-The Hindu Business Line Third estimates peg total foodgrain output at 283.3 mt despite below-par monsoon rain Rice and wheat production in the country scaled new heights taking total foodgrain output in 2018-19 to 283.37 million tonnes (mt), a tad lower than the 285 mt foodgrains produced in the previous year, according to the third advance foodgrain estimates released by the Agriculture Ministry on Monday. Despite a below-par monsoon, rice output was projected...

-The Hindu Rising unemployment must also be seen as a function of rising education and aspirations The report from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is finally out, garnering a lot of attention based on selective reading of tables and spurring partisan debates. In particular, the staggering increase in the unemployment rate, from 1.7% in 2011-12 to 5.8% in 2017-18 for rural men and from 3.0% to 7.1% for urban men, has...

-The Hindu Information panel calls for time bound investigation The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to disclose information on its investigation and recovery of money from the perpetrators of the Saradha Realty chit fund scam. Investigations must be time bound and transparent keeping in mind the interests of lakhs of affected investors, said CIC. The Rs.10,000 crore Saradha chit fund scam came to light...

-The Hindu Cabinet Ministers take to Twitter to allay concerns over draft educational policy New Delhi: The Centre went into damage control mode on Sunday, with senior Cabinet Ministers of Tamil origin taking to Twitter to allay concerns about the draft National Education Policy’s recommendation regarding the three-language formula and mandatory Hindi teaching in schools, which has sparked outrage across the political spectrum in Tamil Nadu. The draft policy will only be implemented...

-The Hindu They remain highly vulnerable to disaster, with weak resilience. Puri: Sulochana Das, a 35-year-old woman in the nondescript village of Sainsa Sasana, had little choice when her four-member family rushed to take refuge in a roadside shop as cyclone Fani menacingly hurtled towards the Odisha coast on May 3. A month later, Ms. Das’ family cannot just think of moving out of the 10 sq. ft. one-room shop because the place...