EDITORS' PICK

With the country entering the fourth phase of lockdown in the COVID battle, relaxations on movement have been granted leading to more people entering states from within and outside the country. Tamil Nadu, too, has seen more people come in since relaxations were put in place. Accordingly, testing and quarantine rules have been revised for those entering the state, with certain exemptions. What do you need to do if you have to come to Chennai now? Here's a quick explainer: How can you enter Tamil Nadu? At present, Shramik trains for migrant workers are allowed entry into Chennai. Air travel…

On May 18, Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal appealed to migrant workers to stay where they were, as the railways planned to double the number of Shramik Trains to 400 per day in two days. He also said that an additional 200 non-AC trains would be operational by June 1. While this increased capacity is a welcome sign, will it be enough to service Bengaluru's stranded workers? A large number of Bengaluru's workers are walking thousands of kilometres to their home states, as the efforts of the governments to arrange transportation has fallen short of the exploding demand. "The Labour…

Between March 20th and 31st, the first week of the lockdown, around 3.07 lakh calls were received by the child helpline 1098, out of which 30% or 92,105 calls sought protection against abuse and violence on children. This impelled the Deputy Director of Childline India to suggest that the helpline be declared as an essential service during the coronavirus lockdown. Unfortunately, the lockdown has turned into inescapable prisons for children who were trapped with their abusers at home. The closure of schools as well as online classes also create scope for greater exposure of  children to online child sexual abuse. Another…

“Hello Teacher,  kis ka accha hain? Mera ya uska?” “Mera, Mera” (Hello Teacher. Whose toy is better - hers or mine?” “Mine, Mine”) Two paper frogs, one green and one white, talking to one another animatedly. The voices in the background belong to children. A joyful WhatsApp forward on a Sunday morning led us to pursue this heartwarming story of children in the bastis crafting puppets to beat the stress brought on by COVID-19. The lockdown has placed enormous economic burden on the urban poor. There is a palpable gloom produced by a normal way of life coming to a…

“Hello Teacher,  kis ka accha hain? Mera ya uska?” “Mera, Mera” (Hello Teacher. Whose toy is better - hers or mine?” “Mine, Mine”) Two paper frogs, one green and one white, talking to one another animatedly. The voices in the background belong to children. A joyful WhatsApp forward on a Sunday morning led us to pursue this heartwarming story of children in the bastis crafting puppets to beat the stress brought on by COVID-19. The lockdown has placed enormous economic burden on the urban poor. There is a palpable gloom produced by a normal way of life coming to a…

In the concluding part of this two-part series, we look at what prevented builders and the government from rushing to the aid of construction labourers during the lockdown. In Part 1 'Why Bhuvilal Mahato stayed back in Bengaluru' we saw how migrant workers who were looked after by their employers, did not feel the need to leave the city. For migrant workers in Bengaluru, the promise of deliverance after a traumatic locked down lasted briefly. No sooner did Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announce shramik special trains to ferry them back to their States, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’…

The usually busy junctions on Mount Road and OMR wear a deserted look. Almost two months into the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the virus, most vehicles have been off the streets, with only emergency travel and essential services permitted in Chennai. The spread of coronavirus has altered, at least for the near future, how we commute and the kind of travel we consider essential. While the pandemic’s implications for health have prompted extraordinary precautions, the economic impact of these measures have been devastating for many, even in the short-term. One section of people adversely affected by this…

It took just 13 days for Aarogya Setu -- the contact tracing app developed by India to combat the COVID-19 pandemic -- to amass 50 million users. The app currently stands with more than 9 crore downloads.  Designed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the app was formally launched by PM Narendra Modi on April 2nd. It is available in 12 languages and can be downloaded by iOS and Android users. With 4.5 stars rating on Google play, the current version of the app is 1.1.1. According to reports, the app has alerted 1.4…

The normally bustling, outpatient unit of the Adyar Cancer Institute, is deafeningly quiet. And so it has been over the last two months, confirms Chairperson of the Institute, Chennai, Dr V Shanta, as she shares her concerns in the background of the devastating COVID pandemic. “Over the years, we have evolved standardized protocols integrating all the advances in oncologic science and technology into our treatment. But this never-before situation has raised multiple concerns," said Dr Shanta, "With the lockdown adding to the panic, many patients were unable to reach the cancer centre. Outpatients numbered about 400 before lockdown times and bed…

For all outward appearances, Neelam (name changed to protect identity) has it all - a working husband, a couple of young and bright children, and a good job for herself. Look deeper, and one finds that her husband is an alcoholic who abuses her regularly.  Not having got his supply of booze since the lockdown started, he has become even more unbearable, screaming and shouting at her for little or no reason... He has also been encouraging their children to abuse her verbally.  Neelam is now worried that, with the government allowing sale of liquor, his abuse may take another…