The Wire “When the internet is shut down, I have no work, do not get paid, cannot withdraw any money from my account and cannot even get food rations.” This statement by a Dalit woman daily wage worker from Rajasthan begins a joint report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) scrutinising India’s record as the world’s internet shutdown capital. In No Internet Means No Work, No Pay,...

-Down to Earth The central government has mandated digitally capturing the attendance of all workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGnregs). Labourers and activist groups have opposed this and pointed out several loopholes in the move. The National Mobile Monitoring System, which came into effect on January 1, 2023, was launched with claims of bringing transparency and eliminating corruption at the ground level. Pilot tests began in May 2021 at...

-Down to Earth Developing countries feel digital sequence information provides a loophole through which developed countries can circumvent the Convention of Biodiversity Negotiations on how to regulate the use of digital sequence information (DSI) of genetic resources could further delay the finalisation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The process has already been delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast potential of...

-The Hindu Dehumanisation is the likely outcome when humane aspects of governance get outsourced to technologies The right to live with dignity is a constitutional imperative. However, it rarely manifests in discussions surrounding digital initiatives in governance. Centralised data dashboards — valuable as they are — have become the go-to mode for assessing policies, relegating principles such as human dignity and hardships in accessing rights to its blind spots. Often when technological...

-ANI/ Hindustan Times Dubey said that New Delhi is running the world's largest food-based safety net programme, which has seen a paradigm shift from welfare to a rights-based approach. India will play its due role in advancing global food security, upholding equity, displaying compassion and promoting social justice, said First Secretary Sneha Dubey at the UN Security Council high-level special event on global food security crisis on Monday (local time). Dubey said that...