-Down to Earth There has been no announcement on compensation to farmers who have lost their crops Twenty farmers have died by suicide since January 2022 in Telangana’s Mahabubad district after insect infestation destroyed their chilli crop, a ground survey by the Human Rights Forum (HRF) and Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV) has claimed. Five suicides have also been reported in Khammam district. Thrips parvispinus, an invasive pest from Indonesia, has spread rapidly, especially...

-The Wire Science There is reason to celebrate the drop of India’s maternal mortality rate: the decline is consistent and continuous, indicating that the reproductive health of India’s women is getting better. However, a closer look at the state-level MMR data reveals that the all-India three-year average of maternal deaths camouflages the performance of some states. We can predict that the Empowered Action Group states and Assam will have to redouble their...

-Press statement by the National Coalition on the Education Emergency (NCEE) dated March 17, 2022 The NCEE conducted a rapid households survey of parents in Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu about their children's education during the pandemic and the main finding of this study is that poor parents are desperate about the education future of their children and fully conscious of the devastating toll that prolonged school closure has taken on...

-The Wire Science * Many regions in India, including the north and the centre, are currently reporting hotter weather thanks to heat waves. * The IMD has forecast ‘severe’ heat wave conditions for the next three days over parts of Rajasthan. Heat waves will also prevail over areas of Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Telangana. * According to the government, the IMD’s predictive power to forecast heatwaves has increased significantly over the years. Kochi: Many...

-The Hindu Activist of RSV and HRF make field visit for two days Hyderabad: Some 20 chilli farmers had ended their lives in the last two months in Mahabubabad district alone unable to come out of the debt trap, claims a report. The condition of the families of the farmers who had committed suicide is so pathetic that they do not know what to do and where to go. These facts came to...