National
GST Council gets Cabinet nod, roll-out likely in April – The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the setting up of the Goods & Services Tax (GST) Council and its Secretariat. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on the GST could cease to be the forum at which the discussions between the Centre and States would take place, the Centre said after announcing the creation of the Council.
Pulse buffer stock to be increased to 20 lakh tonnes “The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Consumer Affairs for increasing the buffer stock to 20 lakh tonnes. It will be built through domestic procurement and imports of 10 lakh tonnes each,” an official statement said.
International
Russia-China naval drills follow rejection of The Hague verdict China and Russia on Monday began their first naval exercises in the South China Sea (SCS), setting the stage for a deeper military and political engagement, reinforced by the meeting at Hangzhou between the two heads of state.
Editorial / Opinion
They are the world The findings of the Unicef report, Uprooted: The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children , could not be grimmer. Over 50 per cent of the 50 million children who have migrated or been forcibly displaced across borders are said to have fled violence. About one in three children who live outside their country of birth is a refugee.
There is a people’s alternative – Kerala has a two-pronged strategy to get on the path of progress: long-term projects for comprehensive development, and succour for the poor and disadvantaged, writes the author. Read if you have time.
Why healthcare access eludes India –Part IV of the Constitution of India talks about the Directive Principles of State Policy. Article 47 under part IV lists the “Duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health”. Despite the consensus among political and academic circles of living up to the principle, successive governments have failed to address India’s health-care needs for a vast majority of its population.
The Margarita mirror –This week, for only the second time, India will not be represented by its Prime Minister at a NAM Summit, highlighting the organisation’s challenges and the country’s missed opportunities
Transit at Gojadanga – Migrants from Bangladesh are often unaware that they are being trafficked, and are sometimes sold into prostitution or forced labour. Indian laws barely penalise traffickers
Economy
Cabinet nod for expanded trade with China, APAC – India is likely to benefit from offers of China and South Korea for duty concessions in sectors including textiles, chemicals and iron and steel, according to government sources. Industry sources, however, said the Indian industry had not gained much from APTA so far, especially in textiles.
Indian Express
Raja Mandala: New dynamic in the north west – C Rajamohan writes on the geopolitics between India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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