-Business Standard Even as country stares at a possible drought, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has hit a new low At a time when rural India is in distress, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which could have provided some relief, is itself facing its worst period ever. The number of people working under the scheme and the amount of work provided is dwindling, and the trend...

-The Hindu A properly designed and implemented procurement law is long overdue. It can improve financial management, and bring large financial and governance benefits Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s 2015-16 budget speech signalled the government’s commitment to formally legalise India’s public procurement system as a part of its continuing reforms in public financial management. Following this, the Ministry of Finance is seeking suggestions to refine the Public Procurement Bill of 2012, introduced by...

-Livemint.com India’s industrial history doesn’t inspire confidence to generate enough factory jobs for the displaced Amid the debate on the new land acquisition law, fixing a number on India’s landless people seems to have become a matter of conjecture and educated guess. Last week, finance minister Arun Jaitley said 300 million people do not own land, while launching the government’s Mudra refinancing scheme for micro enterprises. His office didn’t reply to queries...

-The Times of india NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the personnel department to expedite amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act after the country's top bureaucrats cited it as a major factor weighing on them while taking decisions in "public interest". Officials said the issue was raised with the PM when he met secretaries last Wednesday, saying the fear of being prosecuted for wrong reasons was hindering swift decision-making...

-Hindustan Times Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the Mudra bank which will provide loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs including shopkeepers and beauty parlour owners, hoping that it will promote growth and create jobs. Short for Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Bank, the financial institution will act as a regulator for micro-finance institutions (MFIs). Mudra Bank will have a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore, Modi said...