-The Hindu This is ‘abject poverty’, and if the economy is to be repaired, the number of the poor has to be meticulously counted The son of a corn merchant-turned sociologist, Charles Booth had little patience for Charles Dickens and others in his time, who used lyrical prose to describe the desperation of the poor in working class London. Booth was also angry, in 1885, over the claims made by F.D. Hyndman,...

-IndiaToday.in India’s edible oil demand far exceeds domestic production. At least 60 per cent is met through imports, and global prices are soaring. Is there a way out? These days, aside from the coronavirus, Ajay Kumar a 40-year-old a resident of Tagore Garden in West Delhi, finds himself worrying about inflation. He says his monthly spending on essentials like vegetable oils has been steadily rising—a litre of mustard oil now costs him...

-The Telegraph Poverty research pioneer cites US, UK and EU experience; Niti Aayog vice-chairman disagrees, says there’s no guarantee ‘helicopter money’ will lead to spending Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee has stepped up to the firing line by arguing the government should make bigger direct cash payments under the MGNREGA scheme to help people who have slid into poverty due to the pandemic. The government has already indicated it’s not keen on larger direct...

-IndiaSpend.com The government has said that the economic impact from the second Covid-19 wave will be less than that of the first. But economists point to signs of a growing rural economic crisis, and call for urgent relief measures to ward off long-term damage. Siolim, Goa: Ramesh Ram, 31, is listed as a textile industry staff worker in the administration's database of migrant workers in south west Bihar's Kaimur district. But for...

-Down to Earth The Swiss multinational food and beverage multinational has admitted some of its products will never be healthy no matter how much it reformulates them “Good Food, Good Life” is the mission statement of one of the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness multinational, Nestle SA. One can quickly catch words and phrases such as ‘healthy’, ‘healthier lives’, ‘healthier future’ while scrolling through its website, which does does lull a...