-The Hindu The U.S.-supported move will have an effect if countries simultaneously address non-IP bottlenecks among other things The United States has finally relented and declared its support for a temporary waiver of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In October 2020, India and South Africa, at the WTO, proposed waiving Sections 1, 4, 5, and 7 of Part II...

-The Hindu In the first 10 days, grains have reached 2.03 crore of 80 crore beneficiaries: Food Ministry Out of the 40 lakh tonnes of free food grain promised under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana for May, one lakh tonnes have been distributed so far, Food Secretary Sudhanshu pandey said on Monday. In the first 10 days, PMGKAY grains have reached 2.03 crore of the 80 crore beneficiaries, with 13 States...

-The Telegraph The government and its health administrators have bungled the roll out of the Covid vaccine but it's the citizenry that will have to play a huge role in controlling the second killer wave This fight against Covid-19 is admittedly the most unprecedented and unpredictable battle that the human race has ever fought against a common enemy; it is not only invisible but also frustratingly elusive. That is why the strategy...

-The Hindu Making it compulsory to open a bank account in Delhi among others acts an impediment, they say The amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) enacted last year that among others made it compulsory for NGOs to open a bank account in Delhi has crippled the work of many organisations who are unable to receive foreign funds. Registered NGOs can receive foreign contribution for five purposes — social, educational, religious,...

-The Hindu Environment Appraisal Committee which flagged concerns over project has now ‘recommended’ it ‘for grant of terms of reference’ for EIA studies The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) - Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has flagged serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s ambitious project for Great Nicobar Island (‘NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns’, The Hindu, March 21, 2021). The committee has,...