-The Hindu Even better performing States have not fared well in achieving gender equality The NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals Index for 2019, released on Monday, does not reveal any surprising information. The South’s Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka are joined by Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Goa as the best performers while the northern/north-central and north-eastern States have been laggardly in achieving the U.N.-mandated goals by 2030. Poor performers...

-The Telegraph Female labour force participation in India is declining and currently stands at 17.5% Hunger and gender inequality pose two key challenges as India tries to achieve the objectives pledged under the Sustainable Development Goal, a report released by the Niti Aayog said on Monday. India is one of 193 countries that have pledged to end, among other things, poverty, hunger and gender inequality by 2030. Since last year, the Niti Aayog...

-Livemint.com Using India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) as a case study, new research shows social transfers may reduce labour supply, but increase wages A common belief about social transfers is that they make their recipients lazy, decrease labour supply and do not reduce poverty. According to research that examines India’s largest social transfer programme, the public distribution system (PDS), social transfers indeed reduce labour supply but this increases wages and alleviates poverty. In...

-The Telegraph Bengalis living in Assam would lose all rights and privileges if Clause 6 of the Accord was implemented Hailakandi: The central committee of Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelan on Thursday expressed concern over implementation of Assam Accord. The committee said Bengalis living in the state would lose all rights and privileges if Clause 6 of the Accord was implemented. Clause 6 says, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may...

-The Hindu The government has to garner resources and give a boost to the economy by increasing its investments The Centre and the States are so short of resources that their fiscal deficit is burgeoning. The Prime Minister, at a function of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India recently, was optimistic but the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor was less positive, admitting that the country’s economic problems are...