Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news, published every fortnight. The current edition focusses on the Coronavirus pandemic in India, and the government’s efforts to stem its increase.

Coronavirus-focus News

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced Unlock 5 guidelines, allowing more relaxations in the lockdown rules while giving states flexibility on deciding the resumption of several activities.
• The Union government has allowed states to spend up to 50 per cent of the money from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to boost health infrastructure to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The government has launched a COVID Vaccine and Clinical Registry portal that will serve as a repository for all information related to vaccine development in India.

Policy News

• Parliament’s Monsoon session ended ahead of schedule with both houses approving a total of 25 bills in the face of protests by opposition parties.
• The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 was passed in the Parliament.
• Schools have been allowed to reopen from October 15.
• The Supreme Court has quashed the Gujarat government’s decision to exempt industries from paying overtime wages and said that a worker’s right to life cannot be deemed conditional on the mercy of the employer or the government.
• The Rajasthan government has decided to allocate 30 per cent of the new shops under the public distribution system to women.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has said that almost 40% of 1.4 lakh toilets constructed in government schools as part of a Right to Education project, were found to be non-existent, partially constructed, or unused.

Other News

• Kerala received the UN Interagency Task Force award for its “outstanding contribution” towards preventing and controlling the spread of non-communicable diseases.