When Universities Become Objects of Counterinsurgency
Academics and students in India have been facing an immediate, sharp and existential threat since 2014.
Capitalism | China | Climate Change | COVID19 | Online Blog
Planet Farm
As industrial agriculture encroaches into the last wild places of the Earth, it’s unleashing dangerous pathogens. We need to take urgent steps to heal the metabolic rift between ecology and economy.
Being ‘Hindu’ and Being ‘Secular’: Tamil ‘Secularism’ and Caste Politics
The Hindu right has not been able to take over much of Tamil Nadu’s political space, due to the long-standing propaganda by parties such as the DMK against the caste-based discrimination within Hinduism, which also led to a positive representation of Islam and Muslims.
Budget 2021–22: Proposal for an Alternate, Pro-People Budget
India’s social sector expenditures are amongst the lowest among all major economies of the world. In this concluding part of our budget analysis of Union Budget 2021-22, we present proposals on how the Centre can more than double its social sector expenditures.
Editors Guild Expresses Shock at Centre’s ‘Draconian Attitude’ in GoM Report on Media
The suggestions from the GoM report hint at increased surveillance and targeting of writers and journalists who depart from the government’s narrative, the editors’ body said.
To Prevent Future Pandemics, We Must Stop Destroying Forests
COVID-19, SARS and Ebola—three diseases that spread across national borders since 2002—share one thing in common: they were transmitted to humans from wild animals living in tropical forests, which are losing more than 100 trees per second due to rampant, unsustainable deforestation.
India Is No Longer a Democracy but an ‘Electoral Autocracy’: Swedish Institute
The V Dem Institute’s report notes that much of the decline in democratic freedoms occurred after the BJP and Narendra Modi’s victory in 2014.
Why BJP’s Hindutva Runs into the Tamil Wall
While the BJP has succeeded in gaining an entry into every state in the country, it has failed to do so in Tamil Nadu. A substantial reason for the failure of BJP’s Hindutva in the state lies in the integration of Muslims during the making of the composite Tamil identity.
Long Wait for Rehabilitation May Push Thousands Back into Manual Scavenging
Government departments’ apathy and lack of reliable data on manual scavengers is a hurdle to rehabilitation efforts, say stakeholders.
Capitalism | COVID19 | Online Blog | USA | World Economy
Pandemics: The Perils of Agribusiness Profits
The multiple pandemics of the past decades can be linked to the expansion of agribusinesses into the global South. The consequent deforestation and unregulated industrial farming of animals have produced hotspots for pathogens to cross into humans.