-The Telegraph The large-scale unemployment the pandemic was set to cause would cost workers between $860 billion and $3.4 trillion in income losses Several workers’ organisations have demanded a special package to tide workers over the income slump entailed by coronavirus-induced social distancing and economic slowdown, at a time the International Labour Organisation has predicted a loss of 25 million jobs globally. An initial assessment by the ILO said the impact could be...

-The Indian Express For residents of many slum colonies situated across Mumbai it is not possible to put into practice any of the protective measures against COVID-19 prescribed by the WHO, including social distancing. On Thursday, The Indian Express reported that while there has been no evidence of community transmission in Maharashtra, the state has reported over 45 cases of coronavirus along with one death. Amid this outbreak, one piece of advice that...

-The Indian Express Over the last one month, the government pulled out all stops to contain the spread of the Covid-19. During this period, economic ministries including Commerce and Industry, Heavy Industries, Road Transport, Civil Aviation, Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Affairs met and heard stakeholders. With Covid-19 wreaking havoc in Indian financial markets and global research and rating firms marking down GDP growth estimates by up to 100 basis points, Prime Minister Narendra...

-The Hindu Business Line Mumbai: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, life has become akin to a dystopian movie, with lockdowns and quarantines becoming the norm, wherein even doing a nondescript chore comes saddled with dire consequences. But, even as life is grinding to a standstill and uncertainty looms large, are there any glimmers of hope around? Social distancing measures, which include travel restrictions and companies enforcing work-from-home, have been enforced in all countries...

-Down to Earth Pesticide consumption in India grew by 13.07 per cent in India between 2014-15 and 2017-18 Maharashtra consumed the most chemical pesticides in India in the past five years at 61,138 tonnes, followed by Uttar Pradesh (UP) at 52,747 tonnes and Punjab at 29,394 tonnes, according to non-profit Pesticide Action Network (PAN). Maharashtra increased its pesticide consumption by 35.6 per cent between 2014-15 and 2018-19, while UP reported an increase of...