-National Herald Why do we cry now that this government doesn’t care about those who suffered and died from Covid? They felt nothing as millions of Indians struggled after Notebandi on Nov 8, 2016 The anniversary of Narendra Modi’s demonic demonetisation is tomorrow, November 8. If people really ever believed that “Acche din” (good days) and “vikas” (development) were on their way, they knew in their heart of hearts at 8 pm...

-The Indian Express That’s the actual liquidity pumped into rural areas by government post lockdown – through grain procurement, PM-Kisan and MGNREGA wages. There are many parallels one can draw between the novel coronavirus-induced lockdown (gharbandi) and demonetisation (Notebandi), in terms of their impact on India’s farm economy. Both resulted in the same thing – demand destruction – albeit through different routes. Notebandi caused a haemorrhaging of liquidity from the predominantly cash-based farm...

-Ruralindiaonline.org Thousands of migrant workers from Odisha are stranded at Telangana's brick kilns – exploitative worksites made more difficult with the lockdown – and are running out of rations and desperate to return home “There is no lockdown inside the brick kiln. We have been working every day as usual,” said Hruday Parabhue, when we met him on April 5. “The only change is the weekly village market is closed, so we...

-Livemint.com * A prolonged lockdown will hurt farmers about to harvest the winter crop and the landless living on daily wages * Continued disruption in the food supply chain will eventually hit consumers if prices vary widely across regions. This uncertainty has also hit 70 mn households in rural India who own small dairies NEW DELHI: Baburao Sanap has no clue how to pull himself out of a big mess —he’s saddled with...

-The Indian Express In the two-cornered contest in Rajasthan, voters, irrespective of whether their allegiance rests with the BJP or Congress, are critical of the decline in jobs. Ajmer, Jaipur, Rajsamand, Udaipur (Rajasthan): For about half an hour, starting 8 am, buses halt at Udaipur’s Syphon labour chowki to offload passengers huddled on their roofs. Hundreds of daily wage workers commute to the 10-odd labour chowkis in Udaipur city, from villages...