Reportage
SC issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt on plea for COVID19 vaccination of beggars
The apex court has issued notice to the Centre and Delhi government seeking response on vaccination and rehabilitation of beggars amid the COVID19 pandemic. The bench also said that it cannot accept the plea to ban begging.
Gaon Connection
Uttar Pradesh govt’s 102, 108 ambulance service grinds to halt as drivers launch strike
The emergency ambulance drivers in Uttar Pradesh have launched a strike in the wake of a change in the company that operates the advanced life support system ambulances in the state whose employment conditions, they claim, are unjust. The general ambulance drivers have also joined in and this has created fresh troubles for the healthcare system in the election-bound state. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Rs 60 for rolling 1000 beedis, and a horde of health problems for tribal women of Madhya Pradesh
Long hours spent on the fiddly task of rolling out beedis, leaves the huge workforce of women beedi workers in Madhya Pradesh, most of them adivasis, with a pitiful income, no social security and poor health.
Sachin Tulsa Tripathi
Unholy contamination in the holy Ganges
A study conducted by a Delhi-based non-profit finds that the stretch of Ganges flowing in Varanasi has the highest amount of microplastics; even more than in Kanpur and Haridwar. Experts say that microplastics could have entered into the food chain.
Shivani Gupta
Mixed millets khichdi, madira ki kheer, barnyard millet dosa. Have you tried these superfood millet recipes?
Each of the millets is three to five times nutritionally superior to the widely promoted rice and wheat in terms of proteins, minerals, vitamins and fibre. So far, only Karnataka, Odisha and Uttarakhand have introduced millets in their PDS. These coarse grains should be added to the mid-day meal scheme too.
Jagpreet Luthra
Asia-Pacific region accounts for every 2 in 3 global deaths by drowning: WHO
WHO states that climate change has increased the risk for drowning deaths as more frequent and extreme weather events can lead to more regular and intense floods, increasing populations’ exposure to potentially hazardous interactions with water. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Maharashtra floods: 149 dead, 100 missing, rainfall expected to decrease by week’s end
As many as 149 people have lost their lives in the rain fury in Maharashtra. Amid announcements of relief packages by the government, the Indian Meteorological Department has said that in the later part of the week, the state can expect relief from rainfall.
Gaon Connection
Bharat Biotech cancels MoU as Brazil suspends clinical trials of Covaxin
The termination of the pact comes after the deal with the Brazilian government for supply of 20 million doses of the vaccine landed in controversy and attracted probe by authorities in the Latin American nation.
Gaon Connection
WATCH: From floods in China, Germany to heavy downpour in Maharashtra, what’s the common link — a climate scientist explains
In an interview with Gaon Connection, Roxy Mathew Koll, scientist with IITM Pune, explained the reasons behind the unprecedented heavy rainfall in Maharashtra as well as the floods in China and Germany. Climate change is an usual suspect, but how does it lead to the changing of rainfall patterns?
Gaon Connection
Bihar Floods 2021: A month on, flood and fury continue to lash Bihar
Thousands of people in Bihar are stranded without food, shelter or clean drinking water; cremations are being conducted from boats, and people have to climb trees to relieve themselves. The Kosi and Gadak rivers continue to wreak havoc in the state.