-The Times of India MUMBAI: A few cooperative banks, mostly in rural areas, have found a new way to bypass banking system norms put in PLAce by the government to fight the black money menace. Since PM Narendra Modi launched the demonetisation drive on November 8, these cooperative banks, which are yet to be computerised and still use physical ledger books, are taking cash from customers and opening backdated fixed deposits...

-The Hindu New Delhi: Days after it was revealed that the Centre is likely to dismantle the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Agency (NPPA), its chairman said the decision was ‘rushed’ and the agency was not consulted. “There were two meetings and the NPPA was not a party to them. Both meetings were held at short notice. This has been a rushed decision. For any policy change, there needs to be consultation. I understand...

-The Hindu To prevent further damage to the economy and to relieve distress, demonetisation should be revoked immediately Without adequate preparation or thought, the monetary authorities and the government have taken a drastic step declaring as worthless over 86 per cent by value of the currency notes in circulation with the public. A prior large increase of lower denomination notes should have been ensured through banks and ATMs, so that overall money...

-The Indian Express Farmers are facing the heat from both collapse of demand and inability to purchase inputs post-demonetisation. Junnar (Maharashtra): The last one week and more has brought nothing but bad news for Vasant Pimpale. This farmer from Pargaon Tarfe Ale, a village in Pune district’s Junnar taluka, has already lost 11 tonnes of green chilli grown on eight out of his 15-acres holding. The loss hasn’t been courtesy drought, flood...

-The Hindu Business Line Thiruvananthapuram: All available indications now point to the washout of the North-East monsoon in the Peninsula, after the drubbing it received during the preceding South-West monsoon. With half of November gone and no prospects of any major pick-up in rain during the rest of the month, there is little that the last month of December can possibly bring in. What looked a like a brief revival in activity early...