What rural facilities are prevalent in your state?

DTE’s analysis of data from the Union rural development ministry produces an interesting map of the Indian villages; follow the …

Flawed claims about NREGA implementation  

It is good to know that rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha felt MGNREGA implementation could be improved. But his assessments are far …

'State govts acquire land by subverting rights and bending the law’

The Centre for Science and Environment filed RTI queries to 28 states to understand how states are circumventing the land acquisition law. The …

Data shows corporates are consistently favoured over rural India

Corporate India gets indirect subsidy equivalent to 60 per cent of government expenditure on rural areas

Socio-economic caste census: only 4 states, UTs complete survey

Union rural development minister, Jairam Ramesh, asks all states to sort out inconsistencies in preliminary data

Building dreams for homeless

Government promises land to the homeless in its draft Homestead Bill, but where’s the land?

MGNREGA scheme failed on many counts: report

In the last five years, the average person days of work generated per household under MGNREGS remained less than 50 across years

Land use policy for the country on anvil

Rural development ministry revives two-decade old plan to demarcate the country according to land use to avert conflicts

DRDA faces axe

District Rural Development Agency in conflict with Constitution; committee suggests its abolition

Civil society seconds rural development ministry’s demand for MGNREGA funds

The rural development ministry had recently demanded an additional allocation of Rs 5,000 crore to maintain the momentum of MGNREGA

Rural development schemes up for overhaul

Ministry of panchayati raj plans to develop model panchayats in different states through integrated development

Pitfalls of a uniform food regime

In face of drought and rising food prices, attention shifts to local diet and food diversity

Is new land bill up to mark?

Draft land bill proposes higher compensation for land acquisitions, but complaints persist  

NDA introduces changes in MGNREGA

Rural development ministry to make social audit compulsory; create more durable assets in blocks and districts, instead of villages

Centre launches awareness campaign for MGNREGA

'Kaam Mango Abhiyan' aims to popularise the ambitious flagship programme of the UPA government

Scheme against jobs

Government is bent upon shrinking jobs for the poor by fundamentally changing the rural employment guarantee scheme against the advice of its …

Stink over missing toilets: ministry initiates probe

CAG audit may be sought if states fail to disclose correct information, says secretary for drinking water and sanitation

Who are the poor?

Identifying the poor and measuring the poverty is a contentious issue. Poverty line is not a sacred line. At best, it indicates how far the …

Poverty level will increase if health expenditure included

Planning Commission factors in less than one rupee a day as health expenditure in its affidavit to the apex court

A new roadblock

Tribal affairs ministry objects to Maharashtra's Village Forest Rules that violate FRA. Other ministeries pressure it to backtrack

Between Maoists and mines

Ho tribals lose hold of Saranda as mining is set to take over the pristine sal forest. A report and photographs by Sayantan Bera

Protocol to protect RTI activists in the works

If a single panchayat-level activist can expose corruption worth Rs 25 lakh, then each needs protection for effective implementation of …

PMO orders huge cuts in social sector spending for 2015-16

Employment guarantee, rural road and sanitation schemes among those likely to be affected

Half-way to autonomy

Decisions by Maharashtra’s top forest official can empower gram sabhas prepare plans to revive their forests, but a policy is awaited

A million opportunities lost

The ruling alliance’s flagship rural employment programme took unprecedented strides in creating water conservation structures across the …