-The Hindu In an effort to restore the unique ecosystem of the Sundarbans, the SAIME initiative has shrimp cultivators tending to mangroves around their farms as well A new initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in Sundarbans. For several years, environmentalists and experts have expressed concerns over unsustainable aquaculture, particularly shrimp collection, after cleaning large tracts of mangrove forests in Sunderbans. Under the initiative, Sustainable Aquaculture In Mangrove Ecosystem...

-The Telegraph Amplifying the capacity of mangroves as bio-shields against extreme events possibly helped Bengal tap into MGNREGA funds Within weeks of the Indian Ocean tsunami on December 26, 2004, I was watching video clips of the event at the Choto Mollakhali market in the Gosaba block of South 24 Parganas. One message that came through these video clips was that fewer lives were lost where there was coastal vegetation. This positively...

-The Statesman The central government needs to clear pending funds, worth Rs 2,600 crore, and as per the MGNREGA Act, pay compensation of 0.05 per cent on daily wages. With the alleged lack of jobs and wages for MGNREGA workers in three districts of West Bengal, the Paschim Banga Khet Mazdoor Samity (PBKMS), based on the report of a fact-finding committee, has warned that these workers are facing an acute food security...

-Press release by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha dated 28 July 2022 Based on the findings NREGA Sangharsh Morcha put forth the following demands: 1. All the documents pertaining to correspondence between the Central Government and the State Government on MGNREGA since 2019, including the reports of central team visits and action taken, should be made public. 2. The Labour Budget for West Bengal for the FY 2022-23 has to be approved immediately by the...

In the month of January this year, more than 100 homeless persons died (please click here and here to access) in Delhi-NCR due to cold wave like conditions. Although a Delhi-based non-government organisation (NGO) Centre for Holistic Development (CHD) made that claim, and therefore asked the Chief Minister of Delhi to make proper arrangements for the homeless poor during winters, the officials of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB)...