Vijaya Pushkarna Citizen Matters

COVID vaccination: My travails over the second dose

April 14, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

“The doctor told us even if they wanted to give me the jab without the certificate, they couldn’t, because they had no vaccine,” writes a Delhi-based senior journalist.

Delhi: Lapse of air quality commission confirms the devious motives behind it

March 17, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

It was clear from the word go that this lapsed Ordinance was meant primarily to prevent the Supreme Court from appointing the Justice Madan B Lokur commission to prevent stubble burning.

Betrayed, cheated, angry: Delhi’s municipal school teachers not paid since August

February 4, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

Online teaching, physical coordination with students lacking digital access, frontline COVID duty — they have done everything expected of them. Yet their pleas fall on deaf ears everywhere.

Nobody’s children: Out-of-school kids in Delhi find their plates empty

January 20, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

Lockdown and absence of midday meals has hit child nutrition badly. Even worse-off are the very poor and street children, who are struggling to secure a meal a day.

Delhi: Kids go hungry even as foodgrains rot in overflowing godowns

January 19, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

The nutritional value of what the poor eat is not obtained from what they get with their ration card, but about what extra they can afford to put on the plate.

Delhi: Super commission fiddles while air pollution turns deadly

January 8, 2021 Vijaya Pushkarna

It is still the Supreme Court that continues to drive government action towards bringing down air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

Access to schooling: Will 2021 further deepen the divide?

December 28, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

COVID-19 has made education technology-centric and the trend seems to be here to stay. But this will only widen the divide between different groups in terms of access to education.

For schoolkids in Delhi, not quite a happy new year

December 28, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Virtual school has created stress, uncertainty and confinement for students. But if and when schools do reopen, will parents feel comfortable sending their kids to school?

Chandni Chowk, from Shah Jahan to Kejriwal

December 3, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Now, for pedestrians only! Delhi’s iconic 17th century market road gets a new look and modern makeover.

Delhi struggles to breathe; can the new super commission bring relief?

November 25, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

No one really expected the CAQM to immediately clear up the smog. NCR residents will simply have to wait and hope it shows results next year. The question is, will it?

Diwali, crackers and COVID: Delhi gears up for responsible celebrations

November 12, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

Delhiites, by and large, have welcomed the idea of a cracker-free Diwali amid rising fears of poor air quality accelerating the COVID-19 spread.

A super commission to check air quality in the National Capital Region

November 3, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

The Commission has been given sweeping powers to ensure its orders are implemented and its decisions cannot be challenged in any court.

Delhi: Festival season’s here, but where have the shoppers gone?

October 27, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

COVID-19, job losses, salary cuts and no bonus have led to muted festival shopping. Sales staff seem confident though that things will look up as Diwali nears.

What construction workers in Delhi fear the most: Another sudden lockdown

October 2, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

The hardest hit by COVID-19 were small contractors, employing five-six workers, mostly migrants, who fled the capital during March-May and are now hesitant to return.

From selling turmeric water to security services: How the jobless in Delhi are rebuilding their lives

September 12, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

More and more people who lost their jobs to the pandemic are making new beginnings. Earnings may be less initially, but the road ahead promises flexibility and independence.