-Down to Earth Grand old party of India renews some old promises and makes some new ones, but will Congress live up to its promises if it wins a third term? The Indian National Congress (INC) presented its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on Wedneday. The manifesto committee claimed the 48-page document was prepared after wide consultations by engaging millions of people, grassroots congress workers and every section of the...

-Society for Labour and Development The key findings of the report entitled Exploring Rural-Urban Dynamics- A Study of Inter-State Migrants in Gurgaon: Researching Labour and Migration between Home and Destination States and Developing a Holistic Rural-Urban Approach (2014) is provided below: 1. Overwhelming majority of the inter-state migrants in Gurgaon are men in the age group of 18 to 40 years. While garment industry elsewhere has majority of female workers, Gurgaon's export-oriented...

-Live Mint Economic transformation calls into question whether family-based support will continue over the next century Many of India’s growing elderly population face serious financial challenges. It is imperative that India institute a long-term strategy to strengthen the economic security of the elderly. While steps have been taken to provide pension security for some citizens, India still has a very long way to go to prepare for the future.   As a very...

-The Hindu The Centre's rural employment guarantee scheme can be substantially improved, but it has undeniably helped Dalits, Adivasis and women find work In an era of growing globalisation and rising inequality, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as a unique attempt to provide a social safety net via a massive public works programme. The government as an employer of the last resort is an idea that...

-The Hindu The entire spectrum of political leadership should take a pledge to transform the healthcare system of India in a decade As the countdown to the next general election begins, political parties are making multiple promises to pull in votes. All the party leaders are committing to transforming the lives of people. But health, ironically, does not feature high on their priority list, even though it is the central pillar of...