Dear Reader,

In August 2019, the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and abrogated Article 370, converting it into a Union Territory under New Delhi's direct control. The Centre then committed to augment development and employment in the UT as a part of its ‘Naya Kashmir’ initiative. However, the promises have been belied. More than five years after the Centre’s announcements, Jammu and Kashmir continues to have one of India's highest unemployment rates, touching 11.8% in late 2024—far above the national average of 6.4%.

Despite a reported ₹20,000 crore of investments, little has changed on the ground for the youth of Kashmir. Jobs in the state continue to be scarce, with both the government and the private sector struggling to create employment. Article 14 interviewed several highly qualified youth in the state and found that they were unable to find work that was commensurate with their degrees. Young adults were often underemployed and were forced to resort to roadside vending and gig work, or migrating away from the state for greener pastures.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2019, it severely impacted the children of migrant workers in Assam, abruptly halting their education. The pandemic exacerbated an already significant learning gap among these children, most of whom come from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Across India, approximately 40% of migrant workers' children lack access to education, either at their parents' place of work or in their native villages.

As part of a new series on COVID-19’s continuing and lingering impact on millions of migrants across India, The Migration Story focuses on initiatives in Guwahati, aimed at bridging the educational gap among migrant children. In the absence of state intervention, these organisations conduct remedial classes across the city to help children reintegrate into formal schooling and gradually find their way back into classroom learning, aided by local non-profits acting as a bridge. With 5.72 lakh migrants officially recorded in Assam’s capital, the need for such initiatives has never been more urgent.

In 2005, in Kerala’s Plachimada, in Palakkad district, a Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages company bottling plant was closed due to contamination and overexploitation of groundwater, which was impacting the health, agriculture, and lives of the local communities. This landmark move was the outcome of widespread protests by citizens, activists, and civil society organisations.

Now, a similar protest is brewing just a few kilometres away in Ellapully panchayat over the Kerala government’s move to greenlight a new brewery. This has fuelled fears that the brewery will severely deplete groundwater, especially since the region falls in a rain-shadow area, and has historically been a water-deficient region. TrueCopy Think talks to citizens and communities in Ellapully to understand their concerns and fears about what the brewery may bring.

Shiksha Sevaks (learning assistants) in Bihar are part of an initiative to enhance education and literacy in the state, particularly among marginalised communities. Shiksha Sevaks are tasked with improving educational outcomes in rural and marginalised areas, specifically under the ‘Akshar Aanchal Yojana’ for Mahadalit, Dalit, and minority communities, through local ‘learning centres’.

However, an investigation by Main Media, through an RTI query, revealed that some of the ‘learning centres’ and Shiksha Sevaks were only on government files, with locals unaware that such provisions for learning even existed. Shiksha Sevaks are recorded only on paper, and locals are not even aware that such provisions for learning exist. मैं मीडिया visits the ghost learning centres listed in government records in Katihar and finds another scheme in Bihar that is invisible on the ground.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF