-The Indian Express Each sex worker will receive Rs 5,000 per month along with three kg of wheat and two kg of rice. Mumbai: To cope with the effects of the lockdown, the Maharashtra government has decided to give financial aid and 5-kg ration to 5,600 sex workers of Mumbai every month till the Covid-19 pandemic is over. But even as Maharashtra became the first state in October to issue a government resolution...

-PTI/ The Hindu The report is based on a survey of 120 payments executives at banks globally regarding the transformation of their payments business About 66.6 billion transactions worth USD 270.7 billion are expected to shift from cash to cards and digital payments by 2023 in India, and further increase to USD 856.6 billion by 2030, a report by Accenture said on Tuesday. This rapid shift to digital payments due to the COVID-19...

-Hindustan Times Paharganj, once a bustling, thriving market whose entire economy depends on foreign tourists, is a microcosm of the devastation caused by the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the capital’s tourism sector. Satyam Bhatnagar runs a handicrafts shop in Paharganj’s main bazar, a backpackers’ paradise that boasts of hundreds of touristy establishments such as money changers, hotels, rooftop restaurants, tour operators, and handicrafts shops selling a range of stone and wood sculptures,...

-The Hindu While the youth have abandoned villages for work in distant towns, children have dropped out of schools after pandemic Andrahal: Perched at a height of 3,500ft above sea level in the hilly Malkangiri district of Odisha, this village is difficult to access and so are its inhabitants — the Bondas, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, known for their secluded lives away from the mainstream. However, the lack of access has not...

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have multiple impacts on our lives. Existing challenges have been exacerbated and new ones have emerged. Across the country, individuals, communities, businesses and governments are responding differently. Covid has claimed many casualties. Good reportage need not be one of them. The pandemic and the consequent economic slowdown have also taken its toll on good journalism. At this moment, we need good journalism to be stronger than...