Category Center for Human Dignity and Development

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Why Climate Policy Needs Women’s Leadership – Not Just Women as ‘Beneficiaries’

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?

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Agroforestry-Based Policy Interventions for Climate-Resilient Dryland Agriculture in India

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.

governance

Post-Maoism and the State: The Future of Governance in Affected Regions

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…

Reframing Political Change in Bihar: The role of Women

Reframing Political Change in Bihar: The role of Women

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.

Labour

The Pro-Business Pivot: How Modern Labour Codes Prioritize Industry Over Protection

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. 

HIV

Beyond the Red Ribbon: Humanizing the Future of HIV Care in India

When India diagnosed its first case of HIV in 1987, it was met with silence, fear, and judgment. The virus was poorly understood, and those living with it were often treated as outcasts -denied care, employment, or even the dignity of empathy. Hospitals hesitated to admit them, schools refused their children, and neighbours withdrew in fear. It was a time when HIV was not just a virus — it was a social sentence.

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