There is some respite expected for India in terms of prices of imported commodities. This may ease the depletion of its foreign exchange reserves. The country has faced a widening of its merchandise trade deficit from US$ -17.91 billion to US$ -26.91 billion between October 2021 and October 2022. The commodity price data provided by the World Bank in December 2022 (termed as The Pink Sheet) shows that energy prices plummeted by...

-The Hindu Strong and effective gender-responsive policies and institutions of work that are oriented towards human-centred recovery needed in the Asia-Pacific region, says Gilbert F. Houngbo “Integrated policy agenda for a human–centred recovery that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient” is the theme of the 17th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) beginning in Singapore on Tuesday. In his report on the theme, ILO Director-General Gilbert F....

-Hindustan Times Farm policymaking slowed down after the repeal of three laws in 2021. But the climate crisis, geopolitical instability and inflation have exacerbated the urgency for reforms In November 2021, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi repealed three contentious farm laws in a dramatic turnaround. The entire episode — from the passage of the laws, the protests that followed and the turnaround — had stalled national agriculture policymaking. Yet, as this column...

-Hindustan Times India’s focus on food security through increased production of millets was echoed by external affairs minister S Jaishankar during a luncheon on Thursday where he stressed that millets are important for food security as well as international relations. India has intensified its efforts for a global push to counter the challenges to ensure food security – threatened by Covid-19, conflicts and climate change – through increased millet production and consumption....

-The Hindu The Government may have its reasons in extending, once again, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana scheme, but it cannot delay the commissioning of a study that should help stop the diversion of foodgrains and identify the food needy The extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a scheme to distribute free foodgrains to the poor, for another three months, comes as a surprise for many...