Jyoti Thakur Journalist Profile

Articles

‘A dry future powered by the sun’: Solar water pumps are draining India’s groundwater reserves

3 days ago | scroll.in | Hanan Zaffar |Jyoti Thakur

On his six-acre farm in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Sanjeev Kumar, a 42-year-old farmer, beams with quiet pride as he points to the glinting blue solar panels powering his irrigation pump. Installed two years ago at the cost of Rs 3.5 lakh, the 7-kilowatt system draws groundwater from as deep as 200 metres. It has been a game-changer for the wheat and peanut farmer from Chamraua village in Babina block. “Before this, I had to rely on diesel or unreliable electricity [to operate his irrigation pump].
Household illiteracy: The silent epidemic extracting a heavy human cost

Sep 23, 2024 | policycircle.org | Dhruv Singh |Jyoti Thakur

Household illiteracy in India: The fight against illiteracy has long been a priority for policymakers in India. Education, often hailed as the cornerstone of progress and empowerment, remains central to India’s vision of inclusive growth and development. However, despite significant strides, the battle against illiteracy continues to pose formidable challenges. India’s quest for inclusive development is overshadowed by persistent pockets of illiteracy.
Extreme rainfall might be increasing malaria cases in India’s forested regions

Sep 15, 2024 | scroll.in | Jyoti Thakur

In 1994, Manvati Nag, an Indigenous woman from Bijapur district in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, married and relocated to the village of Halbaras in forested Dantewada district in the east. Though the move was only about 80 kilometres, the life of Nag, then only 19, changed drastically. Never having fallen seriously ill in her parents’ home, she contracted malaria repeatedly in her new home: “once every year or two”, she estimates.
Malaria cases in Indian forests feared to rise due to climate change

Sep 9, 2024 | eco-business.com | Jyoti Thakur

An increase in malaria cases is particularly concerning for pregnant women, who are three times more likely to develop severe diseases compared to non-pregnant women. Babies born of malaria-infected women are more than twice as likely to be underweight at birth. Details on malaria-specific causes are scarce, but India’s forested areas have the highest all-cause maternal mortality rates during and after pregnancy.
Malaria cases in Indian forests feared to rise due to climate change

Sep 3, 2024 | dialogue.earth | Jyoti Thakur

In 1994, Manvati Nag, an Indigenous woman from Bijapur district in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, married and relocated to the village of Halbaras in forested Dantewada district in the east. Though the move was only about 80 kilometres, the life of Nag, then only 19, changed drastically. Never having fallen seriously ill in her parents’ home, she contracted malaria repeatedly in her new home: “once every year or two”, she estimates. What is malaria?
VR Takes India-Pakistan Partition Survivors Back to Their Childhood Homes

Aug 29, 2024 | flipboard.com | Jyoti Thakur

2 hours agoAdnan Sami's recent exchange with a Pakistani fan is going viral on social media. The singer acquired his Indian citizenship back in 2016 and has been vocal about his choice to change his citizenship from Pakistan and had said that he did it for the love he has towards India. Recently the singer …
India Opens Heat Stroke Unit

Jul 31, 2024 | bluedotliving.com | Jyoti Thakur

On a scorching June afternoon in Patel Nagar, New Delhi, a mentally challenged patient in his 20s, living in a tiny, tin-roofed room in a two-story building, lost consciousness. His brother, who lived downstairs with his wife, heard the fall and immediately rushed Patel to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML), one of the Indian capital’s largest public hospitals. “He was burning.
In Odisha, strained health system in remote areas struggles to control resurgent malaria cases

Jul 25, 2024 | scroll.in | Jyoti Thakur

On a sweltering June morning, Sumit Sisa felt extremely cold. His head hurt, and he had spiked a fever. After a day of struggling with fever, muscle aches and no relief Sisa, 25, who lives with his wife and a toddler in a thatch and clay tile hut in Bonda Hills in the Khairput block, roughly 80 km from Odisha’s southernmost Malkangiri district, visited the nearest primary health centre in Mudulipada, a kilometre away from his home, alone.
The hidden impacts of India’s solar boom

Jul 16, 2024 | fairplanet.org | Hanan Zaffar |Jyoti Thakur

India’s ambitious goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 and fully transition to clean energy has led to the installation of 84.28 GW of solar plants across the country, with an additional 55.60 GW currently under construction. Globally, India ranks third in energy consumption, with coal accounting for more than half of its total energy generation. The country also relies heavily on imports to meet its energy demands, importing 90 per cent of its oil and 80 per cent of its industrial coal.
'People Used to Taunt Us But...': Jharkhand's Women Entrepreneurs Adopt Solar Power, Defy Norms

Jun 25, 2024 | thequint.com | Jyoti Thakur

In Gumla district, where about 69% of the population is Adivasi, solar mini-grids light up around 44 villages. In Jharkhand, India’s highest coal-producing state, many villages continue to live in darkness due to frequent power outages or lack of electricity altogether, disrupting daily life and work. However, one district is pioneering change with solar-powered electricity. In Gumla district, where about 69% of the population is Adivasi, solar mini-grids light up around 44 villages.