The government is planning to spend Rs 17 billion on special measures to alleviate poverty and address the issue of unemployment in the province, said Punjab Minister Haji Muhammad Ishaq on Wednesday.

SEEN from the harsh, real world of the urban poor, the paper realm of dry statistical models would seem planets away. The irony is, this is an accurate map of the distance from the other end too. After innumerable studies, we still have no fix on the number of urban poor in India.

TELECOM AND NETWORK CONNECTIVITY have widely been seen as enablers of a nation's socio-economic growth; a McKinsey study cites that a 10 per cent increase in teledensity contributes to 0.6 per cent of GDP growth. Though urban India is reaping the benefits of the telecom revolution, rural teledensity is still low, at only 8 per cent.

AGRICLUTURE

Real growth stems from real reforms, not inaction. The success of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh validates the principle that sustained reforms and investment in health and infrastructure bring investments that create jobs and markets enabling prosperity.

Warangal Sept.

BISWANATH CHARIALI, Sept 16: The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was formally inaugurated in Biswanath Development Block under Biswanath Subdivision by the Biswanath SDO Vishal Solanki recently.
The programme commenced with the planting of a sapling under social forestation scheme for the year 2008-09 at Farsiati Idgah Maidan at a function, chaired by Kumalia GP president Amizul Haque.
An amount of Rs 5 lakh has been allotted for this scheme.

The government yesterday launched a 100-day employment generation scheme for 20 lakh hardcore poor across the country to mitigate their sufferings during lean season.

Under the programme, one person of a family will get Tk 100 per working day against his/her labour to be utilised in different types of projects like canal digging, embankment building, earth filling, pond cleaning and compost making.

The total number of people brought under the programme worth Tk 2,000 crore is about 5 percent of the total number of extreme poor at over 4 crore.

The Tamilnadu Government under the Leadership of Dr. Kalaignar Karunanidhi It has been two years since Dr. Kalaignar Karunanidhi took I over as Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. During these two I years, the state has made rapid strides in all sectors of the economy. Even as steps were taken to develope the industrial profile of the state, the government did not neglect the common man.

TIRUCHI: Over 3.06 lakh persons have registered for jobs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in Tiruchi district.

Over 843 works, at an estimated cost of Rs.31.85 crore, have been taken up under the scheme, implemented in all the 408 village panchayats of the district, Collector T. Soundiah said.

Mihir Shah & Pramathesh Ambasta

The success of NREGA social audits in Andhra Pradesh covering 12 million people is a brilliant example of civil society action enriching mainstream politics.