The tug of war within the gig economy

News: This year, Uber lost a significant legal battle against its workers in the UK. The U. K’s Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling by the employment tribunal that the 25 drivers who had brought a case against Uber are indeed employees and not contractors. Consequently, Uber announced that it would start treating all its… Continue reading The tug of war within the gig economy

“State declarations must not be made via twitter”

A false tweet was sent out claiming that “India has officially adopted Bitcoin as a legal tender” and that “government has officially bought 500 BTC and is distributing them to all residents of the country”.    This is the second such hacking instance of PM’s account in a year, last time the fake tweet appealed for donations in cryptocurrency to the Prime… Continue reading “State declarations must not be made via twitter”

RBI Report on Digital lending: Good and bad sides of digi lending, in 5 charts

Contents1 What is the news?2 What is digital lending?3 What are the key findings of the RBI panel?4 What are the challenges associated with digital lending?5 What are the recommendations of the RBI Panel? What is the news? According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) working group report, over 6% of all loans given… Continue reading RBI Report on Digital lending: Good and bad sides of digi lending, in 5 charts

SC notice to Centre on social security cover for gig workers

What is the news? The Supreme Court has agreed to examine the public interest litigation seeking social security benefits to “gig workers” and “platform workers” engaged by Uber, Ola Cabs, Swiggy and Zomato. What is the case about? A petition was filed in the Supreme Court arguing that “gig workers” and “platform workers” should be… Continue reading SC notice to Centre on social security cover for gig workers

PM to address natural-farming event amid scientists’ concerns

What is the News? The Prime Minister will address a National Summit on Agro and Food Processing.At this summit, the Prime Minister will spread basic knowledge about Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF). What is Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)? ZBNF is a technique of farming developed by Padma awardee Subhash Palekar of Maharashtra. It aims to help… Continue reading PM to address natural-farming event amid scientists’ concerns

The curious case of India’s rising forex reserves and falling rupee

News: Further expansion of RBI’s balance sheet without normalizing credit offtake (demand for credit) will only raise economic risks. Contents1 How RBI manages its balance sheet?2 How excess liquidity created during the quantitative easing phase is being managed?3 What is the current anomaly?4 What are the implications due to flight of capital? How RBI manages… Continue reading The curious case of India’s rising forex reserves and falling rupee

Poverty and Hunger stalk Indias countryside

Introduction– Although Macroeconomic Indicators are showing an improvement but rural India shows a different reality. Pandemic has only heightened the problems faced by people of hinterland.   What are the issues facing rural India as an effect of pandemic and what are their implications?  1) Declining rural wages:   Real wages in Rural areas are declining along with rising input prices of fertilizer and diesel. Workers are struggling… Continue reading Poverty and Hunger stalk Indias countryside

Challenges with Globalization: An olde fairy tale of the new world order we must brace for

News: Current phase of digital technology-enabled globalization has disturbed the fabric of human society and sovereign states. Signs of globalization in the past Human beings have travelled to distant places to survive, trade, and communicate. Harappan seals dating back to 3000 BCE found in Mesopotamia indicate trade and contacts between ancient civilizations. The number Zero, algebra,… Continue reading Challenges with Globalization: An olde fairy tale of the new world order we must brace for

“Technology can either save or doom capitalism”

News-Tech firms have a key role in preserving open and democratic society. Most often technology is perceived to be an enabler for democracy.  Do Democracy and capitalism work on similar philosophical foundations?  Although both democracy and capitalism uphold liberty as a core value, they also sometimes show inconsistencies. While capitalism leads to an asymmetric distribution of private property ownership, democracy… Continue reading “Technology can either save or doom capitalism”

The mountains are calling and they need help

News – Plastic Pollution is increasing in the Mountains, especially Himalayas.  Mountains are most environmentally sensitive ecosystems, and are being impacted by the adversities of climate change and other environmental hazards such as increasing plastic waste, at a rapid rate. Waste Management in mountains is crucial for their sustainability.  Sources of Plastic waste –   High tourist footfall.  Plastic used in Packaging  Presence of various manufacturing industries. Example– Pharmaceutical Industry in Himachal.  Household waste … Continue reading The mountains are calling and they need help

Blog
Academy
Community