-UN News  The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021, launched on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York, shows the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the 2030 Agenda, as the landmark annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) officially got underway.  Gains rolled back In addition to the almost four million deaths due to the coronavirus, between 119-124 million people were pushed back into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255...

-Livemint.com India has had the seventh-longest school closure in the world, affecting over 300 million school-children. Underprivileged students without access to smartphones and computers have been hit hardest For most people across the world, how much they earn is determined by how wealthy and well-educated their parents were. But the degree of ‘persistence’ in incomes across generations is much higher in India than in other developing countries, a team of World Bank...

-The Hindu Underestimation is likely as the CRS is still an imperfect system, with potential sources of error Over the last month, Indian journalists from across the country have accessed and reported on State-level all-cause mortality from the Civil Registration System (CRS), currently confidential and closed to the public. While India’s official death toll from COVID-19 has been suspect from the very beginning — for reasons that are partly institutional and partly...

-The Hindu Paediatric wards connected to central oxygen pipeline in view of third wave warnings The tribal-dominated Banswara district in southern Rajasthan has taken the lead in creating first-of-its-kind paediatric COVID-19 care facility as part of preparations for a possible third wave of infection. Beautified with colourful drawings and cartoons depicted on the walls, the dedicated wards will cater to children with different stages of coronavirus infection. The district administration identified the buildings...

-The Hindu Many living on the streets are most vulnerable to COVID infection, say NGOs Hyderabad: The homeless, living on streets of Hyderabad, and who do not have a photo ID card did not receive COVID-19 vaccine yet, said members of NGOs working for welfare of such homeless people. Members of Aman Vedika, a NGO, said that while those with Aadhaar card or other ID card were administered the vaccine, those who do...