-The Tribune Village-Level Entrepreneur reported data theft to authority, no one took heed Jalandhar: Thirty-two-year-old Bharat Bhushan Gupta is the man who reported the matter of illegitimate Aadhaar data access to The Tribune, which was followed up by the paper with an investigation of its own, aided by this whistleblower. However, he had first attempted to take an even more appropriate channel, approaching the UIDAI. The Jalandhar-based Village-Level Entrepreneur (VLE) was on December...

-The Hindu Business Line Falling farm prices, drying up of industrial jobs and lesser MGNREGA work have sharpened rural discontent. The Budget cannot ignore these factors in a year of 8 State polls The year 2017 was roiled by rural discontent. After two consecutive drought years (2014-15 and 2015-16), when agriculture growth plummeted (see table), the countryside was awash with hope after a good monsoon in 2016-17. However, record foodgrain output (272 million...

-Hindustan Times Herein lies the crisis of farmer politicians. They have neither aspirations nor the power of coercion working for them. Rural distress dominated discussions around the political-economy in 2017, and will likely continue to do so in 2018, much to the consternation of political incumbents. Those in opposition will be looking forward to harvesting this anger for their own benefit. One question is worth asking though. Where is the farmer-politician in...

-The Indian Express Over-inclusive, says Chidambaram, it keeps out even those convicted of non-financial crime As Rajya Sabha cleared the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government has entered unchartered territory and would continue to modify the law. “Insolvency and bankruptcy is an area in which it is only in recent years that we have chartered into. It is a learning experience,” Jaitley said in...

-The Indian Express The state government has decided to roll out its scheme from Mansa on January 7 under which Loans worth Rs 170 crore would be waived off formally. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh would be handing over the certificate to the farmers. Chandigarh: Punjab government’s farm Loan waiver, which is to be rolled out to 40,000 farmers from five districts in Malwa on January 7, has many Congress leaders fuming...