Farmers are caught between Mayawati’s promises, Rahul Gandhi’s idealism and mounting debts Land acquisition policy in Uttar Pradesh has been changed at least five times in the past five years to benefit the farmers. Amidst the raging controversies over what should be the land compensation rate and debates and protests over the various clauses of the land acquisition policy, most farmers have lost more than they could gain from Mayawati’s new...

-The Morung Express   The Government of India-nominated members of a vigilance committee has convened an emergency meeting for Tuesday, July 12 in Kohima to discuss issues associated with more than Rs. 36 crores central grants given to Nagaland under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).    Members of the State-level Vigilance & Monitoring Committee nominated by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India will meet at 10 am in Kohima...

The government will set up statelevel independent bodies to carry out financial and social audits of its flagship rural employment guarantee programme, which critics say is riddled with corruption. The rural development ministry will also make it mandatory for state governments to submit a report on the social audit, which unlike other government audits, allows beneficiaries of the scheme to register complaints. The move to increase transparency in the Mahatma...

-PTI   Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who will complete the last stretch of his padyatra today, has said that he has learnt more from the farmers than the time he has spent as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. Interacting with farmers at Devaka village, Gandhi said: "When we sit in Delhi or Lucknow, we don't get to know ground realities. I have not learnt as much in Lok Sabha...

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has formally sent the proposed National Food Security bill to the government on behalf of theNational Advisory Council (NAC) that she chairs. Setting all doubts at rest about where she stands, the bill explicitly seeks that the subsidized rations be provided to at least 90% of rural population, and 50% of urban India. It urges the government to ensure that at least 46% and 28% of...