Reportage
Medical devices like pulse oximeters, BP machine to get cheaper; Health Minister says price cap will hugely reduce prices
To reduce the cost of medical devices for the general public, the government has announced a price cap for five medical devices including Pulse oximeter, nebulizer andigital thermometer. More details here.
Gaon Connection
Maharashtra Rains: Mahabaleshwar records 600mm rainfall in 24 hours, breaks all-time record for rainfall
Maharashtra continues to be battered by extremely heavy rainfall leading to floods in its various districts and a major landslide in Raigad. On July 1, the IMD had forecasted ‘below normal’ rainfall for the month of July 2021 in large parts of Maharashtra. However, several stations including Mahabaleshwar, Satara and Kolhapur, have received record-breaking rainfall this month.
Nidhi Jamwal
As centre claims no deaths due to oxygen shortage — Andhra govt confirms 23 such deaths on a single day in May
While the central government claims that the states have not ‘specifically’ reported deaths of COVID19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic in India, Andhra Pradesh government confirmed deaths of 23 COVID19 patients due to non-availability of oxygen.
Gaon Connection
Maharashtra rains: Landslides, floods claim 76 lives, almost 90,000 rescued as ‘unprecedented’ downpour continues
Maharashtra’s Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur districts have been the worst hit by the destruction caused by the heavy rains. More details here.
Gaon Connection
Rural India reports 94% of snakebite deaths in the country yet primary health centres lack antivenoms, treatment facilities
Every year, 58,000 people in India die due to snakebites, with highest deaths in Uttar Pradesh (8,700). Even though antisnake venom is listed as an ‘essential’ drug for primary health centres, rural centres face an acute shortage of antivenom. Snakebite is among India’s most neglected public health crises.
Shivani Gupta
Showcasing interdependence between birds and seed dispersal, study raises alarm over India’s last remaining rainforests
The findings from the study highlight the conservation value of northeast India’s last remaining lowland rainforest fragments and the diverse sets of plant–seed disperser interactions they harbour. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Maharashtra rains leave 47 dead: CM Thackeray announces Rs 500,000 ex gratia compensation; rescue ops underway in Ratnagiri
Heavy rains, flooding and landslides are wreaking havoc in various parts of Maharashtra. An alert has been issued for the next 24 hours for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. Details here.
Gaon Connection
Stoned to death: Tribal labourers in Panna’s stone mines continue to die of silicosis
Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district has 106 stone mines that employ poor, under-nourised tribal workers. Many of them contract silicosis and die a slow, painful death. There is a lack of data on silicosis patients, diagnostic facilities are missing and claiming compensation is an uphill battle.
Arun Singh
Daily power supply in rural areas went up from average 12 hours to 20.6 hours in last five years: Centre
Amid power cuts in states such as Punjab and Haryana, the central government has claimed that there is no shortage of electricity in the country. It also added that power availability in rural areas has been increased.
Gaon Connection
‘1 in 7 districts in India dependent on coal for livelihood, switch to green energy must compensate socio-economic displacement’
In a webinar themed on the ‘just transition’ from thermal power plants to greener alternatives of energy production, experts underlined that the switch to green energy will have to consider the livelihoods of the population dependent on coal production and allied activities. Details here.