-Scroll.in The government subjected the rural job scheme to systemic shocks but must now scale it up to 200 days of work to combat lockdown losses. The impact of the Modi government’s unilateral decision to impose a two-month-long nationwide lockdown has amplified the crisis faced by India’s 50-crore strong unorganised workforce. A potent option at present to cushion some of the blow is the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The law, which was...

-The Indian Express That’s the actual liquidity pumped into rural areas by government post lockdown – through grain procurement, PM-Kisan and MGNREGA wages. There are many parallels one can draw between the novel coronavirus-induced lockdown (gharbandi) and demonetisation (notebandi), in terms of their impact on India’s farm economy. Both resulted in the same thing – demand destruction – albeit through different routes. Notebandi caused a haemorrhaging of liquidity from the predominantly cash-based farm...

-Livemint.com From an already low base, women’s employment has fallen further, and a recovery will be difficult A clutch of early studies on the impact of the lockdown on employment is showing that women’s employment could be particularly badly hit. Given India’s record low female workforce participation rates, growing child care demands, and a looming recession, researchers fear that women could be increasingly shut out of the productive economy. To estimate the impact...

-The Indian Express The Supreme Court also directed state governments and Union Territories to formulate a scheme to provide employment to workers, asking that their skills be mapped. New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the Centre and states to facilitate the return of migrants to their home states within 15 days, starting today. The apex court, which had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue, in its formal order said Railways...

-Business Standard Instead of the promised 100 days of work, average work provided stood just shy of one-fifth of it in this financial year till June 9 Generating 100 days of work, guaranteed under MGNREGA for each household, has been a far cry so far even as there is demand for increasing the promised work days. Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently criticised the Modi government for not paying heed to the demand of...