-Hindustan Times Poor people in rural India may get 90% more funds to build their houses with the government planning to revamp the rural housing scheme, Indira Awas Yojna (IAY). The scheme — likely to be redesigned as the national Grameen Awas Mission — currently offers beneficiaries Rs 70,000 to build a house and Rs 8,000 for a toilet. The Centre is planning to hike this allocation to up to Rs 1.48...
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Jairam Ramesh seeks to minimise budget cut for rural development -Jitendra
-Down to Earth Gives details to finance ministry on the impact of revised budget estimates on individual schemes The steep cut in budgetary allocations for social welfare schemes in an election year seems to have become a great cause of worry for Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh. He has shot off a letter to finance minister P Chidambaram, expressing displeasure over the proposed Rs 15,000 crore funds cut in rural development...
More »Funds for social welfare cut drastically in revised budget estimates -Jitendra
-Down to Earth Ministers write protest letters to prime minister and finance minister, saying it would greatly impact ongoing schemes The Congress-led UPA government has been harping on its pro-poor schemes in the run up to the elections early next year. But it has effected a drastic cut in budgetary allocations for social welfare schemes. The move is reportedly prompted by the urgent need to contain current account deficit (CAD) to below...
More »Govt takes steps for accountability in Indira Awas Yojana
-PTI Government is all set to make its public housing programme for rural poor more accountable at panchayat level with new draft guidelines suggesting "proactive" disclosure of details of beneficiaries and making social audit of the scheme a must. The draft guidelines issued by the Rural Development Ministry say that the implementation of Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) should be informed to the local people through wall paintings or notice boards at the...
More »Flagship schemes in go-slow mode by Sreelatha Menon
The flagship programmes of the UPA government in the social sector have had little impact. Spending has been between 25 and 75 per cent in many schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana, the rural housing scheme, the rural electrification scheme and the rural health programme. Irrigation statistics have come under scrutiny. Some education initiatives have managed to achieve physical targets but several NGOs have raised issues concerning the quality. National Rural Employment...
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