| | | | Hello Pz10,
Hello again, after a short, but not pleasant, break due to Covid-19!
We have a trove of stories for you, ranging from the environment to land rights to vulnerable communities and India's judicial system, that IndiaSpend published over the past two weeks.
We published the second part of Women at Work 3.0 this week, looking at the rural employment guarantee programme and the role it plays for women, who often have little access to other work opportunities. Two quotes, from a spunky 20-year-old that Sunaina Kumar met in rural Rajasthan, sum the story up very well for me. "Without Nrega, we would not be able to survive. It helps women feed their families," Chanchal Kumar, a MGNREGA worksite supervisor said, underscoring why the programme is so important for women. Yet, it is but a stop gap for bigger ambitions: "This is not my work of choice, but if it was not for this work, my family would have got me married," Chanchal, who wants to become a nurse, said. You can read the full story here, and the first part of the series, by Namita Bhandare, here. | | Shreehari Paliath delved deep into India's abysmal record on keeping those undergoing trial in jail, even as bail is supposed to be the norm and not the exception. 76%--three in four--of all prisoners in Indian jails are awaiting trial. This compares unfavourably with the global average, which is 34%, he found. One of the solutions for this disregard for the rights of prisoners, overcrowding of prisons, and poor health conditions in jails, is a separate bail law, experts told him. Read more here.
Find out more about the first, and only, railway link connecting Sikkim to mainland India by land. It's an important project that would not only ease the movement of people, but also make it easier for the military to reach the border with China. But, the issue, as locals point out, is the blatant disregard for land rights of people living in forest areas that are being acquired for, or will be impacted by, the construction of the railway line. There are also ecological concerns about the project, a large part of which is being built on an area prone to earthquakes. Read Niladry Sarkar's exhaustive reporting on the project here and here. | | Next, find out why the Sapera Denotified and Nomadic Tribe (DNT), who traditionally practised snake charming, want the Uttar Pradesh government to include them in either the list of Scheduled Castes or Tribes, and make it possible for them to access affirmation action for education and jobs. Inder Bisht interacts with community members in Lucknow to understand how the changing world, coupled with historical discrimination, has left the community at a disadvantage.
With 11 more wetlands added to the Ramsar List, India now has 75 Ramsar Sites or "wetlands of international importance" covering 13.3 lakh hectares. Divyani Dubey spoke to environmentalists to find out what these sites are and how a wetland gets this tag.
Nidhi Jacob dispels myths around what is colloquially called 'tomato fever' but is not related to tomatoes. In another mythbuster, the Factchecker team looks at myths around mosquito-borne illnesses, such as malaria. Learn more here. | | The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had on August 14, 2022 claimed that the agriculture budget increased nearly five-fold between 2013-14 and 2022-23. Divyani Dubey looks through the data to check whether this is true.
Last, but not the least, celebrate the small efforts that the community in Kashmir is taking to protect its lakes. Suhail Bhat talks to the people behind the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO), and their attempt to clean up Khushal Sar lake, in this story. | | | Please mask up, and stay safe. | | | Shreya Khaitan
Senior Writer and Editor respond@indiaspend.org | | | | | | | | | |
