Greening rural development in India

Latest News from Down To Earth

Green rider for GDP

After using gross domestic product, or GDP, as the universal measurement of economy for six decades, the world has begun looking beyond this gold standard for measuring a country’s economy.

Grains of doubt

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has rejected the food ministry’s suggestion that 25 per cent of wages under the rural employment guarantee programme be paid in foodgrains. Food minister K V Thomas had written to Ramesh early April, suggesting that part of the wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) be paid in kind.

Government Policies and Action Plans

Report of the committee for revision of MGNREGA operational guidelines

The report was prepared by Dr. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission to examine ways in which the Operational Guidelines of MGNREGA could be revised.

Roadmap for the Panchayati Raj (2011-16): an all India perspective

This document discusses the status of Panchayats and approach to roadmap, strengthening democratic functioning of the Panchayats, functions of the Panchayats, functionaries of the Panchayats, Panchayat finances and accounting, e-Panchayat, Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled areas) Act, decentralized governance in the north east states, legal framework & the road ahead.

NREGA and Other Anti-Poverty Programmes

Does India‘s employment guarantee scheme guarantee employment?

This paper examines the performance thus far of MGNREGS in meeting the demand for work across states. It focuses in the scheme‘s ability to reach India‘s rural poor and other identity-based groups, notably backward castes, tribes and takes a closer look at women‘s participation and how this is influenced by the
rationing of work under MGNREGS.

Environment assessment and environment management framework for the National Rural Livelihood Project (NRLP)

This is an environmental assessment study for the proposed National Rural Livelihood Project (NRLP) to be implemented in 100 districts and 400 blocks of 12 Indian states with an aim to increase and sustain income of the poor, especially women.

Community and Natural Resource Management

Livestock sector development for poverty reduction: an economic and policy perspective

Investing in livestock can sustain livelihoods and spur economic growth according to this new book published by FAO. It illustrates that effective policies and institutions are essential for equitable livestock sector development.

Southern revival

<p>While management of natural resources is crucial, micro finance is a catalyst for achieving sustainable agriculture. The experience of HIH shows how micro finance has played a supportive role in the ecological journey of a large number of farmers in Tamil Nadu.<br />
http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/india/2-finance-for-farming...

Rural Development

Participatory poverty assessment through livelihood analysis: An Indian case

Analysis of poverty and its dimensions are various as the ways in which poverty affects the daily sustenance of the poor. Poverty, many a times is simply viewed as an issue of income. What poverty means for the poor is a wide range of dynamic aspects. This paper presents results of analysis that emanate from Participatory Poverty Assessment (PPA) which was conducted in Sohenkhera village, Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. Using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, entire households of the village were covered for the study.

Gender and Poverty

Gender and governance in agricultural extension services: insights from India, Ghana, and Ethiopia

Three out of four poor people in the developing world live in rural areas, and most of them depend—directly or indirectly—on agriculture for their livelihoods. Providing economic services, such as agricultural extension, is essential for using agriculture for development.

Books

Status of NREGA in Chattisgarh: Key issues & hard options

Report on 'NREGA Tribunal' held in Raipur, Chattisgarh on 7th November, 2006. The Tribunal deliberated that NREGA, though a path-breaking programme, has failed to break off the ground, impacting the life of people very minimally.

Poverty & water

A global spread of case studies is used to illustrate that water is not simply an issue of physical scarcity, but rather a complex and politically driven issue with profound future implications, both in the developing world and outside it. The book argues that for the international community to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, governments must step in to protect the rights of the poor.

Enviornment Education