-The Hindu Brisker Puja sales may not implicate a better economic climate in West Bengal There is added enthusiasm in the celebration of Kolkata’s Durga Puja after its inclusion as the 14th entry from India in UNESCO’s ‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ last December. But like most major festivals, Durga Puja is not just a cultural extravaganza; it is an economic lifeline for West Bengal. But do we have reasons...

-The Hindu The incident has given an opportunity to the Opposition BJP to attack the ruling Congress government for ‘neglecting a long-pending public demand’. The self-immolation and death of a septuagenarian monk, Baba Vijay Das, who was protesting against mining in Bharatpur has intensified politics in Rajasthan, the State set to witness polls by the end of the next year. While both the Congress and the BJP, in their respective tenures, allowed the...

The rise in COVID-19 daily new cases and daily new deaths compelled many state governments to impose local level lockdowns during April-May 2021. As of 20th April, 2021, partial lockdowns were noticed in 10 states across the country and complete lockdown was imposed in Delhi. As of 8th May, 2021, nearly the entire country was under complete lockdown as a result of either partial lockdowns and night curfews or complete...

-The Hindu Business Line If the industry does not leverage technology and digital platforms, the fortunes of the weavers would only worsen Handlooms in India have a rich cultural heritage and are renowned the world over for their craftsmanship since ancient times. While the cultural significance of handlooms has been on the wane in recent times, they have not yet lost their special charm in the textile market, much like how a...

-The Hindu There seems to be a shift from prioritising expressways and megaports to agriculture and forests Environmental promises have made a visible entry into Tamil Nadu’s politics, along with a guarded valourisation of farmer and fisher rights over big-ticket infrastructure and industrial projects. All key parties in the 2021 Assembly polls barring the AIADMK dedicated a section for “environmental protection” in their manifestos. Setting aside the justified cynicism about fulfillment of...