Residents of three villages – Piyala, Kalipur and Waria – in Durgapur, West Bengal complain they are forced to eat and breathe black dust emanating from the nearby thermal power plant. The air, admits the pollution control board, is heavily polluted, and there are allegations of flyash being dumped in the local water bodies. A ground report.

While India is the biggest producer of sugar in the world, its staggering dometic demand makes it the second biggest exporter. The states of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra contribute the lion’s share when it comes to state-wise production. Gaon Connection traces the visual journey of sugarcane which is processed into jaggery at thousands of rudimentary factories spread across the sugarcane belt in western Uttar Pradesh.

Silicosis is a disease of the lungs. Every year, tribals from the hinterlands of Madhya Pradesh move to the neighbouring state of Gujarat in search of a livelihood. But they are returning with this disease