-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Toxic smoke from a blaze at the Okhla landfill is causing health problems among local residents and patient parties at the ESI hospital that is almost bordering the site. The situation was so bad on Tuesday that some drivers at a nearby DTC bus depot complained of sickness. Though the operations were not affected, residents said the efforts to check the smoke from spreading into the...

-Livemint.com In the last three years, wages of agricultural labourers have increased only by 0.5% per year while those of non-agricultural workers have declined by 0.25% per year, the worst so far in 30 years The agrarian economy continues to be plagued by falling output prices, declining incomes and increased variation in agricultural production pointing to a situation of uncertainty and vulnerability among most rural residents. This has created an unprecedented demand...

-The Hindu Telangana’s experience is instructive The institutionalisation of “social audits” to ensure implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) has been challenging. Since being included in the 2005 Act at the behest of social movements, social audits have been ineffective in most parts of the country due to government indifference. So far, 26 States have created social audit units (SAUs), but the Comptroller and Auditor General’s (CAG’s) detailed guidelines...

-Livemint.com For the first time during the tenure of the present government, overall inflation of food articles is negative, implying a decline in prices Last week the India Meteorological Department (IMD) presented its first forecast for the monsoon this year. The forecast at 97% of the long period average (LPA) suggested yet a third year of normal monsoon rains, following 2016 and 2017. This should have ideally brought cheer to farmers struggling...

-Business Standard In the manufacturing sector, 89,000 jobs were created as compared to job loss of 87,000 in the previous quarter and job creation of 24,000 in the same period last year Job creation in the organised sector rose two-fold to 136,000 in July-September 2017 compared to the previous quarter, largely driven by an uptick in the manufacturing sector, latest official estimates showed. In comparison, job creation stood at 64,000 in April-June 2017...