The Employees Provident Fund Organisation will be seeking approval from its apex decision-making body, the Central Board of Trustees, to implement a finance ministry order to invest up to 15 percent of the fund in equity. The new pattern that was notified last year comes into force from April 2010.
The first meeting of the newly-reconstituted Central Employment Guarantee Council last week, meant to oversee the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, saw two prominent members, Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy, object to various new ideas of the government, beginning with the one of using it to build Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Seva Kendras, meant to serve as offices for panchayats.
Social audit of rural jobs scheme promises to empower people with information about how they are being denied the benefits of the schemes meant for them.
The government was able to initiate crucial steps in the ministries of rural development, human resource development, home, finance and commerce, thanks to energetic ministers, but did not exactly win laurels on other fronts.
Members protest, rural ministry assures it will not be so hereafter.
Rule 4 in Section 55 of the Land Acquisition Act's Company Rules may help farmers in Dadri but is hardly a guarantee for other cultivators.
The right to food campaign, which is a collaboration of people's movements from across the country, is now on the verge of seeing its demand of a right to food become a reality.
On October 2, the government will roll out the comprehensive plan in 10 districts. The ministry has had a series of discussions with the National Institute of Rural Development, which is to be the nodal body for overseeing the convergence of all rural schemes.
Ramesh, a labourer in Toomda village near Bhopal, can't believe his luck. He earns Rs 81 a day, digging wells under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme, the United Progressive Alliance's flagship social welfare scheme that started in 2006.
Global demand for certified wood has prompted Indian companies to get their logging vetted by monitoring agencies.
A wall in Vijaypura is an example of what a single positive example can do for a large programme like the National Rrural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Section 377, which banned gay relations, also used to be invoked to protect minors against sexual abuse
The conflict between development and environment should not cause unnecessary delays, says Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh.
This meant targets set for primary school admissions, assured income for every family and roads, water, housing and electricity. And yearly spending of over Rs 1,20,000 crore (Rs 1,200 billion), up from Rs 36,000 crore (Rs 360 billion) in the last year of the National Democratic Alliance government.
A district collector's experiment in Tamil Nadu is showing the way for more rural BPOs even in times of recession.
Sanskara Eye Care's model of charging fee from only 20 per cent of the patients is sufficient to make each hospital self-sustaining in three to five years. But is not the only source of its sustenance. In the US, children are donating their pocket money towards eye surgery in these hospitals. It is $30 for a surgery, says founder R V Ramani.
If there is one state where environmental issues spill over into active politics and can rewrite the destiny of political parties, it is Goa. And history threatens to repeat itself in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections for two seats, over a government ordinance concerning a Supreme Court order on the demolition of illegal structures built by hotels.
Rented housing and fixed rents, like it's in developed countries, could be one way to ensure that everyone in cities has a roof over his head.
He asked the CMs to give priority to income-generating schemes like housing and tone up implementation of ongoing programmes to enable them to spend the originally allocated funds and the additional allocation of Rs 20,000 crore. He referred specifically to the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, National Urban Renewal Mission, National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Indira Awas Yojana, Acceleration Irrigation Benefit Programme and National Social Assistance Programme.
Telemedicine sure helps private enterprise. If it also helps the cause of health care, then why not?
© 2025 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances