The Moving Upstream: Luni program is a continuation of Veditum’s Moving Upstream fellowship program which we co-host with the Out of Eden Walk. For the Luni program, we are partnering with the School of Pubic Policy at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and this effort is supported by A4Store & Out of Eden Walk. The aim is to document the river and life in and around it, the impact of man-made...

Down to Earth Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla city has been battered following three days of heavy rainfall — there have been three major landslides in the last four days and the bodies of over 22 people have been recovered so far. Over two dozen people are missing and suspected to be buried under the debris. According to experts, the city has long crossed its carrying capacity, which is leading to regular landslides...

Carbon Copy A freshly passed amendment to the Forest Conservation Act has created a stir among ecologists, parliamentarians and stakeholders. With several contentious provisions, the amendment reveals an afforestation push where rights and justice take a backseat to commercial interests. This week, amidst a raucous monsoon session, the Indian Parliament saw the passage of several consequential pieces of legislation in quick succession. Among them was the contentious amendment to the Forest Conservation...

India's July consumer price food inflation has risen to 11.51 percent from a year ago, its highest rate in three and a half years. The last time food inflation was above this rate was in December 2019. The price of cereals, pulses, vegetables and spices helped push food inflation into double digits. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July is 7.44 percent, up from 4.87 percent in June.  High food inflation...

The Niti Aayog recently released its National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023, according to which the poverty headcount ratio declined from 24.85 percent in 2015-16 to 14.96 percent in 2019-21. In absolute numbers this translates to 135 million people exiting multidimensional poverty in this time period. In addition, a few days earlier, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its own Multidimensional Poverty Index, which in a press note said that,...