-The Hindu Child Rights Commission tells SC that 1.47 lakh children lost a parent during the pandemic The Supreme Court is worried for children, some as young as six year old, whose parents suddenly died of COVID-19, leaving behind unpaid debts, mortgages, loans and insurance premiums. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has so far identified 1,47,773 children who have lost one parent and another 10,600 who have become orphans...

-The Hindu RLD chief Jayant has chosen the wrong house, he says and hints that BJP is open to post-poll alliance.  The BJP on Wednesday launched its big outreach programme to the Jat community of western Uttar Pradesh with Union Home Minister Amit Shah promising to “keep in mind” demands from the community for timely payment of sugar cane dues and reservation in jobs, but more importantly, keeping a door open for...

-The Hindu It allows employers to extend unlimited advances to workers and charge an unspecified interest rate on such loans Debt bondage is a form of slavery that exists when a worker is induced to accept advances on wages, of a size, or at a level of interest, such that the advance will never be repaid. One of India’s hastily-passed Labour Codes — the Code on Wages, 2019 — gives legal sanction...

-Livemint.com Real estate must contribute more to our economy and that calls for sectoral reforms and cheap homes Over the past few weeks, the financial and economic world has been worried about the likely collapse of Evergrande, the world’s most-indebted real estate company. At the same time, the bigger issue of China’s dependence for growth on its real-estate sector remains. In a working paper titled, Peak China Housing, Kenneth S. Rogoff and Yuanchen...

-The Hindu RBI said it regulates banks and non-banking finance companies and it does not regulate online lending platform The Delhi High Court on Tuesday observed that online lending platforms, offering short-term personal loans through mobile apps, cannot be allowed to charge exorbitant interest and processing fees. “Rate of interest should not be exorbitant. Just look at the difficulties. An expert body is required. If you people are so slow in taking action,...