-The Hindu Business Line Budget allocation for rural jobs scheme raised marginally to ₹33,353 crore NEW DELHI: In a major rejig of the UPA's flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the BJP-led Government has converted the programme from being a Central to a State Plan scheme. This change, however, did not find explicit mention in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Budget speech. In the previous Government's 2013-14 Budget, a total amount...

-Deccan Chronicle New Delhi: With a drought-like situation looming large and food prices remaining high, the Union government on Thursday announced various agri-progra-mmes with an outlay of about Rs 7,500 crore to improve irrigation, soil health, research activities besides promising steps to revamp mandis.   Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said that the Centre will provide cheaper foodgrains through ration shops even if there is marginal decline in farm production due to inadequate...

-One World South Asia/ Women's Feature Service This is a success story. The backdrop: a small, dusty village in Madhya Pradesh; the protagonists: oppressed dalit women, who managed to shed their inhibitions and overcome centuries old caste and class baggage to save their children from the curse of hunger and severe malnutrition. Mundalana village in Sonkatch block of Dewas district is home to 800 dalits, out of a total population of 2,600. Owing...

-RisingKashmir.com   Horticulture encroaching upon paddy land  Srinagar: Agriculture land has shrunk by 2 lakh hectares since 1996, economic survey reveals. The survey reports that 10 lakh hectares were under agriculture production during 1995-96 which has reduced to 8 lakh hectares in 2013. Experts said that reduction in the agriculture land has decreased its contribution to states economy also. On the other hand, the horticulture has also developed into a major sector in Jammu and Kashmir's...

-The Hindu Business Line   Using Census and other data, the Union Rural Development Ministry is defending itself against complaints that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has led to labour shortage, affecting agriculture. The data available with the Ministry say that during the peak agriculture season, just 2.57 per cent of the total agricultural labourers were involved in MGNREGS activities. The data says that between August and September of...