In the previous news alert, we looked at the under-nutrition problem in the Bundelkhand region in terms of 3 indicators -- proportion of children under 5 years who are stunted (height-for-age); proportion of children under 5 years who are wasted (weight-for-height); and proportion of children under 5 years who are underweight (weight-for-age). However, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data also indicates that severe under-nutrition like severe wasting and anaemia among...

-The Tribune In India, there is a conCERTed campaign to discredit the arhtiya, building the case for bringing in agri-business companies. There is CERTainly a need to regulate the middlemen, but the American experience shows how the consolidation of the meat industry, leading to market concentration in the hands of a few companies, is making it difficult for livestock farmers to survive. WHILE Indian policy makers and economists haven’t drawn any lessons...

-Newsclick.in Through “nationalised banks-NBFC” deals, the Modi government is trying to achieve what the three farm laws could not achieve. In colonial times, the peasantry had to borrow from private moneylenders. According to Provincial Banking Enquiry Committee reports, these moneylenders in turn borrowed from commercial banks. But while disbursing credit to the peasants and charging exorbitant interest rates, the money lenders at least bore the whole of the lender’s risk. The banks...

-Down to Earth India’s cumulative COVID-19 deaths are 6-7 times higher than reported officially, says analysis India’s death count for COVID-19 is a mystery for many experts. As of January 6, India reported a total of 346.76 deaths per million, which is much lower than that in rich countries such as the United States (2,505.11 deaths per million) and the United Kingdom (2,193.76 deaths per million).  The country’s cumulative number of deaths has...

-The Telegraph 'Bulli bai' is taken down after the victims and several Opposition politicians launch a protest A portal called “bulli bai” sought to put vocal Muslim women on auction on New Year's Day by using their social media profiles, less than six months after a similar effort had been made via the app “Sulli Deals”. “Bulli bai” was taken down after the victims and several Opposition politicians spoke out against it. Late on...