-Vikalp.ind.in India implemented a national lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown was announced suddenly, and without a prior warning to give time to people to prepare for it. The suddenness with which lockdowns were implemented does not seem to have been part of any plan but a reflection of the lack of planning. On March 16, the Prime Minister asked people across the country to self-quarantine just...

-Scroll.in The Central government is using outdated population figures to determine grain allocations to states under the food SECurity law.   Millions of Indians live on the verge of hunger even in normal times. Now, with the coronavirus epidemic sweeping the world and India declaring a five week-long economic lockdown to contain it, hunger threatens an even larger population which has no income to buy food. As part of its economic central government has...

-The Hindu The virus reveals how dependence on private SECtor-led economic growth has proved to be disastrous  Dr. Manmohan Singh’s 1991-92 Budget speech marked the beginning of the end of the ‘Licence Raj’ in India. The Budget also announced the reduction of import duties and paved the way for foreign-manufactured goods to flow into India. Following this, most of the manufacturing SECtor was opened up to foreign direct investment. India’s industrial policy...

-The Indian Express Coronavirus lockdown: While the death toll has risen to 339, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country neared 10,400. As many as 1,035 persons have recovered from the virus. At least 602 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals having 1,06,719 isolation beds and 12,024 ICU beds have been readied in country, said Joint SECretary, Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal Tuesday in a routine media briefing on the coronavirus situation in the...

-The Indian Express The extended lockdown across the manufacturing and services SECtors, the resultant job losses along with the wave of salary cuts are projected to start impacting the repayment capacity of retail borrowers. Mumbai/ New Delhi: The possibility of loan defaults spilling over from the corporate SECtor to the retail segment, a key growth area for lenders in recent years, has been flagged as a growing concern by bankers at a...