-The Hindu Lok Sabha clears Aadhaar amendment Bill amid stiff opposition. The Lok Sabha cleared the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by a voice vote on Thursday. The Bill replaces an Ordinance promulgated on March 2 and provides for a stiff ?1 crore penalty and a jail term to private entities for storing Aadhaar data. It also makes the use of Aadhaar voluntary for opening a bank account, securing a mobile phone...

-Down to Earth Nine states, which have fertility rates well below the replacement rate, will have an aged population by 2030s India’s population growth rate will decline faster than assumed, according to the Economic Survey 2018-19. In fact, the fertility rate in many states has reached the replacement rate. “India is set to witness a sharp slowdown in population growth in the next two decades,” analysed the Economic Survey. "The country will enjoy...

-Livemint.com * Contrary to popular belief, the Economic Survey 2019 says “dwarfs”—over 10-year-old firms with less than 100 employees—which account for a majority of firms in organized manufacturing, hold back job creation and productivity * Mint explains why it is so and the way out How do small and young firms fare in terms of job creation? The Economic Survey says the contribution of small firms to output and employment in the manufacturing sector...

-The Hindu Business Line India’s manufacturing needs higher investment in education and R&D to become self-reliant and technologically competent The share of manufacturing in India’s GDP has stagnated at 16 per cent since 1991, despite economic reforms. No country ever became a manufacturing force without (a) a design capability; and (b) an institutional system that incentivises and sustains innovations. India needs a system to develop human and technical capabilities at both the...

-The Hindu It is imperative to promote community-based care rather than relying only on hospital services The deaths of 154 children in Bihar due to acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) has laid bare the precarious capacity of the State’s healthcare apparatus to handle outbreaks. AES has been linked to two factors: litchi consumption by starving children and a long, ongoing heat wave. As promises of bolstering the health infrastructure are being made, it...