Coronavirus creeps up the Uttarakhand hills; villages in Chamoli and Rudraprayag sealed
Residents of several villages in Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts of the state found COVID19 positive. Administration swings into action by sealing them. Villagers and experts blame Kumbh Mela, weddings and other festivities for the sudden spike in the cases.
Deepak Rawat
The Latest
Lockdown 2021: Which states have imposed complete lockdown, curfews and restrictions? Details here
At least 10 states and UTs in the country — Haryana, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Mizoram and Delhi — are under a complete COVID19 lockdown whereas Punjab and West Bengal are observing partial lockdown/curfews.
Shivani Gupta
Karnataka surpasses Maharashtra in daily COVID19 cases; reports over 39,000 new cases, highest in India
With 39,305 new cases, Karnataka has registered the highest single-day COVID infections in the country. It has surpassed Maharashtra that reported 37,236 new cases in the past 24 hours. A 14-day complete lockdown has been enforced in Karnataka.
Gaon Connection
There’s more to India’s COVID19 death toll than meets the eye
In the past two weeks, several villages in the country have reported loss of life due to COVID-19 like symptoms. With no testing, district administrations dismiss these as ‘natural deaths’, even though villagers say otherwise. Experts claim India is underreporting COVID deaths.
Divendra Singh
IMA lashes out at the health ministry over COVID death data, vaccine shortage and oxygen supply issues
Stressing over the increasing deaths in hospitals and full crematoriums, the Indian Medical Association has questioned the Union health ministry over the lack of transparency in the number of COVID deaths recorded. It has asked the health budget to be increased from 1% of GDP 8-10%.
Gaon Connection
News Stories
Rains spoil tonnes of wheat at govt purchasing centres in Madhya Pradesh. Yet again.
Last year 30,000 tonnes of the grain were damaged in rain at 53 of the total 110 purchasing centres because of lack of warehouses or roofed structures to store wheat.
Sachin Tulsa Tripathi
Vaccination policy requires “no interference” from Supreme Court, is in adherence to the Constitution: Centre to SC
The Centre has responded to the Supreme Court’s direction that asked it to reconsider its vaccination policy in order to ensure that it is in adherence to the Constitution. The Centre has stated that the policy is constitutional and doesn’t require interference by the apex court.
Gaon Connection
As cities go under lockdown, migrant workers return to the villages. But where are the quarantine facilities?
Yet another exodus to rural India has begun following the second wave COVID-19 curfews and lockdowns. But there are no quarantine centres in towns and villages. This, fear villagers, will contribute to the spread of the virus in rural India.
Shivani Gupta
COVID19 Update: With over 366,000 daily cases, India reports a slight drop in new infections
India sees a decline in the daily new COVID19 cases, with over 366,161 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours. On May 8, 403,738 new cases were registered in the country. Uttarakhand govt has imposed a curfew from May 11 to May 18. Delhi, UP, J&K govts extend lockdown.
Gaon Connection
Brimming over with milk, but no takers as COVID19 lockdown impacts dairy farmers
Dairy farmers in India stare at losses as states impose lockdown; restaurants, hotels, tea shops and sweet shops down their shutters, and bulk orders for milk dry up.
Divendra Singh
With counselling, COVID19 vaccination drive in Rajasthan picks pace
Rajasthan registers the second highest number of vaccinations in the country, driven by centres in close proximity to villages and awareness drives by ASHA workers. However, complaints of vaccine shortage have been coming in.
Divendra Singh
ASHAs brave the second wave of COVID19. Without masks, sanitisers and rightful remuneration
Over one million ASHA workers are at the forefront of India’s response to the COVID pandemic that rages on. This workforce of rural women has not been provided with even the most basic safety gear such as masks and sanitiser. The Rs 1,000 a month COVID19 duty incentive has also not reached them in months.
Shivani Gupta
With no tests and no treatment, people in rural India are dying of COVID-like symptoms
The heart-wrenching reports of people dying of COVID19 usually narrate the tragedies of the urban populations. But, rural India is not unaffected in the second wave of the COVID19 pandemic. Villagers are dying of suspected COVID-19. They are neither getting tested, nor able to access healthcare. More details here.
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
Domestic travel bans in cities with high migrant population can increase COVID19 spread: Study
Contrary to the popular belief, a new study by the University of Chicago researchers has concluded that travel bans in cities with large populations of migrant labourers is counterproductive. Such bans can aid in the spread of the coronavirus.
Gaon Connection
“To travel 1,400 kilometres, we have spent fifty one thousand rupees”
Yesterday in his address to the nation, PM Narendra Modi urged migrant workers to remain where they were. But, haunted by memories of last year’s lockdown, they are leaving cities in droves. Gaon Connection met some of them on NH-24 while they made their way home.
Mohit Shukla
By Invitation
Can Tamil Nadu’s robust public health system control the second wave?
Tamil Nadu seems to be well prepared with a robust health system that has tackled epidemics and natural disasters before. If it adheres to the COVID protocols, further restrictions and a lockdown, it could be in a position to control the trajectory of the wave.
Sudha Ramalingam
Energising rural India with reliable electricity supply
51% of the MSMEs are in rural India and they engage 49.8 million workers. Supplying adequate, affordable and reliable uninterrupted electricity will help increase the efficiency of this crucial micro-enterprise sector.
Biswaranjan Baraj
Where do women farmers see themselves in the 21st century?
Indian women are overcoming barriers to chart out glorious journeys to success. They are also the major driving force behind agriculture. However, in any discourse of women, rural women, especially agricultural labourers — the group that is the most significant contributor to the country’s progress — is left out.
Arvind Kumar Singh
Community-driven action reduces incidence of fluorosis in Miyati, Madhya Pradesh
High fluoride content in water sources can lead to debilitating health problems in the old and young. There are 66 million people in the country affected by fluorosis. A village in Madhya Pradesh has worked hard for 10 years to combat it.
Sunderrajan Krishnan
Profit at the cost of the poor: NITI Aayog’s proposal for public-private partnerships in healthcare
Implementing the Central government’s proposal to privatise district hospitals could be disastrous for India’s poor. The government should learn from successful initiatives in some of the most conflict-affected districts that have strengthened their district hospitals.
Sulakshana Nandi
Rising concern: Rural India faces the double burden of undernutrition and obesity
Rising obesity among rural inhabitants is playing out alongside the alarming story of under-nutrition in the country. The National Family Health Survey-5 figures released in December 2020 show a big spike in obesity in the villages of India.
Patralekha Chatterjee
The Village School: Where local should be vocal
87% of government schools in India are in rural areas. It is time authorities and educators take a deep look at what ails them, and take steps to make education in village schools relevant, contextual and meaningful.
Mainak Roy
Great Expectations: Budget 2021 could have offered more to India’s poor
Close to 85 million people in India stare at poverty. But, social safety schemes haven't received their due. The current MGNREGA allocation of Rs 73,000 crores is nearly 34% less than the actual expenditure in fiscal 2020-21. The budget for the food subsidy bill is Rs 243,000 crores, much less than what was spent in fiscal 2020-21.
Saksham
How Budget 2021 can boost climate finance and adaptation funds in India
Never has the need been more urgent to focus on climate change in the land, and a lot hinges on Budget 2021 to boost, consolidate and ensure better use of the funds set aside for it.
Shubham Gupta
Rural India: Rising anaemia points to the wider problem of long-term deterioration of India’s human capital
It is not that the NFHS-5 is all doom and gloom. But the nutrition and anaemia indicators are a wake-up call. Anaemia has worsened in several states since 2015-2016. Worryingly, this slide-back happened before the onset of the pandemic, which suggests the current situation is probably worse.
Patralekha Chatterjee
Positive Stories
Sparrow boxes and a lesson in conservation
Archana Shukla, a biology teacher in a government school in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, teaches her students academics and the need to conserve house sparrows. She has helped build more than 200 wooden sparrow boxes.
Sachin Tulsa Tripathi
Women in Varanasi set to enter the world of toy making traditionally occupied by the menfolk
A skill upgradation training programme initiated by the Central government in prime minister Narendra Modi’s constituency at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, is preparing 200 women to enter the business of wooden toy making.
Anand Kumar
Rural women’s ‘grain banks’ in Uttar Pradesh support small farmers, aid food security amidst COVID-19
The Grain Bank is an initiative that began in 2016, with the objective of benefitting farmers with small land holdings, but during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown, it has turned into a movement to battle starvation and empower women in rural areas Uttar Pradesh.
Neetu Singh
Poonam Tiwari, an international level weightlifter, coaches village girls — many of whom have won accolades
Ever since the nation-wide lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic was announced in March, last year, Poonam Tiwari has been coaching athletes that hail from villages in and around Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. The coaching is free of cost and many of these rural girls have bagged medals at national and state levels.
Neetu Singh
When women forest officers run a zoo
Five women Indian Forest Service officers share their experience of running a zoo, the bonds they formed with animals and the unique perspectives they brought to the job.
Subha J Rao
Rainbow trouts rain profits for farmers in Kashmir
Farmers in Kashmir are taking up rainbow trout farming, tempted by high returns. Fish farms in many states get lakhs of eyed ova of rainbow trout from Kokernag fisheries farm in J&K, and make a neat profit from selling the grown fish. Why has trout farming become so popular?
Mudassir Kuloo
Malkangiri Model: Mic, mosquito nets and mass awareness to fight malaria
Trained ASHA workers go from door to door in Odisha’s Malkangiri, a hotbed of malaria, monitoring use of treated mosquito nets and checking villagers for fever. Last June, the Malaria-free Malkangiri Campaign was launched by converging 14 line departments. Malaria cases have since seen a decline.
Nidhi Jamwal
Get your Goat: In Maharashtra’s Akola, take home a pregnant goat and repay with four baby goats
Goat rearing in Maharashtra gets a fillip as a goat bank in Akola district offers a unique scheme where people can borrow a pregnant goat from a bank and repay the loan in kind with four baby goats, within 40 months.
Divendra Singh
Jungle Book: While others were financially crippled during the pandemic, two forest villages in Melghat, Maharashtra, offered cash and interest-free loans to its residents
Community forest resource rights under the Forest Rights Act helped Rahu and Payvihir villages earn money. Banking on this income, they helped villagers financially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Rahu, 175 homes received Rs 10,000 each and 20 villagers got interest-free loans in Payvihir.
Shailaja Tripathi
GC Survey: COVID-19 Vaccine and Rural India
The First Shot: Who should get the COVID19 vaccine first? Gaon Connection asked rural Indians in a survey
Over 43% of the rural respondents said the coronavirus vaccine should be administered first to the doctors and nurses. Thirty five per cent said frontline workers like ASHAs should be given first priority.
Neetu Singh
Food for thought: Has the fear of COVID-19 changed people’s diets? A Gaon Connection survey finds out
A Gaon Connection Survey of 6,040 rural respondents across the country revealed that more than half of them had consciously changed their eating habits. Seventy per cent had stopped eating out and 30 per cent said they had increased their intake of fruits and vegetables.
Divendra Singh
Half of rural India thinks the coronavirus pandemic is a ‘conspiracy by China': Gaon Connection Survey
The first survey of its kind on ‘COVID-19 Vaccine and Rural India’ by Gaon Connection Insights finds the various perceptions people in rural India have towards the coronavirus disease. Almost 20% call it ‘an act of God’ whereas another one-fifth think coronavirus is no more.
Arvind Shukla
One-fourth of rural households tested for coronavirus; more than half of those tested found positive: Gaon Connection Survey
Gaon Connection’s ‘COVID-19 Vaccine and Rural India’ survey across 16 states showed that 76% of rural respondent households in the southern states had a member test positive for COVID. In the north zone, it was 12%.
Kushal Mishra
44% rural citizens willing to pay for the corona vaccine; two-third want its price to not exceed Rs 500: Gaon Connection Survey
Two-third of those who are willing to pay for the vaccine want its price not to exceed Rs 500. Another one-fourth would like to pay between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Whereas, around eight per cent are willing to pay between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,000 for two doses of the vaccine.
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
50% rural Indians trust coronavirus vaccine made by an Indian company over a foreign company; nearly half will vote for any party that offers the vaccine free: Gaon Connection Survey
The first survey of its kind on ‘COVID-19 Vaccine and Rural India’ by Gaon Connection Insights surveyed 6,040 rural citizens across 16 states and one union territory. Read the exclusive findings here.
Nidhi Jamwal
Half of rural Indians spending more money in corona period to buy packaged immunity boosting products: Gaon Connection Survey
Chywanprash, Giloy, Kaadha, Tulsi, turmeric milk… rural Indians have increased their consumption of immunity boosting items to protect themselves from the coronavirus. Many have stopped eating out whereas several rural households have reduced their non-veg food consumption.
Divendra Singh
Farmers' Protest 2020
Age No Bar: Neither age nor sex has dampened the energy and enthusiasm of the farmer protestors at the Dilli Chalo March
The ongoing protest at the outskirts of Delhi, by farmers of Haryana and Punjab, has brought together people across differing ideologies, political leanings and age groups to fight for a common cause - the roll back of the three agri laws.
Arvind Shukla
Kaur Competency: As tens of thousands of farmers leave for Delhi for the protest, women in rural Punjab are safeguarding their home and hearth
In the Malwa region of Punjab, villages wear a deserted look as large groups of farmers are in Delhi protesting against the three agri laws. Hundreds of women back in these villages have taken over farming activities, as their menfolk are away in Delhi, they say, ‘fighting’ for their rights.
Vivek Gupta
Hope and Scepticism: The farmers and the Centre go into their fifth round of talks tomorrow. Will they make any headway?
While emotions still run high, there is a toning down of rhetoric and cautious optimism in some quarters, as the fifth round of talks between the central government and the protesting farmers is scheduled for tomorrow, December 5. Meanwhile, Delhi continues to be locked in.
Pankaja Srinivasan
Slogans, shabads and speeches: Farmers’ protest picks up steam. Will today’s meeting with the govt break the impasse?
The fourth meeting between protesting farmers and the Central government is at present underway. Meanwhile, the mood is revolutionary at Tikri and Singhu on Delhi-Haryana border where thousands of farmers are preparing to stay on. Who will blink first?
Pankaja Srinivasan
Dialogue And Dissent: All eyes trained on tomorrow’s meeting between the central government and the protesting farmers. Will the impasse end?
The second round of talks between farmer leaders and the central government yesterday was inconclusive. Will the third round tomorrow on December 3 find a way out of the agri laws crisis?
Pankaja Srinivasan
Farmers Protest: Gaon Connection spent three days with the protesting farmers, as they marched from Punjab and Haryana towards Delhi
Camping out in the open, breaking through police barriers, facing tear gas and water cannons...thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have made it to Delhi. A ground report of the three days from Arvind Shukla and Daya Sagar.
Arvind Shukla
Farmers Protest: What exactly are the farmers agitating about? What are they demanding from the government?
Today is the third day of the farmers’ agitation. A large number of farmers have reached the Nirankari maidan in Delhi’s Burari while some farmers are still camped on the Haryana-Delhi border. What are then the demands of these farmers?
Gaon Connection
We will starve but not go back without the laws being repealed, say protesting women farmers
Women farmers, whose contribution to economic growth is largely undocumented, have kept the protests against the three new agri laws going. They cook by the roadside and march alongside the men, determined to be heard.
Daya Sagar
Farmers’ Protest: After being water cannoned and tear gassed, farmers allowed to enter Delhi. Union Agri minister invites them for talks
Protesting farmers, young and old, surged towards the national capital despite barricades. They filled the trenches dug up on the highway near Sonipat to stop their march against the three agri laws passed two months ago. They fear the laws are detrimental to them.
Gaon Connection
Farmers’ fury: Water cannons greet farmers in Ambala and Kurukshetra as they march towards Delhi to protest against the new farm laws
The farmers join millions of workers in the all-India strike tomorrow, November 26. Haryana has sealed its border with Punjab. Punjab farmers’ warn they would block roads if stopped from entering Delhi.
Arvind Shukla
Gaon Connection Farm Laws Survey
MSP Mandate: Three in five farmers want the minimum support price to be legally binding
A rapid survey by Gaon Connection found 59% respondent farmers demanding a mandatory MSP law in the country, while 33% feared the new central agri laws would end the MSP system.
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
Two out of five farmers fear the farm laws will end the MSP system; 59% want MSP as a mandatory law
In the Gaon Connection’s recent rapid survey, 39% fear the minimum support price will be abolished due to the farm laws, whereas another 39% believe the mandi system will be done away with.
Divendra Singh
Highest opposition to the new agri laws among northwest region farmers; greatest support in the west region: Gaon Connection Rural Survey
Gaon Connection’s ‘The Rural Report 2: The Indian Farmer’s Perception of the New Agri Laws’, shows that farmers’ opinion on the new agri laws is divided. On both the sides — 52% opposing or 35% supporting these laws — many are unaware of the details of the acts.
Nidhi Jamwal
Only half the farmers aware of the Centre’s new contract farming law: Gaon Connection Survey
Of the 49 per cent farmers who are aware of the new contract farming law, over 46 per cent said the law was in favour of the farmers, while 40 per cent did not think so.
Kushal Mishra
Every second respondent farmer in the west zone supports the new agri-laws: Gaon Connection Survey
With highest awareness about the new farm laws among the farmers in the west zone (82%) of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, slightly more than half the respondent farmers support the new central agri acts.
Shivani Gupta
Gaon Connection COVID-19 Survey
87% villagers in Assam received no medical treatment, 60% women in Tripura struggled for water in the lockdown
Due to the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown, millions of rural residents in the northeastern states struggled to keep their families afloat. For 82% rural households in Assam, making ends meet was ‘extremely’ or ‘quite’ difficult.
Shivani Gupta
About 40% women in rural households work harder to fetch water in the COVID-19 lockdown
The COVID19 outbreak has added to the water woes of hundreds of rural women. The government and health agencies recommend frequent handwashing to avoid the spread of coronavirus, but where will this water come from?
Shivani Gupta
64% migrant workers were quarantined in villages, 9 in 10 didn’t undergo COVID-19 testing
After travelling hundreds of kilometres, braving heat and hunger, migrant workers reached their villages, majority were quarantined. Many centres lacked power, toilets, and food facilities.
Shivani Gupta
93% rural respondents confirmed reverse migration aggravated the unemployment in their villages
Unprecedented COVID19-led reverse migration has wreaked havoc in the lives of millions of men and women who now face unemployment and despair back in their villages.
Daya Sagar
80% rural respondents said their work was affected due to the lockdown
The recent lockdown created unforeseen havoc affecting millions of Indians. Every class of worker was hit hard – farmers, shopkeepers, weavers, cottage industry workers and the salaried class.
Mithilesh Dhar Dubey
42% farmers could not sow crops in time during the lockdown: Gaon Connection Survey
In a first of its kind survey, Gaon Connection delves into the depths of the agony suffered by rural India, especially its farmers, during the lockdown.
Arvind Shukla
One in five rural households sold or mortgaged land, jewellery or valuables during the lockdown
Gaon Connection’s national rural survey found that nine out of 10 rural citizens faced some sort of financial difficulty during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Neetu Singh
58% pregnant women in villages confirmed checkups, vaccination in the lockdown
Pregnant women’s healthcare suffered in the lockdown. In West Bengal, only 29% households with pregnant women confirmed checkups and vaccination; Rajasthan reported the highest at 87%.
Shivani Gupta
The Slow Interview
Papa CJ on the currency called celebrity and the joy of laughter
On Neelesh Misra’s The Slow Cafe, the celebrated stand-up comedian on his early years, how grief led to humour and why he wants to gift laughter.
Subha J Rao
From Kasauli to Mumbai via Kabul: Tisca Chopra on a lifeline of learning
In The Slow Cafe with Neelesh Misra, the writer-actor-director-producer on her childhood influences, her lived experiences and why it is important to tell a story...
Subha J Rao
Insider, Outsider: The eternal quest to belong shines in Neelesh Misra's The Slow Cafe with Manoj Bajpayee
During the course of 40 minutes, the ace actor speaks about his quest to return home, the concept of home, and why the COVID-19 lockdown is a life-defining period.
Subha J Rao
The Slow Interview with Suresh Raina: All about the moments that make a cricketer
Neelesh Misra nudges Raina to speak about the little things that got left behind, his inspirations in life, and gets him to sing too, in this two-hour film that comes close to a real-life conversation.
Subha J Rao
“A woman flows along with the situation. When she is a mother, she is fully devoted”
In this 'slow' interview, folk singer Malini Awasthi, a Padma Shri, talks about women, folk music, and the intricacies of marriage, and how her husband motivated her to start singing again
Neelesh Misra
Now, when I visit my village, I spend hours looking at the dewdrops: Pankaj Tripathi
He feels the quality of persistence in him comes from his village upbringing, and many of the characters that he has played are inspired by some of the people he has met in his village
Neelesh Misra
Gaitonde from Sacred Games is brutal, abusive and cocky, but the real Nawaz is quite the opposite
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been impressing us with his acting abilities, but these days netizens can't stop raving about Ganesh Gaitonde – the character he plays in Netflix series Sacred Games
Neelesh Misra
"I am a simple man. I love buying potatoes and tomatoes," says the real Manoj Bajpayee
Son of a farmer, Manoj says buying vegetables helps him connect with the outside world and that keeps him rooted. He is someone who likes to keep it simple and he loves to laugh at himself
Neelesh Misra
People run away to become actors; I was thrown out so that I could become an actor!
Ayushman Khurana, who calls himself an old-soul, said he was an extremely laid-back. It was his father who made him ambitious. But what he is today is because of his mother and his wife
Neelesh Misra
"Girls look down and walk. The moment they look up, they will find someone staring at them"
There are separate rules for girls set by others. Like, they must wear 'proper' clothes, sit cross-legged and look down while walking, said Taapsee and added she has started questioning these rules
Neelesh Misra
Corona Footprint Series
Blood shortage brought on by the lockdown continues; thalassemia patients in extreme distress
Every day 27 children with thalassemia are born in India. This genetic blood disorder requires regular blood transfusion for lifetime. Since the lockdown, blood banks are facing an acute blood shortage
Nidhi Jamwal
COVID19 and Cyclone Amphan batter Hobjapara’s ‘migrant’ families
Over 40 families in Hobjapara village at Kolkata’s outskirts have lost both their homes and livelihoods due to the double whammy of COVID-19 lockdown and Cyclone Amphan.
Debdutta Paul
No income, no ration card, hefty room rent; women in Mumbai's slums struggle to feed their kids
Many urban poor women are the sole bread winners for their families. Due to the lockdown, they have lost their livelihoods. Now they are under acute mental stress to feed their children
Nidhi Jamwal
During the COVID pandemic and the lockdown, we almost forgot about the leprosy patients
Due to the stigma attached to the disease, life is tough for the leprosy patients. But, those living in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, said they haven’t got adequate medical help ever since the lockdown
Shivani Gupta
COVID-19 lockdown, erratic rainfall: Small tea growers of Assam suffer major losses
The tea industry in Assam, reeling under adverse effects of climate change, suffered more this year due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The small tea growers are the worst affected.
Amarjyoti Borah
In the absence of mid-day meals, children in Bihar survive on roti-onion, bhaat-achar
The Supreme Court of India had directed the States and UTs to ensure children get mid-day meals. Despite that, children in Bihar's Gaya were eating only roti-onion, or rice-pickle, or starch rice.
Rohin Kumar
Bajantris, the traditional band party in Himachal, now looking to work as daily wagers
Baaja is the soul of every pahadi wedding. With the COVID-19 lockdown, bajantris have lost their only source of income. Some are looking to work in apple orchards, others as MGNREGA labourers.
Saurabh Chauhan
Hit by the lockdown, apple orchard owners in Himachal now face labour shortage
Himachal's Rs 4,000-crore apple industry is heavily dependent on the Gurkha labourers from Nepal. But the recent tension between India and Nepal is hampering their availability.
Saurabh Chauhan
Education on hold: Amid the COVID lockdown, children in rural India will suffer the most
While teachers and students in urban areas have resorted to distance learning, children in rural areas have missed out on education as they don’t have the luxury of attending online classes
Shivani Gupta
Rajasthan farmers are the world’s second-largest producers of cumin seed. But they are locked out and unable to sell their harvested produce
After facing crop losses due to locust attack and unseasonal rains, jeera farmers in Rajasthan complain they are unable to transport their harvested produce to Unjha mandi in Gujarat. State officials claim no such restrictions. Come monsoon rains and the cumin seed produce may go waste
Nidhi Jamwal
Art, Culture and Tradition
Folk musicians of Rajasthan forced to work as daily wage labourers to make both ends meet in the COVID19 pandemic
Broadly, seven communities in Rajasthan are categorised as traditional folk musicians. Dholi community is associated with nagara, the traditional drums, whereas the Bhand community members sing to entertain. All these musicians have lost their traditional source of income and now looking for other daily wage works.
Sanskriti Talwar
Lakhs of artisans in Bengal, sculpting the Durga idols for generations, are without work and wages
Three natural calamities -- COVID-19 crisis, Cyclone Amphan and now, the heavy rains, have struck traditional artisans who make idols for Durga Puja. At least 2.5 lakh artisans affected in Kolkata alone. Financial losses run into several lakh rupees.
Purnima Sah
The artist behind Gulabo-Sitabo: Story of a puppeteer from Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow
If people aren’t leaving their houses, a puppeteer wouldn’t have audiences. That’s what happened with Raees Ahmed, a puppeteer who has been telling stories of, and through, Gulabo and Sitabo, his two puppets, when lockdown was imposed in the country.
Mohammd Arif
A village that thrived on handloom, Cooch Behar’s Baburhat now has only one handloom mill
Four decades ago, Baburhat had over 4,000 handlooms and all villagers were engaged in weaving traditional costumes. Now its last handloom mill is struggling to keep the weavers engaged, as orders are cancelled and there is no sale due to the COVID19 lockdown.
Purnima Sah
The famous pottery artisans of Pokhran are forced to sell fruits and vegetables these days
The artistic toys and utensils made from red clay here are famous not only in India, but also among the foreign tourists who come to visit Rajasthan. About 200 families here survive on the pottery trade
Chandrabhaan Solanki
The lockdown has exposed the hidden layers of the lives of Madhubani painting artists
Their earnings were never consistent. Once the lockdown ends, they won’t immediately start getting orders as people would prefer to save and not buy expensive Madhubani paintings
Avinash Karna
The heritage village of Odisha where every single resident is a pattachitra artist
For generations, the inhabitants of Raghurajpur village are narrating mythological stories through their world-famous paintings — pattachitra — and palm leaf engravings. Gaon Connection travelled to this heritage village in Puri district of Odisha and caught up with the artisans
Nidhi Jamwal
A veteran artist is using traditional Phad paintings to raise awareness on COVID-19 in Rajasthan
A visual treat to anyone who lays his/her eyes on it, Phad is a form of scroll painting which has, over the centuries, narrated stories to people in village gatherings. Now, Kalyan Joshi, a veteran of the Phad art form, is using his scrolls to narrate stories about the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown
Azera Parveen Rahman
Mud houses are vanishing; Mandana art adorning its walls will too, if not preserved
Mandana art form, passed on from mothers to daughters unlike other art forms, is now practiced only by a few. If we don’t preserve it, Mandana will vanish, much like the mud houses it once adorned.
Azera Parveen Rahman
Adivasi Matters
In Chhattisgarh, tribal community students will soon be studying in the native Gondi language
An initiative to preserve Gondi, the language a large section of tribal communities in India, by teaching it in primary classes using computers has begun in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker.
Tameshwar Sinha
Leading by 'eggsample': Tribal women in Maharashtra earn decent, address malnutrition during COVID-19
Tribal women in a hamlet in Thane are earning a living by selling eggs during COVID-19 crisis. They are also addressing malnutrition among women and children.
Shivani Gupta
With DSLRs in their hands, the new generation of an ancient Indian tribe begins to break its bow-and-arrow stereotype
In the heart of eastern India, teenagers of the Santhal tribe begin to chronicle stories of their ancient cultural heritage using modern tools – DSLR cameras and the Internet.
Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
Excess rainfall, followed by the COVID19 lockdown, has hit Chhattisgarh’s tribal communities dependent on the minor forest produce
Minor forest produce, such as mahua, tendu patta, chironjee, sustains the tribal communities of Chhattisgarh for six months a year. But, this year, due to excess pre-monsoon season rainfall, a large chunk of the forest produce was lost. The lockdown has further aggravated woes of forest-dependent communities
Nidhi Jamwal
“The doctors ask us to wash our hands regularly. But if we don’t have water, how do we do that?”
These tribes living in small hamlets not very far from Pune are at the mercy of the housing society nearby for drinking water. They often buy discarded vegetables – their only meal
Varsha Torgalkar
Tribal districts report more land conflicts compared to other regions in the country
Laws enacted to protect the rights of tribal and forest dwelling communities have failed to deliver. Poor, marginalised tribal communities residing in resource rich districts face maximum land conflicts
Nidhi Jamwal
Adivasis in India are being made to suffer a lot … and are being blamed for it too
Since time immemorial, tribals have resided in forests, thereby conserving it. But they are the ones who have been subjected to social exclusion and are also called ‘destroyers of the environment’
Pragya Uike
Coastal Concerns
The 'hanging village' of Bangladesh: A glaring reminder of climate change refugees
Bangladesh is a country that's bearing the brunt of climate change. With cyclones and monsoon floods, the coastal villages in the country see many climate refugees.
Rafiqul Islam Montu
From birth to death: Bangladesh’s landless Manta community survives on boats
The Manta community of Bangladesh has been living on boats for over 100 years. They spend all their lives – from birth to death – on boats. These people live the most unusual life.
Rafiqul Islam Montu
Hundreds of families await fishers, who went 'missing' in Ockhi cyclone, to return home
Delay in warning and lack of communication lead to hundreds of fishers in Tamil Nadu and Kerala to go missing in Ockhi cyclone. Bodies of some dead fishers were found. Many are still 'missing'.
Nidhi Jamwal
Who moved my village?
The story of how women are facing the impact of climate change in the Sundarbans. Alone.
Nidhi Jamwal
A village in Andhra Pradesh is facing an uncertain future due to coastal erosion
People of Uppada, a village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, are facing nature's wrath. The village has had to move multiple times due to coastal erosion
Faizi Noor Ahmad
Flora and Fauna
COVID-19 delays India’s captive-reared vulture release programme
India’s captive-reared vulture release programme, a first-of-its-kind initiative to study the massive decline in vulture population, has been delayed. Again.
Vivek Gupta
Auli can never be viewed as an exotic tourist destination or a wedding destination: Uttarakhand High Court
In its final order on the multimillion-dollar wedding extravaganza in eco-fragile Auli meadow last June, the high court has termed the state government’s decision to allow the mega event of Gupta brothers a ‘grave error’.
Nidhi Jamwal
Mere outrage will not save the elephants. Protecting forests and working with locals will help
Between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the human-elephant conflict killed 2,361 people and 510 pachyderms in India. In the last three months of the lockdown, a series of elephant deaths have rocked the country. But the Union environment ministry is clearing projects in the key elephant habitats
Deepanwita Gita Niyogi
The Bishnois have been at the forefront of environmental conservation for centuries
The Bishnois have been around even before the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. For them, the need to save nature arises from an inherent understanding of knowing that we exist because of nature
Aditi Patil
Plants and trees are giving us indications. They are talking to us. We must listen to them
Plants and trees are the accurate indicators of the presence of pollutants. We should study plants to know about the presence of pollutants and use this as an effective tool in pollution monitoring
Deepak Acharya
How often do you hear the buzzzzz now? Why can't you find many beehives around?
Honey collection is a major source of livelihood for many. But changing farm practices, reducing forest cover, increasing use of pesticides and growing cell phone penetration are killing honeybees
Shivani Gupta
House sparrows, which disappeared almost two decades ago, could make a comeback
Conservationists attribute the decline in the population of house sparrows to the unfriendly architecture of our homes, chemical fertilizers in our crops and noise pollution
Jaspreet Luthra
When did you last see a frog? The population of mosquito-eating frogs is on a fast decline
In the past few decades, the aquatic life has been adversely affected due to human intervention. Agricultural use of pesticides is the leading cause of death among amphibians like frogs
Gaon Connection
Will fireflies live only in our memories? Their population has been falling substantially
Many of us have cherished memories of spotting and catching fireflies that twinkled as if stars. But kids of today may not grow up with similar memories. That’s because fireflies are disappearing
Shivani Gupta
Brace yourself for dire consequences. Migratory birds are dumping the deserts
With the change in season, many areas in the country witness the arrival of migratory birds. However, factors like the pastures being robbed off their greenery and destroying of the traditional water resources have made the advent of these migratory birds increasingly difficult
Gaon Connection
Gender Matters
Should India’s health infrastructure embrace traditional midwives?
Home-birth enthusiasts are rooting for the practice to be made mainstream by integrating traditional midwives, and midwifery in general, to the Indian health infrastructure.
Purnima Sah
Masks, sanitisation, and no kissing: Sex workers have new rules for clients
Sex workers in Maharashtra are struggling to make ends meet, but not risking contracting COVID-19. They are certain sex trade will not stop, and have devised new methods to 'stay safe'
Tanvi Deshpande
Gutting stories of tiger widows, women who lost their husbands to Bengal tigers in Bangladesh's Sundarbans
Over 1,000 women in villages along the southwest coast of Bangladesh, adjoining the Sundarbans mangrove forest, are ostracised because their husbands were killed by Bengal tigers.
Rafiqul Islam Montu
Rural women in UP's Gonda employ male migrant workers who returned, emerge changemakers
Women associated with self-help groups in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district provided employment to about 70 male migrant workers who returned from cities and were jobless. The acknowledgement has motivated more women to come forward.
Saurabh Chauhan
Lockdown, followed by two months fishing ban; Koli fisherwomen are on the edge
Koli fisherwomen in Mumbai have not earned a penny in the last almost three months. Fishing ban in June and July, with no monetary compensation, may tip them over the edge
Nidhi Jamwal
Their work is considered illegal which invisibilizes them. Coronavirus and social distancing have further pushed the sex workers into a dungeon
India has an estimated 1.2 million sex workers who have no clear legal standing, thus making these marginalised women ‘criminals'. To break the coronavirus chain, social distancing and isolation are crucial. But, how are women sex workers coping in such a scenario? A Gaon Connection report from Hanuman Tekdi, a red-light area in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra
Nidhi Jamwal
"Every second adolescent girl has anaemia. Every second woman of reproductive age is anaemic"
Women’s empowerment will not have any meaning without tackling anaemia. While the governments are working to deal with this, there is a need for greater awareness to tackle this problem
Sachin Pandey
“In rural areas, women often say they were misbehaved with and don’t use the term rape”
A girl living in Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh was raped when she was 19. It has been two years since the incidence. Now she feels she will not get justice. The police for long said they can’t do much against the accused for ‘misbehviour’ because the girl did not use the word rape in the FIR
Neetu Singh
Enrollment of girls for higher studies has increased, but there's more to cheer about education
The percentage of those in the 18-24 age group enrolling for higher education has more than doubled since 2005-06. The government has set a target of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2030
Sachin Pandey
"I wish that instead of treating us as special for just a day, people treat us normally on all days"
Members of the third gender are invited to celebrate a birth or a wedding. They say they would rather prefer a normal existence than the special treatment they get only on some days
Gaon Connection
River Routes
Marooned for a month, villagers in Bihar have no access to sufficient food, healthcare, toilets
Residents of 36 villages in Kusheshwar Asthan Purbi of Darbhanga are displaced due to floods for more than a month now. Over 200 families here are living under tarpaulins on Kosi’s embankment.
Rohin Kumar
Imagining a clean, urban river and lush-green riverbanks where people come together
In this photoblog, Abhay Kanvinde looks at the most polluted and populated stretch of Mutha River in Pune and astounds us with the life that abounds here.
SANDRP
Lack of planned drainage, natural drainage basins encroached. Result: Increased urban flooding in Guwahati
An intricate network of rivers and beels (wetlands) forms the natural drainage system of Guwahati city on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. Last few decades, these water bodies have been encroached upon, thereby contributing towards an increased incidence of urban flooding
Nidhi Jamwal
It’s not right to create a sanitary landfill along the banks of the Yamuna river. This is why
Apart from being illegal, such a facility is an environmental disaster. The Yamuna river floodplain should not be made a sacrificial goat at the altar of short-sighted developmental needs
Manoj Misra
Neither sewerage, nor sewage treatment plant, the Bharalu river is a sewage channel
The Bahini-Bharalu, Guwahati's main river, carries a large chunk of untreated sewage and empties it into the Brahmaputra river. Polluted sewage also flows into a bird sanctuary. The sewage generation is expected to go up ...
Nidhi Jamwal
Science & Technology
As India leaps to emerge a solar superpower, solar waste becomes a matter of concern
With ambitious solar power plant projects, India may be charging towards its 100 GW solar power capacity goal but, tackling solar waste will be key to safeguarding the environment.
Megha Prakash
Despite forecast warnings and mobile apps, 154 dead in 3 weeks due to lightning strikes in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand
In spite of lightning sensors, alerts through mobile apps, over 2,500 people die annually due to lightning strikes in the country. The state governments need to bridge the last-mile communication challenge to reduce these preventable deaths.
Nidhi Jamwal
PM Modi launches an auction process for commercial mining of 41 coal blocks. India’s first climate change assessment report projects a temperature rise of 2.7°C by 2040 and 4.4°C by 2099
Mining and combustion of coal, a fossil fuel, is linked to both environmental pollution and climate change. India’s first climate change assessment report warns of an average temperature increase of 4.4°C by the end of the century, along with an increase in heatwaves, droughts, and intense cyclones
Nidhi Jamwal
The disappearing Puducherry beach comes back to life. An artificial reef came to its rescue
An artificial reef has helped restore a part of the Puducherry beach. But, more interventions are needed to complete this pilot project that can guide beach restoration along India’s coastline
Nidhi Jamwal
The west coast of India braces for Cyclone Nisarga; the east coast is still recovering from Super Cyclone Amphan
Both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon cyclonic activities are on the rise in the Arabian Sea. Climate scientists blame this on the rapid warming of the ocean
Nidhi Jamwal
Super Cyclone Amphan weakens to an extremely severe cyclonic storm. But, still remains strongest cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal
Cyclone Amphan intensified from a category-1 cyclone to category-5 within 18 hours. Meteorologists attribute this to record high sea-surface temperatures and ocean heat content. As oceans heat up, intense cyclone formations are expected
Nidhi Jamwal
Scientists develop an integrated process to extract biofertilizer from human hair
Every year, about 300,000 tons of human hair is treated as waste. Its accumulation in waste streams poses serious environmental problem. Scientists have fixed this problem
Jyoti Singh
Understanding randomised controlled trials and the criticisms and challenges around them
With Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerji, and Michael Kremer winning the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, there is renewed interest and discourse around randomised controlled trials
Gaon Connection
Cold wave, rainfall anomaly, floods, drought, heatwave and cyclones — 2019 sets new records in extreme weather events
The year 2019 will be remembered for breaking several previous records of extreme weather events be it the cold wave, large-scale rainfall anomalies, or the number of cyclones
Nidhi Jamwal
There's a shortage of ventilators in India. This engineer came up with an affordable solution
In the fourth part of our series ‘Corona Heroes’, meet Prashant Gade. He has been making affordable prosthetic arms, but he recently designed a ventilator that costs just Rs 30-35,000
Shivani Gupta
Disasters
Heavy rainfall triggers flash floods, landslides in Uttarakhand, red alert in 9 districts
Experts blame road widening projects and hill cutting works for causing widespread landslides in the state, as villages are cut-off and standing crops destroyed.
Megha Prakash
Assam Baghjan well fire: Expert panel cites major lapses by OIL before NGT
As Oil India Limited struggles to douse the fire at its Baghjan Oilfield in Assam’s Tunsukia district, an expert committee report before National Green Tribunal finds many faults with its operations.
Amarjyoti Borah
Monsoon floods submerge a third of Bangladesh; affect around 5 million people amid COVID-19
Bangladesh is no stranger to monsoon flooding, but the flooding this year has been the longest since the floods of 1988. One-third of the country has been submerged.
Rafiqul Islam Montu
Bihar flood situation worsens as embankments of the Gandak river breach, about a million affected
At least three breaches reported in the embankments of river Gandak in north Bihar leading to inundation of hundreds of villages in Gopalganj and East Champaran districts.
Shivani Gupta
Uprooted by Cyclone Amphan, thousands of families in west coast of Bangladesh still displaced
About two months back, on May 20, Super Cyclone Amphan crossed West Bengal-Bangladesh coasts causing extensive damages. Two months later, poor in coastal Bangladesh continue to suffer the cyclone’s impacts. A Gaon Connection photo feature.
Rafiqul Islam Montu
2.5 million affected by floods; 24 dead in landslides; Baghjan oil well still on fire. Assam battling multiple disasters amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Every year during the monsoon, Assam faces floods. But this year the crisis has magnified, as the state is handling multiple disasters while the COVID-19 cases are also on the rise. The oil well at Tinsukia is on fire since June 9.
Amarjyoti Borah
Heavy rainfall washes away first kharif sowing in Maharashtra
Small and marginal farmers in seven villages of Soegaon taluka in Aurangabad have suffered losses worth Rs 40 lakh as one night’s heavy rainfall has destroyed their cotton and ginger crops. Panchnamas still not done; farmers have no money for second sowing
Sushen Jadhav
At least 93 dead due to lightning in Bihar. Continuous heavy rainfall posing high flood risk; last year’s flood victims still living under tarpaulins
The Met department has issued flood warning in Bihar due to continuous heavy rainfall expected over the region for the next two to three days. Meanwhile, several families displaced due to last year’s flash floods are still living under tarpaulins with no basic facilities
Shivani Gupta
Survey pegs Cyclone Nisarga losses in Maharashtra at Rs 1,000 crore. Plantations uprooted, houses flattened and fishing boats damaged
A joint survey by the National Fishworkers’ Forum and Maharashtra Machhimar Kriti Samiti has recorded extensive damages in the coastal districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri due to the Cyclone Nisarga. But, timely warning and evacuation helped save lives
Nidhi Jamwal
Power supply restored, but Cyclone Amphan has wiped off all livelihoods in the Sundarbans
Almost a month after the Cyclone Amphan made a landfall in the Sundarbans, power supply is restored in Sagar Island. But, no source of income as both farmlands and fishing ponds are destroyed
Nidhi Jamwal
Gaon Connection Interviews
Giriraj Singh’s unique biogas model has helped farmers in this village in Gujarat earn more
The animal husbandry ministry provided biogas plants to houses having milch animals and bought the slurry in return. The ministry claims it has increased the farmers’ income by three times
Arvind Shukla
More than climate change, destructive fishing methods impacting small-scale fishers
The small-scale traditional fishers in India are facing many challenges. T Peter, secretary, National Fishworkers' Forum, believes the government should give some subsidy to the fisher folk
Nidhi Jamwal
“The dairy and the livestock are the sectors which may help farmers increase their income"
Amul belongs to 36 lakh farmer families of Gujarat, said its managing director RS Sodhi. The best thing about Amul is that the profit from value addition goes directly to the accounts of farmers
Arvind Shukla
“By 2022, all those in Uttar Pradesh who were found eligible in our survey will get a home”
In an interview with Gaon Connection, Uttar Pradesh Rural Development Minister Rajendra Pratap Singh spoke about gram panchayat elections, the housing scheme, MGNREGA and lot more ...
Arvind Shukla
India's Secret Kitchens
When in Lucknow, let Malai Makkhan melt in your mouth
It’s white, soft, sweet & fluffy … it simply melts in your mouth! Malai Makkhan is a dessert that truly has a nawabi touch. It is believed that the Mughals used to polish this delicacy off in minutes. Head to Old Lucknow to have the best malai makkhan
Gaon Connection
Head to Lalla’s in Old Lucknow for some lip-smacking Biryani
Meticulously measured ingredients and a practiced technique makes the perfect biryani. The evolution of biryani spans many centuries, many cultures, many ingredients and many cooking styles. Head to Lalla’s in Old Lucknow for some yummy biryani
Gaon Connection
They are hot & spicy … fancy some yummy kachoris?
A hole in the wall shop in Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh, just 60 kms from state capital Lucknow, has been selling finger-licking kachoris for years now. Head to the shop — fondly known as Tandon jee kachori wala — for some yummy kachoris
Gaon Connection
Folk Studio
Songs of the battlefield and bravery are pride of Bundelkhand
The pride of Bundelkhand, these are songs of the battlefield, songs of bravery from a bygone era. Sung in Veer rasa, Aalha songs are sung by sword-wielding men and women in very powerful voices
Gaon Connection
Close your eyes … sway to the tunes of Ravanahatta
If you are in Rajasthan, chances are that you will find many folk artists playing this instrument, commonly known as the Ravanhatha. There are not many artists who play the instrument now, but its melodious tune will attract you to the folk artists instantly
Gaon Connection
This is how women in Bihar welcome their husbands home
Jhumar is a folk-dance form from Bihar. It is said women express their joy and happiness through Jhumar when their husbands, who have been away from them, return home after a long time