-The Times of India The Centre is blaming state governments for a near 20% rise in cereal prices despite overflowing granaries that have record stocks, and suspects that hoarding and high state levies are causing the spike. The latest wholesale price inflation data showed that the price increase in this segment was estimated at over 19%. According to the Consumer Price index, inflation is of the order of 17%. Last month, Food...
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Bihar in reverse gear-Jitendra
-Down to Earth State plans to bring down its minimum wage rate to that under MGNREGA TO reduce the burden of the state exchequer by Rs 600 crore, Bihar has decided to reduce its minimum wage rate offered to unskilled labourers, and make it on a par with the rate offered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This is despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, in many cases, that...
More »Food prices push retail inflation
-The Times of India Retail inflation soared in February on the back of stubborn food prices sustaining pressure on consumers and complicating the policy choice for the central bank. Data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Tuesday showed the inflation rate based on all-India general CPI ( Consumer Price index) for February was 10.91% compared to 10.79% for the previous month. The inflation rates for rural and urban areas for...
More »Food prices worry govt ahead of 2014 elections -Rajeev Deshpande
-The Times of India The Manmohan Singh government's mission in a pre-election year seems cut out: To check and roll back retail food inflation that rose from 4% in January last year to 13% in December, a trend that could blight its 2014 poll ratings. With food prices accounting for half of overall inflation, this group stayed above 10% most of last year, higher than the overall Consumer Price index figure of...
More »NREGA wage gap
-The Telegraph Labour payments under NREGA will continue to be less than minimum wages for agricultural labourers in four states, including Bengal, despite a recent rate revision in the rural job scheme. Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh today tabled a statement in the Rajya Sabha on the revised wages that will take effect from next month. Under the new NREGA rates, labourers in all states stand to gain, except those in Kerala, Bengal,...
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