CATEGORIES

Singular hype

While the Centre trumpets its latest ban to eliminate single-use plastics, the fine print of the new rules tells otherwise

PULSE PUZZLE

The government takes the usual market-regulatory steps every time there is a surge in prices of pulses—the primary source of protein for a majority of Indians. But shortfall in domestic production, the main reason behind the price rise, remains unaddressed. An analysis by VIVEK MISHRA, SHAGUN KAPIL, RAJU SAJWAN, ANIL ASHWANI SHARMA and BHAGIRATH

PATIYA'S STARVELINGS

It is important to probe further when an effective system fails to rescue the malnourished children in a village

Long road home

Uttarakhand is increasingly declaring its villages disasterprone. While many are fighting relocation, those who shift face conflicts with host villages over resources like water and grazing land. Is relocation the right way to mitigate disasters that are striking the Himalayan state with increasing ferocity?

In quest of foragers

GORDON RAMSAY GOES TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO EXPLORE HIDDEN FOOD TREASURES, THEIR BOLD FLAVOURS AND THE ARDENT KEEPERS

Bridge classes

More than 5,000 volunteers in villages of Odisha ensure that the lack of digital access does not hinder children's education amid the pandemic

Deal With Delta

The global dominance of the Delta variant shows that mutations have kept SARS-CoV-2 ahead of the game

PANDEMIC OF STEROIDS

Steroids are essential in fighting infectious diseases. Used recklessly, they can cause life-threatening side effects like mucormycosis, as was witnessed in the aftermath of the pandemic’s second wave. COVID-19 is a new disease, and its treatments and dosages are constantly evolving. India will find it difficult to contain the disease unless the government can ensure timely dissemination and implementation of treatment protocols. A report by BANJOT KAUR

FADING COLOUR

Establish farmer producer organisations to ensure that growers of the intensely flavourful golden Kandhamal turmeric do not turn away from it

OUT IN THE OPEN

Contrary to the government's claim of India being open defecation free, 15 per cent of Indians still go out to relieve themselves, says a WHO-UNICEF report

ROLE OF A LIFETIME

Dilip Kumar’s career coincided with a newly Independent India marred by many self-inflicted tragedies, and the roles he played resonated with a large section of people, cutting across classes

ON THIN AIR

Agriculture students demonstrate how aeroponics, once a niche and costly cultivation method, can help urban households

SHEAR DESPERATION

India's once thriving wool economy now depends on imports to sustain demand. Will the recent import of Australian Merino sheep for crossbreeding be enough to revive the sector?

Covaxin Data Silent On Protocol Breach

INDIA-MADE Covaxin shows 77.8 per cent effectiveness in symptomatic infections of sars-cov-2, as per the phase-3 clinical trial data released by the vaccine's manufacturer, Bharat Biotech. The preprint paper, uploaded to the online archive and distribution server medRxiv on July 2, says Covaxin has an efficacy of 93.4 per cent against severe covid-19 infections and 65.2 per cent against the Delta variant.

SEED EXTRAORDINAIRE

SABJA ARE RICH IN FIBRE AND LEND THEMSELVES TO A VARIETY OF RECIPES

TRIPS waiver caught in WTO labyrinth

There is little change in the position of countries opposing the waiver, and the India-South Africa proposal is being made to go through the hoops at WTO

WEIGHT OF THE DEAD

TURNING THE GANGA INTO A GRAVEYARD FOR COVID-19 VICTIMS WILL BE DETRIMENTAL TO ITS AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

FAMILIAL TIES

A few recently discovered early human fossils further complicate our evolutionary timeline

THE HEAT IS ON

The world is witnessing intense heatwaves on a global scale. Even cooler countries have reported heatrelated deaths and wildfires by the hundreds, and temperatures have broken all records. Scientists suspect the jet streams that control day-to-day weather have gone astray. An analysis by Down To Earth

Inefficient as always

In violation of guidelines, most coal power plants guzzle massive amounts of freshwater, even in water-stressed areas

NOT ONE TO BUDGE OR HIDE

More than a priest, Father Stan Swamy was a fearless activist

A POOR REPLICA

Hailed as Patna’s Marine Drive, the 20 km-Ganga Pathway Project will only make the capital city prone to flash floods and render the riverfront project redundant

Accidental protagonist

JANE JACOBS’ FIRST CITY IS A BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTION OF THE EVOLUTION AND SURVIVAL OF THE SMALL INDUSTRIAL TOWN OF SCRANTON, MAKING THE CITY THE REAL PROTAGONIST IN THIS OTHERWISE HAGIOGRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF JANE JACOBS’ LIFE

COVID-19. MAD SCRAMBLE

Inequitable distribution amid acute shortage has derailed the global vaccination drive against We need to act fast to win the race against emerging virus variants

Why is India afraid of compulsory licences?

While rich nations are discovering virtues of CLs, India has turned its back on this tool despite nudges from the court

‘Vapour on Venus will tell us if it's alive'

More than two-and-a-half decades after its last missions to Venus, NASA has planned a trip to Earth’s nearest neighbour. On June 2, the US space agency announced DAVINCI+ and VERITAS missions to the planet in 2028-30 under its Discovery Program, going on since 1992. Space agencies have explored Venus since the 1960s, but focus shifted around mid-1990s. Venus regained interest after researchers from the UK detected phosphine, a gas released through organic processes, in the Venusian atmosphere. A week after NASA, the European Space Agency announced a Venus mission later this decade. India and Russia, too, have been planning Venus probes. Described as Earth’s twin due to its similar size and density, Venus’s atmosphere is full of carbon dioxide and clouds of sulphuric acid with a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead. NASA’s DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) will drop a descent sphere to measure the gases in Venus’ air, while VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will orbit the planet to map its geological features. We’ll also learn about phosphine, THOMAS P WAGNER, who leads the Discovery Program, tells DAKSHIANI PALICHA in an interview. Excerpts:

WAGING CHANGE

Guaranteed employment is an effective poverty alleviation tool. But it works only when governments know how to use it

PLAN FOR THE WORSE

A slew of administrative and land reforms initiated in Lakshadweep pose an existential threat to the islands and have provoked widespread protests

MAY GET LOST IN DETAILS

That’s the concern among environmentalists as Uttarakhand sets the gross environmental product in motion

CAUGHT UNAWARES

Even as India attempts to understand the sudden rise of COVID-related mucormycosis, its treatment throws up a different set of challenges BANJOT KAUR NEW DELHI