“Plan for the future because that’s where you are going to spend the rest of your life.”- Mark Twain. There is a strong resonance of the quote when it comes to handling the exigency the world is facing to address nutritional needs along with ensuring environmental conservation. Today on World Food Day, it is imperative […]
This year’s International Literacy Day is celebrated worldwide under the theme, “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces”. This provides us with an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all (UNESCO 2022). In this fast-paced transformation era, education and skilling are crucial to the progress of […]
When you hear the word teacher, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Well, my mind immediately conjures up images of saree-clad women brandishing a wooden ruler in a frightful manner, subject-specific classroom instructions, experiments, examinations and results, and of course, memories of some of the teachers who have helped me beyond […]
Yesterday while strolling in my neighbourhood, I came across a partially torn notice stuck on the door of one of the confectionery stores in my neighbourhood. The notice read that single use plastic is being banned in India with effect from 1st July, 2022. On the spot, I did some calculation in my head and […]
Air pollution is a silent killer. According to the World Health Organization, about 99% of the population breathes in polluted air. For India, this is even worse because India’s 1.4 billion people, which is nearly 100 percent of the population, are exposed to poor quality air. There is no city in India that does not fall […]
Why Gender Equality? Gender equality is defined as a concept where both the genders have equal opportunities, rights, and conditions to realize their full potential and contribute to their personal development and societal well-being. Achieving gender equality has now become a global priority since it was first incepted in the 1900s. It is primarily linked […]
The Climate Crisis is a code red for humanity We need to take action before it’s too late India is one of the most vulnerable countries towards climate change We’ve been reading and discussing how the climate crisis is a major problem for a country like India. It’s not just environmentally disruptive but also socio-economically; […]
Data has been the catchword across different industries over the last two decades. “Data is the new oil” is a phrase apparently coined by British Mathematician and Data Scientist, Clive Humby and backed up by different global publications. And it is true, raw data may not seem much on its own but once synthesized it provides crucial insights […]
In India, 2.21% of the population is affected by some form of disability. The World Bank, however, pegs this figure to be anywhere between 5%-15%. Of those who are disabled, nearly 50% are young (20-59 years), with disability in movement being the predominant form of disability. Conventionally, disabilities that are more perceptible, such as visual […]
Digital technologies have advanced more rapidly than any innovation in the past- reaching around 50 percent of the developing world’s population in only two decades. India itself has been on a digital-first trajectory for a few years. With recent developments in technology and an increase in smartphone penetration, the way we address issues in the […]
With a vaccine in motion to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the nation gears up to overcome the developmental challenges posed by the pandemic and lockdown; quick studies are already providing the Government the starting mark. Since March 2020 decades of hard work in improving education outcomes have faced the most serious challenge as schools shut […]
I recently got a chance to visit the city of Varanasi for a project. Along with a colleague of mine, I had to conduct a couple of qualitative interviews with NGOs who primarily worked on the issue of forced labor. We had to talk to the beneficiaries of those NGOs as well. I was thrilled […]
The year 2020 has defied all apriori conceptions of normal, changing every aspect of life. Given the recurrent lockdowns, restrictions on travel, social distancing protocols, and the general inhibition to step out in the public realm; almost no sphere of the personal and professional world has remained the same. Social research is among the many […]
Over the last two decades, India and the state of Rajasthan have made strong progress in achieving high enrolment in primary education (ASER 2018). This has enabled greater number of girls to access education. However, despite the progress in primary education, there remain several challenges that affect girls’ secondary education. The report and policy brief […]
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) in India, launched in 2009, under the stewardship of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), seeks to enable ‘child protection,’ by: Preventing – child labour and trafficking, through identification and support to vulnerable families Promoting family-based care; and ensuring quality care and support in Government institutions Enabling […]
While scaling up has always been desired, it has posed challenges. There have been frameworks and guides on scaling up, such as the MSI framework [1] and tools and techniques for practitioners. In India, too, there has been a focus on scaling up, and “implementation pathways [2]” have been suggested. Nonetheless, scaling up poses challenges. A key challenge […]
Gender based violence stems from deep rooted caste dynamics and power structures. In Madhya Pradesh, a civil society organization has been working since the year 2000 to address the issues of sexual violence against children and women in vulnerable communities. The interventions aim to increase the reporting of cases of sexual violence against children and […]
The Oscars have brought global attention to menstruation once again, emphasising how deeply entrenched social norms about menstruation restrict girls’ freedom and affect their health. One solution offered was sanitary pads. Lauding sanitary pads as the solution to menstrual health and hygiene is not new. The film Pad Man played a pivotal role in spurring conversations around […]
Preeti (name changed), who I called to speak with, has just returned from her tuition class. She is a bright child who is currently studying in 10th grade in D.T.E.A Sr. Secondary School Lakshmi Bai Nagar. She scored 70 percent in her last examinations and stood 4th in her class the year before that. She recently applied […]
Data from the Civil Registration System (CRS), appears to indicate that there is a substantial decline in the sex ratio at birth. The ratio has fallen from 898 in 2013 to 887 in 2014; see http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/Sex-ratio-at-birth-on-the-decline/article16728001.ece. The decline has been sharp since 2011 when the figure was 909[1]. The states of Manipur, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu […]
Disrespectful intrapartum care during facility-based delivery in sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis of women’s perceptions and experience – http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953616305469 This article in the sub Saharan African context analyses the model of maternity care that is increasingly institution centred rather than women centred. Women’s experiences at institutions indicate that institutions and care providers […]
Hysterectomy is a big business in many private hospitals in India. There are ample reports and newspaper articles on this issue. Several media and newspapers including #The Hindu , #Times of India, #Guardian and #BBC have reported on how some of the private health care providers have been exploiting and profiting from it (See http://www.theguardian.com/society/sarah-boseley-global-health/2013/feb/07/india-healthcare?; http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21297606). In fact, it is according to one […]
