The expenditure squeeze being enforced for 2012-13 and the likely freezing of the Budget size for 2013-14 could impact many welfare schemes run by the ministry of rural development (MRD) the most, although the UPA's showpiece Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) might be spared.

With economic prospects deteriorating more than initially expected by the government, the finance ministry is cutting down the budgetary allocation for this fiscal to popular schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Indira Awaas Yojana and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) by 20-25%, sources said. These cut would be seen in the revised estimate in the Budget.

Rainwater harvesting, installing pumpsets, generators and RO systems, part of the plan

A Rs.40-crore contingency plan has been worked out to face the impending water scarcity during summer, the District planning Committee was informed on Thursday. Rajendra Prasad, Assistant Director, Panchayats, said that apprehending serious drinking water shortage during March-April, District Collector Jayashree Muralidharan had utilised various funds solely for tackling the issue. As much as Rs.37 crore had already been spent for drinking water facilities alone.

An anti-poverty project to transform the lives of ultra poor families has failed to make an impact and increase the net income of the targeted families in Medak district in the State at the end of four years.

The project sponsored by the World Bank and the Ford Foundation was aimed at graduating 426 households from extreme poverty to a more stable state by enabling them establish micro-enterprises through regular cash flows. The households without a male earning member and having ownership of less than an acre of land were selected in 103 villages for implementing the project.

The Government today signed a $60-million loan agreement with the World Bank to improve watershed operations in seven districts of Karnataka.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Sunday blamed companies in countries with GM technology-driven agriculture, like the United States, for the opposition to GM crops in India, adding that they don't want the country to be self-sufficient in food, especially oils.

"In the US, the entire soyabean production is done with genetically modified (GM) technology. India has to import edible oils worth Rs 60,000 crore. There is growing opposition to GM technology here, though it helps to increase productivity as is evident from our cotton experience. You have adopted GM in your country but you don't let that happen in India. This is not proper and it is alarming," said Pawar.

The direct cash transfer scheme is not a “jaadu ki chhadi” (magic wand) to reform a “broken down” delivery system and problems are there in its implementation, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday.

“It (Direct Benefits Transfer Scheme) is not a single ‘jaadu ki chhadi’ (magic wand). It is an experiment. The world's largest experiment in administrative reforms,” he told reporters.

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday pitched for inclusion of green objectives and guidelines in the various social sector schemes of the rural development ministry like the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme, Integrated Watershed Development Programme and Indira Awas Yojana.

“With an annual budget of around R75,000 crore, the ministry of rural development's schemes have an immense potential to contribute to the goal of sustainable poverty reduction and efficient use of natural resources,” Ramesh said while releasing a UNDP report on ‘Greening Rural Development in India’.

Each of our schemes must incorporate ecological objectives, says Jairam; report, co-authored with UNDP, looks at what needs to be done

To make important rural development programmes more environment-friendly, the ministry of rural development, along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on Friday released a report defining ‘green’ outcomes for major government schemes and outlined strategies for inclusive and sustainable development. Titled ‘Greening rural development in India’, it looks at improving the quality of ecosystems, enabling sustainable livelihoods, strengthening the resilience of local communities to enable them to recover from extreme weather events and reducing ecological footprint through efficient use of energy, material and natural resources.