Issue Briefs

Human Rights & Law

Transcending the ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Approach in Law-Making: Twin Conditions Restricting Bail

ABSTRACT When confronted with complex challenges of law and order, governance, or social reform, Indian lawmakers routinely resort to enacting statutory provisions copied verbatim from previous laws. For example, the provision that imposes harsh conditions on bail is the same for the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 [NDPS Act], the Drugs and […]

Environment and Energy

Green Hydrogen Energy in India: Can we give the ‘Green’ signal yet?

Abstract The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways for India recently arrived at the Parliament House in a ‘hydrogen-fuelled’ car. This occurred in the backdrop of the Ministry of Power [MoP] announcing the first phase of the ‘Green Hydrogen Policy’ on 17 February 2022. The policy aims to cut down greenhouse emissions and promote […]

Environment and Energy

The Green Grids Initiative: A Must for India to Reach Net-Zero?

Abstract  This paper aims to provide an overview of the Green Grids Initiative, focusing on the implementation, benefits, and drawbacks of the initiative in India. It introduces COP26 as a concept and the various agreements in the energy sector, followed by the history and the goals of the initiative, the implementation of the initiative, and […]

To indicate indicate The Omnipresent Pandemic: Cyber Crimes against Women and Children A person holding a black credit card against a laptop screen that shows a big red symbol and words like "junk mail" "password" "security" "spam mail"
Human Rights & Law

The Omnipresent Pandemic: Cyber Crimes against Women and Children

ABSTRACT This article seeks to identify the scale at which cyber crimes and cyberattacks are increasing in India by taking women and children as the focus group. India’s cyberspace is expanding faster than ever before, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. People have started using the internet as a source of entertainment, work, […]

Human Rights & Law

Caste and the Cord-Cutters: Traditional Midwives at the Crossroads of Social Stigma and Dwindling State Support

Abstract This paper aims to situate dais or traditional midwives at the crossroads of caste-based discrimination and dwindling state support. A lot of traditional midwives or dais hail from a lower caste background which stigmatises their position and work in the society. With time, institutional healthcare facilities came to be associated with upper caste ideas […]

Environment and Energy

Politics of Vermin: The Need for Evidence-based Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation

Abstract The new Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 seeks to reduce the number of schedules in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 from six to four. The Schedules in the act provide varying degrees of protection to animals and plants. The new amendment bill also proposes to remove Schedule V, which gives the Centre […]

Governance
Human Rights & Law

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021:The Viability of Linking Aadhar to the voter IDs

Abstract The Election Laws Amendment Bill, passed by the Union Cabinet in 2021, ruled in favour of linking Aadhar IDs to the electoral rolls. This step aimed to curb the menace of fraudulent voting, among other reforms. However, the Bill has been a point of contention. Various opposition leaders and activists voice their concerns over […]

Governance
Human Rights & Law

Evictions and Housing Laws in India

Authored by: Tanvi Vipra Edited by:  Riya Singh Rathore, Soumya Singhal and Avishi Gupta INTRODUCTION In June 2021, twelve hundred houses in Khori Gaon, Faridabad were demolished and over 5,000 people were forcefully evicted in two days (Housing and Land Rights Network [HLRN] 2021). Seven months before that, in November 2020, 672 families were forcefully […]

Human Rights & Law

Feminisation of Ageing in India: Concerns and Vulnerabilities

ABSTRACT The population of elderly persons in India has been steadily increasing since 1961. Further, based on the Census projections, the population of elderly women is currently more than that of elderly men. This outnumbering is projected to strengthen with time. While aging is associated with several challenges for both men and women, the problems […]

Human Rights & Law

Organ Donation in India: A Missed Opportunity

ABSTRACT Organ transplantation has saved and improved the lives of thousands of recipients across the world. According to the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation, India performed the third-highest number of transplants in the world in 2019. Despite such a high number of transplants, India faces a massive and chronic shortage of organs. This deficit […]

Human Rights & Law

Gendering Work from Home: An Analysis of the Visible and Invisible Women Workforce in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION Phrases like ‘remote work’ or ‘work from home’ are primarily found in conjunction with the pandemic-induced ‘new normal’. It is generally assumed that the origin of the work-from-home employment relationship lies solely in the pandemic. However, when evaluated from a gendered perspective, work from home emerges as neither a novelty nor a temporary make-shift […]

Human Rights & Law

The Vanishing Females: A Case Study of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis in India

INTRODUCTION  Since the 1950s, technologies aiding reproduction have increased in number, enhancing the likelihood of conception and bringing pregnancies to term. Assisted Reproductive Technologies [ARTs] offer a variety of techniques ranging from intrauterine insemination [IUI] to in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer [IVF-ET] that treat the inability to conceive and facilitate fertilisation. In the last three […]

Economy and Society

State Finances in India: A Snapshot

ABSTRACT  Every year, the national focus on the country’s budget misses taking into account the release of the individual states budgets. In light of the recent state budget releases and the 15th Finance Commission’s recommendations, this issue-brief analyses which sectors face budget cuts and how they impact state growth. It also becomes important with the […]

Human Rights & Law

Child and Early Marriage in India

ABSTRACT  Child helpline services across the country have reported an alarming spike in the incidents of child marriage during the pandemic. According to a recent UNICEF report, the pandemic has put nearly 1 crore more girls at risk of becoming child brides over the course of the coming decade. As the pandemic threatens to reverse […]