Healthcare
The Caravan
Bled Dry: How India exploits health workers
The Caravan reports on the state of frontline workers who have been forced to rise up in protest even as they lead the battle against the pandemic. Faced with unacceptable working conditions, inadequate staffing, low salaries, long hours of work, lack of PPEs, etc, they had reached the end of the tether. The government’s response to their issues have been intimidation or apathy.
The story brought the abysmal state of India’s healthcare workers, accentuated by the pandemic, to the fore. It highlighted the almost criminal negligence of India’s health infrastructure for the greater part of seven decades and the price that is being paid now for the continued apathy and inattention.
The Ken
Favouritism and fake certifications mar India’s ventilator procurement
The Ken reported on how fake certifications and irregularities in tendering process compromised procurement of critical medical equipment like ventilators during the pandemic.
The Ken's story forced the Delhi bureaucracy to take note of the issue and immediately change, and plug the holes, in the procurement process.
The Wire
The Wire Impact: Thane Hospital Doctors Finally Get Protective Gear
The Wire’s correspondent visited two Thane-run hospitals and found doctors treating patients without any personal protective equipment (PPE) whatsoever. This when the area had eight COVID-19 positive cases When the reporter approached the officials for their version, she was threatened with being booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
Unfazed by the threats, the story was filed and published by The Wire. And the hospitals got their supply of PPEs within 24-hours!
Livelihood
Asiaville
Corona Cyclips: Part 1 | Migrants on Foot | Covering Migrant Crisis on Bicycles
In May, amidst the nationwide lockdown, two Asiaville journalists ventured on a 600-km journey on bicycles from Delhi to Lucknow to cover the impact of the lockdown - the biggest exodus of Indians since partition.
The ground reported story was broadcast live on Asiaville's social media platforms and inspired citizens and organisations to step in to help the migrants and their affected families.
EastMojo
COVID-19 & flood dealing a big blow to Assam's handloom weavers
The COVID lockdown and the recent floods have ensured that in Assam’s
Sualkuchi town, handloom weavers have faced one of the most crippling
financial downturns in their history. The traditional weavers, whose
creations are legendary for their unique weaves and intricate designs,
have been unable to cope with the fallout. EastMojo
reports that other than the economic fallout, the impact is also a
“socio-cultural catastrophe”, as handloom has an overwhelming presence
in the lives of people.
After EastMojo's report, individual donors directly approached the reporter to send donations to the weavers who were affected.
The Caravan
Three migrant workers recount riding their bicycles for hundreds of kilometres to return home
The Caravan chronicles the epic journey of three contract workers in Aligarh - Anil Singh, Manjit Singh and Prem Kumar - who cycled more than 900-kms to reach their respective villages in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Deprived of income, food and shelter following the lockdown, they took to the roads to reach the relative safety of their homes.
This deep-reported story brought out the trauma of the migrants in vivid detail and seared their struggles on the national consciousness.
Saptahik Sadhana
गोड साखरेची कडू कहाणी...
The ground report details the impact of the lockdown on sugarcane factory workers in Maharashtra and how they were unable to reach the relative safety of their homes due to the lack of support from the factory owners and the government.
The story helped draw the attention of the public, the sugar factory owners, and the administration to the plight of these workers.
Response
Think Pragati
Ep. 413: How Can We Vaccinate India?
Think Pragati's analysts discuss the costs and logistical issues involved in delivering a COVID-19 vaccine in India. The episode also delves into how India can prioritise parts of the population to ensure an effective response.
The forward-looking episode is one of the most informative takes on vaccine delivery in India, where resources in terms of costs and logistical infrastructure are severely constrained.
Max Maharashtra
कोरोनाला रोखणारं गाव!
Manegav Bazar in Bhandara district of Maharashtra is a rarity in the state – zero COVID-19 cases. Max Maharashtra speaks to Rita Tai Sukhdev, the sarpanch of the village, to find the winning formula. What they found was a pro-active initiated disaster management committee, strict implementation of guidelines, door-to-door visits for motivation and screening by youth-volunteers and quarantine facilities at a local school for migrants returning to the villages.
The story served as an inspiration for other districts in the country as an example of how the community at the local level can come together to combat the Coronavirus. Especially when the state's response to the challenge has been tardy and ineffective.
The Caravan
Troubling Symptoms: The COVID-19 pandemic could help create a dystopian surveillance regime
The Caravan argues that the "compulsory" use of technology ostensibly to trace and fight the Covid pandemic - like the Aarogya Setu app - can be misused by the agencies of the state. It can lead to the state exercising the power of exclusion and denial of service, upon the citizen's refusal to install the app. More dangerously, the app can be used for surveillance against the citizen.
The time of the Covid has seen governments of countries across the world designing very intrusive systems for battling the dire public-health emergency. However, as this story points, it may, even if inadvertently, have serious consequences on a citizen’s right to privacy and fundamental liberties.
CG Net Swara
Impact : खाने की व्यवस्था हो गयी है, लॉकडाउन में मदद मिली...
The Lede
Impact: Indian Embassy In UAE Steps In To Help COVID Positive Indians
The Lede reported on the struggles of Indian Covid-positive migrant workers in the UAE who were unable to find facilities to quarantine safely.
The Indian Embassy in UAE, in response to The Lede's story, arranged safe spaces in Dubai to enable the workers to quarantine themselves.
Janjwar
गुड़गांव से लौटे दलित मजदूर को यूपी पुलिस ने इतना पीटा की उसने कर ली आत्महत्या
Janjwar reported on how a migrant youth from Lakhimpur Kheri district in UP died by suicide after being severely assaulted by a policeman when he stepped out of a quarantine centre to buy essential supplies. Before his death, the youth had recorded an audio clip naming the constable and sought action against him.
The video story by Janjwar was watched by close to 19 million people on Facebook. Following the coverage by Janjwar, the police ordered an investigation against the accused.
Misinformation
Down to Earth
COVID-19: Patanjali drugs get go-ahead from govt. but key questions unanswered
Patanjali claimed that it had found a "cure" for COVID-19 that had cleared clinical trials. However, the AYUSH Ministry said that they had allowed the sale of the products only as an immunity booster and not as a medicinal cure for Covid-19. Down To Earth (DTE) investigated Patanjali's claims and reported on their trial design.
DTE was the first to break through the misinformation to expose how the AYUSH ministry had allowed the trial design to be kept vague so that Patanjali could market the products to its advantage. DTE also spoke with the hospitals conducting the trials and found out that they were incomplete. The story was eventually able to junk Patanjali's claims.
Alt News
Video of Muslim vendor’s unhygienic handling of fruits falsely linked with spreading coronavirus
Alt News fact-checked multiple instances of misinformation and disinformation that tried to portray Muslims as a community deliberately trying to spread Covid-19. This trend emerged on social media after it was reported that a religious gathering in Delhi turned into a Covid-19 hotspot.
A series of rigorous fact-checks on the subject by Alt News, helped dispel the notion that one particular community was responsible for spreading the coronavirus.
ThePrint
Forget coronavirus, homoeopathy can’t cure anything. It’s a placebo, at best
As Covid took hold, many cures were recommended, including Homeopathy - the second most popular system of cure in India. But ThePrint reports that global experts dismiss its efficacy as, at best a placebo.
An important story which cleared the air about Homeopathy, which was being touted by some, including the government, as an antidote to the Covid-19 virus.