-Newsclick.in Caste discrimination percolates down to the food plates for Musahar community in Madhepura district of Bihar reports Neha Dixit "The mahant of the Shankar Math told me to stay away from ultra-Left people the day I questioned the Collector about the hunger deaths in my village," recounts Prabhansh Manjhi. Prabhansh is from the Musahaar community in Madhepura district of Bihar. Estimated to be 2.3 million in the country, they are Mahadalits, one...

-Live Mint Not only have Bihar and Odisha grown faster they have also ensured that benefits accrue to the poorest; in Gujarat, growth has bypassed the poor Going by logic, the poor in richer states should be better off than their counterparts living in poorer states. This is especially so when the country is seeing a welcome trend: Income growth in rural areas and poverty reduction has witnessed unprecedented acceleration. Not necessarily. Not...

-PTI NEW DELHI: The Rural Development Ministry has amended a key schedule of the ambitious MNREGA under which they will be guaranteed compensation in case of technical delays in payment of wages. Regretting that delays have been reported from all states despite clear provisions, the Ministry brought out the amendments stipulating that "if the payment is not made within 15 days of closure of the Muster Roll, compensation at the rate of...

-The Pioneer Forget about doling out mandatory unemployment allowance under the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), majority of the Congress-ruled States in the country are yet to notify unemployment allowance rules under the UPA's flagship rural job scheme launched in 2007. The rules mandate the States to pay the daily allowance to a registered worker if he is not provided a job within 15 days of the receipt...

-The Hindu 40 families of Ragimaruru village have been bonded labourers for decades Hassan (Karnataka): While the rest of the country celebrates Independence Day, the much-vaunted freedom has no meaning for around 40 families of Ragimaruru village in Arakalgudu taluk, who have been bonded labourers for years. They work every day for a day's off can attract the wrath of their masters. And, there are no specified working hours. They have to report...