-The Indian Express In an essay on LinkedIn, the former RBI Governor said governments that suppress criticism do themselves a disservice. New delhi: People in authority have to tolerate criticism and suppressing criticism is a sure-fire recipe for policy mistakes, former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan said Monday. In an essay on LinkedIn, Rajan said governments that suppress public criticism do themselves a gross disservice. “People in authority have to...

-The Indian Express The August numbers mark the first contraction in core infrastructure output since April 2019, pointing to the continuing weakness in demand conditions. New delhi: The growth of eight infrastructure sectors contracted 0.5 per cent in August following broad-based deterioration in output across as many as five sectors, including cement and electricity. But for a turnaround in refinery products — the largest constituent of the core sector — and...

-The Hindu It is imperative to focus on agricultural production in devising a long-term solution to the problem of unemployment At a panel discussion hosted recently by the students of delhi’s Ambedkar University, the topic was, ‘Are we heading for an economic crisis?’ Presumably, they had been prompted by the all-absorbing news of a slowing economy. It is indeed correct that such a slowing is taking place. Growth has slowed for the...

-The Indian Express While we do not question the basic premise that air pollution has adverse health impact, we are sceptical about the figures quoted and the methodology adopted in estimating the cost. In the past three years, several studies have linked air pollution with health effects. For instance, the State of Global Air 2019, published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI), claimed exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution contributed...

-TheWire.in A sudden spike in farm fires has prompted delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to write to his Haryana and Punjab counterparts. New delhi: With the arrival of the paddy harvesting season, there has been a sharp increase in the number of farm fires reported in Punjab. There were 107 fires between September 24 and 26 this year compared to just 11 in the same period last year, according to a report...