SPRF
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 […]
ABSTRACT In light of the recent Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill passed in the Lok Sabha on 17th March 2020, this paper attempts to evaluate the current scenario of abortion-seeking in India. Despite being an essential healthcare need for millions of women and their families, safe and legal abortions continue to be inaccessible almost […]
ABSTRACT Scheduled Tribes are one of the most disadvantaged, marginalised groups in India. Traditionally dwelling in forests, land is the basis of not just their livelihood, but also their collective cultural identity. However, alienation of tribal populations from lands they have occupied for generations has become a common practice across the country. The development rhetoric […]
ABSTRACT The agriculture sector in India has witnessed continued distress in recent years with net investments in agricultural assets decreasing along with the sector’s share in the economy. Farmers have been grappling with stagnant incomes in the absence of true price realisation at the farmgate level, while paying a high retail price for other commodities […]
In a two-part publication, SPRF looks at sustainability in the fashion industry. Watch our explainer video below. ABSTRACT The fashion industry has seen several cultural changes over the course of history, in line with larger social and political contexts. Currently, fast fashion brands hold a monopoly with consistent growth year after year. There are […]
ABSTRACT In 2005, the Government of India declared that India had eliminated leprosy as a public health issue. However, according to the WHO, 1,25,000 new cases of leprosy continue to be reported in India every year, with 60% of the world’s total new leprosy cases being in India. This paper seeks to bring leprosy back […]
ABSTRACT This paper intends to provide an overview of the RCEP trade deal and look at India’s trade with ASEAN countries to understand how its performance under ASEAN influenced its participation in the RCEP negotiations. The various factors that may have influenced India’s decision to not participate in the RCEP deal are explored. The paper […]
ABSTRACT This paper explores the rise in hysterectomies (a medical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus) among sugarcane labourers in the Beed district of Maharashtra. Employing an intersectional lens, the paper examines how bodies of female labourers in the region are imbued in a complex set of relations shaped by the agrarian crisis, migration patterns […]
ABSTRACT Over the years, India has emerged as a major producer and exporter of opium. However, only a small percentage of the total domestic cultivation of opium is utilized to meet the medical needs of patients in India, an issue which lies at the core of the opioid paradox facing the country. This paper explores […]
ABSTRACT Crop stubble burning in Northern India, though a common practice among farmers across the country, has made headlines in recent years owing to its association with Delhi’s winter pollution levels. Notwithstanding the media and political narratives on the issue, currently available data shows that stubble burning is not a major contributor to Delhi’s foul […]
ABSTRACT Over the last couple of decades, the Indian economy has been on a sustained high growth path. This has led to positive economic outcomes for a significant share of the country’s population. However, this period of sustained high growth has seen stagnant job creation and low absorption of labour into the economy, leading to […]
ABSTRACT For centuries, Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have fished in the waters of the Palk Bay – a waterway that connects both countries. However, this space has become a subject of contention due to multiple factors, including territorial issues over the island of Kachchatheevu, the intrusion of Indian fishermen into Sri Lankan waters and […]
ABSTRACT India, like most low and middle-income developing countries, is witnessing the phenomenon of nutrition transition. Economic development, rising incomes and rapid urbanization have altered lifestyles, in particular, the dietary patterns, of its population. As a result, today, an emerging problem of obesity and obesity-related diseases coexists along with high levels of undernutrition. The […]
ABSTRACT As India continues to emerge as a dominating force in the international arena in both socio-political and economic terms, one field where it continues to lag behind is sports. From its initial domination in hockey for over 30 years, to winning merely two medals at the 2016 Olympic Games, India’s performance at the Olympics […]