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Anti-Poverty Programmes

  • Aid to flood victims by Lakhimpur dist Red Cross

    The Lakhimpur District Branch of Indian Red Cross Society conducted a series of relief camps to distribute essentials to the flood victims in different parts of the district.

  • Governance reform key to NREGA success

    The same implementation structure that has failed rural development over decades cannot be deployed for the radically new programme promised by NREGA.

  • BDO confesses to swindling NREGS funds

    Allegations are rife that the Block Development Officer (BDO) Madhu Sudhan Nath of Ruposi development block under Barpeta district has misappropriated a huge amount of Government fund meant for variou

  • Job scheme in villages to be monitored to plug loopholes

    Union rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has put the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) under the scanner, in order to plug loopholes and to make it foolproof, as the s

  • House witnesses noisy scenes on NREGA

    The Assam Assembly today witnessed a ruckus during the discussion on the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in the State during the Question Hour. Replying to questions, State Panchayat and Rural Development (P & RD) Minister Chandan Brahma said the scheme was being implemented in its true spirit, benefiting the poor rural masses. The Opposition members, however, alleged that massive corruption was going on in the name of allocation of job cards under the NREGA, with middlemen and contractors being involved in the scheme. AGPLP leader Chandra Mohan Patowary said: "Even people from families that have Government job holders have been given job cards.' AGP member Keshab Mahanta, CPI-M members Ananta Kalita and Uddhab Barman, CPI member Dhrupad Buragohain and BJP member Ranjit Dutta alleged massive corruption in the distribution of job cards. Brahma, however, refuted the allegations and asked the Opposition to bring discrepancies, if any, to his notice. He said that 14 districts of the State that were not covered by the NREGA till 2007-08 would be brought under the scheme from the next fiscal, thereby extending the benefits of the scheme to all districts of the State. The minister further said that of the total Rs 72,883.93 lakh available for NREGA implementation during 2007-08 (up to January 2008), Rs 34,223.44 lakh had been spent. For the year 2005-06, of the total Rs 25,147.79 lakh made available, Rs 10,519.65 lakh was spent, whereas for 2006-07, Rs 57,987.40 lakh of the available Rs 70,772.10 lakh was spent.

  • NREGP proves cheap for govt

    Budget allocations for rural employment schemes have steadily decreased ever since the government introduced the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP), one of the government's flagship programmes to benefit the common man, in 2006-07. The declining trend of allocations for wage employment has been highlighted in data compiled by by N C Saxena, a member of the National Advisory Council, which advises the government on developmental issues, in a critique of social spending in the Budget. In 2005-06

  • NREGS: 50,000 jobs to be given

    More than 50,000 people would benefit from the National Rural Employment Generation Scheme in East Godavari by March-end. Under this programme, works were carried out in 296 minor irrigation tanks in 29 mandals in the district. The district collector, Mr M. Subrahamanyam, carried out a review of the NREGS at the territorial development centre in Samarlakota on Monday. He asked officials to speed up the works in the remaining 148 irrigation tanks to meet the target fixed for NREGS. The collector also directed the designated Panchayat Raj and Indiramma programme engineers to observe all norms while taking up the works. Engineers should also carefully supervise completion of shutter repairs and strengthening of bunds, said Mr Subrahmanyam. The project director of District Water Management Agency, Mr R. Amarendra Kumar, and engineers of Panchayat Raj and NREGS participated.

  • Awareness camp at Rajouri

    An awareness programme about National Rural Empowerment Guarantee Scheme was held at Treru in Rajouri today in which MLC Ashok Sharma presided over the function while senior officers and allied departments were also present on the occasion. Sharma in his address said that NREGA along with other revolutionary schemes like debt waiver scheme for farmers launched by the UPA government would transform development profile of rural India with poor sections being the major beneficiaries of Roshni and other such schemes introduce in state. Sharma has demanded setting up of degree college and sub divisional status to Kalakote besides time bound and execution of roads and augmentation of water and power supply in Kalakote constituency. Sharma also took stock of development works at Badanoo, Dharamsal, Tatapani, Baljarlain,Tanooni,Chakli and Kallar during his three days tour of Kalakote and interacted the people. He urged for launching on spot recruitment drive in police, army and par military forces for the youth of the area and recommissioning of Kalakote thermal power plant and opening coal mines.

  • KVIB Secy reviews REGS implementation

    RAMBAN: J&K Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) secretary R C Sharma reviewed progress under Rural Employment Generation Scheme (REGS) of the backward districts of Ramban and Doda today. It was informed that KVIB so far have set up 99 units with the bank loans of Rs. 196.99 lakhs and provided margin money grant of Rs. 61.07 lakhs. Sharma said that some of the BPL villages should be included in the J&K Bank's programme of village adoption to uplift the people living below poverty. He said that in order to improve the quality of the blankets being woven in these backward districts and generate sustainable employment the KVIB is addressing the problems of traditional industries in these districts. He disclosed that improved looms on modern technology should be provided to the one new units sanctioned in the current year under blanket weaving for the better quality of the blanket weaving in the area. Similarly, 22 units under ready-made garments have also been got sanctioned to cater the need within the area. A special team for looking in to the needs of unreached and unbankable areas has been constituted which will facilitate the entrepreneurs artisans working in the traditional industries or to start small tiny industrial units. He said that the other units producing articles under KVI sector in these districts for local consumption and specialized units like jackets, caps, tracksuits, mufflers socks etc manufacturing are also being promoted to meet the requirements of the people. A common facility centre is being established for beekeepers producing honey to facility the processing testing and packaging of the honey produced in the area. This will also be used to impart training to the beekeepers, The board its starting four training centres in Doda and Kishtwar districts to train 200 women. One such training centre has already been commenced at Sangaldan in Ramban district to train 40 beneficiaries under craft training.

  • Union Government yet to clear 21 projects

    The Union Government, which has launched several schemes for inclusive growth and tackling the rural-urban divide, seems to be dragging its feet in sanctioning rural development projects submitted by the State Government. The Centre has not cleared 21 rural projects estimated at nearly Rs. 200 crore, and now officials are of the view that the State is unlikely to get the projects sanctioned. Though the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj submitted proposals for various projects two years ago under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swaraj Yojana (SGSY), the Centre is yet to clear them. Nine of the 21 projects are related to dairy activities in various districts (Rs. 79.58 crore), three to rural livelihood and employment opportunities (Rs. 44.23crore), two are aimed at providing better marketing infrastructure in villages (Rs. 14.35 rore) and two each to set up incubation centres (Rs. 25.57 crore), rehabilitation of Devadasis (Rs. 24.64 crore) and setting up of a "Kushal Gram', a marketing complex for SGSY beneficiaries of the District Rural Development Foundation and B.V.V. Sangha of Bagalkot (Rs. 4.67 crore). The department has submitted nine detailed project reports to promote dairy activities in Bangalore Rural and Bangalore Urban, Mandya, Bellary, Uttara Kannada, Hassan, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Davangere and Belgaum districts. To implement these projects, Central assistance of Rs. 59.8 crore has been sought, while Rs. 19.78 crore is to be contributed by the district-level milk unions.

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