-Livemint.com The BJP government, which came to power on the promise of creating 20 million jobs per year, has not yet recognized the gravity of the situation The Central Statistical Office (CSO) has released the full-year growth estimates for 2016-17. These had been much awaited given the uncertainty over the impact of demonetization. These were on expected lines, with fourth quarter growth in gross value added (GVA) in 2016-17 declining to 5.6%...

-The Indian Express The Delhi government’s decision to hike minimum wages by almost 40% gave hope to thousands struggling to make ends meet. But two months later, little has changed on the ground — be it for the saleswoman supporting her family, or the factory worker doing overtime. Sarah Hafeez investigates. Vinay, a 32-year-old bus driver, was both surprised and thrilled to hear that his colleague, a conductor hired by a...

-Livemint.com Very low GDP growth in the fourth quarter indicates that the slowdown is likely to persist in the current quarter as well Finally, the impact of demonetisation is visible in the gross domestic product (GDP) numbers. Gross value-added (GVA) growth at constant prices fell to a mere 5.6% in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017 (FY17), clearly showing the scars of demonetisation on the economy. That’s not all. The headline growth...

-The Hindu Business Line In the Cauvery delta’s worst drought in 140 years, a padyatra brings home the harsh realities of how Tamil farmers are living on the edge and what sustains their resilience A farmer sells his sugar cane to the local public sector sugar mill, where he is mandated to sell his crop. Instead of paying, the factory hands him a slip of paper. Eighteen months pass by and he...

-Livemint.com Increasing mechanization and stagnant wages might be behind youth unrest in poll-bound Gujarat As Gujarat prepares for assembly polls scheduled at the end of this year, the big question is whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be able to retain the support which Narendra Modi’s leadership guaranteed. The Hardik Patel-led Patidar agitation and Jignesh Mevani-led Dalit protests point towards rising discontent among a section of the youth in the...