Dear Reader

The world’s oceans are in grave peril. Nearly 80% of marine debris globally is plastic, about half from fishing—discarded nets, buoys, and traps—and 30% from domestic or industrial sources. With 14 million tonnes of plastic entering the oceans each year, fishers worldwide are struggling. India is no exception. In India, too, fishing communities are severely impacted, with plastic waste entangling nets and contaminating catches, driving up labour costs and pushing down prices. The crisis extends to consumers, who unknowingly ingest microplastics through seafood.

The Migration Story reports that chemical contamination from factories has damaged fisheries from Bharuch to Mumbai, while a recent nurdle (pre-production plastic pellets) spill off Kerala’s coast has harmed fish and boats alike. Women in coastal communities now spend long hours sorting plastic from fish, even as some traditional fishers, out of desperation, resort to catching juvenile fish—endangering entire species. With much of this pollution originating from industries along rivers, lakes, and drains, tackling the crisis at its source remains critical.

The 140-year-old State Zoo at Chembukavu in Kerala’s Thrissur is set to relocate to a new 340-acre zoological park in Puthur by October 2025, marking a major shift from a historic urban landmark to a modern conservation facility. The move aims to provide animals with larger, naturalistic habitats and align the zoo with global welfare and research standards. However, it also raises concerns about the fate of the 10.42-acre Chembukavu campus, a rare green enclave in the city’s heart.

Recognising its ecological value, Keraleeyam Masika brings you a study that documents the area’s rich biodiversity and mobilises scientists, environmentalists, and citizens to protect it. It proposes converting the site into a botanical garden to preserve its flora and fauna amid Thrissur’s rapid urbanisation. It says that the transition symbolises both progress in wildlife management and a critical moment for urban conservation—balancing development with the need to sustain the city’s last remaining natural refuge.

India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA), enacted in October 2025, introduces a comprehensive ban on all online real-money games, erasing the traditional legal distinction between games of skill and chance. The Act seeks to regulate the rapidly growing gaming sector, protect consumers, and address risks like addiction, money laundering, and financial loss. E-sports and social games are encouraged, but any game involving monetary stakes faces prohibition, with violations leading to heavy fines and possible imprisonment.

Petitions challenging PROGA, filed by a range of industry players, have been consolidated in the Supreme Court, where Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan are slated to hear the matter soon. The outcome will determine not only the future of online gaming but also constitutional questions about legislative competence, proportionality, and the balance of federal power in India, the Supreme Court Observer explains.

Over three days last week, 210 Maoist guerrillas surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, ending years of life in the forests and marking a significant moment in the state’s decades-long conflict. The government has described the event as a historic breakthrough, claiming that much of Bastar is now free from Maoist violence.

मैं भी भारत’s Ankur Tiwari travelled deep into the jungles—to Abujhmarh—to document the surrender. Amid Bastar’s quiet landscape, former guerrillas emerged to lay down their rifles—some silent, others visibly moved. For many, it marked the first step towards reclaiming lives disrupted by years of conflict. As the sound of weapons fades, it has given way to peace in a region long defined by strife. Yet deep-seated mistrust and unresolved tensions between Maoists, local communities, and the state continue to cast a shadow over Bastar’s fragile calm.

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

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF