Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Hangzhou, A daily wage labourer's son from an impoverished village in Uttar Pradesh, <keyword id="84384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="asian-games" source="Orion">Asian Games</keyword> bronze medallist race walker <keyword id="12117720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ram-baboo" source="Orion">Ram Baboo</keyword>'s journey from penury to fame is a fascinating story of a strong-willed man making his own destiny. Baboo, who won a 35km race walk mixed team bronze medal in the Asian Games along with Manju Rani, worked as a waiter to self-finance his athletics training and joined his father in road construction under MGNREGA scheme during the COVID-19 lockdown, as his family was hard-pressed. "I have done everything possible in my life so far, from working as a waiter in Varanasi to digging up pits along with my father for road construction under MGNREGA scheme at our village," the 24-year-old Baboo told PTI in an interview. "It's about determination and focus on your goal. If you are determined to achieve, you will find ways to reach your goal. That is what I did." Baboo's father works as manual labourer at Behura village at UP's Sonbhadra district, earning Rs 3000 to 3500 per month which is not enough to run a family of six. Baboo is the only son while he has three sisters. His mother is a homemaker and sometimes helps her husband in his work. "We don't have any land and my father is a labourer. His work is seasonal. During paddy season, he will have more work but in other months his income is less. So, I need to do all these things to realise my dream," he said. "I was not good at studies and not interested also and so I wanted to make a career in sports." Due to his mother's insistence, Baboo took the entrance examination for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) near his home and got selected. He was admitted to class VI. Baboo found it tough to follow what was being taught at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and he began to lose interest in studies. Two years into the JNV stint, something made him decide on his future course of action towards his goal -- the 2012 Olympics -- where India won six medals. "I was in class VII then and I watched at my school hostel television the likes of Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Sushil Kumar and Gagan Narang winning medals. The stories also came out in newspaper front pages the next day, and I read all of them. "In fact, I kept cuttings of the newspaper articles and photos of the 2012 Olympics medal winners and kept them in my folder." When he was at the JNV, he played all sports, including football, and he found out that he did not get easily tired even after a lot of running, unlike the other students. That was when he decided he would do long distance running. He initially ran marathons, 10000m and 5000m but developed knee pain. On the advice of local coach Pramod Yadav, he later shifted to race walking which does not put too much pressure on his knees. Baboo might have been born to semi-illiterate parents but he used social media to his advantage. "I opened a facebook account and joined several FB groups relating to fitness and long distance running to find out who can help me in my endeavour." In 2017, when he was around 17 years old, Baboo left for Varanasi where there is a proper athletics stadium and there he got in touch with coach Chandrabahan Yadav. He took a rented house at Rs 1500 a month. His parents sent him a small amount of money and so he worked part-time as a waiter for one month. "I got Rs 3000 per month for working as a waiter but they made me work till midnight and even at 1am. I had to get up at 4am for training at the stadium. It was very difficult for me. People did not respect me and misbehaved with me. So I left Varanasi and returned home." In 2019, Baboo was able to convince a coach at Bhopal SAI Centre to take him under his wings. He then competed in the 50km event at the National Race Walk Championships in February 2020, just before the nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown, and finished fourth. During the lockdown, the Bhopal SAI Centre was shut and Baboo returned home. His parents were finding it difficult to get work to survive. "Luckily, we got work under the MGNREGA scheme and I helped my father in digging pits in road construction work. One person would get Rs 300 to 400 per day depending on the amount of work," he said. After working for one and a half months under the MGNREGA scheme, Baboo became restless, and he left for Bhopal again. In February 2021, he won a 50km race walk silver medal in the National Race Walk Championships and that paved the way for his entry into the Army Sports Institute in Pune with the help of coach Basant Rana. After the World Athletics decided to remove the 50km event from its programme, Baboo shifted to 35km event and won gold in the National Open Championships in September 2021, and a few months later, he was called to the national camp in Bengaluru. After winning gold in 35km at the National Games last year with national record time, Baboo got a job in the Army, and he is a havildar now. "My age at that time was 11 months more than that in the eligibility criteria but I got exemption after winning the National Games gold. I am currently under probation till next month and I am getting around Rs 10000, which is the basic pay. "After this, I will get full salary and I will be able to look after my parents properly." Baboo also said that he will shift to 20km race walk from next season as the mixed team event is unpredictable because the combined timing of male and female competitors of a country is taken into consideration for medal. "You never know, my colleague (woman race walker) may not be able to do well on a particular day, she may be sick but still taking part or she may be disqualified during the competition. All these are not in my hands. "So, I am shifting to a 20km event from next year."

A MNREGA worker who won a bronze medal at the Asian Games: The fascinating story of Ram Baboo

Tax breaks, an urban MNREGA and other budget ideas from one of India's top fund managers

MGNREGA, also expanded as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a scheme operated by the Central Government of India by revamping the old scheme and renaming it. The main objective of this scheme is to provide social security by assuring a minimum of 100 days of work per year to the families. To benefit from this scheme, the adult members must be prepared to deliver unskilled labour-intensive work. Background of MGNREGA The government was operating schemes like Jawahar Rozgaar Yojana, Food for Work Programme, and Sampurna Grameen Rozgaar Yojna. Based on the observations from this scheme, the government launched Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act first in the state of Maharashtra in the year 1970. During its launch, the scheme was called as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). The scheme was introduced in the state during the period when Vasant Rao Naik was the chief minister. This act came to the aid of millions of farmer families in the state. The planning commission eventually accepted this scheme and extended throughout the nation. These acts helped the government gather some useful inputs needed to work in the lines of programs like ‘Rural Manpower Programme’ ‘Crash Scheme for Rural Employment’ ‘Drought Prone Area Programme’ and ‘Marginal Farmers and Agricultural Laborers Scheme’. Each of these schemes provided a useful ground for the government to plan newer schemes in an efficient way setting right the drawbacks of the earlier ones. The principal objectives of all these schemes are wage employment, food security, and producing valuable assets. Later renamed as MNREGA, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a significant member in the lines of these schemes. Important <keyword id="8133544" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="features-of-mgnrega">features of MGNREGA</keyword> 1. Providing job security to the adult members in families for not less than 100 days in a year. 2. Creating permanent assets like wells, ponds, roads and others for the welfare of the community. 3. Providing employment opportunities to the applicants within a radius of 5 kilometres. 4. Providing minimum wages in order to assure security to families. 5. Providing security to the income of families by assuring unemployment allowances if work is not provided for about 15 days from the date of application. How to enroll in MGNREGA? Application to this job must be given in writing. The application must include the registration number of the job card, date from which the applicant is seeking employment, and the number of days for which the applicant wants the job. The application must give the names of the adult members in the family who are coming forward to do unskilled manual work along with the details like age, gender, and caste. The filled-in applications must be submitted to the Gram Panchayat. For registration under this scheme, an individual can appear personally and make a request. The authorities in the Gram Panchayat will verify the details in the application and decide if the case in the application is genuine and deserving to get the benefit. Once verified, every household will be given a unique registration number.

What is Magnerga and how can one Enroll in the scheme

For the last one year, Mr Modi has highlighted a stellar performance by his government. We have witnessed him showering praises on the BJP schemes during his foreign trips and campaigns in India. Now, as we inch closer to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=budget">the Union Budget for 2016-17</a>, it’s time to question whether the Prime Minister’s assured rhetoric matches his government’s record so far. 
 
Business Insider found a Finance Ministry list highlighting the promises which have been met relating to the last Budget, including those of subsidy and agriculture. Based on the claims, what follows is a report card on the 2015 Budget promises that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Modi+government">Modi government</a> has been able to fulfill so far. Take a look: 
 
-- D<a href="http://www.unitedbankofindia.com/uploads/dbtl.pdf">irect benefit transfer for LPG called Pahal</a> 
 
The scheme was launched on November 15, 2014 in 54 districts and in the rest of the country on January 1, 2015. Under the scheme, LPG cylinders are sold at one price ie the market rate. Consumers get Rs 558 in their bank accounts so they can buy LPG at market rate of Rs 605 per 14.2-kg cylinder. Subsidised LPG currently costs Rs 417. 
 
As many as 10 crore LPG consumers joined the ambitious scheme of getting cash subsidy in bank accounts to buy market priced cooking fuel, making it the world's largest direct benefit transfer and helping end black marketing. In August, the Prime Minister announced that it helped save Rs 15,000 crore by stopping black marketing and diversions. He also announced that at least 20 lakh people voluntarily gave up their subsidy on LPG helping widen the reach of the scarce fuel. 
 
-- <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133703">Digitisation of ration cards</a> 
 Digitisation of <keyword id="52453" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ration-Cards">ration cards</keyword> - one of the important components for making PDS leakproof - is on its way to completion. By April 1, 2016, the National Food Security Act (NFSA) will be implemented by all states with 100% digitisation of ration cards. It will be achieved soon along with online grievance redressal being introduced in all 36 states and Union territories. 
 
To cite figures, as of first week of December, digitisation of ration cards has been completed in 29 States/UTs. Over 32 crore ration cards have been digitized and over 8.5 crore ration cards have been seeded with Aadhaar. 
 
-- Farm credit 
 Budget 2015 focused on development of agriculture with emphasis on reforms, credit facility and financial assistance. The agriculture credit target for 2015-16 was raised by Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 8.5 lakh crore. It promised to create a unified national agricultural market to boost agricultural productivity and farmers' income. Banks may not have surpassed this target as <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword> expected but monitoring of agriculture credit is being done on a quarterly basis. Moreover in view of the challenge two successive droughts and deficient post-monsoon rainfall posed to agriculture last year, the government is mulling increasing institutional credit to farmers from the present Rs 8.5 lakh crores in the upcoming Budget. 
 
-- <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MNREGA">MNREGA</a> 
 
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the flagship welfare programme of the previous UPA government, appears to be staging a revival of sorts. The July-September quarter witnessed 45.82 crore person-days of employment generated under MGNREGA. This was the highest for the quarter in the last five years. “It was more than even the 42.40 crore person-days during July-September 2012, which also happened to be a not-so-good monsoon year. According to officials, the last quarter (October-December), too, posted a similar trend. 
 
“In October alone, we provided 14.09 crore person-days employment, a record for the month. The data for the entire quarter is still being uploaded in our MIS (management information system) portal, but our expectation of the total person-days of work during October-December is 47 crore. That will again be a five-year-high for the quarter,” they said. Recently, the Finance Ministry made it clear that Budget allocation of Rs 34,699 crore for improving quality and effectiveness of <keyword id="92538" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MNREGA">MNREGA</keyword> has been approved. 
 
-- 'Paramparagat Krishi Sinchayi Yojna' 
 
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana - a scheme aimed at giving a boost to productivity by ensuring irrigation facilities is also on its way to achieve the desired results. The Vision is to ensure access to some means of protective Irrigation to all agricultural farms. Government claimed that widespread work has been undertaken and lakhs of farmers are being educated about modern irrigation methods to give ‘Per Drop More Crop’. It is also motivating groups of farmers to take up organic farming. 
 
The Finance Ministry recently said Rs 300 crore was allocated in 2015-16 to this scheme against which Rs 178.23 crore has been released so far. In a matter of few months, they will be able to use the rest of the money to complete the demands of this scheme. 
 
(Image credits: TOI)

Modi Government's Report Card: Budget 2015 promises it has fulfilled so far

With a voluntary enrolment of 92 crore people, the Aadhaar card is now the most widely held identification document in the country besides perhaps being the sole ID for many of its holders, including many families below the poverty line. 
 In comparison, 5.7 crore people have passports, 17 crore people <keyword id="61610" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="pan">PAN</keyword> cards, 60 crore voter ID cards, 15 crore ration cards and 17.3 crore driving licences. 
 
Aadhaar has helped effect savings of Rs 2,600 crore by eliminating bogus claims in welfare schemes besides engendering greater transparency and consequently reducing corruption, reports from states and Union Territories show. 
 
It is also delivering benefits in progarmmes tailored for the poor like <keyword id="92538" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="MNREGA">MNREGA</keyword> where 3 crore of 9 crore active workers have Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. One crore wage transactions have been remitted and the process has become more efficient and transparent with 87,000 banking correspondents providing village and neighbourhood-level micro ATM services. 
 

	Aadhar is particularly crucial for BPL families who are the primary beneficiaries of PMJDY and three pensions schemes run by the Centre — Atal Pension Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana and PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana --are linked to UID. The schemes, according to official sources, are intended to provide a wide coverage by way of insurance with small premiums, flagged by the government as a key policy goal. 
	 
	Image credit: Indiatimes

Aadhar card the most widely held identification document with enrolment of 92 crore people

Even as Finance Minister <keyword id="42575" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Arun-Jaitley">Arun Jaitley</keyword> played down the concerns over <keyword id="1146394" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="deficient-monsoon">deficient monsoon</keyword> this year saying the forecast was misplaced and distress was far-fetched, the <keyword id="151047" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rural-Development-Ministry">Rural Development Ministry</keyword> went on war footing to ramp up flagship rural jobs scheme to generate income for affected families. 
 
Jaitley said that the timing and spread of the June-September rainy season suggested the effect won't be as dire, adding that the distribution pattern of rain forecast was such that any impact on farm output will be limited. 
 
The Finance Minister also said that there was "abundance of foodgrain" and in any case, the forecast signalled less pain than last year. 
 
India's Meteorological Department (IMD) revised its forecast of average rainfall in the June-September monsoon to 88% from 93%, fuelling fears of a drought. 
Farmers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, etc are already distressed due to unseasonal rainfall. 
 
Meanwhile, the Rural Development Ministry is revamping the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) and checking de-silting of water bodies, building check dams, percolation tanks and farm ponds to brace against a possible drought and build assets for future. 
 
"We will use satellite mapping to identify areas where the work needs to be taken up. Once the regular monsoon sets in, such construction cannot be done so we have to get into action immediately," a senior rural development ministry official told Economic Times. 
As per the data for 22 states, 93,000 water-harvesting structures have been built to provide irrigation to 1.2 lakh hectares of land. 
 
"Most of the work in rural areas in permitted under (the jobs programme) and since it is an open-ended scheme with no financial limitation, it is advantageous to take up work under this scheme," the official told ET. 
 
The ministry is also going to expedite its watershed management programmes. 
 
As per Economic Times, only 40% of agriculture area receives assured irrigation in the country. 
 
Jaitley said only the North-West is forecast to get slightly inadequate rainfall. “A large part of the northwest has substantial irrigation facility", Jaitley said. 
 
Sufficient foodgrain 
 
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), in the beginning, had more than 51 million tonnes of rice and wheat in the central pool itself. 
 
"The rainfall was less last year than what is predicted now and it came even later. Even then we did not let prices rise. We have more than sufficient food stock. Taking them to the market is one of the tools the government has,” said Jaitley. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Arun Jaitley dispels deficient monsoon fears, Rural Ministry revamps MNREGA

The <keyword id="151047" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rural-development-ministry" source="Orion">rural development ministry</keyword> has sought additional funds of about Rs 25,000 crore for the <keyword id="145241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="MGNREGS" source="Orion">MGNREGS</keyword>, in a clear indication of a rise in demand for work, sources said on Tuesday. The ministry has sought Rs 25,000 crore from the finance ministry and it is expected that the funds will be allocated by the second week of this month, the sources said. In the <keyword id="6360189" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="union-budget" source="Orion">Union Budget</keyword> for 2022-23, an amount of Rs 73,000 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Of this amount, about Rs 54,000 crore have been allocated to the states so far, the sources said. About 181 crore person days of work has also been generated under the programme so far, they added. The total expenditure on the MGNREGS is expected to touch the last financial year's level of Rs 98,000 crore. The government would take Parliament's approval for the additional fund allocation under the MNREGA through the first batch of the Supplementary <keyword id="15401700" type="TOPIC" weightage="60" keywordseo="Demands-for-Grants" source="TOPIC" sourcekeytype="budget,investopedia" meta.keywordsubtype="null" meta.seopath="d/demands-for-grants" meta.entityname="Demands for Grants" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="demands-for-grants">Demands for Grants</keyword> to be tabled in the upcoming winter session. The MGNREGS aims at enhancing the livelihood security of households in the rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household, the adult members of which volunteer to do unskilled manual work. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/gst-collections-touch-151718-cr-in-oct-second-highest-since-april/articleshow/95225501.cms">GST collections touch ₹1,51,718 cr in Oct, second highest since April</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/pakistans-forex-reserves-are-close-to-nil-says-local-newspaper-dawn/articleshow/95224526.cms">Pakistan's forex reserves are close to nil, says local newspaper Dawn</a>

Rural development ministry seeks additional funds of ₹25,000 crore for MGNREGS

New Delhi, Amid the coronavirus pandemic when the pace of manufacturing and services sector came to a grinding halt, <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> and allied sectors in India have picked up pace as the country saw the strength of the farm sector. The <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> also took care of a large population of the country related to agriculture and farming and enacted new laws to intensify the winds of improvement in the agricultural sector. The <keyword id="6358021" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget">Budget</keyword> 2021-22 is going to be presented in <keyword id="6354721" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> on Monday, amid wrangling over agricultural reform. In such a situation, it is expected that the Modi government, which claims to give priority to the progress of villages, the poor and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword>, will also give priority to agriculture and rural development in the upcoming Budget. According to the Economic Review 2020-21, while the industry and services sectors are projected to fall by 9.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively, in the current financial year, the growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors can remain at 3.4 per cent. The agriculture and allied sectors recorded a growth rate of 3.4 per cent at constant prices during FY 2020-21 (first advance estimate). The Modi government's priority has been to double the income of farmers by 2022 and to develop basic facilities in villages including 'pucca' houses for all the poor in the country. Therefore, with a view to achieving these goals, the budgetary allocation of major schemes of agriculture and rural development sector can be expected to increase in the upcoming Budget. A senior official of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that farmers' awareness about all the schemes of agriculture sector including Prime Minister <keyword id="7283018" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kisan-samman-nidhi">Kisan Samman Nidhi</keyword> (PM-KISAN) is continuously increasing and the benefits of these schemes are beginning to be seen at the ground level. The government will also focus on the scheme to provide short-term agricultural loans to farmers at affordable interest rates. Other schemes of the agriculture sector, including the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme, can also be given importance in this budget. Agricultural economists point out that along with agriculture, the government will give prominence to the plans of the food processing industry, which will help in achieving the goal of doubling the income of farmers. Major schemes for the development of villages proved to be very helpful in providing employment opportunities to the workers migrating from the cities during the corona period. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), in addition to providing employment to the daily wage labourers in the villages, proved to be crucial in the development of basic infrastructure in the villages, which was called an opportunity in disaster and under the self-sufficient India package. Experts say that in the upcoming Budget also, other rural development schemes including MNREGA can be increased. The budgetary allocation of MNREGA was ₹61,500 crore in 2020-21, but under the self-sufficient package in the corona era, an additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore was made for the scheme. Farmers have been agitating for more than two months on the borders of Delhi to repeal the new agricultural laws and to demand a legal guarantee for the purchase of crops at the minimum support price (MSP). Agricultural experts point out that MSP is a big issue in the farmers' movement, so some announcement can be expected in the Budget regarding MSP as well. Union Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the General Budget of the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in Parliament on Monday. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/article/the-many-marvels-of-satpura-biosphere-reserve/articleshow/80598269.cms">The many marvels of Satpura Biosphere Reserve in Madhya Pradesh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-travel-and-tourism-sector-is-hoping-that-the-budget-2021-wont-leave-them-behind/articleshow/80596702.cms">India’s travel and tourism sector is hoping that the Budget won’t leave them behind</a>

Rural poor, farmers' progress to be government's priority :Budget 2021

<ul><li>According to Nielsen India’s latest report, rural India saw 3X growth than the rest of India in June. </li><li>Reverse migration expected to give a positive uptick.</li></ul>Nielsen’s latest report revealed that rural areas are driving the growth for our country. It saw 3X growth in June than the rest of India. Lower COVID incidence, government stimulus and agricultural impetus are boosting the rural consumer sentiment. <div type="image" title="rural india growth" msid="77258173" hostid="261"></div> The report further explains the key reasons behind this growth: <ul><li>Lower COVID cases in Rural</li><li>Reverse migration expected to give a positive uptick</li><li>MNREGA wages at an all time high</li><li>Rural disbursement more than 2X of same period last year</li><li>The progress of the southwest monsoon so far has been bountiful. Flood impact very low compared to last year, restricted to 2-3 states</li><li>40-60% higher water availability in reservoirs</li><li>Increased sowing acreage</li><li>The Rabi harvest in April was good and with a good monsoon Kharif harvest is expected to augurs well too</li><li>The MSP prices for crops have also seen a significant increase</li></ul>

Rural India is seeing faster economic recovery than urban, this report shows why

NEW DELHI: Some of the essential services related to banking, transportation, railways and electricity are likely to be impacted during a two-day nationwide strike called by a joint forum of central trade unions beginning Monday. Talking to PTI, All Indian Trade Union Congress General Secretary <keyword id="366518" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amarjeet-kaur" source="Orion">Amarjeet Kaur</keyword> said, "We are expecting participation of over 20 crore formal and informal workers with mass mobilisation of workers across the country during the strike on March 28 and 29 to protest against government policies." She said that the strike is expected to hit the rural parts also, where informal workers of farming and other sectors will join the protest. The strike notices were given by workers' unions of various sectors such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks and insurance. Unions in railways and defence sector will carry out mass mobilization in support of the strike at several places, the joint forum said. The unions' demands include scrapping of the proposed changes in labour laws, privatisation of any form and the national monetisation pipeline. Increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (<keyword id="1194612" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahatma-gandhi-rural-employment-guarantee-act" source="Orion">Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act</keyword>) and regularisation of contract workers are also part of their demands. Workers of roadways, transport and electricity departments have also decided to join the strike in spite of the impending threat of ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act) which is likely to be imposed in Haryana and Chandigarh, the joint forum said in a statement. Trade unions, including INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC are part of the joint forum. Meanwhile, the <keyword id="6375040" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="power-ministry" source="Orion">power ministry</keyword> on Sunday advised all the state-run utilities and other agencies to be on high alert and ensure round-the-clock electricity supply and stability of the national grid. "The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) have called for a nationwide strike with effect from 06:00 hrs of March 28 to 06:00 hrs of March 30, 2022," an advisory issued by the power ministry said. The advisory has been issued to all states, central public sector undertakings, central electricity authority, national load dispatch centre and regional load dispatch centres. In the interest of the consumers of electricity, it is advised that all the power utilities shall take necessary measures to ensure round-the-clock functioning of the electricity grid and availability of all plants, transmission lines and substations, the ministry said, adding that all regional/state control room executives should be vigilant and on high alert. The ministry also suggested measures to be taken to ensure secure and reliable grid operations. Shutdown activities planned during March 28-29 may be rescheduled to suitable future dates to the extent possible, it said and asked all concerned officials to ensure close supervision of their regional network/control area. Also, manpower may be deployed at all critical sub-stations/power station 24X7 to handle any emergency situation, it said. Power supply to those engaged in essential services such as hospitals, defence, and railways must be ensured, it added and suggested setting up of a 24x7 control room for information dissemination and handling any kind of contingency. Bank employees' unions said they will support the strike. All <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="Orion">India</keyword> Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said the union demands the government to stop privatisation of public sector banks and strengthen them. Bank employees also demand speedy recovey of bad loans, higher deposit rates by banks, lower service charges on customers as well as restoration of old pension scheme for staff. A number of public sector banks, including country's largest lender SBI, have said that their services may get impacted to a limited extent due to the strike. SBI said it has made necessary arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices during the strike. "It is likely that work at our bank may be impacted, to a limited extent, by the strike," SBI said. New Delhi-headquartered Punjab National Bank (<keyword id="13478968" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="pnb" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="38923.93999753" meta.tagname="Punjab National Bank" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="15" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="11585" meta.tagseoname="punjab-national-bank" meta.sector="Banks" meta.tagnameorg="Punjab National Bank">PNB</keyword>) said, AIBEA, Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) have served notices to go on strike on March 28-29. "While bank has made all arrangements to ensure normal functioning in its branches and offices, it is likely that work in our bank may be impacted to a limited extent by the strike," PNB said. Bengaluru-based <keyword id="13478969" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="canara-bank" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="40836.07197252" meta.tagname="Canara Bank" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="15" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="9218" meta.tagseoname="canara-bank" meta.sector="Banks" meta.tagnameorg="Canara Bank">Canara Bank</keyword> said it is taking all necessary steps to ensure smooth functioning of bank branches and offices. However, the functioning of the bank may be impacted, Canara Bank added. Private lender <keyword id="2179992" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rbl-bank" source="Orion">RBL Bank</keyword> said its bank unions are affiliated to AIBOA and AIBEA, and the employees associated with these unions may participate in the strike. "The bank will take all necessary steps for smooth functioning of the bank's branches/offices on the days of strike. However, it is likely that some of our branches would also be impacted by the strike," <keyword id="13478967" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="rbl" source="Orion" meta.marketcap="491.27195140500004" meta.tagname="Rane Brake Lining Ltd" meta.tagpopularcount="0" meta.sectorid="506" meta.entitytype="company" meta.matchtype="exact" meta.aum="0" meta.entityid="21601" meta.tagseoname="rane-brake-lining-ltd" meta.sector="Auto Ancillaries" meta.tagnameorg="Rane Brake Lining Ltd.">RBL</keyword> said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/pvr-and-inox-leisure-announce-merger/articleshow/90476756.cms">PVR and INOX Leisure announce merger</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-this-former-vedantu-cofounder-is-taking-on-instagram-and-snapchat-to-build-social-media-for-teens/articleshow/90443442.cms">How this former Vedantu cofounder is taking on Instagram and Snapchat to build social media for teens</a>

You Searched For "MNREGA" and got 10 results

A MNREGA worker who won a bronze medal at the Asian Games: The fascinating story of Ram Baboo

PTI

Tax breaks, an urban MNREGA and other budget ideas from one of India's top fund managers

Business Insider India

What is Magnerga and how can one Enroll in the scheme

BI India Bureau

Modi Government's Report Card: Budget 2015 promises it has fulfilled so far

Anushree Singh

Aadhar card the most widely held identification document with enrolment of 92 crore people

BI India Bureau

Arun Jaitley dispels deficient monsoon fears, Rural Ministry revamps MNREGA

BI India Bureau

Rural development ministry seeks additional funds of ₹25,000 crore for MGNREGS

PTI

Rural poor, farmers' progress to be government's priority :Budget 2021

IANS

Rural India is seeing faster economic recovery than urban, this report shows why

BI India Partner

Two-day Bharat Bandh: Essential services likely to be affected

PTI

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides