-Down to Earth Unfavourable, unreliable weather hurt agriculture, in turn pushing food prices our of reach across the world At 14.23 per cent, India’s wholesale inflation rate in November 2021 was the highest in three decades. It did reduce marginally to 13.56 per cent the next month, according to government data released January 14, 2022. But even that is bad news for the Centre ahead of Assembly elections in five states, including...

-The Hindu Policy efforts to formalise the economy will have LIMited results as the bulk of informal units are petty producers Since 2016, the Government has made several efforts to formalise the economy. Currency demonetisation, introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), digitalisation of financial transactions and enrolment of informal sector workers on numerous government Internet portals are all meant to encourage the formalisation of the economy. But why the impetus...

-Down to Earth The government is trying to gradually withdraw from procurement operations, MSP regime with this move, feel farmers A recent draft proposal by the Union government to change the moisture content LIMit for wheat and paddy has farmers worried ahead of the rabi procurement season that begins April 2022.  The ideal moisture content in wheat may be reduced to 12 per cent from 14 per cent and in paddy to 16...

-The Hindu Bench asks States to provide data on malnutrition, starvation deaths and other related issues within two weeks The Supreme Court’s questions on hunger deaths drew a near blank from the Union government on Tuesday. The government’s response skirted from urging the court to ask the States for data, making sweeping comments about malnutrition in “developing countries” to reading statistics out of a 2015 health survey report and a newspaper article. “Why are...

-Scroll.in A one-man judicial commission has recommended that the company pay the full amount as penalty for its violations in a forest that is home to elephants. In July 2020, the government of Assam ordered an inquiry into allegations of illegal mining in the state’s Digboi forest division. The division, an administrative category, falls within the larger Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, one of India’s largest rainforests. In December 2021, the report of the...