-Down to Earth While total allocations to Union budget 2021-22 saw an increase of 14.5%, the share for children declined by 10.8% compared to 2020 The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has dealt a serious blow to the Indian economy. The economic slowdown has aggravated poverty, disrupted public provisioning for children’s welfare, exacerbated existing gaps in availability, access and utilisation of services. It has multiplied challenges for children from marginalised communities. Healthcare, nutrition,...

-Hindustan Times Most forecasters, institutional and private, have revised their GDP estimates for both 2020-21 and 2021-22. India imposed one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns -- it went on for 68 days -- starting on March 25 to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections. It was this lockdown which triggered a record contraction of 24% in India’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of fiscal 2020-21. The economic shock...

-The Hindu Allowing a scribe for candidate not largesse, says bench The government is not conferring a “largesse” on disabLED people by facilitating a scribe during the course of the Civil Services Examination, the Supreme Court held in a judgment on Thursday. The Union Public Service Commission and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), by allowing a scribe, are not allowing them a “privilege”, a Bench LED by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud declared...

-Newslaundry.com Loyalty to the BJP and popularity of Republic Bharat has made the Sainis turn their backs on the movement LED by Jats who claim to have support across caste groups. On February 1, Balbir Singh, 65, travelLED to the ITI ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor to participate in a mahapanchayat against the new farm laws passed by the Narendra Modi government. According to news reports, the gathering had more than 15,000...

-The Telegraph Weather scientists, however, said heavy snow had been neither forecast nor observed in Chamoli district on Friday or Saturday An avalanche triggered by snowfall — and not glacial ice sundering — was the likely cause of Sunday’s devastation in Uttarakhand, scientists said on Monday using satellite imagery. Weather scientists, however, said heavy snow had been neither forecast nor observed in Chamoli district on Friday or Saturday. “A preliminary analysis suggests that heavy...