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Dear Reader,
As we celebrate 77 years of freedom, let us all come together to embrace and fortify the diversity and pluralism that has been India's hallmark and its talisman.
On this historic and happy occasion, let us also remember the larger body of fellow citizens whose lives, unfortunately, are marked by existential issues - especially those who inhabit the lowest rung of the opportunity and social ladder, including the nation’s most critical but vulnerable resource – our children.
The violation of the rights of children, especially their detention, expressly prohibited under the law, has become a practice. The Supreme Court of India has termed this a “flagrant violation”. In the last five years, there have been at least 79 recorded cases of such detentions, with Uttar Pradesh reporting 61 of them. Article 14 red flags the violations.
The scant care for lives in India is another scourge that we face and are constantly witness to - the deaths of thousands of Indians meaninglessly killed in road accidents every month. By the most conservative count, an Indian is killed in a traffic accident every three and a half minutes! A tragic loss of over one and a half lakh lives every year - one of the worst fatality rates in the world. “A daily massacre”, which is hardly noted or discussed in the public space.
The serene and stunning Chenab Valley’s roads in Jammu and Kashmir are a leading instance of this meaningless loss of lives. Kashmir Observer reports that over twenty thousand people have been killed in road accidents between 2010 and 2022 in the district, which is more than the number of people killed in natural disasters across the state in the same years. This has persuaded the state’s High Court to intervene and ask the government to act to reduce the incidence. The story looks at what can be done to straighten the bends.
In the far east of India, because of the tragic and sectarian conflict, schools in Manipur reopened after a hiatus of three months. While there was justifiable joy, the occasion has been heavily tinged with fears and anxieties about the future, especially for the children of the internally displaced, living in relief camps. Imphal Free Press reports on the mixed feelings of hope and fear.
And, the farm crisis in India is another issue that defies a solution, in spite of being hidden in plain sight. Matters are only heading south with climate change and unremunerative prices taking a toll. The recent floods in north India have been particularly devastating, and illustrative. While the rise in food prices, especially tomatoes, has been making the headlines, the farmer usually is not a party to the perceived windfall, as The Citizen highlights. An issue that calls for immediate steps to alleviate the kisan’s plight.
For more such stories from the grantees this week, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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