Centre Hinders Local Decision-Making in Ladakh by Withdrawing Financial Powers
The Ministry of Home Affairs has withdrawn all financial sanctioning powers from Ladakh’s local administration and elected councils, centralising them in Delhi. The move is likely to disrupt local decision-making and delay essential development in a region where planning and execution must match a narrow seasonal window.
Should the Government Be Allowed to Track Our Location Without Consent?
The central government is weighing a proposal to require smartphone manufacturers to keep satellite-based location tracking permanently active on all devices sold in the country. This would allow law enforcement and investigative agencies to access our precise, real-time location data, a step no other country has taken so far.
6.5 Million Children Dropped Out of School in 5 Years
Over the last five years, more than 6.5 million (65 lakh) children in India have dropped out of school, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur revealed in Parliament. Among them, nearly 3 million (30 lakh) are adolescent girls. The numbers point to a large-scale rupture in India’s promise of universal education, and also to structural gaps in the way schooling is planned, supported and delivered, especially for children from marginalised families.
Supreme Court’s Rohingya Remarks ‘Unconscionable,’ Say Ex-Judges, Lawyers
A group of former judges and senior advocates have denounced recent comments made by a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi during a Supreme Court hearing on Rohingya refugees, calling the remarks “unconscionable” and contrary to constitutional values. In a public letter, the signatories said the comments dehumanised vulnerable refugees and undermined the moral authority of the judiciary.
Why 96% of Indians Have No Access to Palliative Care
Up to 10 million people in India need palliative care, yet fewer than 4% receive it, according to a new study. As a result, people with chronic and life-limiting illnesses such as cancer, heart disease or advanced neurological conditions are often left without the support they need to live their final days with comfort and dignity. They endure unmanaged pain and deep emotional distress.
Why the IMF Gave India a Low Score on Economic Data Quality
In its 2025 Data Adequacy Assessment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) gave India a ‘C’ grade for the quality of its national accounts and government finance data. In plain terms, that means the data has enough problems to make economic analysis tricky and sometimes unreliable.
Bhutan’s Journalists Face Growing Information Blockades
Officials in Bhutan appear to have cultivated a habit of avoiding the media and withholding information, leaving journalists with few avenues for access. The resulting silence is straining an already fragile media landscape, pushing it closer to collapse.
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.
Delhi Remains World’s Most Polluted City
Delhi recorded the highest air pollution levels among global cities on December 1, with an Air Quality Index of 244. Other cities across India and Asia also reported hazardous conditions, marking a continued public health risk across the region.
Your WhatsApp and Telegram Will Soon Lock Without Active SIM
The government has announced a sweeping rule that will affect how you use apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and others. These apps will stop working the moment you remove your SIM card, switch phones, or try to access them on a second device without the SIM. The rule gives the government the power to link all your communication activity to your physical identity and location at all times, with no clear safeguards.
Bonded Labor Law Exists in India, But Millions Still Work in Servitude
India outlawed bonded labour nearly 50 years ago, but millions remain trapped in exploitative working conditions, according to a new report by a workers’ rights network, which has accused the government of neglecting its legal duty to enforce protections and support victims.
New Labour Codes Weaken Worker Rights, Undermining Industrial Democracy
Industrial units with fewer than 300 workers in India no longer need government approval for layoffs under the new labour codes. This change removes key legal protections for most employees, shifting the law’s focus away from security and collective rights in the workplace.
Two Indian Entities Among RSF’s Press Freedom Predators’ List
Two Indian entities have been named in Reporters Without Borders’ 2025 “Press Freedom Predators” list, a roster of 34 governments, officials and organisations accused of systematically attacking journalists and the right to independent information.
Heart Attack Prediction Tools Miss the Warning in Half of Cases
A new study by medical researchers in the United States has revealed a serious limitation in how doctors currently try to predict and prevent heart attacks. It shows that the tools most commonly used by physicians, namely the ASCVD risk score and the newer PREVENT calculator, are failing to identify a large number of individuals who are actually at risk.
Smoking Even a Few Cigarettes a Day Raises Death Risk: Study
A major new study has found that even light smoking dramatically increases the risk of serious heart conditions and early death, with women facing higher risk than men. The study involves decades of data from more than 320,000 (3.2 lakh) adults and offers the clearest long-term evidence to date that there is no safe level of tobacco use.
India’s Juvenile Justice System Has Failed Children, Says New Nationwide Study
A decade after the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 came into force, a new study shows that its pledges of timely, protective and rehabilitative justice for children have failed in practice. The breakdown has left thousands of children stuck in drawn-out legal processes, exposed to continued harm.
Centre Plans to Take Full Control of Chandigarh
The Centre has proposed to bring Chandigarh under Article 240 and appoint a separate Lieutenant Governor, giving itself full control over a city built as Punjab’s capital. The President could make laws without consulting Parliament or the state, effectively cutting Punjab out. This calculated political move rewrites the existing understanding and serves the ruling party’s interests by sidelining Punjab.
Bhutan’s Rising Debt Crisis Tied to India-Funded Hydropower Projects
At the 70th birth anniversary of Bhutan’s Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Ngultrum 40-billion (roughly $450 million) line of credit for infrastructure and energy development. While the move signalled strong bilateral ties, an uncomfortable truth lies behind the public warmth. Bhutan’s dependence on Indian-funded hydropower has locked it into an escalating debt trap.
Fear and the Beings We Learn to Despise: A Professor’s Open Letter to Students
This piece is not an academic or a journalistic write-up; it is my heartfelt narrative for all the students who have internalised fear. I write this not because I want to preach, but because I feel responsible for giving you a kind and better world. It is challenging for me to recount a small (or rather, huge) incident from my life, and that too publicly, but I want all students to read and engage with my lived experience, even if they disagree.
Supreme Court Rejects Timelines for Governor’s Assent
The Supreme Court has ruled that courts cannot impose deadlines on the President or State Governors for granting or withholding assent to bills passed by legislatures. Nor can courts treat inaction as assent. A Constitution Bench held that such directions, issued by a two-judge Bench in April 2024, are unconstitutional and violate the separation of powers between the judiciary and executive.