Never mind that the country hasn't seen the monsoon in its full fury this year. That's not going to take the sting out of the anopheles mosquito, as its dreaded bite injects the malaria parasite into bloodstreams across the country. The first reports of malarial deaths have already started trickling in.
The deaths in themselves are tragic since it is now 50 years since India declared war on malaria. Now, a study by a Delhi-based think-tank, Liberty Institute, suggests that malaria is draining the economy by as much as Rs 1,692 crore a year.
