In the COVID-19 pandemic, India's economy is forecast to shrink by 4.5% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. At least 400 million Indian workers are at risk of falling deeper into poverty, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). In Uttar Pradesh, around 60 million of the state's population of more than 200 million lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. "No matter what," he said, sitting near his parent's single-storey home, surrounded by jade green paddy fields. A chance conversation with a cousin who had studied plastic engineering got him hooked, Kumar said, and he started researching.

Source: The Star August 17, 2020 06:00 UTC