-The Hindu When data is monetised, as the Economic Survey advocates, it becomes toxic and harms public interest Last year, I was denied information requested under the Right to Information Act (RTI) 2005. I had sought the names of agencies empanelled by the Unique Identification Authority of India for an “image makeover” and the expenditure on it. It was denied by invoking the exemption clauses of Sections 8(d) and 8(j), respectively, i.e....
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How the Centre Can Ensure Women Receive Maternity Benefits -Vanita Leah Falcao, KC Sachin and Sabhil Nath Painkra
-TheWire.in Increased budgetary allocation is a welcome step, but key aspects of the Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana scheme need to be reviewed. The Union Budget brought with it a 17% increase in this year’s allocation for the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD). Approximately 9% of the total allocation, which is Rs 29,000 crore, has been earmarked for the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY). The PMMVY is a Centrally sponsored...
More »Gujarat potato farmers case: Agriculture Ministry issues notice to PepsiCo -Priscilla Jebaraj
-The Hindu Following application to revoke registration of potato variety used for Lays chips Food and beverage giant PepsiCo India has been slapped with a notice from a central agency under the Agriculture Ministry regarding an application to revoke the registration of its potato variety used to make its trademark Lays chips. The application was filed by Kavitha Kuruganti, a convenor of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture. The notice, which The...
More »Egg row: Social activists demand to serve it 5 days/week in midday meals
-The Times of India RAIPUR: A day after Congress MLAs hailed the state government's decision to provide eggs in the midday meals to schoolchildren, as many as 37 social organistaions and networks across Chhattisgarh have extended their support on the same. Social organizations including Right to Food Campaign, Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan, Chhattisgarh Mahila Adhikar Manch, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Chhattisgarh Bal Adhikar Abhiyan, Chhattisgarh Naagrik Sanyukt Sangarsh Samiti, Sarva Adivasi...
More »Creating a fair digital payments market -Padmashree Gehl Sampath
-The Hindu Local firms will be at a disadvantage if big tech companies are given plum roles Since early last year, WhatsApp has busily piloted its payment system in India. WhatsApp Pay relies on the Indian government’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system to facilitate inter-bank transactions. Regulatory approval that would allow its nation-wide introduction is stuck on one point: the Indian government has asked WhatsApp to localise all data processing related to...
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