Category Center for Human Dignity and Development

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Democracy needs dissent. It also needs institutions

To understand the chaos gripping our educational spaces — as seen in the recent protests in Delhi and elsewhere — it is necessary to revisit Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s concept of the Social Contract. Rousseau has noted, “True political liberty is never found in a state of chaos or unbridled individual impulse. But real freedom is built when citizens willingly enter a community, agreeing and binding themselves to shared rules and institutional structures.” He had also warned that when individuals choose disruption over collective agreement, it leads to the fracturing of the civic bond that underpins democratic existence.

Participation

From Voters to Decision Makers: Rethinking Youth Participation in India

India is often described as one of the youngest countries in the world. According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, about 65% of India's population is below the age of 35. This is frequently presented as a demographic advantage, a large young population that can contribute to India's economic and social development. But while researching youth participation for my public policy fellowship, I found myself thinking about a different question: If India is so young, how young is its democracy?

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SANKALP Scheme, 2018: Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Skill Development

The Government of India approved the Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) scheme through the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in October 2017 and launched it on 19 January 2018. Implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) with loan assistance from the World Bank, SANKALP forms part of India's broader Skill India Mission, alongside flagship schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). While these other schemes focus on direct skills training, apprenticeship engagement, or standardizing qualifications respectively, SANKALP was designed to address a different, structural gap: the absence of a strong institutional architecture connecting skill development efforts at the Central, State, and District levels, essentially the administrative backbone that other schemes rely on to function effectively at the ground level.

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ORUNODOI SCHEME IN ASSAM (2020): WOMEN-CENTRED WELFARE AND THE CHALLENGE OF LAST-MILE DELIVERY

Orunodoi is Assam’s flagship women-centred social-protection programme. Launched on 2 October 2020, it provides regular financial assistance to economically vulnerable households, with the transfer made in the name of a woman. The scheme emerged from a practical concern: women often manage household spending on food, medicines and education but may lack an independent or predictable income. A monthly transfer to a woman’s account therefore seeks to combine poverty relief with greater financial visibility and participation in household decision-making.

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Protecting Women Beyond Borders:Non-Resident Keralites Affairs and Non-Resident Keralite Women’s Cell 

The department of Non Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) was established by the Government of Kerala on 6th December 1996 as India’s first dedicated state level institution to address the grievances, safeguard the rights and promote the welfare of Non Resident Keralites (NRKS) living or working outside the state, both within India and abroad.

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Accounting for the Uncounted: India’s Demographic Dividend, the Care Economy, and the Long Journey Towards Valuing Homemakers

India's demographic advantage is founded on the fact that it has one of the youngest and largest working-age populations in the world. However, a major portion of this population, especially women, do not participate in the workforce. Instead, they engage in unpaid domestic and caregiving work within the home. As per the Periodic Labor Force Survey 2023–24, 36.7% of the female workforce and 19.4% of the total workforce perform unpaid activities in the household sector.

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LEGAL LITERACY: A LEARNING LESSON IN SCHOOL

“A child who knows law is not only less likely to break it but also better equipped to protect themselves from becoming its victim.”

When we discuss about education the main focus always relies on subjects like mathematics, science, history, technology and so on, that shape a child’s academic future. Although, there’s remain one essential life skill that continues to be overlooked in most Indian schools’ is legal literacy. When children are taught how to solve maths, write essays and learn question and answers, very few are taught what consent mean, what says about cybercrime, child marriage, bullying, or what are their legal rights and responsibilities.

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