PRESS RELEASE

Domestic workers are found in all urban and semi-urban households in India, and are yet invisible. Many domestic workers/care workers toil long hours, and are seen hurrying to their places of work as early as 5 am, be it rain, shine or the cold winter! At their workplace - the employer’s home - they face caste discrimination, sexual assault, have no social security, leave, protection or rights like other workers. With the gendered notion of housework, it's considered natural that domestic workers - majority of them women - should slave, and their work, like all housework, is devalued. Thousands of…

BBMP Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, in a press release, said the revised voters' list for all 28 Assembly Constituencies within BBMP limits was published on November 8th. The list has been published at the Voter's Registration Office, office of the Assistant Electoral Officer and in the ward offices. Citizens can review their details and make any corrections if required. This is in the line up to the Special Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls - 2022. The voters' list is also available at the website of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Karnataka as well as the BBMP website. You can also find…

Translated by Sandhya Raju from the original Tamil Press Release by GCC Chennai District Election Officer and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi jointly released the draft electoral poll list for Chennai, in the presence of the party representatives, earlier this week. The electoral list includes eligible voters from the 16 constituencies, as of January 1st, 2022. This list is available at 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13 zonal offices for public view. The public has been requested to check the draft list for addition, modification or deletion. First-time voters whose names have still not been included or who…

இந்திய தேர்தல் ஆணையத்தின் உத்தரவின்படி, சென்னை மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ளடக்கிய 16 சட்டமன்ற தொகுதிகளுக்கான வரைவு வாக்காளர் பட்டியலை மாவட்ட தேர்தல் அலுவலர் / அரசு முதன்மை செயலாளர் / பெருநகர சென்னை மாநகராட்சி ஆணையாளர் திரு. ககன்தீப் சிங் பேடி, இ.ஆ.ப., அவர்கள் இன்று (01.11.2021) ரிப்பன் மாளிகை கூட்டரங்கில் அனைத்து கட்சி பிரமுகர்கள் முன்னிலையில் வெளியிட்டார். இந்திய தேர்தல் ஆணையத்தின் உத்தரவின்படி சென்னை மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ளடக்கிய 16 சட்டமன்றத் தொகுதிகளுக்கான வாக்காளர் பட்டியல் 01.01.2022- ஆம் தேதியினை தகுதி ஏற்படுத்தும் நாளாகக் கொண்டு 2022-ஆம் ஆண்டின் சிறப்பு சுருக்க முறை திருத்தம் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இச்சுருக்க முறை திருத்தம் தொடர்பாக வரைவு வாக்காளர் பட்டியல் இன்று 01.11.2021 வெளியிடப்படுகிறது. மேற்படி வரைவு வாக்காளர் பட்டியல் பெருநகர சென்னை மாநகராட்சி மண்டல அலுவலகங்கள் 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13 மற்றும் வாக்குச்சாவடி மையங்களிலும் பொதுமக்களின் பார்வைக்கு வைக்கப்படும்.…

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), a citizens' group, in collaboration with Karnataka government's Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), released a report on their 'Livelihood Cyclists Survey', on September 30. The report highlighted the needs and requirements of the cyclist while he/she is riding the cycle across the city, to understand their concerns regarding traffic on the roads, parking facility and other infrastructure. Cycling is one of the most sustainable modes of transport with zero dependence on fossil fuels, zero emissions, making it an affordable transport option. Bicycles have always had an important role in the informal sector, especially in…

City of 1000 Tanks intends to develop a Water Balance Model across the city by collecting rainwater, treating wastewater and runoff pollution with decentralized Nature-Based Solutions, and by recharging the underground aquifer to make Chennai water-rich. City of 1000 Tanks has an immediate, midterm and long-term vision for Chennai’s water security. Based on a unique Water Balance Model the project will harvest rainwater and treat wastewater and runoff pollution before recharging into the underground aquifer. This is achieved by people-friendly and culturally appropriate planning, made possible through aesthetically beautiful nature-based systems. The project will be rooted within the local context…

Are you fed up with buying plastic-laden things and looking to change? Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG), an NGO based in Chennai, will shortly be launching an app, Go Zero Waste, that seeks to list shops across Tamil Nadu and even India, where you can shop plastic-free. This app will serve as a resource for those citizens keen to break free from the convention and habit of using plastic, and help them find local shops that avoid plastic packaging.  As the first step to sharing this invaluable resource, CAG is crowdsourcing information on the shops through this form…

The school education department has announced that September 1 could be the tentative date when schools reopen across Tamil Nadu. Following this, the Department of Public Health has issued a set of detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for school reopening, covering the various precautions and safety measures to be taken by school to prevent spread of COVID-19. General guidelines for school reopening SoPs along with IEC materials to be shared to school management.Sanitizers/soap with water to be made available by the concerned authorities .Schools (Government,Government aided and Private) have to open the campuses in phases, with such activities where they can easily adhere to social…

For the fourth year in a row, air quality across Chennai City has been consistently poor, said researchers at Healthy Energy Initiative (India). On average, 24-hour samples collected from 20 locations across Chennai City in February-March 2021 exceeded the Indian 24-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for PM2.5 of 60 µg/m3 by 1.1 to 3.8 times. This study analysed the 24-hr air samples heavy metals in addition to for PM2.5. Locations sampled for the study included neighbourhoods that are industrial, commercial and residential in nature. The results of the study indicate that there is a need for the Chennai Corporation…

International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST), has released two reports on baseline studies of solid and plastic waste in Haridwar and Rishikesh. Both of these are Ganga cities, and understanding their waste generation and management practices are significant for Ganga rejuvenation. At the same time, the Delhi-based environmental organization, has come out with an India-specific methodology for developing solid and plastic waste inventory for Indian cities. Presenting the city reports, Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iFOREST said “One of the major challenges we faced was absence of any specific methodology to develop an inventory. This study provided us an…