Latest news with #Covid-affected
Newsroom
6 days ago
- Business
- Newsroom
Govt winds up council reform storm
Analysis: It's a sentiment likely to set pulses racing among the current crop of Government ministers. In 2010, four-term councillor Bryan Cadogan aimed to unseat sitting Clutha mayor Juno Hayes by running on a platform of tying rates to inflation and focusing on core services. Cadogan won by 354 votes, turning around the previous election result in the district hemmed in by Dunedin, Central Otago, and Southland. Now, the Clutha mayor, who isn't running for re-election in October's elections, finds himself, and his sector, in the firing line of an interventionist Government considering rates caps, and introducing legislation to ensure councils focus on – that's right – core services. The Local Government NZ conference in Ōtautahi/Christchurch was formally launched on Wednesday with a video address, of less than two minutes, by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Councils need to get back to basics, he said, spending wisely and delivering value. What does that mean? 'Prioritising pipes over vanity projects,' explained the prime minister, flanked by national flags. 'It means roads over reports, and it means real outcomes.' When the address finished, conference MC Miriama Kamo started clapping loudly, joined somewhat unenthusiastically by a smattering of conference attendees. 'I'm the only one clapping, I see,' Kamo quipped. Cadogan says the Government's message landed 'pretty flatly' with him. 'It's getting a wee bit tedious getting asked time and time again to do the impossible.' Chris Bishop, the minister overseeing resource management reforms, took a more fire and brimstone approach than his leader, saying there was shrinking evidence councils were cutting their cloth and enabling growth. 'You cry out for more financing and funding tools. We're giving them to you. You ask for a better, simpler planning system. We're giving this to you, too. 'We are getting our house in order. It's time you sorted yours out.' (Some would have thought that line a bit rich, given analysis of May's Budget suggests Luxon's coalition will increase gross debt by more in five years than the Covid-affected previous government did in six.) Bishop announced a 'plan stop', warning councils not to waste money and time reviewing city and district plans, and regional policy statements – with narrow exceptions – ahead of an overhaul of resource management laws due to land in 2027. 'The time for excuses is over,' Chris Bishop told the Local Government NZ conference in Christchurch. Photo: David Williams Sam Broughton, mayor of Selwyn, just south of Christchurch, and president of Local Government NZ, says: 'It was really good to have that certainty.' Is that just common sense? Broughton says the progress on reforms is pleasing, but adds: 'It feels like councils have been in this reform storm for six or seven years, and has just been ongoing change without actually landing something.' Local Government Minister Simon Watts introduced the bill to focus councils on core services, which is expected to have its first reading on Thursday. ('It feels like the Government has a caricature of local government that isn't true,' Broughton says. He notes 80 percent of Selwyn council's capital spending is on pipes and roads.) Watts' explanation of why it was necessary to force councils to concentrate on core services, like roads, water and rubbish, sent offended ripples through the conference crowd. The minister used the analogy of setting boundaries for his children. Letting them do whatever they liked might lead to bad choices, he suggested. Instead, he might tell them, 'Hey, you've got these five things to do'. Among the crowd's murmurs, one conference-goer shouted: 'Just a bit patronising, mate!' From the conference stage, Watts appeared to pour cold water on the idea regional councils were about to be scrapped. 'We're thinking about it,' Watts said, adding ministers were cognisant 'there's already a huge amount of reform underway in your sector'. Bishop tried to mollify concerns about potential environmental consequences from the audience, saying a new Natural Environment Act would focus on biodiversity, ecology and human health. Later, the minister tells Newsroom: 'There will be environmental limits that will be set through the new regime.' (After a remit passed at Local Government NZ's annual general meeting on Wednesday, councils called for a review of local government's structure.) Christopher Luxon beamed in to the Local Government NZ conference in Christchurch. Photo: David Williams Government reforms for local government include the network-merging replacement for three waters, Local Water Done Well, waving city and regional deals under the noses of councils, and offering different funding and financing options for infrastructure to speed up house-building. Back to Cadogan, the Clutha mayor, who talks to Newsroom while walking to a negotiation with other councils on water services. He says despite Government rhetoric, councils can't be expected to achieve the triumvirate of lower rates, infrastructure upgrades and under-control debt. 'The Government know it, we know it, but we just keep on getting this.' Clutha council's experience puts those financial management challenges in stark relief. In 2019, its external borrowings were $5 million. Five years later, it had ballooned to $123m. To add salt to the financial wound, this year's average rates rise was an 'ungodly' 16.59 percent. How did this happen? 'Three waters, wholly and solely,' Cadogan says. (Last year, the mayor predicts the financial consequences of the 'three waters debacle' will hit. In the latest annual plan, he says 89.4 percent of this year's rates rise is attributable to roads, rubbish and three waters.) Clutha's unfortunate figures are: the third-longest water reticulation network in the country, with 27 sewage or water plants on 30-year consents, and, crucially, only 18,500 people to pay for it. Of the country's 565 drinking water quality breaches last year, 338 or 60 percent were in Clutha. 'We all want lower rates increases,' says Sam Broughton, the Selwyn district mayor and Local Government NZ president. Photo: David Williams Cadogan gives the example of a water upgrade for the tiny town of Waihola: running an 18.5km pipeline from Milton's water treatment plant oto the reservoir cost $6.3m. After years of problems with water quality and quantity, boil water notices were removed for all but 20 of the town's 247 houses. 'Then we go to Heriot, and then we go to Tapanui, then Owaka, then Clinton,' Cadogan says. 'It's a financial delusion that you can have rates cap, you can have debt ceilings, and you have to do this infrastructure update.' It would have been better for the National-led coalition to lift the hood on Labour's three waters policy and chuck out what they didn't like, Broughton says, instead of scrapping it and starting again. He thinks resolving water across the country might take seven or eight more steps. Policy lurches and delays cost millions of dollars and can, of course, increase council rates. Many councils might feel aggrieved by the ministerial attack given the National Party's pre-election commitment to devolution and localism. Luxon promised to reshape the relationship between central and local government. 'It does feel like every party in opposition is a localist,' Broughton says, 'and then as soon as they're in power, they become a creature that draws all the more power to themselves.' Broughton was applauded by conference attendees for his opening comments – made before Bishop's address. 'We all want lower rates increases. I want lower rates increases, I know you want lower rates increases, I hear from my community they want lower rates increases. But it can't be at the expense of our children picking up the tab because of our negligence today.' The Selwyn mayor tells Newsroom a key problem is councils have few alternatives to raise money. The best tool the Government could give councils, in his opinion, is to return GST spending on new houses locally. 'That would be a game-changer for us,' he says, noting between 1000 and 3000 houses have been built each year in Selwyn over the past five or six years. Broughton's also a fan of bed taxes, something Queenstown's council has, for years, been pushing for. Luxon said this week the Government's not actively considering a bed tax. 'It has just been an avalanche of unstoppable figures. Unstoppable.' Bryan Cadogan, Clutha mayor This is the second year ministers have used the Local Government NZ conference to berate councils for spending on 'nice-to-haves'. Last year, the venue, Wellington's $180m Tākina centre, was in the crosshairs. But Christchurch's half-billion-dollar monolithic convention centre, Te Pae, is of a different ilk – paid for by taxpayers as a post-quake anchor project. Luxon, Watts and Bishop did miss a trick in Christchurch, though. A 15-minute walk away from Te Pae is the new stadium, Te Kaha – a loss-making facility that will cost ratepayers $453m to build. The city's ratepayers face a three-year, cumulative rates rise of 24.66 percent that without the stadium, that would have been 19.43 percent. Using Luxon's words, the stadium isn't roads, rubbish or water, and tends, perhaps, more towards a vanity project. The last word goes to Cadogan, the outgoing Clutha mayor. He hopes a water services 'umbrella' with other councils will help his district save on infrastructure spending. 'We've been basically a stand-alone council for the last five years. Have a look what that did to our debt,' he says. 'I'm gutted as a mayor. I pride myself on really understanding figures. I understand them all right. It has just been an avalanche of unstoppable figures. Unstoppable.'
The Advertiser
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
The best story of the season - did anyone really see this coming?
Adelaide's performance so far in 2025 is clearly one of, if not the best story of the AFL season. It's also a salient reminder about the dangers of knee-jerk reactions. The Crows are third on the ladder at 11-5, with seven games left already as many wins as they've had in a season since 2018. They've got a decent run home, too, and will almost certainly at the very least be playing finals for the first time since they made the grand final in 2017. But the prognostications about how Adelaide's 2025 might turn out weren't nearly so positive back in March, when coach Matthew Nicks, entering his sixth season in charge of the Crows, was roundly considered to be the coach under the most pressure to keep his job, and few of any pundits (yes, me also) considered his team even a chance of being a finalist. That was off the back of a disappointing 2024, when Adelaide won only eight games, finished a lowly 15th and seemed to regress into a mere shadow of the potent offensive force which had just missed finals the previous season. Why did so few people see the renaissance coming? Because (and it's not confined to football, even sport for that matter) short-term thinking focused purely on the snapshot rather than the bigger picture, in which 2024 could well be viewed as a blip on an otherwise steady line of progress. Under Nicks, Adelaide in a thorough rebuild beginning in the Covid-affected 2020, had prior to last season improved tangibly each season, from three wins, to seven, to eight, to 11. Last year was supposed to be the year it all clicked. But injuries hurt from the start, key forward Riley Thilthorpe's prolonged absence critical, and poor form from a couple of stars in Taylor Walker and Josh Rachele took a toll. Adelaide may also have overcorrected its perceived defensive frailties and sacrificed some of its attacking flair. Those, however, are fixable issues. As was the thinness of the Crows' midfield, which some judicious trading has certainly eliminated as an issue. Seasoned recruits Alex Neale-Bullen, James Peatling and Isaac Cumming have made a huge difference, not only with their own direct contributions, but in allowing the likes of veteran Rory Laird and star skipper Jordan Dawson to wreak all sorts of havoc elsewhere. Look at Adelaide now and you see a very well-balanced line-up all over the park. The Crows are currently third for points scored and second for fewest points conceded. They rank top six in the AFL in no fewer than 26 of 38 key statistical indicators. Their form is solid indeed with seven wins from the past nine games, and against Melbourne last Sunday, they demonstrated a new-found capacity to fight back, the Crows at one stage trailing by 28 points. One reservation remains Adelaide's failure to beat other top teams, but they're close enough, the Crows' defeats against Collingwood and Hawthorn by just 10 and three points, while they also led Geelong by more than five goals at one stage. Whether the Crows end up going all the way or not, it's at least become clearer that under Nicks Adelaide has built something of substance, and that if this isn't to be the year, it may not be too far away. But then, the temporary blip in an otherwise impressive progression is hardly a new phenomenon. And the other modern examples of it should give the Crows plenty of encouragement. They are, of course, Geelong of 20-odd years ago and Richmond about 10 years ago. Both the Cats and Tigers had several years of steady progress under respective coaches Mark Thompson and Damien Hardwick before one year when everything went wrong saw both clubs placed under all sorts of pressure to dispense with either and effectively start from scratch. That "nightmare" year for Geelong was 2006. For Richmond, it was 2016. History records that both clubs left their senior mean in place, engineered some changes to the structure without effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and the results came. And how, both responding the very next season with drought-breaking premierships. MORE AFL NEWS Indeed, Geelong, without a premiership since 1963, would win three flags and play in four grand finals between 2007-11. And Richmond, which hadn't won for 37 years, famously saluted in 2017, then again in 2019-20. Fair reward in both cases for those clubs holding the line rather than succumbing to the white noise. Adelaide's road after blowing the 2017 grand final against Richmond was rocky, the infamous pre-season training camp in hindsight a fatal blow to morale, and probably former coach Don Pyke's tenure, too. But while progress under Nicks since 2020 has been slow at times, it's also been by and large a positive build towards something substantial. Patience is a rare commodity in football. But Adelaide's looks like being rewarded. Reaffirming the old adage that good things really can come to those prepared to wait. Adelaide's performance so far in 2025 is clearly one of, if not the best story of the AFL season. It's also a salient reminder about the dangers of knee-jerk reactions. The Crows are third on the ladder at 11-5, with seven games left already as many wins as they've had in a season since 2018. They've got a decent run home, too, and will almost certainly at the very least be playing finals for the first time since they made the grand final in 2017. But the prognostications about how Adelaide's 2025 might turn out weren't nearly so positive back in March, when coach Matthew Nicks, entering his sixth season in charge of the Crows, was roundly considered to be the coach under the most pressure to keep his job, and few of any pundits (yes, me also) considered his team even a chance of being a finalist. That was off the back of a disappointing 2024, when Adelaide won only eight games, finished a lowly 15th and seemed to regress into a mere shadow of the potent offensive force which had just missed finals the previous season. Why did so few people see the renaissance coming? Because (and it's not confined to football, even sport for that matter) short-term thinking focused purely on the snapshot rather than the bigger picture, in which 2024 could well be viewed as a blip on an otherwise steady line of progress. Under Nicks, Adelaide in a thorough rebuild beginning in the Covid-affected 2020, had prior to last season improved tangibly each season, from three wins, to seven, to eight, to 11. Last year was supposed to be the year it all clicked. But injuries hurt from the start, key forward Riley Thilthorpe's prolonged absence critical, and poor form from a couple of stars in Taylor Walker and Josh Rachele took a toll. Adelaide may also have overcorrected its perceived defensive frailties and sacrificed some of its attacking flair. Those, however, are fixable issues. As was the thinness of the Crows' midfield, which some judicious trading has certainly eliminated as an issue. Seasoned recruits Alex Neale-Bullen, James Peatling and Isaac Cumming have made a huge difference, not only with their own direct contributions, but in allowing the likes of veteran Rory Laird and star skipper Jordan Dawson to wreak all sorts of havoc elsewhere. Look at Adelaide now and you see a very well-balanced line-up all over the park. The Crows are currently third for points scored and second for fewest points conceded. They rank top six in the AFL in no fewer than 26 of 38 key statistical indicators. Their form is solid indeed with seven wins from the past nine games, and against Melbourne last Sunday, they demonstrated a new-found capacity to fight back, the Crows at one stage trailing by 28 points. One reservation remains Adelaide's failure to beat other top teams, but they're close enough, the Crows' defeats against Collingwood and Hawthorn by just 10 and three points, while they also led Geelong by more than five goals at one stage. Whether the Crows end up going all the way or not, it's at least become clearer that under Nicks Adelaide has built something of substance, and that if this isn't to be the year, it may not be too far away. But then, the temporary blip in an otherwise impressive progression is hardly a new phenomenon. And the other modern examples of it should give the Crows plenty of encouragement. They are, of course, Geelong of 20-odd years ago and Richmond about 10 years ago. Both the Cats and Tigers had several years of steady progress under respective coaches Mark Thompson and Damien Hardwick before one year when everything went wrong saw both clubs placed under all sorts of pressure to dispense with either and effectively start from scratch. That "nightmare" year for Geelong was 2006. For Richmond, it was 2016. History records that both clubs left their senior mean in place, engineered some changes to the structure without effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and the results came. And how, both responding the very next season with drought-breaking premierships. MORE AFL NEWS Indeed, Geelong, without a premiership since 1963, would win three flags and play in four grand finals between 2007-11. And Richmond, which hadn't won for 37 years, famously saluted in 2017, then again in 2019-20. Fair reward in both cases for those clubs holding the line rather than succumbing to the white noise. Adelaide's road after blowing the 2017 grand final against Richmond was rocky, the infamous pre-season training camp in hindsight a fatal blow to morale, and probably former coach Don Pyke's tenure, too. But while progress under Nicks since 2020 has been slow at times, it's also been by and large a positive build towards something substantial. Patience is a rare commodity in football. But Adelaide's looks like being rewarded. Reaffirming the old adage that good things really can come to those prepared to wait. Adelaide's performance so far in 2025 is clearly one of, if not the best story of the AFL season. It's also a salient reminder about the dangers of knee-jerk reactions. The Crows are third on the ladder at 11-5, with seven games left already as many wins as they've had in a season since 2018. They've got a decent run home, too, and will almost certainly at the very least be playing finals for the first time since they made the grand final in 2017. But the prognostications about how Adelaide's 2025 might turn out weren't nearly so positive back in March, when coach Matthew Nicks, entering his sixth season in charge of the Crows, was roundly considered to be the coach under the most pressure to keep his job, and few of any pundits (yes, me also) considered his team even a chance of being a finalist. That was off the back of a disappointing 2024, when Adelaide won only eight games, finished a lowly 15th and seemed to regress into a mere shadow of the potent offensive force which had just missed finals the previous season. Why did so few people see the renaissance coming? Because (and it's not confined to football, even sport for that matter) short-term thinking focused purely on the snapshot rather than the bigger picture, in which 2024 could well be viewed as a blip on an otherwise steady line of progress. Under Nicks, Adelaide in a thorough rebuild beginning in the Covid-affected 2020, had prior to last season improved tangibly each season, from three wins, to seven, to eight, to 11. Last year was supposed to be the year it all clicked. But injuries hurt from the start, key forward Riley Thilthorpe's prolonged absence critical, and poor form from a couple of stars in Taylor Walker and Josh Rachele took a toll. Adelaide may also have overcorrected its perceived defensive frailties and sacrificed some of its attacking flair. Those, however, are fixable issues. As was the thinness of the Crows' midfield, which some judicious trading has certainly eliminated as an issue. Seasoned recruits Alex Neale-Bullen, James Peatling and Isaac Cumming have made a huge difference, not only with their own direct contributions, but in allowing the likes of veteran Rory Laird and star skipper Jordan Dawson to wreak all sorts of havoc elsewhere. Look at Adelaide now and you see a very well-balanced line-up all over the park. The Crows are currently third for points scored and second for fewest points conceded. They rank top six in the AFL in no fewer than 26 of 38 key statistical indicators. Their form is solid indeed with seven wins from the past nine games, and against Melbourne last Sunday, they demonstrated a new-found capacity to fight back, the Crows at one stage trailing by 28 points. One reservation remains Adelaide's failure to beat other top teams, but they're close enough, the Crows' defeats against Collingwood and Hawthorn by just 10 and three points, while they also led Geelong by more than five goals at one stage. Whether the Crows end up going all the way or not, it's at least become clearer that under Nicks Adelaide has built something of substance, and that if this isn't to be the year, it may not be too far away. But then, the temporary blip in an otherwise impressive progression is hardly a new phenomenon. And the other modern examples of it should give the Crows plenty of encouragement. They are, of course, Geelong of 20-odd years ago and Richmond about 10 years ago. Both the Cats and Tigers had several years of steady progress under respective coaches Mark Thompson and Damien Hardwick before one year when everything went wrong saw both clubs placed under all sorts of pressure to dispense with either and effectively start from scratch. That "nightmare" year for Geelong was 2006. For Richmond, it was 2016. History records that both clubs left their senior mean in place, engineered some changes to the structure without effectively throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and the results came. And how, both responding the very next season with drought-breaking premierships. MORE AFL NEWS Indeed, Geelong, without a premiership since 1963, would win three flags and play in four grand finals between 2007-11. And Richmond, which hadn't won for 37 years, famously saluted in 2017, then again in 2019-20. Fair reward in both cases for those clubs holding the line rather than succumbing to the white noise. Adelaide's road after blowing the 2017 grand final against Richmond was rocky, the infamous pre-season training camp in hindsight a fatal blow to morale, and probably former coach Don Pyke's tenure, too. But while progress under Nicks since 2020 has been slow at times, it's also been by and large a positive build towards something substantial. Patience is a rare commodity in football. But Adelaide's looks like being rewarded. Reaffirming the old adage that good things really can come to those prepared to wait.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Wanderers youth product heading for the Champions League next season
FORMER Wanderers talent Dennis Politic has made a big money move to Romanian champions Steau Bucharest. After two impressive seasons with city rivals Dinamo, the 25-year-old was signed for a reported €900,000 (£762,000) plus winger Alexandru Musi. Advertisement Steau mistakenly put a picture of Musi up on their social media announcement before quickly rectifying their error on Tuesday afternoon – but Politic, who signs a three-year deal, at least has the comfort of playing Champions League football next season. The skilful attacker spent three years at Bolton's academy after initially coming to the country from Romania in 2015 to play for Manchester United. After a productive spell on loan with Salford City, he was promoted to first team level by Phil Parkinson and was one of the 'Junior Whites' who played against Coventry City in August 2019, the line-up being the youngest ever named by the club. Dennis Politic played 30 first team games for Wanderers (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns) Advertisement He played 30 times for the Whites, all his appearances packed into the Covid-affected 2019/20 season in League One, which ended in relegation. Politic was expected to play a part in Ian Evatt's first squad at Bolton but a serious knee injury suffered in a pre-season friendly at Loughborough University in August 2020 left him out of action until the following summer. He did appear briefly in in the 2021/22 pre-season friendlies but was then loaned out to Port Vale for the final year of his contract, eventually signing for Italian side Cremonese. Politic came back to England with Vale after a dismal spell in Italy, scoring seven times in 29 games, but then returned to Romania with Dinamo, where his reputation has grown ever since. Advertisement After two years with 'The Dogs' of Dinamo, Politic issued a message on his Instagram account thanking the club and their fans for their support. He wrote: "I experienced intense and special moments in the Dinamo shirt, from saving them from relegation last season to entering the play-offs after eight years. There were moments that shaped me as a player and as a person. 'I was warmly welcomed and felt like part of a real family, even in the hardest moments. I thank my colleagues, the staff and especially you, the fans, for your sincere support and incredible passion. "The time has come for a new chapter in my career. I don't forget what it was and I leave with respect and gratitude. I wish you all the best in the world and to see your club where it belongs, up there, fighting for glory.' READ MORE Wanderers fans react to Dennis Politic's 'strange' Port Vale loan switch Advertisement What Ian Evatt said when asked about Dennis Politic's Wanderers contract offer 'We are not moneybags' - Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke on Dennis Politic's departure Wanderers winger Dennis Politic completes move to Italian side Cremonese Wanderers preparing for bad news on injured winger Dennis Politic Politic scored 14 goals in 65 games over two seasons for Dinamo and made his international debut for Romania against San Marino in March.
Time of India
07-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
86.5 lakh deaths in 2022, 15% dip over Covid-hit 2021: CRS data
India witnessed a notable decrease in deaths in 2022, with 86.5 lakh fatalities reported. This marks a 15% decline from the 1.02 crore deaths in 2021, a year heavily impacted by Covid-19. Birth registrations increased to 2.54 crore in 2022, a rise of 5.1% from the previous year. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Nearly 86.5 lakh deaths were reported in the country during 2022, a significant decline of more than 15% from Covid-affected 2021 which had recorded over 1.02 crore deaths, according to a new data from the Civil Registration System CRS ).The dip of 15.74 lakh from 2021 brought mortality figures broadly back in line with pre-pandemic patterns last seen in 2020, the data for 2022 brought out by the office of the Registrar General of India through CRS report to the CRS data, 2021 registered a sharp spike with 1.02 crore deaths across the country as compared to 81.1 lakh in 2020, 76.4 lakh in 2019, and 69.5 lakh in 2018, underscoring the impact of COVID-19."In the case of registered deaths, the number has decreased from 102.2 lakh in 2021 to 86.5 lakh in 2022, i.e. a decrease of 15.4%. Some of the major states namely, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar and Haryana have contributed significantly to the decreased number of registered deaths," the report 5.26 lakh deaths were reported due to COVID-19 till July 26, 2022, according to a reply given by the government in the Lok Sabha on July 29, World Health Organisation had reported over 47 lakh COVID-19 linked deaths in India which was strongly disputed by the government. The Centre had said the WHO estimates suffered from "a number of inconsistencies and erroneous assumptions"."India had registered a strong objection to the process, methodology and outcome of this unscientific modelling approach especially when India had provided authentic data published through Civil Registration System by Registrar General of India to WHO," the government reply had CRS report also showed that over 2.54 crore births were registered in 2022."The number of registered births has increased from 242.0 lakh in 2021 to 254.4 lakh in 2022, an increase of about 5.1%," the report has been an increase in 2022 in registered births in almost all states and UTs, except Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep as compared to major states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Assam have contributed significantly to the increase in registered births in 2022 over 2021, the report said."On the other hand, decrease in registered births in six figures has been observed in two major states namely, West Bengal and Bihar during 2021-2022," it said.
Economic Times
07-06-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
86.5 lakh deaths in 2022, 15% dip over Covid-hit 2021: CRS data
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Nearly 86.5 lakh deaths were reported in the country during 2022, a significant decline of more than 15% from Covid-affected 2021 which had recorded over 1.02 crore deaths, according to a new data from the Civil Registration System CRS ).The dip of 15.74 lakh from 2021 brought mortality figures broadly back in line with pre-pandemic patterns last seen in 2020, the data for 2022 brought out by the office of the Registrar General of India through CRS report to the CRS data, 2021 registered a sharp spike with 1.02 crore deaths across the country as compared to 81.1 lakh in 2020, 76.4 lakh in 2019, and 69.5 lakh in 2018, underscoring the impact of COVID-19."In the case of registered deaths, the number has decreased from 102.2 lakh in 2021 to 86.5 lakh in 2022, i.e. a decrease of 15.4%. Some of the major states namely, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar and Haryana have contributed significantly to the decreased number of registered deaths," the report 5.26 lakh deaths were reported due to COVID-19 till July 26, 2022, according to a reply given by the government in the Lok Sabha on July 29, World Health Organisation had reported over 47 lakh COVID-19 linked deaths in India which was strongly disputed by the government. The Centre had said the WHO estimates suffered from "a number of inconsistencies and erroneous assumptions"."India had registered a strong objection to the process, methodology and outcome of this unscientific modelling approach especially when India had provided authentic data published through Civil Registration System by Registrar General of India to WHO," the government reply had CRS report also showed that over 2.54 crore births were registered in 2022."The number of registered births has increased from 242.0 lakh in 2021 to 254.4 lakh in 2022, an increase of about 5.1%," the report has been an increase in 2022 in registered births in almost all states and UTs, except Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Ladakh, and Lakshadweep as compared to major states namely, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Assam have contributed significantly to the increase in registered births in 2022 over 2021, the report said."On the other hand, decrease in registered births in six figures has been observed in two major states namely, West Bengal and Bihar during 2021-2022," it said.
