-Hindustan Times The scheme launched to give more subsidies to farmers will prefer women for benefits for gender mainstreaming in agriculture, said officials Jaipur: The Rajasthan government will focus on women farmers in a new subsidy scheme for livelihood improvement, said officials. The scheme launched to give more subsidies to farmers will prefer women for benefits for gender mainstreaming in agriculture, the officials added. The scheme will be run by the water resources department...

-The Hindu The decision was taken during a tripartite meeting at Kolkata’s New Secretariat Building where representatives of the workers’ union and planters’ association met Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak. Kolkata: The West Bengal government and the Tea Planters’ Association of Darjeeling hills on Friday agreed to the demand of tea garden workers across 87 gardens in the Darjeeling hills for a 20% bonus. The decision was taken during a tripartite meeting at...

-The Hindu Patience and perseverance are required to get information under the RTI When journalists seek information under the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005, there are many surprises in store: the information is often denied or responses to queries are partial because the “information is not available”, or “doesn’t pertain” to the department contacted, or is stated to be under the category of exemptions (any information which could affect the sovereignty...

-The Hindu While indexation of the NREGA wages is critical, lifting them to the minimum wage would help workers and the economy The government made two recent announcements at two ends of the spectrum to mitigate the economic crisis. One concerns a new indexation of NREGA wages meant to increase rural incomes. The second is a reduction in corporate tax rate. Prices of commodities increase each year, so it’s important to accurately estimate...

-The Hindu Business Line The death of two children killed for relieving themselves in public just days before India was declared ‘open defecation free’ by the Prime Minister highlights the chasm between targets and solutions India was declared ‘open defecation free’ on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi’s 150-year birth anniversary. A target-oriented sanitation drive, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) was a signature programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term in office. Rapid...