What happens now to Munde's grand plan to develop each village?

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

The poorest shun MGNREGA

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

BPL's dividing line

Government undecided on criteria to identify families below poverty line

Water turns the tide

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

Is new land bill up to mark?

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

All about the new land acquisition Bill

Proposed law will replace the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 and unlike the British-era Act it provides for rehabilitation and resettlement as well

Bihar slashes spending on education and social welfare

Coal-based power receives a major boost in the state budget presented on March 12

NDA introduces changes in MGNREGA

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

Whose budget is it, Mr Jaitley?

Being the first full year budget of the National Democratic Alliance government, there was expectation that the finance minister's announcements …

India's genome saviours

Farmers and organisations who have won government recognition this year for conserving seeds of indigenous crops and plant species

Khap panchayat bans paddy

Rice cultivation has led to waterlogging and soil salinity in Haryana’s Jhajjar district

Last ditch attempt

UPA gives sops under MGNREGS to attract rural voters ahead of elections

Will land Bill cross Rajya Sabha hurdle?

Narendra Modi government accuses rival parties of opposing amendments in the land acquisition law for the sake of opposition

A new roadblock

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

Rights without benefits

Over 1.3 million tribals and forest dwellers have got rights over the land they had been using for years under the Forest Rights Act. This can, …

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

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

MPs funds to now be used to develop over 2,000 ‘model’ villages

Ministry of rural development will channelise MPs’ funds through different schemes for Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Why Marathwada is becoming a graveyard for farmers

Season after season of failed crops is pushing farmers to the brink of desperation, while the inaction of the Maharashtra government is allowing …

Environment Day: Green agenda for new government

Get the focus on environment and health, Mr Prime Minister

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. …

Inheritance of loss

Whatever the poverty line, 50 per cent people in India will remain poor

Distressed handloom weavers seek bailout

The allocation for handloom sector was reduced to Rs 620.5 crore in 2014-15 from Rs 2,960.5 crore in 2012-13 budget

Fresh development plan for naxal-affected districts

Rural schemes to be more flexible; get more funds

Why Dashrath Manjhi’s feat should be celebrated more than Pichai’s and Nadella’s

A cynical comparison between two unequal worlds