-The Hindu Allow more flexibility at the ground level, says internal study commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development An internal study commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development has argued for decentralisation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), allowing for more “flexibility” at the ground level.  The Ministry recently made public the report of the sixth Common Review Mission which surveyed seven States — Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,...

-Livemint.com Public support measures helped India’s small businesses survive the pandemic better than feared The robust recovery of India’s economy from the profound shock of the COVID pandemic has expectedly triggered debates about the nature of this recovery. While our economic recovery, as reflected in various supply and demand indicators, is acknowledged by many unbiased observers, an examination of its inclusivity is necessary. As an immediate response to the pandemic, the government put...

--Press release by National Coalition on the Education Emergency dated 31st October, 2022 More than 12 organisations and several individuals were part of a national consultation where issues faced by migrant children were discussed and actionable recommendations were proposed.  Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi, October 31, 2022: Not-for-profit organisations and civil society institutions have demanded that migrant children be provided the right to quality education immediately and have proposed an actionable framework...

-PTI/ ThePrint.in The ‘tiger widows’ of Sundarbans: Caught between the jungle and the rising sea Sundarbans: With both his sons jobless and money running out, Biswajit Mistry left home one summer morning to venture deep into the dense jungles of the Sundarbans in search of raw honey that would fetch a better price. His body was recovered two days later, mauled and bearing unmistakable signs of a tiger attack. More than a year...

-AP/ The Hindu The World Health Organization says the number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years in 2021 The number of people infected with tuberculosis, including the kind resistant to drugs, rose globally for the first time in years, according to a report issued Thursday by the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said more than 10 million people...