-The Hindu It is not data, but lack of transparency and awareness that causes panic during a pandemic China’s initial cover-up of the novel coronavirus outbreak for nearly a month invited worldwide condemnation. Similarly, there were concerns when the U.S. was reported to be barring Leading scientist, Anthony Fauci, from speaking publicly about the COVID-19 outbreak without approval. Dr. Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious...

-Hindustan Times “We are trying to calm the peoples’ frayed nerves. The daily sharing of data is creating panic. People are buying masks and hoarding hand sanitisers,” said Dr Rajan Sharma, IMA president. New Delhi: The Indian Medical Association urged the government on Wednesday not to share novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases daily, arguing the move would Lead to panic even though the World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic. “We appeal to...

-The Hindu The absence of playgrounds and electricity in govt. schools speaks poorly of policy priorities It should rank as an irony that as a founder-Leader of the International Solar Alliance, India has not yet electrified a significant number of government schools, while extolling the elegance and virtue of photovoltaic electricity to the rest of the world. The lack of power in schools is taken note of by the Parliamentary Standing Committee...

-The Hindu In instilling a regime where there is a presumption against citizenship, the Foreigners Act denies the weakest their rights A series of judgments delivered by the Gauhati High Court over the course of the last few weeks has brought into sharp focus the utter brutality of the regime governing the Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam. These verdicts entrench the establishment of an unreasonable burden on people declared as deemed foreigners by...

-The Hindu The latest GDP data show that there has been an undeniable decline in the growth rate over seven consecutive quarters On February 28, as per its release calendar, the National Statistical Office (NSO) put out the third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) estimates, that is, for October-December 2020. It showed that domestic output grew at 4.7% at constant prices (that is, net of inflation), compared to the same period the...