-The Indian Express Several students of Government School Dhanas dropped out as they could not afford smartphones, as now one's access to education depends majorly on it Chandigarh: Bhawna, a student of standard XII at Government School, Dhanas, has been living with her grandfather (80) since her parents passed away, when she was five-years-old. Her grandfather, now 80, makes a living by selling vegetables on a rehri. Barely able to make ends...

-Press Note by People's Action for Employment Guarantee dated September 10th, 2020 MGNREGA during the pandemic and beyond: Implementation highlights, concerns and questions and demands for parliamentarians We are confronting an unprecedented crisis in the history of modern India. On the one hand, the increasing number of COVID cases point to a dubious distinction for India on the world stage. On the other hand, the unplanned lockdown has resulted in a massive...

-VillageSquare.in Lakhs of rural Rajasthan migrants returned easily during lockdown since they worked in neighboring Gujarat. However, with no local employment avenues, the urban exodus would start again Udaipur (Rajasthan): Naresh from Kalunda village in the Gogunda region of Udaipur district works at a furniture factory in Rajkot in the neighboring state of Gujarat. He stays in Rajkot for up to eight months a year, earning a salary of Rs 8,000 per...

-The Hindu Evidence of significant disparity in access to online schooling during COVID-19 Schools across the country have now been closed for six months due to COVID-19, but this means vastly different things for different people. For the child in urban Himachal Pradesh, where Internet penetration is higher than 70%, it likely means online schooling, Zoom classes and digital textbooks. For the child in rural Odisha, where less than 6% of households...

-The Indian Express Over 19,000 Gulf returnees register with government for training at the National Academy of Construction. As the latest unlock guidelines come into effect, Telangana has decided to go ahead with the rehabilitation of the Gulf migrants who have recently returned to the state owing to Covid-19 pandemic and other reasons. While the pandemic has expedited the process of their return, it was in October last year that Telangana Chief Minister...