Amitha Balachandra

Independent Journalist | She/Her | Fellow @MSF @thibi_co @Internews | Previously @beatrootnews_ @MirrorNow @ETNOWlive
Get in touch at [email protected]

[Amitha Balachandra @AmithaBala]

After three years at Beatroot News as a news editor, I am moving on. I can't thank @fayedsouza enough for teaching me everything I know about journalism today. Can't wait to see what lies ahead and I hope to get better at storytelling. Wish me luck.

[Fatima Khan @khanthefatima]

Please note the number of mosques in the same area. Shame on Indian TV media for parading communal propaganda as some sort of cutting edge OSINT journalism.

[Sreenivasan Jain @SreenivasanJain]

I ask Justice Chandrachud why the Supreme Court simply accepted the government’s open ended assurance to restore statehood in Jammu and Kashmir.

His answer: “At some point.. the government has to take a call on what's in the interest of the nation".

I ask: isn't that placing too much trust in government decision making?

Full interview: https://t.co/TyaKG95dhJ

[NWMIndia @NWM_India]

NWMI strongly condemns the ongoing trolling, intimidation and targeted harassment of Kashmiri journalist and NWMI member @GafiraQadir, following her review of the film, “Songs of Paradise,” for Middle East Eye.

[Amey Tirodkar @ameytirodkar]

Maharashtra's Chandrapur district is witnessing a massive land scam that involves mega corporate, local politician, history sheeter middleman and the state administration. 

Do read an exclusive story with Anand Mangnale.

@frontline_india

Link: 

 https://t.co/7L3JYVtsvc

[Richa Pinto @richapintoi]

Mumbai you never fail to surprise:

Can’t remember the last time such raw public anger spilled over on roads for a misaligned bridge, a pothole fatality, or even trees being hacked.

[Kunal Purohit @kunalpurohit]

Never forget that it is in this pristine, delicate ecology that the Modi Government rammed through a 12,000 crore road project by cutting mountains and chopping over 50,000 trees.

[Vimlendu Jha विमलेंदु झा @vimlendu]

No news channel will tell you that the devastation video from Uttarakhand is of cloudburst induced silt flow in the river. 20 million tonnes of excavated soil has been dumped in rivers of Uttarakhand, 56000 trees chopped, blasts all around, all for 12 meter highway of 889 kms.

[Veena @veenavenugopal]

This is a staggering chart. Indian middle class wages have stagnated over the past decade while food prices have gone up. In my newsletter today https://t.co/lOfRltulE8

[The Wire @thewire_in]

The internet service providers are saying multiple things. We have learnt it is per orders of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

[Arfa Khanum Sherwani @khanumarfa]

I’ve been doxxed. My private phone number and email were leaked on Twitter.
For the past 24 hours, I’ve been receiving nonstop threatening messages and calls. This is harassment. This is dangerous. And this should not be tolerated.

[Mini Nair @minicnair]

The “COVID-underrepoting” news would have been the biggest talking point in India if there was no tension between India and Pak. A reason why they chose to release this data now.

[Manisha Pande @MnshaP]

better than most anchors who fill our primetime https://t.co/yVxaTspZGc

[Anusha Ravi Sood @anusharavi10]

Who should be facing questions over Pahalgam terror attack? HM Amit Shah, NSA Doval, PM Narendra Modi & his govt

But who is being blamed for it? Indian Muslims & Supreme Court by RW IT cell & channels

When terrorists singled out & killed Hindus, they also killed Syed Hussain Shah - an Indian Muslim.

Before security forces could reach Baisaran, the locals - Indian Muslims - rushed the injured to hospitals.

This is an attack on India. Don't let it become a tool of division between Indians.

[Amitha Balachandra @AmithaBala]

In the final installment of my series on intensive sugarcane farming, and its impact on soil and health, I look at what drives this water-thirsty crop to grow in a dry region.

[The Wire @thewire_in]

#Special | How Sugarcane Determines the Politics of Maharashtra

The first lesson in sugar politics that farmers learn is how their vote determines who will buy their sugar. Up the food chain, politics and sugar prospects remain in lockstep.

@AmithaBala✍️
https://t.co/KTjhpkbTJ9

[Amitha Balachandra @AmithaBala]

In part two of the series for The Wire, I look at the potential health consequences of nutrient-less soil.

[The Wire @thewire_in]

Special | Could Soil Deficient in Iron Be Fuelling Anaemia in Marathwada?

As Maharashtra profits from sugar, many local women are becoming sicker.

@AmithaBala✍️
https://t.co/QmS6CGVvoY

[Amitha Balachandra @AmithaBala]

In part one of the series, I report on how intensive sugarcane farming is impacting Marathwada’s soil.

[The Wire @thewire_in]

#Special | The Deadly Toll of Sugar on Marathwada’s Soil

The crop’s insatiable thirst is supplemented with pesticides, fertilisers and water that is running out. Yet, farmers are at its mercy.

@AmithaBala✍️
https://t.co/Gf51brEMyJ

[The Wire @thewire_in]

#Special | The Deadly Toll of Sugar on Marathwada’s Soil

The crop’s insatiable thirst is supplemented with pesticides, fertilisers and water that is running out. Yet, farmers are at its mercy.

@AmithaBala✍️
https://t.co/Gf51brEMyJ

[Amitha Balachandra @AmithaBala]

Water-thirsty sugarcane is on the rise in drought-prone Marathwada. Over the past six months, I’ve been working on a data story to understand why farmers continue to grow sugarcane despite its environmental consequences. Series coming soon on @thewire_in

[The Wire @thewire_in]

@thewire_in travelled to Beed, Dharashiv, and Jalna, some of the districts with degrading soil in Maharashtra, to investigate why farmers grow sugarcane despite the consequences.

Series coming soon. Stay tuned and https://t.co/iXDCJlOzWI 3/3

[The Wire @thewire_in]

A six-month data investigation by @AmithaBala for @thewire_in explored the wide-ranging consequences of defying nature to grow water-intensive sugarcane in the region and why expansion continues. 2/3

[The Wire @thewire_in]

#Special | Maharashtra is the second largest producer of sugar in India. The water-thirsty crop is on the rise even in dry regions such as Marathwada at the cost of its soil and people’s health. 1/3