The flagship programmes of the UPA government in the social sector have had little impact. Spending has been between 25 and 75 per cent in many schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana, the rural housing scheme, the rural electrification scheme and the rural health programme.

Irrigation statistics have come under scrutiny.

Unlike the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), under the UPA government appears to be on track, with better utilisation of funds by majority of the states.

The programme was launched on December 25, 2000, as a fully funded, centrally sponsored scheme to provide all-weather road connectivity in rural areas.

The Rural Development Ministry has allowed the Central Employment Guarantee Council (CEGC), the apex monitoring agency of the NREGS, to lapse on the completion of its tenure in September last year.

Bhubaneswar: Cost of living in rural Odisha was one of the lowest in the country even as the state government claimed reduction in poverty by 11.73 between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

This was part of the Economic Survey 2010-11 report presented at the State Assembly here on Monday.

The cost of living in urban Odisha also used to be lower than the rest of India in the past.

This is, however, no

NEW DELHI, 15 FEB: The absence of programme

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Opposition MLAs mounted an attack on the State government over the

Last month, at the IIT-Bombay techfest, Utkarsh, the winners were local, rural and low-cost technologies: Parvin Kumar and Abhishek Ranjan won Rs 50,000 for designing a Rs 32,000 bio-fuel machine that can produce enough gas to cook three meals a day for a family of six.

LUCKNOW: The state budget 2011-12 needs be analysed in the backdrop of 12th Finance Commission's targets on six indicators, which all states are required to achieve.

Giving monuments and memorials a miss this year, the state government presented a tax-free, but deficit budget on Tuesday promising development of all sections of the society.

Finance Minister Lalji Verma, who presented state budget in Vidhan Sabha, called it a financial document aimed at