Epidemiologist rates 10 zombie virus movies and TV shows for realism

(Eds: Adds details) New Delhi, May 13 () Over 50 per cent of households in rural India are cutting down on their food items following the COVID-19-induced lockdown, according to a study by leading civil rights bodies.The sample size of the collaborative study 'COVID-19 induced Lockdown-How is Hinterland Coping' was over 5,000 households in 47 districts in 12 states of the country.It was conducted by civil society organisations PRADAN, Action for Social Advancement, BAIF, Transform Rural India Foundation, Grameen Sahara, SAATHI-UP and the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme with research support of Vikas Anvesh Foundation and Sambodhi.The study showed that 50 per cent of households have reduced the number of meals ever since the lockdown was imposed as part of immediate adjustment for food security. About 68 per cent of households reduced the number of items in their meals, it said.The nationwide lockdown was imposed from March 25 to April 14, then extended to May 3 and again to May 17 to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed 2,415 lives and infected 74,281 people in the country. The study showed that 84 per cent households received food items through the public distribution system (PDS), 37 per cent received take home ration.It said about 24 per cent households borrowed foodgrain in villages and 12 per cent people received free food.The findings of the study were released in a webinar on Wednesday.The study found that households have depended on Kharif stock more than Rabi, but that stock is now depleting fast."Households are coping with the shock by eating less food and fewer times, and with large dependence on PDS. There is a need for increased food support through PDS and promotion for food crop cultivation in Kharif," the study said.It said the preparedness for Kharif 2020 is low and there is a need for public support in terms of seed provision and credit. A large chunk of migrants are also yet to return to rural India, the study said."Lockdown and rumours have indeed adversely affected income - dairy and poultry. The coping mechanisms mostly clustered around change in food habits and reduction in expenditures," it said.The study said borrowing is taking place due to indebtedness and this might increase if the effect of shock prevails. Though asset sales are still low but they are already being reported by a small fraction of respondents, it said.The states where the study was conducted were Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.The study found that another worrying factor was that nearly one-third of the respondents reported that there is a possibility that their children will drop out of schools for discretionary expenses.Speaking at the webinar, Madhu Khetan, Programme Director at PRADAN, said the study was conducted in villages which were comparatively more accessible. The situation in remote villages might be worse, Khetan said.Girish Sohani, president, BAIF, said the survey also raises certain health aspects and there will be more such surveys to better assess the ground situation.India's economy has been severely hit by the coronavirus-induced lockdown with thousands of people losing their means of livelihood across the country.To deal with the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced an economic stimulus package for Rs 20-lakh-crore, estimated at 10 per cent of the GDP. The special economic package will have emphasis on land, labour, liquidity and laws, and will be for "our labourers, farmers, honest tax payers, MSMEs and cottage industry", Modi had said. UZM ANBANB

Over 50 pc of households in rural India cutting down on food items after lockdown: Study

New Delhi, Apr 29 () The government has pinned its hope on the farm sector to keep the economy running amid the COVID-19 stress, saying the agrarian industry is functioning "smoothly" and would be less impacted unlike manufacturing and services. Lauding farm workers working tirelessly for ensuring the country's food security even during the current crisis, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said many of the rabi (winter-sown) crops have been harvested taking safety precautions, and procurement of some crops such as wheat, rice, pulses and oilseeds at minimum support price (MSP) is underway. Farmers have started sowing rain-dependent kharif (summer) crops like rice, and the acreage has gone up to 57.07 lakh hectares so far this year from 41.31 lakh hectares a year ago, he said adding that there has been no shortage of foodgrains, vegetables and dairy products in the country. Farmers are getting better rates in mandis, Tomar claimed. Stating that many other sectors are hit due to the lockdown, the minister said, however, "the agriculture sector will not be impacted much". The government has taken several measures to ensure smooth operations of the agriculture sector and exempted farm activities from the lockdown rules, he added. Government think-tank Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand asserted that at a time when 60 per cent of the Indian economy is closed and not working due to the lockdown, the agri sector alone will play a key role in giving normal growth to the Indian economy. "Our estimates are that agriculture this year will have at least 3 per cent growth rate, which is a long-term growth rate of Indian agriculture despite prevailing adverse circumstances," he said. The farm sector growth stood at 3.7 per cent during the 2019-20 fiscal, he said and pointed, "If you look at the growth rate in current prices, then that growth rate comes to be 11.3 per cent, which is 60 per cent more than the growth of the non-agricultural sector." Asserting that the agriculture sector will come to the rescue of the Indian economy amid "depressing" forecasts by many agencies including the IMF, the Niti Aayog member said it is because the support of agriculture is so strong, the share of agriculture in the GDP is 17 per cent. This is higher than even manufacturing, he said. "In the case of agriculture, things are happening. And with that kind of growth, you find agriculture alone to give something more than 0.5 per cent to a little more growth rate to Indian economy," he said. In an otherwise gloomy picture due to the environment prevailing in India and across the globe, the agriculture sector will "rise to the occasion and play a role in giving a normal growth to Indian economy" in this difficult and distressing time, he added. Drawing attention to various indicators, Chand said forecast of normal southwest monsoon, 40-60 per cent increase in water level in reservoirs in first quarter of this fiscal for kharif crops, uptake in sale of fertilisers and seeds and better price for farm produce in mandis will encourage farmers to invest more. "Farmers invest more when prices and terms of trade are favourable. One can expect better growth," he explained. "All those stories and forecasts that Indian economy is going to shrink, I think that will not hold mainly because support for agriculture is strong," he added. Chand also mentioned that gloomy economic forecasts by some agencies including IMF is causing serious worries among politicians, decision makers and ordinary citizens about the future of the Indian economy, jobs and food security. Highlighting measures taken to ensure farmers not affected during the lockdown period, the government said it has disbursed the first installment of Rs 2,000 to 8.13 crore beneficiaries in the first fortnight of April itself under the PM-KISAN scheme. Under PM-KISAN, the government gives Rs 6,000 per annum in three equal installments directly into the bank accounts of farmers. That apart, the government has launched 'Kisan Rath' mobile app to help farmers find transportation for movement of farm produce to mandis. All India Agri Transport call centre has also been put in place to resolve inter-state movement of farm produce and Kisan Rail was started on 67 routes for supplying essential commodities at fast speed. The government also said new features have been added to the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNAM) to encourage farmers to trade online during this lockdown. It also said it plans to connect 1,000 mandis to eNAM by May-end, taking total to 1,585 mandis. LUX MKJMKJMKJ

Lockdown: Agri sector running smoothly, to be less impacted unlike other segments, says govt

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul><li>Canada recently legalized marijuana use, becoming the second nation in the world to do so.</li><li>Cannabis has been largely regulated since the the early 20th century.&#xa0;</li><li>But medical uses for cannabis have been found in many cultures for thousands of years.</li></ul>Since the early 20th century, the use of cannabis for any purpose fell out of favor by both regulators and Western culture at large.In the United States, a wave of regulations made access to cannabis more difficult starting from the late 1900s, ultimately culminating in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively made cannabis use a federal offense. Meanwhile, prohibition in Canada lasted for 85 years until being lifted by recent developments.Interestingly, however, this recent period of 20th century opposition is actually just a small speck in the wider 6,000-year timeline of cannabis. After all, the plant has been widely regarded for its therapeutic potential for many millennia by different cultures around the world.<h2>6,000 YEARS OF MEDICAL CANNABIS</h2>Today's infographic comes to us from&#xa0;<a href="https://medreleaf.com/">MedReleaf</a>, and it focuses on the medical uses of cannabis discovered by many cultures over time. With uses dating back to Ancient empires such as Rome, Egypt, and China, it helps to put into perspective recent legal and cultural developments regarding cannabis on a broader historical scale.4000 BC: Pan-p'o village Cannabis was regarded among "five grains" in China, and was farmed as a major food crop.2737 BC: Pen Ts'ao Ching Earliest record of cannabis as a medicinal drug. At this time, Emperor Shen-Nung recognized its treatment properties for over 100 ailments such as gout, rheumatism, and malaria.2000-1400 BC: Scythians Nomadic Indo-European peoples used cannabis in steam baths, and also burned cannabis seeds in burial rituals.2000-1000 BC: Atharva Vedas Cannabis was described as a "source of happiness", "joy-giver", and "bringer of freedom" in these Hindu religious texts. At this time, cannabis was smoked at daily devotional services and religious rituals.2000-1000 BC: Ayurvedic Medicine Open religious use of cannabis allowed for exploration of medical benefits. During this period, it was used to treat a variety of ailments such as epilepsy, rabies, anxiety, and bronchitis.1550 BC: Ebers Papyrus Egyptian medical papyrus of medical knowledge notes that medical cannabis can treat inflammation.1213 BC: Ramesses II Cannabis pollen has been recovered from the mummy of Ramesses II, the Egyptian pharaoh who was mummified after his death in 1213 BC.900 BC: Assyrians Employed the psychotropic effects of cannabis for recreational and medical purposes.450-200 BC: Greco-Roman use Physician Dioscorides prescribed cannabis for toothaches and earaches. Greek doctor Claudius Galen noted it was widely consumed throughout the empire. Women of the Roman elite also used cannabis to alleviate labor pains.207 AD: Hua T'o First recorded physician to describe cannabis as an analgesic. He used a mixture of cannabis and wine to anesthetize patients before surgery.1000 AD: Treats Epilepsy Arabic scholars al-Mayusi and al-Badri regard cannabis as an effective treatment for epilepsy.1025 AD: Avicenna The medieval Persian medical writer publishes "Avicenna's Canon of Medicine", stating that cannabis is an effective treatment for gout, edema, infectious wounds, and severe headaches. His work was widely studied from the 13th to 19th centuries, having a lasting impact on Western medicine.1300 AD: Arab traders Arab traders bring cannabis from India to Eastern Africa, where it spreads inland. It is used to treat malaria, asthma, fever, and dysentery.1500 AD: Spanish Conquest The Spanish brought cannabis to the Americas, where it was used for more practical purposes like rope or clothes. However, years later, it would be used as a psychoactive and medicinal drug.1798: Napoleon Napoleon brought cannabis back to France from Egypt, and it was investigated for its pain relieving and sedative qualities. At this time, cannabis would be used to treat tumors, cough, and jaundice.1839: William O'Shaughnessy Irish doctor William O'Shaughnessy introduced the therapeutic uses of cannabis to Western medicine. He concluded it had no negative medicinal effects, and the plant's use in a pharmaceutical context would rapidly rise thereafter.1900: Medical Cannabis Medical cannabis was used to treat nausea, rheumatism, and labor pain. At this point in time, it is available over-the-counter in medications such as "Piso's cure" and "One day cough cure".1914: Harrison Act Drug use was declared a crime in the U.S., under the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act in 1914.1937: Marihuana Tax Act The Marihuana Tax Act banned the use and sales of cannabis in the United States.1964: Discovery of THC The molecular structure of THC, an active component of cannabis, was discovered and synthesized by Israeli chemist Dr. Raphael Mechoulam.1970: Classified as Schedule 1 Drug Cannabis became categorized as a Schedule 1 Drug in the U.S., which limited further research into the plant. It was listed as having "no accepted medical use".1988: CBD Receptors Discovered The CBD1 and CBD2 cannabinoid receptors were discovered. Today, we know they are some of the most abundant neuroreceptors in the brain.2000-2018: Medical cannabis legalization Governments, such as those of Canada and various states, begin to legalize cannabis for medical purposes from licensed producers. Recreational legalization quickly starts to follow.<div><div style="clear:both"><a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/history-medical-cannabis-shown-one-giant-map/"></a></div><div>Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com">Visual Capitalist</a></div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-pitches-peace-to-kim-jong-un-with-bizarre-hollywood-style-video-2018-6">Trump pitched peace to Kim Jong Un with this Hollywood-style video starring Kim as the leading man</a></h3> <div> </div> </div></hr>

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Epidemiologist rates 10 zombie virus movies and TV shows for realism

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Over 50 pc of households in rural India cutting down on food items after lockdown: Study

PTI

Lockdown: Agri sector running smoothly, to be less impacted unlike other segments, says govt

PTI

Here's the 6,000-year history of medical marijuana

Gina Heeb