COVID-19: Examining the Impact of Lockdown in India after One Year
One year after its announcement in March 2020, the consequences of India’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures and ineffective policy responses continue to be felt, be it in terms of livelihood loss and economic downturn or increased marginalisation of vulnerable sections of society.
On 24 March 2020, with approximately 500 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 reported in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the country and declared a nationwide lockdown. He announced that “a total ban is being imposed on people, from stepping out of their homes for a period of 21 days.” The lockdown, which would be in operation from the midnight of 24–25 March, was announced with only four hours’ notice.
Dr Nandini Murali
By Simi Mehta, Anshula Mehta
According to World Health Organization (WHO), every 40 seconds, a person dies by suicide. Globally, the number of men dying by suicide is much higher than women, which means that most women are left behind to bear the suicide loss. The gendered nature of the impact of suicide experiences is still a new territory to explore. Society, including the mental health fraternity, is not entirely aware of the effects that suicide can have on the people left behind.
To deliberate further upon this issue, Gender Impact Studies Center (GISC), IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, and WestLand Books organized a Special Lecture on Gendered Dimensions and Impacts of Suicide Bereavement: Exploring Lived Experiences by Dr Nandini Murali, who had experienced the similar trauma when she lost her husband, Dr T.R. Murali, to suicide in 2017. Dr Nandini Murali is a suicide prevention and mental health activist and author.
By Simi Mehta, Amita Bhaduri
Aftermath of the Chamoli disaster 2021, it has become essential to not to alter the environment. The environmental change is taking lives and livelihoods of people which is compensated with the meager amount of financial aid. Headlines reported that 70 people have been dead and 139 are missing. State government promised to provide financial aid of Rs 4 lakh to family of deceased. The disasters in Uttarakhand dates back to 1990s and the series continues. Thirty years have not been enough for economic developers to prevent such massacres.
With this background, Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development at Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi, India Water Portal and Tarun Bharat Sangh, Alwar organized a panel discussion on Uttarakhand Flood Disaster 2.0: From Analysis to Action. The session was chaired by Rajender Singh, Chairman, Tarun Bharat Singh, Alwar and Waterman of India.
Chairman, Tarun Bharat Singh, Alwar, and Waterman of India.
“The Himalayan Rivers exist in steep slopes and seismic zones. The government has to tradeoff between promoting tourism or contemplating on the fact that the superfluous rivers should be favored back either as means of conservation or pilgrimage. Every river conservation policy should have incorporated the factors of climate change. Overexploitation of such rivers and natural resources at the source or origin will produce devastating results,” said Shri Rajender Singh.
Construction of dams and hydro-electric projects in these geologically sensitive areas involving steep slopes amounts to a huge economic loss. Such losses are mounted if the project cost and the ecological cost are also considered and can be as high as Rs 18 per unit. Comparatively, the usual cost per unit of solar energy is Rs 4. For decades, people have been protesting against the construction of such projects. However, the major reasons as stated by t
By Simi Mehta, Ritika Gupta, Manoswini Sarkar
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues that the world is collectively facing at the moment. It is contended that strengthening the global response is pertinent to combat the threat of climate change.
1 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted in 1992 that entered into force on 21 March, 1994, primarily aims to prevent anthropogenic interference in the earth’s climate system and stabilize Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. With this aim, the Conference of Parties meets every year to assess progress and review documents by countries on their plans to combat climate change.