The Latest Breaking News from IndiaSpend

High pendency in fast-track special courts set up for child sexual abuse cases

In 2022, as many as 239,188 cases out of 268,038 cases filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO, 2012), were awaiting trial, a pendency rate of 89.2 percent, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

Newslaundry · Mar 3, 2025

Keeping Rohingya children out of schools is a denial of basic rights

As India grapples with the Donald Trump government’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the Supreme Court is hearing a writ petition to grant a stay on a December 2024 circular from the Delhi government refusing admission to Rohingya children who the government categorises as ‘illegal migrants’.

Newslaundry · Feb 24, 2025

From cyclones to heatwaves, how the climate crisis is tripping India’s power sector

Raghunadh was 15 when Cyclone Hudhud struck the coastline near his home at Bheemunipatnam, around 30 km from Visakhapatnam in coastal Andhra Pradesh on October 12, 2014.

Newslaundry · Feb 17, 2025

Let Me Explain: What’s behind the Modi government’s data blackout?

Data is essential for effective governance – it helps make informed decisions, tracks progress, and holds authorities accountable. But what happens when the government stops sharing data? From census delays since 2011 to missing statistics on crime, education, health, and more, an IndiaSpend investigation reveals that at least 16 critical…

Newslaundry · Jan 13, 2025

‘A precarious perch’: In India, too many escape poverty only to slip right back into it

The forecast was cloudy skies with the possibility of light rain or thunderstorms. But on the morning of India's 77th independence day, on August 15, 2023, things moved as planned in New Delhi.

Newslaundry · Jan 6, 2025

In India, less than half of undertrial prisoners identified for release are actually released

India’s prison overcrowding is a persistent problem. While there have been multiple Supreme Court orders to ensure prisoners are released on bail without onerous conditions, and the government has recently launched a scheme to support bail for poor prisoners, there are still around half a million incarcerated people.

Newslaundry · Dec 30, 2024

Taxation without representation? How declining population can impact southern states

On November 18, Andhra Pradesh scrapped existing prohibitions on candidates with large families contesting municipal and panchayat elections. Elsewhere, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote and spoke about southern states potentially losing out on tax revenues and political representation.

Newslaundry · Dec 23, 2024

Why elephant conflicts are on the rise in Jharkhand

The death of Samal Murmu didn’t come as a shock to many in Rasunia, a nondescript village in Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharsawan district. The 36-year-old farm labourer was killed in an elephant encounter when he went to relieve himself in the fields on the outskirts of the village, early in the morning…

Newslaundry · Dec 16, 2024

Textile waste a growing environmental concern

The last quarter of each year is chock-full of festivals--which, traditionally, is when Indians shop for new clothes, spurred on by myriad sales and big discounts.

Newslaundry · Nov 25, 2024

2,100 cases in Lucknow just this year: Why are dengue cases rising in Uttar Pradesh?

Transmission windows of dengue, a mosquito-borne viral illness, have been expanding due to changing climate, and the number of cases has been increasing, an IndiaSpend analysis of prevalence data in Uttar Pradesh, particularly its capital Lucknow, has shown.

Newslaundry · Nov 18, 2024