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<ul><li>According to Nielsen India’s latest report, rural India saw 3X growth than the rest of India in June. </li><li>Reverse migration expected to give a positive uptick.</li></ul>Nielsen’s latest report revealed that rural areas are driving the growth for our country. It saw 3X growth in June than the rest of India. Lower COVID incidence, government stimulus and agricultural impetus are boosting the rural consumer sentiment. <div type="image" title="rural india growth" msid="77258173" hostid="261"></div> The report further explains the key reasons behind this growth: <ul><li>Lower COVID cases in Rural</li><li>Reverse migration expected to give a positive uptick</li><li>MNREGA wages at an all time high</li><li>Rural disbursement more than 2X of same period last year</li><li>The progress of the southwest monsoon so far has been bountiful. Flood impact very low compared to last year, restricted to 2-3 states</li><li>40-60% higher water availability in reservoirs</li><li>Increased sowing acreage</li><li>The Rabi harvest in April was good and with a good monsoon Kharif harvest is expected to augurs well too</li><li>The MSP prices for crops have also seen a significant increase</li></ul>

Rural India is seeing faster economic recovery than urban, this report shows why

What India’s rising COVID-19 infections don’t⁠ reveal — the lack of health infrastructure in remote areas

Nobel Peace Laureate <keyword id="83501" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Muhammad-Yunus">Muhammad Yunus</keyword> on Saturday said building rural economy is important to stop migration amid the challenges caused due to coronavirus pandemic. "Micro credit is about building rural economy. Corona crisis has given the industry an opportunity to aid in creating a strong rural economy. Creating a strong independent rural economy will not only halt rural to urban migration but in the years to come, the migration will be urban to rural," Yunus said at a webinar by <keyword id="477100" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="microfinance-industry">microfinance industry</keyword>. Microfinance institutions should create programmes like venture capital to create entrepreneurs in rural India, he said. There is a need for creating a national disaster fund for the sector and managed by the sector in India, Yunus said while speaking in the webinar organised by Sa-Dhan, a self regulatory organisation for the industry. Notably, India has been witnessing reverse migration of labourers and workers to their home states as lockdown imposed due to coronavirus pandemic affected them badly economically alongside huge number of job losses as well. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/with-233-fresh-cases-bihars-covid-19-tally-rises-to-4831/articleshow/76238545.cms">Bihar registers 233 new coronavirus cases with its overall tally rising to 4.831</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/noida-21-new-covid-19-cases-tally-591/articleshow/76238339.cms">Noida’s total coronavirus cases hit 591 with 21 new cases detected in the past 24 hours</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/342-new-coronavirus-cases-in-pune-district-six-deaths/articleshow/76239001.cms">Six more people die of coronavirus in Pune with 342 fresh cases</a>

Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus says building the rural economy is the key to halt migration

<ul><li>According to <keyword id="11372959" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="iamai-kantar-icube-2020-report">IAMAI Kantar ICUBE 2020 Report</keyword>, India is likely to have 900 million active Internet users by 2025 as against around 622 million as of 2020, registering a growth of about 45% in the next five years.</li><li>While internet users grew by 4% in urban India -- reaching 323 million users (67% of urban population) in 2020, <keyword id="3497257" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-adoption">digital adoption</keyword> continues to be propelled by rural India – clocking a 13% growth to 299 million internet users (31% of rural population) over the past year.</li></ul>India is likely to have 900 million active Internet users by 2025 as against around 622 million as of 2020, registering a growth of about 45% in the next five years, according to <keyword id="149966" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IAMAI">IAMAI</keyword> <keyword id="9172699" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kantar-ICUBE">Kantar ICUBE</keyword> 2020 Report. The report also revealed that internet usership in rural regions witnessed a much faster year-on-year growth in 2020. The report suggests that even though the Internet penetration in urban is more than 2X that of rural, usership in rural has been growing at a faster rate on a year-on-year basis. While internet users grew by 4% in urban India -- reaching 323 million users (67% of urban population) in 2020, digital adoption continues to be propelled by rural India – clocking a 13% growth to 299 million internet users (31% of rural population) over the past year. This indicates that there’s a lot of headroom for growth in rural India and this would help in bridging the urban-rural digital divide. However, the growth rate of AIU (those who have accessed internet in the last one month) has progressively reduced over the years and is the lowest in the last four years. It also finds that nine out of ten active internet users access the internet every day; On average, they spend around 107 minutes (1.8 hours) actively on the internet daily. Though the proportion of daily users is marginally higher in urban India as compared to rural India, AIU in urban India is spending 17% more time as compared to rural India. Biswapriya Bhattacharjee, Executive Vice President, Insights Division, Kantar, stated, “By 2025, there would be a greater number of internet users in rural India than in urban India. Given this, the digital ecosystem will need to evolve to address the specific needs of this emerging demography. Vernacular, Voice and Video will emerge as the game changers for the digital ecosystem over the next few years.” Small towns account for almost two out of five active internet users while the top 9 metros account to 33% of the active internet users in urban India. The report suggests, of 1433 million population in India, 622 million individuals are AIU and this translates to about 43% of the total population (across urban and rural India). However, with a sizable population not accessing the internet actively in rural India, there is huge headroom for growth in the next few years. Interestingly, the proportion of male to female AIU remains almost the same in rural and urban India. In urban India, the ratio between male to female Internet users is around 57:43 while in rural India, the ratio between male to female Internet users is 58:42. Mobile continues to remain the device of choice for accessing the internet in both urban and rural. Given the affordability of mobile devices along with the availability of cheaper data plans, accessing the Internet through a mobile device has clearly become the first choice, finds the report. Digital Services have assumed great importance for India with the government actively promoting a vision of $1 Tn digital economy. Also, Internet has become a lifeline to most of us amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost every decision achieves fruition with the able interference and assistance of the internet. <keyword id="1754604" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> has made us acutely realize the importance of the internet. The internet helped businesses tide through the tough lockdowns, individuals connected with each other, used the opportunity to learn and acquire new skills, and provided much-needed meaning and reason to carry on. The spread of the internet has been possible thanks to the joint efforts by the government (promoting e-governance, <keyword id="1929810" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-India">Digital India</keyword> vision), telecom services providers (more affordable data packages, better connectivity), and Internet Service providers (popular services like digital entertainment and e-commerce, expanding content in Indian languages). IAMAI stated that the ongoing growth of internet penetration in India provides a critical platform for all stakeholders to harness the digital revolution. The pandemic has also fueled the growth. The association expressed optimism that the government’s policies, regulations, and industry’s support will further strengthen the digital footprint in India and ensure a robust digital economy in the country.

Internet usership in rural India grew much faster than urban cities, clocks 13% growth to 299 million internet users in 2020: IAMAI-Kantar ICUBE 2020 Report

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s daily <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> cases have plummeted since September.</li><li>The nation is now reporting just 8 daily cases per one million people, among the lowest per-capita rates in the world.</li><li>Experts say the decline is puzzling. The difficulty of recording rural cases, combined with strict public-health measures, may offer some explanation.</li></ul>At the start of the pandemic, few countries were more ripe for a major coronavirus outbreak than India.Not only is India the world's second most populous country, it's also one of the densest, with around <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?locations=IN">1,200 people per square mile</a>. Cases there climbed steadily from April through September, reaching a peak of nearly 100,000 daily cases on September 16.Then something unexpected happened: India's daily cases plummeted from mid-September until February, with average weekly cases dropping by roughly a third each month. The nation is now reporting fewer than 11,300 daily cases, on average - around 8 per 1 million people, among the lowest per-capita rates in the world.India's health ministry has attributed this success to a few factors, including a robust testing and contact-tracing effort. But infectious-disease experts say the quick turnaround is puzzling.India only began administering coronavirus vaccines in mid-January, so it's probably too soon for vaccinations to affect transmission. Some public-health experts say India's strict mask mandates may have helped lower cases, but masks have been required there since April, so that don't fully explain why cases dwindled so dramatically in the fall."There are a lot of questions and lessons to be learned, and I think that we need to do a deeper dive into what they've done well," Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, told Insider.Kuppalli's previous research focused on barriers to medical care among women with HIV in southern India."I know from having worked and lived in India that they have a lot of challenges in terms of dealing with large populations that are in close quarters, infection control issues, hygiene issues, ventilation issues - all the things that we are concerned about in terms of how this disease spreads," she said.Kuppalli added that it's worth studying whether India's population may have unique genetic or demographic characteristics that make people less susceptible to symptomatic COVID-19 infection. It's also possible, she added, that coronavirus cases are simply hard to record in rural areas.<h2>Penalties for not wearing masks </h2><div type="image" title="india mask school" height="3100" width="4650" msid="80678829" hostid="261"></div>Widespread adherence to public-health measures may partly explain why India has gotten its outbreak under control. Several large cities and states there began requiring masks in public places in April, two months before the World Health Organization recommended face coverings for the general public.Since then, the nation's largest city, Mumbai, has levied fines against those who violate the rule. By October, Mumbai had <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/since-april-bmc-fined-14207-people-for-not-wearing-masks-6618446/">collected a total of more than $70,000 in fines</a> from more than 14,000 people who'd failed to wear masks in public. By early December, Delhi had also issued around 500,000 mask fines, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-was-consuming-india-until-nearly-everyone-started-wearing-masks-11609329603">The Wall Street Journal reported</a>. For the most part, Indians have been supportive of mask requirements: In an <a href="https://qz.com/india/1909711/indians-support-high-penalties-for-not-wearing-coronavirus-masks/">October survey</a> from social media platform LocalCircles (which included more than 15,000 responses across roughly 200 districts in India), nearly 90% of respondents said they were in favor of a mask mandate. About 40% said they would support increased penalties for those who didn't comply.The US, by contrast, has struggled to convince large segments of the public that masks are an effective tool. "The United States very much failed from a lack of national leadership, miscommunication, and a lack of community engagement. I think we can really boil it down to those three things," Kuppalli said, adding, "we still have people who don't believe the pandemic is real in this country."<h2>A focus on 'test, trace, isolate'</h2><div type="image" title="india contact tracing" height="3280" width="4928" msid="80678833" hostid="261"></div>Epidemiologists typically rely on a three-step strategy to contain a virus: test, trace, isolate.Though India's testing got off to a slow start, it has ramped up considerably since the summer. By August, the nation had <a href="https://www.who.int/india/news/feature-stories/detail/how-india-scaled-up-its-laboratory-testing-capacity-for-covid19">nearly 1,600 testing labs</a>, up from just 14 in February 2020. India is administering nearly 486,000 daily tests. Only two other countries, the UK and the US, are testing more.India's large population also worked to its advantage when it came to enlisting contact tracers.From March through April, tens of thousands of health workers <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6517/691">traced the contacts of more than 435,000 infected people</a> across two southern states, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The workers reached more than 3 million contacts, around 575,000 of whom had available COVID-19 test results.These efforts were made easier by a longstanding disease surveillance network that began monitoring <keyword id="8785701" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="COVID-19-cases">COVID-19 cases</keyword> in late January 2020.As of April, Indian residents could download the nation's contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, to find out if they had been been within 6 feet of an infected person. Indian residents are asked to download the app if isolating due to a positive COVID-19 test and report any symptoms to a local surveillance officer.<h2>Possible immunity to new pathogens</h2><div type="image" title="India covid" height="3626" width="5439" msid="80678837" hostid="261"></div>India has indeed seen fewer COVID-19 deaths per million than many developed nations. As of Wednesday, 113 out of every million people in India had died of COVID-19, compared to nearly 1,500 out of every million in the US and 1,755 per million in the UK.India is now recording fewer than one daily death per million people.Kuppalli said India's rapidly falling cases raises another important question: "Are there things about this particular population, this ethnicity, that puts them at decreased risk?" An <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7444648/">August study</a> suggested that populations with a higher exposure to diverse types of bacteria - predominantly due to poor sanitation - might see fewer COVID-19 deaths per million, perhaps because of an acquired or innate immunity to new pathogens. This line of thinking isn't new: A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1472979206000278">2006 study</a> found that developing countries may have a different "immunological experience" with tuberculosis than the US and Europe."Look at the average Indian: He or she has probably had malaria at some point in his life or typhoid or dengue," Sayli Udas-Mankikar, an urban policy expert at the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, recently <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/01/962821038/the-mystery-of-indias-plummeting-covid-19-cases">told NPR</a>. "You end up with basic immunity toward grave diseases."The idea remains a theory for now, however.<h2>Rural populations are harder to surveil </h2><div type="image" title="rural india coronavirus" height="3456" width="5184" msid="80678845" hostid="261"></div>The coronavirus spreads best in dense, crowded environments. That means countries like the US, where more than 80% of residents live in urban areas, face an uphill battle to contain the virus' spread.India, on the other hand, is less urbanized: Around 65% of Indian residents live in rural areas. Though the virus has undoubtedly reached India's rural population, the nation's cities have been particularly hard-hit. By May, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hpm.3047">nearly 80% of India's total COVID-19 cases</a> hailed from just 30 cities. A <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news">January survey</a> found that 56% out 28,000 people sampled in Delhi tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.But Kuppalli said health trends among India's rural population are difficult to track.For one thing, rural areas are larger and more spread out. Many Indians living in these communities also lack internet access, which prevents them from plugging into the nation's surveillance network.Kuppalli also noted that it's difficult for patients who are sick in rural places to get to large urban hospitals because of transportation or financial issues. A <a href="https://www.smilefoundationindia.org/Media/rural-healthcare.html">2018 report</a> found that only one state-run hospital is available for every 90,000 people in India's rural communities. That could mean that India simply isn't recording as many rural cases.That too, is just a possibility, though. For now, Kuppalli said, "it's great that they've had this turnaround.""It's an opportunity for us to study this population," she added. "There are lots of things to think about and try to understand."This article was originally published on February 3. It has been updated to reflect the latest data on India's coronavirus cases.

India's sudden drop in coronavirus cases has puzzled disease experts. Strict public-health measures and difficulty recording rural cases may have factored in.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> <keyword id="410898" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="outbreak">outbreak</keyword> has exploded to 100,161 cases and 3,144 deaths. It's now the largest in <keyword id="21718" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Asia">Asia</keyword>.</li><li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a strict nationwide lockdown on March 25, which has since been extended multiple times.</li><li>Some restrictions have lifted, allowing the agriculture industry and small shops to reopen in an effort to revive the struggling economy.</li><li><keyword id="6358070" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mumbai">Mumbai</keyword> has been wrecked by the virus, but cases are beginning to emerge in rural areas as millions of migrant workers head home from major cities where they made their livelihood.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>India is not only home to 1.35 billion people, but also to Asia's largest coronavirus outbreak.On Monday, the country reported its largest single-day increase: 5,242 cases and 157 deaths, the <a href="https://apnews.com/4942800e0324da1932440617f2fa49c5">Associated Press</a> reported. That surge raised its total to <a href="https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">100,161 cases and 3,144 deaths</a>. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-high-population-density-lack-hygiene-complicate-india-coronavirus2020-3">imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns</a> on March 25."There will be a total ban of coming out of your homes. Every district, every lane, every village will be under lockdown," he said, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/world/coronavirus-updates-maps.html#link-1854b568">The New York Times</a>.Modi estimated at the time that India needed about three weeks to curb the infection's spread, stressing, "If we're not able to manage the pandemic in the next 21 days, the country and your family will be set back for 21 years."The government has since been forced to extend the sweeping restrictions several times as the coronavirus has raced across the crowded nation. The most recent extension is set to end on May 31. <div type="image" title="indian man coronavirus lockdown" height="1179" width="2357" msid="75815587" hostid="261"></div>Mumbai has been hardest hit, with 20% of the country's cases and 25% of all deaths, the Times reported.The city of 20 million-plus residents is not only India's financial hub but also where Bollywood and Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, are located. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/world/asia/mumbai-lockdown-coronavirus.html">According to the Times</a>, local hospitals have been overrun and police officers are stretched thin. In Dharavi, social distancing at home is nearly impossible, as typically more than half a dozen residents live in rooms bookended by concrete slabs covered with tin roofs.<h2>Migrant workers have been hit hard by the crisis</h2>Among the worst of the population wracked by the virus are some 40 million migrant workers who, when jobs dried up, found themselves stranded in major cities without money or food. Some were forced to walk hundreds of miles over days to get home."This lockdown is totally inhuman," lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, who has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking help for these workers to return home, told <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52360757">BBC News</a>."Those who test negative for <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> must not be forcibly kept in shelters or away from their homes and families against their wishes," he added. "The government should allow for their safe travel to their hometowns and villages and provide necessary transportation for the same."<div type="image" title="migrant crowds coronavirus india" height="1250" width="2500" msid="75815591" hostid="261"></div>India's government relaxed some restrictions on May 4, allowing millions of migrants workers to travel by buses and special trains from major cities where they'd been working. This triggered a spike in infections in villages in rural areas where those people headed.Modi, who introduced a $260 billion coronavirus relief package, is also gradually lifting restrictions to revive the economy. The agriculture industry and small shops have resumed business across multiple states and e-commerce deliveries have restarted.But restaurants, hotels, colleges, schools, flights, and malls remain closed across the country, according to the Associated Press."It's overdue as the economic impact on India is going to be quite severe," Arvind Subramanian, a former economic adviser to the Indian government, said to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/world/asia/virus-india-rescue-package.html">The Times</a>.Goldman Sachs on Monday predicted that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-india-economy-recession-gdp-decline-45-percent-q2-2020-5">Indian economy will shrink by 45%</a> this quarter. The country's GDP will decline by 5% this fiscal year, the company said, marking India's steepest contraction since 1979.<div type="image" title="Central Reserve Police Force India coronavirus lockdown" height="1589" width="2119" msid="75815593" hostid="261"></div>Meanwhile, the lack of hygiene and lack of space to maintain social distancing continue to complicate India's coronavirus response as is the summer — with temperatures closing in on 100 degrees Fahrenheit and making it difficult for people to stay indoors — and impending monsoons.Also, experts worry that India's testing rates are low, which is preventing officials from understanding the true scope of its coronavirus outbreak. But, in a speech that hinted at the lockdown being eased further, Modi said that the country can't be overly bogged down by the virus, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/world/asia/virus-india-rescue-package.html">The Times said</a>."All the experts are telling us that corona will be part of our lives for a long period," he said. "But we cannot allow our lives to revolve around corona, corona, corona."Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-unprecedented-economic-recession-coronavirus-hits-unhygienic-densely-populated-slums-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

India reports the largest coronavirus outbreak in Asia as millions of migrant workers travel from packed cities to rural villages

New Delhi, Amid the coronavirus pandemic when the pace of manufacturing and services sector came to a grinding halt, <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="agriculture">agriculture</keyword> and allied sectors in India have picked up pace as the country saw the strength of the farm sector. The <keyword id="26362" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government">government</keyword> also took care of a large population of the country related to agriculture and farming and enacted new laws to intensify the winds of improvement in the agricultural sector. The <keyword id="6358021" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget">Budget</keyword> 2021-22 is going to be presented in <keyword id="6354721" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> on Monday, amid wrangling over agricultural reform. In such a situation, it is expected that the Modi government, which claims to give priority to the progress of villages, the poor and <keyword id="45092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmers">farmers</keyword>, will also give priority to agriculture and rural development in the upcoming Budget. According to the Economic Review 2020-21, while the industry and services sectors are projected to fall by 9.6 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively, in the current financial year, the growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors can remain at 3.4 per cent. The agriculture and allied sectors recorded a growth rate of 3.4 per cent at constant prices during FY 2020-21 (first advance estimate). The Modi government's priority has been to double the income of farmers by 2022 and to develop basic facilities in villages including 'pucca' houses for all the poor in the country. Therefore, with a view to achieving these goals, the budgetary allocation of major schemes of agriculture and rural development sector can be expected to increase in the upcoming Budget. A senior official of the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that farmers' awareness about all the schemes of agriculture sector including Prime Minister <keyword id="7283018" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kisan-samman-nidhi">Kisan Samman Nidhi</keyword> (PM-KISAN) is continuously increasing and the benefits of these schemes are beginning to be seen at the ground level. The government will also focus on the scheme to provide short-term agricultural loans to farmers at affordable interest rates. Other schemes of the agriculture sector, including the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, the Prime Minister Agricultural Irrigation Scheme, can also be given importance in this budget. Agricultural economists point out that along with agriculture, the government will give prominence to the plans of the food processing industry, which will help in achieving the goal of doubling the income of farmers. Major schemes for the development of villages proved to be very helpful in providing employment opportunities to the workers migrating from the cities during the corona period. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), in addition to providing employment to the daily wage labourers in the villages, proved to be crucial in the development of basic infrastructure in the villages, which was called an opportunity in disaster and under the self-sufficient India package. Experts say that in the upcoming Budget also, other rural development schemes including MNREGA can be increased. The budgetary allocation of MNREGA was ₹61,500 crore in 2020-21, but under the self-sufficient package in the corona era, an additional allocation of ₹40,000 crore was made for the scheme. Farmers have been agitating for more than two months on the borders of Delhi to repeal the new agricultural laws and to demand a legal guarantee for the purchase of crops at the minimum support price (MSP). Agricultural experts point out that MSP is a big issue in the farmers' movement, so some announcement can be expected in the Budget regarding MSP as well. Union Finance Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> will present the General Budget of the upcoming financial year 2021-22 in Parliament on Monday. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/article/the-many-marvels-of-satpura-biosphere-reserve/articleshow/80598269.cms">The many marvels of Satpura Biosphere Reserve in Madhya Pradesh</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/india-travel-and-tourism-sector-is-hoping-that-the-budget-2021-wont-leave-them-behind/articleshow/80596702.cms">India’s travel and tourism sector is hoping that the Budget won’t leave them behind</a>

Rural poor, farmers' progress to be government's priority :Budget 2021

<ul><li>Several poor families have lost their livelihoods during this pandemic, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52210888">leaving at least 115 </a>million <keyword id="6354493" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="children">children</keyword> at the risk of <keyword id="6378239" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="malnutrition">malnutrition</keyword>. </li><li>However, according to Economist Mohan Guruswamy, the decline in the next quarter is<a href="https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1300487337739055104"> going to be horrendous.</a> </li><li>Experts say while we control <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>, we should not forget the development of other health issues and should continue to <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/malnutrition-causes-68-of-under-5-deaths-in-india/">pay attention to them as well. </a> </li></ul>In India, the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic forced tens of thousands of children to go to sleep on an empty stomach. Several poor families lost their livelihoods, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52210888">leaving at least 115 </a>million children at the risk of malnutrition. And, the latest GDP number isn’t comforting. Economists believe India’s worsening economy — <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/gdp-growth-at-23-9-in-q1-worst-economic-contraction-on-record/articleshow/77851891.cms">which saw a -23.9% dip in GDP in three months</a> — is going to push more people under poverty and is also going to affect the country’s progress in reducing malnutrition. "What will happen is more people will lose jobs, and they'll lose hope. Hunger will increase, child malnutrition will increase, and more people will be pushed into poverty." Santosh Mehrotra, Professor of Economics and Chairperson, Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies, <a href="https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1300491428003364864">JNU said in an interview</a>. Prof Mehrotra believes the economy will shrink further and which will reduce daily wages in rural areas. People will come to urban cities to find work, but due to a lack of jobs in the market, we will see a lot more beggars on the streets. However, according to Mohan Guruswamy, the decline hasn’t begun yet and the decline in the next quarter is<a href="https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1300487337739055104"> going to be horrendous.</a> Guruswamy heads the Centre for Policy Alternative and has worked as an adviser to the Finance Ministry in 1998. COVID-19 brings India’s little progress to a halt Over the last few years, India was able to make a little progress in its fight against malnutrition, with a significant decline in child mortality rate. Between 2000 and 2017, India’s under-5 mortality rate (USMR) declined by 49% from 83 deaths per 1000 live births in 2000 to 42 deaths in 2017. There were 1.04 million under-five deaths in 2017, against 2.24 million in 2000, <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2930471-2">according to the latest research published in the Lancet. </a> The mortality data becomes a crucial indicator as <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/malnutrition-causes-68-of-under-5-deaths-in-india/"> 68% of under-five deaths in India are due t</a>o inaccessible proper meals or maternal and child malnutrition. If this progress were to continue, India would have met its Sustainable Goal of reducing under-five mortality to reduce to 25% by 2030. However, the progress came to a halt after the COVID-19 lockdown forced millions of children to stay out of school. For thousands of children in rural areas, this also means they won’t be able to get <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/malnutrition-could-cost-childrens-health-lives-for-years-after-covid-crisis-experts-warn/">food under the Mid-Day meal programme.</a> The World Health Organisation <a href="http://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/nutrition-infocus/feeding-babies-and-young-children-during-the-covid-19-outbreak.htmles,%20protein%20and%20milk">advised </a>people to give fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, protein, and milk to young children and infants during the pandemic. But, migrant labourers and other poor families could not afford to buy fruits and milk every day. Even getting by with a decent meal everyday was becoming a struggle. “I can only give them what I can afford,” a worker<a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/malnutrition-could-cost-childrens-health-lives-for-years-after-covid-crisis-experts-warn/"> told IndiaSpend. </a> Malnutrition perpetuates the vicious cycle of intergenerational undernutrition that results in a high incidence of babies born with low birth weight, more susceptible to infections, more likely to experience growth failure, reflected in high levels of child undernutrition and anaemia, Dr. Sunil Rajpal, Associate Professor, Health Economist, IIHMR University, Jaipur told Business Insider India. Experts say while we control COVID-19, we should not forget the development of other health issues and should continue to <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/malnutrition-causes-68-of-under-5-deaths-in-india/">pay attention to them as well. </a> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/rise-in-work-from-anywhere-will-lead-to-more-outsourcing-thats-an-opportunity-for-tcs-infosys-and-hcl-tech/articleshow/77864248.cms">Rise in 'work from anywhere' will lead to more outsourcing — that's an opportunity for TCS, Infosys and HCL Tech</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/ambani-vs-damani-indias-635-billion-retail-ring-will-see-the-countrys-two-richest-men-battle-with-different-strategies/articleshow/77846555.cms">Ambani vs Damani ⁠— India’s $635 billion retail ring will see the country’s two richest men⁠ battle with different strategies</a>

COVID-19 has added a layer to malnutrition crisis in India

(Eds: Correcting 'Aadhaar' spelling throughout) New Delhi, Apr 29 () Sarvatra Technologies, a payment and banking solutions provider, on Wednesday said it has witnessed a three-fold rise in Aadhaar-enabled cash withdrawal in rural areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it is offering services like door-step cash delivery, deposits, funds transfer, among others in small villages and towns where ATMs and regular banking infrastructure are unavailable. It said the monetary needs of rural India are being catered through various modes such as UPI, IMPS, AePS, ATM, micro ATM, PoS. Sarvatra said as the government has announced the Rs 1.7 lakh crore financial support to the needy due to coronavirus pandemic, its AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) platform has witnessed an exponential rise of 353 per cent in cash withdrawals. Sarvatra's wide range of offerings have also enabled other financial institutions such as BCs (business correspondents) to successfully extend money transfer and cash disbursal services. The financial services provider said money transactions through its platform are serving customers of over 600 small co-operatives, district as well as scheduled commercial banks apart from small finance banks in the 30 states and union territories during the pandemic. The list also has large banks like ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, besides new generation small finance banks like Equitas, Jana and Capital, it added. "In the 30 days of lockdown, in addition to transactions conducted at regular ATM machines, hundreds of mobile ATM Vans and thousands of micro ATMs of our banks have provided doorstep banking services across India to 15 lakh unique customers, including senior citizens," said Mandar Agashe, founder and managing director, Sarvatra Technologies. Banking in the rural areas where Sarvatra provides its PaaS (platform as a service) services has remained unaffected in the midst of the lockdown. With the help of Sarvatra, the rural banking industry has been able to overcome several logistical challenges that could have impeded seamless financial services during this crisis, the company said. Its aim is to drive top technologies to the bottom of the pyramid and help financial inclusion of the remotest person, said Vallabh Bhanshali, chairman, Sarvatra Technologies. KPM MKJ

Sarvatra Tech logs over 3-fold jump in Aadhaar-enabled transactions in rural India amid lockdown

New Delhi, Apr 29 () Sarvatra Technologies, a payment and banking solutions provider, on Wednesday said it has witnessed a three-fold rise in Aadhar-enabled cash withdrawal in rural areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it is offering services like door-step cash delivery, deposits, funds transfer, among others in small villages and towns where ATMs and regular banking infrastructure are unavailable. It said the monetary needs of rural India are being catered through various modes such as UPI, IMPS, AePS, ATM, micro ATM, PoS. Sarvatra said as the government has announced the Rs 1.7 lakh crore financial support to the needy due to coronavirus pandemic, its AePS (Aadhar enabled Payment System) platform has witnessed an exponential rise of 353 per cent in cash withdrawals. Sarvatra's wide range of offerings have also enabled other financial institutions such as BCs (business correspondents) to successfully extend money transfer and cash disbursal services. The financial services provider said money transactions through its platform are serving customers of over 600 small co-operatives, district as well as scheduled commercial banks apart from small finance banks in the 30 states and union territories during the pandemic. The list also has large banks like ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, besides new generation small finance banks like Equitas, Jana and Capital, it added. "In the 30 days of lockdown, in addition to transactions conducted at regular ATM machines, hundreds of mobile ATM Vans and thousands of micro ATMs of our banks have provided doorstep banking services across India to 15 lakh unique customers, including senior citizens," said Mandar Agashe, founder and managing director, Sarvatra Technologies. Banking in the rural areas where Sarvatra provides its PaaS (platform as a service) services has remained unaffected in the midst of the lockdown. With the help of Sarvatra, the rural banking industry has been able to overcome several logistical challenges that could have impeded seamless financial services during this crisis, the company said. Its aim is to drive top technologies to the bottom of the pyramid and help financial inclusion of the remotest person, said Vallabh Bhanshali, chairman, Sarvatra Technologies. KPM MKJ

Sarvatra Tech logs over 3-fold jump in Aadhar-enabled transactions in rural India amid lockdown

<ul><li>Earlier this month, a 42-year old journalist Pandurang Raikar succumbed to COVID-19 in Pune <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-journalist-death-covid-19-hospital-payment-delay-6579975/">after the hospital delayed admission</a> over advance payment. </li><li>There have been many cases where even affluent patients have failed to find space in hospitals. </li><li>The benefits of the lockdown i.e. adding beds before <keyword id="6418348" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="infections">infections</keyword> spike have fallen short of the requirement. </li></ul>Harshad Sanghvi, a builder from Ghatkopar, couldn’t get admitted to a hospital after suffering from a heart attack at 7.30 pm on 11 September. The reason was simple — there were no empty ICU beds, <a href="https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/builder-suffers-heart-attack-struggles-to-get-icu-bed-for-7-hrs/amp_articleshow/78096685.cms?__twitter_impression=true">reported Mumbai Mirror. </a> Soon after he had the stroke, his family rushed to Zen Hospital in Chembur, where the doctors suggested he had contracted COVID-19. His family was advised to admit him to a COVID-19 dedicated hospital. After struggling for around 7 hours, they were finally able to get a hospital bed. Sanghvi was among the lucky ones who could get a bed. However, in the past few months, there have been numerous reports of people dying because of lack of ICU beds. Earlier this month, a 42-year old journalist Pandurang Raikar succumbed to COVID-19 in Pune <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-journalist-death-covid-19-hospital-payment-delay-6579975/">after the hospital delayed admission</a> over advance payment. Pune has registered over one lakh coronavirus cases, and is fast emerging as the newest epicentre of coronavirus in India. “All this while, Pandurang was feeling uneasy and breathless and required urgent hospital admission. However, the hospital refused to admit him. They asked him to pay Rs 40,000 as advance fees. They told him that it will take a while to make the payment as other patients were in the queue,” Kunal Jaykar, <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-journalist-death-covid-19-hospital-payment-delay-6579975/">a close relative, told the media. </a> For the last 14 days, India has reported more than 1000 deaths. Every single day <div type="image" title="Flourish" msid="78142959" hostid="261"></div>The Indian government, on September 16, <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/63k-icu-beds-33k-ventilators-available/articleshow/78137810.cms">told Parliament</a> that there are 62,979 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 32,862 ventilators available in COVID-19 dedicated government and private health facilities across the country. Maharashtra has the maximum number of ICU beds at 14,447, followed by Tamil Nadu, which has 8,439 ICU beds. However, the situation on-ground suggests they may not be enough. Mumbai, the only city in the country to have registered more than 4 lakh coronavirus cases, <a href="https://science.thewire.in/health/mumbai-covid-19-hospital-beds/">ran out of beds in May</a> when it had only 25,000 coronavirus cases. As of September 12, only 6% of ICU beds in Mumbai are available, according to an IIFL report dated September 14. New Delhi — which has 28,641 active coronavirus cases — is also facing a shortage of ICU beds. The Kejriwal government has 2,201 ICU beds for COVID-19 patients against a population of over two crore. Only 35% of the ICU beds are available in Delhi currently, according to the IIFL report. The Delhi government recently asked private hospitals to reserve 80% of the hospital beds for coronavirus patients. It <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-hospitals-run-out-of-beds-for-critical-covid-patients-6407221/">had only 4,750 beds for severely ill COVID-19 patients. </a> Poor bed availability is an issue that has plagued India <div type="image" title="BCCL" msid="78142993" hostid="261"></div> India is the second-worst hit COVID-19 country in the world and has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/indias-covid-19-number-crosses-5-million-mark-and-last-one-million-cases-in-just-11-days/articleshow/78139916.cms">registered over 5 million cases </a>with 80,000 deaths so far. Over the past few days, India has been adding over 90,000 coronavirus cases daily, the highest any country has ever recorded globally. The crucial reason for the shortage of beds and other glaring concerns is India’s lower health budget. For several years, India had been spending less than 2% of its GDP on healthcare, making it one of the lowest investors in the sector globally. Notably, Brazil, Russia, South Africa spend about 8.3%, 7.1%, and 8.8% in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/why-indias-health-budget-needs-more-infusion/articleshow/70082859.cms">the public healthcare sector respectively. </a>The World Health Organisation in 2019 placed India’s healthcare spending behind Iraq and Venezuela. Between 2014 and 2017, India’s bed per population ratio changed by merely 0.60%. Also, there are regional disparities at every level. For instance, urban hospitals in India <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/why-indias-public-health-facilities-may-suffer-despite-a-likely-rise-in-health-spending/">have more beds than rural hospitals</a>, according to the National Health Profile. Change in Population-Doctor-Bed Ratios between 2014 and 2017 <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Indicators </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2014 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2017 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Change </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Average Population per Doctor at Government Hospitals </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">11,528 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">11,082 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-4.00% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Average Population per Government Hospital Bed </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,833 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,822 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">0.60 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Average Population per Government Hospital </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">61,011 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">55,591 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">-9% </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/why-indias-public-health-facilities-may-suffer-despite-a-likely-rise-in-health-spending/">National Health Profile </a> The lack of beds isn’t the only problem that India’s overwhelmed hospitals are facing. There’s a lack of oxygen cylinders and medical staff too. “With the country working round-the-clock to expand COVID-19 care facilities, the increase in the number of ICU beds will facilitate the early transfer of severe cases to ICU and faster action on severe cases. Apart from increasing the number of ICU beds, the training and skill development of the staff and crew set to work on COVID cases is very important, Dr Hardik Ajmera, Deputy Medical Director, Saifee Hospital, told Business Insider. . Moreover, according to Dr Vanita Mande from Suasth Hospital, India should have a COVID-19 Essential Supplies Forecasting Tool in place as recommended by WHO. <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/alert-on-icu-bed-shortage/cid/1780745">According to a recent government estimate,</a> India needs to spend ₹25 lakh crore to fight the epidemic — that’s five times the health budget and about 166 times more than what the government is currently planning to spend. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/we-wont-have-enough-covid-19-vaccine-for-everybody-until-2024-warns-worlds-largest-vaccine-producer/articleshow/78111779.cms">We won't have enough COVID-19 vaccine for everybody until 2024, warns world's largest vaccine producer</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/amid-india-china-standoff-tencent-is-back-with-an-investment-in-flipkart/articleshow/78140794.cms">Amid India-China standoff, Tencent is back with an investment in Flipkart</a>

You Searched For "coronavirus in rural india" and got 11 results

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COVID-19 has added a layer to malnutrition crisis in India

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Sarvatra Tech logs over 3-fold jump in Aadhar-enabled transactions in rural India amid lockdown

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