A recent report of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) brings forth the dichotomy between digital divide and India’s transition towards a cashless economy. The rural-urban divide in access to computer and internet is quite stark, according to the report entitled 'Key Indicators of Household Social Consumption on Education in India, July 2017 to June 2018'.   The 75th round National Sample Survey (NSS) report on education finds that...

-The Indian Express Data that suggests young workers are increasingly turning to the scheme is a sign that must worry policymakers After the contraction of factory output by 1.1 per cent in August compared to the past year, the sharp decline in commercial credit in the year till September and other such gloomy indicators, come fresh signs of the deepening slowdown. As this paper has reported, the proportion of young workers, those...

-Livemint.com In economic terms, it’s around a dozen years ahead of us, but the gap is much larger when Social Indicators are considered The spectacular rise of China over the past few decades has no parallel in human history. The People’s Republic of China was established 70 years ago this month under conditions of economic misery. It is today the main geopolitical challenger to the US. As a result of its profound...

-The Telegraph 'The people of Kashmir need healing from the deep wounds of this conflict, not subjugation to further violence and alienation' If nature abhors a vacuum, so does journalism. The Lancet, an international medical journal, has referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “prosperity” justification for the changes in Jammu and Kashmir and said the people there first need healing, not subjugation and alienation. The journal has also raised concerns about the mental...

-National Herald Figures prove due to special status, J&K outscored Gujarat on selected indicators. As per Dreze it is an illusion that removing Article 370 will bring development in the Valley Life expectancy at birth is higher in Jammu and Kashmir which is depicted as a terrorist-state by media as compared to Gujarat which is projected as a model state in India; percentage of the rural population living below the poverty line...