-India Spend/ Scroll.in These programmes should look at skilling the workforce for paid jobs rather than unpaid, part-time volunteers. Central government programmes on water emphasise groundwater management by the community in a decentralised manner but, by and large, these schemes are silent on the availability, training and deployment of a skilled workforce for this task, especially in rural areas. Water management at the most decentralised, local levels is often a part-time, volunteer or...

-Livemint.com Rural economy has to deal with declining incomes and rising cost of essentials The general consensus on the state of the Indian economy can be summarized as follows: The economy has been in a deep crisis even before the pandemic-led disruptions. Second, the crisis is not a result of supply constraints but is a result of demand deficiency, particularly in the rural economy. Recent evidence suggests that the impact of the slowdown...

-NDTV.com The revised COVID-19 treatment guidelines spelt out the conditions for mild, moderate and severe disease. New Delhi: Doctors should avoid giving steroids to COVID-19 patients, the government has said in its revised clinical guidelines for coronavirus treatment, days after its Task Force chief expressed regret for the overuse of the drug during the second wave. The revised guidelines said that drugs like steroids can increase the risk of a secondary infection like...

-Press release by National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE) dated January 4, 2022 We note with concern, that governments are considering or planning school closure as Covid cases are on the rise. Delhi, Goa and Haryana governments have ordered school closure. Karnataka TAC has recommended a TPR of 2 percent to close schools and colleges. This will spell a disaster for children. Schools have recently opened after remaining mostly closed since...

-Down to Earth The Union ministry releases list of coal thermal power plants and their categorisation in line with its April 2021 notification Nearly 78 per cent of the electricity generated in India from coal will not meet emission norms before 2024. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released a draft list of the coal thermal power plants and their categorisation in line with the ministry’s April 2021...