The great digital divide

The lockdown has shown that urban and rural India are miles apart in their online presence

Back to basics

The lockdown has made rice farmers reconsider a long-ignored sowing technique

SO, HOW FAR FROM THE END?

Unless something very different happens in the southern hemisphere, coronavirus may never go away and the disease may ultimately not be containable

Covid-19 To Double Poverty In India

A transfer of at least ₹750 per person a month for six months will help them recover from economic damage wrought by the pandemic

Pale and drawn

Contrary to rumours, the tiranga disease in tomatoes is no way linked to COVID-19, but has stirred up similar panic and helplessness among farmers in Maharashtra

Housing for a crisis

THE LOCKDOWN HAS MADE US REASSESS THE LIVABILITY OF STRUCTURES BUILT UNDER GOVERNMENT HOUSING SCHEMES

The bean stock

FIELD BEANS CAN BE A NUTRITIOUS ADDITION TO LEGUMES IN THE KITCHEN

WHY SHOULD ONLY JUMBOS MATTER?

THE OUTRAGE OVER THE DEATH OF A PREGNANT ELEPHANT IN KERALA HIGHLIGHTS OUR SKEWED NOTION OF BIODIVERSITY AND ITS CONSERVATION

Pride under threat

Is the government deliberately downplaying the deaths of 92 Asiatic lions this year?

In black and white

Every myth propagated by race science has been debunked over decades. But today, the rise of the Far-right parties is giving race scientists a new tonic to fuel hatred, writes S S Jeevan

GIVE THEM GUARANTEED BASIC INCOME

Had a minimum income guarantee scheme been in place, it would have required only a ramping up of the transfers to protect the poor

CASH, ON DELIVERY

India has employed its direct benefit transfer system to help people tide over the ongoing health and economic crises. Its real test will begin when the crises deepen

Our Daily Dose Of Antibiotics

As dairy farmers inject antibiotics in their livestock, chances are high that these are passed on to humans through milk, finds Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment

Consumption In Covid-19 Times

We have a unique opportunity to change our food habits and push for policies that promote healthy, nutritious and safe food. This can also reduce our carbon footprint.

THE OTHER PLAGUE

Locusts have returned to India in just two months and are spreading to new territories. Has climate change added another layer of stress and uncertainty?

DEAD LINES

More than 70 per cent coal-fired power plants will not meet environmental norms by 2022, five years after their deadline was extended, says a new report by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment

The wait

DOWN TO EARTH’S VIVEK MISHRA HAS WALKED FROM DELHI TO SHRAVASTI IN UTTAR PRADESH TO CAPTURE THE PLIGHT OF WORKERS RETURNING HOME AFTER LOSING LIVELIHOODS DUE TO THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN. THIS IS THE SECOND OF THE TWO-PART REPORT DOCUMENTING HIS 600 KM JOURNEY

Turn over a delicious leaf

THE BEAUTIFUL LEAVES OF KACHNAR ARE NUTRITIOUS TOO

Wildlife be damned

A gas well on fire poses an existential threat to Assam’s Dibru-Saikhowa National Park ANUPAM CHAKRAVARTTY TINSUKIA, ASSAM

GERMINATING RARITY

UTTARAKHAND HAS PUT TOGETHER AN EXTRAORDINARY ENDEMIC VEGETATION IN THE LAST THREE YEARS

Eat right to fight off COVID-19

India is rich in nutrient-dense food crops. All we need to do is repurpose policies towards a food system that is resilient and sustainable

Dangerous dilution

Change of Forest Rights Act in three states will hit forest-dwelling communities hard

Covid-19 - Ultimate Cure?

The idea that those who have had COVID-19 will, indeed, be immune to the virus is fraught with scientific, ethical and legal issues

Under The Cover Of Lockdown

With lockdown in force, governments across the globe are scrambling to implement steps they were unable to take due to opposition from people and political parties. India is no exception, and the government is blatantly diluting crucial laws in favour of the industry KUNDAN PANDEY analyses changes in labour laws, ISHAN KUKRETI on environmental laws and SHAGUN KAPIL on agricultural laws

Infant Mortality Rate: Too Varied To Celebrate

It may bring some relief that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India has fallen from 50 to 32 per 1,000 live births over the past decade, but the wide variation in numbers across the country offsets the achievement.

TO TEST OR NOT

As India begins to relax lockdown rules, there is a growing demand for tests on a mass scale. But it might not help

The long walk home

AS INDIA WITNESSES ITS LARGEST MOVEMENT OF WORKERS, DOWN TO EARTH’S VIVEK MISHRA WALKS WITH THEM FOR OVER 500 KM, CHRONICLING THE CRISIS. THIS IS THE FIRST OF A TWO-PART REPORT

The order of spread

THE RULES OF CONTAGION IS LESS ABOUT DISEASES AND MORE ABOUT THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF CONTAGION

SAMPLE THE UNKOWN

Testing is no doubt the cornerstone of the fight against COVID-19. But the world’s growing obsession with tests might weaken our response to the pandemic.

A NEW STORM SURGE

Amphan’s rapid intensification underlines how cyclones are becoming terrifyingly unfamiliar AKSHIT SANGOMLA NEW DELHI and JAYANTA BASU KOLKATA