There are several government schemes to assist those who've lost their livelihoods from informal jobs, but many eligible workers find it difficult to register for benefits, despite the attention of the higher judiciary. Kathyayini Chamaraj reports. 

Hundreds of indigenous languages have vanished, and many more may be lost forever as only a few survivors who speak them remain. But as the Asur adivasis of Jharkhand are showing, it is possible to revive and preserve a language, in very pragmatic ways. Abhijit Mohanty reports.

Formal urban planning and official heritage narratives have not so far turned their attention to cultural legacies of cities. Citizens groups are often ahead of public officials in exploring this, and their success could point the way forward, writes Annabel Lopez.

States have followed varied paths to development, proclaiming models of their own. But these have been limited to administrative initiatives and infrastructure improvement, and not presented a new imagination of governance itself, writes Harsh Shrivastava.

The courts are public institutions, and they way they function should therefore be transparent and accountable. The media's role in informing the public about the courts is therefore vital, and should not be diluted, writes Surya Prakash.

In low-income families, women have faced far more vulnerabilities than men during the covid pandemic. These priority areas for intervention could form the backbone of a new resilience for them now and in future disasters, writes Gaurav Gupta.

Repeated natural disasters, closed mandis and a forced halt to transportation of produce have brought maize farmes in Nabarangpur and other districts to the brink of distress. Without government support, many may abandon the crop despite its potential. Abhijit Mohanty reports.

Can people themselves decide how governments should respond to their needs? A new initiative, Janta ka Faisla, takes up the pressing case of migrants, to see how different the practice of democracy would look if it began from the most vulnerable citizens. Rajesh Kasturirangan writes.

A survey of nearly 15,000 women in the aftermath of the pandemic-induced lockdown last year reveals specific ways in which women are particularly vulnerable to risks. This could provide valuable input for new interventions, writes Gaurav Gupta.

The higher judiciary has very few women. While the low percentage is acknowledged to be a problem by the judiciary itself, there has been no serious effort to correct this. A concerted effort to overcome the hurdles is needed to make the courts more representative. Shikha Sharma reports.

In cities across Karnataka, civil society groups are pushing the government to establish Ward Committees and Area Sabhas as mandated by the Constitution and state laws, so that they can participate in decision-making to direct the governance of their localities, writes Kathyayini Chamaraj.

Akshara Foundation's pilot program to help children learn partly digitally and partly offline shows how learning can continue despite the lockdown, and also how the gap in technology-assisted learning available to poor children can be closed.

Scheduled Tribes were already at the margins of development even before the covid-19 virus began to spread. Now they find their situation has been made much worse. Abhijit Mohanty reports on the situation in the tribal-dominated districts of Odisha.

Can people themselves plan for their basic services? A new initiative in the informal settlements of the city which have been ignored by formal planners shows the potential of a different approach.

Power connections are now available nearly everywhere across rural India. However, there is a long way to go before people in villages reliably get uninterrupted electricity that can help them live and work better. Dr Debajit Palit explains what's left to be done.

Policy-makers are increasingly concerned about the potential impact of the ongoing second covid wave as well as others that might occur in the future. A look at high-frequency, night-time light intensity during last year's staggered lockdown provides some answers.

Poor governance of natural resources is undermining India's progress in curbing emissions. It is also weakening the resilience of vulnerable people who are affected by climate changes such as desertification and drought, writes Abhijit Mohanty.

The general challenges of waste collection and recycling management are even more difficult in the case of flexible and multilayer packaging. At different stages of the recycling chain, solutions must be found, writes Sumangali Krishnan.

As Covid-19 rages through the rural areas, hundreds of thousands of tribal farmers in Odisha's Kandhamal district are selling their turmeric harvest at half the usual market rate. Abhijit Mohanty reports.