-Newsclick.in Rice meant for the poor will be sold at subsidised rates to privately-owned ethanol distilleries. The industries will be given cheap loans and exempted from Environmental Clearances. Is the Modi government subsidising the rich at the cost of the poor by diverting foodgrains meant for the most impoverished sections of the population to private industries for producing alcohol for India’s ethanol blended petrol programme? There’s more: For manufacturing ethanol, foodgrains will not...

-The Telegraph The former SC judge said the manner in which multiple FIRs were lodged, and the way Devangana was arrested, were unheard of in Indian judicial history The former Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B. Lokur, has castigated Delhi police for “violating every canon of natural justice and fair play” in dealing with student anti-CAA activists Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who were recently freed on bail. Justice Lokur...

-TheWire.in Despite the fact that India's financial inclusion infrastructure has a complex mix of self-help groups and small private banks offering credit to the poor, it has failed to deliver during the pandemic. When the pandemic struck, policymakers and prominent economists across the world called for financial infrastructures to be strengthened. They argued this would support the efficient channeling of relief through cash transfers or cheap loans. India was no exception to...

-PTI/ The Hindu Using test positivity as guiding factor may create challenges: Oxford Economics States’ reopening strategy in the wake of a decline in COVID-19 cases is not “prudent” and might even result in a rise in infections as vaccine coverage remains low in many States, global forecasting FIRm Oxford Economics said on Wednesday. In a report, it also said, “we remain cautious and maintain our 2021 growth forecast at 9.1%”, pointing out...

-IndiaSpend.com Massive job losses, up to 51% decline in earnings and reduced food intake--migrant workers struggled to survive through the recent lockdown in Gujarat, finds a study. Migrants received no relief during the second wave, and the measures taken in the last lockdown were not adequate, it shows Ahmedabad: Migrant workers were weeks from running out of food, struggled to access healthcare and faced acute livelihood problems during the partial lockdowns imposed...