-Firstpost.com One of the most telling human stories to result from the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting nationwide lockdown is that of stranded migrant workers. But theirs isn't a new story; it's taken a pandemic for urban India to take note of an issue that has remained an unseen aspect of the country's economy for much of its contemporary history. P Sainath, founder of People's Archive of Rural India (PARI) and...

-The Indian Express The clean chit was given despite Lavasa’s request on file for further clarification from NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on whether the government think tank had indeed sought information from the collectors of Gondia, Wardha and Latur, and if the information was used for the PM’s visit. The Election Commission (EC) has decided to revisit its clean chit to the NITI Aayog and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) over...

-The Indian Express Last week, the Congress had approached the EC with an allegation that the PMO had used the NITI Aayog to collect information in advance about places where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to campaign. New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) has sought NITI Aayog’s comments on the Congress’s allegation that the government policy think-tank was misused by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for election purposes. A...

-Livemint.com The production of ‘mahua’ is finally entering the formal economy as new initiatives seek to upscale this indigenous drink, selling it across the country and even the globe It is a cloudy morning in Nangur village in Bastar district, Chattisgarh. It is a settlement of a little over 400 families, considered fairly large in these parts. We make a bumpy journey down a narrow, unpaved road intermittently shaded by sargi (sal)...

-Mongabay.com * Chhattisgarh has a strong mineral base, forests and a large tribal population. As a result there are many conflicts over land use and access to natural resources. * The Forest Rights Act 2006 has given legal space for tribal communities to access their resources. Chhattisgarh has achieved good numbers in the implementation of individual and forest rights. * However, there are problems in the qualitative implementation of the rights and these...