-The Hindu The tremendous power of the software industry in India may help explain why the disruptive effects of demonetisation are being taken lightly Evidence is mounting of the disruptive effects of the recent move to renew currency notes, known as “demonetisation”. Disruption is actually a mild expression. What is happening is a catastrophe for large sections of the population. Farmers have dumped vegetables by the roadside for want of a remunerative...

-The Hindu Birth certificates not needed any more; grievances will be now handled on Twitter. In a move to speed up and simplify the passport delivery process, the government on Friday announced a series of steps that would help single mothers, orphaned children, and sadhus obtain passports with ease. Announcing the changes that will relax the need for birth certificates in the appLICation process, Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd.) V.K....

-PTI There is no official estimation of black money either before or after November 8 – the day government announced scrapping of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday. “There is no official estimation of the amount of black money either before or after the government’s decision of November 8, 2016 declaring that bank notes of denominations of the existing series of the value...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union home ministry today barred a non-government organisation run by a Narendra Modi-critic from receiving foreign funds, revoking its FCRA LICence and that of three others for alleged "undesirable activities against pubLIC interest". The action, which drew accusations that the government was trying to stifle voices of dissent, means Anhad, run by Shabnam Hashmi, the Marwar Muslim Educational and Welfare Society, and the Gujarat-based Navsarjan Trust and...

-Down to Earth A high level UN panel on Access to Medicines wants members to make full use of TRIPS flexibilities to protect pubLIC health If ever India needed a clear endorsement of its laws on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their appLICation in meeting pubLIC health priorities, it has come from the highest quarters. The report of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel (HLP) on Access to Medicines has, directly...