|
Dear Reader,
The ethnic violence in Manipur since May 2023 has resulted in over 200 deaths, more than 1,000 injured, and over 60,000 displaced. While the Centre says it is doing "its best" to bring back peace to the state, Article 14 reports that a fresh outbreak of violence in the border district of Jiribam has forced hundreds of tribals to flee across the state border into Assam.
This exodus, the report points out, not only adds fresh fuel to the already dire state of ethnic conflict in the state but also worsens the already fraught humanitarian crisis. Around 1,700 people crossed the border into Assam in just the first week of June. The authorities seem unable, if not unwilling, to help the displaced. While the volunteers and civil society organisations are doing their bit they are overwhelmed by the situation and the indifference of the state.
With fertility rates in India rapidly declining and reaching replacement levels in some states, the challenges before the policymakers and governments have shifted dramatically. Unlike in recent decades, policymakers no longer face the threat of the 'population bomb'. The question that looms is how to leverage and optimise the 'demographic dividend' by rapidly creating employment for the working age group, enhancing the skills and employability of the labour force, and ensuring greater female employment.
The India Forum argues that the decline in the fertility rate also means that in a few decades, by the 2050s, the dividend phase is slated to end, and the 'dependency phase' begins, when 20 per cent of India's population will be senior citizens. Therefore, the story argues, the challenge will shift to developing systems for elderly care, addressing inter-state growth imbalances, and facilitating large-scale inter-state migration.
In Kerala, the under-construction Thiruvananthapuram–Kasaragod Coastal Highway, running parallel to the Arabian Sea, is slated to be a 625-km long road to be built at a cost of over Rs 6,500 crore. It is touted to transform tourism and business in the state.
However, there is a flip side. The fishers and local communities have protested the building of the Highway, arguing that it will lead to significant displacement, livelihood disruption, and severe coastal erosion. These protests have been especially notable in the Eriyad panchayat of Thrissur and have been ongoing for the past hundred days and more. Keraleeyam Masika brings you a report on what lies behind the protests and why the outcry.
In Delhi, the Supreme Court of India granted interim bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Liquor Policy case on July 12. The Court, however, referred the decision on the legality of arrest to a larger five-judge bench. The Supreme Court Observer points out that, prima facie, the reference to a larger bench is an indication of the Apex Court's "openness to expanding the scope of judicial review of the central agencies' power of arrest".
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
|
