-Livemint.com Academic assessment of the scheme appears far more favourable than evident from the public discourse Ten years after it was launched, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which promises 100 days of employment to every rural household, is back in the news. More people in rural India are seeking employment through the programme across the country, with job numbers scaling a five-year peak. Although the MGNREGS seems to be...

-The Hindu The Health Ministry’s plan for a malaria-free India by 2030 is laudable, but grand pronouncements are meaningless as long as manipulated data distort our knowledge and bad governance impedes genuine attempts to fight the disease This month, the Health Ministry will unveil an ambitious new plan to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030. A malaria-free India certainly sounds like a dream, or maybe an early campaign promise: the disease...

-The Indian Express Will not halt research but not rushing through decision, says Javadekar. HELPING THE government buy peace with activists protesting against granting clearance to the first transgenic food crop in the country, the biotechnology regulator on Friday deferred a decision on allowing the cultivation of a genetically-modified (GM) hybrid mustard. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), a body under the Environment Ministry that regulates the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs),...

-Down to Earth International prices of basmati have been declining over the last two years With prices of grains and cereals plummeting worldwide, basmati rice exporters have urged the Union commerce ministry to include packaged basmati rice in the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS). MEIS allows exporters of certain goods access to “Free on Board (FOB)” value, which means the shipping charges are borne by the importer instead of the exporter....

-Hindustan Times Raipur: In Kawardha, the home district of Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, a woman sarpanch has decided to delegate all her responsibilities to her nephew, citing her busy household routine as the reason. In an affidavit, sarpanch Santoshi Bai has handed over her powers to nephew Kaushal Nishad, saying she remains too engrossed in her household work. “At home, I am preoccupied with work and that diverts my attention from...