-The Hindu It has sharply lifted tax buoyancy and ushered many new return filers into the income tax net The argument about whether demonetisation was good or bad for the economy refuses to die down even a year after the event. Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan took potshots at it in a recent speech. While one can endlessly debate, with very little data, on whether the ban on high-value currency notes dealt a...

-The Hindu Jaitley blames ‘spurt in demand’; Congress recalls note ban Amidst reports of a cash crunch from different parts of the country, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government was “tackling the issue quickly” to overcome a “temporary shortage” caused by a sudden spurt in demand. But with hash tags #cashcrunch and #ATM trending on Twitter all day, Opposition leaders launched a scathing attack on the government. Minister’s assurance Responding to the currency...

-The Economic Times PUNE: Chana farmers stand to lose Rs 6,170 crore as they have not received the government assured minimum support price (MSP) for a good chunk of their crop, according to the ‘loot calculator’ of Jai Kisan Andolan (JKA), a movement which works for farmers’ rights. The Andolan, launched by Yogendra Yadav founded Swaraj Abhiyan, has gleaned this crop of data based on an expected production of 1,110 lakh quintals...

-The Indian Express The NDA government’s approach towards MGNREGA — the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act — has differed from that of the previous UPA regime in one significant way: There is greater emphasis now in the building of “individual household” assets, as opposed to “community” assets, under the scheme that provides 100 days of guaranteed wage employment annually to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do...

-Business Standard High MSPs could raise food prices, fear experts; some analysts say there will be marginal, crop-intensive impact To what extent will the government’s efforts to increase minimum support prices (MSPs) and spread their benefits translate into food inflation? And if they do, which are the crops that will be instrumental in pushing the price level up? From the NITI Aayog to industry leaders to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), all...