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More than 50 per cent of the Indian population lives in villages that are located more than five kilometres from the nearest town. This half of India is more likely to experience illnesses of different kinds and simultaneously less likely to get qualified medical treatment. The incidence of premature deaths, infant and child mortality and malnutrition are all significantly higher within villages located further from towns. In consequence, such villagers are more susceptible than others to being overcome by the medical poverty trap. Poverty has increased within villages located more than five kilometres from towns, even as the national economy was surging ahead. Globalization privileges cities, disadvantaging locations at greater distances from towns. Public policy is required to compensate. Efforts to limit spatial inequalities must take precedence in future health policies.

The pandemic and the long closure of educational institutions have changed the learning and teaching practices across the globe. A massive and unplanned shift towards online education with unequal access to digital infrastructure deepens the existing digital divide and socio-economic inequalities. Tamil Nadu Covid Pulse Survey shows the state’s commitment to strengthening evidence-based policymaking and continuing its welfare tradition including its efforts to provide uninterrupted education during the crisis. Based on the three recent rounds of the panel survey conducted in October 2020 and August 2021, this article discusses Tamil Nadu’s experience in continuing education during the pandemic. The result highlights the existing digital divide and challenges faced by students in accessing online education. Some of the government initiatives like Kalvi TV telecasting classes for school students have been effective in addressing the digital divide between rural and urban areas in the state and making its education system more inclusive.

The Indian Social Science scene is notable for the relative lack of effective contact among research institutes and equally, if not to a greater degree, between the latter and universities and colleges. While attempts at interinstitutional collaboration have been made in different parts of the country they have tended to suffer from lack of continuity. Contacts among social scientists have largely remained confined to single discipline conferences and subsets therein. Yet another absentee feature is a forum devoted to a discussion of development related questions although most social science meets naturally assign more than adequate share to them.