Reportage
B.1.1.529 variant: Israel ‘on the verge’ of emergency after new strain of COVID19 detected, countries planning to shut borders
The new COVID19 strain is said to be more infectious than the Delta variant which wreaked havoc in India during the second wave of the pandemic. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Bird flu: 70 crows found dead at Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan
There is concern that the large number of migratory birds that have arrived at the lake this year could get affected by the avian influenza. The animal husbandry department has sanitised the area where dead birds were found.
Gaon Connection
Farmers’ protest completes one year; 90-yo Bhagwan Kaur has been camping for a year now
Farmers and their families from Punjab and Haryana joined the protest against the farm laws, fighting the harsh winters, unseasonal rain and blistering summers. Gaon Connection visited Tikri border, one of the protest sites, to gauge the mood there and find out why the protestors haven’t returned to the comfort of their homes yet.
Sarah Khan
‘Logistics gateway of northern India’: Jewar airport will boost tourism, create jobs for millions, says PM Modi
At present, Uttar Pradesh has 8 operational airports, while 13 airports and 7 airstrips are being developed. The operational airports handling commercial flights in UP are Lucknow, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Gorakhpur, Agra, Kanpur, Prayagraj and Hindon (Ghaziabad.)
Gaon Connection
“Arsenic has entered the food chain through irrigation water… it can cause cancer, mental retardation”
Ashok Kumar Ghosh, chairperson, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, and professor and Head of Department, Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre, Patna, who has worked extensively on the arsenic contamination in groundwater in the state, speaks to Gaon Connection on the shocking levels of arsenic found in the drinking water (groundwater) and its disease burden.
Nidhi Jamwal
A new bioformulation, mixed with jaggery and cow dung, promises to tackle crop residue
A new formulation developed by agricultural scientists at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Lucknow, could be the answer to the huge problem of crop residue. Halo CRD claims to decompose the crop residue and at the same time enrich the soil.
Divendra Singh
Explained: What is cryptocurrency? Why is India bringing a law to regulate it?
The Indian government’s announcement to introduce a Bill to regulate the cryptocurrency market tanked the cryptocurrencies yesterday. What exactly is a cryptocurrency? Why is it trending these days? Details here.
Gaon Connection
India’s waste management systems unfit to address the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat and has become one of the greatest challenges in the efforts to fight infectious diseases. In the wake of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which concluded today, sector experts discussed how agriculture, pharmaceutical companies and low-cost waste management technologies aid in preventing AMR containment.
Sarah Khan
Anaemia in children on the rise in India; 72.7% under-5 kids in rural Madhya Pradesh anaemic
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2020-21) released today, child nutrition indicators have slightly improved in rural India, but anaemia continues to be a concern. In Rajasthan, stunting has decreased from 40.8% in NFHS-4 to 32.6% in NFHS-5. However, 72.4% of rural kids are anaemic.
Shivani Gupta
Centre extends free food grains scheme till March 2022
The scheme was extended as the fourth phase in July and was set to lapse in the ongoing month. Today’s announcement marks the launch of the fifth phase of the scheme. Details here.