The question of a firecracker ban is a matter of “life” and “death” for various forces affected by it. While the environmentalists see it as the right to breathe clean air, for the firecracker industry workers, a ban is nothing short of a death knell.

The impact of the Ukraine war, from which India has been cushioned for some time, would be felt with all its intensity. The likely scenario that could unfold is high power prices, strained food grain supplies and general restiveness that would come from spiralling inflation. Can obfuscation of data help in tiding over the looming crisis?

A deepdive conversation with top Mumbai doctor on WHO’s Solidarity Trial of Remdesivir