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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 |
| Inside | |
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Policy Watch: Make agriculture more profitable, says PM
In Focus: New policy on voluntary sector announced
NREGA Updates: Standard wages for all development programmes
Special: CSE coverage of NREGA
Resources: How will agriculture adapt to a shifting climate?
Down To Earth: Read latest stories on poverty and environment
| Leader | |
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Tenets of a second Green RevolutionThe idea of a second Green Revolution has got an official stamp. While preparing for the 11th Five-Year Plan recently, the National Development Council convened a special meeting on the overall agriculture scenario of the country, particularly in rainfed areas. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was categorical: “We need a second Green Revolution with a focus on rainfed areas. The first one has developed technology fatigue.”
| Policy Watch | |
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Make agriculture more profitable, says PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will undertake a tour of six states in July 2007 to enhance farm sector productivity and make agriculture more profitable and sustainable in dryland and rainfed areas.
Rs 150 crore for tribal forest villages
The government has allocated Rs 150 crore for development of forest villages during 2007-08. The move will accelerate development and bridge existing gaps in these areas. The 2,474 villages are spread across Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Orissa, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Cash, not bonds, for recapitalising regional rural banks
In a consultative committee meeting with the Reserve Bank of India and National Bank for Rural Development in April 2007, the Union ministry of finance acknowledged Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) as important agents of financial inclusion. On the occasion, the ministry announced that RRBs should be recapitalised as cash and not as bonds.
Cashew prices fall due to closure of processing units
Cashewnut prices have dropped by 30-35 per cent over the last three months in Palasa, the largest cashew market in Andhra Pradesh. This is due to the closure notices issued by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, asking operators to change the processing system from the existing roasting method to the steam boiling method.
Dwindling wheat output threatens India’s food security
Low production of wheat over the last couple of years is threatening India’s food security. Wheat production has come down from 76 million tones (MT) during 1999-2000 to 74 MT during 2007-08.
Gender mandate to deal with panchayat related issues
The Union ministry of panchayati raj has initiated the Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan -- a movement to strengthen women elected to panchayati raj institutions. This programme is being run under the guidance of National Commission for Women’s project titled ‘Chalo gaon ki ore’.
Water resources ministry starts work on water bodies in 15 states
The National Project for Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies completed work on 619 water bodies till March 2007. The Union ministry of water resources has approved district projects for repair, renovation and restoration of 1,098 water bodies in 15 states at an estimated cost of Rs 299.92 crore.
Parliamentary committee observes lack of growth in village industries
Inadequate research and development activities, lack of proper monitoring mechanism and standardisation of products are hampering the growth and development of village industries, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry has observed.
PM announces Rs 25,000-crore plan for agricultural sector
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced a Rs 25,000-crore package for boosting the farm sector. The package encourages states to come up with localised solutions for problems faced by the agricultural sector.
Maharashtra to conduct poverty survey of tribals
The Maharashtra government will conduct a poverty survey of tribals during the monsoon season this year. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Maharashtra Janajati Sallagar Parishad -- an advisory body on tribal affairs -- held in June 2007.
Punjab to allow shifting of paddy crop after June 15
The Punjab government may pass an Act whereby the summer paddy crop will only be transplanted after June 15 every year. The Act also seeks barring of farmers from sowing paddy before May 10, and penalising those who breach any of the provisions.
Rising interest rates affect micro-finance sector
The recent hike in Reserve Bank of India interest rates has led to micro-finance institutions revising their interest rates as well. With ICCI Bank’s micro-finance associate KAS Foundation increasing its rate of interest from 18-21 per cent to 21-24 per cent, other institutions are under pressure to follow suit.
Rural business hubs to be empowered
In a bid to promote rural business hubs, the Union ministry of panchayati raj has encouraged the convergence of state and central government extant schemes, as well as financing institutions/banks with decentralised rural production units through the intermediation of panchayats.
Assets and liabilities must for BPL status
In a revamp of guidelines defining individuals below poverty line (BPL), the government will take into account future liabilities and assets, and not just incomes. This revision may increase the number of BPL families in India from the 22-23 crore estimated in 2002 by the Union ministry of rural development.
| In Focus | |
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New policy on voluntary sector announcedThe National Policy on the Voluntary Sector announced by the Union Cabinet in May 2007 has set the ball rolling for the recognition of the efforts made by a plethora of organisations engaged in this sector. Regarded as the first policy on the voluntary sector, the expectations from this document are visibly high. Resting on a debate for need for legitimacy for the sector, the policy elaborates a process to evolve a new working relationship between the government and the voluntary sector
Download policy document
| NREGA Update |
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Standard wages for all development programmes The Centre has asked all states to set wages paid under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and other development programmes in accordance with the minimum wages fixed under the Minimum Wages Act.
Tea gardens to come under NREGA The Centre has announced the inclusion of tea garden workers, who have been rendered jobless due to the closure of tea gardens in West Bengal, under NREGA.
Migration continues despite NREGA The Ranchi administration has sought a revision of wage structure of labourers employed under NREGA. Despite being provided employment, villagers choose to migrate to bigger towns and cities.
NREGA beneficiaries pay a cut to local party workersVillagers employed under NREGA in Rajasthan’s Udaipur district pay Rs 2 from their day’s earning of Rs 60 to local party workers as a job guarantee. Earning an average Rs 150-200 every fortnight, the toll levied by party workers ensures a steady flow of work for the villagers.
Workers prefer NREGA to industry Villagers in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, prefer to work under NREGA rather than at local industries. Numerous factors are responsible for this trend. These include work security, regular pay, closer proximity to villages and hassle free work conditions offered by NREGA.
| Special: CSE coverage of NREGA |
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Panchayati raj: Half a cheer for democracy There is a great push to make panchayats the fulcrum of rural development in India. But 16 years after this third tier of governance was created, it has not got its due. The future of rural development will depend on how state governments devolve real power to panchayats.
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme does not work as envisagedCivil society groups Asha Parivar and National Alliance of People’s Movements conducted a social audit of NREGA schemes in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district in December 2006. The NGOs later brought out a factsheet, which listed a number of irregularities. Further explorations by Down To Earth confirmed the findings of the audit.
Bundelkhand in grip of severe droughtBundelkhand has been reeling under intense drought for the last five years. The current spell is the longest and most severe in the region's history. A plummeting water table, crop failure and the resultant indebtedness have already driven hundreds of farmers to suicide. And life is tough for those who survive.
Employment guarantee scheme not in sync with Mastapur's needs Residents of Mastapur village in Madhya Pradesh’s Tikamgarh district thought of NREGA as a means of renovating their local tank to tide over a four-year-long drought. For, under NREGA, water conservation gets top priority. But hopes disappeared soon: instead, the village got a kachcha road, which is hardly commutable.
Rajasthan tackles drought through pokharsRajasthan’s Karauli district has been reeling under drought for the last four years. To tackle this, people are reviving pokhars -- 200-year-old traditional water harvesting systems. Villagers are also talking about using NREGA for large-scale revival of pokhars in the district.
| Resources | |
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Measuring backwardnessThe Planning Commission, in consultation with the Union ministry of rural development, has ranked 447 districts of India on an index of backwardness. Find out the status of your district.
How will agriculture adapt to a shifting climate? A reportGlobal climate change poses serious risks to farmers in developing countries, says a report by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Agriculture is closely related to natural resources and climate conditions. Therefore, it will feel the impact of climate change.
Climate Change affecting future food availability Climate change will directly affect food availability in the future and compound the difficulties of feeding the world’s rapidly growing population, the Food and Agricultural Organisation said in a statement at the inauguration of a UN climate change conference in Nairobi recently.
At-a-glance: The Stern Review on Climate ChangeA report compiled by Sir Nicholas Stern for the UK government examines the evidence of the economic impacts of climate change, and explores the economics of stabilising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Billions face famine as world heats upA paper titled, ‘Global mean temperature and impact on ecosystems, food production, water and socio economic systems’, reveals that as global warming takes place within the next 50 years, the number of people at risk from hunger will increase and another 1.5 billion will face water shortages.
Urgent need for rice that tolerates climate change Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute have warned that research is urgently needed to develop new rice varieties that will grow well in a world affected by global warming.
Water, work, and women in rural IndiaThe government recognised the need to involve rural communities in managing water resources only in the last decade. However, the women of Gujarat had begun taking their first steps toward self-governance in water issues much earlier…
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Caste discrimination at work place, says ILO reportAn International Labour Organisation (ILO) report on discrimination at work place, which says that dalits in India are denied jobs, has evoked mixed reactions from trade union leaders and activists.
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Kunds get undesirable makeover in RajasthanPeople in Rajasthan’s Churu district as well as in Bikaner and Sikar harvest rainwater in kunds: dome shaped structures over an underground tank. Traditionally constructed of lime, which acted as a disinfectant, they are now made of cement and have flat roofs.
Read complete article
Rajasthan villages stop mining on grazing landsRajasthan’s Bhilwara district has stopped mining, as it had rendered the area’s grazing lands barren. Though few residents continue to lease their private land, the commons are now closed to any such activities.
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