy (Telengana): As many as 44 farmers have committed suicides in the last few months in Medak district after taking loans from private financiers Rachaboyina Balagoud was 55 years and belonged to Mylaram village in Wargal mandal. He had about one-and-a-half acres of land. He took loans to the tune of Rs. 12 lakh from various sources, including banks, and a private financer. He had sunk as many as 12...

-CNN-IBN New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the central government on a petition seeking direction to take steps to prevent the increasing number of suicides by the farmer in different parts of the country on account of their difficult financial conditions. There is a suicide by a farmer in distress every 32 minute, the plea said. Seeking the government's response over growing incidence of suicides by farmers, the bench...