-The Indian Express There has been only a marginal increase in the direct tax to GDP ratio after demonetisation. And the economy didn’t need to suffer for digitisation. The government did not celebrate the second anniversary of demonetisation, one of its biggest policy initiatives. It has celebrated the anniversary of all other big policies. Why the diffidence? The finance minister did come out with a statement listing the achievements of demonetisation. But his...

-The Hindu Farmers in Punjab continue to burn paddy stubble every winter despite a ban on the practice. Jacob Koshy and Vikas Vasudeva report on the compulsions that drive farmers to adopt this method of clearing their fields and the efforts by the State administration to wean them off it The highway to Bibipur, a hamlet about 50 km from Patiala town, cuts through acres of paddy. Some of the rice stalk...

-The Hindu Business Line The North-East monsoon could reactivate ‘aborted landslides’ in hilly areas Thiruvananthapuram: While managing dams and reservoirs, Kerala should opt for an approach that maximises power generation by suitably incorporating weather prediction needs. This is one of the major highlights of a survey of the damage from the August floods by a team headed by Thomas Oommen, geoscientist and Associate Professor at the Michigan Technological University. Shutter opening The survey was carried...

-TheWire.in The NBCC 'model' project is hardly the totem of sustainability and responsibility. It has been fined for non-compliance of environment laws, and official planning documents expose its shaky claims of urban design and economic viability. For over four months, the national capital has seen public protests against the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’s “redevelopment” of Delhi’s seven government housing colonies. Citizens have questioned this project, which will privatise and...

-Hindustan Times Instead of denial, a much bolder step would be to increase investments and strengthen delivery in key areas such as health and education, which have inter-generational impacts, and can also go a long way in removing widespread inequality. Last week, three separate global reports related to development were released: the World Bank’s Human Capital Index; the Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide’s 2018 Global Hunger Index; and Oxfam International’s 2018 Commitment...