Allocations planned to empower panchayats

October 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Community Radio Station will start functioning at Union Park Residents Association, Khar Bandra, Mumbai. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has has signed a Grant of Permission Agreement for establishing, maintaining and operating a Community Radio Station.

October 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on Friday that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) would be renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Addressing a Panchayati Raj conference here, Singh said the dedication of NREGS to Mahatma Gandhi was a fitting tribute to the Father of the Nation.

October 2nd, 2009 NAGAUR - United Progress Alliance chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that despite efforts there was a deterioration in the rural administration system and villagers' voice was being quietened. She expressed serious concern over increasing bureaucratic activism in the Panchayati Raj.

September 8th, 2009 NEW DELHI - All women in the country would be literate in five years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday while noting that female illiteracy and poor infrastructure were obstructing India's economic growth. The prime minister, who was launching the Rs.65 billion (over $1.3 billion) literacy mission 'Saakshar Bharat', said: In fact, many observers have seen infrastructure development in the economic sector and female literacy in the social sector as two very critical factors that impede Indias steady climb to a higher and sustainable level of growth and development.

August 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved fifty percent reservation for women in panchayats all across the country. "The Cabinet has approved the amendment of Article 243 (d) of the Constitution to reserve 50 per cent of the total number of seats in panchayats filled by direct election for women," said Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni here after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

August 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The cabinet Thursday deferred a decision on raising reservation for women in panchayats to 50 percent from 33 percent as the minister concerned could not be present. "A decision on raising reservations for women in the panchayats could not be taken as the concerned minister (C.P.

August 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Thursday cited a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that says that although 88 percent of the capital's roads are under the civic agency's purview, allocations are meagre" and unjust. According to the CAG report for the year till March 2008: The MCD, which maintained 88 percent of Delhi's road network, received very meagre allocations from the government compared to the PWD (Public Works Department) which maintained only 7.6 percent of the roads.

August 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - India will get the equivalent of about $4.78 billion as its share of International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) worth $250 billion to provide liquidity to the recession hit global economic system. IMF will make the general SDR allocation on Aug 28 following formal approval by its board of governors last week of the proposal to allocate SDRs equivalent to $250 billion to provide liquidity to the global economic system by supplementing the Fund's member countries' foreign exchange reserves.

July 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a bid to improve governance at the grass roots level, the government has decide to extend broadband connectivity to all villages by 2012, Minister of State for Communications and IT Gurudas Kamat said Friday. "Out of about 2.5 lakh gram (village) panchayats across the country, 30,000 have been provided with broadband connectivity, Kamat said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

July 6th, 2009 MUMBAI - The All India Association of Industries (AIAI) has welcomed the hikes in allocations for infrastructure, agriculture and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for exports in the fiscal 2009-10 budget announced Monday, and termed the move as growth-oriented". According to AIAI president Vijay Kalantri, the increased allocation of Rs.5,000 crore for railways, 23 percent for national highways, higher allocation for gas grid, Rs.7,000 crore for rural electrification and 87 percent increase in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission would generate employment and serve as a growth stimulus.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has proposed to substantially enhance the allocations for the Commonwealth Games 2010 from Rs. 2,112 crore in the interim budget to Rs.

June 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee received varied proposals from allied ministries vis-à-vis allocations in the Union Budget that he has planned to present. Among those who submitted the respective ministry's suggestions was Minister of Urban Development, S Jaipal Reddy who called on the Finance Minister here on Tuesday.

March 3rd, 2009 CHENNAI - The economic slowdown will impact allocations to social sectors in the 11th Five-Year Plan, said a top Planning Commission official here Monday. 'The allocations were proposed in the 11th Plan on the assumption that the economy would grow at 9 percent.

February 21st, 2009 JAMMU - Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced Friday that elections to the panchayats or village councils in the state would be held immediately after the Lok Sabha polls this year. Speaking at a public meeting in Sunderbani, about 100 km north of Jammu, Omar Abdullah underscored the importance of Panchayati Raj for addressing the basic needs of the rural populace and ensure integrated development at the grassroots level.

February 2nd, 2009 JAIPUR - The Congress had always upheld the cause of weaker sections and farmers and would continue trying to empower them, party president Sonia Gandhi said here Tuesday. Addressing a rally to thank Congress workers who had helped bring the party back to power in the state, Gandhi said: 'When the Congress was in power in the state, we had taken up the cause of farmers and weaker sections of the society.