India’s New Labour Codes Have Dismantled Legal Protections for Journalists
NB, News Briefings, January 2026 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, January 2026 Vishal Arora

India’s New Labour Codes Have Dismantled Legal Protections for Journalists

The central government has brought into force the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, repealing the two special laws that had governed the service conditions and wages of working journalists since 1955. The change marks a retreat from the idea that journalism requires tailored labour protection and replaces it with a generic framework that weakens the professional security of the press.

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India’s Move Toward ‘Data Nationalism’ and Post-Truth Governance
NB, News Briefings, December 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, December 2025 Vishal Arora

India’s Move Toward ‘Data Nationalism’ and Post-Truth Governance

Across three major areas involving climate risk, press freedom and economic reporting, the government is steadily moving away from global benchmarks. It is discarding international assessments and building its own homegrown versions instead. These are managed or overseen by government bodies, which gives it more control over both the data and the story the data tells. The result is a system that does not just measure progress. It also quietly rewrites what progress is supposed to mean.

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Why Delhi’s Deadly Air Suits Big Business
NB, News Briefings, December 2025 Vishal Arora NB, News Briefings, December 2025 Vishal Arora

Why Delhi’s Deadly Air Suits Big Business

As pollution levels in Delhi trigger emergency measures once again this December, the public is told the usual causes: crop burning, vehicle emissions and weather. But a far more persistent source of pollution continues throughout the year, worsens the crisis each winter, and is enabled by government policy. It comes from coal power plants operating within 300 kilometres of the city.

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