-The Hindu The unexpected price shocks to onions and tomatoes are triggered by unseasonal rains and prolonged drought The prices of tomatoes and onions are the most volatile in Indian markets. The Economic Survey 2021-2022, released on Monday, explores the reasons behind the variations in the prices of these two staple vegetables. The survey argues that seasonality in production and irregular shocks contribute equally to volatile prices. The unexpected price shocks to...

-Newsclick.in Major budgetary allocation cuts in crucial schemes for women, children and vulnerable sections are indicative of the government’s lopsided priorities. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget has helped reinforce one home truth -- that India is divided into the salaried section and a vast underbelly, including the middle class who have been edged into poverty due to job losses suffered during the COVID pandemic. Coming out of the pandemic’s ‘third wave’, issues of...

-The Hindu Negotiations are at a “critical and sensitive” stage in Geneva, say sources India runs the risk of being excluded from a proposal it co-authored at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations, in 2020, to “temporarily waive” intellectual property rights (IPR) held, by primarily Western countries, on vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for covid-19. Geneva Health Files, a Switzerland-based newsletter portal that tracks developments in intellectual property, first reported on Friday that “a...

-The Hindu The Supreme Court’s recent order advances an interpretation that is consistent with the ideals of equality, social justice The Supreme Court of India’s recent ruling on an all India quota deserves closer attention for a reason other than its impact on post graduate medical admissions. This judgment has the potential to settle a long, fractious and futile debate in our country: merit versus reservations. The order of the two-judge Bench,...

-TheWire.in Contrary to expectations, the report shows that 40,000 more undertrials were held in prisons in 2020 than in 2019. Congestion in prisons in India came into renewed focus after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Courts took urgent measures to prevent the spread of the contagious virus in prisons, asking state governments to set up high powered committees to release incarcerated persons on bail or parole. As a consequence, it is...