-Down to Earth Northern plains region in India and Pakistan most impacted, meeting India’s air quality standard would have reduced loss by 7 per cent Pregnant women in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh exposed to poor-quality air may be at higher risk of stillbirths and miscarriages, according to a study published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal January 6 2020. Some 349,681 pregnancies were lost every year in these three South Asian countries due...

-PTI/ The Hindu The points were part of the report of India’s seventh Trade Policy Review (TPR), which began on January 6 at the World Trade Organization India has implemented several measures to facilitate trade, such as simplification of procedures and customs clearances for imports and exports, according to WTO. Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) said that the other trade-facilitation initiatives introduced by India since 2015 include introduction of Indian Customs Electronic Gateway...

-Livemint.com * Unlikely alliances brought the disquiet to Delhi’s doorstep. Here’s the definitive behind-the-scenes account * Many of the farmer leaders who are out on the streets have not seen eye-to-eye for years, if not decades. Yet, decisions are being taken jointly, brushing aside years of acrimony Enough is enough. How long will we sit like this? Let us break the barricades and move toward Delhi. If some lives have to be sacrificed,...

-Livemint.com * Frequent policy changes create uncertainty, says report * India’s agri tariff rose from 36.4% in FY15 to 36.5% in FY21, while non-agricultural tariff rose from 9.5% to 11.1% India’s average tariff increased to 14.3% in FY21 from 13% in FY15 with the country’s policymakers frequently using trade policy measures to encourage domestic production and curb inflation, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said in its latest Trade Policy Review for Asia’s third-largest...

-Down to Earth Social, cultural stigmas reasons for lack of improvement The present-day education system has come a long way and age-old traditions have undergone a drastic change. One of the biggest achievements of India was the increase in literacy rate to 74.04 per cent in 2010-11 from 18.3 per cent in 1950-51. The country has been making great strides in educating children; at the time of Independence, India was largely illiterate (nine...