Cautionary tales

Jean Dreze argues that we should not leave the making of an equitable society to experts alone

Creation of water harvesting structures: Will the Centre achieve the target?

The Centre has announced the construction of half a million dug wells and farm ponds to tackle drought

How MGNREGA blew Rs 10,853 crore

The “little known” success story of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has unfolded as a disaster. …

The poorest shun MGNREGA

Participation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes in the scheme has halved in five years

Giant snail invasion

People in Kerala village spend nights battling large snails that devour plants and nibble at walls  

Water turns the tide

A barren district of Rajasthan is seeing development, thanks to rains last year and flood in 2006

Environment Day: Green agenda for new government

Get the focus on environment and health, Mr Prime Minister

Mr Modi, Wish us a Happy Environment Day

NREGA racket Chhattisgarh suspends officials

Drop in unemployment not necessarily good news

‘Rethink economics of poverty’

Want poor families in north India to immunise their children? Offer the parents a small bag of lentils as an incentive and vaccination rates make …

Book One Valley and A Thousand Dams, Nationalism and Development

Book>> Daniel Klingensmith, 'One Valley and a Thousand' Dams, Nationalism and Development Oxford University Press New Delhi 2007

RTI rap for two officers

Rs 10,000 salary cut for delay in giving information  

Women and a nervous regime

Emboldened by SHG movement, reservation in panchayats, women emerge as key constituency

NREGA’s technological sabbatical

Job cards of many to expire in 2011 and renewal would take time

Bihar in reverse gear

State plans to bring down its minimum wage rate to that under MGNREGA

Afforestation wages in cash

Chhattisgarh violates Supreme Court order

Food aid comes a cropper

Raghuvansh Prasad, minister for rural development, on NREGA

No substance in budget's agriculture hype

Another Maharashtra village demands community forest rights

Tribal village Pachgaon to follow Mendha Lekha; to hold bamboo sale as protest to gain community forest rights

Emergence of South

2013 human development report applauds efforts of developing nations. Is India on track?

Search on for a new model

Search on for a new model

Economy created by NREGA threatens a way of life