NEWS BRIEFINGS: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN INDIA

The state governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have objected to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) proposed new regulations, arguing that these rules limit state authority in higher education and breach federal principles by centralising power in the appointment of vice-chancellors. They also reportedly fear that this could be an attempt to further an ideological agenda.

At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan said while the Indian government is investing in infrastructure, it needs to put more resources into developing human capital through better education and healthcare.

Hindi-language daily Dainik Jagran’s coverage of the 2020-2021 protests against the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act (NRC-CAA), as well as the communal violence in Delhi, was “biased,” according to a study featured in the recently published book, “Inclusiveness in Indian Media Coverage.” The reportage predominantly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) stance, depicting protestors negatively and associating them with violence while allocating minimal space for their perspectives, it suggests.

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2025 meeting in Davos, Switzerland, which starts on Jan. 20, is attended by several Indian officials, including Union and state ministers and three chief ministers. However, its coverage within India primarily focuses on the country’s economic interests, overshadowing the theme of this year’s meeting. This theme – Collaboration for the Intelligent Age – is crucial for both India and Asia at large, as well as for the people living on this continent.

A study featured in the recently published book, “Inclusiveness in Indian Media Coverage,” examined Hindustan Times’ reporting on the Manipur violence in 2023 and found glaring lapses in its coverage. Considering that the Times is regarded as one of the better mainstream newspapers, the study could be alluding to widespread issues in the journalism practiced by traditional Indian media.

The Kerala government has informed the state’s High Court that 40 police complaints have been filed concerning sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry since the Hema Committee report was published about five months ago. Officials said they have initiated formal investigations into each complaint.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is reportedly hosting around 8,000 students, who are underage, from Dalit and disadvantaged communities at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The aim is to familiarise them with Hindu traditions and Indian culture, preventing them from becoming vulnerable to religious conversions. However, this move undermines the autonomy and sovereignty of the Dalit community and contravenes the Indian Constitution.

More than 20 months after ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, 2023, over 31,900 displaced Kuki-Zo individuals remain in relief camps in two districts of the state. Newsreel Asia has learned that in one of the districts alone, at least 90 deaths from humanitarian causes have occurred, with cancer and kidney failure death rates far surpassing national or regional averages amid a lack of government intervention.

Weeks before the assembly elections in Delhi, the Union Home Ministry has reportedly granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to prosecute former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over alleged irregularities in his administration’s excise policy. Is the timing of this move merely coincidental? Kejriwal, who is currently on bail, was previously arrested in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.

The health of Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a 70-year-old farmer from Punjab, is deteriorating as he enters the 50th day of his indefinite hunger strike on Jan. 14. He has refused medical intervention while continuing his fast to demand a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops.

Three Indian cities—Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi—rank among the slowest globally in terms of average travel speeds, according to the TomTom Traffic Index 2025. The report, drawing from over 450 billion miles driven worldwide in 2024, shows a pressing challenge for the country’s urban hubs: the deteriorating quality of urban mobility.

The 2025 Maha Kumbh is set to begin on Jan. 13 in the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, representing one of the largest religious gatherings on the planet. According to media reports, over 400 million people are expected to participate in the gather. Is this assembly purely religious, or has it evolved also into a platform for political influence?

At least 75 tribal girls and women were injured, some grievously, in the Dec. 31 clash with personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) in Manipur, according to representatives of the Kuki-Zo Women Forum in Delhi. They accuse the central forces of violating operational guidelines by targeting women protesters above the waist. This “mistreatment,” they say, has left them disillusioned with the central authorities.

News reports on the spread of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) are bringing back memories of the initial alerts regarding COVID-19 a few years ago. While HMPV is not typically fatal, its capacity to infect individuals across all demographics has raised significant public concern. However, it must not become part of a recurring pattern in global health responses: illnesses that also affect the privileged often dominate headlines and governmental priorities, overshadowing diseases that primarily affect marginalised groups and less developed countries.

The Delhi High Court has asked the state’s police, which reports to the central government, whether an individual who merely organises a protest site could face charges under the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Judges pressed for clear evidence showing that the act of setting up demonstrations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act warranted a law typically invoked for serious offenses.

Three people have been confirmed dead, and one body had been recovered as of Jan. 8, two days after at least nine miners became trapped in a flooded “rat hole” coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district. The incident resembles several similar accidents over recent years, despite numerous protests by local residents. The issue persists.

China is building the world’s largest dam on a major river in Tibet, which originates from a glacier in the northern Himalayas and flows downstream as the Brahmaputra River, crossing into India before merging with the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh. The project is expected to significantly impact crucial ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people, including those in India and Bangladesh.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s “war on drugs” is reportedly being bolstered by vigilantes, resulting in a rise in casteism, which is not the only adverse outcome. Similar experiments in other countries have demonstrated that such measures can lead to extremely dangerous and long-term consequences.

A 33-year-old journalist, Mukesh Chandrakar, was killed in Chhattisgarh, prompting an investigation by the authorities. He had exposed possible corruption in a 1.2 billion rupees road project. Police have arrested three suspects, including two of his relatives and a construction supervisor.

A 70-year-old farmer leader in Punjab reached his 40th consecutive day of indefinite fasting to demand a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops on Jan. 4. A fast beyond 40 days in older adults may lead to the depletion of fat and muscle, increasing the risk of organ failure and sudden cardiac complications.

India recorded a decline of 15 million students in schools in 2023-2024, compared to the average of the previous years, despite the addition of new institutions, according to data from the Education Ministry, which shows that enrolment dropped from an average of over 263 million to 248 million.

Authorities have initiated the long-overdue removal of hundreds of tons of toxic material from the 1984 Bhopal gas leak accident in Madhya Pradesh; however, doubts persist regarding the potential environmental consequences.

Personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other central armed forces in Manipur allegedly injured at least 40 Kuki-Zo girls and women who opposed their entry into a Kuki-Zo area on Dec. 31, 2024, according to community’s representatives, who said some of the victims, aged 14 to 60, were seriously hurt, including one who lost an eye.

From the general election to the continuation of unprecedented violence in the northeastern state of Manipur, India in 2024 witnessed a series of significant events that shaped its political, social and economic landscape. Below is an overview of 10 major developments.

In an era where social media stardom seems to promise instant wealth and fame, thousands of aspiring influencers are pouring their life savings into a vision that, for most, remains frustratingly out of reach. Behind the glossy facade of perfectly curated Instagram feeds and viral TikTok videos lies a sobering reality: the path to influencer success is often paved with serious financial troubles.

The Indian rupee fell to 85.80 per U.S. dollar on Dec. 27. While this decline significantly affects various groups in India, including importers, consumers, investors, financial markets, and the government, it should also be a concern for ordinary Indian citizens. Here’s why.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, India’s former prime minister who died at age 92 on December 26, left present-day Pakistani Punjab as a young refugee during the 1947 Partition and witnessed the bloodshed of that year’s communal violence; yet he harboured no resentment or hate, unlike many of his fellow refugees who went on to show hostility toward India’s minorities.

A newly appointed member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Priyank Kanoongo, had been criticised for allegedly discriminating against minority communities until months before his appointment, during his tenure as chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is facing criticism for his handling of recent communal violence in the Bahraich and Sambhal districts. Opposition leaders accuse him of evading responsibility, using diversionary tactics and creating divisions instead of addressing the root causes of the unrest.

The number of violent attacks against Christians in India reached a record high in 2024, with 745 incidents reported – an overage of over two incidents a day – to an independent helpline by the end of November, according to the Delhi-based United Christian Forum (UCF).