Of 22 eligible voters in the village, 19 persons -- 12 women and 7 men -- attended the gram sabha, despite heavy rains to voice their opposition to the project. Tadijhola, located on the foothills of Niyamgiri, is predominantly inhabited by the milkmen community.
Cyril Radcliffe drew India's border without ever visiting it. Turns out our environmental clearance system learned the same trick -- and the Western Ghats are paying for it, points out Binu Alex.
A tribal family in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district was briefly evicted from their village by residents over alleged religious conversion but was allowed to return after agreeing to reconvert to their original faith. Police and district officials intervened to resolve the dispute.
Decrying the failure of Rajya Sabha to pass the Lokpal bill, Anna Hazare on Thursday made a curious suggestion to bring a law to empower gram sabhas that will be above Parliament.
Villagers in Latehar district, Jharkhand, resisted a police investigation into the obstruction of a ground survey by a coal mining unit, citing the Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.
As MGNREGA comes to a close, both critics and supporters keenly eye VB G RAM G's performance.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk's health is deteriorating on the 18th day of his hunger strike, with his weight dropping significantly and vital signs requiring continuous monitoring. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has accused the government of 'cruelty' for its refusal to engage in dialogue regarding alleged NEET irregularities, intensifying calls for accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress supremo, has launched a strong counterattack against rebel party members, accusing them of conspiring with the BJP to split the party. She dared them to formally join the BJP and defended her leadership amidst the worst organisational crisis for TMC, while also announcing leadership changes and criticising the rebels' past actions and attempts to seize party assets.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have filed an FIR against a former additional district magistrate, company representatives, and bank officials in connection with an alleged land scam worth around Rs 400 crore in Kanpur Dehat district.
The Centre has notified draft rules for the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, outlining the framework for the new rural employment programme replacing MGNREGA. The draft rules are open for public feedback until June 21, 2026.
The Indian government has announced the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, effective July 1. The new scheme aims to expand guaranteed wage employment and link it more closely with infrastructure development and climate resilience, but faces concerns from opposition parties and labour rights activists.
The Chhattisgarh high court has disposed of two petitions seeking the removal of hoardings prohibiting entry to pastors and 'converted Christians' in eight villages, holding that they were installed to prevent forced conversions through allurement or fraudulent means and cannot be termed as unconstitutional.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has surpassed Jawaharlal Nehru's record to become India's longest-serving democratically elected Prime Minister. He expressed gratitude to President Droupadi Murmu, NDA chief ministers, Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for their wishes, attributing his achievements to the collective efforts and aspirations of 140 crore Indians and reaffirming his commitment to a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Four employees of a jewellery showroom in Karimnagar, Telangana, were injured after unidentified men opened fire during a robbery. The value of the stolen gold ornaments is being ascertained, and police are investigating the incident.
Armed men opened fire at a jewellery store in Karimnagar, Telangana, injuring four employees before escaping with gold ornaments. Police have launched a manhunt and are offering a reward for information.
Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has directed officials to ensure transparency in the implementation of central and Haryana government welfare schemes, aiming to maximise their reach. He reviewed multiple schemes across various departments during a DISHA meeting in Karnal.
President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which aims to replace MGNREGA and guarantee 125 days of wage employment per rural household.
Civil society groups, led by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, are planning a nationwide protest -- similar to the farmers' stir a few years ago -- starting December 19 demanding scrapping of the new Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission.
Sunetra Pawar, wife of the late Ajit Pawar, has been appointed as the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, marking a new chapter for the NCP and presenting her with the challenge of leading the party.
The Congress will launch a nationwide campaign against the repeal of the United Progressive Alliance-era rural employment legislation Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on January 5, similar to the pushback against the three farm laws which eventually forced the Narendra Modi government to rollback its decision, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said.
This comes a day after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, which replaces the MGNREGA and has a provision for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.
With TDP and YSRCP trying to score political points, the sacred laddu may well create a storm in days to come.
Six policemen were injured and a police vehicle vandalised in a mob attack during an attempt to arrest a TMC worker in Sandeshkhali, once again pushing the coastal block into political focus ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Kolewadi gram sabha in Maharashtra's Satara district has resolved to conduct future elections on ballot papers, becoming the second village in the state to pass a resolution against EVMs.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar has offered Rs 10 lakh fund for villages in his Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency if they elect a BJP-backed candidate in the Gram Panchayat polls to be held in Telangana next month.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticizes the government's proposed bill to replace MGNREGA, arguing it weakens the guaranteed 100 days of employment for the poor and centralizes control over the scheme.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticizes Kerala's ruling Left government over the Sabarimala gold loss case, demanding a neutral investigation and accusing the government of protecting the real culprits. He also signals the start of the BJP's campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Experts said that earmarking of funds for public health at par with national security indicates a key policy shift.
The Uttarakhand high court has asked two top officials of the state to find out whether an officer who has no knowledge of English can effectively control an executive position after an additional district magistrate responded in Hindi during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL).
'Poverty eradication is a continuous process. There is no full stop to it.'
The Congress-led UDF secured a decisive victory in Kerala's local body elections, dealing a blow to the LDF, while the BJP gained significant ground, including winning control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
The land pooling policy aims to kick-start a new wave of urbanisation in the predominantly rural state.
'I don't believe there is an international conspiracy to swamp tribals in India or in Jharkhand.'
While data can empower communities, it reinforces identities, making local politics more caste-centric, with decisions increasingly contested on the grounds of representation.
Such dynamics could lead to shifting alliances and, in the worst case, local governance getting paralysed as each group demands proportional power-sharing, explain Amitabh Kundu and Mehebub Rahaman.
Following the Supreme Court's verdict on bulldozer action, victims of demolition drives in Uttar Pradesh are seeking compensation for their losses. The court ruled against arbitrary demolitions without prior notice, prompting victims to pursue legal action. The Uttar Pradesh government maintains that demolitions were carried out following due process and on properties built on encroached lands.
The mega campaign, to start on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, will be conducted just before the elections in three major Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states and also before the 2019 general elections.
Sourcing bauxite from other states to add Rs 600 crore to cost.
'Heavy rains are not the primary reason for landslides in Wayanad.' 'There are all sorts of (human) intervention going on in that area.'
Highlighting the the government's focus on providing power to all, Finance Minister Goyal said 2.5 crore families were without electricity in 2014 and "we have provided power to almost all families".
While the deputy CM led a massive nomination rally and waved to the crowds from an open vehicle, the process for Yugendra Pawar was low-key, with just NCP-SP supremo Sharad Pawar and Baramati MP Supriya Sule for company apart from a few supporters.
