-The Indian Express While the NSO’s Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-18 had estimated female labour force participation rate for 15 years and above at 23.3 per cent, the comparative numbers of other countries highlight the labour market’s gender skew. Just one out of five persons — in the 15-30 years age bracket — entering the labour force is expected to be a female in the five years ending 2023, when...

-The Indian Express In Guwahati, students under the banner of the All Assam Students’ Union marched from its office to the Governor’s residence and submitted a memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting why they oppose the Bill. Guwahati: The Northeast saw several protests on Monday against the citizenship amendment Bill, scheduled to be tabled in Parliament this session, with students’ bodies staging sit-in demonstrations and marches against the proposed...

-The Telegraph Without simultaneous steps to raise productivity, passive acceptance of lost competitiveness has shaped India's approach India’s last-minute withdrawal from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement has elicited much commentary. That it happened after exciting positive signals from senior government functionaries amidst vociferous opposition by noted lobby groups surprised all. A sizeable segment, however, backs the retreat, noting India’s current economic situation and low competitiveness to describe it as economic and...

-Financial Express If panchayat allocations are merged with MGNREGA to aid asset creation, it can trigger infrastructure growth, resulting in extra income and improved conditions. There is a lot of debate around 5% GDP growth and its impact on the organised sector. Although the government has been taking multiple steps to trigger the economy, there is a need to focus on rural India, in terms of optimising of fund allocations and revision...

-Economic and Political Weekly Policies ensuring food security and nutrition support require a renewed focus and sense of urgency. It is a national shame that, even several decades after independence, the country has not been able to free itself from the problem of hunger and malnutrition that endangers the life and health of the population, especially that of children, women, and vulnerable groups. The global hunger index (GHI) published this year has...