Often exports made by a country to the rest of the world are seen in a positive light by us. It is because exports not only earn precious foreign currencies (that can be used for importing goods and services or simply be used for building forex reserves), it also helps in generating effective demand for goods and services produced in that country and hence, contributes to economic or GDP growth....

-Livemint.com Barring sales of second-hand vehicles and new tractors, the auto industry remains badly hit. Vehicles used for transporting goods are among the worst-hit segments Will the Indian economy recover quickly from the June quarter lows? That’s the trillion dollar question facing investors today. One sector that offers vital clues in this regard is the automobile sector. Vehicle sales are among the key lead indicators of consumption and an important source of...

-The Indian Express The proposed policy, instead of addressing the causes and consequences of under-age marriages, may instead produce adverse, suboptimal outcomes affecting the poor and marginalised the most. Should women’s legal age for marriage be raised? The answer to this seemingly simple question is not so simple, because the question is not simply about replacing age 18 with 21. Rather, it deals with the social origins of a “problem” not easily...

ActionAid Association's (AAA) national level survey among people dependent on the informal economy during the third phase of the national lockdown towards the end of May 2020 (i.e. between May 14th and May 22nd, 2020) has documented the "nature and extent of the transitions in the lives and livelihoods of informal workers, including migrant workers, during the pandemic and provide[s] an insight into the precarity they experience and the coping...

-The Hindu Business Line Farm leaders pitch for public sector entity for efficient and transparent settlement The dominance of private insurers, their lack of adequate on-ground physical presence coupled with opacity in settlements are some factors that have not helped the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) scheme take off on expected lines. With multiple gaps in the current crop insurance structure, experts have called for making crop insurance a basic right for...