-The Telegraph The inadequate sanctioning of schemes across gram Panchayats hinders operations, thereby reducing employment opportunities The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act tracker released by the People’s Action for Employment Guarantee as well as a research report presented by LibTech India reveal why the rural job programme has not been able to cater to the needs of the poorest during this steep rural job crisis. Earlier, a survey by the Azim...

-The Hindu Jaipur: The Congress government in Rajasthan has initiated action to bring the concurrent social audits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act’s (MGNREGA) works at village Panchayats in line with the annual village plans. A target has been set to complete the exercise by January 26. Chief Secretary Niranjan Arya said here on Wednesday that socially excluded groups would be included in the planning process, with the emphasis...

-The Hindu Multiple bank visits, repeated rejections and biometric errors mar payment system, says study. For most rural workers dependent on the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), their labour does not end at the work site. According to a study by LibTech India released on Wednesday, many of them are forced to make multiple trips to the bank, adding travel costs and income losses, and face repeated rejections of...

-Down to Earth The time to put off the inevitable question about human relationship to nature is long past. Our assumption that we can control and modify nature without repercussions is a fallacy Lofty mountains that touch the azure skies, gentle hills clothed in dense tropical forests and evergreen valleys — the Western Ghats nurture a variety of ecosystems not found in any other part of the world. Spread over 164,280 square kilometres,...

-Livemint.com * New norms on foreign donations and covid-19 could end up shrinking the money pool for philanthropy and CSR * Domestic philanthropic spending has grown at a fast clip, but a closer look reveals a bias on priorities set by Indian donors as well as the geographical spread of funds NEW DELHI: Arpan is a small non-profit working out of remote Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, bordering Nepal. It helps primitive tribal groups...