Dear Reader,

India’s farmer organisations have called for a nationwide shutdown on May 20 to protest against the acute and rampant agrarian distress which, according to them, is caused by the “anti-farmer” policies of the government. This, ironically, comes on the back of an above-par annual growth of over 4% in agriculture over the last five years. Over the last decade, India’s food grain output has risen by 27%, while production of fresh fruit and crude palm oil, subsidies on fertilisers, and the area under micro-irrigation, have all recorded significant highs.

Paradoxically, farmers’ lives continue to be grim, with farm incomes remaining critically low, averaging a modest ₹13,661 per household per month. Wage labour income halved between 2016 and 2022, while institutional farm debt surged by 53% in almost the same period—a consequence of falling prices for produce, rising input costs, and inadequate government support. Additionally, the surge in crop production has outpaced demand, which has further depressed prices. While a legally guaranteed MSP has been recommended to ensure financial stability for farmers, reduce distress, and improve food security, the government has remained uninterested. Article 14 looks at the state of the Indian farmer and at the deep, systemic factors underlying India’s persistent agrarian distress.

Occupational diseases can significantly impact workers’ health and quality of life, often with lifelong consequences. In Madhya Pradesh, a large number of ginning workers are exposed to cotton or jute dust in poorly ventilated environments, leading to byssinosis. Byssinosis is occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of cotton, flax, hemp, or jute dust and predominantly affects workers in the textile industry, particularly those involved in yarn and fabric manufacturing.

In India, an estimated 10 to 15 million individuals suffer from byssinosis, which can even lead to premature death. Ground Report goes to Khargone in the state, to find that factories and businesses have not instituted basic safety measures—such as providing masks, for instance—citing unsustainable costs. This disregard for worker safety highlights a disturbing indifference to the lives of those who toil in the textile industry, mostly tribals and the landless, who are forced to endure these risks to earn a living.

Migrants, who form the backbone of India’s informal economy, have long remained excluded from the benefits of digital India—benefits that would enable them to access finances online, acquire new skills, or stay informed during emergencies. Only 30% of casual workers are digitally literate, compared to 73% of salaried workers in urban India. Among casual agricultural workers, the figure drops to just 13%. Although digital adoption increased during the pandemic, it remained largely confined to communication, and did not go deeper. In this scenario, the government’s push toward cashless transactions and digital payments, though well-intentioned, has inadvertently marginalised those without access to smartphones or online services, leaving millions unable to digitally monitor or access their earnings.

The Migration Story speaks to migrants, in Hyderabad, who exemplify the digital gap, where their reach is confined to talking to their families and consuming content. While schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) and Kerala’s Akshaya project aim to bridge the digital divide by ensuring at least one digital-literate person per household, digital equity remains a distant dream for most migrants.

As the Sachar Committee Report of 2006 found, a majority of Muslims in India are educationally and economically backward and are underrepresented in government jobs. These socio-economically marginalised groups within the Muslim community, comprising backward, Dalit, and tribal, the ‘Pasmandas’— 'those who have fallen behind’— form a preponderant majority of Muslims in the country.

मैं मीडिया documents the lives and struggles of one such Pasmanda community, the Bakkhos— a nomadic people, who live far from the mainstream, are marginalised, and continue to rely on traditional means of earning a living. The documentary portrays their lives, struggles, and culture.

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

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF