It is not often that a social security programme the size of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS - New Delhi has spent Rs 40,000 crore on it in 2010/11 alone - faces an existential moment. But, April 2011 will present one such crossroad: the end of the term of a bureaucrat widely acknowledged as the prime mover behind the five-year old scheme. Brought in six years ago to the Centre from her parent...
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Timing of release of CD against Shanti Bhushan raises suspicion by J Venkatesan
Speculation on whether contents are intended to tarnish his and his son's image CD released prior to first meeting of joint committee on Lokpal Bill Circulation comes before Supreme Court verdict in Amar Singh tapes case The surreptitious surfacing of a compact disc containing an alleged phone conversation between senior advocate Shanti Bhushan; the former Samajwadi Party general secretary, Amar Singh; and the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, has raised...
More »Mixed report card on NREGS by Alok Ray
The scheme has reduced rural migration and promoted financial inclusion, but needs to create more durable assets. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) – the only government social welfare scheme named after the other Gandhi, not belonging to Nehru-Gandhi family – has recently completed five years. The performance of the scheme, considered a major pillar of UPA government's strategy of inclusive growth, has been a matter of debate. The...
More »Posco: Jairam refuses to accept Orissa's assurance
“Consider local bodies' resolutions” Having been tossed between the State and the Centre for the past few months, the question of a forest clearance for Posco project is in the Orissa government's court once again. On Thursday, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh delayed a final decision on the clearance once again, telling the State that he could not accept its assurance on Forest Rights Act (FRA) implementation as long as it...
More »Buddhadeb's assets: No house, no car, only Rs 5,000 in bank
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee does not own a house, his wife does. He does not even have a car, unlike many of his party colleagues. Bhattacharjee lives in a rented two-room government flat at Palm Avenue in Ballygunge with his wife and daughter and his bank account shows a meagre Rs 5,000. No other investments. A Spartan life indeed. That is what Bhattacharjee submitted to the Election Commission while filing his...
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