Dear Reader,

As still the predominant superpower, what the US thinks and does, affects us all. The just-concluded American presidential elections and the anointing of Joe Biden as the President-elect promises to mark a radical shift from the dramatic last four years of President Donald Trump. This will have consequences for the world, and India. The Print looks at what they could be through an analysis of Biden’s worldview in his own recent writings.

East Mojo brings you a deep-reported short-documentary from Tripura’s tribal areas, where citizens are struggling for basic necessities of life, almost three decades after the Autonomous Tribal Areas District Council was formed. The Council was formed to empower the indigenous people to govern themselves and deliver development. However, the promise has been belied.

And, The Bastion reports on how a citizen-invented smartphone app is helping people in the Kodagu region of Karnataka in predicting and preparing for flash floods, which frequently ravish the region.

For a selection from the coverage of our grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF

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Joe Biden’s foreign policy vision from his own writings….

After the tumultuous term of Donald Trump, The Print analyses what Joe Biden’s election to the US presidency would mean for India and the world. The video looks at the President-elect’s view of the world and his likely foreign policy stances through his own writings.

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Smartphone Apps for Smarter River Monitoring

The Bastion reports on the grassroots efforts to improve the accuracy of flood forecasting in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, which receives heavy rains and flooding each year. These efforts have led residents in the district to launch a mobile app that people can use to upload their location and other weather-related data points which are then used by scientists and researchers.

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Polls & Promises: A ground report of tribal areas in Tripura

East Mojo reports from the tribal areas of Tripura where development has eluded the region for decades. While an autonomous council was set up to serve the needs of these communities in the early 80s, people are still struggling with issues like drinking water scarcity, lack of access to markets and a sustainable source of livelihood.

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A new narrative-war in Kashmir

The Centre has in the recent months consciously tried to inject a nationalistic narrative in Kashmir, since the abrogation of Article 370 and the relative eroding of militancy – the building of a ‘Naya Kashmir’. Will the effort succeed? Kashmir Observer analyses and concludes that space has indeed opened for a free play of narratives.

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India's Lost Capitals

Live History India speaks with historians and heritage experts about India's lost capitals like Ahmednagar, Shahjahanabad and Murshidabad to understand the issues plaguing their conservation. Many monuments, which do not have official listings, lie unprotected and encroached upon. The experts discuss different ways these historic sites, buildings and monuments could be conserved.

Watch Here

More from the grantees
RuPay’s loss is UPI’s gain
RuPay, which was launched in 2015 to improve financial inclusion, has quickly gained a greater market share than its foreign competitors. However, RuPay now faces twin challenges. The convenient digital payments through UPI have eaten away at its growth and the governments slashing of its fees to zero has eroded it off its revenues. The Ken reports.
BJP’s Himanta Biswa, media falsely claim ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans raised by AIUDF supporters
Alt News fact-checked a claim by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma that supporters shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” to welcome opposition leader Maulana Badruddin Ajmal at the Silchar airport.
लॉकडाऊन यात्रा : कचरा वेचकांचे हाल
Max Maharashtra highlights the deplorable plight of scrap sellers during the lockdown in Mumbai as a consequence of the restrictions imposed under the pandemic.
ICMR D-G is wrong; Kawasaki disease in children post-COVID has been reported in India
The Director-General of the ICMR has contended that no case of Kawasaki disease in children who have recovered from COVID has been reported in India. However, Down To Earth found documented and ample evidence of its presence from various hospitals in India’s cities.
Press And Policy: Can The Media Influence Policy-Making?
Feminism in India discusses how the media can influence policy making. It notes instances when it has played a positive and decisive role, and instances where it has not.
An Analysis of Victim Compensation Schemes in India
EPW points out the anomalies in the Victim Compensation Scheme, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, with each state prescribing its own categories and compensation, much to the victim’s detriment.
ललितपुर: जॉब कार्ड होने के बावजूद भी क्यों नही मिल रहा मनरेगा में काम? | KhabarLahariya
Khabar Lahariya reports from the ground in Kumhadi village in Lalitpur in UP, where the residents have been unable to get work since the last few years despite having a job card under the MGNREGA scheme.
China's Plan for the Next Five Years
Takshashila Institution's analysts help decode China's economic, military, and technological objectives for the next five years by reading between the lines of the Communist Party's announcements from its latest plenary session.
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