-Deccan Chronicle The latest data from the Registrar-General of India shows that India’s infant mortality rate is 28 (28 infant deaths per 1,000 live births) Infant mortality is the end-result of a whole chain of interlinked ground-level challenges.   In a week when the word “fringe” is a headline-grabber, let me start by saying that updates about the country’s infant mortality rate (IMR) is not a fringe issue. It is central to a...

-The Hindu Gender gap in India’s employment data finds mention in the report on the ‘world of work’ The "world of work" is being buffeted by multiple crises, says the ninth edition of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Monitor. The report says that after significant gains during the last quarter of 2021, the number of hours worked globally dropped in the first quarter of 2022, to 3.8% below the employment situation before...

-TheWire.in A lack of financial incentives, absent policy-making and an unorganised trucking industry have stalled progress. Last year, at COP26, India pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. The transportation sector is responsible for nearly 14% of India’s total greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the fastest-growing greenhouse gas emission sector in India. Road transport, in particular, accounts for over 90% of transport emissions in the country. Therefore, to achieve the...

-The Hindu Business Line Pesticide residues in India’s agri exports calls for a multi-pronged policy response As reported recently by this newspaper, India’s cumin exports have suffered a setback in recent months, with China claiming that pesticide residues exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) spelt out by it about six months back. Chinese authorities have said that consignments must be accompanied by a pesticide residue report. India has been through all this...

-Press release by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) dated 18 May 2022 Geneva, 18 May 2022 (WMO): Four key climate change indicators – greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification – set new records in 2021. This is yet another clear sign that human activities are causing planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere, with harmful and long-lasting ramifications for sustainable development and...