-Down to Earth There are prominent shortcomings in implementation, especially registration of workers and and collection and distribution of Cess The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had widespread and devastating consequences to communities and enterprises in India and across the globe. However, the situation was particularly grim for the 453.6 million internal MIGrants in India, evidenced by the unprecedented ‘reverse MIGration’ witnessed during the pandemic.  Their vulnerabilities were exacerbated by the fact a...

-Newsclick.in Healthcare professionals and experts have raised concerns about the impact of the digital health mission’s framework on data privacy and access to health. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), which he said would “strengthen health facilities” in the country. via video conference. Currently, the project is being implemented in a pilot phase in six Union Territories. In his Independence Day speech in 2020, Narendra Modi...

-TheWire.in Latest survey data confirms the increasing importance of livestock activities, which should come as a signal for policy makers. While the latest decennial NSS 77th round Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households (SAS) shows some improvement in the total income of farmers from various sources, a 10-percentage fall in the share of income from crop cultivation has also been reported during this period, which should be a cause for concern to policy...

-The Hindu A precise caste census is difficult, but the data will be useful to drive social policy The idea of a national caste census MIGht be abhorrent when the stated policy is to strive for a casteless society, but it will be useful to establish statistical justification for preserving caste-based affirmative action programmes. It may also be a legal imperative, considering that courts want ‘quantifiable data’ to support the existing levels...

-Newsclick.in The majority of jobs lost were in travel, construction, transport, textile and the hospitality sectors. An estimated 862,500 jobs MIGht have been lost in Assam during both the waves of the pandemic. According to a study conducted by Nowgong College (Autonomous), at Nagaon, in central Assam from May to August in 14 of the 34 districts, 22% of the workforce may have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Livelihoods were severely...