-Press release by Working Peoples' Charter dated 21st September, 2020 Amidst the micro and macro-economic crisis of the last 5 years, the union government has aggressively pushed the agenda of labour law reforms -- purportedly to simplify India’s ‘complex’ labour legislations, improve the business environment, and augment growth and employment. These changes, driven primarily by the business fraternity, have been aimed at improving India’s ranking in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’...
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India should opt for income support so that pandemic does not turn into a financial crisis -Jahangir Aziz
-The Indian Express What is needed is ample income support for households and firms now so that the recovery is not hamstrung by excessively damaged balance sheets Even a cursory reading of Brazil’s recent history will confirm that the adoption of the all-encompassing cap on government spending in late 2016 was critical in rescuing the economy from the crisis of 2014-16. After riding the commodity boom of the 2000s, economic mismanagement and a...
More »NSO report on education: ‘One in three high schoolers gets private coaching’
-The Hindu The fees make up for almost 20% of their total cost of education, says NSO report on education One in five students in India supplements school education with private coaching, including almost one in three at the secondary school level or Classes 9 and 10. Private coaching fees make up almost 20% of the total cost of education for those in secondary and higher secondary school. In some States, such as...
More »Move to raise women’s age of marriage reflects punitive paternalism -Sunny Jose
-The Indian Express The proposed policy, instead of addressing the causes and consequences of under-age marriages, may instead produce adverse, suboptimal outcomes affecting the poor and marginalised the most. Should women’s legal age for marriage be raised? The answer to this seemingly simple question is not so simple, because the question is not simply about replacing age 18 with 21. Rather, it deals with the social origins of a “problem” not easily...
More »India’s descent into stepwells of growth -Kaushik Basu
-Livemint.com * Poor handling of the pandemic threatens to derail our competitive advantage in the global economy * India’s economy is well-positioned in IT and outsourcing; health and pharma; and higher education and research, which are sectors expected to be leading drivers of global growth NEW YORK: India’s economy is in a downward spiral. The Economist Intelligence Unit just lowered the forecast for India’s growth in the coming year from -5.8% to -8.5%....
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