-IDROnline.org While it claims to be a demand-based scheme with an elastic budget, NREGA’s failure to support the rural economy in 2021 indicates otherwise. A comparison of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) demand and supply of work between the first quARTer of financial year (FY) 2020, when the national lockdown was in place and the first quARTer of FY 2021 when the second wave was at its peak offers...

-The Hindu They demand dismissal of official responsible for ordering lathicharge Haryana farmer unions on Monday held a meeting in Karnal to demand registration of cases against the officials responsible for the lathicharge on the farmers this past weekend and ₹25 lakh compensation to the next of kin of the farmer who allegedly died due to the injuries sustained during the police action, among other things. Please click here to read more.  ...

-The Hindu Efforts are on to improve the human rights protection regime in police stations Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana expressed concern at the degree of human rights violations in police stations in the country. He said that “the threat to human rights and bodily integrity is the highest in police stations”. He also said that “in spite of constitutional declarations and guarantees, lack of effective legal representation...

-The Hindu Heads of industry do not share the optimism of the government and RBI, shows CII poll of CEOs. Indian industry does not seem to share the government and the Reserve Bank of India’s optimism about this year’s growth prospects, according to a poll of CEOs conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Nearly two-thirds of CEOs of large corporates polled by CII at its national council meeting earlier this month...

-The Hindu Environmental experts and politicians raise concern over Centre’s proposal. Given the widespread destruction of rainforests and native biodiversity caused by oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia, environmental experts and politicians are warning that the Centre’s move to promote their cultivation in India’s northeastern States and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands could be disastrous. Other concerns include the impact on community ownership of tribal lands, as well as the fact that...