Congratulations! This is the end of the reading for our discussion.

to miscarry: to experience an early, unintentional end to a pregnancy

a penal colony: a place where prisoners are sent to live

During British colonial rule of India, there were several penal colonies holding thousands of criminals. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00220388.2023.2254063

Centre of Indian Trade Unions: one of the biggest trade unions in India

Check out their logo! http://citucentre.org/

Chekkala Rajkumar is active on social media: https://www.facebook.com/chekkala.rajkumar/ https://www.instagram.com/chekkala.rajkumar/

premises: a building or land

surveillance: the careful watching of a person or place, especially by the police or army

a showcase: a setting, occasion, or medium for exhibiting something or someone especially in an attractive or favorable aspect

state-of-the-art: very modern and using the most recent ideas and methods

to encounter: to meet

preventable: able to be kept from happening

frostbite: the superficial or deep freezing of the tissues of some part of the body

The WHO's code of practice for fishery products indicates that shrimp should be stored and processed at temperatures below 4°C.

https://www.fao.org/3/i2382e/i2382e.pdf

a fungus: any of various types of organisms that get their food from decaying material or other living things

I could not find her online, either.

to lack: to not have or not have enough of something that is needed or wanted

unsanitary: unclean enough to endanger health

a hostel: a large house where people can stay free or cheaply

mandated: officially required

overtime: being paid extra for working after the usual time

desperately: in a way that involves despair, extreme measures, or rashness

starvation: the state of having no food for a long period, often causing death

oppressive: unreasonably burdensome or severe

debt: a state of being under obligation to pay or repay someone or something in return for something received

Note that the "b" in "debt" is silent! "Debt" rhymes with "bet".

poverty: the condition of being extremely poor

amid: in the middle of; surrounded by

endemic: characteristic of or prevalent in a particular field, area, or environment

a wage: a payment usually of money for labor or services usually according to contract and on an hourly, daily, or piecework basis

arduous: marked by great labor or effort; strenuous

a recourse: a turning to someone or something for help or protection

along with: in addition to

to deduct: to take away (an amount) from a total; to subtract

a shed: a single-storied building with one or more sides unenclosed

to set foot in somewhere: to enter a place

to take a toll: to have a serious, bad effect on someone or something; to cause harm or damage

a sari: a garment of southern Asian women that consists of several yards of lightweight cloth draped so that one end forms a skirt and the other a head or shoulder covering

to grade: to sort

Read more about hand grading shrimp: https://www.globalseafood.org/advocate/making-the-grade-a-comparison-of-shrimp-grading-systems/

brutal: cruel, harsh, severe

$8,500 = 7,865 €

The average annual income in India for someone without a high school education is 12,300 €. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1450326/india-average-annual-salary-by-education/

a loan: an amount of money that is borrowed, often from a bank, and has to be paid back, usually together with interest (an extra amount of money as a charge for borrowing)

to top: to be or become higher than

X after X: continuously or repeatedly

destitute: without money, food, a home, or possessions

brief: lasting only a short time

to be committed to (doing) something: to be loyal and willing to give your time and energy to something that you believe in

Surprisingly, I could not find any information on Sivaraman on the internet, despite being a government secretary. The MPEDA is not even listed on the organizational chart of the ministry.

https://commerce.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Organisation-Chart.pdf

means: a method or way of doing something

Depending on the context, the word can be singular or plural (both with -s at the end).

https://grammarist.com/usage/means/

as such: in the role or manner of the thing previously mentioned

Some speakers use "as such" interchangeably with "therefore", but this is generally considered incorrect.

https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/therefore-as-such.php

to sizzle: to make a sound like food cooking in hot fat

to sauté: to cook food in oil or fat over heat, usually until it is brown

North America's largest seafood exposition

https://www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america/about/

an expo: short for exposition; a show in which industrial goods, works of art, etc. are shown to the public

bustling: full of busy activity

MPEDA: a department of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry

a secretary: the head of a government department appointed by the executive

a facility: a place, building, or equipment used for a particular purpose or activity

to deploy: to send or use for a specific purpose

an audit: a methodical examination and review

an allegation: an unsupported assertion, especially of misconduct

to deplore: to feel or express strong disapproval

a query: a question, an inquiry

bound (adj.): intending to go

to end up: to reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected

8000 miles = approx. 12,900 km

a ton: a unit of weight equal to 2000 pounds (907 kg)

skillet: a shallow frying pan

to toss: to throw with a quick, light, or careless motion

to tear: to separate parts of or pull apart by force (rhymes with hair)

to pry: to extract, detach, or open with difficulty

to face: to be confronted by

to peel: to strip off an outer layer of

a shift: a scheduled period of work or duty

to endure: to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding

to haul: to transport in a vehicle

a crop: a plant or animal or plant or animal product that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence

soil: the upper layer of earth that may be dug or plowed and in which plants grow

to prompt: to move to action

A union (trade union/labor union) is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment.

hatchery: a place for hatching eggs

Caption (brief text to describe a photograph or video)

The Corporate Accountability Lab aims to fight abuses of labor rights, human rights, and environmental rights by making companies legally accountable when they harm people and the environment. * https://corpaccountabilitylab.org/our-mission Charity Navigator gave them a rating of 4/4. * https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/815123686

an advance copy: a free copy of a new book/report given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, etc., before it is released for mass distribution

booming: growing or expanding very quickly

Andhra Pradesh is the seventh largest state in India and has a long coastline along the Bay of Bengal. Amaravati is the capital of the state, and the largest city is Visakhapatnam. The majority of the population speaks Telugu. * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh

to sigh: to take a deep audible breath (as in weariness or relief) (rhymes with "cry")

Costco is a multi-billion dollar retailer based in the US (a "big box" store) * https://www.costco.com/about.html * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big-box_store

to head to: to proceed in a certain direction

Piyush Nagpal is an Indian videojournalist who has worked with various news outlets and is currently with the AP. * https://muckrack.com/piyushnagpal * https://in.linkedin.com/in/piyushngpal

Mahesh Kumar A. appears to be an Indian journalist, who specializes in investigative photojournalism. It was difficult to learn more about him because the name appears to be somewhat common. For example, there is another Indian journalist named "Mahesh Kumar S." * https://muckrack.com/mahesh-kumar-a/articles

Martha Mendoza is an investigative journalist who has worked for the AP since 1995. Her work has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize twice and won an Emmy Award. Her reporting focuses on human trafficking and immigration. * https://apnews.com/author/martha-mendoza * https://pulitzercenter.org/people/martha-mendoza * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Mendoza * https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthamendoza

Dateline (when and/or where the story was written)

Byline (names of the authors; who the article is "by")

trying or taxing to the point of exhaustion

Headline (not title)

Popular topics

Section headings

The AP (Associated Press) is a global news agency. They claim to have journaists in nearly 100 countries and reach four billion people per day. Their headquarters are in New York. * AP About * Wikipedia: AP

Media Bias/Fact Check rates the AP as having "high" factual content and a left-center bias. * Media Bias/Fact Check: AP