-Countercurrents.org In the death of Fr Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021, who was an “under trial” detainee languishing in the custody of the authorities, India has lost a courageous campaigner for adivasi rights. The manner in which the 84-year old Jesuit priest was forced to die has shaken the conscience of the nation. What hurts the feelings of any one with a true sense of justice is that the authorities...

-Hindustan Times As many as 651 children lost their mothers and 1, 311 lost their fathers to the viral infection. The Delhi government has decided to pay Compensation of ₹2,500 per month to such children. More than 2,000 children in Delhi have lost either or both their parents to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) since the pandemic hit the country last year in May, according to a survey conducted by the Delhi Commission...

-The Hindu National Disaster Management Authority given six weeks to frame the guidelines for fixing the ex gratia meant for the families of those who died because of the pandemic. The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), of which the Prime Minister is the ex officio chairperson, for “failing to perform its duty” to recommend ex gratia assistance for families of those who lost their loved...

-CBGAIndia.in India’s response to the pandemic has depended heavily on the exploited labour of women workers, most of them from marginalised backgrounds. These are ASHAs or Accredited Social Health Activists, the cadre of frontline health workers that has been mobilised for everything from door-to-door surveys, distributing medicine kits, measuring oxygen saturation, monitoring containment zones and spreading awareness about vaccines. 70,000 such women recently went on strike in Maharashtra demanding higher pay,...

-GaonConnection.com For nearly a month, frontline health workers in the state are on an indefinite strike demanding a monthly pay hike, status of permanent workers and Compensation for dead colleagues. More details here. Since June 1, thousands of ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers across Madhya Pradesh are on an indefinite strike demanding a hike in their monthly honorarium and status of permanent workers. Over 60,000 of these protesting female frontline workers...