Utpal Modak

The COVID-19 pandemic is now a worldwide social, economic, and political crisis, but not everyone is affected in the same way, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, Arnab Chakraborty, and Sourav Bag write.

As India enters into the 4th phase of lockdown, we are caught between the dilemma of savings lives or protecting livelihoods by keeping the economy open and running. The most marginalised, daily wage earners, unorganised labour class and those at the fringes of our society have been disproportionately affected.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 5.1 million people out of which more than 330 thousand people died. Most of the countries are either under nation-wide or localised lockdown with more than half of the global population confined within their homes. Rest of the countries are also following many restrictive measures to avoid spreading of the virus.

Smallholder farmers utilize space efficiently, growing creepers on machaan and shade-loving plants underneath. This mixed cropping with different growth period eliminates risk and improves farm income

More than 200 farmers in three blocks of the Jharkhand district went the green way to reduce dependance on monsoon rains

With the lockdown extended, food supplies and livelihoods are emerging as key areas of concern in rural districts. Local administration and nonprofits are working together to help resolve some of these issues.

As migrant workers return to their villages, rural India’s dependence on NREGA is likely to increase. Here’s how it can effectively reduce rural distress.

The global crisis due to Covid-19 has hit after reaching in western Europe. India’s response to curtail the spread of the disease was quite decisive. It announced a Janata curfew on the March 22, followed by a complete national lockdown from the midnight of March 24.

With migrant labour back in their hometowns, gram panchayats can strengthen containment measures in the interiors

With the imposition of the 21-day lockdown to prevent the deadly Coronavirus from spreading, rural masses, migrant labourers and daily wage earners are facing huge problems in accessing food.