-The Hindu The onus is on the government to ensure that there is a robust system of public data production and use When evidence-based policymaking becomes the cornerstone of good governance, it is difficult to overstate the importance of reliable and timely public data. Such data have a direct bearing on the state’s capability to design and implement programmes effectively. Among the emerging economies, India is credited to have a relatively robust...

-Newsclick.in The cheer and celebrations all around following the PM's announcement, however, do not improve the farmers’ situation or ease their struggles. On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Prime Minister Modi announced his government’s decision to repeal the three farm laws that were to impact the lives and livelihoods of people -- especially the very small and marginal farmers and the common people i.e. the consumers of farm produce.  This is...

-The Hindu Rollback of farm laws spurs groups in Assam, event planned on December 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on repealing the three contentious farm laws has revived groups against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Assam with a protest planned on December 12. The CAA seeks to fast-track the granting of citizenship to non-Muslims who fled religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan and took refuge in India till December 31, 2014. A...

-TheQuint.com Ashok Saket, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, and remains critical. In a shocking incident from Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district, a labourer’s hand was cut off by his employer when he demanded his wages, on Sunday, 21 November. The victim, Ashok Saket, who belongs to a Scheduled Caste, was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in a critical condition. The victim’s nephew Lavkush Saket said that the incident...

-ThePrint.in Scientists from around the world have used genome sequencing to help produce new varieties of chickpea, which are expected to give increased yields at about similar input cost. New Delhi: Research led by scientists from International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is set to help produce more chickpea or chana, and make it more nutritious and climate-change resistant. The worldwide research project has made it possible to...