-Hindustan Times India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) after the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) promises 5kg foodgrain per persons at a highly subsidised cost of ₹3/kg for rice, Rs.2/kg for wheat and Rs.1/kg for cereals. The government will stand to lose this revenue after the decision to make PDS entitlements free. New Delhi: On December 24, the Union government announced a rejig of India’s food security programme. It has...

-Press released by Christian Aid dated 27 December, 2022 * Study identifies the year’s 10 costliest extreme events influenced by the climate crisis - each caused more than $3 billion in damage. * Report also examines 10 other extreme events that caused massive human and environmental damage, mostly in the poorest countries. * The floods that submerged parts of Pakistan in June displaced 7m people and caused more than $30 billion in estimated...

-Press release by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha dated December 26, 2022 * Centre withheld over Rs. 7,500 cr funds, Rs. 2,744 cr due to NREGA workers * Centre hasn’t sanctioned labour budget for 2022-23 * Loss of around Rs. 3,891-Rs. 6,046 crores of NREGA wages this FY due to stoppage of work * Average days of work for the current year dropped to meagre 23 from 63.46 days (pre-covid) and 49.96 days (post-covid) Victimisation of workers: MGNREGA...

-Hindustan Times Cold wave: A warning of severe cold conditions over the next few days has been issued for north Rajasthan, and till Monday in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh. New Delhi: As the holiday season sets in, biting cold has gripped north India. According to the India Meteorological Department, cold wave conditions were on Sunday observed in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and northwest Rajasthan. Dense fog shrouded many...

Jharkhand's government schools have a massive teacher shortage, a survey by Gyan Vigyan Samiti Jharkhand has found. The survey was conducted in 138 primary and upper primary schools between September and October 2022 to assess their condition after the Covid-19 pandemic. Jharkhand's school system was shut for two years, among the longest in the world. Teachers told the surveyors they felt that most students had forgotten how to read and...