The State Government has set a target to construct 3,000 km. of rural roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) during the current financial year when the demand is three times more.

It will help people eligible for benefits flowing out of welfare programmes

Moving swiftly on the announcement he made at a public rally in Dudu in Rajasthan five days ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh constituted a high-power National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers on Thursday in a bid to reduce corruption at the cutting edge. The committee is expected to facilitate the introduction of direct cash transfers to individuals eligible for benefits flowing out of the government’s many welfare programmes.

With the Finance Ministry cold-shouldering the proposals for giving incentives to special economic zones (SEZs) to revive investor interest in them, the Commerce Ministry is likely to approach the Cabinet on the issue in a last-ditch effort to revive the sagging fortunes of these SEZs.

The Finance Ministry and the Commerce Ministry officials have met a number of times on the issue but without any concrete solution emerging. “There has been no word from the Finance Ministry on the issue despite repeated reminders. Keeping in mind the importance of the issue, we are now contemplating going to the Cabinet directly. It is the Cabinet that will take a final call on the issue,” a senior Commerce Ministry official said.

Ramesh Wants Toilets in All Schools by Mar 2013
Approaches Sibal for a dedicated fund of . 12,000 for every school per yr
URMI A GOSWAMI NEW DELHI

Unhappy over the Planning Commission attempt to convert flagship schemes of the Union Ministry for Rural Development from Centrally-sponsored schemes to additional Central assistance schemes, Minis

A delegation of Delhi farmers met Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh recently to convey their disappointment on the systematic watering down of a draft of the Land Acquisition Bill by the Group of Ministers.

The farmers, who had come together under the banner of Kissan Mahasangh, said while initially land owner had given up surplus land to the landless immediately after Independence to help establish a social set up with equitable assets and opportun- ities, it was ironical that now laws are being made to facilitate accumulation of thousands of acres of land by private companies and individuals.

Days after he kicked up a row by stating that there are more temples than toilets in India, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Sunday urged women not to marry into families that do not

New Delhi In a bid to provide states greater say in formulating social sector programme, the rural development ministry on Thursday proposed setting up a flexi-fund of R40,000 crore of which 70% will be contributed by the Centre during 12th plan period.

The Rural Development Flexi-Fund (RDF) would be available to states as an additional allocation that could be used on existing centrally sponsored schemes of rural development and drinking water and sanitation industries or on the new projects designed by respective states.

New Delhi Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said rehabilitation and resettlement norms included in the new land acquisition Bill would be applied to private land purchases as well.

Ramesh said that in case of private land purchase, the state government would be free to decide the threshold level for application of the provision. The move is expected to increase the cost of land acquisition by private sector players as they would now have to conform to the government stipulated R&R guidelines. The land acquisition Bill was earlier hailed by the industry as it diluted the consent provision for acquisition deals from 80% of the affected persons to two-third and allowed land acquisition by the government for private sector projects set up to serve a larger public purpose.

The finalised draft of the Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (LARR) Bill provides for rehabilitation and resettlement of land owners in all private purchases, but the threshold-level on which this will apply has been left to State governments.

The restriction on amount of irrigated multi-crop land and net sown area available for acquisition has also been left to the discretion of the States. Earlier, the quantity of irrigated multi-cropped land that could be acquired was capped at five per cent.