-Down to Earth Physical distancing as well as home quarantining have changed the housing standardisation game; an overhaul is needed India witnessed a mass exodus of migrant workers in April 2020: Nearly 40 million migrant workers were affected by the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to the World Bank. Some estimates pegged the figure at 120-140 million. In April 2021, the country had a deja-vu:...

-ThePrint.in The unemployment rate for women shot up to 17%, more than double the rate for men, data from private research firm Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy revealed. New Delhi: Women in India suffered disproportionately because of the coronavirus outbreak last year and they are once again at the receiving end of the pandemic’s second wave, adding to the risks of economic recovery. From lower wages to job losses and slower pace of...

-ThePrint.in Researchers from Boston and Columbia universities studied Meghalaya's matrilineal tribes to find that women are more politically active than men when wealth passes from mother to daughter. In most societies around the world, women participate in politics at lower rates than men. Research shows that women also have a distinct set of economic policy preferences, prioritising government-led taxation and redistribution of wealth more than men. Scholars have long debated whether cultural...

-The Telegraph The panel of scientists and other experts on testing strategies, has also said that testing kit suppliers would need to be ready to respond to recurring surges An expert panel has asked the Centre to help the states conduct well-designed surveys on the prevalence of Covid-19 to understand the evolving epidemic, expressing concern that three nationwide surveys have so far not helped guide policy. The panel, which includes scientists and other...

-The Hindu The universalisation of social security remains an unfulfilled aspiration in the new code on social security As COVID-19 destroys lives and livelihoods, an unprepared government has rendered low-paid, informal workers, who constitute 91% of the workforce, totally hapless, pushing them further into poverty. Imagine if these same informal workers had social security (including free basic curative care in public clinics and hospitals, the elderly had old age pensions, the dying...