COVID CRISIS IN INDIA: POST-ELECTIONS INTROSPECTION

May 6, 2021

As the dust settles in five election-bound states and the cows return home, it’s time for somber introspection. Cows never care for any pandemics or wars, burials or cremations, doctors or deaths. They only follow their master and spend time on the ranch. That’s what makes some lives so different...

ABOUT GOVERNANCE: DIVERTING PRIORITIES PUTS INDIA ON NOTICE

April 29, 2021

This Thursday my column is not on what the government did not do, could have done or was able to do. It is about the impact of diverted governance and irresponsible leadership on the lives of citizens. Responsible governance is currently needed to manage the Covid-19 crisis and gigantic forest...

Forest fires: Not a priority for government

April 22, 2021

Since March, there have been more than a 1,000 major forest fires across the country. Last month, when the Jodibill Reserve Forest near the Similipal Biosphere Reserve in Odisha was ablaze, many other pristine forests and wildlife reserves in many other states in the country were also burning. Fire alerts...

What is in the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan?

April 8, 2021

A genie that had been throttled in a bottle since 1947 appears to have been released. A worrisome incident that left many from metropolitan areas appalled is a recent encounter which shows an emerging power semantics of public space. On the morning of 6 April 2021, in Gurugram’s Nathupur village...

Embedded patriarchy in science must end

March 4, 2021

Two years of #MeToo have changed little in the world of scientific research, according to most women in science across the world. India has 43% of women as science graduates—the highest number in the world—but a mere 14% in science-related jobs. Despite the additional push the present government has provided...

Government needs to be an active participant in disaster research

February 25, 2021

The Uttarakhand disaster has once again driven our attention towards the disaster management capacity, understanding and adeptness of the National Disaster Management Authority which is the apex institution one looks up to during such times. The Disaster Management Act 2005 says that NDMA “shall have the responsibility of laying down...

Wet markets as pandemic’s epicentre

February 18, 2021

The first cluster of the novel coronavirus infection was found in and around the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a wet market in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province of China. This virus quickly spread to the rest of the world, claiming an unbelievable 250,000 deaths by May 2020, as...

Glacier burst: It’s time to talk about disaster accountability

February 12, 2021

The recent Uttarakhand disaster, a tragedy of a high magnitude, causing massive losses and damages to the state and its citizens, has become another victim of spin doctoring. The media as well as decision makers are diverting attention from institutional and procedural deficits towards a daring, nail-biting rescue operation by...

DAKSHAYANI VELAYUDHAN: A DALIT WOMAN IN CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

January 22, 2021

The making of the Constitution of India has been one of the toughest struggles of Indian history for many known and unknown reasons, notwithstanding a truth that this sacred document has been able to prevent an invasion of religious and caste orthodoxy to Parliament and decimate the nation like our...

Centre needs to introspect amid farmers’ agitation

January 14, 2021

Early this month, a US firm ‘Morning Consult’ gave the highest approval rating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi amongst all world leaders. PM Modi’s leadership skills are unmatched but this evaluation needs to transcend online surveys by citizens on the ground who see and hear the Prime Minister all the...

Amita Singh

COVID CRISIS IN INDIA: POST-ELECTIONS INTROSPECTION

ABOUT GOVERNANCE: DIVERTING PRIORITIES PUTS INDIA ON NOTICE