-The Hindu Three months after the Ministry of Rural Development launched ‘Kaam Maango Abhiyan', aimed at capturing demand effectively for its flagship scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the impact is beginning to become clear in several select districts of the country. The focus has been in six districts - Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh), Nashik (Maharashtra), Raichur (Karnataka), Katihar (Bihar), West Singhbum (Jharkhand) and Sundergarh (Odisha). The campaign covered...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: In the age of khaps, village Panchayats generally hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, especially on matters of gender. But the sarpanch of Fatehgadh in Amreli is an exception. He wants to see more daughters playing on the streets of his village. Rattled by the scarce number of girls - the village has only 50 girls against 200 boys in the 0-18 years' age bracket...

-Down to Earth UPA gives sops under MGNREGS to attract rural voters ahead of elections WITH most of its recent schemes struggling, a desperate UPA government is pinning its hopes on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to win votes in 2014 elections. The government is overhauling the employment scheme that helped it return to power in 2009 for a reason. It touches the lives of over 55 per cent...

-The Hindu Rights may be self-evident and constitutionally secured; however, they do not automatically implement themselves In the last two years the highest courts in the country have responded to a mass call for more protection for women. Alongside, there have been many judgments from non-constitutional decision-making bodies like khap Panchayats and kangaroo courts sanctioning violence against particular women or curtailing women's freedom in significant ways. Why is it that while there...

-Outlook Mumbai: To empower women under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, there is a need to link women's self help groups (WSHGs) to banks, Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh said. Ramesh, who was in Mumbai to attend an event 'Maharashtra State Rural Livelihood Forum' organised by the state government, said the objective of the mission shall not be limited to forming SHGs under the mission but it is necessary to...