Articles

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 […]

Examining the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019

In April 2014, in a landmark judgment in National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) v. Union of India and Others, the Supreme Court created the third gender status for transgender persons, recognising their legal and civil rights, and providing directives on affirmative action, access to public healthcare and other social welfare services. Though activists had pointed […]

The Aadhaar Solution to India’s Financial Exclusion Problem

Today, more than 1.2 billion Indians have a unique digital identity [1], and along with that, access to a basic savings account as well as the choice to conduct payments online using the simplest, low-cost mobile phones. Aadhaar has been the foundation, in the truest meaning of the word, of the bridge built to reach […]

Evaluating Surrogacy Legislation in India

Authored by: Shubhangi Priya The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016, and passed on December 2018, provisioning a ban on surrogacy intended for commercial purposes. The Bill lapsed upon the dissolution of the parliament the same month, and was reintroduced in the Lok Sabha on July 2019.     In […]