-TheWire.in The rise and fall of the biggest importers of edible oil in the world. ‘Freedom is the greatest fruit of self-sufficiency’ – Epicurus The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental for globalisation and has led to a clamour for protectionism. India’s national strategy is also in line with this trend with calls for ‘Atmanirbharta’ and ‘vocal for local’ increasing. Traditionally, India was an exporter of edible oil before Independence, became self-sufficient post-Independence (till the early 1970s),...

-The Hindu What we have done so far, and what all remains to be done The global pandemic is marching on. As I had said at the JRD Tata Oration, hosted by the Population Foundation of India on its 50th anniversary, of the lessons I have learned over the last nine or 10 months, the most important one is the significance of investing in public health and primary healthcare. Countries that invested...

-Down to Earth Gender equality a far-fetched goal; women living alone more likely to be in the labour market, finds report Gender equality across the world remains a far-fetched goal and no country has achieved it so far, according to the 2020 edition of the United Nations report on the state of gender equality in the world. The attitudes of discrimination, however, have slowly changed in the last two decades, Liu Zhenmin, chief...

-OutlookIndia.com With the farm bills, The BJP is not so much conducting an experiment as it is following a predictable agenda of right-wing accumulation by dislocation and obfuscation. For the last three weeks, thousands of peasants and their supporters have blockaded roads and rails and marched on government buildings in Punjab, Haryana and elsewhere in north India. This is in response to the BJP government's rushed passing of three controversial farm bills...

-PTI/ The Indian Express "India's GDP is expected to contract by 9.6 per cent in the fiscal year that started in March," the World Bank said in the report released here. Washington: The World Bank on Thursday said that India’s GDP is expected to contract by 9.6 per cent this fiscal which is reflective of the national lockdown and the income shock experienced by households and firms due to the COVID-19 pandemic,...