Dear Reader

Once home to a third of India's textile powerloom factories and dubbed the Manchester of India, Bhiwandi, a northern satellite of Mumbai, has lost its mojo in recent years. Reeling from blows caused by demonetisation, GST, COVID-19, and now the tariffs imposed by the United States on textile exports, factories are slowing down even faster.

At the heart of the turmoil are the ten lakh or so itinerant migrant workers who, as incomes decline, take to labouring or delivering food to supplement their earnings, or wait for more lucrative opportunities in the Gulf. The consequence is that factory owners, who once attracted employees with decent wages, are now struggling to fill positions or keep their mills running. Laden with outdated technology and machinery, Bhiwandi’s factories are finding it difficult to compete both within India and against businesses in Southeast Asia. Tragically, The Migration Story reports, the tag of the ‘Manchester of India’ is destined to become a faint and distant memory.

Since India announced the discovery of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir's underdeveloped Reasi district, residents of 'lithium village'—Salal—have been living on edge. Surrounded by the Chenab River and encircled by mountains, the idyllic beauty of the village is now wrapped in a sense of impending doom.

Researchers and local leaders, finds Ground Report, have raised concerns that potential unchecked excavation could endanger Kashmir's fragile underground limestone karst springs—a natural water source—which, though unmapped, is a significant source of water in the region. The region's dependence on rainfed agriculture and reliance on these springs for water make it especially vulnerable to environmental changes. Local experts warn that mining could pollute groundwater with toxic metals like arsenic and mercury, affecting both water and soil quality. With lithium critical to the global push for renewable energy, the tussle between development and people’s rights is likely to play out in Kashmir.

The coastal village of Pozhiyoor, in the southernmost part of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala, has been grappling with severe coastal erosion for years. Located in the Kulathur grama panchayat, the shoreline has receded by over 500 meters in just five years, swallowing numerous homes of fishing families.

Most residents are traditional fishermen who venture into the sea in small boats and practise an age-old method called ‘Kambavala’—a fishing technique that involves casting nets from the shore into the open sea. With the coastline fast disappearing, they can no longer launch their boats or haul in nets from the beach. Keraleeyam Masika finds that even the auction centres once used to sell their catch have been washed away, and the shrinking land has left them without space to dry their fish.

Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) is a critical public health measure designed to help consumers identify foods high in fat, sugar, and salt before purchase—an essential tool to combat India’s growing nutrition-related disease crisis. Recognising its urgency, experts at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2014 recommended that all packaged foods carry clear, interpretive warning labels. A decade later, The Reporters’ Collective reports that after multiple expert panels, industry consultations, and court interventions, the government has yet to act. The grapevine suggests that FSSAI plans to scrap the proposed star-rating model and begin afresh, delaying implementation yet again.

Despite years of deliberation, crores spent on studies of questionable credibility, and dozens of stakeholder meetings, policy progress has repeatedly been derailed by powerful industry lobbying. As obesity and diabetes surge—28% of Indian adults are overweight, one in four is diabetic or pre-diabetic, and even adolescents showing pre-diabetic symptoms—the costs of inaction mount. At stakeholder meetings, food industry giants have routinely outnumbered consumer advocates, turning a long-awaited regulatory safeguard into a negotiation shaped by the very corporations it seeks to regulate.

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

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF