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<ul><li>The monsoon session of the <keyword id="145182" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Parliament">Indian parliament</keyword> began on July 19 and is almost half way through.</li><li>Several pressing matters have been raised during this session regarding the COVID-19 situation, farmers' protest and more.</li><li>However, when faced with questions, the government has cited lack of data on at least four issues listed below.</li><li>The session is scheduled to close on August 13 and several other matters like Pegasus spyware are yet to be discussed.</li></ul>It has already been more than 10 days since the Indian parliament kicked off its monsoon session on July 19, 2021. Lot of important questions have been raised over several long hours of discussions and brawl, however, not all have been answered. From death due to oxygen shortage during the pandemic to cryptocurrency investments, these are the pressing issues for which the <keyword id="44734" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Government">Indian government</keyword> has simply slid past saying it has no data in hand. ‘No one died due to oxygen shortage’ If the first wave of COVID-19 brought Indian healthcare system to its knees, the second one was a blade on the neck. The South Asian country witnessed the worst healthcare crisis in its history, with people looking for hospital beds, oxygen cylinders and concentrators, COVID-19 medicines and other necessary equipment over Twitter. Many lost their lives in this struggle. However, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar in the Rajya Sabha, a day after the monsoon session began,<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-no-deaths-reported-due-to-lack-of-oxygen-health-ministry-tells-rajya-sabha/article35428791.ece"> said</a>, “no deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states/union territories’ during the second wave of COVID-19. This led to a nationwide outrage. ‘Farmers death, what?’ The farmers of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> took to streets in September 2020, after the government passed three farm acts. On 30 November 2020, an estimated crowd of 200,000 to 300,000 farmers were walking to the national capital of Delhi to make their voices heard. The protest went on for close to ten months, however the government has no data on how many people have lost their lives during this course. As per a press release issued by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Joint Farmers’ Force), a coalition of over 40 farmers’ unions, 537 farmers have died in the agitation till date. SKM has also updated the<a href="https://humancostoffarmersprotest.blogspot.com/2020/12/list-of-deaths-in-farmers-protest-at.html"> list of farmers</a> who have died during the protest since November 24 last year. However, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar, in the parliament, said that the government has no record of farmers having died or fallen ill during the protests. ‘Black money is white money painted in a different colour’ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech of 8 November 2016, while announcing the demonetisation of some currency notes, was a historical moment against black money in India. <div type="ExtQuote" text="“To break the grip of corruption and black money, we have decided that the five hundred rupee and thousand rupee currency notes presently in use will no longer be legal tender from midnight tonight, that is 8th November 2016. This means that these notes will not be acceptable for transactions from midnight onwards. The five hundred and thousand rupee notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper.”" auname="— Narendra Modi, demonetisation speech of 2016."></div> He also highlighted the government passed a law 'The Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015', soon after taking over the office, for disclosure of foreign black money. The country had signed agreements with many countries, including the USA, to add provision for sharing banking information. Cut to 2021, there is no data available. The Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, has informed that there is <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-no-official-estimate-of-black-money-stashed-in-swiss-banks-centre-tells-parliament-2902569">no official </a>estimate of the amount of black money deposited in Swiss banks in the decade. According to data shared by Switzerland's central bank, Indian individuals and firms have deposited over CHF 2,554.7 million or<a href="https://scroll.in/latest/997838/indian-deposits-in-swiss-banks-rise-to-over-rs-20700-crore-highest-in-13-years"> ₹20,700 crore</a> in Swiss Banks in 2020. All of this may not be black money, but it’s a good data point to begin with. The Indian government, in 2019, said that it has an information sharing agreement with the Swiss authorities. Yet they have no data to show in 2021. ‘Cryptocurrency bill on the way, but no data yet’ Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) on July 27 that the government does not collect any information on the number of cryptocurrency exchanges and investors in India. It does sound fair, but not when the government of India has been pushing to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/indias-crypto-bill-is-unlikely-to-be-up-for-discussion-this-month-and-it-may-be-a-while-before-we-see-it-in-parliament/articleshow/84401863.cms">regulate cryptocurrency</a> in India since 2019. As per the <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/no-information-collected-on-number-of-crypto-exchanges-and-investors-in-india-finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-7232611.html">data </a>shared by crypto exchanges, there are about 15 million Indian cryptocurrency investors, with holdings worth ₹15,000 crore ($2 billion) cumulatively. There are 350 startups that operate in the blockchain and crypto space, as per the crypto currency exchanges. Besides this, Sitharaman also mentioned that the government of India has no information on drug trafficking and money laundering that is being carried out through crypto exchanges. ‘No one dies due to manual scavenging’ No deaths have been reported due to manual scavenging in India over the last five years, the minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said in the Rajya Sabha on <a href="https://thewire.in/government/centre-says-no-death-reported-due-to-manual-scavenging-activists-decry-govt-response">July 29</a>. If only, the ministry had thought of going through this year’s budget session thoroughly. Athawale, during his own speech during the budget session, highlighted<a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/340-sewer-cleaning-deaths-in-past-5-years-government/article33732992.ece"> 340 people </a>died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the last five years till December 31, 2020. He also noted that 66,692 manual scavengers have been identified across the country. ‘Information on witnesses killed, turned hostile not maintained centrally’ The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, has informed the parliament that the government has no data of the cases where key witnesses were killed or turned hostile. “The Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 provides that the witness protection measures ordered shall be proportionate to the threat and shall be for a specific duration not exceeding three months at a time," Rai added. However, these cases are fairly common in India. In March 2021, the family and lawyers of the 19-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly gang raped and murdered in Hathras in 2020, were <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/allahabad-high-court-on-threats-to-hathras-family-will-consider-shifting-trial-2395571#:~:text=The%20affidavit%20said%20that%20the,stated%20that%20it%20was%20%22evident">threatened </a>before the special court where the case was pending. ‘Hospital beds data not available’ The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, informed that the government of India does not centrally maintain the data of hospital beds. This is majorly because health is a state subject, meaning it's up to the governments in states and union territories (UT) to increase the bed strength in their hospital. Despite this, Pawar shared that India has an isolation and ICU bed capacity of 18.21 lakh and 1.22 lakh, respectively. If the government had data on isolation and ICU beds, then the question remains why doesn’t it have information on hospital beds. ‘No data available for MSMEs that went under’ When the member of parliaments (MPs) asked the government for details on the number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which shut down during the pandemic. Instead of the data, the government listed the steps taken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for extension and restructuring of credit. It even cited two surveys, which stated 88% of MSMEs were affected by the pandemic. ‘No data on deaths due to air pollution’ Minister of State for Environment, Forest And Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey informed the parliament that they do not have any conclusive data to establish a direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution. According to ‘States of India: The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019’ <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/17-million-deaths-in-india-were-attributable-to-air-pollution-in-2019-says-study/article33394600.ece">report</a>, nearly 1.7 million deaths in India were attributed to air pollution in 2019. This was 18% of the total deaths in the country. ‘No updates on how many lost jobs during second wave of COVID-19’ A few MPs asked the government for details on the number of casual or contractual employees who lost their jobs during the second wave of COVID-19. However, the government did not share any such details. Instead, it listed out several initiatives undertaken by the government to boost hiring. [This is a developing story. The article will be updated as the government shares more details about the lack of data in their repository.] SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/droom-automobile-marketplace-raises-200-million-in-a-pre-ipo-round-at-unicorn-valuation/articleshow/84818567.cms">Automobile marketplace Droom is raising $200 million in a pre-IPO round at unicorn valuation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/the-whole-truth-a-healthy-packaged-food-brand-raises-6-million-from-sequoia-capital/articleshow/84815594.cms">The Whole Truth, a ‘healthy’ packaged food brand, raises $6 million to enter new categories</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/rolex-rings-ipo-opens-on-july-28-and-closes-on-july-30-with-a-price-band-of-880-900/articleshow/84813639.cms">Rolex Rings IPO opens today with a price band of ₹880-900</a>

There are at least 10 hot issues in India that the government has no data for

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword> are protesting three laws that they fear will threaten their livelihoods and cost lives.</li><li>The laws deregulate the buying and selling of agricultural goods, leading farmers to fear they will be exploited by corporations.</li><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> has some of the highest farmer <keyword id="6356238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="suicide">suicide</keyword> rates in the world, and experts fear the crisis could worsen if the laws are not repealed.</li><li>India's government is in talks with farmers who continue to block road and rail routes across the country.</li></ul>Across India, farmers are demanding an end to new laws they say are not just threatening their livelihoods, but costing lives.Protests that erupted in the state of Punjab have spread throughout the country as farmers demand a complete rollback of the three laws that were passed in September. Collectively, the laws deregulate the buying and selling of agricultural goods, leaving farmers exposed to the uncertainties of an open market and potential exploitation by corporations.Meanwhile, record numbers of farmers in India are committing suicide, and experts fear the farming laws could drive even more people to the brink."The new laws that they have passed, we call them death warrants of farmers and laborers," farmer Kewal Singh of Punjab said.Agriculture sustains over 40% of the population in India. And as COVID-19 ravaged the country this year, it's farmers who have kept India's rural economy afloat. But the majority of farms are small, family-run operations, often at the mercy of loan sharks."This is the kind of farming community which is incredibly vulnerable to all kinds of uncertainties," said Vikram Patel, a professor at Harvard University's TH Chan School of Public Health. "Many of these farmers don't have any surety the banks demand in order to give them loans, so they borrow money from loan sharks, who are of course pretty ruthless. And if you pump your money back, well, they can be pretty dangerous to you or your family."India has some of the highest farmer suicide rates in the world, with more than 10,000 deaths each year, and numbers expected to have reached a record high in 2020. In Punjab, three to four farmer suicides are reported in the local <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> every single day.<div type="image" title="BIT_MMDD_Episode_V1.00_05_45_29.Still010" height="1080" width="1920" msid="80159631" hostid="261"></div>Nasseemo Kaur's son, 48-year-old Karamjeet Singh was among the deaths by suicide. He left behind a wife, son, and daughter."He worked as a laborer, but he could hardly earn anything," Kaur said. "He sold his land and crops. After this deed was done he thought that his life had no meaning, and he drank some pesticide.""We were collapsing under the weight of debt. We often used to cry, he used to say, 'What will we do? How will I marry my children? How will we sustain ourselves?'"Without her son to provide an income, another grieving parent, Naseemo Singh, is struggling to scratch a living."Now we all will have to work. This house has women. I am the old mother-in-law. I have a daughter-in-law and a daughter. We all will have to find some work for our sustenance," she said.She's now joined other grieving parents on the protest front lines to fight against laws they believe will only lead to more tragedy."I will not stop protesting for what is right," she said. "Without protest nothing is possible. Any rights that we aspire to attain will only come through protest."The new laws don't just affect the landowners and the land workers, but also the middle men who used to buy the produce at fixed prices.<h2><a href="https://www.facebook.com/313820309356251/videos/1866407880175013">See the full story on Business Insider Weekly »</a></h2>

India has a farmer suicide epidemic - and farmers are protesting new laws they fear will make things worse

The <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> administration appears to be making India's farmers a key plank in the upcoming budget, just ahead of the country’s general elections. According to reports, it plans to give the country’s farmers cash handouts in the form of direct transfers as opposed to subsidies. It's a bold move that follows months of farmer protests and an agrarian crisis in the country. It is expected to benefit an estimated 146 million farmers, according to a report from <keyword id="6354731" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="state-bank-of-india">State Bank of India</keyword> (SBI). The estimate follows media reports that the government has also decided against another series of loan waivers in its upcoming interim budget. Instead, the government may opt to provide income support and interest-free loans to the farmers. Why cash transfer? On surface, the cash transfer scheme makes fiscal sense as it would help plug leakages in the transmission of subsidies. But there are a number of questions, not least of which is how feasible the scheme will be. How much does the government currently spend on subsidies and support for farmers? The government currently subsidised <keyword id="495738" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="crop-insurance">crop insurance</keyword>, interest on farm loans and fertilisers. As per a report published by the State Bank of India, the central government’s most recent budgetary allocation to subsidy and farmer support schemes totalled around ₹981 billion - which is roughly 2.9% of India’s GDP. With an estimated 146 million farmers who benefit from these subsidies, the cost per farmer comes to anywhere between ₹5,335 and ₹10,162 annually. The lower figure going to someone who avails of one scheme and the higher figure going to someone who benefits from all three - crop insurance, interest subsidies and fertiliser subsidy. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
	
 
 
	
 
	
 <div type="image" title="Table" msid="67657044" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Estimated government subsidies to farmers&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>























 That figure assumes that out of a total of 146 million farmers (as per Agriculture Census 2015-16), only 35% avail of crop insurance, 45% have bank accounts to avail of interest subsidies and 90% of all farmers receive fertiliser subsidies in some form or the other. Will all farmers get cash transfers? No. Landless farmers, who till someone else’s land, will be left out of the scheme. And that’s a high number in India. 56% of India’s rural households do not own any land, according to the last socio-economic caste census. Many states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala &amp; Tamil Nadu are yet to fully digitise land records. This will make it tougher to ensure that cash transfers reach all intended beneficiaries. SBI’s report estimates that the government may be able to reach up to 100 million farmers. How much farmers get via direct cash transfer, if approved? If the cash transfers reach 100 million farmers, the budgetary allocation will have to be around ₹1- ₹1.2 trillion. That works out to an average individual payment ₹10,000- ₹12,000 per farmer. At this cost, there will be no additional financial burden on the government. What is the flip side? Even assuming that the cash transfers reach a 100 million farmers, as per the SBI estimate, it leaves out at least one third of the beneficiaries who were availing one kind of subsidy or the other. This is likely to backfire unless the government is able to fine tune the system and make it efficient and more inclusive sooner than later.

Explained: The cost of giving India's farmers cash instead of subsidies

<ul><li><keyword id="94272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="keshub-mahindra" source="Orion">Keshub Mahindra</keyword>, the former chairman of <keyword id="1263014" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mahindra-and-mahindra-group" source="Orion">Mahindra and Mahindra group</keyword> was amongst the world’s oldest billionaires. </li><li>The Wharton University graduate had dreamt of becoming either a soldier or a farmer as a young boy. </li><li>Keshub Mahindra, who had seen licence raj and many other government controls in the 50s and 60s, believed that the pressures helped the Indian <keyword id="34478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="auto-industry" source="Orion">auto industry</keyword> become cost competitive. </li></ul>The patriarch of the Mahindra group, Keshub Mahindra died on Wednesday, at the age of 99. “The industrial world has lost one of the tallest personalities today. Shri Keshub Mahindra had no match; the nicest person I had the privilege of knowing. I always looked forward to meetings with him and was inspired by how he connected business, economics and social matters. Om Shanti,” said Pawan <a href="https://twitter.com/GoenkaPk/status/1646012668103495681">Goenka in a tweet</a>. The former chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra group who had retired in 2012, was amongst the world’s oldest billionaires as per a recent Forbes report. He had just re-entered the coveted billionaire list in 2023. The businessman turned philanthropist, however, leaves a larger and wider legacy — he was instrumental in helping build India’s indigenous auto industry into a force to be reckoned with. ‘We don’t know a damn thing about the auto industry’ Keshub Mahindra’s story is intertwined with the history of the auto industry in India. The Mahindra and Mahindra group had started two generations before Anand Mahindra, the nephew of Keshub Mahindra and chairman emeritus of the group. The company was founded by two brothers Kailash Chandra Mahindra and Jagdish Chandra Mahindra in 1945, as a steel trader. Kailash Chandra Mahindra, the father of Keshub Mahindra had met the inventor of Jeep, Barney Roos in Washington. That’s how the company became an assembler of Willys jeep in India. A young Keshub, freshly graduated from Wharton University and grown up beyond his boyhood dreams of becoming either a soldier or a farmer, was called into a meeting with the defence minister. This was in 1947 when India had just won its freedom but was finding it tough to find spare parts for their tanks from Britain and other countries. At the meeting, the government said that it was planning to develop its own automotive industry. “We don’t know a damn thing about the auto industry,” Keshub Mahindra told the defence minister. That, however, did not stop neither Mahindra nor the only other auto companies existing back then — Premier Automobiles and Hindustan Motors – from building indigenous vehicles. M&amp;M started manufacturing jeeps in a full do-it-yourself (DIY) mode — when there were no suppliers or vendors. They had to make engines, transmissions, axles, stampings, the body – everything to produce 2,000 Jeeps a year, Keshub Mahindra said in an <a href="https://www.autocarindia.com/interviews/india-at-75-keshub-mahindra-%E2%80%93-the-man-who-saw-it-all-425406">interview with Autocar</a>. <div type="image" title="Keshub Mahindra anand mahindra" msid="99426813" hostid="261" sizebytes="59302" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Source: BCCL&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Licences, price controls and capacity caps For another 30 years, the group had fought many battles both from the supply chain ecosystem angle as well as the many rules and regulations back in the day. It was the age of licence raj and M&amp;M was not given a licence to make cars, no matter how many times they applied. In fact they were rejected a dozen times – as they tried to manufacture cars in partnership with various multinationals. Moreover, companies could not increase prices without government nod, and added to that even their capacities were limited by rules. Once, the group was sent a letter by the government asking them why they should not prosecute them for exceeding capacity. “Prosecute us,” Keshub responded to the letter. Forced to do things he described as ‘crazy’, Keshub also admits that it has made Indian manufacturers control costs with frugal engineering and much more —- a move that has made them competitive. It was a good thing in the long run, he admitted in the Autocar interview. The courage of change His can-do attitude is also one of his guiding principles as <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/dream-impossible-life-lessons-keshub-mahindra/">he shared in a Wharton page</a>, “Dream about achieving the impossible — because impossible things do happen. Only the brave have the courage to transform their lives,” he shared. He served as the chairman of M&amp;M for 48 years and ably steered the group through winds of change. The group now has interests across software, financial services and more. In FY22, the group’s revenue stood at ₹90,170 crore as against ₹74,277.78 crore in FY21. The auto business too grew exponentially both organically and inorganically under Keshub Mahindra’s leadership and expanded into light commercial vehicles, tractors and even farm equipment. It acquired companies like Punjab Tractors and Gujarat Tractors and also acquired companies in South Korea like SsangYong Motor, entered the two-wheeler market and also made early strides into the electric vehicle (EV) market by purchasing REVA. Years later, Anand Mahindra and his father Harish Mahindra also started another unique partnership when they lent ₹1 lakh to Uday Kotak for a business that went on to become the Kotak Mahindra Bank. Not just business Even before he retired in 2012, Keshub did not dedicate all his time to business itself — and made space and time for philanthropy. Keshub also founded Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), and ran it for many years. “During this time, I visited some of the most deplorable slums in India. I would come home and wonder how people could live like this. That had a huge influence on my life,” he told Wharton. Educating girls and housing for the cancer afflicted are some of the many charity projects he supported with the help of his family.

Keshub Mahindra: The man who thought impossible is possible

<ul><li>There have been 129 deaths due to the Acute <keyword id="6382102" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="encephalitis">Encephalitis</keyword> Syndrome (AES) in <keyword id="30033" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword> so far. </li><li>The National Research Centre on Litchi has denied speculations linking litchi to causing the syndrome. </li><li>The state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences (<keyword id="40458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="AIIMS">AIIMS</keyword>), Delhi, will soon study the actual cause behind the AES syndrome, which is listed under 'unknown category'. </li></ul>129 children have died so far in the Indian state of Bihar due to the latest outbreak of the acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). While poverty and lack of access to healthcare failed the children and their families, a humble fruit, litchi or <keyword id="1168849" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lychee">lychee</keyword>, is taking the fall for the epidemic. The common ground between litchi and encephalitis is <keyword id="6374885" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Muzaffarpur">Muzaffarpur</keyword>, the centre of the outbreak and the country’s biggest litchi producing district. “We have witnessed around 20% decline in litchi sales in last one week after AES connection with this fruit,” <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/bihar-aes-outbreak-brings-litchi-sales-down-by-15-20/articleshow/69935680.cms">KP Thakur, managing director of a litchi processing and exporting firm, told the Times of India</a>. The fall in demand occurred after the state government of Bihar issued an advisory for parents to not allow their children to eat the fruit. The advisory was based on a speculation that litchi may be the major cause for the encephalitis syndrome, that affects children under the age of 10. "The cases of AES might be linked to litchi but the disease can be caused by a whole plethora of infections and encephalopathy situations," Professor Sheffali Gulati, Chief of Child Neurology Division, Department of Paediatrics AIIMS <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/aiims-delhi-to-find-out-cause-of-aes-listed-in-unknown-category-1561276211601.html">reportedly said</a>. The speculations regarding litchi being the cause for encephalitis gets validity from <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3014212/encephalitis-lychees-kills-31-children-india-say-health">a research done by the United States in 2005</a>, stating that a toxic substance in the fruit may be the reason. On the other hand, Vishal Nath, Director of National Research Centre on Litchi, has denied the charge that litchi has any link to the cause of the disease. Litchi is sold in many other countries but we don’t hear such epidemics elsewhere, he argued in an interview with IANS, adding that the fruit was a rich source of vitamin B, Calcium, Potassium, Sodium and phosphorus. From pride to panic in six months India exports a part of its litchi produce every year. The government of India wanted to promote the fruit earlier this year by giving it a ‘Geographical Indicator’ (GI) tag. “We have been waiting for GI tag for shahi litchi for a long time. The move has come as a boon for litchi cultivators of the region,” <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/muzaffarpur-shahi-litchi-gets-gi-tag/articleshow/66297801.cms">Nath had earlier said</a> adding that the GI tag will fetch them “good money.” <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[
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 Six months later, the same country is debating whether fruit is lethal for young children. The real reason The debate over the dangers of litchi may distract from the actual reason where the national anger must pour over -- poverty and lack of access to basic healthcare, which millions suffer from 70 years after independence. It’s not just the poor children of Muzaffarpur who ate the fruit, but the ones who died were mostly poor. The United Nations’ Global Hunger Report for 2018 placed India at 103rd spot out of 119 countries. The National Family Health Survey says almost half of the children under five in Muzaffarpur are stunted, almost 60% were anaemic, and more than 40% were underweight. A health ministry survey found that none of Muzaffarpur's 103 primary health centres - and its only community health centre - were even considered fit for evaluation, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/poverty-not-lychees-the-real-culprit-in-indian-brain-fever-outbreak/malnourishment-is-the-underlying-cause/slideshow/69888516.cms">the Economic Times reported</a>. The state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, will soon study <a href="https://www.livemint.com/news/india/aiims-delhi-to-find-out-cause-of-aes-listed-in-unknown-category-1561276211601.html">the actual cause behind the AES syndrome</a>, which is listed under 'unknown category'. The anxiety of the litchi farmers of Muzaffarpur will continue until the final results of the study are out.

India's tragic encephalitis epidemic has hit a humble fruit, Lychee, and its farmers

<ul><li><keyword id="6419807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsanto">Monsanto</keyword>’s patents on two cotton variants, Bollgard and Bollgard II, were found to be unenforceable under India’s Patents Act. </li><li>The American biotechnology giant has been locked in a three-year legal feud with its Indian licensee, Nuziveedu Seeds, over unpaid royalties. </li><li>An arm of India’s <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> ministry will now determine the royalty rate for Monsanto’s seeds- a move that could scare off other foreign companies. </li></ul> The Delhi High Court, on March 11th, ruled that Monsanto’s patents on two genetically modified (GM) seed varieties of cotton - Bollgard and Bollgard II - could not be enforced, thereby concluding a three-year legal feud between Monsanto and its Indian licensee, Nuziveedu Seeds, over unpaid royalties. The ruling effectively terminates the American biotechnology giant’s intellectual property rights to <keyword id="80549" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="BT-Cotton">Bt cotton</keyword> technology in India. The court explained that under India’s Patents Act of 1970, plant varieties and seeds cannot be patented, and that royalties or “trait fees” on Monsanto’s cotton seeds, which are modified to increase resistance to the bollworm pest, would instead be determined by the Protection of Plant Varieties and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">Farmers</keyword>’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), an agency of the ministry of agriculture. This is in line with the government’s rationale that while Monsanto has patent rights to the Bt cotton gene, once it is introduced into a plant seed, the product becomes subject to the Plant Varieties Act instead of the Patent Act. Despite the cancellation of a licensing agreement with Monsanto in late 2015 over the alleged non-payment of royalties, Nuziveedu Seeds and its subsidiaries had continued to sell Bt cotton seeds. However, in a <a href="https://www.livemint.com/Companies/AcYyKVDiJapVuSfQ6zvh2L/Delhi-HC-Monsanto-termination-of-Nuziveedu-Seeds-sublicenc.html">separate case last year</a>, the Delhi court ruled that Monsanto’s termination of the agreement was illegal since it had violated its contractual obligations by charging a royalty fee that was higher than that stipulated by the government. With the latest ruling, Monsanto’s claims against Nuziveedu for unpaid royalties have been waived because its patents are invalid. It will now have to settle for the rates decided by the government. A huge setback This is a significant blow for Monsanto, the world’s largest seed producer, as it currently licenses its seeds to nearly 50 domestic companies through its local joint venture with Mahyco Seeds Ltd. It could, in all probability, lead to the company’s complete exit from India. In March 2016, the government slashed royalty fees on Bt Cotton by 74% to ₹43 per packet, and reduced the maximum sale price of these seeds to ₹800 for a 450 gram packet, from as much as ₹1000 earlier.The move followed pressure from the National Seed Association of India (NSAI), an industry body, that argued that the prices were too high and that the seeds weren’t as effective at resisting the bollworm as originally promised. In response, Monsanto said it would have to reconsider bringing new seed technologies to India and rethink its investments in R&amp;D. It made good on this threat <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Monsanto-stops-release-of-new-Bt-cotton-tech/article14589157.ece">the following August</a> by stalling the release of a newer cotton strain. It also <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/monsanto-exits-cotton-seeds-business-in-india/articleshow/60415874.cms">sold off its cotton seeds business</a> in India in September 2017 to Tierra Agrotech, a seed producer based in Hyderabad. Monsanto is a company everyone loves to hate - with good reason. It first introduced its GM technology in India in 1995, promising to transform farmers’ livelihoods and maximise yields. In the ensuing decades, the company’s Bt cotton seeds completely took over India’s cotton cultivation. While yields have increased significantly, Monsanto has long been accused of overcharging farmers for its seeds, especially given the fact that their ability to resist pests diminishes with time. The high cost of seeds and royalties left thousands of farmers in a vicious cycle of debt, which inevitably led to many suicides when crops failed. As a result, the government was forced to start regulating Bt cotton prices in 2006. Adverse effects Hence, the Delhi High Court’s ruling can be seen as a moral reckoning on Monsanto. But it also has wider implications. Yes, it will reduce prices for farmers, given that seed licensing companies pass on the royalty costs to them, but it could prove to be the death knell for <keyword id="94495" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Innovation">innovation</keyword> in the agriculture sector - something that will hurt farmers in the long run. In essence, Indian seed producers are being allowed to distribute products enhanced by foreign technologies without having to pay sufficient licensing fees. Last month, the government cut royalty fees again, to ₹39, and set the maximum price of cotton seeds at ₹740 for the next sowing season. High-yielding varieties have helped India become one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cotton. If patent and pricing rights aren’t adequately protected, a host of companies will be discouraged from selling and investing in the research and development of genetically modified seeds in India. Ever since Monsanto stopped introducing new seed variants in 2016, the trade in illegally-produced copies of genetically-modified seeds <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/monsanto-vs-illegal-seeds-illegal-ones-selling-at-1-7x-show-farmers-value-technology/1077508/">has flourished</a>, owing to unmet demand from farmers. As things stand, Monsanto has been given three months to register its Bt cotton seeds under India’s Plant Varieties Act, which will make it eligible to receive the trait fee that is determined by the PPVFRA. However, it will cede all rights to the genetic material in the seeds. Alternatively, the company could challenge the Delhi High Court’s ruling in the Supreme Court. Either way, yesterday’s ruling and the continued clampdown on trait fees would have already made other companies wary of making further investments in India, lest they be treated like Monsanto. Image source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paxta11.jpg" data-type="tilCustomLink">Wikipedia/ CC BY-SA 4.0/ S_Aziz123</a>

Without its GM cotton patents, Monsanto may stop doing business in India

The <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> Wednesday said it is a question of life and death of crores of people in Delhi-NCR region which is facing severe <keyword id="55910" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-Pollution">air pollution</keyword> and the authorities have to be held responsible for its failure to curb it. "Can you permit people to die like this due to pollution? Can you permit the country to go back by 100 years," observed a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. "We have to make government responsible for this," the bench said and asked, "Why can't govt machinery stop stubble burning? Coming down heavily on state governments, the top court said that if they don't bother about people, they have no right to be in power. "You just want to sit in your ivory towers and rule. You are not bothered and are letting the people die," the bench said. "You (states) have forgotten the concept of welfare government. They are not bothered about poor people, this is very unfortunate," said the bench, also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta. It also questioned as to why the state governments cannot collect and purchase stubble from farmers. "We expect more from democratic government of the country to deal with issue of stubble burning and curb pollution," the bench said, adding that "it is a question of life and death of crores of people. We have to make govt responsible for this".

Air pollution is a question of life and death for millions, says SC

The number of undernourished people in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has declined in the last 15 years to 224.3 million in 2019-2021, according to a UN report, which also said that there are more obese adults and anaemic women in the <keyword id="6354507" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="world" source="Orion">world</keyword>'s second most populous country. The <keyword id="5004571" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="state-of-food-security-and-nutrition" source="Orion">State of Food Security and Nutrition</keyword> in the World 2022 report, issued on Wednesday by UN agencies <keyword id="397960" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="food-and-agriculture-organisation" source="Orion">Food and Agriculture Organisation</keyword> (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, <keyword id="49053" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-food-programme" source="Orion">World Food Programme</keyword> (WFP) and the <keyword id="6356311" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="Orion">World Health Organisation</keyword> (WHO), said that the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report said that in India, the number of undernourished people declined to 224.3 million in 2019 21 from 247.8 million in 2004-06. It said that the number of children under 5 years of age who are stunted declined to 36.1 million in 2020 from 52.3 million in 2012, the number of children under five years of age who are overweight declined to 2.2 million in 2020 from three million in 2012. However, the number of obese adults in India, which has a population of over 1.38 billion, grew to 34.3 million in 2016 from 25.2 million in 2012 and the number of women aged 15 to 49 years affected by anaemia also grew to 187.3 million in 2019 from 171.5 million in 2012. The report added that the number of children up to 5 months of age exclusively breastfed touched 14 million in 2020 from 11.2 million in 2012. In percentage terms, the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in India stood at 21.6 per cent in 2004-06 and declined to 16.3 per cent in 2019-21, the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age declined to 30.9 per cent in 2020 from 41.7 per cent in 2012 and the prevalence of overweight children under five years of age was 1.9 per cent in 2020 from 2.4 per cent in 2012. The prevalence of obesity in India's adult population increased to 3.9 per cent in 2016 from 3.1 per cent in 2012 and anaemic women aged 15 to 49 years declined marginally from 53.2 per cent in 2012 to 53 per cent in 2019. The report also noted that in India, people who were unable to afford a healthy diet touched 973.3 million in 2020 or nearly 70.5 per cent, up from 948.6 million in 2019 (69.4 per cent). In 2017, about a billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in India and this number has declined to 966.6 million in 2018. The report noted that subsidies to consumers provided in Lower- Income Countries and Middle-Income Countries most often take the form of in-kind or cash transfers under the social protection programmes. India and Indonesia, for example, provide substantial subsidies to final consumers under the Targeted Public Distribution System for grains in India, and the food assistance programme (BPNT) based on electronic vouchers for rice, in Indonesia, it said. The most prominent example of a (Lower-middle-income countries) LMIC is India, where the food and agricultural policy has historically focused on protecting consumers by ensuring affordable food prices, through export restrictions (on wheat, non-basmati rice, and milk, among others) and through marketing regulations around pricing and public procurement, public food stockholding and distribution of a vast range of agricultural commodities, it said. As such, farmers have constantly faced price disincentives in aggregate terms (negative NRPs). Input subsidies and expenditure on general services such as in R&amp;D and infrastructure have been widely used as a means of compensating them for the price disincentives generated by trade and market measures, and for boosting production and self-sufficiency in the country, it added. The report noted that after remaining relatively unchanged since 2015, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped in 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, to 9.8 per cent of the world population. This compares with 8 per cent in 2019 and 9.3 per cent in 2020. World hunger rose in 2021, with around 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat -- and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertiliser and energy, according to the report. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World paints a grim picture, based on 2021 data, saying the statistics should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms , it explained. It warned that the ongoing war in Ukraine, is disrupting supply chains and further affecting prices of grain, fertiliser and energy resulting in more price increases in the first half of 2022. At the same time, they said, more frequent and extreme climate events are also disrupting supply chains, especially in low-income countries. Ukraine and Russia together produced almost a third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil, while Russia and its ally Belarus are the world's No. 2 and 3 producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertiliser. Nearly 924 million people (11.7 per cent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years. The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021 --- 31.9 per cent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6 per cent of men --- a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020. Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019, reflecting the effects of inflation in consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it. An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children's risk of death by up to 12 times. Furthermore, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight. This report repeatedly highlights the intensification of these major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks, combined with growing inequalities, the heads of the five UN agencies wrote in this year's Foreword. The issue at stake is not whether adversities will continue to occur or not, but how we must take bolder action to build resilience against future shocks, it added. (By Yoshita Singh <keyword id="6355833" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="united-nations" source="Orion">United Nations</keyword>) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/golden-girl-p-t-usha-becomes-the-eighth-keralite-to-be-honoured-with-a-rajya-sabha-nomination/articleshow/92716060.cms">Golden girl P.T. Usha becomes the eighth Keralite to be honoured with a Rajya Sabha nomination</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbis-moves-to-boost-forex-inflows-could-have-an-impact-on-domestic-borrowing-rates/articleshow/92715761.cms">RBI's moves to boost forex inflows could have an impact on domestic borrowing rates</a>

India has fewer undernourished people now but obesity and anaemia are on the rise

Everyday, the dimly lit and shabby <keyword id="30587" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="bhatinda">Bhatinda</keyword> railway station in the Indian state of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=punjab&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Punjab</a> comes to life sharp at 9 pm. The reason? The arrival of a passenger train that’s been long christened as the <keyword id="739669" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cancer-Train">Cancer train</keyword> on platform no 2. 
 
The train leaves Bhatinda around 9.25 pm and covers a distance of about 325 km with 26 halts to reach <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bikaner&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Bikaner</a> in the Indian state of Rajasthan at 6 am. Sometimes, it’s an hour or two late. 
 
The most remarkable feature of this train is that 60% of its population are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=cancer&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">cancer</a> patients of all ages who come from all across <keyword id="6354953" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Punjab">Punjab</keyword>. This 12-coach train has gained its name from a sudden increase in cancer cases in Punjab that many blame on pesticide use, growing pollution and hardly any response by authorities. 
 
On an average, this train is the lifeline of 100 cancer patients daily, along with 200 other co-travellers and is almost always packed to near capacity. 
 The ticket is priced at Rs 210, but for cancer patients the eight hour journey to <keyword id="1380" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="bikaner">Bikaner</keyword> is free, while one accompanying attendant gets a concession of 75 percent. 
 
 
(Passemgers aboard the Cancer train. Image credit: Washington Post) 
 
 
All the patients aboard the train undertake this journey to visit Acharya Tulsi Regional Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Prince Bijay Singh Memorial Hospital, in Bikaner, which like many hospitals in Punjab is also covered for benefits under the Mukh Mantri Punjab Cancer Raahat Kosh Scheme (MMPCRKS). 
 
One of them is a frail 68-year-old Madan Lal who along with his sister boards the sleeper coach, the only compartment with reserved seats, which allows him to lie down on the seat. 
 
All the remaining coaches are of the general category, where passengers jostle to find space. 
 
Lal, who hails from Mallan village in Faridkot district of Punjab has been undergoing treatment for cancer in his food pipe since the last year and has made over 30 visits to the Bikaner hospital. 
 
The first question that comes to mind is invariably this, ‘Why are scores of cancer patients from Punjab travelling to a far-off place in Rajasthan for treatment when Punjab itself boasts of state of the art facilities for cancer treatment?’ 
 
No matter how many people you ask, the answer for that is the same, and equally alarming. As Lal reveals, he did go to Faridkot Government Hospital more than four times last year when his condition deteriorated, however he never got a chance to see any doctor despite waiting for long hours. 
 
 
(Patients line up in Bikaner. Image credit: The Tribune) 
 
 
Additionally, the fact that it is incredibly hard to avail the cash incentives under MMPCRKS in Punjab without any political connection and that the poor are almost always neglected in the government hospital in the state has also attributed to patients taking to the hospital in Bikaner, which is one of the country’s 19 regional cancer research centres and for the cancer-striken in Punjab, the nearest place where treatment is free, and medicines cheap. 
 
Take for instance, Surjeet Kaur, who spent Rs 30,000 in Bhatinda hospitals for chemotherapy for breast cancer or Satya Devi who spent close to Rs 1 lakh for therapy on a cancerous growth on her lip. In the end, both fo them had to go to Bikaner anyway. 
 
Lodging and food in Bikaner come cheap too, making it a lucrative option for patients. A room at a dharamshala in Bikaner costs Rs 50, while a thali in the hospital canteen is only Rs 5. 
 The patients on this train are mostly small farmers from the southern districts of Punjab- Mansa, Sangrur, Bhatinda, Faridkot, Moga, Muktsar, Ferozepur and Sangrur, which together make up the <keyword id="602657" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Malwa-region">Malwa region</keyword>. 
 
It is in this Malwa region that scores of farmers and their families are coming to grips with cancer and numerous health problems due to the lush fields hiding a scary tale. 
 Malwa, which is also Punjab’s cotton belt, requires the use of a startling amount of <keyword id="6444775" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="pesticides">pesticides</keyword>. Reportedly, farmers in this region use 15 different pesticide sprays and the unregulated and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides have resulted in farmers and their families living in a cesspool of toxicity. 
 
 
(A farmer sprays pesticides in his field. Image credit: Al Jazeera) 
 
 
In 2011, it was also found that Punjab’s farmers use of pesticides is 923 grams per hectare was way above the national average of 570g/ha. Even worse is the fact that farmers also end up using the empty pesticide cans to store not only water but also food, which get contaminated with high heavy-metal toxicity. 
 
The residents have little choice than to drink highly polluted water or bathe in tap water that are sourced from canals where industrial effluents are discharged with impunity. 
 Many of the farmers blame the success of the 1970’s <keyword id="50335" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Green-Revolution">Green Revolution</keyword> for their sorry state right now. It was during then that the farmers had switched to a combo formula of high yield seeds-fertilizers-pesticide-water from traditional farming methods. 
 
Though, a few years ago, the Punjab government set up water purifiers in villages prone to cancer cases, but it was of little help as those were not cleaned properly. 
 
Meanwhile, hundreds of patients crowd the platform to get on the train hoping against hope while there continues to be atleast 18 deaths due to cancer in the state everyday. 
 
 
(Cancer patients get down from the train in Bikaner. Image credit: The Tribune)

The shocking tale of India's 'Cancer Train'

Even as the political blame game over the <keyword id="83948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Farmer-suicide">farmer suicide</keyword> at AAP’s rally to protest against the BJPs <keyword id="87979" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Land-Bill">Land Bill</keyword> in the Parliament continues, many new facts about matter have come up. While we know the name of the <keyword id="48857" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Farmer">farmer</keyword>, who committed suicide- Ganjendra Singh- in full glare of a few thousand people, which included the Delhi Chief Minister <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword>, his supporters, farmers and policemen, much else is unknown. So, here are 6 unkown facts about <keyword id="27515" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gajendra-Singh">Gajendra Singh</keyword>, to give you a small glimpse into the person he was and the life he led, before his tragic death. 
 
1)Ganjendra Singh hails from Dausa, a village in Rajasthan, just over 60kms from the state’s capital in Jaipur. 
 
2)Gajendra Singh and his family own about 7 acres of land in which they farm gooseberry throughout the year. Their last crop consisting of wheat and mustard was destroyed due to the untimely rains. 
 3)His kith and kin from the village claim he and his family weren’t in dire straits or even a desperate need of financial assistance. He apparently heard of the <keyword id="1948909" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="AAP-rally">AAP rally</keyword> and wanted to participate to make heard the plight of farmers across the country. 
 
4)He had reportedly called a relative a few minutes before he plunged to his death, telling her to switch on the television, that he would be on TV in a matter of minutes. 
 
5)His family remembers him as a lively and full of energy. He had a special penchant for tying the Rajasthani safaa (turban), and held a personal record of tying 20 in under a minute. Ironically, it is with one such ‘safaa’ that he ended his life. 
 
6)He had contested elections from his village in 2003 as a BSP candidate. He lost the elections, barely gathering 3000 votes and had to forego his deposit.

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