-The Telegraph They say the revised testing guidelines that exempt asymptomatic contacts from tests are suited only for omicron, which is linked to mild disease and rapid spread A mix of narrower targeted Covid-19 testing, home-based self-testing kits and large cities approaching epidemic peaks might explain falling counts of daily new infections nationwide, doctors and health experts said on Tuesday. India’s daily count of new Covid-19 infections fell to around 238,000 for the...

-Livemint.com/ HowIndiaLives.com Even as it presses for market reforms in agriculture, the Centre has been actively using the basket of schemes wholly funded by it to widen the social security net for farmers. Expect that to continue in the coming Budget In 2016, the BJP-led government set itself the target to double farmers’ incomes by 2022. An inter-ministerial committee set up to recommend strategies to meet this target highlighted seven sources of...

-The Hindu Six of them have written to Centre opposing any such move. The Union government is planning to acquire for itself overriding powers to transfer IAS and IPS officers through Central deputation, doing away with the requirement of taking the approval of the State governments. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) wrote to the States on January 12 that the Union government proposes to amend Rule 6 (deputation of cadre officers)...

-The Hindu Business Line Favourable weather, soil moisture aid higher acreage Contrary to the initial expectations farmers across the country have brought more area under the rabi pulses crop, mainly chickpea or chana this season. Chickpea acreage has increased to a new high with record sowing in Maharashtra and Gujarat, while the traditionally largest producing State of Madhya Pradesh has seen a marginal increase in area. Please click here to read more.&NBSp; ...

-Newsclick.in The migrant labourers face absolute hardship and exploitation while working outside their native states and face economic turmoil after returning home, forcing them to leave again. Kolkata/ Baharampore: Samrat Karyi (18) of Madhupur gram panchayat of Coochbihar had gone to Rajasthan to work as a migrant labourer in the construction sector. He boarded the Bikaner Guwahati express to return home with his brother. When he was nearing the Coochbihar Junction, he...