-The Indian Express Hypothetically, if Ashok Kumar had been a conductor on any of the other 20 buses except the one the victim travelled in, he would not have even been an accused. On one of these bleak, foggy mornings that make for reflection, my mother wondered aloud how my life might have turned out if we hadn’t moved from Bombay to Delhi when I was a teenager. Not fundamentally differently, I...

-Hindustan Times The farmers want to take out the rally on Outer Ring Road, while the police have suggested alternate routes. With protesting farmers refusing to budge from their decision to take out a tractor rally on Republic Day, the administration has geared up to stop them. Hindustan Times' sister publication Livehindustan reported that Uttar Pradesh government has asked supply officers in all the districts to not give diesel to protesting farmers. Thousands...

-The Indian Express The need of the hour is to expand distribution under the PDS. Failing that, the country is heading towards another round of wasteful stock accumulation even as poor people struggle to feed their families. The paradox of “hunger amidst plenty” has haunted India for a long time and shows no sign of going away. On the contrary, it reached a new PLAne in 2020. On the one hand, the...

-Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Millets are considered as smart crops that are resilient to climate stress and have nutritional advantages. Odisha’s initiative in millets, from farm to PLAtes, has been intervening through four verticals in production (with new agronomic practices), processing, marketing and consumption (includes awareness campaigns and also through inclusion in nutritional programmes). Odisha also started procurement of mandia/ragi (finger millet) since 2018-19. These have important lessons for other states in...

-The Hindu Business Line The government PLAns to bring in structural reforms in this crucial sector. But the devil lies in the detail India has huge mineral deposits, but the country’s mining sector is still suffering from legacy issues. Making a fresh attempt for a course correction, the Union Cabinet recently approved a blueprint to usher in reforms in the mining sector. This blueprint, which will be presented in the coming Parliament session,...