The Suno India Show Suno India

Owing to the water shortage in Delhi, the state’s Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite fast on June 21 demanding water for the national capital. The Delhi state government said that it has not got its share of Yamuna water, and there is an urgent need for a sustainable solution.

The debate over fair distribution of Yamuna water has persisted for years. This is not the first such inter-state water dispute. In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya  speaks to Srinivas Chokkakula, who is the President and Chief Executive of the CPR (Centre for Policy Research). He is the Ministry of Jal Shakti Research Chair for Water Conflicts and Governance at CPR, leading the Transboundary Rivers, Ecologies, and Development studies program that he founded. His research focuses on transboundary water conflict, cooperation, and governance, with extensive publications on these topics. He talks about the legal implications of such disputes, and the politics around it and the possible solutions. 

 
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At least 33 people died in heatwave during the 2024 General Election's last phase in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha. The people who died include polling officials.

The average heat related mortality has increased by 85% in 2013-22 as compared with 1991-2001. Excess heat can cause: 


Cardiac related illness
Lung damage
Kidney injury
Adverse pregnancy outcome 
Mental health impact

But often these deaths are not recorded as heat-related deaths or are not accepted by the respective governments or local bodies. 

The National Action Plan on Heat Related Illnesses, 2021 gave detailed guidelines on how to record a suspected heat-related illness death. Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a document examining autopsy findings of those who died of heat-related illnesses. This is an attempt by the govt to standardise the approach of confirming such deaths. 

We are replaying last year's episode. In this episode, Suno India's Sneha Richhariya visited a district hospital to understand the challenges of recording a heat-related death. I spoke to Dr. Abhishek Sharma, Emergency Medical Officer at Noida district hospital and Abhiyant Tiwari, lead climate resilience and health consultant at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 

References

India heatwave kills at least 33, including election officials - The Economic Times

National Action plan on Heat Related llnesses.pdf

AUTOPSY FINDINGS HEAT RELATED DEATHS

Cause certified in just 22.5% of deaths registered in 2020 | India News
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Since the 2024 General Election results have been declared, questions have been raised about the way mainstream media had represented the Indian voters’ sentiment. We want to highlight the work of a media collective, ChalChitra Abhiyaan that works in Western Uttar Pradesh, and recorded people’s discontent about the government. 

Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to Nakul Singh Sawhney, a documentary filmmaker who made several films including the widely acclaimed Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai on the religious riots that broke out in UP’s Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts in 2013. He is the founder of the film and media collective ChalChitra Abhiyaan based in West UP. It is  a collective that trains youth from marginalised communities in filmmaking and media. His upcoming film is on the historic farmers movement called - A Million Churnings. 

Nakul talks about how in large parts of Western UP where they report from, people have switched to consuming news on YouTube and how there is massive distrust towards the mainstream media. 

References

https://chalchitraabhiyaan.com/

Trailer- A Million Churnings... || लाखों मंथन... || ਲੱਖਾਂ ਬਗਾਵਤਾਂ...  - A CCA production

CCA - ChalChitra Abhiyaan - YouTube

 
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In April 2024, that is last month, Suno India published the story featuring Iliyas Marandi, a 23-year-old tribal man who lost his eyesight after taking miltefosine drug for Post-Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis, a skin manifestation of the deadly Kala-azar. This May, he underwent a corneal implant surgery at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences. Suno India’s Menaka Rao spoke to Iliyas after the surgery, and his doctor, Dr Rakhi Kusumesh. This is Iliyas’s second corneal implant. 

In 2022, the World Health Organization stated that 83 cases in India had possible links to miltefosine intake. While the government issued guidelines in 2022 to prevent people from losing vision after taking miltefosine, there are no plans yet for those who lost eyesight before 2022. Iliyas is one such person. He has so far mostly sought medical help with his own money, and resources. Except for some Ayushman Bharat scheme’s insurance money, Iliyas was on his own for this corneal implant too.
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In this podcast episode, Suno India's Cofounder Rakesh speaks with Kaushik Shridhar, Founde & CEO, Orka Advisory and author of the book The Art of Winging It: What's the Worst That Could Happen?. He shares his journey from a professional tennis player to a career in sustainability. He discusses the inspiration behind his book and the lessons he has learned along the way. Kaushik emphasizes the importance of slowing down, appreciating life, and taking a positive approach to challenges. He also reflects on personal experiences, such as surviving a plane crash and overcoming bullying, and how they have shaped his perspective. 
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This is the last episode in the series on Kala Azar reported by Suno India’s Menaka Rao. 

The Indian government has said that it has hit the elimination target for Kala-azar, a parasitic disease that is life-threatening. But miltefosine, the drug used to treat the skin manifestation of Kala-azar, called Post-Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), is being linked to eye problems, including blindness. 

The government has taken steps to try to reduce the side effects in 2021, but not much has been done for those who have lost their eyesight either in one eye or both, possibly as a result of miltefosine. The World Health Organization has found 83 cases of people in India who have suffered a problem in the eye after intake of miltefosine. 

In this episode, Menaka spoke to Iliyas Marandi, one of the patients who lost his eyesight completely after taking miltefosine treatment. She also spoke to ophthalmologists Dr Rakhi Kushumesh and Dr Asim Sil who treated such patients, and helped develop the guidelines to prevent such ocular side effects. 

 

References 

https://www.indiaspend.com/health/how-a-drug-to-treat-dermal-kala-azar-is-affecting-patients-eyesight-901497

Keratitis occurring in patients treated with miltefosine for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis | British Journal of Ophthalmology

https://ncvbdc.mohfw.gov.in/WriteReadData/l892s/PKDL-Guidelines-220512.pdf

Using focused pharmacovigilance for ensuring patient safety against antileishmanial drugs in Bangladesh's National Kala-azar Elimination Programme

Keratitis After Post-Kala-Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis

Corneal complications following Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis treatment | PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Adverse ocular events on miltefosine treatment for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in India - Suman Saurabh, Manish Mahabir, 2020

Advisory Committee on Safety of Medicinal Products (ACSoMP): Measures to minimize the risk of ocular adverse events with miltefosine

Statement on miltefosine - Potential ocular disorders in patients treated with miltefosine for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL).
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