Dear Reader,

For decades, states across India's coastline have imposed periodic fishing bans to protect marine stocks during critical breeding seasons, especially the monsoon months. On the Odisha coastline, however, the ban extends to eight months, from November to June—seven months to protect the endangered Olive Ridley turtle species and an almost additional month to promote the breeding of other fish.

This well-intentioned and successful effort at conservation, across the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam, however, has severely impacted the livelihoods of almost 15 lakh fishers across 813 villages in the state, as the ban steadily and significantly shrinks the months available for fishing. Driven to desperation, increasing numbers of fishers are forced to migrate to other coastal states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh—to earn a living. The Migration Story brings you their tale.

Renowned as a monsoon tourism hotspot, the deep valley of Patalkot in Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh is also home to 12 villages of the Bharia tribe, classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG). A community long alienated from basic services and deprived of access to even clean water.

In the monsoons, this lack of a reliable water source hits hard. The primary water source, the Dudhi River, becomes unsafe and contaminated by dirt and debris, causing widespread illness and fatalities through waterborne diseases. Periodic public outrage on their plight meant that many promises were made but very few were kept. Borewells remain dry, healthcare distant, and physical infrastructure absent. Ground Report brings you the plight of Patalkot.

Kerala is the leading state in providing public health services. However, last week, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s (CAG) report on 'Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services’ in the state raised red flags. The report, examining the period between 2016 and 2022, underlined several challenges that Kerala’s public health infrastructure faces. It points out that the system is increasingly beset with shortage of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians, with a significant number of patients being denied treatment. The situation is especially critical in the Malappuram and Kozhikode districts.

As compared to the mandate of the Indian Public Health Standards––a set of benchmarks designed to improve the quality of healthcare delivery under the National Rural Health Mission––there is a 14% shortage of primary health centres and a 35% shortfall in community health centres. Keraleeyam Masika examines the challenges facing Kerala’s healthcare system and explores why a state acclaimed for its efficient public services has come to such a pass in its healthcare system.

Governance in India is not generally known for its alacrity in responding to public issues and needs. However, in a departure from the norm, मैं मीडिया's ground report on the dilapidated state of National Highway-27 in Bihar has yielded swift results. The grantee published a detailed ground report on 23rd January on the abysmal state of National Highway-27, despite toll revenues surpassing construction costs by ₹228.05 crore. Consequent to the story, within days, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued a tender for ₹403.05 crore in maintenance work on the highway. This tender constitutes a 39.48 km segment, stretching from Purnia in Bihar to Dalkhola in West Bengal, and includes upgrades to the flyovers in Kishanganj.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF