The increase in the total number of suicides committed in India during 2020 in comparison to the previous years has hit the headlines recently. While some media commentators have stated that the economic distress (caused by job loss, income loss, failure of business, and growing hunger, among other things) in 2020 could have led to more suicides being committed, others have said that home isolation and deteriorating mental health (associated...

-The Hindu But remote work, education, and healthcare still not equally available to all, says survey The story so far: Internet connectivity has shot up over the last year, with most new users attributing their new connections to the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns. However, a new nationwide survey found that remote work, education, and healthcare are still not equally available to all, even among those with digital access. How was the study designed? LIRNEasia,...

-PTI/ The Hindu The Crisil argument is based on the fact that the burden of inflation varies across different income groups, as the share of spending on food, fuel, and core categories differ across classes Extrapolating the retail inflation print for October, which inched up on-month to 4.5% from 4.3% in September, but steeply declined from 7.6% on-year, Crisil says the richest 20% of the population, who pay more on non-food or...

-Hindustan Times From January 15, 2022, a law giving 75% reservation for local residents in private sector jobs will come into effect in Haryana From January 15, 2022, a law giving 75% reservation for local residents in private sector jobs will come into effect in Haryana. To be sure, the policy will only apply to jobs where the monthly salary is up to ₹30,000. The announcement has already triggered a rethink among...

-The Hindu ‘Jai Bhim’ is inspiring various marginalised communities and not just Dalits to bring about transformative change. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is often seen only as a Dalit icon. And ‘Jai Bhim’, a slogan coined by Babu Hardas, a firebrand Ambedkarite working class leader from Nagpur, is usually considered as a sectarian greeting. However, this salutation, which displays the reverence that the deprived sections have for Ambedkar’s contribution to their emancipation, is...