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On July 11, 1987, the world population reached five billion, prompting the UN to establish World Population Day in 1989. The day highlights crucial issues such as family planning, gender equality, maternal and child health, and human rights. Now, with over eight billion globally, progress is visible, but challenges remain. India, the most populous nation, … Read more
A ward of the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital after it was vandalised by unidentified miscreants in Kolkata early on August 15, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI As a female reporter, I have always found it unsettling to cover crimes against women. The challenge is not only to report the story, but to keep … Read more
With the world’s population having crossed the eight billion mark, looking at the macros is all but natural. However, there has to be an equal focus on the micro-vulnerable groups, key populations and individuals on the fringes. We must endeavour to ensure that the promise of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICDP) … Read more
The Supreme Court of India’s pointed observations on Thursday (July 10, 2025) regarding Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are a crucial course correction for the Election Commission of India (ECI), which it must heed immediately. By urging the ECI to consider including the Aadhaar, the Elector Photo Identity Card, and the … Read more
Bridge collapse There are incidents in India, of late, of bridges collapsing even as they are being built. But the collapse of a portion of a 40-year-old bridge in Vadodara needs closer inspection. The reason for the collapse is not far to seek. For several decades, trucks have had four wheels at the rear and … Read more
‘No population shrinks overnight’ | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Demographic thinking has always been intertwined with public discourse and, at times, poorly interpreted. With every passing ‘Population Day’, we see a shifting discourse: from a Malthusian cry about runaway growth and ecological strain to an animated fear of fast-falling fertility rates. The two sides A … Read more
On July 9, 2025, a span of a 40-year-old bridge in Vadodara in Gujarat caved in, sending half-a-dozen vehicles into the Mahisagar river below. On Thursday (July 10, 2025), 18 people were confirmed dead. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ordered an investigation into the cause, which locals have alleged to be the long-standing neglect by … Read more
A recent poll conducted in 24 countries by the Pew Research Center reveals that Israel is very unpopular in most of these countries. The main exception is India, where just 29% of the respondents had an “unfavourable” view of Israel. A slightly higher proportion (34%) had a favourable view, and the rest had no view. … Read more
For more than 1,100 days, farmers of 13 villages near Channarayapatna in Devanahalli taluk, Bengaluru Rural district, have been agitating against the “forceful” acquisition of their land by the Karnataka government for industrial development. In 2022, the Basavaraj Bommai government notified 1,777 acres off land for a proposed hi-tech defence and aerospace park. This highly … Read more
It took just two days for Delhi’s drive to enforce a 10-year-old ban on overage vehicles to fizzle out. The two days, July 1 and 2, saw many protests, mostly on social media. It was enough for the BJP-led Delhi government to suspend the operation to deny fuel to these vehicles and seize them. In … Read more