-PTI/ Newsclick.in Globally, over 1.5 million people in 45 high-burden countries missed or delayed tuberculosis diagnosis in the FIRst year of the pandemic, says study. New Delhi: Over five lakh people in India are estimated to have had a missed or delayed tuberculosis diagnosis in 2020 due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.  The researchers found that over 1.5 million people in 45 high-burden countries had a...

-The Hindu Consumer demand started to decline before the pandemic and worsened after outbreak In September, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was anguished that industry was holding back from investing in manufacturing despite a significant cut in corporate tax rates in 2019. The slowdown in corporate investment did not happen because companies were making losses. In fact, private companies, boosted by considerable tax cuts, made windfall profits. A State Bank of India analysis shows...

-PTI/ The Hindu ‘The consumption decline in the rural markets continues to be led by both double-digit price increases and lower unit growth’ The country's FMCG industry continued to witness consumption slowdown in the September quarter, with rural markets registering a higher decline in volumes compared to the three months ended June, says a report. Also, consumers continued to prefer purchasing smaller packets amid companies hiking prices in response to broader inflationary pressures,...

-Hindustan Times In north India’s food-bowl states, farmers set aflame paddy stalks around October to clear their fields for their next crop. This releases millions of tonnes of smoke, carbon dioxide stored in plant biomass, toxins and planet-warming gases in the atmosphere. Some environmentalists reckon this to be the deadliest spell of pollution in all of South Asia. In north India’s food-bowl states, farmers set aflame paddy stalks around October to clear...

-The Tribune Armed conflicts afflicting many parts of the world have taken a huge toll on global poverty eradication programmes, humanitarian assistance and relief provided by the aid agencies. Multilateral development banks and large aid agencies need to play enhanced roles in providing funds to eradicate multidimensional poverty. India needs to hold more vigorous drives to achieve the FIRst of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals — to end all forms of...