The workers covered under the purview of the scheme now will be drawing wages at Rs. 119 a day A section of society feels that the works assigned will be of no use The increase in the wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) that came into effect in the district a few days ago has evoked varied response n the district. The workers covered under the purview of...

The flagship programmes of the UPA government in the social sector have had little impact. Spending has been between 25 and 75 per cent in many schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana, the rural housing scheme, the rural electrification scheme and the rural health programme. Irrigation statistics have come under scrutiny. Some education initiatives have managed to achieve physical targets but several NGOs have raised issues concerning the quality. National Rural employment...

Assam has topped the list of complaints related to implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the north east. The list covers all complaints that the ministry of rural development received till 31 March 2010. According to the ministry, Assam has 30 complaints, followed by Manipur with seven, Nagaland with five, Tripura with two and Mizoram and Sikkim with one each. All complaints have been...

Agitations show people don't want blind development Launches research centre on marine bio-diversity Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday criticised the country's “blind development plans” at the cost of ecological balance. “I am not against development but it should not be at the cost of our environment. We are presently following development plans blindly which can only lead to damage of the environment with ultimate impact on the...

One of the big surprises in the 2011-2012 budget was that spending on the country’s landmark rural employment program remained flat, disappointing activists who see it as a way of redressing growing wealth disparities. The program has since 2006 guaranteed 100 days of work a year for unskilled laborers to build rural infrastructure like irrigation ditches and roads. The Congress party has made the program, known as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural...