From daily wage workers, local residents and commuters, the coal mandi in Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh is adversely affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Worst affected are the labourers at the market who are employed to load and unload the coal from the never ending trail of trucks. Tuberculosis cases are rampant. In its June 2022 report, the state pollution control board has recommended relocation of the mandi, but there is no deadline in sight. A ground report.

'The State of Rural India Report 2021' is a unique compendium of 14 themes and 60 stories that define the key happenings and developments in India's villages in 2021.These broad themes include The Second Wave; Health; Agriculture; Livelihood; Water; Disasters; Forest and Wildlife; Climate Change; Adivasi; Gender Matters; Education, Youth & Sports; Art, Craft & Tradition; Agents of Change; and Food, Festival & Culture.

Bihar produces more than half the total litchis in the country. But the early arrival of heatwaves this year in March has affected the litchi harvest as farmers report a decline in production and pest attack on fruits. Agricultural scientists acknowledge the negative impact of the heat on the litchi crop. A ground report from the litchi orchards of Muzaffarpur in Bihar.