-The Indian Express The Prime Minister’s Office and the Finance Minister have been meeting various stakeholders over the last week to discuss the slowdown which is adversely impacting various sectors now. With the economy on a continuous slide, the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman Bibek Debroy said it is high time the government focused on expenditure and recommended a GST Council-like mechanism for the Centre and states to strategise on...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The central and state governments have opened their purses for rescue and relief operations as floods continue to cause immense damage and loss of lives in several states. Till Friday, the Centre and states together released over Rs 6,900 crore in eight states to safeguard human lives even as estimation of economic loss is yet to begin. Poll-bound Maharashtra has seen the highest release of Rs...

-The Telegraph Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech linked the decision to have small families to patriotism New Delhi: Narendra Modi's mention of "reckless population explosion" in his Independence Day address has led to speculation that the government may now want to bring a law on population regulation. “Population explosion has been occurring at an unrestrained pace. This population explosion is creating innumerable challenges for us and the coming...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Flood fury across much of India has already claimed 1,058 lives this monsoon, close to last year’s overall toll of 1,211. Over 150 people have died in Kerala, the second-highest after Maharashtra (245 deaths), as it faces extraordinary damage with authorities being forced to release water from dams because of torrential rain. The flood death counts are increasing year on year: from 936 in 2016...

-The Indian Express Kurki is attachment of farmers’ land by banks or arhtiyas/sahukars/traders (commission agents and private money lenders) in the event of non-payment of loan or debt. Two years after Punjab government notified a ban on kurkis or attachment of farmers’ land by banks in the event of their defaulting on loan payments, several such cases are taking place daily across districts in the state’s Malwa region. Here’s why. * What...