-India Spend/ Scroll.in These programmes should look at skilling the workforce for paid jobs rather than unpaid, part-time Volunteers. Central government programmes on water emphasise groundwater management by the community in a decentralised manner but, by and large, these schemes are silent on the availability, training and deployment of a skilled workforce for this task, especially in rural areas. Water management at the most decentralised, local levels is often a part-time, volunteer or...

-Scroll.in India saw an unprecendented economic upheaval in the last two years. With it came a mental health crisis – and a wave of suicides. Trigger warning: This article contains references to suicide and some people might find it disturbing. In December 2020, in response to the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai decided to set up a dedicated mental-health helpline for slum residents of...

-Press release by the Right to Food Campaign Secretariat dated February 23, 2022 * 66 percent respondents said that their income has decreased compared to the pre-pandemic period * 80 percent reported some form of food insecurity, 25 percent reported severe food insecurity * 41 percent said that nutritional quality of their diet deteriorated compared to the pre-pandemic period * 67 percent could not afford cooking gas in the month preceding the survey. * 45...

-Newsclick.in Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board rejects data provided by the Centre for Holistic Development. More than 140 homeless people in Delhi have died due to the extreme cold so far, highlighting the urgent need for providing shelter to people living on the road. “So far, 145 homeless people in Delhi have died,” Sunil Kumar Aledia, executive director, Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), told Newsclick over the phone on Monday. Backing its claim...

-The New Indian Express Experts say intervention needed as cases of abuse rose in lockdown CHENNAI: With schools shut and children confined to their houses, activists are concerned about kids’ safety. This is because the number of child sexual harassment cases in Tamil Nadu increased during the previous lockdown. Though schools are closed, teachers should regularly interact with students and enquire about their well-being, these activists say. “The number of sexual harassment cases...