SPRF
INTRODUCTION The IPCC’s sixth assessment report, “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” (IPCC 2021), tells us that “the climate catastrophe timer is about to go off and we don’t have much time”. The report highlights that countries do not have the luxury to forgo climate concerns for the sake of economic growth. The obstacle […]
INTRODUCTION Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the contentious farm laws on 19 November 2021 and urged the protesting farmers to return home. These three bills, namely, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020, and […]
INTRODUCTION The importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene, collectively known as WASH, has been stressed ever since the unprecedented rise of COVID-19. The emphasis was especially seen in urban centres where “inadequate sanitation” across informal settlements is an issue of concern. Often addressed as “messy and hidden”, migration and informal settlements that house rural migrants […]
Altruistic suicide is when someone sacrifices their life to save or benefit someone else’s. In India, particularly in Maharashtra’s agrarian-crisis impacted regions, news reports a worsening mental health crisis. This increases altruistic suicides rates among children. This commentary explores the depth of mental health challenges that farmer’s children face. The discussion highlights the role of […]
CONTEXT An estimated 15.20 crore children were involved in child labour globally in 2016. Of this number, 8.8 crore were boys and 6.4 crore were girls. A staggering 48% of these children were 5 to 11 years old, while 12 to 14 and 15 to 17 age groups stood estimatedly at 28% and 24%, respectively […]
INTRODUCTION The second wave of COVID-19 ruptured families across India. Despite widespread media coverage, the conversation overlooked a demographic worst affected by it, namely children. According to a Lancet study by Bachman et al. (2021), last year saw 11,34,000 children lose their primary caregivers to COVID-19 globally. This figure includes at least one parent or […]
Context Since its introduction in 2010, the Aadhaar card has served as the primary source of identification and the means to access public and welfare services — such as ration, KYC, bank accounts, etc. — provided by the government. Publicised as the most reliable authentication of someone’s identity, the Aadhaar card is the most extensive […]
INTRODUCTION India’s 2011 Census recorded 453 million internal migrants in India, forming a significant 37% of the total population. One out of every five migrants is a child, resulting in an estimated 92.95 million migrant children. However, the Census and National Sample Survey’s [NSS] short-term circular migration estimates are believed to be low and misleading […]
CATALYST In September 2019, Tapir Gao, the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] MP of Arunachal Pradesh, cautioned the Lok Sabha that China had moved 60-70 kilometres beyond the McMahon Line, also called the Line of Actual Control [LAC], to construct a bridge within Indian territory. Gao warned that “if another Doklam were to happen anywhere, it […]
The global discourse on sustainability has revolved around the need to transition towards “Sustainable Consumption” ever since it was introduced during the 1992 Earth Summit chaired by Maurice Strong, a Canadian businessman who made his wealth from the oil and gas industry. A couple of years later, the 1994 Oslo Symposium on “Sustainable Consumption” sought […]
ABSTRACT India has seen a significant rise in attacks against and killings of journalists in recent years, making it an increasingly hostile place to practice journalism. In the last two decades, India’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index dropped from 80th to 142nd. This issue brief discusses the shortcomings in the Indian legal framework […]
CONTEXT Every year, during the months of November and December, people living along India’s Arabian Sea coast witness beautiful sparkling blue tides at night. In December 2020, for instance, such sightings were recorded in Mumbai’s Juhu and other places across Maharashtra like Devgad and Murud (Bhalerao 2020). Blue tides were also recorded in November last […]
Let us hypothesise that it is the year 2030. A farmer living in a remote village in India, instead of having to travel many hours to reach a hospital in the city that is equipped to diagnose and provide treatments, only needs to visit his nearest health facility. His doctors readily access his medical records […]
CONTEXT The enactment of the Right to Education Act 2010 (RTE) and the introduction of the New Education Policy 2020 (NEP) can be considered two important milestones in India’s education policy landscape over the last two decades. The RTE describes the modalities of free and compulsory education for children in the age group of 6-14 […]