Hello,

This week, the Foundation’s grantees report on a host of critical issues that have exercised the public space in the far corners of the country.

Article 14 looks at the dramatic rise in domestic violence and abuse against the backdrop of the pandemic and the shocking death of 22-year-old Vismaya in Kerala allegedly killed for dowry. The flailing economy and the pressure of forced confinement has clearly exacerbated the situation for women, bringing domestic violence to a 20-year-high.

Even as the severity of the second wave of the pandemic ebbs and the possibility of a third wave looms large, the one city which has become a model case for efficacy in the battle against Covid is Mumbai. Initially reeling under the Covid onslaught, the teeming city used science and data in its fightback. The India Forum details its decentralised approach, use of ground-up data and the bringing together of a whole range of stakeholders.

The citizens who were hurt the most during the lockdowns were migrant workers, the urban poor of our cities. As a consequence, an ‘urban MGNREGA’ has been mooted. However, Swarajya argues that more than cloning the rural employment scheme in the cities, it would be more effective to ensure subsidised social security payments, formalisation of payrolls, and wage subsidies to discourage wanton automation.

The Caravan focuses on the plight of journalists in Bihar who have been facing a severe crackdown from the government for reporting on its inadequacies since the advent of the pandemic. At least ten journalists have been charged with serious crimes, including criminal conspiracy and extortion.

The characterisation of a legislator from the Northeast as “Chinese” by a YouTuber two weeks ago and the recent and mysterious deaths of two residents of Nagaland in Gurgaon raised questions about the continued discrimination against citizens from the region and created a storm on social media. Imphal Free Press emphasises that we need to go beyond the existing social and legal counter-measures. For a start, it advocates – a chapter about the Northeast be made a part of the mainstream school curriculum in India.

For more such stories this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
 
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The Silent Pandemic Of Violence Against India’s Women
The death of a 22-year-old in Kerala after spousal abuse reveals the severity of domestic violence and abuse that women face in India, of which only 1 per cent are formally reported. Article 14 explains.

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Learning from the Mumbai Model

The Covid positivity rate has declined substantially in Mumbai to 1.6 % this week, with just 24 deaths reported on July 4, a far cry from the alarming numbers it was clocking in the initial phase of the second wave. The India Forum reports that the city’s strategy for success involved the extensive use of data and threading together of stakeholders.

Read Here
 
 

An Urban MGNREGA Need Not Be A Boondoggle Like The Rural One
Swarajya delineates why instead of direct wages to the urban poor, equivalent of MGNREGA, the government needs to concentrate on building a subsidised social security net, formalising labour and providing wage subsidies to discourage lay-offs due to intervention of technology.

Read Here
 
 

We’re targeted for exposing government mismanagement: Journalists on Bihar media crackdown

The Caravan reports on the state of journalists in Bihar who are facing the brunt of the government’s severe backlash against their reporting. “We have seen nothing like this”, they say.

Read Here
 
 

#NorthEastMatters: Beyond the Twitter trend!
Imphal Free Press calls for going beyond the legal and social measures to combat discrimination against the citizens from the Northeast region in other parts of India. Early sensitisation and orientation to the region’s people and culture, it says, is the key.

Read Here
 
 
 
 
 
More from the grantees
 
The Great Andamanese tribe & their lost language | Anvita Abbi on Voices from the Lost Horizon
Live History India features linguist Dr Anvita Abbi, who has done pioneering work, documenting the lost language and culture of the Great Andamanese tribes. She talks about her latest work, ‘Voices from the Lost Horizon’.
 
Centre’s rule to trace Whatsapp texts threatens privacy
In its latest podcast, Suno India discusses the technicalities and the challenges of enabling traceability for messaging apps like WhatsApp, mandated in the new Information Technology Rules 2021; and how enabling it would infringe upon privacy rights.
 
 
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Kashmir Observer tells you why the recent allegations of forcible religious conversion of Zoya (Manpreet Kaur) and her marriage to a person outside her community was a naked attempt to polarise communities in Kashmir with an eye on political gains.
 
Lakshadweep and the Land Question: Historicising the Present Crisis
In the wake of the turmoil in India’s smallest UT, Lakshadweep, EPW analyses how the eschewing of the traditional model of consultation with local communities in legislative changes has led to the present situation of protests and opposition against the administrator’s decisions.
 
 
Yamuna River Turns Into Drain | Toxic Foam To High Ammonia Content Hits Supply In Delhi
Dumping of garbage, high growth of algae, low water levels, increase in Delhi’s pollution, and increased quantity of ammonia is turning river Yamuna into a drain. Mojo Story reports on the crises.
 
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Khabar Lahariya reports on the plight of farmers in UP’s Ayodhya district who, unable to sell their produce under the lockdown and distressed by the losses, are resorting to destroying their crops.
 
 
India responsible for largest drop in open defecation since 2015: WASH report
Down To Earth, citing Wash Institute, a global non-profit organisation, reports that India has been instrumental in the largest drop in global ‘open defecation’ numbers since 2015.
 
Elderly man chained to hospital bed is not late Stan Swamy
A photograph of convict Baburam Balram Singh tied to a hospital bed in UP has been falsely shared on social media as an image of Father Stan Swamy, who passed away on July 5 in Mumbai, Alt News clarifies.
 
 
 

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