-The Telegraph Given hospitalisation trends in the West, we may not see extreme pressures on hospitals as during second wave, say experts Indian health officials are monitoring Covid-19 hospitalisation rates in South Africa and Europe to try and predict how omicron-fuelled surges might impact the demand for critical care beds in India. The early signals appear to uncouple deaths from infection spikes. The daily new cases in South Africa, Denmark, Norway and the...

-The Hindu Cabinet clears ₹2.17 lakh cr. in additional Central and State funding to achieve target Having achieved only 55% of its target, the Centre has extended its deadline to provide pucca houses to all families in rural India by two years, to 2024. In a decision taken by the Cabinet on Wednesday, the flagship rural housing scheme, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin, will be provided ₹2.17 lakh crore in additional Central and State...

-Down to Earth All-year demand, the pressures of cultivating tomato off season and changing climate are making life difficult for Chittoor’s farmers Tomato prices across the country have shot through the roof recently. The government has intervened to lower the prices. But for farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Chittoor district, one of India’s major tomato-growing areas, the government’s action show its bias for urban consumers and its neglect for rural farmers who are...

-GaonConnection.com At least ten districts of Bihar have reported high levels of uranium in their groundwater, the primary source of drinking water in rural areas, which far exceeds the tolerable limit prescribed by the World Health Organization. Millions in Bihar are already facing a high disease burden due to elevated levels of arsenic, fluoride and iron in their water. Presence of uranium has multiplied their worries manifold. The state government is...

-IndiaToday.com In several states like Bengal, Assam and Odisha, rice is the staple diet On October 28, the Centre proposed millets be introduced in mid-day meals to tackle the growing problem of malnutrition among school students. Though in the past, some of the non-BJP ruled states, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, tried to be innovative with the menu, introducing eggs once or twice a week as protein substitutes to...