A press statement issued from the Right to Food Campaign on 27 December, 2016 says that the demonetisation of old currency notes of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/- denomination wreaked havoc on the livelihood security of the poor people. The labouring and toiling masses, who are mostly engaged in the informal sector, have been adversely affected due to the scrapping of old currency notes of Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/-...

-The Hindu Anger and frustration dominate discussions on demonetisation at a jan sunwai in Beawar, Rajasthan About five-six hundred people are crowded in and around a small shamiana-covered triangle, like the apex of the letter A. The two arms of the A are busy streets typical of small-town India, a press of pedestrians and two-wheelers punctuated with foraging cows, goats and impatient cars and tempos. Including the shopkeepers and hangers-on across the...

-The Hindu There has been a 33 per cent rise in the number of train derailments this fiscal compared to the previous year. “We have been able to reduce unmanned level crossing accidents to an extent. However, accidents due to derailment have gone up to 68 this year from 51 in the previous year,” Railway Board Member Traffic Mohd. Jamshed told a press conference here on Wednesday. He, however, said the total number...

-Hindustan Times New Delhi: The Union cabinet cleared on Wednesday an ordinance to penalise those found holding a “high amount” of scrapped banknotes. The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance makes holding a large number of old Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes a criminal offence that will attract a jail term and a monetary penalty of five times the amount of old cash one is caught with. The ordinance allows exchange...

-The Hindu Business Line Kirana and tea shops are doing better than businesses that involve discretionary spending The Micro-finance industry (MFI) is cursed and blessed at the same time. When there were indications that the micro-finance sector is overheating, with high growth rates, multiple lending and oppressive loan recovery practices, the withdrawal of specified bank notes (SBN) hit them. There were reports of stress from Uttar Pradesh and it appeared that there...