-The Indian Express "In terms of Gross State Value Added or GSVA, the economy will likely see 7.4 per cent plunge in the October-December quarter from a year ago. To make matters worse, the number will only worsen further with demand remaining subdued,” a senior government source said. Mumbai: With business activity and consumption set back by Covid-19 cases, the state government’s latest economic forecast has projected 16.4 per cent contraction in...

-The Indian Express In a presentation made to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and senior ministers in a meeting on Monday, the state finance department claimed that the unemployment rate had climbed from 3.9 per cent in July to 6.2 per cent in August. Mumbai: A spike in Maharashtra’s unemployment rate in August is threatening the revival of the Covid-hit economy, a government report has said. In a presentation made to Chief Minister Uddhav...

-The Hindu Women brave arduous journeys to reach hospitals. BHUBANESWAR: After walking down two hills, taking a boat across a huge reservoir and then finally travelling 30 km on bumpy country roads in a rickety autorickshaw, the actual process of giving birth was not difficult at all for 35-year-old Kusum Nayak. The labour pains pale into insignificance for the pregnant women of 16 largely tribal villages under the N. Podapadar panchayat in Odisha’s...

-The Tribune After failing to come up with data on the number of migrants killed while making their way back to villages, the government said it did not have the complete data on the number of healthcare staff, including doctors, nurses, support staff and ASHA workers, who have been affected by and died of Covid. However, the government said kin of 155 healthcare staff, including 64 doctors, had sought relief under...

-Hindustan Times Expanding better opportunities with decent wages for frontline workers could also contribute to the revival of the rural economy by putting wages into the hands of many, and take us closer to achieving our health and nutrition goals The unsung heroes of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic have most definitely been the millions of frontline women workers, especially Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) who have been working tirelessly at...