Rural Households

Only 30% Indian districts get CSR funding for development needs: Study

The report says its findings show a stark divergence between needs and actual CSR funding, which indicates that CSR strategies are often driven by corporate convenience or compliance motives

India's household consumption set to pick up in 2-3 quarters: Report

The overall household consumption is set to pick up in the next two to three quarters on rural strength, a Swiss brokerage said on Tuesday. Softened inflation, which boosts purchasing power, improving crop outlook on good monsoons and a USD 20 billion social welfare spends on women are set to strengthen rural consumption, UBS Securities said in a report. Urban consumption will "stabilise" on aspects like RBI's rate cuts, USD 10 billion of policy stimulus through personal income tax changes and improved availability of credit, it said. "Even as rural activity is gaining traction, we believe it is still too early to expect a broad-based recovery in household consumption, as rural consumption accounts for less than half a percentage share of the total," its chief India economist Tanvee Gupta Jain said. "In our base case, we expect overall household consumption to start picking up over the next 2-3 quarters as rural consumption strengthens," she said. There is a "divide" within rural

Surprised that PESA implementation not completed yet: Parliamentary panel

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj on Monday said it is surprised to note that even after almost 30 years of passing the PESA Act, its implementation has not been completed yet. In an action taken report tabled in Parliament on Monday, the committee, which is headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, said that many states still lack the necessary rules and important laws related to land, forests and minerals, which are not fully aligned with PESA. The committee in its report noted the steps taken by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for the effective implementation of the provisions of Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, commonly known as the PESA Act. "The committee is surprised to note that even after almost 30 years of passing the PESA Act, its implementation has not been completed yet. Many states still lack the necessary rules and important laws related to land, forests, and minerals which are not fully aligned wit

Jal Jeevan Mission hit by water scarcity, terrain, and fund delays: Govt

Water scarcity, difficult terrain, and delays in state funding are among the key hurdles slowing down the government's flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) that aims to provide tap water to every rural household, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. The deadline of Jal Jeevan Mission was extended from 2024 to 2028 in the last budget. In a written response, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna said several states have reported constraints such as lack of dependable water sources in drought-prone and desert regions, groundwater contamination, scattered rural habitations, and delays in obtaining statutory clearances. Rising construction costs and limited technical capacity at the local level have further impacted the pace of implementation, he said. Some states have also failed to release their matching share of funds on time, leading to bottlenecks in ongoing projects. To overcome these issues, Somanna said the Centre has launched initiatives like the Nal Jal Mitra programme to t

Swachh Bharat Mission completes 10 years: What Phase II looks like

Over 250,000 Gram Panchayats in India are preparing for digital transformation of their cleanliness model with e-GramSwaraj platform

4.5% more households demand work under MGNREGA in June, shows data

Kharif acreage was almost 11 per cent more than last year till June 30 while paddy acreage was nearly 48 per cent more than the same period last year

74% rural households expect income growth in 1 year: Nabard survey

Forecast of 'above normal' southwest monsoon in 2025 that would boost farm growth and rising consumption demand in rural India has fuelled the positive change in the rural sector

Centre urges states to expedite tap water connections for 40 mn rural homes

The Centre is actively engaging with states that have yet to achieve 100 per cent tap water connection coverage for rural households, Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference here, the minister acknowledged that the 2024 deadline for ensuring tap water access in rural India has passed. "There are still four crore households without tap water connections. The ministry is in discussions with the respective states and has urged them to expedite the process," he said. Official data reveals that 79 per cent (15,37,22,950) of rural households have been provided with tap water connections so far. Over 19 crore rural households have been identified for coverage. Among the states, West Bengal has the lowest coverage at 53.9 per cent, followed by Kerala at 54.13 per cent, Jharkhand at 54.62 per cent and Rajasthan at 54.95 per cent, according to the data. Eleven states and Union territories have achieved 100 per cent coverage of tap water connections un

Smart villages should be built on the line of smart cities: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday made a case for building smart villages on the line smart cities. Speaking at the 42nd Convocation of School of Planning and Architecture, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said, "In urban areas we are making smart city... why we are not thinking on the line that how we should make smart village. "So that thing is in my mind. I am also making a smart village. A plot of 1,000 square feet, a house of 500 square feet in Rs 5 lakh... and for entire life the electricity and water are free," the minister said. He further said that knowledge is very important and added that the conversion of knowledge into wealth is the future of the country. The educated manpower, he said, will play a major role in the prime minister's vision of making India a 5 trillion-dollar economy and self-reliant. "I always say that in every profession knowledge is very important. Besides, the presence of mind and experience are equally important," he ...

Goa govt aims to create 11,000 Lakhpati Didis this financial year

With the implementation of schemes for livelihood in rural areas, the Goa government has set a target of having at least 11,000 'Lakhpati Didis' in the state by the end of the current financial year, an official said on Tuesday. Deepali Naik, project director of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), said under the Goa State Rural Livelihood Mission, 3,804 self-help groups (SHGs) have been formed, covering 48,306 members. "The SHGs are supported with Rs 1,952.78 lakh from the community investment fund (CIF) released through village organisations (VOs) and revolving fund of Rs 828.04 lakh," she said. A Lakhpati Didi is a member of a self-help group (SHG) who earns an annual household income of more than Rs 1 lakh. Naik said 184 village organisations have received start-up funds of Rs 137.49 lakh, and 791 SHGs have availed bank loans amounting to Rs 3,646.96 lakh. The GSRLM has created self-employment, livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities for 23,556 SHG members, she

65 mn rural families involved in dairying need to be in co-op sector: Shah

Union minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that 6.5 crore rural families involved in milk production are outside the ambit of the cooperative sector and face exploitation as they are not getting a fair price. Shah said that only 1.5 crore out of 8 crore rural families involved in dairy farming are part of the cooperative sector and asked the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to ensure that they all get the full value of their produce. The Union Cooperation Minister addressed a function in Anand, Gujarat, to mark the Diamond Jubilee Year of NDDB and the birth anniversary of Tribhuvandas Patel, the founder of the AMUL cooperative. "Today 8 crore rural families produce milk daily, however, only 1.5 crore have joined the cooperative sector. This means the remaining 6.5 crore are still being exploited, they are not getting a fair price. Many times, they have to throw away milk," Shah said. Our job is to ensure that all 8 crore farmers get the full value of their hard work through th

Rural households' indebtedness rose between 2016-17 and 2021-22: Nabard

The average monthly expenditure of rural households also increased during the five years from Rs 6,646 in 2016-17 to Rs 11,262 in 2021-22

Retail inflation rates for farm, rural workers ease to 6.17%, 6.2% in July

Retail inflation rates for farm and rural workers eased to 6.17 per cent and 6.20 per cent, respectively, in July. The retail inflation rates for farm and rural workers were 7.02 per cent and 7.04 per cent, respectively, in June this year. The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and for rural labourers (CPI-RL) registered an increase of 10 points each in July, reaching 1,290 and 1,302, respectively, a labour ministry statement said. The CPI-AL and CPI-RL were 1,280 points and 1,292 points, respectively, a year ago. According to the statement, year-on-year inflation rates based on CPI-AL and CPI RL for July were recorded at 6.17 per cent and 6.20 per cent, compared to 7.43 per cent and 7.26 per cent in July, 2023. The corresponding figures for June 2024 were 7.02 per cent for CPI-AL and 7.04 per cent for CPI-RL.

Worked a lot on AI... By '30, biz will be 3x current size: Shriram Life CEO

He talks about its growth roadmap, industry outlook, and the need to remove GST on life insurance in achieving insurance for all by 2047

Cabinet approves construction of 20 million new houses in rural areas

These would be at the existing per unit assistance levels of Rs 120,000 in the plains and Rs 130,000 in the hills

77% rural households provided with tap water connections: Govt data

About 77 per cent or 14.88 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections till now, according to official data. There are a total of 19.31 crore rural households in the country, according to official data by the Jal Jeevan Mission. According to official data, 14,88,16,184 out of a total of 19,31,21,778 rural households have been provided with a tap water connection so far. Eleven states and Union Territories (UT) have achieved 100 per cent coverage in rural areas, the data showed. A total of 16 states and UTs have tap water coverage between 75-100 per cent and five states have coverage of 50-75 per cent. Rajasthan and West Bengal have below 50 per cent coverage, according to the data. Jal Jeevan Mission, launched in 2019, aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

India's unemployment rate in 2023 dropped to 3.1%, shows NSO data

Since the quarterly samples are drawn independently, estimates of labour force indicators for a calendar year have been obtained by combining the data from the four quarters of the calendar year

At Rs 200K, Centre to provide 67% more to build rural homes in plains

Budget documents also showed that for houses that will be being built in hilly and north-eastern states, the per unit allocation has now been enhanced to Rs 220,000 as against the earlier Rs 130,000

Budget 2024: FM promises 20 mn more rural houses, hikes MGNREGA allocation

But no increase in PM-KISAN amount surprises experts

Haryana approves waiver of outstanding water charges for rural households

In a decision aimed at providing relief to rural households, the Haryana cabinet on Wednesday approved to waiving off outstanding water charges, including surcharge and interest, amounting to Rs 372.13 crore. This decision will extend relief to a substantial 28.87 lakh water connection holders in rural areas across the state, an official statement said. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. However, this waiver does not extend to institutional, commercial or industrial consumers falling under the Public Health Engineering Department, the statement said. The cabinet has approved the waiver of water charges amounting to Rs 336.35 crore, accumulated from April 1, 2015, to December 31, 2022, for all types of consumers in villages and rural areas. This encompasses the general category as well as the Scheduled Castes categories, it said. "In addition, the cabinet has accorded approval for the waiver of surcharge and interest totaling Rs 37.93 crore on wa