-Press statement by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha dated 17th November, 2021 The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has provided a cushion to millions of rural households amidst great economic distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. A substantial portion of the household expenditure in rural areas has been met through the NREGA wages and the nation has Witnessed a significant rise in the demand for work under the programme since the...

-The Hindu At least 150 days of work for each household of beneficiaries sought VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) and ‘Samalochana’ on Saturday urged the State government to clear pending wages of the beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) immediately. Describing the scheme as the lifeline for millions of rural households amid the economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, they said a substantial portion of the...

-TheQuint.com A recent SBI report, which states that the informal economy has declined, avoids even defining ‘informal economy’. A recent edition of “Ecowrap”, a publication of the research team of the State Bank of India (SBI), has claimed that India’s informal economy has sharply declined from 52.4 per cent in 2017-18 to between 15 and 20 per cent in 2020-21 in the three years since 2017-18. This finding by the SBI research...

-PTI/ The Hindu Nine low-pressure systems, including two cyclones, one deep depression and six lows, affected the country during the period. India recorded 125 extremely heavy rainfall events during September and October in 2021, the highest in five years, owing to the late withdrawal of the southwest monsoon and higher-than-normal low-pressure systems, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. The country recorded 89 extremely heavy rainfall events in September against 61 in the...

One is almost certain to hear this from an economist that if something is available at free of cost or at a subsidised rate thanks to government intervention, then people tend to overuse or overconsume such goods/ commodities. So, the best solution is to create a market for such 'almost freely available' or 'highly subsidised' goods or commodities. Once people start paying to use or consume such goods/ commodities, they...