-Hindustan Times Herein lies the crisis of farmer politicians. They have neither aspirations nor the power of coercion working for them. Rural distress dominated discussions around the political-economy in 2017, and will likely continue to do so in 2018, much to the consternation of political incumbents. Those in opposition will be looking forward to harvesting this anger for their own benefit. One question is worth asking though. Where is the farmer-politician in...

-The Indian Express At the root of the insecurities of Marathas, Jats and Patels lies lack of education and employability The recent clash in Pune district between the Mahars and Marathas reflects the anti-Dalit prejudice of the latter, but it needs to be analysed in the context of the changing status of dominant castes, not only in Maharashtra but across India. The claims of Patels, Jats and Marathas to be considered as...

-The Indian Express The state government has decided to roll out its scheme from Mansa on January 7 under which loans worth Rs 170 crore would be waived off formally. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh would be handing over the certificate to the farmers. Chandigarh: Punjab government’s farm loan waiver, which is to be rolled out to 40,000 farmers from five districts in Malwa on January 7, has many Congress leaders fuming...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: A company that has been in operation for less than three years will be able to donate money to a political party through electoral bonds, according to the terms finalised by the Centre on Tuesday. But a party that could not secure 1 per cent of the vote in the previous election will not be eligible for the electoral bonds. This could pose a funding challenge for new...

-The Indian Express Over-inclusive, says Chidambaram, it keeps out even those convicted of non-financial crime As Rajya Sabha cleared the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Amendment Bill Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government has entered unchartered territory and would continue to modify the law. “Insolvency and bankruptcy is an area in which it is only in recent years that we have chartered into. It is a learning experience,” Jaitley said in...