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Author:
June 18, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the wraps off the environmental vulnerabilities of the existing development paradigm of modern economies. The endeavour of governments should now be to institutionalise an administrative framework which sets precedence for sustainable and climate-friendly policies. Junior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, Tanushree Chandra makes a case for deploying green strategies to combat the myriad economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 crisis. She locates the inadequacies in the government’s reform package and proposes an alternative policy agenda.
Author:
June 16, 2020
COVID-19 has provoked a migrant crisis in India which has uncovered the incalculable socio-economic vulnerabilities confronted by a vast segment of the country’s workforce. This article dissects the impact of the recent labour law relaxations by many state governments on the stated agenda of labour formalisation. It also probes the adequacy of the proposed labour code reforms by the central government for the protection of migrant workers. The article culminates with recommendations for systemic reforms towards formalisation of labour, based on best practices achieved by different states in India.
Author:
Editor: Lakshmi Ravi
June 11, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown has uncovered glaring vulnerabilities in the urban design frameworks and law enforcement mechanisms of cities and other townships in India. The Epidemic Diseases Act has enabled a brutal lockdown by law enforcement authorities across states even as social distancing has remained elusive in urban townships due to the inherent design flaws and population density. Dr. Shiben Banerji, Professor for art history and urban design at the Art Institute of Chicago, in a wide-ranging conversation with Taarush Kishore Jain, explores these themes, citing examples of Kerala and Dharavi to elucidate his opinions. He also shares his sentiments on the mass communication campaigns by the Prime Minister during the lockdown and suggests modifications to the Centre-State relationship in India.