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Dear Reader,
Last year, a survey of 4,000 members of India’s workforce, by a leading research firm, found that 80 per cent of the country’s workers reported mental health issues. The same report also said that mental health cost Indian companies $14 billion a year on account of absenteeism, attrition, and presenteeism (poor productivity), amongst others.
The issue is accentuated by the high cost of treatment in India -- with only 75 psychiatrists for every one crore of the population -- and, therefore, mental healthcare remains inaccessible for the preponderant majority of the Indian citizens.
Now, there is hope. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), last October, made it mandatory for insurance companies to cover mental health. Recently, some of the leading health insurance players have expanded their coverage to include this affliction. ThePrint examines its impact and how it will bolster access to mental health care.
The practice of blocking ‘offensive’ websites, at the slightest whim, has become an institutional reflex in India. MediaNama cites a study to report that more than 55,000 websites, URLs, applications and social media posts were blocked in India between January 2015 and September 2022, and tells us what is wrong with the habit.
Handicrafts and handloom are the highest employment generators after agriculture. But, artisans remain at the margin of subsistence while middlemen corner a chunk of the margins. Poor digital literacy and the high cost of onboarding, etc., have so far prohibited the leveraging of online platforms by artisans. However, help is on its way, says India Development Review, in the form of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a platform designed to foster open interchange between shoppers, technology platforms, and retailers, by creating a level playing field for small businesses.
And, the challenges of climate change and biodiversity have become contentious issues – largely gridlocked despite pious promises and commitments. The India Forum argues that the “collective legacy of folk tales and myths in ancient civilisations” can be used to influence and nudge attitudes and policy-making on the environment.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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