-The Indian Express Verdict on living wills does not take into account socioeconomic realities. A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India has legalised passive euthanasia and permitted the “living will”. A person making such a will can state that medical support be withdrawn when he or she becomes terminally ill. The verdict has been hailed for its far-reaching impact on Indian society. Though the five judges differed on the matter,...

-The Hindu There is no way the country can reap its demographic dividend without fixing vocational education Salvaging the Indian demographic dividend must be a key part of India’s growth story. In 2016, the Government of India formed the Sharada Prasad Committee to rationalise the SECtor Skill Councils (SSCs), which are employer bodies mostly promoted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and other...

-The Hindu ‘Commercial release of the seed is a socio-political issue’ “The commercial release of genetically modified mustard wasn’t merely a scientific issue but a ‘socio-political one’ that required the understanding of a wide SECtion of society,” K. VijayRaghavan, 64, Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) said in an interview. He was formerly SECretary, Department of Biotechnology, that had funded the development of the seed. While the transgenic plant has been cleared for commercial cultivation...

-The Financial Express After private weather forecaster Skymet on Wednesday predicted normal monsoons In India, research firm HSBC says that it will provide a boost to the agricultural SECtor. Interestingly, Skymet has forecast a a 20% chance of above normal monsoon, and a 5% probability of excess rain in 2018-19. HSBC notes that the agriculture SECtor is slated to benefit from it, as 70% of the total rainfall is attributable to...

-The Financial Express An RBI-backed research by KLEMS India shows that the employment in 27 SECtors fell by 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively in the years 2014 and 2015. For a long time, there is a contention that India’s impressive growth story has been devoid of a similar expansion in jobs, with the proponents, on the other hand, calling the theory a hoax. In absence of comprehensive jobs data, India’s actual employment story...