Reportage
As COVID19 vaccination coverage gap between rich and poor countries widens, WHO urges wealthiest nations to temporarily halt booster shots
The WHO has called for a moratorium on booster doses until the end of September to enable at least 10% of the population of every country worldwide to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. In Uganda and the Central African Republic, zero and 0.2% of the population is fully vaccinated respectively.
Gaon Connection
Heavy rains cause floods in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan; 300,000 people affected in West Bengal
Torrential rains have caused floods in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, while the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers are in spate in Uttar Pradesh. Also, 15 people have died and more than 300,000 affected in West Bengal as a dam released the extra water. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Brick by brick: A students’ union in Bihar launches campaign to collect bricks for stone laying ceremony of AIIMS Darbhanga
Weary of the delay in construction of AIIMS hospital in Darbhanga, a students’ union has started a campaign to collect bricks from residents for an unofficial stone laying ceremony of the institution next month. The project was cleared by the central government in September 2018, but not much progress has happened since then, complain the students.
Arvind Shukla
India’s death registration system is ‘robust’, missing out on COVID19 deaths completely unlikely: Health Ministry
The health ministry highlighted that the difference in the recording of deaths shall always exist during a ‘profound and prolonged’ public health crisis such as the COVID19. It stated that well conducted research studies on the number of deaths are usually done after the event. Details here
Gaon Connection
A sugar mill in Sitapur, UP is in the eye of the storm for damaging farmlands and crops
A sugar factory in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh is allegedly causing misery in a neighbouring village by discharging effluents into the open. Villagers claim their land is turning infertile and crop produce is reducing too. Both factory administration and pollution control board officials deny allegations.
Mohit Shukla
International Owl Awareness Day: A poster to prevent illegal poaching and trafficking of owls
Despite bans, every year, hundreds of owls are sacrificed over superstitious beliefs, especially in rural India. In order to detect and curb the illegal activity, wildlife conservation organisations have designed an identification poster that could be used by forest departments.
Gaon Connection
Is the much hyped rice-to-ethanol project in Chhattisgarh running out of fuel?
The Chhattisgarh government claims it has ‘surplus’ rice lying in the godowns, which can be converted to ethanol. But, the central government wants the state to buy rice from the Food Corporation of India to make the biofuel. The project is in limbo. Meanwhile, public health experts suggest the surplus rice be distributed through the PDS.
Praphull Thakur
COVID19’s second wave not over yet, infection rate high in eight Indian states: Health Ministry
The health ministry stated that the R-number is high in eight states of India. Whenever this number is above one, it means that the case trajectory is increasing and it needs to be controlled. US, Canada, Australia and India have 1.2 R number on average. More details here.
Gaon Connection
Equipped with Israeli technology, here’s how a vegetable research institute in Uttar Pradesh is training farmers to maximise profits
Thousands of farmers, not only from Uttar Pradesh but also from neighbouring states such as Madhya Pradesh are being trained by this facility and are profiting by receiving saplings ahead of the natural season of the vegetables. More details here.
Ajay Mishra
Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to vaccinate 51 million people against COVID19
Over 51 million people have been administered COVID19 vaccine in Uttar Pradesh so far. As part of the mega-vaccination campaign over two million people in the state were inoculated today on August 3.