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E-pov News:     April 2007 This is the first of a series of informed debates initiated by CSE’s natural resource management and livelihood unit. Planning Commisssion estimates show poverty has reduced in India during 2000-05, more in rural areas than in urban areas. The Indian government and many economists attribute this to high economic growth. But at the same time there are widespread reports of agrarian distress, rural poverty and spats of farmer suicide. Some economists say that growth doesn’t have much impact on poverty reduction. Which side paints a more accurate picture? Do you believe economic growth has really helped reduce poverty? Send us your comments, articles or opinions or directing us towards other studies on the issue. We will circulate the debate generated out of this initiative to members of this newsletter and also publish the results on our website. This will help us towards fostering informed public opinion on policies related to growth and poverty. Send in your views at e-pov@cseindia.org
Inside	Leader: A wake up call Policy Watch: DCs to verify lands for SEZs In Focus: Demystifying latest poverty estimate NREGA Updates: Will NREGA ensure security against hunger? Parliamentary Debate: Development on the agenda Resources: Analysing and achieving pro-poor growth Down To Earth: Read latest stories on poverty and environment
Leader	A wake up call The Planning Commission’s latest poverty estimate shows that poverty reduction has been fast during 2000-2005. But in absolute numbers, it still compares with the figures of the 1990s and to some extent of the 1980s. The estimate clearly brings out the fact that poverty is getting concentrated in areas where people depend more on natural resources for survival.
Policy Watch	DCs to verify lands for SEZs The Union ministry of commerce has asked development commissioners (DC) of special economic zones (SEZs) to physically verify all proposals and find out if the land acquired by developers is vacant and free of legal hassles. States slow down on SEZs After aggressively pushing for setting up SEZs, many states are now going slow on acquiring land. This move comes following protests by farmers and landowners. ADB says SEZ tax sops not necessary In its latest report Asian Development Outlook 2007, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says that the Indian government’s tax sops for SEZs are “unnecessary”. Jharkhand rehabilitation policy makes local consent mandatory To overcome problems of land acquisition and local resistance, the Jharkhand government has decided to create joint partnerships between gram sabhas (village councils), village-level administration and industrial developers such as steel plants. Demand for inclusion of tribal villagers under the 5th Schedule in Andhra NGOs in Andhra Pradesh have demanded inclusion of 805 tribal villages under the 5th Schedule of the Constitution that grants special privileges to the scheduled tribe population. Kerala draft forest policy released In a bid to stop encroachment in forestland, the Kerala government has released a draft forest policy. The policy envisages surveying the forest areas under the control of the government and demarcating them with cairns and kayyalas (mud walls) on a time-bound basis, using Global Positioning System and other tools. Bharat Nirman fails to meet target The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)’s ambitious rural road connectivity programme has failed to meet the target by nearly 54 per cent during the last fiscal (2006-7). As per the target, more than 35,000 km of roads were to be constructed. Grameen Tatkal Scheme by NABARD The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a scheme, which would ensure sanction of loans for rural household within seven days. Standing committee asks for new BPL list The parliamentary standing committee on rural development has asked the government to come out with a fresh below poverty line (BPL) list soon. Has the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme performed? Recent government reports have caste a doubt over the effectiveness of the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP). The Centre and states have spent around Rs 35,600 crore since 1996-97 on the programme, which aims at increasing the irrigation area of the country.
In Focus	Demystifying India’s latest poverty estimate The article discusses numerous questions: has poverty come down? Is poverty becoming chronic? Is inequality/regional disparity increasing and does the poverty estimate reflect the ground situation?
Parliamentary Debate	Development on the agenda As part of its endeavour to bring to you all issues concerning development, E-Pov will now update you on various debates from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. This will not only help you follow parliamentary debates on critical development issues, but will also give you an opportunity to assess your elected law makers.
NREGA Update	Will NREGA ensure security against hunger? Disha, an Ahmedabad-based NGO, has carried out a study across 10 districts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan to assess the impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) on the rural economy. Prayas study on Jatropha plantation as part of NREGA Prayas, a Pune-based NGO, has carried out a study on farmers’ perspectives on Jatropha (bio-fuel crop) plantations in the horticulture programme in Maharashtra, under the employee guarantee scheme.
Resources	Analysing and achieving pro-poor growth An analytical paper from the International Poverty Centre on how to make growth work for the poor and to reduce poverty effectively. Budget analysis and policy advocacy The paper examines the impact and significance of independent budget analysis and advocacy initiatives that are designed to improve budget transparency and the poverty focus of government expenditure priorities. It draws on case study research of six budget groups in Brazil, Croatia, India, Mexico, South Africa and Uganda.
Latest from Down To Earth magazine
	News: Testimonies from Nandigram In mid-March, about 3,000 police personnel forced their way into West Bengal’s Nandigram block, injuring and killing many villagers. Villages in the block, in East Midnapur district, have been resisting the state government’s plan to set up a special economic zone in the area… Read complete article Features: Kerala forms working group on environment The Kerala Planning Board has, for the first time, taken up ‘environment’ as a specific subject for formulating plan proposals to get a “reliable status picture of the state’s environment”. The board has set up a Working Group on Environment for the purpose. Read complete article
	<< E-pov newsletter >> Environment-poverty (E-pov) News is a monthly news bulletin from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)’s Natural Resource Management and Livelihood unit. This provocative bulletin brings you the latest developments on environment, poverty and governance in India and South Asia. It also features community initiatives on livelihood security. The newsletter regularly updates on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and its development effectiveness. E-pov News intends to be a platform for serious dialogue. We invite you to actively participate in this initiative by alerting us to new developments and research on the poverty-environment interface and on NREGA.   For comments, email: e-pov@cseindia.org
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