SPRF
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Authored by: Jasmine Bhalla According to World Bank estimates, spending on education by both central and state governments in India was 3.8% of the nation’s GDP in 2013 – significantly below the world average of 4.7% in the same year [1]. The country has also performed poorly in terms of quality, scoring second lowest with […]
Authored By: Diksha Pandey Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are set to play a crucial role in India’s transformation into an outward-looking global economy. Contributing close to 30% to our GDP, and employing over 120 million people [1], MSMEs have the potential to de-burden the agricultural sector and help in the diversification of the […]
Authored by: Abhieraja Shahi “When the Panchayat Raj is established, public opinion will do what violence can never do.” -Mahatma Gandhi In November 1938, the ruler of the small princely state of Aundh abdicated and declared that its affairs shall, henceforth, be managed by the people of Aundh themselves. In what was an unprecedented step, […]
Authored by: SPRF Research Team The Economic Survey 2018-2019 serves as an aspirational document for the sustained economic growth of India. The Survey presents a strategic blueprint for a nation of 130 crore citizens aiming to become a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025. A blue sky thinking underlies the growth model pitched by the […]
Authored by: Anshu Chaudhery The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM, hereafter) was introduced in 2014 as an ambitious national project to eradicate open defecation, improve living conditions, ensure women’s safety, and achieve universal sanitation coverage. Open defecation, and the resultant contamination of water, has been an endemic problem associated with sanitation in India. The Lancet Journal, […]
Authored by: Shubhangi Priya This piece attempts to explore the relationship between the historical criminality of rape and the laws which govern sexually violent behaviour in India. The Bombay High Court’s affirmation of the constitutional validity of Article 376E, which sanctions the death penalty in cases of multiple sexual offences, presents an urgent inquiry into […]
Authored by: Karun Gupta Updated by Shubhangi Priya ‘Delimitation’ is defined by the Election Commission of India as, “the act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province having a legislative body” [1]. The foundation of delimitation is grounded in the tenets of the democratic process, of […]
Authored by: Jasmine Bhalla In its biennial report, the Indian government has pointed out the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters, including floods, droughts, and cyclones, exacerbated by changing demographics and socio-economic conditions [1]. The issue of climate change has also featured on the manifesto of two major political parties, against the backdrop of the 17th […]
Authored by: Neha Simlai, Apurav Maggu With the results of the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections on the 23rd, India’s 17th Lok Sabha (House of the People), and indeed the next government, will come in with its own challenges, new priorities (national and regional), improved schemes and revised metrics to measure successes and failures. To […]
Authored by: Sitara Srinivas The 2019 General Election has been characterised by questions and doubt over the efficacy, security, and tamperability of Electronic Voting Machine or EVMs (1). The introduction of Verifiable Voter Paper Audit Trail (2) (VVPAT) Machines across India’s 543 constituencies for the first time ever in the General Elections, has raised questions […]
Authored by: Bishwa Pandey In the first half of 2018, 945 incidents of online hacking all over the world led to a staggering 4.5 billion (450 crore) data records[1] being compromised, equivalent to 291 records being exposed every second (Gemalto, Netherlands)[2]. Digitalisation of lifestyles is making cybersecurity increasingly important to governments, organizations and people. It […]