Five years ago, the Prime Minister launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), calling it the single-largest initiative of the government of India for a planned development of our cities. This unique, Rs 50,000-crore (subsequently enhanced to Rs 66,000 crore) programme to be implemented over a seven years from 2005 to 2012 focuses mainly on 65 mission cities with provision kept also for other small towns. While the...
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Adarsh case got valuable boost from RTI Act, activists by Viju B
The Right to Information (RTI) Act and activists who pursued the Adarsh case as early as 2008 are emerging victorious in the battle over the cooperative housing society. The RTI Act was instrumental in not only revealing the names of the 103 approved members of the controversial society, but also in bringing to light the links between politicians and various officials, including those in the government, military and defence estates...
More »MGNREGA a success in M’laya
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a landmark legislation to improve the economic condition of rural mass of India through an assured 100 days of employment per household per year, was initially implemented in West Garo Hill and South Garo Hills districts of Meghalaya in 2006, with much publicity. The scheme emanating from the MGNREGA for providing unskilled manual work for 100 days per household at Rs...
More »RTI helpline wins award by Ankur Jain
You might not get a kilo of onions for Rs 54, but this Right To Information (RTI) helpline helps thousands every month to fight for their rights — for only that amount. Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Parishad (MAGP)'s helpline, which was launched in May 2006 and has received more than 60,000 calls till now, is managed by a team of volunteers at a monthly expense of just Rs 54. The helpline has...
More »Poor families struggle with higher food prices in India by Laurinda Luffman
After announcing food prices had reached record levels last week, the United Nation’s (UN) Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is now trying to play down concerns about shortages. The FAO’s representative for Asia and the Pacific region, Hiroyuki Konuma, admitted that food supply and demand were tight but said there were sufficient grain stocks to feed populations. Though certain foods such as sugar, meat, corn and soybeans are selling at a...
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