-The Tribune The annual cost to the exchequer is estimated at Rs 2 lakh crore New Delhi: In a major decision, the union government has decided to provide free ration to 81.35 crore poor people under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year. Minister of Consumers Affairs, Food and Public distribution Piyush Goyal said the beneficiaries, who were getting food grains at highly subsidised rates under the Act would get free...

-The Hindu Business Line The professor said, ‘Ground realities are very different in India and China’; she also called for ‘greater surveillance and sequencing’ It’s a tale of two different populations and their exposure to a virus scripts a country’s response, and the ground realities are very different between India and China, said eminent virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang. Comparing the Covid-19 situation in India and China, over the last three years, Kang told...

-The Hindu The WTO Panel reports are a pointer to the U.S. — the once undisputed trade hegemon — turning away from free trade and moving toward growing protectionism In a significant development in international trade law, four separate World Trade Organization (WTO) Panel reports have ruled that the tariffs of 25% and 10% on steel and aluminium, respectively, that the United States (U.S.) had imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump...

-Scroll.in The government wants to reduce its dependence on imported crude oil by producing more ethanol-blended petrol. While India is making a push for ethanol-blended petrol, by incentivising sugarcane-derived ethanol, concerns remain about the water-guzzling nature of the sugarcane and fair remuneration for farmers. On November 2, the Centre, as part of its Ethanol Blending Programme, approved a higher price for ethanol that is derived from different sugarcane-based raw materials. This was done...

-The Hindu With the Rajya Sabha Standing Committee on Health expressing concern over the high cost of cancer treatment, the Government invoking Section 100 of the Patents Act is a way forward The subject of the spiralling costs of cancer medicines and their implications that have frequently been highlighted the world over were dwelled on in a recent report (“Cancer Care Plan and Management”) by the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Health....