-TheWire.in Government officials have attempted to spray pesticides on them before dawn, but to little effect. Bhopal: Nearly 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh are suffering from a massive locust infestation that is threatening crops at a time of harvest. “This really is the worst time for locusts to invading farmland, because the FRAmers are just ready with mustard, cumin, wheat, flowers and vegetables,” said Kedar Sirohi, leader of Aam Kisan Union. Sirohi said there...

-Newsclick.in Additional funds for MSMEs and MGNREGA are going to create enough jobs, but the economy will remain in doldrums. There has been much mutual patting on the back and self-congratulation, after the Narendra Modi government announced two policy measures that could have a direct impact on job creation. These were: a special credit line of Rs.3 lakh crore for MSMEs (medium, small and micro enterprises) and an additional allocation of Rs.40,000...

-The Hindu Instead of embracing the welfare state path, the BJP government is encouraging greater privatisation The novel coronavirus is a global threat, but the pandemic has had an uneven impact across countries and within countries. Historically, social inequality has always been extreme in India. However, the lockdown has sharpened the edges of inequality even further, especially because of the way it has been implemented. Many countries have imposed lockdowns but not...

-The Hindu Nationalism is not going to solve the big problems, says the economist. If the catastrophic human toll of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was the first wave to strike the world this year, its severe economic consequences – including loss of livelihoods of the poor across countries, leading to massive internal displacement and starvation in many cases – have been the second wave. It is in this context that the seminal work...

-The Hindu Business Line Private oligopolies may end up forcing small and marginal farmers to accept poorer terms for their produce A big-bang reform claimed to usher in the farm sector as Finance Minister announced ₹1-lakh crore funding support for strengthening of farm-gate inFRAstructure such as cold chains and post-harvest management inFRAstructure. Additional measures include a ‘facilitative legal FRAmework’ to enable farmers for engaging with modern food chains in a fair and...