-The Hindu Business Line Millers welcome move, but seek more time to meet new standards New delhi: To minimise water pollution and wastage, the Centre has notified stricter environmental standards for sugar mills. Under the new norms, which come into effect immediately, the permissible specific wastewater discharge has been halved to 200 litres/tonne of cane crushed against 400 litres/tonne earlier. The final treated effluent discharge has been restricted to 100 litres/tonne. “This will...

-The Times of India NEW delhi: Identifying "informal tenancy" as one of the main reasons behind farmer suicides since many don't get farm credit and crop insurance, a group of secretaries has suggested the government come out with a model tenancy law. Such a law will protect the tenants as they will get access to loans from banks and financing agencies and it will also end the fear of original owners...

-Livemint.com The economist believes inequality in India is comparable with Brazil, South Africa but lack of transparency over direct tax statistics in India hinders his study here New delhi: Economist Thomas Piketty believes inequality in India is comparable with that in Brazil and South Africa. Like the two other emerging economies, where the richest 10% of the population has a 60-65% share of total wealth, a similar scenario probably exists in...

-The Hindu Maternity entitlements are an important policy tool for encouraging better maternal health. This is why we need to do away with conditionality in cash transfer schemes Since the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was passed in 2013, policy circles have been buzzing with talk of reforms in the public distribution system (PDS). Less well appreciated is the NFSA’s potential to call attention to, and help address, poor maternal nutrition — an aspect...

-The New Indian Express NEW delhi: According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16,  the states of Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry show promising improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition. The first phase of the survey covered 13 states and two Union Territories. All the 15  have rates below 51 deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality rates...