Welfare Economy

Assam CM meets PM Modi, briefs him about state's welfare schemes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apprise him of the progress made in various socio-economic indicators and welfare schemes in the state. "Had the privilege of calling upon Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji in New Delhi today", the Chief Minister posted on 'X'. "Briefed him on Assam's notable strides across socio-economic indicators and the near saturation of major welfare schemes", he added. Sarma said he also conveyed "on behalf of the people of Assam, our anticipation to welcome him on 8th September a moment that will mark another milestone in our state's development journey". The PM is scheduled to visit Assam on September 8 to inaugurate the year-long celebration of Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary and dedicate the nation's first bio-ethanol plant at Numaligarh in Golaghat district.

Here's why outdated census data threatens India's vast welfare programmes

The bureaucratic challenge of organising the world's biggest census is immense

A Tightrope Between Markets and Welfare: David Engerman on India’s Economic Choices

In this exclusive conversation, historian David C. Engerman, author of Apostles of Development, joins Ankur Bhardwaj to discuss the economists who shaped South Asia’s postcolonial development.

Govt aims for poverty-free villages through welfare schemes: Shivraj Singh

Asserting that the Centre is working to ensure 'poverty-free' villages, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday appealed to the people to take full benefits of all social welfare schemes. Addressing an event in which 55,000 houses built across Assam under the PM Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G) were handed over to the beneficiaries, Chouhan underlined the need for empowering women. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre was working to serve people rather than "grabbing power". He said the government is focusing on ensuring 'poverty-free' villages, and the various welfare schemes will enable it. Lauding Assam's progress in PMAY-G, Chouhan said that 3.76 lakh more houses will be built in the state under the scheme in the current financial year. He also launched the 'Lakhimi Mistri' scheme, aimed at equipping women with masonry skills to enhance employment opportunities. Chouhan also virtually inaugurated 21 knowledge centres built across the state under

Govt marginally expands Budget for social justice, disability welfare

The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has received Rs 13,611 crore in the Union Budget announced on Saturday, while the allocation for disability welfare now stands at Rs 1,275 crore. This is a 35.75 per cent rise in allocation over the revised estimate for the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2024-25, which stood at Rs 10,026.40 crore. The allocation for the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in the Union Budget 2025-26 was 9.22 per cent more than the revised estimate of the ongoing fiscal which is Rs 1167.27 crore. In this year's Budget, the government has allocated Rs 472 crore under the Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers Scheme (SHREYAS) for Scheduled Castes, covering programmes like the National Fellowship for SCs (Rs 212 crore), Free Coaching for SCs and OBCs (Rs 20 crore), Top Class Education for SCs (Rs 110 crore), and National Overseas Scholarship for SCs (Rs 130 crore). A separate allocation of Rs 250.13 cro

Meghalaya in 2024: $100 bn economy vision, majority for NPP, killer flood

Declaration of the vision for a USD 100-billion economy by 2047, the NPP securing majority, a devastating flood wreaking havoc as well as the unearthing of a multi-crore road project scam Meghalaya remained witness to a year of myriad developments in 2024. Hoisting the tri-colour at the Polo Grounds here on the occasion of Independence Day, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had unveiled the 'Viksit Meghalaya', the roadmap for a USD 100-billion economy by 2047. "I aspire for a 'Viksit Meghalaya' a USD 100-billion economy by 2047 when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our statehood and the country's 100 years of independence," Sangma had said. In August this year, the National People's Party (NPP) got a shot in the arm when three out of the total four Congress MLAs joined the ruling party, increasing its strength to 31 in the 60-member assembly. The NPP secured a majority on its own in Meghalaya, which is ruled by a coalition, comprising other parties such as the UDP and BJP. Forme

India's top economic moments in 2024: Women welfare to foreign inflows

Year ender 2024: India has maintained its position as the fifth-largest economy and continues to be one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Here's how 2024 panned out for the country

Women-centric welfare schemes account for 0.5% of India's GDP in FY25

The credit for the largest allocation in the budget for the cash transfer to women goes to Maharashtra, which has earmarked $5.4 billion, accounting for 1.1 per cent of the state's GDP

e-Shram database now a 'One Stop Solution' for unorganised workforce

According to various estimates, there are roughly 500 million unorganised workers in the country

Govt working on welfare and social security benefits for gig workers

A new version of the E-shram portal (E-shram 2.0) will also be launched in the coming week, which will ensure the onboarding of platform workers onto the portal, said Mandaviya

Alberto Fujimori, Peru's ex prez dies at 86 after tumultuous tenure

Alberto Fujimori, whose decade-long presidency began with triumphs righting Peru's economy and defeating a brutal insurgency only to end in a disgrace of autocratic excess that later sent him to prison, has died. He was 86. His death Wednesday in the capital, Lima, was announced by his daughter Keiko Fujimori in a post on X. He had been pardoned in December from his convictions for corruption and responsibility for the murder of 25 people. His daughter said in July that he was planning to run for Peru's presidency for the fourth time in 2026. The former university president and mathematics professor emerged from obscurity to win Peru's 1990 elections over writer Mario Vargas Llosa. He took over a country ravaged by runaway inflation and guerrilla violence, mending the economy with bold actions including mass privatizations of state industries. He also defeated fanatical Shining Path rebels, winning him broad-based support. Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000, was sentence

China raises retirement age, now among youngest in world's major economies

China starting next year will raise its retirement age for workers, which is now among the youngest in the world's major economies. The extension was considered long overdue in a country facing a shrinking population and an aging work force. The policy change will be carried out over 15 years, with the retirement age for men raised to 63 years, and 55 and 58 years for women depending on their jobs. The current retirement age is 60 for men, and 50 for women in blue-collar jobs and 55 for women in white-collar jobs. The policy will be implemented starting in January next year, according to the announcement from China's legislature reported by state broadcaster CCTV. We have more people coming into the retirement age, and so the pension fund is (facing) high pressure, that's why I think it's now time to act seriously, said Xiujian Peng, a senior research fellow at Victoria University in Australia who studies China's population and its ties to the economy. The change will take effect

Govt finally awoken to need for national law for gig workers' welfare: Cong

The Congress on Monday took a swipe at the government after it stated that it is committed to extending social security benefits to gig workers, saying it has "finally awoken" to the need for a comprehensive national law for such workers' welfare and that it is welcome to borrow from its policy on this urgent issue. The opposition party's remarks came a day after Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the government is actively exploring various avenues to ensure gig and platform workers are covered under social security. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the government has "finally awoken" to the need for a comprehensive national law for welfare of gig workers. The Congress and Rahul Gandhi took this issue up aggressively during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and the Congress governments in Karnataka and Rajasthan have already legislated to provide gig workers with rights and protection, Ramesh said on X. It was also a key pillar of the party's Paanch

Higher welfare spends will lead Maha to lower capital expenditure: Report

Higher welfare spends announced by the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government ahead of the elections will take the fiscal deficit beyond the target, and may lead to a compression in capital expenditure, a report said on Monday. The fiscal deficit for FY25 is expected to come at 3 per cent as against the budget target of 2.5 per cent, India Ratings and Research said in a report, adding that the state will resort to higher borrowings to bridge the gap. The government presented the final budget for FY25 of Rs 6.12 lakh crore on June 28, and also tabled supplementary demands of Rs 94,889 crore on July 10 primarily toward social welfare schemes, it said. The supplementary demands include Rs 25,000 crore for Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Rs 6,056 crore for skill development, Rs 4,317 crore towards social justice, Rs 4,185 crore on public health, it said. The revenue deficit will come at 1.3 per cent as against the budget target of 0.5 per cent, it said. "The fiscal deficit is

Budget 2024: Tax burden on share buybacks shifted to shareholders

Finance Minister proposes to tax income received on buybacks of shares in the hands of recipient

Economic vision and not stimulus in Modi 3.0 Budget: Goldman Sachs

The government, Goldman Sachs believes, is likely to stick to the announced fiscal deficit target of 5.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for FY25

PM Kisan instalment worth Rs 20,000 cr released: How to check balance, KYC status

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday released the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan scheme, which aims to support eligible farmer families by paying them Rs 6,000 in three equal instalments

Chhattisgarh to roll out women-centric Mahtari Vandan Yojana on March 10

The BJP government in Chhattisgarh will launch its flagship Mahatari Vandan Yojana', under which a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 will be provided to married women, an official said on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the programme virtually and interact with the beneficiaries on the occasion, he said. About Rs 700 crore will be released as the first instalment under the scheme, which will benefit nearly 70 lakh women in the state, the official said. He said each registered woman will get Rs 12,000 a year, or Rs 1,000 a month. As part of another scheme, which will be launched on March 12, paddy farmers will be given financial assistance, he said. Under the scheme, Krishak Unnati Yojana', those farmers whose paddy has been procured at the minimum support price (MSP), fixed by the Centre, will get some additional amounts. Union Ministers Arjun Munda and Giriraj Singh will be present during the launch of this programme, he said. The Vishnu Deo Sai governmen

Govt launches Social Defence Fellowship to support marginalised communities

In a joint initiative aimed at empowering marginalised communities across India, the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), under the ministry of social justice and empowerment, has partnered with The Nudge Institute, a Bangalore-based non-profit organisation, to launch the 'Social Defence Fellowship'. This public-private partnership seeks to leverage the expertise of senior private sector professionals alongside the vision of senior civil servants, according to an official statement. Five social defence fellows have been carefully selected from a competitive pool of over 840 applicants nationwide, the social justice and empowerment ministry said. These fellows, boasting an average of over 25 years of experience, bring a wealth of knowledge from spearheading transformative initiatives across various sectors. They have undergone a rigorous selection process and will work full-time within the government system for a duration of 18 months, it said. The ministry, serving as the .