-The Tribune Right from the INCeption of parliamentary democracy in our country, every party has appointed a whip tasked with disciplining the elected representatives. But what about direct command from the voters? Why can’t the voters bypass the parties and instruct their representatives on how to conduct themselves in Parliament? THE Samyukt Kisan Morcha’s decision to issue a ‘voters’ whip’ is one more democratic innovation in these dark times when formal democratic...

-TheCitizen.in There is no evidence of a population explosion in either India or Uttar Pradesh Women’s groups, health experts and civil society groups have written to the President of India raising concerns and opposing the Draft Uttar Pradesh Population Control Bill 2021. The bill’s main objective is to implement a two-child norm by punishing adults with more than two children, and rewarding those who comply. Following in the steps of BJP-governed Assam, the disINCentives...

-Scroll.in The News Broadcasting Standards Authority held the news outlets guilty of violating journalistic norms in their coverage of the religious group. The orders last month by the News Broadcasting Standards Authority holding three private news channels guilty of violating journalistic norms in their coverage of the Tablighi Jamaat Covid-19 cluster is a welcome move, even if long overdue. The orders against News18 Kannada, Suvarna News and Times Now are an indication...

-The Financial Express The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill will be taken up by Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session. The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill will be taken up by Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session. The Bill has had several iterations over the past 15 years, even as more than 60 nations have given the requisite legislative backing to the activities involving DNA technology—largely policing/ investigative...

-PTI/ The Hindu 1,19,000 Indian children lost caregivers to COVID-19, says Lancet report The countries with the highest number of children who lost primary caregivers INClude South Africa, Peru, United States, India, Brazil, and Mexico. More than 1.5 million children in 21 countries, INCluding 1,19,000 from India, lost their primary and secondary caregivers to COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic, according to a study published in The Lancet. The study funded...