-Firstpost.com The battle for the rural heartland has commenced in full earnest.  Even though the two main opposition parties are not officially behind the strike called by farmers, their support and muscle is in full evidence. Surprisingly, the Shiv Sena – an alliance partner of the present government -- has also supported the agitation. Yesterday, milk and vegetables had to be brought into some of Maharashtra’s cities under police escort.  The shrill...

-The Indian Express A smooth GST regime can break inter-state barriers on movement and facilitate direct linkages between processors and farmers After more than a decade of intense discussion and debate, the GST is finally becoming a reality. Although in its current form, it is not as perfect as was originally envisaged, yet it is being lauded as one of the most transformational reforms since 1991. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was humble...

-HuffingtonPost.in The available numbers could be telling only part of the truth. An RTI query has revealed that for the first time in this decade, the number of abortions in Mumbai has fallen. But are abortions on the decline in the country as a whole? "Going by the data that we have from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the trend has show an increase in abortions," says Poonam Muttreja, Executive...

-DNA Death of tribal kids during monsoon period when their parents don't get work has been a major issue since past many years. Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sumit Mullick on Wednesday held a core committee meeting to review the ongoing measures to prevent death of infant in the tribal areas. He directed health, women and child development and tribal departments to take necessary precautions for preventing various diseases whcih occur during the monsoon. Additional...

-Hindustan Times There are almost no jobs available in India’s high-growth economy. Job creation has plummeted to levels even below those of preceding UPA governments. Of the one million new people who join the workforce every month, only 0.01% of new workers added to the work force actually found work. For millions of young voters Prime Minister Modi’s most alluring election promise in 2014 was that his government would create ten million...