In Discussion

Abstract A vast section of India’s large population relies on social welfare schemes to supplement their livelihoods and well-being. The MGNREGA scheme is considered one of the largest such social welfare schemes in the world, in terms of beneficiaries covered. Over the last couple of years, the scheme has been updated with digital processes which […]

Abstract Due to the current global warming and climate change trends, there is a need to shift to cleaner forms of energy. Green hydrogen is a clean and sustainable alternative to other forms of hydrogen fuel. With India’s commitments to scale up on green hydrogen production, use, and export, there is a significant opportunity for […]

Abstract Agriculture is a significant employer and contributor to the GDP in India. However, the sector faces a two-fold problem due to climate change and a declining workforce. On the one hand, increased food demand is juxtaposed with a decline in the number of food providers – farmers. On the other hand, agriculture has to […]

  ABSTRACT: Power is among the most critical components of infrastructure and serves as a crucial metric for assessing the living standard of a country’s population. Unfortunately, a variety of problems plague India’s power sector. The poor financial health of power distribution companies has often been recognised as a critical issue impacting the power sector’s […]

  Author: Ritwiz Sarma ABSTRACT: Language has a deep and well-documented relationship with culture. Therefore, its loss has significant implications for communities’ cultural heritage. This study attempts to analyse the cultural impact of language loss in Tai Khamti speakers, an endangered language community native to North-Eastern India. Primary data is collected to assess cultural markers […]

Abstract The Delhi Metro-Rail [DMR] System is an essential mode of mass transit that facilitates an integrated urban public transport system. However, poor last-mile connectivity impacts the DMR system’s ridership and makes it less inclusive for socio-economically marginalised groups. It is important to understand the issues related to last-mile connectivity because it is essential to […]

Abstract The digital divide between marginalised and non-marginalised populations of the country has impacted the socio-economic growth of the Scheduled Tribes [STs] in India. The first part of this paper discussed the consequences of the divide for the ST populace. The second part of the paper discusses the role of policy instruments in bridging this […]

ABSTRACT Indian democracy shows a steady decline across various globally cited indicators of democracy, even while the practice remains strong and consistent. The Freedom House Index has changed India’s status from “free” to “partly free” in 2021. Peculiarly, India has performed well on indicators of political representation and indicators of free and fair elections at […]

Abstract Admission into professional courses via highly competitive entrance examinations is becoming the norm in universities. The Union government’s decision to make the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test [NEET] the sole criterion for admission to medical and dental colleges is a significant step in this direction. However, studies worldwide have criticised high-stakes examinations for propagating socio-economic inequalities […]

ABSTRACT Muslim women donning hijab, burqa, or the veil has been a contentious issue and a source of discrimination against them worldwide. In India, this issue resurfaced in December after the Udupi Women’s PU College, a pre-university college in Karnataka, denied entry to several girls since they were wearing hijabs and ‘disrupting’ the college uniform. […]

ABSTRACT In 2021 ‘Fenty Beauty’, a leading makeup brand owned by the pop-star Rihanna, was criticised for using mica from mines in Giridih and Koderma, Jharkhand (Sirur, 2021). The news brought into limelight the discourse around industries thriving on cheap raw materials, especially ones acquired from illegal mica mines through child labour. The issue of […]

ABSTRACT For more than six decades now, Nagaland has been under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA] 1958. Despite the violence and impunity, the act grants the security forces, it is still in force. To bring peace to the region the Framework Agreement was signed in 2015 between the Government of India and the […]

ABSTRACT Rohingya refugee camps in India witnessed the highest number of fires in 2021 than any other year prior. Most refugee-camp fires demonstrated a peculiar trend of beginning at midnight, often on a disputed property, preceded by threats of eviction or bigotry but said to be the result of bad urban planning. With refugee settlement […]

Authored by: Barkha Tripathi, Co-Founder, The Zero Period Edited by: Riya Singh Rathore and Avishi Gupta   ABSTRACT India is the second-most populous country globally, with the largest youth population between ages 10 to 24. Despite a young and culturally diverse demography, India has consistently deprioritised knowledge, awareness, and acceptance of comprehensive sexuality education [CSE] […]