EDITORS' PICK

The elderly population in India is rapidly rising with those above 60 years of age set to constitute 15% of the population by 2036 (22.7 crore), according to the India Ageing Report-2023 released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). From constituting about 10.5% (14.9 crore) of the population in 2022, the population of senior citizens is likely to increase to 20% in 2050 (34.7 crore), thus throwing up new challenges related to their safety, well-being and health. The report also stressed on the need to focus on policies and programmes to meet the needs of the elderly, especially older…

“The authorities told us to let them begin the construction work, and if we resist, they will do it by force,” says Dinesh Habale, a social worker and a tribal resident of Habal Pada, a village of over 65 families, near Film City in Aarey. The recent news of the approval for tunnel construction, with a final bid of Rs 6,301 crore for the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, has left the tribal villagers of Habal Pada deeply uneasy. They dread the prospect of their ancestral homes being sacrificed for the construction of the upcoming tunnel project. As different…

"In our current challenging situation, we're taking life one day at a time," shares Kusum Bhagat, an elderly tribal woman residing in Devichapada, a village near Film City in Aarey. Kusum, currently recovering from blood cancer, finds herself in an ongoing battle to protect her family's ancestral farmland from being turned into a film set. She talks about the struggles of her family with tears in her eyes, while standing on guard next to the farmland, worrying if people from Film City will start the construction work. "We take turns standing guard, and I've been on duty since this afternoon.…

Every season brings its own positives and challenges for Aapli Mumbai. Monsoon is over and we are now grappling with the onset of winter and air pollution. Whatever the season and its challenges, it is important to look at the systemic issues and keep the focus on solutions. Only the collective will and efforts of the people and the administration can make the city more liveable. With that thought, Citizen Matters had organised an Essay Competition – Mumbai Monsoon Masterminds, calling for opinions from residents of Mumbai to share their experiences about monsoons and offer unique solutions. In the following…

Every season brings its own positives and challenges for Aapli Mumbai. Monsoon is over and we are now grappling with the onset of winter and air pollution. Whatever the season and its challenges, it is important to look at the systemic issues and keep the focus on solutions. Only the collective will and efforts of the people and the administration can make the city more liveable. With that thought, Citizen Matters had organised an Essay Competition – Mumbai Monsoon Masterminds, calling for opinions from residents of Mumbai to share their experiences about monsoons and offer unique solutions. In the following…

Every season brings its own positives and challenges for Aapli Mumbai. Monsoon is over and we are now grappling with the onset of winter and air pollution. Whatever the season and its challenges, it is important to look at the systemic issues and keep the focus on solutions. Only the collective will and efforts of the people and the administration can make the city more liveable. With that thought, Citizen Matters had organised an Essay Competition - Mumbai Monsoon Masterminds, calling for opinions from residents of Mumbai to share their experiences about monsoons and offer unique solutions. In the following…

The elderly population in India is rapidly rising. According to the India Ageing Report-2023 released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), those above 60 years of age are set to constitute 15% of the population by 2036 (22.7 crore). From about 10.5% (14.9 crore) of the population in 2022, the population of senior citizens is likely to increase to 20% in 2050 (34.7 crore), thus throwing up new challenges related to their safety, well-being and health. The report also stressed on the need to focus on policies and programmes to meet the needs of the elderly, especially older women…

It's October, and examinations are in full swing for school and college students as they prepare under immense pressure. A crucial aspect during the month is students' mental health, and interestingly, World Mental Health Day is observed every year in October to raise awareness about mental healthcare.  According to an older survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), over 40% of Mumbai students suffer from anxiety, depression, and related mental health issues. Furthermore, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records show that Mumbai had the highest number of student suicides in India in 2019, reflecting growing concerns about…

In India alone, roughly 121 million women and girls use an average of eight disposable and non-compostable pads per month, generating 12.3 billion pads as waste annually, and 113,000 metric tons of annual menstrual waste. But there is a stark lack of awareness around the subject, and the subject is not always open to conversation, which makes the handling of this waste stream even more difficult. However, city administrators are scrambling for solutions and ordering thousands of small incinerators to tackle this problem. Our sanitation systems are designed with urine and faeces in mind. Unable to cope with the menstrual…

“We are not treated as humans: hamein koi izzat nahi deta hai” — a common sentiment resonating through the voices of waste workers, who gathered for a recent event in Delhi. It is indeed ironic that those who clean for us are considered ‘dirty’ or unclean and seldom treated with the respect and courtesy that every human being deserves. The rhetoric of Swachh Bharat, despite being sung in high decibels, rarely resonates with these groups, let alone include their rights and dignity in the clarion call for a Clean India.  These workers often belong to socially and economically oppressed classes…