Why MGNREGS workers sought police complaints against the PM

Non-payment of dues, insufficient funds cause for concern

Cast away

After being at the receiving end of both militants and the state government, Kashmir's village heads are now threatening to boycott next year's …

How MGNREGA water conservation project turned a Rajasthan district into an Oasis

The greenery in Dungarpur district is a stark contrast to the desert state

MGNREGS: ‘Monument of failure’ or ‘saviour’?

On the 10th anniversary of the rural job guarantee scheme, Down To Earth evaluates its successes and drawbacks

As told to Parliament (March 23, 2021): 40% more MGNREGS person days in 2020-21

All that was discussed in the House through the day

Union Budget 2019-20: First time in five years, MGNREGA gets Rs 1,084 crore less

Budget allocation for Ministry of Rural Development gets Rs 5,200 crore extra

How a water project put women in charge and turned the fortunes of a dry Bengal village

With men quitting agriculture to work as unskilled labourers, women lead measures to curb soil erosion

Prioritise and fast-track work on flagship rural schemes: Central report to states

The report is important as the current financial year ends on March 31

Study puts MGNREGS in Punjab under scanner

The employment scheme generated 20.23 average working days in the state against the mandated 100 days, according to a Punjabi University report

Centre to send babus to 255 water-stressed districts. Here’s what they should keep in mind

MGNREGS has implemented a slew of projects, but to hardly any effect. We need to look at the problem afresh

Telangana pushing for organic farming, but focus is now on giving respite to farmers

Telangana's Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Jupally Krishna Rao, says his government is offering loan waiver and subsidies to farmers

Union Budget 2020-21: An expert’s guide to rural distress

Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget has all the ingredients to deepen India’s farm crisis

A tribal family is building a 6-km road to connect an inaccessible Odisha village

Its work would have gone unnoticed if two social workers had not lost their way in the forest near the village

Supreme Court issues directive for implementing MGNREGA, food security Act to tackle drought

In a bid to provide relief to households in drought-hit areas, the apex court directed the Centre to release funds to states for providing …

MGNREGS falls short of funds again despite increased allocation in rural sector

Pending liabilities in the scheme means that workers’ wages are unpaid

Expect budget to be rural-centric, focus on delivery to beneficiaries

PM Modi has already launched a major water conservation campaign, put the focus of his second tenure on revival of the agrarian economy

Interim Budget 2019: MGNREGA gets record allocation, but it’s still not enough

Looking at the increasing demand of work, the big amount of Rs 60,000 crore might still not be able to put an end to the ongoing rural crises

Political parties choose farm loan waiver for electoral gains, but at what cost?

Farmers have outstanding loan of Rs12.60 lakh crore, which translates to Rs 100,000 per cultivator

Poverty eradication - Why do we always fail?

The government plans to bring one crore households out of poverty by 2019. Such targets are announced each year, but why don’t they work?

It is not a drought

As they say, drought is a disaster one can see coming. Deficit monsoon creates situations for a drought. But it is not deficit monsoon, rather …

Budget 2017 Analysis with Sunita Narain

Centre for Science and Environment and Down to Earth analysed the 2017 Budget by Arun Jaitley. The major takeaway is that there is very little …

Great farm pond chase

According to Union Budget 2017-18, Centre expects to see one million farm ponds being built by March 2017. If the government continues to chase …

Gujarat v UPA: models of non-governance?

In defence of capitalism

Diluting MGNREGA does not make market sense

MGNREGA causing labour crisis: RBI

Rural households in six states said they prefer working under MGNREGA rather than traditional labour, leading to an agricultural labour crisis