On Janaushadhi Diwas this year (i.e., March 7th, 2022), Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated that the poor and the middle-class benefited from the 'Jan Aushadhi Kendras' that were set up to provide generic drugs at affordable prices. He said that the poor and the middle class saved around Rs.13,000 crore through these stores during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of COVID 19 crisis, the 'Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India'...

-The Hindu CIC rules information not exempted under Right to Information Act, Union Home Ministry says records destroyed every six months. Even as the controversy over the Government of India allegedly deploying Pegasus spyware to snoop on top politicians, journalists, activists etc refuses to die down, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sprung a surprise saying it maintains no data of lawful interceptions made by authorised intelligence/law–enforcing agencies. In a written submission before...

-PTI/ NDTV.com The working paper titled 'Pandemic, Poverty, and Inequality: Evidence from India' presents estimates of poverty and consumption inequality in India for each of the years 2004-5 through the pandemic year 2020-21. New Delhi: Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKAY), which provides free foodgrains to poor people, played a key role in keeping extreme poverty in India at the lowest level of 0.8 per cent during the pandemic-hit 2020, according to...

-The Hindu Business Line Some manufacturers have hiked prices, others await clarity on the situation New Delhi: The fertiliser industry is not hopeful of an increase in subsidies from last year’s level for non-urea crop nutrients despite global prices shooting up sharply. Several companies have increased the maximum retail price (MRP) of fertilisers, while some others are waiting for clarity. The recent farmers’ movement and the farm leaders’ unsuccessful dabbling in electoral politics...

-The Wire Science * Northwest India is setting new records for heat. Places in this belt including Delhi witnessed the hottest March since 1901, with an average maximum temperature of 30.73º C. * On April 2, maximum temperatures ranged between 41-42º C over India’s northwest including Rajasthan; it was 4-6º C above normal in Delhi. * As per the India Meteorological Department, heat waves will continue over areas including south Haryana, Delhi and...