Dear Reader,

Privacy has been deemed a fundamental right by the Supreme Court in 2017, but the Personal Data Protection Bill introduced in Parliament way back in 2018 is still in limbo. This absence of a legal framework has resulted in online platforms exploiting loopholes in the existing rules to compromise citizens’ data. The Caravan reports on how ‘Truecaller’ – a popular caller ID and spam blocking app – has bent the rules.

ThePrint investigates how the Rs 40,000 crore pan masala and gutka industry, estimated to contribute to one lakh cases of oral cancer annually, has got around stringent rules against advertising by sponsoring big-ticket events, creating surrogate commercials and using Bollywood stars.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been traumatic for the world and has been roundly denounced. However, Swarajya argues, the conflict has also exposed “seven myths” about a rules-based international order that has been concocted and perpetuated by the West which now lies in tatters.

And, The Bastion deep reports from Koraput in Odisha on how the indigenous community around Mali Hills in the state have stood up against bauxite mining in the region and agitated for their voices being heard at public hearings and decision making. How democratic are approval processes for developmental projects, the story asks.

For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.

Warmly,

Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF

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How Truecaller’s success banks on India’s inadequate privacy laws

India is the ‘Truecaller’ app’s biggest market, with over 205 million monthly active users. The Caravan reports that the platform has exploited India’s lax privacy laws to the detriment of users’ rights.

Read Here

Inside story of how billionaires of big-brand pan masala industry got around an ad ban

Big names and events have been used by the pan masala and gutka barons to overcome the ban on advertisements. ThePrint investigates.

Read Here

Eight Self-Serving Myths The West Seeks To Perpetuate After Ukraine Invasion

Swarajya looks at “seven myths” that the West has internalised and perpetuated, which are now being shattered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Read Here

Laws, Leases, and Land: The Story of Adivasis Resisting Bauxite Mining in Mali Hills

The Bastion reports from the ground on how the local community in the Mali Hills in Odisha are opposing bauxite mining in the region as they perceive that it threatens their livelihoods and their way of life.

Read Here

More from the grantees
Women lead innovative farming in this tribal village
Down To Earth features the efforts of the women of Akhapolan, a tribal village in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, who used the ‘trellis system’ for cultivating vegetables, enhancing their profit and becoming independent wage-earners.
Eligibility criteria for National Overseas Scholarship a roadblock: Dalit students
The News Minute reports on how changes in the National Overseas Scholarship guidelines - excluding funding for studying Indian culture, heritage and history abroad - coupled with a low income-threshold, is making the scheme inaccessible to students from backward communities.
കടൽഭിത്തി കെട്ടിയാലും തീരില്ല ചെല്ലാനത്തെ ദുരിത ജീവിതം |
Even as the Kerala government has begun building a sea wall to protect the coastal stretch from Fort Kochi to Chellanam from severe sea erosion, the local communities continue to protest, arguing that the current project does not afford the needed protection. TrueCopy Think reports.
भारत की मेंस्ट्रुएशन नीतियां : क्या पीरियड्स को सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य और मानवाधिकार मुद्दा मानती हैं हमारी सरकारें?
Feminism in India points out that the programmes on menstruation in India are far from being inclusive as they still exclude the needs of persons from the non-binary gender.

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