-The Hindu The farmers’ movement has strengthened the bonds between Muslims and Jats in western Uttar Pradesh The revival of grassroots secularism in western Uttar Pradesh, which is lifting the veil of fear for Muslims, is among the most rewarding benefits of the farmer’s movement in north India. The movement strengthened the social and cultural bonds between Jats and Muslims whose communal harmony of many decades took a beating during the violence...

-Down to Earth blog Women workers in garment industry share stories of gender discrimination, insensitive treatment and government apathy  The garment industry has long been under the microscope for flouting labour codes, breaking environmental norms, violating human rights, pay structures and much more. The women garment workers who attended an orientation workshop at a hotel on Delhi-Gurugram road October 2021, headed by Society for Labour and Development (SLD), know about these flaws. In...

-IndiaToday.in Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi courted controversy with remarks he made recently about "UP, Bihar de bhaiye" at a poll rally in Punjab. This week, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi brought 'bhaiya' back into political business. Flanked by senior Congress party colleague Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, CM Channi told an election audience that he "will not let the 'Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi de bhaiye', who have come here to rule, enter"...

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 Hindu ‘There is a better understanding of COVID-19 now’ Chennai: The World Health Organization’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Saturday said lockdowns were not needed since there was a better understanding of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Speaking to presspersons at an event in which a nutrition garden was inaugurated at Thiruvanmiyur by Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan, she said, “During the first wave, we did not know much about it, which...