-Newsclick.in The recent agreements between Medicine Patent Pool and Big Pharma are being projected as benevolent gestures from pharma companies in sharing their patented technologies with other countries. The fact is it is working towards cementing its monopoly power further. The development of anti-viral oral pills to combat COVID-19 will, hopefully, make the fight against the pandemic more promising. While Merck has developed the anti-viral pill Molnupiravir, Pfizer has come up with...

-Hindustan Times From January 15, 2022, a law giving 75% reservation for local residents in private sector jobs will come into effect in Haryana From January 15, 2022, a law giving 75% reservation for local residents in private sector jobs will come into effect in Haryana. To be sure, the policy will only apply to jobs where the monthly salary is up to ₹30,000. The announcement has already triggered a rethink among...

When one of the three farm laws i.e., The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 was enacted last year, it was argued by its proponents that the legislation would allow the farmers to sell their produce (and the traders to purchase that produce) outside the Agricultural Produce Market Committee-APMC mandis after crop harvesting. In a way, that particular piece of legislation was enacted to end the...

-Newsclick.in Why are gig workers not recognised by three of the four recently passed labour codes? Shedding light on the problems that food delivery app workers have been facing in the post-pandemic period in India, NILABHRA BHATTACHARYA advocates for gig workers’ recognition under all the labour codes that were passed by the Parliament in 2019 and 2020 to provide them minimum labour protections and rights. RECENTLY, the food delivery apps Swiggy and Zomato...

-Hindustan Times India relies on import of raw materials for crop nutrients as well as finished products and compensates fertiliser companies who sell them at below-inflation rates. The Union government has revamped parts of its subsidy regime for fertilisers and crop nutrients to continue providing them at below-market rates, while rolling over special discounts announced for the summer-sown season to the oncoming winter-sown months, according to an official statement on Thursday. International prices...