-Scroll.in The government has barred access to the site but Scroll.in was able to visit and speak to the workers. It was the last week of April, when a coronavirus surge was devastating Delhi, with overwhelmed hospitals running out of oxygen, and crematoriums running out of space. India’s capital was under a strict lockdown. Most economic activity had come to a halt. But every morning, a 50-year-old construction supervisor travelled over 20 km...

-The Hindu The public sector, private players and civil society should all work together for public service delivery COVID-19 has tested the resilience of all public institutions. Despite its efforts, bureaucracy has emerged as a major concern for the ineffective response to the COVID-19 crisis. This inadequacy is the reflection of the outdated nature of public bureaucracy. In the 21st century, democratic countries are still relying on traditional bureaucracies to perform public policy...

-CaravanMagazine.in As the second wave of COVID-19 spreads to rural areas with minimal healthcare, villages across the Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh have been conducting a 21-day puja to ward off the virus. The puja involves worshipping and invoking the protection of local patron saints, collectively referred to as Dih Baba, and pacifying goddesses associated with epidemics, such as Sheetala Mata. “Hospitals are in terrible condition and there are no medicines,...

-Mint Lounge As cyclone Tauktae develops over the Arabian Sea, it is now clear that India will see more frequent cyclones every year due to global warming It’s May, and for the second year running, a major pre-monsoon cyclone is set to make landfall in the next few days. Cyclone Tauktae in the Arabian Sea, which is currently classed as a cyclonic storm (CS) by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), is set...

-The Hindu Technological changes in education and health are worsening inequities Virginia Eubanks’ widely acclaimed book, Automating Inequality, alerted us to the ways that automated decision-making tools exacerbated inequalities, especially by raising the barrier for people to receive services they are entitled to. The novel coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the use of digital technologies in India, even for essential services such as health and education, where access to them might be poor. Economic...