Articles

Governance
Human Rights & Law

Vocational Education in the NEP 2020: Opportunities and Challenges

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 recommended by successive commissions on education over the years. The […]

Economy and Society
Governance

Street Vendors: Outliers of India’s Urban Landscape

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 Vendors Act 2014 identifies urban street vendors as constituting up […]

Environment and Energy
Governance

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 […]

Sustainable Supply Chains – From Niche to Norm: Is India ready?

Authored by: Nikita Seth with inputs from Diksha Pandey and Neha Simlai Edited by: Kausumi Saha In the wake of the global pandemic, markets all over the world are looking to make their supply chains stable, sustainable, and locally stronger. Companies are now, more than ever, focused on adopting sustainable business practices. Even as their […]

National Register of Indian Citizens: The Need for a Reappraisal

National Register of Indian Citizens: The Need for a Reappraisal

CONTEXT Section 14A of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003 mandated the government of India to “compulsorily register every citizen of India and issue national identity card to him” and “maintain a National Register of Indian Citizens” (NRC, hereafter) [1]. Almost two decades after the 2003 amendment to the Citizenship Act of 1955, the abbreviation ‘NRC’ […]

The Personal Data Protection Bill 2019: An Overview

In 2017, a landmark Supreme Court judgement declared the right to privacy as being protected as “an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution” [1] [2]. This judgement followed a petition filed in the Supreme […]

River Water Sharing in India: Debating Legality Amid Scarcity

River Water Sharing in India: Debating Legality Amid Scarcity

Around 600 million people in India face severe water shortage, and according to NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index (2018), the situation is predicted to get worse in the next few years. [1] The report states that 21 cities are expected to completely exhaust groundwater resources available to them by 2020. Over the last two […]

India's Agricultural Trade and its Impact on the Environment

India’s Agricultural Trade and its Impact on the Environment

  India is primarily an agrarian economy and has the 10th largest arable land resources in the world. Its varied climate and the agrarian culture have contributed significantly to the global food basket and India is currently among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world. Agricultural export is one of the major […]

Evaluating the Human Trafficking Bill, 2018

The most widely accepted definition of human trafficking across the globe can be found under Article 3(a) of The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children of 2000 (also called the “Palermo Protocol”) [1]. Simply put, it is the trade and transport of human beings for the […]

A Question of Citizenship: The Case of the Chakma-Hajong Refugees

A Question of Citizenship: The Case of the Chakma-Hajong Refugees

INTRODUCTION The Chakma and the Hajong refugees have been inhabitants of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh for over 50 years now. Despite their coexistence for several decades, the indigenous communities of the state still consider them to be ‘outsiders’. The recent Supreme Court judgement [1] of granting citizenship to these refugee groups, in consonance […]

What is Brewing in Assam’s Tea Industry?

On August 1, 2019, the Indian Tea Association (ITA) made a public appeal to both the Centre and the state government of Assam for urgent intervention for the survival of the tea industry. Subsequently, the Consultative Committee of Plantation Association (CCPA) made a press statement on August 20 that the tea industry might not be […]

Exploring the Ban on Single-Use Plastic in India

Exploring the Ban on Single-Use Plastic in India

The decision to ban single-use plastics in India on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (October 2) was retracted that very day by the Government of India. This analysis explores the ban, would it have been initiated.  On the occasion of India’s 73rd Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called for a nation-wide movement against […]