-Down to Earth Renuka Singh Saruta had attributed a study to IIT-Delhi on COVID-19 in tribal areas; but the institution does not have it It could be a major flip-flop, that too by a central minister in Parliament. Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Renuka Singh Saruta in an answer to the Rajya Sabha, attributed data to a study that might not exist. Saruta told the Rajya Sabha September 17, 2020, that less...

-Livemint.com Government data claims that more than 10 million people went home after the lockdown, although experts and civil society groups say the number is much larger. Migrants who went home during the lockdown saw their incomes drop by as much as 94% and an overwhelming majority of them are ready to return to the cities, a survey by a team of retired government officers and academics found. The survey on covid’s impact...

-The Indian Express According to officials, this is a big shift in the work demand process—separating demand generating and implementing agencies—and is likely to change the way MGNREGA functions in the state. In what the Jharkhand government says is the first such move by any state, the Rural Development Ministry has started capturing work demand under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) through its social audit unit (SAU), generating nearly...

MS Swaminathan Research Foundation is offering fellowship for Odia, Malayalam and Tamil journalists. The theme of the MSSRF fellowship is "Gendered Impacts of COVID-19" dealing with gender and health, focusing on post COVID-19 situation in rural India, on how coronavirus changed women's lives. Entitled Mina Swaminathan Media Fellowship for Gender and Development, the fellowship offers a unique researcher-media partnership for journalisrs to focus on gender and development, particularly in rural India....

-The Indian Express Loan limits for renewable energy, health infrastructure doubled The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday brought financing of start-ups under the priority sector lending (PSL) category of the banking sector, proposed more credit flow to districts with lower PSL, and doubled loan limits for renewable energy and health infrastructure “to align it with emerging national priorities and bring sharper focus on inclusive development.” In a bid to address regional...