Democracy & Society

Thoko Madonko from our Cape Town office speaks to Marlise Richter about inequity in access to covid vaccine in global south and gendered aspects of vaccine equity.

K.M. Gopakumar speaks to Shalini Yog Shah about global vaccine monopoly, TRIPS Agreement and hurdles in vaccine production

Last year, even as the coronavirus ambushed India, disrupting the economy and wreaking untold suffering on millions of its citizens, many saw in it a godsend opportunity to hit the reset button and build back a green and just economy. More than a year later, as we crawl out of the horrifying abyss of the second wave, green fantasies have given way to the more urgent task of quickly vaccinating everyone and reviving a battered economy.

Dr. Rima Ghosh speaks to Shalini Yog Shah about transgender people’s ordeals during the pandemic and what needs to be done.

In this article, the author reflects on the nature of the Indian social protection system and its limitations. He describes two lenses through which the government views its population to fulfil its welfare role: One, by way of regulating employment relationship with a view to protecting workers from arbitrariness and exploitation by employers; and two, by way of reaching out to the poor through in-kind transfers. Pointing out their shortcomings, he argues in favour of a basic income system, which views people as empowered citizens.

The need for cross-border data sharing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that the future of multilateral threat management will hinge on steady yet flexible open-data publishing norms and multilateral data-transfer agreements. In many ways, India typifies the perspectives and needs of emerging economies related to data sharing, data flows, and related commercial regulation.

Women in India’s Northeastern state of Assam wield a great degree of influence in the local politics. But their participation in the frontline has been time and again taken for granted. This was evident in the recent assembly elections in the state. The BJP-led Mitrajot (alliance of friends) came back to power with the votes of more than a half of women voters. Women were also in the frontline of the anti-government protests against the new citizenship law. But both the protests and the polls have left them shortchanged.

Interview with Dr. Suchitra Dalvie by Shalini Yog Shah

Millions of workers in the informal economy in Delhi were adversely affected due to COVID-19 pandemic and the national lockdown implemented in a short notice of few hours in March 2020. There were horrific tales of workers losing large percentages of their income, incurring massive debts to meet their basic needs and running the risk of exposure to the deadly virus while trying to earn a living. This article highlights how informal workers, especially women, have been among the worst sufferers of the pandemic facing sudden shrink in livelihoods without any support system and how they are finding it difficult to recover even after the gradual reopening of the economy following the easing of the lockdown. The article suggests some medium and long term measures that can contribute to a more just and equitable post-pandemic situation.

Nupa Amaibis/ Maibis are the men shaman of Manipur. They were seen mostly in Lai Haraoba performing dance and rituals. The Amaibi dress they wear during Lai Haraoba is a bit different from the one that is worn by female Amaibi. Until the late 1990s, their participation was seen popularly in every Lai Haroaba place. However, in the present days, their participation and visibility in the Lai Haraoba places is remarkably low. Within the Nupa Amaibi community, there are also a very few individuals who identify as Nupi Maanbi (trans women). The aim of this research is to explore the possible reason of the lower representation of Nupa Amaibi in Lai Haraoba spaces and reduction in the number of their population. There is no literature that is exclusively based on Nupa Amaibi. Hence, this documentation intends to place an introduction of Nupa Amaibi through individual stories.