-The Hindu Government satisfied with advisory role fulfilled by others The government is unlikely to fill the post of the Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) until after the general elections in 2019, according to a senior official in the Finance Ministry. The government has received only a few applications for the post in the three months since it advertised the vacancy, the official added. Not many applicants “We issued the advertisement for the post of CEA...

-PTI Will not allow fake news and targeted voter messaging Internet major Google and social media giants Twitter and Facebook have assured the Election Commission that they will not allow their platforms to be used for anything which affects the sanctity of polls during the campaign period, Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat has said. He said this was tested during the Karnataka elections. “A small pilot was there. That was the beginning. Now...

-The Indian Express Exploring the role of the black economy in political finance and how it subverts democracy. Book: Costs of Democracy: Political Finance in India Editors: Devesh Kapur & Milan Vaishnav Publisher: Oxford University Press Page: 311   Price: Rs 750 Money in politics is an issue of great concern for the Indian polity. Most believe it undermines democracy in India so that what formally looks like a great democracy turns out to be just...

-The Telegraph A commission source said the same restrictions could in future be applied to the Centre if Parliament is dissolved before its term ends The Election Commission on Thursday imposed on caretaker governments in states restrictions similar to those in force when the model code of conduct for polls is in place, almost a month after the Telangana Assembly was prematurely dissolved. A commission source said the same restrictions could in future...

-Livemint.com According to govt data, the output of foodgrains is 11.9 million tonnes higher than the average production of 129.7 million tonnes between 2012-17 New Delhi: India’s foodgrain production during the rain-fed kharif season is estimated at a record 141.6 million tonnes in 2018-19, raising chances that wholesale crop prices will continue to hover low ahead of crucial elections in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The first advance estimate of crop...