-The Hindu Local governments remain hamstrung and ineffective — mere agents to do the bidding of higher level governments Democratic decentralisation is barely alive in India. Over 25 years after the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments (they mandated the establishment of panchayats and municipalities as elected local governments) devolved a range of powers and responsibilities and made them accountable to the people for their implementation, very little and actual progress has been...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Make no mistake, our cumulative efforts to curb the menace of single-use plastic are just scratching the surface. And while carrybags have been the focus of much of the current discourse — simply because they are the most visible form of threat — a number of other single-use plastic items have remained under the radar. Among these are cigarette butts (yes! they are plastic), drinking...

-Scroll.in Some of these workers had found temporary jobs with political pARTies for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. Rahul Kumar Sharma, 22, worked in the welding depARTment of an auto-component company in Manesar, Haryana, fixing nuts and bolts that would be later assembled to form a car door. He had joined the company in June 2017. The work hours were gruelling. For a nine-hour shift, he earned a monthly salary of Rs 9,765...

-ThePrint.in Apples from Kashmir stART coming to Delhi in the last week of August, but the communication & transport restrictions have skewed the supply this year. New Delhi: Apple prices are likely to double in Delhi’s retail market in a month’s time because of the severe disruption in the supply chain from Kashmir, traders at Delhi’s Azadpur Mandi, Asia’s largest wholesale market for vegetables and fruits, told ThePrint. Apples from Kashmir stART coming...

-The Economic Times They raise economic growth in constituencies by about 1.8 percentage points per year more than male counterpARTs, says study. NEW DELHI: A study has found that women legislators in India are better at encouraging economic growth in their constituencies than their male counterpARTs. The findings come at a time when the Narendra Modi government is looking at ways to broaden women's pARTicipation in the economy. As per the study, conducted...