|
Dear Reader,
Bonded labour, a version of modern-day slavery, continues to be rife and rampant in India. Though the practice was sought to be abolished through the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, almost fifty years ago, the government’s declared goal of “total abolition” and rehabilitation of bonded labour by 2030 remains a far cry.
It is estimated that at the current pace, India will still have more than 18 million of its citizens in bondage by the end of this decade. The Probe chronicles first-person and heart-wrenching accounts of the victims of this system, revealing a “cycle of generational servitude”, which often goes unreported and glossed over.
Jharkhand is a state rich in coal reserves, and its electricity powers many states in India, and even neighbour Bangladesh. However, the people of the state, especially in districts like Dumka, Chatra, Godda, Hazaribagh, Jamtara, and Koderma, reel under long and punishing load shedding and power cuts in the middle of a sweltering summer. Mojo Story tells you why a power-surplus state is struggling for electricity.
In Bihar, districts like Kishanganj, Bhagalpur, Banka, Purnia, and Katihar, once famous for their silkworm rearing and cocoon production, have now fallen on hard times. Cocoon production, which was 138.7 tonnes in 2017-18, has fallen sharply to 20.3 tonnes in 2021-22. The incapacity of government schemes to support mulberry farming, unremunerative prices for their produce, and the lure of more enticing cash crops have almost meant that the once flourishing occupation is now poised to be just a memory. Gaon Ke log reports.
And, from deep inside the dense forests of Surajpur in Chhattisgarh, मैं भी भारत chronicles the life and times of the Pahari Korwa tribe. The community of hunter-gatherers are now more settled but their links and dependence on the forest remain profound. As “progress” and “development” come calling, the community strives to find a middle ground between their past and the future – symptomatic of the dilemma faced by most indigenous communities today.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
|
