-Hindustan Times The maximum number of schools that have applied for the selection are from Uttar Pradesh (37,065), followed by Rajasthan (21,317), Madhya Pradesh (19,508), Maharashtra (16,614), and Andhra Pradesh (13, 455), officials said New Delhi: A total of 165,382 schools spread across 29 states and Union territories have so far applied with the ministry of education for an upgrade under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme, officials said...

-Hindustan Times Indian fertiliser and chemical companies have also accelerated investments in several mineral rich North African nations so as to hedge against price spirals and volatility. New Delhi: India is on the verge of signing long-term deals with several countries to secure fertilizer imports, critical for food security amid increasing geopolitical uncertainties , a government official said, requesting anonymity. Union chemicals and fertilisers minister Mansukh Mandaviya is set to travel to Morocco...

-Down to Earth The central government has mandated digitally capturing the attendance of all workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGnregs). Labourers and activist groups have opposed this and pointed out several loopholes in the move. The National Mobile Monitoring System, which came into effect on January 1, 2023, was launched with claims of bringing transparency and eliminating corruption at the ground level. Pilot tests began in May 2021 at...

-The Hindu In an effort to restore the unique ecosystem of the Sundarbans, the SAIME initiative has shrimp cultivators tending to mangroves around their farms as well A new initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in Sundarbans. For several years, environmentalists and experts have expressed concerns over unsustainable aquaculture, particularly shrimp collection, after cleaning large tracts of mangrove forests in Sunderbans. Under the initiative, Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem...

-The Hindu They make up 57.8% of the scheme beneficiaries in 2022-23 — a 10-year high; Bihar and U.P. record a high proportion of women workers The proportion of women workers participating in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has touched a ten-year high in the ongoing financial year. According to the latest statistics available with the Union Ministry of Rural Development, 57.8% of the workers who used the...