GENRE: In Focus

Everyday, the advertisement sections of our morning newspapers bear notices of banks auctioning the properties of enterprises that failed to repay loans for more than three months. Everyday, smaller manufacturing companies in Chennai, which had successfully braved the economic distress even during the tsunami and the 2015 floods, are bringing down the shutters for good. And while the COVID-triggered medical crisis and political news routinely eclipse such news, COVID-19 has actually crippled the MSME sector in Chennai (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), leaving many entrepreneurs neck deep in debt. Industrial estates in Chennai that were always abuzz with activity are now…

Mukesh Kumar, a 34-year-old father of three, was a peon in a school till June 2020 when he was laid off. All his efforts to find a job since have been in vain. “There is no place I have not tried,” said Mukesh, a NOIDA resident. “I don’t have the guts to set up a cart to sell vegetables and deal with the local authorities”. Mukesh emphasises that returning to Kanpur, from where he moved to NOIDA over 15 years ago, was not an option even though he may get a few days of work and wages there under MNREGA.…

For opaqueness and unsolved mysteries, no other government project comes close to the Central Vista Redevelopment Project (CV) currently underway. The strong push, particularly from the prime minister, for timely completion of the new parliament building before his second term expires, is resulting in brazen violation of building laws as mentioned in the Delhi Master Plan (MPD). The over Rs 20,000 crore project will witness the construction of a triangular-shaped new parliament, new residences for the prime minister and vice-president, a new central secretariat building and demolition of existing buildings along Rajpath. These include some which are just 10 years…

The theme for World Environment Day observed earlier this week was ‘ecosystem restoration’ and it presents a good starting point for an important conversation – one about urban agriculture (UA) and its potential to revive and restore highly diverse ecosystems in cities. Initially, a majority saw urban agriculture largely as a hobby of a scarce few with enough time and a ‘green thumb’ practice. But today, many recognise its vital role in building more sustainable, climate-proof urban futures and are taking active interest in the same. The pandemic and consequent lockdowns have, in fact, spurred an interest in urban agriculture…

Vandhaarai Vaazhavaikum Thamizhagam ( Tamil Nadu is a land that provides livelihood to those who arrive here) has been an old adage about the state. A state welcoming migrants from all over the country and the world. Susheel Kumar of Deogarh in Jharkhand may not agree, though. Susheel, one of the many migrant workers in Chennai, has been in the city since 2017. With the fierce onslaught of COVID in the second wave and the resulting lockdown, the Alandur manufacturing unit where he worked shut down. “I am leaving as I have no income here now. I have been doing…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கோவிட்-19 தொற்றுக்கு எதிரான போராட்டத்தை வெல்ல தடுப்பூசி மிக அவசியம் என தற்போது பரவலாக ஒப்புக்கொள்ளப்பட்டாலும், இந்தியாவின் பெரும்பாலான நகரங்களில் தடுப்பூசி போட்டுக்கொள்வதில் மந்த நிலையே காணப்படுகிறது. எட்டப்பட வேண்டிய இலக்கை விட தினந்தோறும் தடுப்பூசி எண்ணிக்கை குறைவாகவே உள்ளது. மற்ற நகரங்களைப் போன்று சென்னையிலும் கடந்த ஜனவரி 16-ம் தேதி தடுப்பூசி தொடங்கப்பட்டது. முதல் கட்டமாக முன் களப்பணியாளர்கள், பின்னர் மூத்த குடிமக்கள், பின் 45 வயதுக்கு மேற்பட்டவர்கள் என பல்வேறு கட்டங்களில் தடுப்பூசி போடும் பணி மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டது. மே மாதம் முதல் 18 வயது மேற்பட்டவர்களுக்கும் தடுப்பூசி போடப்படும் என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. ஆனால், நோக்கம் சரியாக இருந்தாலும், கள நிலவரம் வேறாக உள்ளது. தடுப்பூசி இருப்பு மற்றும் நிலை கோவிஷீல்ட், கோவேக்சின் என இரு பிரதான தடுப்பூசிகள் தற்போது போடப்படுகின்றன. மூன்றாவதாக, ரஷ்ய தயாரிப்பான ஸ்பட்னிக் சில தனியார் மருத்துவமனைகளில், ஒரு டோஸ்…

Every Indian city has at least one man-made mountain where ‘waste’ generated in our homes and businesses end up. About 90% of the staggering 150,000 metric ton of urban solid wastes generated everyday make their way to such locations. Called dump yards, landfills or garbage mountains, these toxic sites are the dark underbelly of India’s bustling, glittering cities and are home and workplace for tens of thousands of people. Swacch Bharat Mission-Urban’s 2021-22 budget of INR 1,41,678 crore indicates India’s desire for cleaner cities. The budget encourages garbage free cities but makes no specific provision to improve conditions for disadvantaged communities near landfills.…

In normal times, the road to Sonipat, the Haryana town 45 kms from Delhi, gets so congested that it would make the distance seem double of what it is. Known initially only for the National Sports School located there, in the late 80s Sonipat also became known for exporting exotic horticultural produce to Delhi and Europe. A few years ago, the Ashoka University, with its focus on liberal arts and the ambition of giving a run to Ivy League schools abroad, made Sonipat its home. It was by no stretch of imagination a centre for healthcare, like Gurugram with its…

As the second wave rages on across the country, the pandemic has forced most of us into another long lockdown, with restrictions on movement and strict curfews. The lockdown, a tool used to curb the spread of the coronavirus, has become a necessity to save lives. While there is no questioning the need for this measure, it comes with its downsides. The economic and social ramifications have already proven to be devastating for many, with no clear end in sight.  The isolation of the lockdown has been particularly harsh on children, who have been away from school for over a…

On May 17th, the ICMR convened COVID-19 National Task Force dropped convalescent plasma therapy from its virus treatment protocol. The decision, it said, was based on multiple studies that have found little to no use of convalescent plasma in treating COVID-19. This comes close on the heels of a recent World Health Organization (WHO) announcement that there is still no evidence to suggest that the antiviral drug Remdesivir is useful in treating hospitalised COVID-19 patients.  While many doctors treating COVID patients say these announcements are leading to confusion and constricting the already limited treatment options available to them, others believe…