Recent investigations and reports have highlighted a grim reality in India's Maharashtra state, contradicting claims of the eradication of extreme poverty. While government officials and supporters tout achievements in reducing poverty through schemes like Ayushman and providing ration to 80 Crore people, which is like 60% of the population, a closer examination reveals stark inequality and exploitation, especially in the sugar industry. The top 1% in India amassed 22.6% of the national income between 2022 and 2023, indicating a significant wealth gap. In Maharashtra, women working in sugar cane fields are undergoing unnecessary hysterectomies, a practice linked to maintaining labor efficiency by avoiding disruptions from menstrual cycles, pregnancies, or medical check-ups. Investigations by The New York Times and the Fuller Project have uncovered a brutal system of labor exploitation involving child labor, child marriage, perpetual debt, and the aforementioned hysterectomies, with multinational corporations like CocaCola and PepsiCo implicated in benefiting from these practices. The goal is to reduce the number of people needing ration to below 40 crore in the next 5 years.
#Coke, #Pepsi using child labour in Maharashtra, forcing hysterectomies and child marriages: Report https://t.co/dyTLheZ59Y https://t.co/7ox7YKuZCj
Coke & Pepsi profit from sugar in western India where "young girls are pushed into illegal child marriages so they can work alongside their husbands cutting & gathering sugar cane." Many are pushed to have needless hysterectomies to "keep them working." https://t.co/TAIQrqTHou
An investigation by the Times and @FullerProject found a brutal system of labor in the Indian state of Maharashtra that exploits children, encourages child marriage, keeps families in debt and pushes women to get unnecessary hysterectomies. https://t.co/8VIfSEduaH
The Brutality of Sugar: Debt, Child Marriage and Hysterectomies via @NYTimes https://t.co/oY8YyGrn3J
The Indian state of Maharashtra is a sugar-producing powerhouse. But a Times and @FullerProject investigation found that soft-drink makers help finance a brutal system of labor that exploits children and leads to the sterilization of working-age women. https://t.co/tA4H7rU0DV https://t.co/f8c0ALt9wu
The Brutality of Sugar: Debt, Child Marriage and Hysterectomies. @CocaCola @PepsiCo Via @nytimes @meghara @Qadri_Inzamam https://t.co/2rpJ3kuvdw
How can India have eliminated extreme poverty when this is happening? And Coke and Pepsi know about it. By @meghara @qadriinzamam https://t.co/VHHjricb5j
Women who cut sugar cane in the Indian state of Maharashtra are getting unnecessary hysterectomies, often as a way to keep working, undistracted by periods, pregnancies or gynecological checkups. https://t.co/SbJLZ2ibE2
News explainer. Between 2022 and 2023, the top 1% in India pocketed 22.6% of national income—among the highest in the world. India continues to be full of contradictions where the poor are being left behind. Read more: https://t.co/yScZOOeLBz By @ujjainidutta_ & @ditipujara
Extreme poverty is eradicated in India due to schemes like ayushman Kudos to @narendramodi But still we are providing ration and free food to 80 Crore people which is like 60% of the population. This number has to go down to below 40 crore in next 5 years @nsitharaman
While Indian government officials point to recent consumption figures to proclaim that extreme poverty has been eliminated, a closer look reveals the grim reality behind these misleading statistics, writes @Princeton’s @AshokaMody. https://t.co/jMWXklZE4A