-Down to Earth Bihar needs to strengthen and enhance capacities of Gram Panchayats to realise the gains of a decentralised planNINg Imagine yourself living for ages in a remote village inside a dense forest in the 21st century. Basic amenities such as proper roads, safe drinking water, healthcare and education facilities are missing. The nearest primary school and health centre is located at a distance of seven kilometres. You have to trek through...
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Myth of coverage: How India‘s flagship health insurance scheme failed its poorest during pandemic -G Ram Mohan, Ranju Dodum, Mohd Imran Khan, K A Shaji, Rakesh Kumar Malviya, Gajanan Khergamker, Priya Ranjan Sahu, and Bhagirath
-Down to Earth Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) provided cushion to only 14.25% people hospitalised for COVID-19 The novel coronavirus has not only turned the world upside down, it has also served as a lens through which we are able to see ourselves, our planet and even our policies with a new and shocking clarity. So it was not a surprise when two research institutes, Public Health Foundation of India and Duke...
More »Millions of Indian Children Affected by COVID-Related School Closures, Digital Divide -Murali Krishnan
-TheWire.in Millions of school children in India, especially from poor families, dropped out of school over the past two years because of the COVID health emergency. Raghav Paswan, a vegetable vendor from East Delhi has two school-age children, 12-year-old Vinita and NINe-year-old Gita, who have not gone to school for the past two years because of the pandemic. Paswan’s meagre income has dropped further during the pandemic, to the point where he could...
More »The seed banker: This Nuapatna farmer strives to save traditional paddy varieties -Ajit Panda
-Down to Earth Bijaya Jhankar grows NINe traditional varieties of paddy that have a longer harvest duration of 130-150 days The eyes of Bijaya Jhankar twinkle as he approaches his 1.2 hectare (ha) farm for harvesting paddy. They are unlike any other varieties grown in his village Sanbaheli, which lies in the vast Sunabeda plateau of Odisha’s Nuapada district. “They yield shorter grains, take longer to mature but are of tremendous sentimental value,”...
More »Don't Withhold Pension, Benefits of SC/ST Employees Without Verified Caste Certificates: Parliamentary Panel -Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
-TheWire.in A list of 136 deprived pensioners was submitted to Committee. It said, "withholding pension benefits for these persons is gross harassment." New Delhi: The Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has recommended that the Department of Personnel and TraiNINg should issue guidelines that caste certificates of SC/ST employees be verified within six months of their joiNINg service, failing which they should be treated as authentic unless...
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