Columns
Do sex workers, who often hail from poor rural households, really have a choice?
Nagpur’s iconic red-light area Ganga Jamuna is in the news these days as the law enforcement authorities have decided to pull down the shutters on this 200-year-old red-light district in Maharashtra. While we debate the merits of this decision, it is time we focussed on the plight of sex workers in India and the ‘choices’ they have.
Dipesh Tank
Addressing the climate crisis through deep seabed mining is one step forward and three steps back
International interest in seabed mining has been stoked partly by new advances in robotics, computer mapping and underwater drilling. Mining companies globally are said to be scouring for fresh reserves, having depleted much of the world’s easy-to-access veins. But a section of experts warns that deep-sea mining would have “catastrophic impacts”.
Marta Montojo
Food fortification, the new panacea for nutritional deficiency
There are no miracle solutions for nutrition security. Fortification is projected as one miracle to address anaemia and nutritional issues experienced by people. This is a clinical approach and cannot, and should not be, applied at large.
Usha Soolapani
Despite exposure to the virus, why do some people never get COVID19?
In a lucky subpopulation, some people never test positive for COVID-19 and some that test positive never develop any symptoms. Why? Genetic studies are turning up some interesting answers which could point to new vaccine and treatment approaches.
Therese Ann Markow
Agtech is our best bet for a sustainable and inclusive agrarian economy
What will agriculture in India look like in 2030? Will we finally be able to make farming profitable for all of India’s 130 million farmers? Or will the vast majority of small and marginal farmers continue to be left behind? The key to these answers lies in the growth of Agtech.
Sudha Srinivasan
With schools reopening, a safe and healthy transition is needed especially for children from poor and marginalised communities
The loss of learning and the harmful effects of the pandemic have not been borne equally by children. In face of the gradual reopening of schools, authorities should consider a differentiated approach between government schools and private ones.
Santhya Vikram
Notes from a water researcher who became a flood victim in Bhagalpur, Bihar
Inhabitants of ‘Silk City’ Bhagalpur in Bihar are not unfamiliar with floods, since they live on the banks of river Ganga. At least once in two years the river breaches her embankments and inundates areas along its route. However, this year, the floods have been extraordinarily disruptive and I was a flood-victim too.
Ruchi Shree
COVID appropriate behaviour, learnings from Gaon Connection’s survey and preparing for the third wave
COVID appropriate behaviour is a powerful way to control the pandemic along with other measures. Gaon Connection’s third rural survey, conducted in December 2020, provides valuable insights related to knowledge, attitude and practices around COVID in rural India, and can help plan and prepare for the third wave in the country.
Biswaranjan Baraj
Saving the planet while ignoring two thirds of it
Companies on land have been allowed to dump carbon into the air for free, and roughly a quarter of that carbon is absorbed by the oceans. But, the current outlook on the climate crisis barely even considers the oceans, even though it covers two thirds of the earth’s surface.
Ian Urbina
When Guddu, a water chestnut farmer, taught lessons on urban wastewater and agricultural livelihoods
Not many are aware of the urban ‘river’, mistaken for a nallah, flowing through the Dhanbad city in Jharkhand. A walk along the river led to the discovery of farming of paani phal singhada in Jodia talab. A photo essay.