Reportage
Ishrat Jahan epitomises the pain of farmers repeatedly hit by extreme weather events
Their paddy was ripe and the farmers, after harvesting it, had placed it in neatly arranged bundles in their fields. They had hoped that the sunlight would rid their harvest of the little moisture left in their crops. But heavy rainfall in the past three days has washed away their hopes leaving them buried under debt. Details here.
Ramji Mishra
Headload workers, waste pickers demand implementation of Mathadi Act in Delhi; refused permission for rally
The Delhi Mathadi, Palledars and other Unprotected Manual Workers’ (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) Bill, 2019, which provides social security to informal sector workers, is yet to be enacted in Delhi. A rally to demand enactment of various welfare measures for the informal sector workers was denied permission in Delhi. What are their demands? More details here.
Gaon Connection
WATCH: Why do Kerala and Uttarakhand face frequent heavy rain related disasters — a senior climate expert explains
Be it inundating floods or pulverising landslides, the frequency with which the states of Kerala and Uttarakhand have been contributing to news headlines in the last few years is astonishing. Here, at Gaon Cafe, Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences explains what makes these states prone to disasters.
Gaon Connection
Incessant heavy rains damage standing and harvested crops in Uttar Pradesh bringing the farmers to their knees
Many districts in Uttar Pradesh were lashed with incessant rains for the past three days leading to considerable damage to paddy, sugarcane, banana and vegetable cultivation in the state. Fields are flushed with muddy waters and farmers are staring at heavy losses, yet again.
Gaon Connection
Death toll due to heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides in Uttarakhand rises to 52; 5 missing
After heavy rainfall, landslides and loss of lives in Kerala in south India, the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has been battered by incessant rainfall. Floods, landslides, destruction of bridges and over-flowing water bodies have left locals and tourists deserted in remote and dangerous locations. Rescue operations underway. More details here.
Gaon Connection
Why are farmers in Uttar Pradesh selling paddy at low rates to private traders in the open market?
While government procurement for paddy in Uttar Pradesh has officially begun from October 1, paddy farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri and Shahjahanpur complain not a grain was procured from them till October 13. High moisture content in the crop is being blamed. Desperate farmers are forced to sell their produce in the open market at a rate much lower than the government approved MSP.
Arvind Shukla
Every second surveyed Dalit and Adivasi student couldn’t access online classes: NCDHR report
A survey-based study by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR)’s Dalit Adhikari Andolan found that 56% of the surveyed students from the marginalised communities in the annual income group of Rs 20,000-40,000 were unable to access online classes. Further, 73% respondents from particularly vulnerable tribal groups were unable to access online classes in the COVID pandemic.
Sarah Khan
Graphic designing classes and virtual learning – a village school is breaking stereotypes of rural education
As part of a novel initiative, Bharatiya Gramin Vidyalaya, about 40 kilometres from Lucknow, has set up a skill centre that imparts training in latest courses, such as graphic designing, to rural students to prepare them for the future job market. The school has been running virtual classes way before the COVID19 pandemic forced the world to switch to online schooling.
Shivani Gupta
40% drop in green cover, 66% rise in built-up area; Mumbai’s average temp rose by 2°C in 27 years: Study
Between 1991 and 2018, Mumbai has lost 81% of its open land, 40% green cover and 30 per cent of its water bodies. Meanwhile, its built-up area has risen by 66%. These findings of a new peer reviewed study point towards the rising urban heat island effect in the megapolis whose average temperature has increased by 2.2 °C. More details here.
Gaon Connection
Transgender and disabled most affected due to online abuse: Study
A global study highlights that transgender, LGBQ+ and disabled people are most affected due to increasing online sexual abuse. The study also pointed out that child online sexual harms are “occuring everywhere”, with 50 per cent in South Asia.