-NDTV.com One of the biggest roadblocks in providing adequate and timely funds to MSMEs is the non-availability of reliable and consolidated data about them Though government runs a host of schemes to support micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which have faced the maximum brunt of the Coronavirus-induced Lockdown in 2020, providing them timely and adequate funds becomes a roadblock, a fact which has been acknowledged even by the Finance Ministry. Funds are...

-TelanganaToday.com India’s food subsidy programmes have the capacity to respond to increased demand. Thoughtful adjustment would reap large-scale benefits. Covid-19 Lockdowns aggravated food deprivation in India. The pandemic also revealed opportunities to expand the country’s food subsidy programmes. India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) offers subsidised foodgrains to eligible households. Public pressure during Covid-19 Lockdowns led to a brief expansion in the number of beneficiaries in States such as Delhi. Though temporary, the expansion...

-The Hindu Amidst the scattered experimentation now, the Centre must offer strategic policy guidance for inter-State coordination Only two years ago, in the wake of a nationwide Lockdown, India was left shocked by the plight of migrant workers walking hundreds of kilometres, facing hunger, exhaustion and violence, to get to the safety of their home villages. The dire circumstances of the migrants tugged at our collective heartstrings. They became the focus of...

-Hindustan Times It is the unfolding crisis in Pakistan and Sri Lanka which is forcing countries like Maldives, Nepal and Bangladesh to think again on Chinese infrastructure loans and being part of the BRI initiative. During his trip to India last week, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba informally shared a conversation about Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi’s visit to Kathmandu in late March. The Nepalese PM, who has an equally political...

-The Tribune Poor workers cannot be punished by stopping the money, she says Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday urged the BJP-led Centre to ensure proper allocation of the Budget for MGNREGA and payment of wages within 15 days of work, saying “poor workers cannot be punished by stopping the money”. Speaking in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, Gandhi said, "The payment of wages should be ensured for labourers within 15 days...