Amid the furore over misappropriation of funds meant for development, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has proposed bringing all rural development programmes worth about Rs 90,000 crore under the ambit of the government auditor.

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh welcomed the proposition after he met CAG today to discuss the social audit of the government's flagship National Rura

Meeting CAG to ensure states have comprehensive structure, take exercise seriously.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has said states would not be allowed to ignore the findings of the social audits notified recently by his ministry on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Speaking to state representatives at a workshop on the social audit rules, he said as the

Experts question rural development ministry

In order to ensure self help groups better livelihoods opportunities by strengthening them, the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) would be implemented in ten districts of the state that include - Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat, Shahdol, Anuppur, Sheopur, Dhar Jhabua Badwani and Aalirajpur. The NRLM would be implemented by the State Livelihoods Forum.

NEW DELHI, 18 JULY: Seeking to promote self-employment among women, the government has proposed to bring down the interest rate on bank lending to self help groups (SHGs) at par with that on crop loans to farmers and set up a dedicated national bank for women SHG on the lines of NABARD.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday gave Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh the green signal for his proposal to integrate in one bill the provisions for land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement.

After calling on Dr. Singh for the first time since he assumed office, Mr.

Shillong, July 17: Villagers of Khliehriat, a civil subdivision under Jaintia Hills district, about 100km from here, did not know about the existence of the National Family Benefit Scheme, though the same had been introduced throughout the country by the Centre since August 15, 1995, till they were enligtened about it through an interactive meet.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has ordered that the digital photographs of each NREGS work site, complete with its latitude and longitude, should be put on its website in order to ensure transparency.

The instructions were issued on Wednesday, the day after Jairam Ramesh took over as the Union Rural Development Minister.

The Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh will hold consultation with the National Advisory Council (NAC) member N.C.

New Delhi: Jairam Ramesh put Rahul Gandhi and National Advisory Council (NAC) in focus on his first day in the rural development ministry, drafting the Sonia Gandhi-chaired panel in the internal review meetings and pushing the post-padyatra politics by telling the ministry that the land acquisition bill be