-Down to Earth Poor, marginalised to be worst hit; Economic productivity to be jeopardised too A new report by the World Bank suggests India could soon become one of the FIRst places in the world to experience heatwaves that break the human survivability limit. Climate Investment Opportunities in India’s Cooling Sector said the country is experiencing higher temperatures that arrive earlier and stay far longer. India has witnessed a concurrent increase in meteorological...

-Hindustan Times Farm-insurance claims have risen due to extensive crop damage caused by extreme weather conditions this year, but some farmers are angry at being given a pittance as compensation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Krushna Raut, a farmer in Maharashtra’s Parbhani district, stared in disbelief at a message on his mobile phone, which showed ₹1.76 had been transferred to his bank account towards his crop-insurance claim. He FIRst thought...

-Moneycontrol.com The development comes amid growing evidence that Indian kids, even those from affluent backgrounds, have much lower values for height and weight against WHO standards. One expert warned that nearly 30% of Indian children under 5 are malnourished and by using the new standards, the government may show that to be just 15-20% The Indian government, for the FIRst time, has initiated moves to develop country-specific growth standards for children amid...

-The Telegraph Demand for sustainable or organic cotton on the rise, providing an opportunity for the country to excel A few years ago, images of the drying up of the eastern bed of the Aral Sea had shocked millions. It was linked to the widespread growing of unsustainable cotton, backed by the Uzbekistan government, to pocket greater forex earnings and satiate the demands of the global fashion industry. The demand for sustainable...

-Scroll.in The fading away of the base effect and a contraction in the manufacturing sector led to the falling numbers. India’s gross domestic product grew by 6.3% in the July-September quarter of financial year 2022-’23, the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said on Wednesday. This was a sharp decrease from the 13.5% growth in the previous April-June quarter. In the corresponding July-September quarter of financial year 2021-’22, the growth rate was...