-Hindustan Times HT learns that the meeting, attended by several secretaries of the government, saw the minister emphasising the need to focus on positive news. Around 300 top officials of the central government participated in a workshop titled Effective Communications, conducted by Abhishek Singh, the CEO of MyGov, a government platform for citizen engagement, aimed at helping them “create a positive image of the government”, manage “perception through effectively highlighting positive stories...

-The Indian Express The study initiated by voluntary researchers at the Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) indicated that the vulnerabilities experienced by migrant workers during the nationwide lockdown in 2020 had resurfaced this year. Bengaluru: With Covid-19 lockdowns and related restrictions back in many parts of the country, the livelihood of informal workers, especially migrants, has been hit yet again, a recent study found. The study, by voluntary researchers at the Stranded Workers...

-The Hindu Households coped with the loss of income by reducing food intake, selling assets, and borrowing from friends, relatives and money-lenders The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially increased informality in employment, leading to a decline in earnings for the majority of workers, and consequent increase in poverty in the country, according to ‘State of Working India 2021: One Year of Covid-19’, a report brought out annually by Azim Premji University’s Centre for...

-The Hindu ADR analysis finds 71% of winning candidates in Kerala, 60% in T.N., 49% in Bengal have criminal cases Over half of the newly-elected MLAs of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal had declared criminal cases against themselves in their election affidavits, the Association for Democratic Reforms said in a report on Wednesday. The recently-held Assembly elections, which concluded with counting of votes on May 2, led to the election...

-Press release by Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) dated 5th May, 2021 Soon after the lockdown was imposed in 2020, a group of around 100 volunteers formed Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN). Last year, SWAN responded to distress calls from over 30,000 migrant workers from across India. It connected these workers to local organisations and government officials providing rations, assisted them with their travel arrangements, and distributed over Rs.63 lakhs in...