Dear Reader,

Evocative podcasts by Asiaville on the farmers’ agitation and the ‘Delhi Chalo March’ brings out in vivid detail the trials and tribulations of the protestors against the recent farm legislations enacted by the Centre. Braving police barricades, teargas and the numbing cold, the farmers have transformed the protests into a “battleground for democracy” at Delhi’s borders. Apart from farmers, the audio report talks to students, activists, people from the popular arts who have emerged as equal stakeholders in the movement.

Feminism in India analyses ten landmark judgements delivered by Indian courts in 2020 that have enabled the erosion of deeply entrenched notions of patriarchy in our society. While not perfect, these pronouncements have helped pave the way for assertion and institution of women’s rights and identity in India, against significant odds.

The government’s effort, as part of the National Nutrition Month, to provide a cow each to impoverished families to provide nutrition to malnourished children in the form of milk has floundered. Khabar Lahariya reports from Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh and finds that the cows themselves are malnourished and have unfortunately become an additional burden which the families are unable to bear.

Swarajya argues that instead of investing energies in building the critical semiconductor industry in India, through setting-up fabrication units from scratch, the government will rather do well to build partnerships with already entrenched global players.

And, Kashmir Observer reports on how the stopping of an annual calendar, which had become a familiar icon of Kashmir’s culture and identity, has caused worry, as well as wit.

For these stories and more from our grantees, please read this, the 39th and final installment of the weekly newsletter for 2020.

Wish you all a very happy new year.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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From Farms To Delhi Durbar: Witnessing World’s Biggest Farmers’ Agitation I Part 2

Asiaville reports from the “battleground for democracy” – the site of the farmers’ protests against the three farm legislations in and around the borders of Delhi. The podcast traces the different phases of the agitation and highlights how the farmers and supporters of the movement are keeping the protest going despite the measures employed by the government.

Listen Here

10 Feminist Judgments Of 2020 That We Are Proud Of

Feminism in India looks at the ten judgements delivered by the Indian courts in 2020 that are significant in paving the way to gender equality and assertion of women’s rights in India. These judgements led to equal rights for daughters in property matters, enabling permanent commission of women in the Indian armed forces, equal rights to married women in matters of employment and greater freedom for women in reproductive choices, amongst others.

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कमजोरों को गाय देकर किया जा रहा और भी कुपोषित- शिवदयाल सिंह

Khabar Lahariya reports on how the government’s effort, as part of the National Nutrition Month, to provide a cow each to impoverished families to provide nutrition to malnourished children in the form of milk has not gone as planned. This is because of the harsh reality that the cows themselves are malnourished and the families cannot bear the cost of their upkeep.

Watch Here

The State is Evicting Forest Dwellers in J&K and Implementing The Forest Rights Act, All In the Same Breath

The Bastion reports on the gaps in the implementation of the Forest Rights Act in Kashmir after it was re-organised as a union territory. The law is being implemented in a top-down manner, rather than through village level processes, leaving out many from tribal communities, who have traditionally been dependent on the forests.

Read Here

Keeping Cities in Motion -An Introduction to the Labours of Repair and Maintenance in South Asia

As cities in South Asia are transforming into global cities, EPW takes a look into the lives of those who are engaged in the construction, repair and maintenance of these cities. It offers an insight into what construction machinery repairers, waste removal staff and health workers of the cities of Kolkata, Karachi and Mumbai experience and how they contribute to the changing urban landscape.

Read Here
More from the grantees
On the road to recovery
India Development Review brings you a first-hand account of an anti-addiction social worker from Shillong, Meghalaya. In a city struggling with drug abuse among its youth, these workers play a frontline role in deaddiction.
Save Mollem campaign – Goan Youth speak
Suno India speaks with the young activists from Goa who started the “Save Mollem” campaign to understand how three “development” projects threaten to rupture its pristine environment.
Sikkim's fallen oranges: How the 'kanchi keera' is infesting plantations
Sikkim, which is famous for its organic farming practices, has been hit by a fruit fly infestation. The state’s orange farmers have seen their production decline to a fraction of what it used to be. EastMojo reports from the ground on the situation.
Semiconductors: Why The Government Must Do More To Create This Strategic Asset
Swarajya argues India has neither the resources nor the time to build a semiconductor fabrication unit from the ground-up. And, therefore, it should look at partnerships with already established players and create strategic stakes in the value chain.
New alphabets: How kids in Rayagada, Kalahandi continued learning amid COVID-19
Down to Earth reports on how children in Rayagada and Kalahandi in Orissa, two of India’s poorest districts, continued their learning amidst the pandemic, through strong and grassroots level community initiatives.
कापसाचे सरकारी धोरण मारक ठरतेय का?
Although this year's monsoon was satisfactory for the cotton farmers, the pandemic has hit them hard, impacting the export of cotton. Max Maharashtra reports on the cotton farmer’s plight.
Domestic violence biggest crime against women in Manipur
Imphal Free Press reports on the significant rise in cases of domestic violence against women with 63 cases registered by the Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW) between January and September this year.
‘Identity wallpaper gone’: J&K Bank’s calendar demise creates concern
The decision by the J&K bank to discontinue the publication of its annual calendar, a cultural icon in Kashmir, has raised hackles in the union territory. Kashmir Observer reports.
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