-The Indian Express Unorganised sector is worst-affected by demonetisation. Can banks go to them? An incident in 2000, during my initial years of work, woke me up to an uncomfortable question about post-economic liberalisation India. I was at a meeting with waste-pickers at Digha in Patna and a woman told me of her troubles with a Rs 500 note. She had saved money and changed it into a Rs 500 note, wrapped...

There are reports from all over the country that the recent decision by the government to demonetise currency notes of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/- denomination has affected everyone. However the consequence of this financial measure is lopsided and it will be mainly borne by the farmers, informal sector workers, women and the financially excluded.   Please check the links/ urls below this news alert to know everything about demonetisation. Till a few...

-TheWire.in Nitin Sethi responds to the rural development ministry’s defence to reports that it used a WhatsApp group to tell states to stop creating MGNREGA work. Ministry of rural development (MORD) clarifies: The reports are not a summary of the reality. It has questioned the intent of the government on the basis of an informal communication of a joint secretary of the department. The informal communication of a joint secretary does not...

-Business Standard Read Part I of the series: The Centre used an off-the-record WhatsApp group to instruct states to check spending and work for rural poor under MNREGA New Delhi: Noticing a steep rise in demand for work under MNREGA in the drought year, the rural development ministry used an off-record WhatsApp chat group and told states to desist from generating more work for the poor under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural...

-PTI New Delhi: India has called for creating a level playing field for developing countries in agri-trade to safeguard livelihood of millions of poor farmers. The issue, among others, was discussed during the mini-ministerial gathering of key Trade Ministers of WTO in Oslo on October 21-22. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman represented India. In the meeting, she “underlined the need for creating a level playing field for the developing countries in agricultural trade...