Reportage
Muddy waters: Villagers fear the Ganga Water Lift Scheme in Mokama, Bihar may adversely impact farming
Mokama Tal, known for cultivation of pulses, supports about 200,000 farmers and half a million agricultural labourers. Excessive flooding and silting has rendered 10,000 hectares uncultivable, and the new project may only increase their misery.
Umesh Kumar Ray
No Doctors for Dang: Ravines, a river, forests and government apathy keep medical help away from these villages in Rajasthan
Of the 2,000-odd villages in the Dang region in Dholpur, Rajasthan, most do not have access to healthcare. Pregnant women and kids have often died for want of medical facilities.
Madhav Sharma
Mystery of the poisoned waters: 2/3rd arsenic, fluoride-hit habitations safe now — despite budgets unspent
Till last June, there were 13,972 arsenic-affected habitations in India, now down to 4,588, a drop of 67% in a year. Fluoride-affected habitations have declined by 34% in a year. Gaon Connection’s deep dive into official data.
Jasmin Nihalani
Migrant labourers rush back home to Bihar to floods and dislocated families
The flooding and erosion caused by Kosi river in Bihar have forced migrant labourers to return home to debts and distress.
Hemant Kumar Pandey
Rice racket: From the paddy fields of Bihar to the mandis of Punjab
Bihar grows about 8 million tonnes of paddy annually but barely procures about 20 per cent. Agents buy paddy from small farmers at a low price and send it off to mandis in Punjab to sell at a higher MSP. A Gaon Connection report.
Umesh Kumar Ray
Half the farmers unaware of FPOs, majority of them are small and marginal farmers: Gaon Connection Survey
The Central government has ordered 10,000 new Farmer Producer Organisations to be opened by the year 2024. But the Gaon Connection rapid survey found nearly half of the respondent farmers were not even aware of FPOs.
Kushal Mishra
Almost half the farmers fear the new agri laws will result in exploitation by private companies: Gaon Connection Survey
36% respondents fear that due to the open market, the central government would decrease procurement at MSP, while 33% fear the MSP system would be eliminated by the new agri laws.
Arvind Shukla
Women Safety: A dysfunctional toll-free women helpline in West Bengal; Assam helpline lacks sufficient funds
As per the National Crime Records Bureau 2019, West Bengal and Assam are among the top-five states in crime against women. West Bengal’s toll-free 24/7 helpline is dysfunctional while its landline helpline works only five days a week during office hours. Assam’s helpline is under-staffed and cash-strapped.
Purnima Sah
Win some, lose all: Vidarbha farmers saved money by avoiding social functions in COVID-19 and invested it in kharif crops, only to lose it all to unseasonal rain
This kharif season, Vidarbha in Maharashtra saw a jump in cotton and maize cultivation. Farmers invested their COVID-19 savings, hoping for handsome returns. But unseasonal rains have washed their hopes away.
Saurabh Katkurwar
Recognising the needs and aspirations of the young population is critical
While catering to the aspirations of youth who will shape the new world order defined by COVID-19, it is vital to take into account their psychological, sociological and the economic development.