Dear Reader,

Right from April, for the past six months, we have brought to you every week a selection of very exclusive coverage on India’s response to the pandemic. Covid-19 continues as one of the biggest challenges we have faced and is expected to remain so, at least until a year from now. Yet there are many other equally challenging issues that demand media attention, which fortunately our grantees have not lost sight of.

From this week onwards, we go beyond Covid to bring to you a wider selection of our grantees’ work, to include the many other critical issues that we face, beginning with the Farm bills and changes in labour laws which have raised hackles.

The Wire brings you a perspective on why the Farm bills instead of being a tool for liberation could further diminish the state of the Indian farmer. Down To Earth points out that the farmers’ protest is not a recent phenomenon and has been rampant across the country for the greater part of the year and analyses why. And, Swarajya argues that the recent reforms in the labour laws have been long on the anvil and its implementation is just what the doctor ordered.

For comprehensive reports and perspectives on the critical issues facing the country, please do read on.

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Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF

To access previous issues, click here.

“Farm Bills Will Create a Vacuum That May Result in Utter Chaos”

The Wire brings you a perspective on the recent legislations on agriculture which argues that the measures instead of liberating the farmer will only result in expanding the stranglehold of the non-state monopolies. And the government’s move is akin to “gift-wrapping” public assets to the corporates. “Free market is not freedom”, it asserts.

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India’s agrarian distress: How dissent has been on the rise

In the wake of the farmer protests erupting across the country against the Farm Bills passed by parliament, Down to Earth finds that the agitations are not a recent phenomenon and there have been at least 50 major farmer protests in 20 states in the past nine months alone. This is a result of issues such as continued indebtedness, lack of effective crop insurance and the lack of remunerative prices.

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Four Highlights Of The Labour Code Consolidation

Swarajya argues that the factor market reforms initiated by the government will formalise the economy and free Indian companies from archaic laws which had forced them to sub-scale. The reform recognises and is in tandem with the realities of the modern-day labour structures, it argues.

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Ground Report | Farmers agitation in Punjab | Agriculture Bills | किसानों का बड़ा प्रदर्शन

Asiaville covers the farmers protests from the ground in Punjab and Haryana. They speak to protesting farmers who voice their opposition to the government’s move and express anxiety that these are the first steps to abrogating the MSP and dismantling the APMC structure.

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क्यों ये तीन विधेयक कुछ के लिए किसानों की आजादी हैं तो बाकियों के लिए उनकी मौत के फरमान

While the government calls the farm bills the ‘suraksha kavach’ (safety armour) for the farmers, the opposition has calls it ‘mauth ka farmaan’ (death warrant), Satyagrah weighs in on the debate.

Read Here

More from the grantees
Did rumours and misinformation derail Punjab’s Covid-19 fatality rate?
The fight against the pandemic in Punjab has come up against an unexpected hurdle – rampant rumours and fake news that have made people reluctant to take the Covid tests. The Print travels across Punjab to bring you the story.
Behind the rush and hush of India’s National Digital Health Mission
The Ken reports on the various conflicts of interest of the different stakeholders involved in the National Digital Health Mission and the creation of a unique health ID. The government has already started pilot projects in six union territories and is strong-arming employees in government hospitals to sign on.
China-bashing and Post-COVID-19 Narrative
Many international companies may have decided to move their manufacturing away from China in the wake of COVID-19. But, the EPW argues that China’s integration with the global economy in terms of global production is so deep that such changes will neither be quick nor painless.
Tripura's '10,323' teachers: Clouded by uncertainty
East Mojo brings you a deep-reported story about how the future of more than 10,000 teachers in Tripura turned grim after the courts struck down their recruitment citing irregularities in the process.
“I’m giving you an opportunity to change India”
India Development Review profiles the efforts of Teach For India, a non-profit that has given more than 3,000 people a chance to teach and help change the lives of students in some of the country’s most under-resourced schools.
Sudarshan News show ‘UPSC Jihad’ riddled with false claims
Alt News fact-checks and debunks claims made by right-wing channel Sudarshan News about Muslims and the UPSC exam.
സമരത്തിന്റെ 333-ാം ദിവസം കടല്‍ സമാധിയുമായി ചെല്ലാനം | Save Chellanam
Azhimukham speaks to the residents of Chellanam, a coastal village in Kerala, on ‘Sea Samadhi, Kadal Samadhi’ - a 300-day protest against the authorities on their failure to act on their pleas to construct a barrier to stop the sea-water from entering their homes.
Conserving Predators: Community-led Initiatives in Ladakh to Protect the Himalayan Wolf
The Bastion reports on how local pastoral communities in Ladakh are turning wolf traps into Buddhist stupas in an effort to protect the Himalayan Wolf.
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