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We are failing mentally ill: Depression remains stigmatised due to enforced silence, social isolation

February 23, 2019

By Moin Qazi* Among the many challenges India faces, the most underappreciated is the ongoing mental health crisis. Mental illness is actually India’s ticking bomb. An estimated 56 million Indians suffer from depression, and 38 million from anxiety disorders. For those who   suffer from   mental illness, life can seem like a terrible prison from which there is no hope … More We are failing mentally ill: Depression remains stigmatised due to enforced silence, social isolation

Manual scavenging, social exclusion of past even today play crucial role India’s sanitation outcome

February 21, 2019

Excerpts from the paper “Where Bharat Goes” by Diane Coffey of the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (RICE): Why have government latrines been rejected by villagers for at least the last seventy years? The social scientists at the 1956 Ministry of Health conference discussed many possible reasons, including the fact that villagers’ beliefs about cleanliness … More Manual scavenging, social exclusion of past even today play crucial role India’s sanitation outcome

Dalit, Muslim livelihood disproportionately affected by attacks in the name of cow protection

February 20, 2019

Excerpt from the chapter “Impact on Agriculture, Trade, and Livelihoods” in “Violent Cow Protection in India: Vigilante Groups Attack Minorities”, a 104 page Human Rights Watch report, released recently: The cow protection movement is hurting farmers and herders, and impacting their right to a livelihood. M.L. Parihar, a Rajasthan-based author and expert on animal husbandry, … More Dalit, Muslim livelihood disproportionately affected by attacks in the name of cow protection

Knowledge has become salable commodity, learning is reduced to acquiring “marketable” skills

February 19, 2019

Resolution on education by the All-India Forum for Right To Education (AIFRTE), which took out Shiksha Hunkar Rally in Delhi on February 18, 2019: The crisis in Education has resulted from the failure of successive Central and state governments to strategically plan, and financially and administratively invest in creating the necessary infrastructure to achieve the … More Knowledge has become salable commodity, learning is reduced to acquiring “marketable” skills

Ensure recognition of all community, individual forest rights of STs, OTFDs; single, married women

February 18, 2019

Civil rights organizations Community Forest Rights-Learning and Advocacy process (CFR-LA) All India Forum for Forest Movements (AIFFM) and Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch (MAKAAM) have worked out a Citizens’ Charter on forest rights vision and promise of FRA. Its demands are proposed to be placed before the political parties for the upcoming elections. Seeking  broader consensus, … More Ensure recognition of all community, individual forest rights of STs, OTFDs; single, married women

Manipulated graphic health warnings on smokeless tobacco in rural India: Defective implementation

February 16, 2019

By Michael Iacobelli, Sejal Saraf, Kevin Welding, Katherine Clegg Smith, Joanna E Cohen* India is unique in its dual burden of tobacco use. Nearly 200 million individuals use smokeless tobacco (SLT) products in India,1 with almost 200 000 deaths attributed to SLT use in 2010.2 SLT users tend to live in rural areas and have lower levels of education.1 India has made substantial … More Manipulated graphic health warnings on smokeless tobacco in rural India: Defective implementation

National Waterways is unfeasible, will not benefit economy, will lead to environmental damage

February 15, 2019

By Debadityo Sinha* The Government of India has undertaken the ambitious project of plying cargo ships from Haldia to Prayagraj on the river Ganga, also known as National Waterways-1 (NW-1). The justification for promoting waterways on such a massive scale as stated in National Waterways Bill, 2015 when introduced is as follows: “…inland water transport is recognised as … More National Waterways is unfeasible, will not benefit economy, will lead to environmental damage