Rasheeda Jaleel lives in fear that she may not be able to feed her seven children as millions of families are forced into poverty by a devastating new coronavirus wave. The 40-year-old, her husband Abdul Jaleel, 65, and the children already survive on just one meal a day.
NEW DELHI－As COVID-19 ravages India, overwhelming hospitals and shutting many businesses, experts are warning of another looming crisis: hunger among the poor already reeling from a first lockdown last year.
Indian economy contracts by record 7.3% in 2020-21
May 31, 2021
India’s economy contracted 7.3 percent in 2020-21, official data showed Monday, its worst recession since independence as coronavirus lockdowns put millions out of work.
Asia’s third-largest economy grew by 1.6 percent between January and March the fourth fiscal quarter after exiting its first “technical recession” since 1947 following two successive quarters of contraction. About 230 million Indians fell into poverty due to the pandemic last year, according to a study by Bangalore’s Azim Premji University, which defined the poor as those living on less than 375 rupees ($5) a day. An easing of restrictions towards the end of 2020 helped propel a tentative recovery in activity, but this may prove short-lived following an explosion in Covid-19 cases in April and May. India’s vicious second wave, which has killed 160,000 people in eight weeks, prompted further lockdowns and saw 7.3 million people lose the