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Dear Reader,
India is the second-largest producer of sugar in the world, with an annual turnover of Rs 80,000 crores, with Maharashtra among the leaders. However, for the state’s migrant sugarcane-harvest workers, more than eight lakh of them, the prosperity completely passes them by. Migrating from distant districts, they are indentured into an informal “debt bondage” system which affords them no social security. Article 14 reports from Beed in Maharashtra on the lives and plight of these cane labourers.
In 2012, India conducted its last socioeconomic census – including an enumeration of caste. Over a decade later, Bihar is on the cusp of another such exercise. The India Forum argues that more than the mere opportunity for the political class to leverage the effort for electoral dividends, if properly done, it can generate credible and granular data that can facilitate optimally designed and targeted policies.
Generative AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, have been hailed for the potential they hold for transforming how we learn, communicate and work. However, they also give rise to attendant ethical dilemmas. Should the tools be allowed to use “freely available” or “accessible in public domain” data of individuals even if that data is “personal” and does not have the citizen’s express concern? MediaNama dwells on the issues in light of India’s impending legislation on digital personal data protection.
And, the representation of women in the armed forces, especially in combat roles, is just gaining momentum. ThePrint reports from the CRPF’s bases in Kashmir, Manipur and Chhattisgarh on how women are not only on the frontlines of maintaining internal security but play multiple roles for their families.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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