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Dear Reader,
Cybercrimes in India are surging. Delhi alone recorded 685 cybercrime cases in 2022, up from 345 a year before, an almost fifty per cent increase. Now comes news that 'voice call scams' are on the rise, aided by the misuse of AI technology. Distress calls -- cloning the voice of close family members, for instance, -- and emotional manipulation to extort money are becoming commonplace.
A survey by a leading online security service provider notes that Indians are particularly susceptible to these voice scams, with 65 per cent of recipients of such calls likely to be induced to rush to assistance without verifying the call’s antecedents. MediaNama looks at how caller scams work and prescribes steps that you can take to minimise your vulnerability.
Anganwadi, ASHA, and Shiksha Mitra workers perform critical functions like monitoring maternal and child health, administering vaccinations, imparting early education, and gathering primary data. They constitute an essential cog in the process of welfare delivery by governments.
However, in recent months and years, they have been on strikes and protests. They question their designation as "essential" when it comes to their services, but being defined as "conduits" and "volunteers" when it comes to their employment status. As The India Forum notes, this “deliberate” ambiguity in their status has made them vulnerable to the whims of the governments in their term and tenure of service, resulting in the denial of protection of laws governing labour and employment.
Three districts of Tripura were devastated by a cyclone towards the end last month. Thousands of residents of these villagers were forced to move into local schools converted into relief camps. While the district administration has done a reasonable job of emergency relief and medical attention, the compensation and assistance that would have enabled the affected to rebuild their homes and continue their lives and their children's education is not in sight. MainBhiBharat reports from Bishramganj village of Sepahijala district.
Deceit and betrayal by unscrupulous labour agents have led to unsuspecting Indian men being thrust into the Russia-Ukraine war front on the promise of jobs and livelihoods. Thousands of miles from their native villages, they are forced into a conflict against their will even as anxious and desperate kin back home plead with the government to intervene. Mojo Story reports their plight.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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