TK Arun Work within parameters of globalised growth, instead of ranting and raving against it. The four labour codes long in the making have finally been notified. The good thing is that a legal framework now exists for a company…
The Himalayas is frequently described as “fragile,” but vulnerability here is not just ecological, but also deeply social and economic. Erratic and declining rainfall now arrives outside traditional crop cycles. Longer dry spells and early frosts affect soil fertility. Melting glaciers and drying springs reduce water availability. Deforestation increases landslides and soil erosion. At the same time, rising temperatures increase energy demand while weakening already fragile supply chains.
Across India, climate and livelihood policies increasingly recognize women, but largely as vulnerable groups or beneficiaries. Women are visible in policy documents, State Action Plans on Climate Change, watershed programmes, and rural livelihood missions as recipients of support or participants in implementation. While this recognition is important, it reflects a limited framing of women’s role in climate adaptation. So, a question arises- why is women’s leadership missing at grassroot?
Dryland agriculture sustains nearly half of India’s cultivated area and supports the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. Yet, it remains one of the most vulnerable sectors in the face of climate change — grappling with unpredictable rainfall, rising temperatures, frequent droughts, and land degradation. In this context, agroforestry emerges not only as a pragmatic farming practice, but also as a strategic policy imperative to build climate-resilient dryland systems that enhance productivity, ecological balance, and rural livelihoods.
Niranjan Sahoo India’s Fifth Schedule areas became the hotbed of Maoist insurgencies due to administrative neglect, exacerbating discontent and a lack of representation of tribal groups in local bodies. Effective governance is crucial to address these issues and mitigate the…
Women’s active participation in Bihar’s electoral process is a crucial indicator of a deepening democracy. This engagement disrupts traditional gender hierarchies by promoting a fairer distribution of political power and symbolising the expansion of substantive citizenship for women.
That Labour Codes will create a divide between workers and businesses was a given. The former have opposed them since 2019 when the Code on Wages was passed by parliament followed by the other three in 2020 – the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code. Businesses have been pressing for their implementation since then because they know they will benefit from them. The government presents these Codes as beneficial to labour since they are supposed to simplify a very complex and outdated system.