-Press release by People's Budget Initiative (PBI, http://www.pbiindia.net/) New Delhi: People's Budget Initiative (PBI) is a coalition of civil society organisations from across the country which promotes people’s voice in policy making processes related to government budgets in India. As part of its campaign on ‘Budget Justice for Disadvantaged Sections’, a national consultation on Budget Justice: Agenda for the Next Five Years was organized in New Delhi on 14th September, 2018....

-Hindustan Times While a final conclusion on employment growth should wait for 2017-18 NSSO data, rosy estimates based on selective assumptions do not inspire much confidence . New Delhi: In a study prepared as a background report for the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, economists Surjit Bhalla and Tirthatanmoy Das have claimed that the Indian economy created around 12.8 million jobs (by principal status) in 2017. The authors also claim that net...

-The Hindu The disease cannot be eliminated without universal access to affordable, quality diagnostics and drugs After decades spent battling the scourge of tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries, 2018 might be the year that it is finally accorded the gravitas it deserves. On September 26, the UN General Assembly will, for the first time, address TB in a High-Level Meeting and likely release a Political Declaration, endorsed by all member nations, to...

-The Hindu Floods often wash away rich, weathered soil. Rehabilitation programmes must consider this loss As the rains abate in Kerala and parts of Kodagu district in Karnataka, the loss of lives and the devastation of infrastructure and crops is apparent. However, as rebuilding is planned, what is often ignored is the soil that has been washed away. While roads and houses will be rebuilt, and crop losses compensated partially through insurance,...

-The Economic Times In the afternoon on August 15, Kollam district collector S Karthikeyan received a call from his counterpart in Pathanamthitta, P B Nooh. He requested five dinghies to be sent from rescue operations in flooded areas in his district. It had been raining incessantly for several days all over Kerala. Most of the reservoirs in the state had to be opened in the previous couple of days, leading to floods...