-India Spend/ Scroll.in These programmes should look at skilling the workforce for paid jobs rather than unpaid, part-time volunteers. Central government programmes on water emphasise groundwater management by the community in a decentralised manner but, by and large, these schemes are silent on the availability, training and deployment of a skilled workforce for this task, especially in rural areas. Water management at the most decentralised, local levels is often a part-time, volunteer or...

-Newsclick.in "Whosoever comes to power; my request is to constitute a technical team and explore and work on all the possible options to address and curb this menace." Udta Punjab, a Bollywood film released in 2016, highlighted the issue of the severe drug problem in Punjab. The movie acted as an eye-opener for many in the state. After five years, as the state is ready for another Assembly poll, the film has...

-The Hindu ‘Neither are the reasons specified nor a resolution process put in place’ Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh): About 15.2 lakh farmers in Andhra Pradesh are deprived of the payment instalments under the Centrally-sponsored ‘PM Kisan Samman Nidhi’ that provides input subsidy to them. As part of the scheme, the farmers will receive a sum of ₹6,000 per agricultural year in three instalments of ₹2,000 each and the transfer of the 10th instalment is...

-The Hindu In the last few months, the industries have seen 30% to 40% fall in orders Coimbatore: Micro and small-scale enterprises here have appealed to the Central and State governments not to re-introduce restrictions even as COVID-19 cases rise in the country. Coimbatore District Small Industries Association president M.V. Ramesh Babu said the raw material prices have seen a slight drop and workers are available for the current level of orders. In...

-Newsclick.in A guaranteed MSP system will also reduce public storage costs/wastage if it is complemented by a universal public distribution system. The year-long protest by farmers and workers compelled the Centre to repeal the three contentious farm laws, which were designed to further corporate encroachment in agriculture, on November 29. On December 11, the protest ended but not before the protesters reiterated their demand for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price...