-NetworkIdeas.org Before joining the neo-liberal order, India used to have “rupee payment arrangements” with the Soviet Union and Eastern European socialist countries under which the main international reserve currency, the US dollar, was used neither for settling transactions nor even as the unit of account in terms of which the trade-related transactions were denominated. The dollar in short was used neither as the means of circulation, nor even as the unit...

-The Hindu ‘It should portray culture and society’ The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs has said that the coming census exercise “should not merely be data-oriented; rather it should portray the perspective of culture and society.” Members of the panel felt that since the current census has not commenced yet, an effort should be made on the part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through the Registrar General of India (RGI) to...

-Business Standard Borrower cannot be charged any amount not been explicitly mentioned in a factsheet, says regulator. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday released its final guidelines for microfinance loans, lifting an interest cap and allowing companies to have a board-approved policy to price for such lending. The RBI will continue checking that microfinance institutions do not charge usurious rates. The regulator said each entity has to disclose pricing related information...

-TheWire.in The widespread victories of lesser-known candidates in Punjab reveals voters’ entrenched anger with traditional parties in the state – an anger which AAP was able to capitalise on. Chandigarh: Even as the election verdict in Punjab sent shock waves across the country and beyond, it was less known faces that stole the show by defeating the bigwigs in the state. One of the major upsets of the election was the massive defeat...

-The Wire Science New Delhi: India’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has improved to 103 for the period between 2017 and 2019. However, despite an overall improvement, the ratio has remained the same for some states, according to the Sample Registration System’s (SRS) estimate released by the Registrar General of India. In some states, like West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand, the ratio has worsened. As per the 2020 data, during the period of...