Dear Reader,

Solar power is a key element of India’s ambitious goal to generate 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. Vast solar parks have emerged across the country’s desert landscapes, contributing to India’s third-place global ranking in solar energy production. Yet a closer look reveals a cloudier picture: delayed wages, poor connectivity, and stark isolation at some remote sites have driven high worker attrition, among those who travelled across the country to build them.

In the Rann of Kutch near Dholavira, the upcoming Khavada solar park lies about 80 km from the nearest railway station in Bhuj, far away from any human settlement. The site’s remoteness is a psychological hurdle in itself, but delayed payments caused by a complex chain of subcontractors—combined with extreme heat and scarce drinking water—are prompting workers to leave in droves. Migrants from Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh who convinced neighbours to join them bear a double burden: they forfeit their own earnings and are often fined by village councils for misleading others. The Migration Story spoke with more than 50 workers and contractors to bring this detailed account of hardship and dashed hopes.

Dry fish processing in Kerala’s coastal areas, once a vital source of income for many women, has long faced challenges. Traditional methods were increasingly becoming unsustainable—drying fish in the open left the catch exposed to dust, insects, and unpredictable weather. With the increasing impact of climate change—marked by frequent rains and extreme heat—this already fragile process became even more vulnerable. For women in villages like Vadakkekkara near Kochi, who depended on this work for their livelihoods, these adverse conditions threatened their already meagre earnings.

But a group of local women, supported by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), a Chennai-based non-profit focused on empowering women and improving rural livelihoods, initiated a transformative change. By adopting technology for solar drying and processing, they enhanced both the quality and shelf life of their products. Forming collectives, these women took charge of the entire value chain—from sourcing and drying to packaging and marketing. This shift not only ensured more stable and increased incomes but also empowered them to plan for a sustainable future. Keraleeyam Masika brings you this inspiring story of resilience and women-led entrepreneurship in the face of climate change.

In Bihar’s Kishanganj lives a Shia Muslim community of more than 600 who migrated to India long years ago from Iran, who speak Farsi, and call themselves ‘Hindustani Iranis’. They came to India in 1902, selling horses from Iran, long before independence, and then made India their home, first in UP’s Deoband, then Jharkhand and finally settled in Kishanganj’s Irani Colony.

Now, under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision(SIR) of electoral rolls, they are being asked to submit papers to prove their Indian citizenship, even though they were listed in the 2023 rolls and have an Aadhaar card, residency certificate, and other documents, and at least two generations were born in India. However, as मैं मीडिया reports, their petitions and pleas to the district administration have fallen on deaf ears, and they fear that they will once again be displaced.

For the Indian citizen, until recently, the Indian courts, including the Supreme Court of India, were distant and opaque, with arguments and verdicts beyond the understanding of the layperson. In recent years, however, independent media—including IPSMF’s grantees like Live Law and Supreme Court Observer—have played a distinct and significant role in bringing the hearings and decisions of the courts to citizens in real time. More importantly, they have made sense of sometimes “chaotic hearings” and explained the nuances and intricacies of the principles of law and the verdicts. Supreme Court Observer explains what it means, and what it takes, to bring the Supreme Court to you.

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

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF