-The Indian Express Delhi has become world’s air pollution outcaste. Its decision-makers haven’t understood the consequences. The first thing that the Central and Delhi governments should own up to regarding the air pollution crisis is that everyone was forewarned and cannot pretend to be taken unawares. This “winter of our discontent” is the season when, as temperatures dip, pollutants hover around the surface of the city and do not waft upwards. Things...

-The Hindu On the need for action-oriented research in development policy A whole new way of looking at poverty and development policy is taking shape in the world of economics. Traditionally understood as meagreness of material resources, there is a growing realisation that poverty also depletes mental resources. Understanding of how poverty impacts behaviour, what the absence of resources does to a person’s mindset can vitaminise the poverty-fighting policy toolkit. Insights, well-designed qualitative...

-Hindustan Times As per the latest National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau, which has been collecting data on diet and nutritional status of rural, tribal and urban populations for almost four decades, the calorie intake of children (1-3 years) in rural areas was only about 70% of their requirement due to shortage. In India, more than 4.8 crore children suffer from stunting, which means they are below the normal height range for their...

-Down to Earth Between 2001 and 2010, over 2,600 farmers committed suicide in Odisha and this year, drought has already broken their economic backbone Brunda Sahu, a farmer in Odisha’s Bargarh district, set his paddy field on fire on Tuesday after he was frustrated with the alleged cold response of the district administration to the crop damaged by pests. A day later, he went to the same field in Kalapani village in...

-The Times of India It is common — and natural — to think of diseases in terms of death. Often, diseases are measured by death — so many people die of heart attacks, so many of dengue, etc. While this is important, there is another dimension not measured by body counts. It is the scale of suffering and pain felt by people who live with diseases. Talk to any middle class...