Tech can reduce friction in urban service delivery

India is poised to have more than 60 cities with a population of more than one million each and six megacities with populations of at least 10 million each by 2030. But, our urban centres are hardly well managed. The growing urban population will strain resources like water and energy, infrastructu…

India’s shrinking academic freedoms

The ‘Academic Freedom Index Update 2023’ has confirmed what we’ve known for a while: academic and cultural freedom, and institutional autonomy, have declined significantly in India since the Narendra Modi government came to power. The areas of concern span the gamut, from freedom to research and te…

Monitor air quality better, low-income groups more vulnerable

India’s urban air quality is dismal. Recently, Mumbai was named the second most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality and it is said that the bulk of India’s population breathes air that is at least 10 times more polluted than the World Health Organization’s previous PM 2.5 standards. …

The weaponisation of Central agencies

The misuse of agencies like the CBI and ED keeps political opponents neutralised and critics in check. But it will ultimately lead to the erosion of democracy, weakening our legal safeguards and laying the foundation of rule by fear. It’s what will, in the end, erase our freedoms. Please listen to …

India producing enough food; urban hunger is a problem of inequity, distribution

India ranks an abysmal 101 among 116 countries on the Global Hunger Index. Rural hunger has received a lot of attention – justifiably so – but what does hunger in urban India look like? With three decades of growth, the urban economy is thought to have done better than the rural one. In reality, la…

The long, dark shadow of Section 153A

Section 153A wasn’t part of the original penal code but was introduced via an amendment. It remains in the IPC because of its use as a tool to suppress free speech and political opponents. Until it goes, it will continue to shrink our fundamental rights. Please listen to the latest episode of All I…

First past the post system is not ideal; electoral reforms needed

The mere existence of elections does not mean we have a truly representative democracy. They need to be free and fair. We need electoral reforms to fix problems ranging from the use of money and divisive campaigns to mandates being twisted and cast aside through the splitting of parties. Most impor…

What’s wrong with Indian edtech?

Edtech exploded onto the scene as COVID-19 shut India down. It was hailed as a shining star in India’s red-hot startup economy. But now it’s reeling from an avalanche of bad news: complaints about service quality, misleading marketing, even outright cheating. The latest: edtech firms are laying off…

Migrant sugarcane workers’ kids miss school 6 months a year, are often exploited by labour contractors

Santosh Ram’s short film, ‘Prashna’, is a poignant, emotional piece of storytelling about migrant sugarcane workers and their families, told through the eyes of one mother and her son. Every year, more than six lakh people from Marathwada migrate within Maharashtra or to Karnataka and Andhra Prades…

Gender parity in Indian cricket still elusive, but Women’s Premier League is a positive step

WPL will not only unlock and expand the commercial value of women’s cricket, it will lead to the development of the women’s game at the grassroots level. For advertisers, it’s likely to deliver a lucrative audience that includes teenage to young women. Maybe the BCCI should have launched the league…