Mr Goutam Chakraborty, who was elected as the sabhadhipati of Malda Zilla Parishad with the support of the Trinamul Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), finally completed his five-year tenure despite protests by a majority of the Opposition. He had to face problems to run the board, failing to prove majority for passing its annual budgets, on more than one occasion. There was also a misunderstanding among the associate members of the Zilla Parishad belonging to the Congress, Trinamul and the BJP.

NORTH LAKHIMPUR, April 29

Over the two years since it became operational, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) of 2005 has had a positive impact on the lives of millions of people across the poorest districts in the country. The Act, which guarantees 100 days of employment per household at minimum wage, is the first piece of legislation that compels the state to provide a social safety net for impoverished rural households. Till March 31, 2008, the Scheme had covered 330 districts across different States. From April 1, 2008, it has covered the entire country.

West Bengal has failed to meet targets set for several Central projects commissioned for rural development. The annual report of the Union ministry for rural development debunks claims of the CPI-M led state government that it has undertaken extensive development in rural areas. Projects where the state has failed include: n employment for villagers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) for 100 days; n construction of roads in rural areas to link unconnected habitations under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Bharat Nirman schemes, and

SILAPATHAR

FOR some years now, the Budget speeches of the Finance Minister have been impressive exercises in the art of rhetoric, that is, of verbal persuasion without reference to reality.

Just when everybody thought he would zoom away in his bullet-proof BMW, Rahul Gandhi walked towards the side of the road

To create awareness among the rural masses on the benefits of the National Rural Employment Assurance Act (NREGA), an awareness meeting was organized by the Biswanath Civil Administration yesterday at

Temjen Kaba, president Ao Senden on March 26 urged all local bodies of Mokokchung district to improve proper coordination with the implementing agencies of different flagship schemes on Bharat Nirman