Articles
Jun 01 2021
WORKING WOMEN
Household appliances: Fruits of labour

Does increase in women’s work participation lead to greater adoption of household appliances, or is it the other way round? Data from the US during the Second World War period provides some answers.

May 28 2021
WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION
Why aren't more women working?
WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION : Why aren't more women working?

Even as the country grapples with creating more employment opportunities for its population,  it is imperative that it doesn't leave its women behind. Too many who want to work are not working, and growth alone will not change that, writes Shikha Sharma.

May 21 2021
FEDERALISM
India's states need their own development models

Our federal nation, with its many languages, states, regions, and communities will always have different models of growth that suit local aspirations. State governments can distinguish themselves by asking what this means for each one of them, writes Harsh Shrivastava.

May 17 2021
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Decentralisation is better for developing economies

Urban waste continues to grow, and governments at different levels are responding with a range of approaches. In the current situation in India, choosing decentralisation is critical to reach multiple goals, writes Andrew Almack.

May 10 2021
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Regional benches of the Supreme Court?

Should the appellate jurisdiction of the apex court be distributed across the country and made more accessible to the people? Or would that carry risks of increased litigation, and lead to more inconsistencies between judgments? Pooja Murty lists the pros and cons.

May 08 2021
WOMEN ON BOARD
Delhi Metro : More than a mode of transport

The city's large Metro network has quietly revolutionized women's travel in public transport. More importantly, it has given them a perceived notion of autonomy, along with scope for upward socio-economic mobility, writes Sudeshna Roy.

May 06 2021
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part III - The best and the worst

For some, the plight of countless desperately poor people trapped by the lockdown was a call to action, and they rallied to help. But for others, it was a time for unscrupulous opportunism and cruel discrimination. Tanya Jairaj continues her diary of the pandemic.

May 04 2021
COVID VACCINATION
How will increased eligibility change demand for vaccines?

All persons above the age of 18 are now eligible to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. On current course, however, there will be a much larger mismatch between demand and the ability of the system to push out doses, say Renuka Sane and Ajay Shah.

May 02 2021
MULTI-LAYERED PLASTICS
Inclusive design of new EPR regime is possible

Extended Producer Responsibility-based interventions can be designed to ensure that wastepickers and informal workers remain an integral part of the new regime too. SWaCH's experience with multi-layered plastics in Pune shows how to do this, writes Lubna Anantakrishnan.

Apr 29 2021
RESILIENT POWER SUPPLY
Keeping the lights on for development
RESILIENT POWER SUPPLY : Keeping the lights on for development

In climate-vulnerable areas, the decentralised solutions proposed for electricity supply to facilities that support development activities must take into account technical, economic and organisational considerations, notes a report from WRI India.

Apr 26 2021
PRODUCTIVITY
Air pollution takes a heavy toll on businesses

The quality of the air in our cities is reducing the productivity of companies, and diminishing consumer demand. This hits some sectors of the economy particularly hard. Business leaders must advocate and support efforts to tackle this head-on.

Apr 24 2021
PANDEMIC SCIENCE
The second wave, explained in illustrations

The pandemic's threat level at any given time is determined by both the infectiousness of the virus strains and the level of caution that people exhibit. And new strains could keep emerging. Vaccinate yourself, says Mukund Thattai.

Apr 21 2021
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part II - An uncertain kindness

Hundreds of millions of desperately poor people were caught off-guard by the lockdown. As the government struggled to respond, it was up to citizens to recognise the humanity of each other and do what they could. Tanya Jairaj continues her lockdown diary.

Apr 19 2021
URBANISATION
Bird's eye view of city planning is full of blur

Planning for settlements in the country follows an outdated approach. Coupled with weak governance, Master Plans are nearly fiction. Re-imagining urban India will have to necessarily start with an overhaul of the existing statutory frameworks, writes Anjali Karol Mohan.

Apr 16 2021
WOMEN IN POLITICS
Deciphering low Election Sex Ratios

Why are there so few women in electoral politics at the state and national level? There are several reasons, but the biggest one is that in the absence of reservation, political parties deny tickets to women, writes Tara Krishnaswamy.

Apr 15 2021
EPR REGULATIONS
New regime, but many pending expectations

Waste pickers and others have long sought better terms and conditions of work, and to be heard as equals in decisions about urban waste management. The effectiveness of new extended producer responsibilities will keenly depend on these, say Nalini Shekar and Kabir Arora.

Apr 13 2021
COVID LOCKDOWN
Pandemic diary : Part I - The scramble

The suddenness and totality of the lockdown left poor people unable to prepare themselves, even to collect wages. To survive, they had to leave their homes in search of support, making them vulnerable not only to the virus but to much more. Tanya Jairaj recalls the early days of the Covid lockdown.

Apr 11 2021
CONSERVATION
Beyond wildlife-ism and ecosystem services-ism

Faced with a multiplicity of values, mainstream conservation has tended to retreat to biocentrism, pragmatism or scientism. It would be more tenable to embrace a broad-based and democratic environmentalism, writes Sharachchandra Lele.

Apr 08 2021
URBAN SPACES
Recognising the right to the city

The Delhi High Court's ruling in Ajay Maken offers hope to residents of informal settlements by protecting their right to housing and enhancing their role in decision-making about urban space, writes Mathew Idiculla.

Apr 05 2021
DISABILITY LAWS
Inclusion is more than a benchmark, says SC

Apex court rules that both public and private sector are obliged to make 'reasonable accommodation' to facilitate the full participation of disabled persons in society. In doing so, the judges overturned an earlier decision of the SC itself.