-Down to Earth Ganjam, known to be severely affected by child marriages, is Odisha’s first district to be declared child marriage free Odisha’s Ganjam district was declared child marriage-free January 3, 2022, district collector Vijay Amruta Kulange said. “We decided to declare the district free of child marriage after collecting detailed information about all weddings that took place in 2020 and 2021,” Kulange said at an event organised at the district headquarters. The district...

-TheWire.in The campaign emphasised how the proposed NEP will result in budget cuts, elimination of reservations for the marginalised, fee hikes and a further rise of contractualisation and privatisation in higher education. New Delhi: More than 150 students, teachers and eminent public personalities on December 24 attended a nationwide 50-day campaign against the National Education Policy (NEP) at the Press Club of India (PCI) in the national capital. The PCI conference emphasised how...

-MoneyLife.in Responding to a question raised by Rajya Sabha MP (member of parliament) Subramanian Swamy, the finance ministry informed the parliament that Rs10,720 crore worth of old Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes did not return into circulation after demonetisation.   According to the finance ministry, when demonetisation was announced on 8 November 2016, Rs15,41,793 crore worth of withdrawn notes were in circulation. The finance ministry revealed in its written reply that, after verification and...

-Press release by the Right to Food campaign Secretariat dated 20th December, 2021   The Right to Food campaign has issued a statement on the issue of giving eggs in Mid day meals. On November 23 2021, in the context of malnutrition, the State Government of Karnataka announced that eggs would be provided three days a week as part of the mid-day meal scheme to students in seven districts. Against this decision,...

-Down to Earth Judgement against Pepsico potato variety sets precedent for all seed and food and beverages corporations not to transgress farmers’ seed rights and freedoms in India, experts say The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Authority December 3, 2021 revoked a PVP (plant variety protection) certificate granted to PepsiCo India Holding (PIH) on a potato variety (FL-2027) on multiple grounds.  This means that Pepsico’s Intellectual Property Right (IPR) granted...