-National Herald Universal cash transfer to non-income tax households is imperative apart from covering investment on infrastructure, including social infrastructure like healthcare A striking aspect of the 24 per cent decline in GDP in the first quarter of 2020-21 compared to the previous year’s first quarter is the decline by 10.3 per cent in public administration, defence and other public services. This is a sector where the GDP is estimated not by...

-Hindustan Times Harsimrat is the only SAD representative in the Modi government. Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday quit the Modi government opposing the farm bills that seek to liberalise the agriculture sector. The move came shortly after Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced in the Lok Sabha that the minister will quit protesting the Centre’s anti-farmer move. Harsimrat Badal is the only SAD representative in the Modi government. The...

-The Hindu The reported contraction of the economy is likely an underestimate for reasons of omission and commission According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation of the Government of India on August 31, 2020, real quarterly GDP contracted by a whopping 23.9% between April-June 2019 and April-June 2020. This magnitude of real GDP decline is unprecedented since the country started publishing quarterly GDP estimates in 1996. This...

-The Hindu The crisis in agriculture demands that the government announce a strong fiscal stimulus for the rural economy A rather confident statement heard in the midst of India’s COVID-19-induced economic slowdown is this: “Agriculture will lead India’s economic revival”. But how valid is this claim put forward by government spokespersons and some observers? Four major arguments are offered. First, India’s food grain production in 2019-20 was 3.7% higher than in 2018-19. The...

-Livemint.com * The PMMSY scheme is part of the ₹20 trillion stimulus package announced earlier this year by the Union government. PM Modi also announced the launch of e-Gopala mobile app, that provides solutions on issues related to livestock to the farmers. NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched ₹20,050 crore-Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aimed at developing the country’s fisheries sector sustainably. The virtual conference also witnessed the launch...