Extreme poverty has gone up by 7% in just few months due to COVID, the report said (Representational)
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed almost 37 million people into extreme poverty besides reversing the progress made in the health sector for past several decades, a report by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said on Tuesday.
It said the "widest-ranging catastrophe" - the one that has hit every country regardless of the actual spread of the disease - is economic.
Citing a projection by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the report said the global economy will lose $12 trillion or more by the end of 2021 despite spending of $18 trillion in trying to stimulate growth around the world.
The annual "Goalkeepers report" by the Foundation primarily analyses progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in alleviating poverty and address health issues.
It said India was able to transfer cash to 200 million women amid the coronavirus crisis and it not only reduced impact of the pandemic on hunger and poverty but also advanced the country's long-term goal of empowering women.
In an interview to PTI, co-chair of the Foundation Bill Gates said the whole Aadhaar digital financial system in India has proven to be once again a "huge asset".
"Getting payments out through digital cash transfers, that has been a fantastic thing, and obviously, India has done that at a scale that no other country ever has," he said.
In the report, the foundation said the extreme poverty has gone up by 7 per cent in just a few months because of COVID-19, ending a 20-year streak of progress.
"This crisis has thrust almost 37 million more people into extreme poverty, after 20 straight years of that number coming down. At the same time, it has revealed how fragile that progress is: People living just above the extreme poverty line who have fallen below it because of COVID-19 were obviously vulnerable despite not being officially poor," it said.
It said, indirectly the COVID-19 will cause more women than men to suffer and die, in large part because the pandemic has disrupted healthcare before, during, and immediately after childbirth.
Elaborating on how the pandemic has impacted routine immunisation, it said the vaccination, a good proxy measure for how health systems are functioning, is dropping to levels last seen in the 1990s.
"In other words, we've been set back about 25 years in about 25 weeks," it said.
The report also talked about the "danger" of how COVID-19 can force the countries to take away their focus from dealing with "residual pandemics". "This would be a heartbreaking injustice. It would also go against the self-interest of the countries at the front of the line," it added.
The report said the pandemic is having severe impact on education as well.
"Before the pandemic, the world already faced a learning crisis, with 53 percent of students in low- and middle-income countries - and 87 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa - unable to read a simple text by the time they are 10 years old," it said.
The report said constrained finances and school closures are likely to exacerbate these inequalities, with girls at particular risk of not returning to school.
In the interview, Mr Gates said though, normally the Goalkeepers report projects a very optimistic approach reminding people about progress on things like economic growth, literacy, child survival, average lifespan, this year's report was different.
"This year's report, unfortunately, we're unable to say that there's been progress. In fact, we talk about the setback, and one way we dimensionalise that for like vaccine coverage globally, which went from 84 per cent to 70 per cent, is we say that's a 25-year setback," he said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Apple Watch Series 6 announced alongside Watch SE
The new iPad Air will be available in October with Wi-Fi models starting Rs 54,900 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models starting at Rs 66,900 in 64GB and 256GB configurations. The compatible Apple Pencil (2nd generation) is priced Rs 10,900, while the Magic Keyboard is sold separately at Rs 27,900 and Smart Keyboard Folio at Rs 15,900.
From the first frame it was clear this is no regular Apple event. To start with, CEO Tim Cook was not on stage at the Steve Jobs Theatre. He was downhill at the Apple Park HQ, talking to the camera from the iconic circular corridor by the curved glass panels. Then, a minute or so into his keynote, Cook was talking about the Apple Watch. No numbers that underlined another best-ever year. Yes, this was a different Apple Event.
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The new iPad (8th generation) will have a staring price in India of Rs 29,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 41,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model in 32GB and 128GB configurations. The device will be compatible with Apple Pencil (1st generation) priced at Rs 8,500 and the Smart Keyboard priced Rs 13,900. Smart covers for iPad can be purchased at Rs 4,500.
The India prices of the Apple One plan are quite affordable in comparison to its US equivalent. The individual plan with Apple Music, Apple TV , Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage is priced Rs 195 per month. The family plan with Apple Music, Apple TV , Apple Arcade, and 200GB of iCloud storage costs Rs 365 per month and can be shared with up to six family members. India does not seem to have access to the premium plan as Apple News is yet to launch in the market.
Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at Rs 29,900 and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at Rs 33,900. No availability dates have been announced for the two more affordable Apple Watch models.
Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS) starts at Rs 40,900 and Apple Watch Series 6 (GPS Cellular) starts at Rs 49,900. Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at Rs 29,900 and Apple Watch SE (GPS Cellular) starts at Rs 33,900.
Looks a lot like the iPad Pro the new iPad Air is powered by a brand new A14 Bionic chipset, which Apple claims increases the performance by 40 per cent and 30 per cent increase in graphics performance. The new iPad Air comes with TouchID integrated inside the power button and includes a larger liquid Retina display when compared to the previous generation iPad. Apple makes the new iPad Air available in five vibrant colours. The newly announced Apple iPad Air also includes support for USB-C, single 12MP rear camera, 7MP front sensor, magic keyboard. It is priced at $599.
Alongside Watch Series 6 and Watch SE, Apple has announced the 8th generation of its basic iPad - an update of its entry-level 10.2-inch tablet that upgrades the processor to a faster A12 chipset. iPad 8th generation promises to be up to 3 times faster than the top-selling Android tablet. The new 8th generation iPad is priced at $329, for education customers it will be available at $299. You can order the new iPad today and will be available starting Friday.
Apple One keeps all your Apple services under one single plan. The service is available in three subscription plans: Individual at $14.95/month, Family at $19.95/month and Premier at $ 29.95/month.
Apple Fitness+ is a new service for Apple Watch that will try and inspire you to stay more active, and participate in workout sessions. Fitness+ includes many workout modes like yoga, and more and also provides you with new tracks that will motivate you to work out better. You will also be able to save your Apple Music track on Fitness+. The newly announced Apple Fitness+ at $ 9.99 for a month and $ 79.99 per year. New Apple Watch buyers will get 3 months free subscription to Apple Fitness+.
The Apple Watch SE has been launched at $279. The new Apple Watch Series 6 is priced at $399 while the Watch Series 3 will continue to be priced at $199. For now, no details on when these new Apple Watches will arrive in India and the prices.
Apple Watch SE comes with all the features to stay connected, fit and healthy. It uses the Apple Watch Series 5 chipset and comes with all the new features including Family setup. Watch Series SE runs on WatchOS software similar to the new Watch Series 6.
Apple Watch Series 6 comes with an improved always-on display, much better than the previous generation. The watch comes with various watch faces including GMT, countdown, memoji face, among many others. Apple has introduced Family Set, this will help you setup your kid's Apple Watch using your iPhone. The new Apple Watch comes with 10 sports mode.
Apple Watch Series 6 is finally official. The new Apple Watch 6 series is capable of measuring your blood oxygen level right from the wrist at any time and anywhere. For the very first time, Apple brings Watch in PRODUCT RED variant alongside a few other colour options.
Tim Cook takes the stage and announces that today's Apple event will witness the launch of a new Apple Watch and iPad. The event begins by showing people sharing inspirational stories and how Apple Watch has helped them get healthy and fitter everyday. The new Apple Watch will come packed with WatchOS that was announced at WWDC 2020 in June.
That's different. Tim Cook is speaking from the glass corridors of the Apple Park and not from Steve Jobs theatre as we have been used to recently. He's walking along the famed glass panels of this stunning Apple HQ.
The Apple CEO usually starts by talking about the state of the company and lists numbers. This time he has jumped straight on to the Watch.
This is the second major Apple event this year after WWDC 2020 which was held in June. At the event today rumors and leaks suggest that Apple could announce a new iPad, Watch Series 6, cheaper Apple Watch, AirTags, and One Services bundle. Let's all wait for Tim Cook to take a stage and start with the announcements in 30min from now.
Apple has confirmed the delayed launch of iPhone series this year due to the pandemic that has affected the manufacturing. Rumorus suggest that the upcoming iPhone 12 series could go official in the first half of October and release soon after. It is said that Apple will first release the iPhone 12 and Pro followed by the iPhone 12 Pro Max version.
Well, at today's Apple event sadly there won't be any iPhone. The tech giant has delayed the launch of iPhone 12 series due to the pandemic. Apple, however, might (not yet confirmed) announced the announcement date or launch date of the iPhone 12 series. This year, the US based smartphone manufacturer is expected to launch four iPhones instead of the usual three.
The Apple event will begin at 10 a.m PT which is around 10:30 pm Indian Standard Time. The event is said to be a pre-recorded video from Steve Jobs Theater and Apple Park. The livestream of Apple's 'Time Flies' event can be watched through Apple’s website, YouTube channel, and Apple TV app.