In Discussion

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] […]

INTRODUCTION  In June 2021, Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] MP John Barla raised a controversial demand for the separation of select North Bengal districts into a Union Territory. He argued that North Bengal has remained significantly underdeveloped in comparison to the rest of the state (Express News Service 2021). Following Barla’s rationale, BJP MP Saumitra Khan […]

ABSTRACT In October 2020, India and South Africa submitted a proposal to the TRIPS Council at the WTO to waive the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights [TRIPS] Agreement for the prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19. This set of intellectual property laws, established by the WTO, have historically limited developing countries from accessing […]

CONTEXT India’s location at the crossroads of the Atlantic waters and the Indo-Pacific has historically provided it with a geographical advantage in maritime trade. Such a strategic position enabled India to create a stable zone of influence in the northern Indian Ocean Region [IOR]. IOR is the hub of international trade in the 21st century, […]

ABSTRACT Female Maoists constitute a substantial 60% of the total cadres and occupy almost all operational and tactical positions responsible for sustaining the rebellion. This paper details the gendered motivators that have driven women in India’s red corridor to join the Maoist ranks. It also sheds light on the state’s current discourse around women’s participation […]

ABSTRACT The participation of women in the workforce aids not only their own socio-economic progress, agency, and welfare but also the progress of societies and countries. Despite an improvement in women’s education and health outcomes, India’s formal and informal female labour force participation (FLFP) has declined in the last two decades.  While the COVID-19 pandemic […]

ABSTRACT The open incineration of paddy crop residue, or stubble burning, in the north Indian states of Punjab and Haryana has become a recurring issue every winter. As pollution caused by stubble burning contributes to the Delhi Smog, the two events are almost always hyphenated in the public discourse, highlighting the former as primarily a […]

ABSTRACT  India accounts for one in every four tuberculosis (TB) cases around the globe. The fact that TB is easily transmitted to people with pre-existing conditions like HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and lung impairment, among other immunity deteriorating factors, is concerning in contemporary times. As India leaps to overcome the USA and become the nation most infected […]

ABSTRACT  The Government of India recently invited private sector investments in Indian Railways, citing the need to modernise the Railways and reduce the demand-supply gap in passenger transport. In this context, this paper attempts to analyse the reasons for the Railways’ crisis-ridden present-day reality and whether going down the path of privatisation would proffer a […]

  ABSTRACT  The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected in rising unemployment rates and starvation deaths across the country, was met by calls to universalise the Public Distribution System. Recognising that the pandemic served to exacerbate already existing food insecurity in the country, this paper seeks to explore the public discourse surrounding policy responses […]

  ABSTRACT The rapid increase in urbanisation has seen challenges emerging in the planning and management of land. This issue brief seeks to explore the market-based financing tools for land management and analyses whether it can be an alternative for efficiently using urban space. Using case studies from Mumbai and Ahmedabad, this issue brief further […]

  ABSTRACT The issue of labour law reforms has been at the core of the conventional discourse on industrial investments and job creation in India, wherein these laws are seen as restrictive and complex. The series of labour law changes made by several state governments in May 2020 also had the rationale of driving industrial […]

ABSTRACT  This paper attempts to analyse the recently passed amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention)  Act (UAPA), under the broader legal discourse relating to counter-terrorism, national security and human rights concerns. It further looks at UAPA in light of domestic jurisprudence on fundamental rights protection as well as various international legal instruments to assess its […]

ABSTRACT The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the underlying conditions surrounding India’s healthcare system today. With a population of over 1.33 billion people, India spends 3.66% of its total GDP on healthcare, out of which the total government expenditure is only 1.28%. In light of this unprecedented health crisis, this paper seeks to highlight the […]