-NDTV.com The centre in its affidavit also said due to increased health expenses and low tax revenue it is beyond states' budget to pay compensation for lakhs of Covid victims. New Delhi: Families of Covid victims cannot be paid compensation as it applies to natural disasters only, the government told the Supreme Court, adding that states cannot afford to pay ₹ 4 lakh to every victim. In a 183-page affidavit filed late...

-TheWire.in If the current data is anything to go by, the low death figures reflect poor testing and recording rather than some natural “protection” from severe disease in rural India. Many rural areas were hit hard during India’s devastating recent COVID-19 surge. The scale of this rural epidemic remains largely hidden in official figures. But a Flood of news reports tell a tale of infection sweeping rapidly through villages, high mortality, minimal...

-Scroll.in It is technologically possible, but the real question is whether it is implementable. Since March 22, the day of the “janata curfew”, mainstream media in India has foregrounded the situation of urban workers like never before. Mainstream and social media has been Flooded with videos and images of people walking as well as of urban workers who were stuck in hostile cities without food, even water and shelter at times. An exhausted...

-Down to Earth Bihar usually gets heavy rains in July and August; Floods in June are an unusual occurrence, experts said Several villages have been Flooded after 3-4 days of early monsoon rains in the catchment areas of the Gandak and Burhi Gandak rivers in Nepal and north Bihar. Affected districts include West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj and Muzaffarpur. Other rivers including the Bagmati, Koshi, Kamla Balan, Bhuthi Balan and Ghaghara are also...

-Newslaundry.com The state’s River Training Policy appears designed to allow near unfettered mining of sand and boulders by private contractors, bypassing green clearance and scientific assessment. In November 2020, a few months before Floods ravaged Uttarakhand, the deputy collector of Purnagiri in Tanakpur district announced an open auction of tenders to desilt the riverbed in Champawat’s villages. Tenders for government work usually seek the lowest bidder, the contractor willing to do the job...