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Aadhaar, Accessibility, and Ableism

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 […]

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Seasonal Migration and Children’s Education in India

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 […]

McMahon’s Deadlock: Is the Indo-China Dispute Shifting to Arunachal?

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 […]

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Sustainable Consumption: A View From the Global South

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 […]

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Laws for Journalists in India: An Overview

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 […]

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Sea Sparkle Blues: Global Warming And Marine Ecosystems In India

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 […]

Nurturing Innovations for a Swasth Bharat

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 […]

Between RTE and NEP: Persisting Challenges in India’s School Education System

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 […]

Vocational Education in the NEP 2020: Opportunities and Challenges

Authored by – Shubhangi Raman Edited by – Kavita Majumdar CONTEXT With the roll-out of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, vocational education has garnered the required spotlight. The NEP 2020 is a comprehensive policy document that extensively discusses the revamping of vocational education. The policy focuses on bringing vocational education into mainstream education, as […]

Street Vendors: Outliers of India’s Urban Landscape

Authored by – Neymat Chadha Edited by – Kavita Majumdar CONTEXT Street vendors are an integral, and yet, an overlooked part of India’s urban landscape. Constituting one of the largest segments of self-employed workers, India is estimated to have over four crore people carrying out a diverse range of street vending activities [1]. The Street […]

Water Policy, A Year after Jal Shakti: Paradigm Shift?

Authored By – Anushka Negi and Jitendra Bisht Edited By – Kavita Majumdar CONTEXT With just 4% of the world’s freshwater resources and 17% of its population, India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world [1]. Water supply is becoming scarce due to reasons including, but not limited to, drastically falling water […]

Assessing the New Farm Laws: Some Implementational Issues

Written by – Jitendra Bisht Edited by – Kausumi Saha CONTEXT On 21st September 2020, the Rajya Sabha passed two key bills related to reforms in agricultural marketing and trade, amid protests from opposition parties as well as farmer and trade unions across Punjab, Haryana, and several other states. After receiving the assent of the […]

Digital Literacy in India: Structural Constraints and the NEP 2020

Authored by: Kashika Chadha Edited by: Kausumi Saha   CONTEXT The COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen challenges in India’s educational landscape. Schools and colleges have switched to remote learning and started online classes and exams. The pattern of education has changed overnight, and digital learning has emerged as the primary alternative. This sudden switch and […]

Prisoners’ Educational Reforms in India: An Institutionalised Insufficiency

Authored by: Kausumi Saha THE NEED FOR PRISON EDUCATION Studies across the world have indicated that education during incarceration has long term benefits for entire societies. In fact, a report in the USA suggested that individuals who participated in any form of educational programmes in prison were 43% less likely to return to jail [1]. […]