Hello, hope you are having a great Sunday. This week we reflect on the reasons why there is a lack of assisted devices for persons with disability and what were the reasons for the export ban of wheat.
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The prolonging struggle for the 3As
Disability is not an unknown or a recent concept, discipline, or area of study. In the long history of research and studies, a first-ever report has been published by the World Health Organisation highlighting the absence and lack of availability of assistance devices for Persons with Disabilities.
Report findings:
As per the recent WHO Report, globally more than 2.5 billion people with disabilities need one or more assistive products to support their specific requirements, yet, nearly 1 billion people do not have access to these aids.
Divide in Accessibility- In the countries with the lower Human Development Index, 7.6 % could access Assistive devices. While in the countries with higher HDI 16 % of the population required the devices and 80 % could access them.
Purchasing Power- To buy these aids, few respondents shared that they had to travel up to 25 km to 100 km which also discouraged people who couldn’t afford, to procure these assistive devices.
Out-of-pocket expenditure- The respondents shared obstacles in accessing, affording, and availing of the devices. 65% of survey respondents reported that they had to pay out of their own pockets for these services and devices.
Why is there a gap in infrastructural access in India?
Exorbitant Taxes: 5 % of tax is levied on disability assistive devices. This further increases the price of products and restricts people from communication and movement.
Policy and Program Loopholes: To get a 100 % concession on assistive devices, people with disabilities need to have personal or family income that should not exceed Rs.15,000 per month. Due to this, people often rely on family and friends to financially support their needs.
Technical Challenges: As per a 2019 survey conducted in India 23 % of severely disabled and 9% of mildly disabled users encountered problems with Assistive Technology devices.
Limited Human Resources: The report also highlighted the gaps in service provision and the trained workforce for assistive technology. Developing countries like India have limited access to a trained workforce that helps in guiding people to use assistive technology devices.
(Sources: Scroll, The Hindu, World Health Organisation, Wire)
The Change of Mind?
The ongoing military operation in Ukraine is leading to a food and energy crisis all around the world. About 22 million tonnes of wheat are stuck in the silos near Ukraine's ports caused of the Russian blockade.
To support the countries, India had stepped up and exported wheat worth $177 million in March, and $473 million in April. However, on May 13, 2022, India, the second-largest grower of wheat banned all private wheat exports with immediate effect.
The reason for this sudden action has been a mystery and its impact is still to be measured on India’s economy, farmers, and the global supply chain.
Potential reasons:
Price Rise & Less Procurement: The Russia Ukraine crisis led to the surge in prices of wheat globally which has now increased by over 40%. In addition, the procurement of grain till mid-April was only 18 million tonnes in comparison to last year.
Prolonging Heatwaves: The central wheat-growing states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, suffered an unprecedented rise in heatwaves that made crops unfit for human consumption. As a result, the official wheat production estimates for 2022-23 were scaled down to 105 million tonnes from 113.5 million tonnes estimated earlier.
Traders’ Situation
BVR Subrahmanyam, Commerce Secretary to the Government of India said “wheat and flour prices in India had jumped from 20 to 40 % in recent weeks. The traders responsible for exporting the harvest are confronting heavy losses and about 1.8 million tons of grain are now stuck at Indian ports”.
The Global Response:
Countries have asked for clarification from India, on whether their requirements for wheat would be fulfilled or not. The agricultural ministers of the G7 nations, in a meeting in Germany, said that such measures would worsen the crisis of surge in the commodity prices.
(Sources: Scroll, The Hindu, Tribune, Times of India, CNN)
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