-The Hindu   Investment in a scheme that guarantees rural employment with minimum wages should be seen as complementary and not alternative to development activities A recent paper by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has argued that the "push" factors of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are not as important as the economic growth "pull" factors, for increasing agricultural wages. The paper has received wide media...

A recent statistical study by Indian researchers suggest that the MNREGA program in rural Andhra Pradesh might be having a positive effect on school enrolment and grades by improving the bargaining power of women within their household, as a consequence of earning wages in the rural job security program. The study is based on data from rural households in 5 districts in Andhra Pradesh and comprised of 3006 children, comparing...

-The Hindu Nellore: Revenue officials headed by Gudur Sub-Collector J. Niwas conducted raids on brick kilns in Nayudupeta area and released about 53 Odisha bonded labourers from the clutches of the brick kiln operators. The raids were conducted following complaints filed by the International Justice Mission (IJM). Among the rescued labourers were 21 children and all of them were escorted back to their native villages in Odisha with the help of officials. In...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India tabled the second performance audit of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Parliament on Tuesday. The first performance audit was undertaken in 2007-08. The period of coverage of the first audit was February 2006 to March 2007. The present performance audit of the implementation of MGNREGA was taken up in response to a request from the ministry...

-Outlook Union Home Ministry, the nerve centre of country's internal security today witnessed a protest by over 200 contractual employees outside the office of a senior official over non-payment of dues. As many as 204 employees stood outside the office of Joint Secretary (Administration) Bhagwan Shankar inside the ministry in support of their demand for release of wages. The Home Ministry had hired the services of a private manpower firm -- Xecute...