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Amidst the ongoing <keyword id="3257018" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="jnu-crisis">JNU crisis</keyword> and the raging nationalism debate, US Ambassador <keyword id="581550" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Richard-Verma">Richard Verma</keyword> has said that "universities are laboratories for thoughts" and that the "hallmark of democracies like India and America are diversity of thought and speech". 
 
While Verma didn’t refer to JNU directly, he said that college campuses in India and the US have very diverse viewpoints. While referring to Indian and American constitutions, he said that speech is the central tenet to both democracies. 
 
He, however, avoided any controversial remark during an interaction on India-US strategic ties. 
 
When he was asked about his thoughts on the current sedition debate in India, he said that India and the US share values and mentioned the diversity in India. 
 
"It is hard to find a country more diverse than India. I have travelled to over 20 towns in India and this country presents huge diversity," the US envoy said. 
 
He expressed optimism about US businesses in India which have proven their mettle in 2015. As per Verma, there are 500 US companies in India and the two countries are hoping that bilateral trade will reach $500 billion a year. 
 
<a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E1ziTGySLsc/maxresdefault.jpg">Image source</a>

Diversity of thought and speech is the hallmark of India, says US Ambassador Richard Verma

<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

Nearly a month into the nationwide lockdown announced by the Indian government to prevent the spread of COVID-19, online search trends on Yahoo India reflect the curiosity and anxiety that people are facing. Owing to the pandemic, novel Coronavirus-related searches rose by a whopping 427%. The top five COVID-19 keywords searched were 'COVID-19 updates', 'Symptoms of COVID-19', 'COVID-19 treatment', 'COVID-19 death toll' and 'live COVID-19 tracker.' People also mass-searched for 'lockdown in India,' 'vaccine for <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>,' 'social distancing', and '<keyword id="4751090" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hydroxychloroquine">Hydroxychloroquine</keyword> for coronavirus'. The latter is an anti-malarial drug that the US President Donald Trump described as a "game changer" in the fight against the Coronavirus crisis. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75341330" title="Coronavirus cases in India count hits 23,000 mark— 718 dead and 4,748 recovered as of April 24" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> During the pre-lockdown phase, actor <keyword id="1655" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Priyanka-Chopra">Priyanka Chopra</keyword> was the most searched female celebrity followed by Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone. All this changed when 'Babydoll' singer <keyword id="1758842" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kanika-Kapoor">Kanika Kapoor</keyword> tested positive for COVID-19 on her return from London. Kapoor replaced these superstars to take the top spot and even ran into trouble for not self-quarantining on return. Post-lockdown, superstars <keyword id="6357912" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amitabh-bachchan">Amitabh Bachchan</keyword> and Rajinikanth topped the list of most searched male celebs. Yahoo's 'Search in the Lockdown,' chronicles and compares what users in India searched for before and during the lockdown, shows trends that are based on users' daily search habits in the last one month. Before COVID-19 began to rule the search bar, the top search keywords online for news, included 'Delhi election results,' 'Delhi riots/Delhi violence' and 'JNU violence'. The top searched keywords (people) included Donald Trump, Arvind Kejriwal and <keyword id="29632" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jyotiraditya-Scindia">Jyotiraditya Scindia</keyword>. During the global shutdown, netizens are also looking online for productivity tools while working from home, with video conferencing apps Zoom and Skype being the top two searches. In the entertainment arena, searches for 'Bigg Boss', 'Drive', 'Tanhaji', 'Housefull 4' and 'Good Newwz' were replaced by the old classic 'Ramayan' that was re-telecast on Doordarshan. Pandemic based movie 'Contagion' was also highly searched. Top questions Indlooked for answers to online during the lockdown are: What is COVID-19? How long does coronavirus live on surfaces? How to make a mask at home? Is there any vaccine for Coronavirus? Does Coronavirus spread through air? What happens to Coronavirus patients in quarantine? <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75344399" title="PM Modi launches eGramSwaraj portal and app to help villages go digital" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Most Indians are watching Ramayan and searching for Kanika Kapoor during the lockdown

<ul><li>And, as the Narendra Modi-led <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP) government gears up for Delhi elections next month, Goel seems to be confident that the BJP will form the government in Delhi. </li><li>Goel, who became the president of BJP’s Delhi unit in 2013 argued that the two opposition parties — Congress and <keyword id="6354944" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="aam-aadmi-party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) — may forge an alliance in the upcoming assembly elections. </li><li>This is the first time that the national capital is going to polls after the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP bagged all the seats in Delhi.</li></ul>Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader <keyword id="81821" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vijay-Goel">Vijay Goel</keyword> is facing heat in the national capital amid the agitation around the JNU mob attacks and protests over Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). And, as the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government gears up for Delhi elections next month, protests became a key electoral issue. In spite of it all, Goel is confident. "In the last Lok Sabha election, BJP won all seven seats and by that calculation, we won 65 Assembly seats in Delhi. We also won the last Delhi municipal corporation election. People of Delhi have seen development by the Modi government," Goel told ANI. ‘Blame game’ — The battle is on As campaigning is heated from both sides, the ruling AAP and the BJP engaged in a blame game. Goel, who became the president of BJP’s Delhi unit in 2013 argued that the two opposition parties — Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — may forge an alliance in the upcoming assembly elections as both are in accord for protests over CAA, corruption and NRC (National Register of Citizens). Symbolic violation of odd-even rule As Delhi heads to assembly polls, pollution crisis, cracking down on unauthorised residential colonies and a full statehood are the key issues brought up by the AAP. However, the BJP calls it an ‘election stunt.’ A few months back, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP rolled out the odd-even scheme in Delhi to cut down on pollution levels. As a response, Goel said he would deliberately ride an odd-numbered vehicle on an even day, violating the rule. "My violation of odd-even scheme of the Kejriwal government will be symbolic because it's an election stunt and drama in view of assembly election," Goel <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/politics/bjp-mp-vijay-goel-says-will-violate-odd-even-scheme-calls-it-election-stunt-by-kejriwal-govt-2372387.html">told</a> PTI. However, taking a cue from the AAP, the BJP government rolled out the ‘jahan jhuggi wahin makaan’ (a home in place of a slum) scheme. It is dedicated to providing homes to over 20 lakh people living in the slums. Goel said that this housing scheme will be implemented on their newly claimed land. On January 10, BJP announced its 15-member election committee constituting the president <keyword id="6361217" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Manoj-Tiwari">Manoj Tiwari</keyword> and all the MPs in the state including Vijay Goel and <keyword id="322190" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Satish-Upadhyay">Satish Upadhyay</keyword>. This is the first time that the national capital is going to polls after the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP bagged all the seats in Delhi. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/delhi-election-2020-atishi-an-oxford-graduate-and-rhodes-scholar-is-drawing-up-aaps-agenda-in-the-national-capital/articleshow/73186471.cms">Delhi Election 2020: Atishi, an Oxford graduate and Rhodes scholar is drawing up AAP’s agenda in the national capital</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/gautam-gambhir-vs-atishi-marlena-from-east-delhi-election-results-2019/articleshow/69457119.cms">Gautam Gambhir wins his debut election from East Delhi</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/delhi-election-2020-gopal-rai-a-minister-with-multiple-portfolios-who-like-to-flash-aaps-report-card-as-he-seeks-votes/articleshow/73242360.cms">Delhi election 2020: Gopal Rai, a minister with multiple portfolios who likes to flash AAP’s ‘report card’ as he seeks votes</a>

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Diversity of thought and speech is the hallmark of India, says US Ambassador Richard Verma

BI India Bureau

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

BI India Bureau

Most Indians are watching Ramayan and searching for Kanika Kapoor during the lockdown

IANS

Delhi Election 2020: BJP’s Vijay Goel, who ‘deliberately’ broke traffic rules in Delhi, hopes to re-create Lok Sabha success

Prerna Sindwani

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