-Scroll.in A severe shortage of government-distributed pesticides aggravated the crop loss from attacks by brown planthoppers. A twin calamity has struck farmers in Odisha in recent weeks. A moderate to severe drought has affected paddy crops on more than 3.1 lakh hectares of land in over 6,000 villages across 15 districts. In addition, an attack by brown planthoppers – insects that feed on rice plants – has destroyed paddy fields on...

-The Indian Express Delhi metro’s fare increase prices out the poor. Those arguing against offering subsidies ignore the multiplier effect of an affordable mass transit system. The most enduring image I have of the Delhi metro is that of a shared ride with a construction worker. His shoes and clothes, turned a uniform grey by dirt, told the story of a hard day’s work spent on a construction site. A comfortable ride...

-The Hindu Member nations have basis of agreement: UNCTAD official An agreement on elimination of ‘harmful’ fisheries subsidies is likely to be the only major outcome at the forthcoming meeting of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) highest decision-making body called the ‘Ministerial Conference’, according to the head of the principal United Nations (UN) agency handling issues related to trade, investment and development. On what could probably be among the ‘deliverables’ at the WTO’s...

-The Hindu Business Line AIBOC questions legality of mandating UID linking of accounts Coimbatore: The All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) wants Aadhaar seeding of accounts put on hold till the Supreme Court comes out with a clear directive. “The government should make it clear to the people that the seeding of Aadhaar is voluntary and not mandatory,” said D Thomas Franco, General Secretary, AIBOC. He said the Aadhaar Act of 2016 was meant...

-TheWire.in The World Bank’s estimate that Aadhaar has the potential to save $11 billion in subsidies every year has repeatedly been used by the Centre to justify the programme. But does this figure hold up under close scrutiny? Evidence-based policy-making usually proceeds by outlining the problem at hand, discussing various solutions, conducting studies to understand the effectiveness of these solutions and then prescribing a course of action based on accumulated evidence. It’s safe...