-The Hindu Business Line Farmers say the schemes do not reach them and cost of farming is only rising The government of India facilitates State governments to reduce agricultural costs through many Centrally-sponsored and Central-sector schemes. However, the latest data available for six major schemes for the last five years show that the actual expenditure on these schemes has remained low compared to Budget estimates. Farmers have been complaining that the schemes are...

-PTI/ The Hindu The observation was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor A parliamentary panel on Wednesday asked the information and broadcasting Ministry to properly define the term “anti-national attitude” used in the Cable Network Rules, 2014, saying it may be the cause of unnecessary harassment of private channels. In its 27th report on 'Ethical Standards in Media Coverage', the Parliamentary Standing...

-The Hindu Business Line This will reduce disparity between States in procurement The announcement of abrogation of farm laws can only be the initial success of farmers’ collective actions. Most of the farmers are out of the ambit of these laws. The Shanta Kumar Committee report in 2015 estimated that only 6 per cent of the farmers could sell their produce through government agencies. Furthermore, the procurement is extremely unequal across States. During...

-The Hindu An SBI Research study’s claim that there is greater formalisation of the economy is unfounded According to a recent State Bank of India (SBI) Research report, the informal economy in India has been shrinking since 2018. Formalisation, the report says, has taken place through the gross value-added (GVA) route, consumption through increased digital payments, and the employment route. Let’s examine each of these. The report claims that the share of the...

-IDROnline.org The survey indicates an alarming increase in the number of wasting children, anaemic women, and obese men. The fifth round of the National Family Health Survey, released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on November 24, has revealed startling reversals in nutrition and health indicators. The data shows an increase in severe wasting in children under five—from 7.5% in 2015-’16, when the previous round of the survey was conducted, to...