-Newsclick.in Release of the draft during a lockdown, which seeks to fundamentally changes India’s environmental regulations, shows BJP government’s utter disdain for public opinion. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had released a Draft Notification on Environment Impact Assessment 2020 (EIA Notification 2020) on March 12, 2020, on the eve of the world’s largest nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had called for responses in the next...

-Newsclick.in The BJP government’s centralising tendency and its attitude towards the financial needs of states during this pandemic, is symptomatic of a thinking that will weaken the very foundations of modern India. Despite repeated demands by the states, the Centre has still not released what is their legitimate due, namely, compensation for their revenue loss owing to the introduction of goods and services tax or GST; this has not been paid since...

-Business Standard/ TheWire.in Under cover of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government says exempting businesses from these laws will boost investment. But experts term the move an attack on fundamental rights. New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has approved an ordinance exempting businesses from the purview of almost all labour laws for the next three years in a bid to provide a fillip to investments affected by the novel coronavirus in the...

-Livemint.com * A ground report reveals deep distress among vegetable and fruit farmers. Is this the right stage for agri-reform? * Despite repeated attempts to weaken state regulation, no competing agency can aggregate large volumes of produce and also help in price discovery BULANDSHAHR/ NEW DELHI: When Surendra panwar speaks, his words are steeped in politeness. For instance, when asked whether it was his farm, panwar’s response was, “Yes, but it belongs to...

-The Hindu Business Line The vague legal definition of ‘worker’ sabotages inclusive and eligible delivery of welfare to all workers during the pandemic The Covid-19 health emergency has disrupted trade, mobility and livelihood in unimaginable ways. The magnitude of the crisis grows manifold when social and economic shutdowns accompany it, and the uncertainties of livelihood, wage loss and lay-offs might last longer than expected as Covid-19 has hit almost all sectors. To...