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‘We thought the battle was over’: 40 years after resistance, mining fears return to Odisha’s sacred hills

There is an uneasy calm in Kuradiphasa village at the foothills of the Gandhamardhan Hills. “It is the calm before the storm,” says Himanjali Das, who belongs to the indigenous Kondh tribe.

Newslaundry · Oct 27, 2025

In coastal Odisha, climate change is disrupting a generation’s education

On a cloudy afternoon, CH Padmini, in her mid 20s, strolls along the Rushikulya beach, lost in memories. A group of fishermen mending nets exchange greetings in Telugu as she walks by. She stops close to the water, where a fishing boat is tied up.

Newslaundry · Oct 21, 2025

‘Jail within a jail’: Death row and the impact on mental health

When Asif Khan was arrested in Belgaum in October 2006 in connection to the Mumbai blasts in July of that year, he did not think it would be the beginning of a 19-year prison ordeal involving physical torture, terrorism allegations and “mental torture”.

Newslaundry · Oct 13, 2025

India’s health systems need to prepare better for rising climate risks

Diarrhoea in October, heat stress in April, and malaria and dengue year-round are part of a new pattern that Suvarna Kamble (46), an accredited social health activist (ASHA) in Palghar district in Maharashtra, has identified in recent years.

Newslaundry · Sep 8, 2025

The challenges in UP’s wetland conservation

Sanjaya Singh knew that most bureaucratic decisions last only until a transfer order is issued, or a new official takes charge. So, when it came to the conservation of Uttar Pradesh’s 1.24 million hectares of wetlands, Singh – then principal chief conservator of forest and chief wildlife warden – led with an…

Newslaundry · Sep 1, 2025

How industries, chemicals ministry influenced India’s plastic rules

As diplomats from 175 countries convene for a plastics showdown in Geneva, India’s negotiators arrive armed with a playbook shaped less by environmental urgency and more by industry whispers.

Newslaundry · Aug 11, 2025

Explained: Why India’s inequality is underestimated

India’s consumption gap appears to shrink, but income inequality is rising fast, as per analysis of India’s consumption data by the World Bank.

Newslaundry · Aug 4, 2025

India’s unregulated bidis harm workers, consumers

On a busy street near Patna’s Rajendra Path, 11-year-old Sanjay* watches his elder brother roll up tendu leaves stuffed with tobacco flakes. Within minutes, a fresh bundle of bidis is ready to be sold for one rupee (Re 1) to eager customers that have lined up outside his paan shop.…

Newslaundry · Jul 21, 2025

Why are tribal students dropping out after primary school?

Nearly every tribal Indian child aged six to 10 years is enrolled in school, but by the age of 14, only three in four go to school, while fewer than half the children aged 16-17 remain enrolled, data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) for 2023-24, the…

Newslaundry · Jul 7, 2025

Why India needs to urgently address gender gap in digital skills

As India’s mobile phone ownership increases, the country’s digital divide is showing up not in usage but in the digital skills that her citizens possess in order to leverage the devices, according to data from the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom 2025 (CMST 2025), under the 80th round of the National…

Newslaundry · Jun 30, 2025