In yet another instance of how whistleblowers are targeted in the country, an activist, Niyamat Ansari, who worked for the implementation of the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme), was beaten to death in Jharkhand's Latehar district. It all started after Ansari and his friends, on February 20, exposed a case of brazen embezzlement of NREGS funds. They lodged an FIR against the former Block Development Officer (BDO) of Manika, Kailash...
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Nudged by Sonia, govt plans Central NREGA audit by Swaraj Thapa
Barely a month after Sonia Gandhi flagged concerns over shortcomings in the implementation of UPA’s flagship MNREGA scheme and sought strengthening of social audit done by the gram sabha, as mandated under the Act, the government is looking at the scope of amending the Act to allow for better accounting scrutiny by the Central agencies. A meeting convened by Law Minister Veerappa Moily with Rural Development Ministry officials Monday examined...
More »Maharashtra fails to use 50% of funds for rural jobs by Harish Gupta
It appears there are few rural poor left in Maharashtra. How else would one explain that while the central government’s flagship rural employment initiative, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), is a big hit across the country with states utilising more than 80% of funds allocated by the Centre, state spent only 50% of its share last year. The Union ministry of rural development is headed by a...
More »High on rhetoric, low on delivery by Himanshu
Budgets are no longer statements of accounts or expenditure. In the contemporary context, they are to be seen more as a statement of intent, ambition, reform and politics of inclusion. If these are the parameters on which Budget 2011 is to be judged, it fails despite an implicit statement of intent. For a government which has been elected on the agenda of inclusion, even the statement of intent is not new....
More »Employment activist caned to death
An activist working for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme was killed after being caned continuously at Jerua village in Latehar district. The activist, Niyamat Ansari, a close aide of noted economist Jean Dreze, died after a group beat him with lathis, police said. The rebels reportedly dragged him out of his residence at 7 PM and started beating him up mercilessly. He was admitted to a local hospital...
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