The Union government’s plan to recapitalize 40 of the 82 regional rural banks (RRBs) is at risk as some of the state governments are either delaying or refusing to pay their share of money. Due to this, the government has only been able to recapitalize around 12 RRBs, with the stakeholders collectively infusing Rs. 300 crore. The cabinet had approved the Rs. 2,200 crore recapitalization plan of 40 RRBs in February,...

The Jharkhand state MGNREGA council has increased the honorarium to nearly 6,000 contract employees working for implementation of the central scheme, putting an additional burden of over Rs 1 crore on the state exchequer. However, the government said the extra load would be borne by the central share of funds. The proposal of the Rural Development department was approved by the state council in its third meeting here on Tuesday. The...

The state's rice bowl is left empty An unviable minimum support price (MSP) for rice has forced farmers in Andhra Pradesh to leave their lands fallow. The movement is spreading to other states. “Farming never pays” is a familiar slogan among agriculturists across the world, and especially so in India. Nevertheless, many continue to cultivate their fields year after year, barely eking out an existence, toiling in the hope that the tide...

-The Hindu   The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat has launched an ambitious project to improve personal hygiene among women with the launch of a project to manufacture low-cost sanitary napkins. Ten members of the Isiri Self-Help Group (SHG) at Layla village of Belthangady taluk were trained by an NGO to manufacture sanitary napkins with cotton made from wood pulp. The sanitary napkins were less than half an inch thick and were called Safety...

-The Hindu   Describing female foeticide as a grave challenge, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said information, education and communication (IEC) could play a role in building a positive environment for valuing the girl child, particularly at the grassroots level. He said the Centre had decided to provide funds to States for setting up dedicated cells to monitor the implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic...