-PTI   The government’s flagship rural job guarantee scheme is innovative and has achieved quite high coverage but faces challenges like uneven implementation across states and “some evidence” of leakage of funds, a new World Bank report says. The study ‘Social Protection for a Changing India’ also says ensuring higher degree of awareness among people about the process of applying for work under the scheme and a strong monitoring and evaluation system...

-The Business Standard   After a smooth beginning to the Posco land acquisition work on Wednesday, the Jagatsinghpur district administration today faced a roadblock in the process as many villagers did not turn up for identification of betel vines following the arrest of 32 activists of United Action Committee, a pro-Posco outfit. UAC had boycotted the land acquisition work as it was aggrieved over the non-fulfillment of its demands. On the wee hours...

The passport office in Hyderabad reported the highest number of passport applications recorded in Indian history (at least 450,000) and it expects an increase of 15-20% this year Jamuna Kunta sits stiffly in a plush red chair at the Hyderabad press club, holding her head proudly erect as she quietly recounts the events leading to her husband’s suicide in Dubai. A farmer from Karimnagar, a rural district in Andhra Pradesh, her husband...

In the second such case Vyara taluka of Tapi district, a woman Sarpanch of Kumbhia village has been accused of forging signatures of NREGS workers and including ghost names of beneficiaries in the roll muster to siphon off Rs 4.18 lakh. A complaint in this connection has been made to Taluka Development Officer and District Development Officer by the aggrieved workers. The fund was meant for construction of roads and three...

In a bid to ensure that those who are not provided work within the stipulated 15 days under the MGNREGA get the unemployment benefit, the government is about to introduce a uniform Form 6 across the state. The Form 6, where requisition is filled for work under NREGA, will also have a receipt attached which would be handed over to the worker as proof of when the work was sought. The...