Public Funds News - India Together

MGNREGA
What's working, what's not

The uneven performance of MGNREGA in the task of rural asset generation requires a careful comparison of the decision making processes involved in those cases where the works undertaken have produced value and where it has failed to, writes Pavan Kulkarni.

Agriculture Labour Issues

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PROGRESS UNDER NREGA

Jharkhand looks at better planning to aid NREGA outcomes A three-day planning process undertaken as part of a state-wide campaign called “Yojana Banao Abhiyan” to plan for NREGA implementation in every village in Jharkhand has sensitized the people and authorities to the potential of the scheme and recharged local democratic institutions. Ankita Aggarwal reports.

Labour Issues Government JHARKHAND

CAG REPORT

Making public audits count A report published by Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA) on the institution of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), its auditing and reporting process falls short in many aspects, writes Himanshu Upadhyaya.

Government

KARNATAKA IRRIGATION PROJECTS

15 years, and hardly any lessons learnt! Successive audits of irrigation projects in Karnataka over the years, starting with a report from the CAG for the year ending 31 March 2001, have repeatedly pointed to missed targets, wasted expenditure and negligible benefits. Himanshu Upadhyaya presents the findings from the most recent audits.

Water Government

RURAL EMPLOYMENT

The slow destruction of NREGA: Evidence from Jharkhand Wage delays, inadequate manpower and the indifference of authorities to real issues on the ground are stripping the employment guarantee programme of its strong potential to improve rural lives, and budget cuts have only made it worse. Ankita Aggarwal reports from Jharkhand.

Livelihood Government

EMERGENCY CARE ON TRAINS

Mr Prabhu, here’s one thing every traveller on Indian Railways needs The Rail Budget this year has been hailed for its pragmatic approach and emphasis on modernisation and customer experience. Tanvi Bhatikar raises a critical issue that needs to be addressed in order to deliver on those fronts.

Government Health

BUDGET SIMPLIFIED

Budget 2015: Does it have enough to turn vision into reality? What could the taxes, allocations and schemes in Arun Jaitley’s budget ultimately mean for the country and its people? Shankar Jaganathan takes a bird’s eye view of the government’s most anticipated annual document for the year.

Economy Government

ECONOMY

Highlights from the Union Budget 2015 Expansion of social security benefits, focus on infrastructure, easing of fiscal deficit targets and rationalisation of the tax structure - these were some of the most prominent features of Arun Jaitley's budget. A look at some of the provisions:

Economy Government

RAILWAY BUDGET 2015

A broad vision for a better experience Four goals, five drivers and 11 thrust areas formed the framework for Suresh Prabhu’s railway budget, otherwise shorn of big ticket announcements or details about the nitty gritty of execution. Here’s a look at some key announcements in the Budget speech.

Economy Government

SHANTA KUMAR COMMITTEE REPORT

Is this committee overestimating leakages in ration to curb the food security act? The report of a high level committee under BJP MP Shanta Kumar proposes radical restructuring of the PDS and reduced coverage of the food security act. But is the estimate of leakages in the report flawed in itself? Shambhu Ghatak presents alternative findings.

Food Security Government

LESSONS FROM THE SEZ EXPERIENCE

Why easy land is no guarantee of industrial growth It’s like a scam unnoticed: even after access to over 45000 hectares of land, with massive tax exemptions and holidays, the SEZ experience has been a sorry story. Devinder Sharma discusses the flaws in the government’s economic reasoning and insists on accountability.

Economy Devinder Sharma Land Ground Reality

CAG PERFORMANCE AUDIT

SEZ today, gone tomorrow! In six states of India, close to 5500 hectares of land acquired for 52 SEZs were subsequently de-notified and diverted for commercial purposes! Himanshu Upadhyaya draws attention to this and other findings in the CAG audit of SEZ performance, which leave several questions unanswered.

Government Displacement Land

SWACHH BHARAT

Those brooms may not be enough to clean our waste! The success of ‘spot fixes’ and initiatives by independent resident-collectives or organisations in cleaning up urban spaces and dumping spots has been noteworthy, but a long-term plan for solving waste issues in Indian cities needs more. Pooja Ramamurthi explains.

Waste Cities Government

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Amitabha Basu

Retired Scientist
National Physical
Laboratory
India Together reader

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