Daily Archives: July 16, 2021

15 July 2021, 16:50 | Updated: 16 July 2021, 12:03

Let Ariana Grande guide you to a more confident, self-assured, successful self with these empowering tracks. From 'God is a woman' to 'NASA' Ari's lyrics will inspire you!

Ariana Grande has a myriad of songs to choose from when it comes to confidence, success and overcoming hurdles.

From the confessional tracks of 'Thank U, Next' to the bold bops from 'Dangerous Woman' this pop powerhouse has got you covered!

All The Clues So Far Ariana Grande Will Play Megara In Hercules Live-Action Remake

Let's take a dive into Ari's best empowering lyrics, as she would say "I show them my discography"...

This number from Ariana's fourth studio album, 'Sweetener', pretty much does what it says on tin...

If you've got your eye on the prize and you need a motivating song to remind you of your goals, then this track will do just that!

'successful' is an uplifting anthem that champions following your passions, the 28-year-old songstress celebrates her accomplishments whilst urging listeners to also follow their aspirations.

"Yeah, it feels so good to be so youngAnd have this fun and be successful, yeahI'm so successful, yeahAnd, girl, you too, you are so youngAnd beautiful and so successful, oh, whoa, yeahI'm so successful"

This smash-hit is an independence anthem!

This 'Sweetener' single empowers listeners to invest in their self worth, since its release in 2018 its been adopted as a feminist bop.

"And I can be all the things you told me not to beWhen you try to come for me, I keep on flourishingAnd he see the universe when I'm the companyIt's all in me"

'Break Free' hails from the iconic vocalist's 'My Everything' album released in 2014 Ari really has been motivating the masses since the early days of her career!

In collaboration with Zedd, the EDM-infused electro-dance song is sure to get you motivated.

The banger has surpassed a whopping 1.1 billion views on YouTube... that's a lot of empowered fans out there.

"I'm stronger than I've been beforeThis is the part when I break free'Cause I can't resist it no more"

This track from the critically-acclaimed 'Thank U, Next' record is all about "tryna self-discover".

If you're in the headspace where you only want to think about "me, myself and I" then ask Alexa to play 'NASA'.

"Think I'm better off here all alone tonightAin't no checkin' on when I get home tonightJust makin' sure I'm good on my own tonightEven though there isn't nothin' wrong tonight"

Of course, this one was going on the list what playlist is complete without this unapologetically honest track?

The pop songstress gives a commentary on her dating life and personal struggles in the smash-hit song.

Ariana discusses themes of self-love, growth, and empowerment following the dissolution of a relationship.

"Spend more time with my friendsI ain't worried 'bout nothin'Plus, I met someone elseWe're havin' better discussions"

"'Cause her name is AriAnd I'm so good with that

She taught me love She taught me patienceShe handles painThat amazing (yeah, she's amazing)"

The ex-Nikelodoeon star ignited her comeback in 2018 with 'No Tears Left To Cry'.

The self-lifting anthem explores themes of mental health and personal struggle but has an uplifting message you can get through it all.

"Right now, I'm in a state of mindI wanna be in like all the timeAin't got no tears left to cry"

"Oh, I just want you to come with meWe on another mentalityAin't got no tears left to crySo I'm pickin' it up, pickin' it up"

'Monopoly' is undoubtedly a boss moment.

It's within the same vein as 'successful', the track is a trap-pop tune that discusses independence, personal achievements and positivity.

"Bad vibes, get off of meOutta here with that f**keryTreat my goals like propertyCollect them like MonopolyI probably won't come if there's not a feeAnd if they try come stoppin' meI show them my discography (Yeah, yeah)"

The pop sensation's latest studio record had a track dedicated to manifestation... we love to see it!

Ariana professes "I get everything I want 'cause I attract it" that's a mantra we can all get on board with.

'just like magic', the fourth track on 'Posiitions' released in late 2020, focuses on the value of putting positive energy into the world.

"Good karma, my aesthetic Keep my conscience clear, that's why I'm so magneticManifest it, I finessed it Take my pen and write some love letters to heaven"

This 'Dangerous Woman' era tune is a laid-back yet motivating song to get your day on track.

If Ari sings it then it must be true it'll be alright!

"We're gonna be alrightHey!We're gonna be alrightHey yeahOh yeahWe're gonna be alright"

What Grande bops are you adding to your motivational playlist?

> Here Are All The Ways You Can Listen To Capital

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Every Ariana Grande Lyric That Will Make You Feel Like Getting Your Life Together - Capital

CHICAGO, July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As consumers continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, a new timely analysis from TransUnion (: TRU) found that many renters could benefit from the practice of rent payment reporting. When rent payments were included in the credit file, consumers experienced an average increase of nearly 60 points to their credit score. The analysis included data through March 2021 and also found that the consumer population who generally has the least access to favorable terms for financial goods and services, the unscorable and subprime consumer cohorts, stand to gain the most with the largest credit score growth.

TransUnions analysis found that with the inclusion of rent payment tradelines in the credit file, approximately 9% of those consumers went from unscorable to scorable with an average credit score of 631 -- placing them in the near prime score band (VantageScore 3.0 range of 601-660). This represents a significant improvement for consumers that would have otherwise been deemed unscorable and highlights the importance of a uniform, universal data reporting format to improve credit visibility.

Consumers that are classified as unscorable or below prime represent half of the renter population, yet the majority of those consumers are not receiving any credit for making those rent payments, which is generally the largest monthly payment they make, said Maitri Johnson, vice president of tenant and employment screening at TransUnion. This places consumers that may already have thin credit files at a disadvantage toward further building their credit history. Wider adoption of rent payment reporting by the rental housing industry into the consumer reporting ecosystem can play an instrumental role in enabling those consumers to better demonstrate their creditworthiness and position them for greater financial success.

The analysis also found that 12% of consumers shifted to a higher score tier when rent payments were added to the credit file. This finding was especially prevalent among subprime consumers (VantageScore 3.0 range of 300-600) who were reclassified as near prime. TransUnions ResidentCredit has also found that 60% of renters may see their credit scores increase as early as the first month of rent payment reporting.

Including rental payments in credit reports can help advance financial inclusion and elevate the credit standing of millions of consumers so they may participate more fully in the American financial system, said Dr. Michael Turner, President of the Policy and Economic Research Council, a centrist think tank based in North Carolina (www.perc.net). The inclusion of this information into the consumer reporting ecosystem is a win for everyone, especially borrowers because they give the credit that they deserve for making payments. This positive payment history can bring millions of credit-invisible persons into the American financial mainstream.

For more information on ResidentCredit, TransUnions rent payment reporting solution, please visit https://www.transunion.com/product/residentcredit.

About TransUnion (: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

*VantageScore 3.0 standard risk tiers: Subprime= 300-600; Near Prime= 601-660; Prime= 661-720;Prime Plus= 721-780; Super Prime= 781-850

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Alternative Data Such as Rent Payment Reporting Bridges the Gap for Unscorable Consumers and Increases Financial - GuruFocus.com

The Herald

New York Times Correspondent

JOHANNESBURG. Jacob Zuma did not bring the Guptas to South Africa. His folly is allowing the Guptas to be bigger than the Oppenheimers.:

Atul settled in Johannesburg and sold shoes downtown. Then he started a company Sahara, named after the family hometown importing computer parts and assembling them for sale.

And by chance, he made a personal connection to the ANC that would prove far more consequential.

During a trip home to India, Atul met a South African of Indian origin in New Delhi: Essop Pahad, the right-hand man of Thabo Mbeki, who was then Mr. Mandelas deputy.

In an interview, Pahad recalled that he had ordered some tailor-made Nehru-style shirts. But he had to return to South Africa before they were ready. Atul volunteered to pick them up and personally deliver them to Pahads office in Johannesburg. After that, they ran into each other at functions at the Indian consulate.

He talked about Ajay a lot, Pahad said. Then I said, Who is this Ajay of yours?When Mr. Pahad finally met Ajay, he was immediately impressed. Ajay got the big picture in South Africa, and seemed to understand that there was a place in it for the Guptas.

When Mr. Mandela was released from Robben Island in 1990, Anglo American executives visited him at his home in Soweto. Other businessmen followed, to Mr. Mandelas delight, according to an authorized biography describing how he stayed at the estates of white tycoons and accepted gifts from them.

Mandela was particularly close to Mr. Oppenheimer, who gave him money, said Michael Spicer, a former executive at the company. But nothing was free.

Oppenheimer put together a team of economic advisers for Mandela called the Brenthurst Group named after the Oppenheimers palatial estate in Johannesburg. In meetings, ANC leaders joined the countrys top white businessmen to set the nations post-apartheid economic course, Spicer said.

Soon enough, Mr. Mandela, who had supported nationalizing the economy, endorsed pro-business policies. Some historians argue that the policies contributed to South Africas income inequality, and to an economy still based on cheap black labor.

But after becoming president, Mr. Mbeki moved to dampen the power of white businesses. He created his own group, which met at his residence each month, Pahad said. It included cabinet ministers, top businessmen, rising stars in the ANC and an unknown figure: Ajay Gupta.

Ajay said he enjoyed the meetings. Mbeki sometimes even dropped by for lunch.

Only a few years after settling in South Africa, Ajay had forged links to the highest levels of the ANC, thanks to his friendship with Pahad.

Even as the Guptas thrived off their ties to Mr. Mbekis allies, they were reaching out to his archrival, Zuma, the No 2 in the party.

The two leaders fought bitterly. So Pahad, Mbekis right-hand man, was surprised to learn that the Guptas had cultivated ties with the other side.

They were having some function at their home, and Ajay said to me, Do you mind if we invite Zuma? Mr. Pahad recalled

Money was an unspoken dynamic in the battle between Mr. Mbeki and Mr. Zuma: Who in the A.N.C. had gotten rich since the end of apartheid? And, perhaps more important, who had not?

Mandela and some others including South Africas current president, Cyril Ramaphosa became wealthy, in part through connections to white business leaders.

During Mr. Mbekis tenure, his allies got their chance, often by directing the course of the countrys Black Economic Empowerment policies, which required white businesses to take on black partners.

So when Mr. Zuma became president in 2009, it was his factions turn.

But Mr. Zuma, plagued by personal and political scandals, was distrusted by the white business establishment. And more than a decade after apartheid, many white businesses felt they had done enough to help a sentiment that angered people close to Mr. Zuma.The Oppenheimers had sold their shares in Anglo American and De Beers for billions. The heirs to the fortune Nicky Oppenheimer and his son Jonathan, both passionate aviators opened an ultraluxury private terminal in Johannesburgs main airport in 2014, with fine dining and a gallery with art for sale.

But the Oppenheimers couldnt get permission to handle international flights. Despite countless letters and calls to ANC officials, the Oppenheimers were getting nowhere.

Eventually, they sued the government, accusing the Guptas of using their political influence to stall the business. The brothers, the Oppenheimers said, wanted in on the terminal.

According to court documents, the Guptas sent a message to the Oppenheimers that they had the wrong BEE partner referring to the Black Economic Empowerment programme. If the Oppenheimers chose a partner endorsed by the Guptas, the documents said, their problems would go away.

The last straw was another appointment: In late 2015, Zuma chose an unknown lawmaker considered close to the Guptas as finance minister.

Alarmed, the business establishment and its ANC allies struck back, forcing Zuma to remove the minister after only four days.

Within weeks, a major South African bank cut ties with the Gupta family. The countrys other big banks followed.Everything might have worked out for them had Zumas ex-wife won. But one of her supporters, David Mabuza who had become a kingmaker by diverting government money to finance his political rise flipped his votes at the last minute, handing Ramaphosa a slim victory.

It wasnt the usual handshake on a deal. One hand, white, belonged to Nicholas Oppenheimer, scion of the family that controls much of South Africas gold- and diamond-mining. The other, black, belonged to Cyril Ramaphosa, a prominent foe of the old, white-ruled South Africa and leader of a crippling 1987 miners strike.

The US$900 million deal that the two men signed last month sells a large piece of the Anglo American Corporation, the Oppenheimer flagship that by some estimates accounts for 25 percent of South Africas gross domestic product, to a consortium of blacks led by Ramaphosa.

Both sides got a bargain. Blacks bought a big share of the nations best-known company at 11 percent below market price. Anglo hopes it bought a shield against the potential hostility of a new black government for the decades it supported apartheid and profited from a cruel system using migrant labour.

Anglo announced two years ago that a major subsidiary, the Johnnies Industrial Corporation, often known as Johnnic, was for sale if the right group of blacks could be found. Other buyers made inquiries.

We told them they were wasting their time, an Anglo American spokesman, Michael W Spicer, said. It waited for a black group to assemble. This spring, Ramaphosa became the groups negotiator when he retired as executive secretary of the African National Congress.

Anglo offered the consortium its 48 percent stake in Johnnic, a holding company worth R8.5 billion that owns big stakes in other large companies including South African Breweries, Premier Milling, Omni Media, and Toyota South Africa.Small businesses and investors can also buy in at the R50 price and if they need cash, Anglo will lend them 90 percent at low interest, keeping the shares as security and repaying the loans from dividends and capital appreciation.

The indications are now that we will find the money, Ramaphosa said, borrowing from South African banks, insurers and union pension funds.Ramaphosa said Anglo American had been motivated by both guilt and fear. The companys spokesman, Spicer, was circumspect.

The decision to sell Johnnic was not pure altruism, he said, but we think its enlightened self-interest.The founders of black-empowerment vehicles are often coy about the source of their seed money. It is widely reported, for example, that one group, Thebe Investments, began with US$2 million given to the African National Congress in exile by Scandinavian countries, Japan and others who wanted to help the liberation struggle but not buy guns

Some critics see another side to the movement, contending that corporations are co-opting people close to the Government to make sure no anti-business legislation is passed. The ANC has stopped talking about nationalizing the economy, but South Africa businesses benefit from practices including price-fixing cartels and secret corporate ownership that are illegal in other countries.

A former Anglo executive who heard some of the discussions two years ago that led to the Johnnic deal was blunter, saying co-opting the new Government had been the goal. The executive said the deal was discussed in crude racial terms, with talk of throwing the blacks a bone.

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How Guptas, Oppenheimers infiltrated ANC - The Herald

At Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, it's high time for a Rooster Booster Thank You Fest.

What's that, you may ask? It's a party the theater's board of trustees will throw Aug. 13 to celebrate Weathervane's upcoming reopening and thank all of Weathervane's donors, volunteer and friends for their support during the long pandemic shutdown.

Why a rooster? Because that's the theater's longtime logo: the colorful chanticleer rooster.

The free event, which will be open to the public, will include music byMurphy's Law, food and drink on the Weathervane lawn. The event will be a welcome back for all as Weathervane looks forward to opening its 87th season.

The six-show season, shorter than the theater's typical eight or nine shows, will feature a more spread-out lineup with longer runs. The fun will start again with the long-anticipated musical "Kinky Boots," which Weathervane was just weeks from opening when the pandemic shut down theaters in March2020.

Most of the original cast is coming back to finally mount the show, an Ohio community theater premiere that will run Sept. 30 to Oct. 24. Child actors playing Young Charlie and Young Lola actuallyaged out of theroles they hadmore than a year ago, so thoseparts are among those beingrecast.

In a rarity, the cast will rehearse from day oneon the stage, where the air exchange is the best in the building.

The musical about drag entertainer Lola and shoe factory heir Charlie carries the message that "You change the world when you change your mind."The musical features music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein.

"The message of the show is the reason that we're reopening with it," said Chief Executive Artistic DirectorMelanie Pepe. "It's a message of acceptance, of being proud about who you are, aboutlearning about things you don't understand. And by learning, you will understand why people choose the things they choose, and it's easier to accept when you take the time to learn about people."

The show will feature an audience talkback with local drag queens about what drag performance is as an art form, Pepe said.

Furloughed Weathervane staff members returned to work in early June, most on a part-time basis, and willmoveback to full time in a staggered fashion with the help of a second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)loan.

The theater box office will open part time starting Monday, the same day that single tickets go on sale for "Kinky Boots."Hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays.

Single tickets will go on sale Aug. 2 for all other productions in the new season. Normal box office hours will resume Sept. 7. Call 330-836-2626.

Returning subscribers will receive season package informationin the mail in early August and new subscribers can buy packages starting in mid-August. See http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com for more information.

The full season includes stories that celebrate diversity and uniqueness, Pepe said.All shows will be mainstage productions, rather than having a separate Emerging Artists Series this year.

Next in the lineup is the return of the popular "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which will likely have fewer children's choirs from area schools onstage this year. The show which will open before Thanksgiving this season, running Nov. 16 to Dec. 19.

Next, Weathervane will move ahead with its 11th 8x10 TheatreFest of 10-minute plays Jan. 13 to 23, 2022. For the first time, the event will run for two weekends.

Next, Weathervane will offer a musical it's worked to get the rights for for four years "The Color Purple." It will run four weeks, from Feb. 17 to March 13, 2022.

The show, a musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, follows downtrodden young Celie as she goes through a personal awakening over the course of 40 years. Weathervanealso will hosta show talkback about empowerment and representation.

"It's a story we've been wanting to tell for a very, very long time," Pepe said. "One of the reasons it's in our season is because it's a story of empowerment."

Next, the comedic whodunit "Clue" will run April 7 to May 1, based on the Paramount film that's based on the Hasbro board game. The show, full of murder and mayhem, made its world premiereat Cleveland Playhouse in February 2020.

"We need to breathe and have a little fun" with this show after the weighty and powerful "The Color Purple," Pepe said.

Weathervane will close its new season with the long-awaited "Newsies," which had been slated for summer 2020. With music by Alan Menken and book by Fierstein, the musicalfollows charismatic New York newsboy Jack Kelly and his band of teen newsies, who strike against unfair work conditions. The show will run for five weeks, June 2 to July 3, 2022.

In other Weathervane updates, theatergoers who will return for the first time in nearly 18 months will see fresh paint and a renovated snack barin the lobby, thanks to donors Tom and Shelley Koutnik;an updated and newly named "Donald M. and Mary E. Jenkins" box office; and a new stage floor, donated by Maureen and Jim Kovach. The exterior also will be freshly painted for the first time in nearly 15 years.

After beinglargely empty for more than a year, Weathervane needed some sprucing up. Students from Archbishop Hoban High School spent three days in late June refreshing the building, organizing and cleaning.

"What they're doing is bringing the theater back to life and they've been extremely hardworking," Pepe said.

Support from grant funders, the city of Akron and donors have been a lifeline, shesaid: "This could have been the end of 86 years of incredible history in Akron and it wasn't, because people chose to give."

Downtown at Dusk kicked off last week at the Akron Art Museum while I was on vacation, featuring trumpeter Curtis Taylor with his jazz quartet. The 37th annual event, back live this summer after going digital last year, continues from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays with free concerts through the end of the month in the Bud and Susie Rogers Garden. In case of bad weather, concerts will move inside, with a limited capacity.

The concerts also are streamed live on the museum's Facebook page. Alineup of fan favorites who've performed previously at the event will be featured.

On Thursday, the sextet Sammy DeLeon y su Orquestra will play Latin jazz, led bydrummer DeLeon. July 22 will highlight Timi FUNK, an Akron songstress who blends old-school funk and classic rock with neo-soul. The final show July 29 will feature the blues, jazz and rock of 15 60 75 Numbers Band, which will be playing at Downtown at Dusk for its37th year.

The Akron Symphonic Winds, a 30-piece professional wind band,will play from 4:45 to 6 p.m. July 24 at the Akron Arts Expo at Hardesty Park, 1615 W. Market St. The expo is returning for its 42nd year after last year's hiatus. More than 100 artists will take part in the juried fine arts and craft show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 24 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25.

Other entertainment July 24 will be East of Seattle 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and the Jimiller Band 1 to 2 p.m. Performers July 25will beMichael Eric Schirch 11 a.m. to noon, ETC Heids School of Musical Arts Show Choirs 1 to 2 p.m. and Jeri Sapronetti and Graham Murphy 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

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Weathervane to thank public with Rooster Booster party heading into reopening - Akron Beacon Journal

The coastline of Kerala is currently undergoing a colossal face//lift. Hopefully, this renovation will beckon more tourists and visitors. The recent revitalization of beaches includes greener pastures, coastal highway, tiled walkways, and the walls of the beach beautified by breath-taking paintings that tell the tales of the city. While plans to enhance the potential for coastline tourism proceed apace on one side, the other side shows the stark reality of the livelihood of the fishermen on a standstill. The pandemic exacerbated the already pathetic condition of the marginalised communities. The people engaged in fishing are mostly from the Dheevara, Muslim, and Latin Catholic communities, who are grouped under Other Backward Communities (OBCs), which account for around 10.44 lakh population of Kerala.

The onset of Covid-19 and the sharp decline in marine fish production (4.75 lakh tonnes) since 2019 has had an extremely emasculating effect on them. The people who were formerly praised as superheroes" during the floods swiftly ended up being scorned as the "super spreaders" of Covid-19. It must be remembered that social distancing, sanitizers, and other means of personal protection are a luxury for these backward communities.

Pandemic And Its Cultural Impact

Apart from the socio-economic distress, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the cultural life of these communities. These people share a special relationship with the sea and its environment which they consider to be sacred (Their habit of referring to the 'sea' as "Kadalamma", which means "Mother Sea", shows the maternal attachment of the people with the sea).

The lives of people of the Dheevara community are generally enwrapped by the clouds of superstition and religious dogma. They usually worship "Bhagavati" or "Kali" and attribute bad lucks in their occupation as punishment from the Goddess. Also they perform various rituals to please the Goddess to protect them during their sea sails and to help them when the fish population is on the decline.

But under the present circumstances, their rites and rituals remain restrained within the four corners of their homes. Pandemic-related occupational insecurity have forced the youth to seek employment in other sectors.

The Scars of Socio-Economic Crisis

Although Kerala has high socio-economic indicators, the growth of living standards and access to basic amenities of the fishermen is still very slow. The quantity and quality of ichthyological wealth is a crucial determining factor of the income of the marine folks. As the income from the sources is seasonal, the scope of savings for any precautionary motive is virtually nil.

Further, the disruptive effects of Covid-19 have had very harmful effects upon the fisheries and aquaculture industry. It affected both supply and demand chains in the fisheries sector. Every link of the supply chain fishing, input, processing, transportation, circulation, wholesale, and retail is vulnerable to COVID-19 related restrictions. In this chain connecting buyers and sellers, even the disruption of one link will send a series of chain reactions which will emasculate the entire system. The rise in diesel hike increased the operational cost and further slowdown the supply of inputs like ice, fishing gear, and other equipment. Thus pandemic-related uncertainties may pressure people to slow down spending which will result in the reduction of demand, the decline of price, and the dwindling of the amount of investment available for future production.

The Covid crisis has also affected the personal health and safety of fishermen. As they live in congested and densely populated areas, the health risk and lack of proper drinking water for these individuals are also major concerns. For the primary healthcare facilities, there are only 39 dispensaries across the state. Also, the isolation increased stress and social pressure have further aggravated them.

The recent trawling and social distancing measures have also contributed to worsening the condition of fishermen specifically small-scale fishermen due to their limited participation in the decision-making processes because of their limited organizational capacity. In the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, there were 6 days strict ban on all occupations related to the sea, and the government provided them with social security worth Rs 1200 as compensation. Natural calamities like this are just the extension of hazards that was already happening in the coastal region for a long time. Nutrition and calorie deficits in households of fisherfolks intensified due to the food risk which ends them up completely hanging on rationing and the special food kits of the government.

The brunt of economic fallout disproportionally affects women, 80% of allied workers in fisheries are women in Kerala. They often do not have the same access as men to education, finance, technology, etc... which severely limits their influence on decision-making on matters that have a crucial impact on their lives. Also, the number of women in for the pension for the wife of deceased fisherfolk is increasing. The bleak reality of their childrens lives stands in sharp contrast with the buoyantly bedecked walls of the beach. Meanwhile, the laxity of the union government towards this marginalised community is reflected in the union budget. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sambada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme which aims to encourage business investments in the fishing sector doesnt directly address the needs of the current situation.

Possible Countermeasures

Active efforts at all levels to minimize the impact of Covid -19 on the fisherman communities should be immediately taken. Lack of demand among fisherfolks can only be compensated through social security schemes. Strengthening women empowerment initiatives like Society for Assistance to Fisherwomen (SAF) should be promoted to suit the needs of women and should be implemented in ways that would make women more financially independent. As the 13th five-year plan and the United Nations' sustainable development goals lay special emphasis on boosting the blue economy, the socio-economic well-being of the fisherfolk community is the primary area of concern to which we should focus our attention. Investment in the "blue recovery" plans to promote growth and resilience among the fishermen community and to attain "blue sustainability" should be given paramount importance. The distribution of special concessions, allowances, and nutritional security will result in productive labour. Therefore, any sort of developmentary vision towards coastline tourism should go hand in hand with addressing the problems and concerns of the indigenous communities who constitute an indispensable part of it.

(Shravan is pursuing Masters in Economics atJNU, New Delhi and Sivanth is a final year Philosophy (Hons) student from Hindu College, Delhi University)

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How Covid impacted the fisherfolk of Kerala? - Mathrubhumi English