-Scroll.in The unprecedented reversal comes after 15 years of steady progress by India in reducing infant deaths On November 8, 2016, the Indian government undertook a drastic policy decision, choosing to ban high value currency notes in circulation. Overnight, 86% of India’s currency became worthless, throwing live and livelihoods in disarray. Now new research is pointing to the widespread impact this dislocation might have had on human development. A new paper by economists...

-The Hindu Joe Biden, who won the 2020 presidential race, could take the U.S. back to the leadership position in the fight against climate change The U.S. could become the leader in the world’s quest to avert dangerous climate change under a Joe Biden presidency, marking a return to global cooperation and reversing President Donald Trump’s isolationist rejection of efforts to cut carbon emissions. On November 4, a year after serving notice, and...

-Newsclick.in Almost 24% of the respondents reported having earned no wages in the unlock phases and close to 50% said that their monthly wages were less than Rs 5,000. A fact sheet produced by ActionAid Association India following its surveys focussing on informal workers has exposed the inadequacies of the governments that are failing in improving workers’ lives. The extensive report, which is a part of the organisation’s longitudinal study on the impact...

-The Telegraph With the Assembly elections approaching, water has again become a promise. Is it indeed possible to ensure every household in the state gets clean piped water supply within the next four years? Nothing can be more shameful if a government that has been in power for 18 years cannot even provide basics like clean drinking water.” So said Union home minister Amit Shah in 2018, when he was in Odisha...

-The Telegraph The government has not institutionalized SAUs which are at times intimidated when it comes to accessing data on various programmes The auditing agility of government programmes seems to have gained strength. After the recent floods in Assam, the state planned to carry out a social audit of relief measures to look into corruption and bribery. This is the first time that any government is trying to reinforce a social audit...