The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has ushered in a revolution of sorts in rural India by providing employment to people in the country’s dusty villages. Now, the state has taken a lead in ensuring that many more citizens can benefit from the Act. Maharashtra is probably the first state to appoint Ombudsmen and deputy Ombudsmen in most of its districts for effective monitoring of the centrally-sponsored...
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Govt to rent out computers in rural areas at Rs 15 a day
After the slow pick-up of the $220 One Laptop Per Child Project, and an uncertainty over the $35 laptop called Sakshat, the government is now experimenting with another model—to dole out computers on rent to spread IT literacy in the country. Under a pilot program to be launched by the ministry of IT & communications, computers specially built for rural areas will be deployed in five locations, and then rented...
More »NAC in hurry, need more time: Rural ministry by Devesh Kumar
A conflict has risen between the National Advisory Council (NAC), chaired by Ms Sonia Gandhi, and the rural development ministry over the time-frame for completing the BPL census. NAC members N C Saxena and Harsh Mander, in particular, want the head count to be completed by September 2011. The rural development ministry has ruled out the possibility of conducting the census of BPL cardholders within such a short duration. It...
More »Right to Food Campaign wants APL included in PDS by Gargi Parsai
“The hungry must not be left out” The steering group of the Right to Food Campaign on Saturday expressed its apprehension about doing away with the distribution of subsidised foodgrains to Above Poverty line (APL) beneficiaries under the Public Distribution System (PDS), as suggested by the Supreme Court. While welcoming the court's order on rotting foodgrains, the campaign, that is pressing for universal PDS, has said that leaving out APL would mean...
More »“Make Lokpal, Lokayukta apex, independent agencies” by Vidya Subrahmaniam
Citizens group urges Manmohan to pass Lokpal Bill CVC just an advisory body; it has no power to ask CBI to initiate inquiries Situation worse at State-level; Lokayuktas have to seek government permission A group of concerned citizens, including Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, the former Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, and the former Central Vigilance Commissioner, P. Shankar, has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to take measures to pass a...
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