-The Hindu Local governments remain hamstrung and ineffective — mere agents to do the bidding of higher level governments Democratic decentralisation is barely alive in India. Over 25 years after the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments (they mandated the establishment of panchayats and municipalities as elected local governments) devolved a range of powers and responsibilities and made them accountable to the people for their implementation, very little and actual progress has been...

-Hindustan Times More than one-third of police personnel would be willing to give up their profession if they were given a chance to join another job with the same salaries and perks, the survey found. A survey conducted across 21 Indian states by non-governmental organisations Common Cause and Lokniti – Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), has found police personnel to be under stress due to workload, poor work-life balance,...

-PTI Job cuts may affect technical Staff too, says dealers’ association Around two lakh jobs have been laid off across automobile dealerships in the country in the last three months as vehicle retailers attempt to tide over the impact of the unprecedented sales slump, according to industry body FADA. With no immediate signs of recovery, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) fears that the job cuts may continue with more showrooms being...

-The Times of India Salem: Salem Periyar University and University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, have jointly conducted a research on the public distribution system (PDS) in selected rural areas of Salem district since 2017. At the end of two-year research, the team has found that the PDS has great support among its users in rural areas and contributed positively to food security Vice-chancellor of Periyar University P Kolandaivel said, “In the coming months,...

-The Hindu Without factoring in agriculture, the vision of a $5-trillion economy will remain a distant dream India’s dream of becoming a $5-trillion economy by 2024 is now in the open with a ‘blue sky’ vision envisaged in the Economic Survey this year. The document lays down a clear strategy to augment the growth of key sectors by shifting gears as the current economic conditions are smooth in terms of macroeconomic stability...