All Indians Matter

If implemented right, the establishment of a land registry, digitisation of records and unique land parcel identification numbers could reduce the number of land disputes, ease land transactions, facilitate flow of agricultural credit and provide a significant boost to the GDP. However, there are several challenges in the form of poor capacity at the local level, lack of standards for mapping and...

As sea levels rise, the Indian coastline is in danger of severe erosion, land inundation and farmland turning saline. In fact, sea levels along the Indian coast are rising faster than the global average. This is sparking rural-urban migration and causing serious socio-economic problems. Unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed, the future of coastal populations seems bleak. Please listen to the...

A study shows that consumers are increasingly worried about the safety of the food they consume and most have low confidence in Indian regulators. The banning of products of popular Indian spice makers MDH and Everest by Singapore and Hong Kong, and subsequent investigations by other governments, only added to the worry. How effective is Indian food regulation and what can be done now? Please list...

More than 2.68 crore Indians live with disabilities – that’s more than the entire population of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. However, an inclusive ecosystem that doesn’t ensure just respect but also empowerment of people with disabilities remains elusive. Such an ecosystem would span comprehensive rehabilitation services, rights, entitlements, equal opportunities and dignity. After all, disabil...

Unjustified denial of bail and continuous postponement of related hearings are a serious threat to individual liberty. Bail is a critical component of the criminal justice system, so decisions about it should aim to harmonise protection of individual liberties with the demands of justice. The Supreme Court has in the past issued directives to ensure ‘bail, not jail’ as a guiding principle. However...

Recently, the transition of Citibank’s retail business to Axis Bank was completed. Like Citi, several other foreign banks have shrunk operations in India or exited altogether. They have set the standard in customer service but increasing competition, rising bad loans, and complicated and costly compliance requirements have all been a deterrent. What does this mean for you, the customer? Please lis...

Domicile-based job reservations in the private sector don’t work. They only raise the cost of compliance and force businesses out of the states that introduce such laws. Besides, courts have often said that they come in the way of economic freedoms. Karnataka, which was forced to backtrack on such a law, and other states contemplating such reservations, are better off investing in skilling, the ea...

Over the past decade, Indian politics has seen systemic changes with the changing nature of the electorate, the expansion of political competition in one sense and its shrinking in the other, the use of tools like social media and the decline of old political constants. As India approached another general election, we took a look at how Indian politics is changing and what lies ahead. This episode...

The unemployment rate was a worrying 9.2% in June. Never mind what the government says, unemployment is now at crisis proportions and most estimates say India will struggle to create enough jobs in the foreseeable future. One study says that even average growth of 7% will produce fewer jobs than needed over the next decade. It’s not just the lack of jobs either – female workforce participation is...

The Hathras stampede, which claimed 121 lives has brought into focus again the lack of safety measures at religious gatherings. A study showed that between 2001 and 2014 more than 2,421 people died in over 3,000 stampedes in India, most of them at religious events. Another said that 79% of all stampedes in India occur at places of worship. Several studies have blamed the tragedies on lack of crowd...

The latest controversy over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET, shows how broken India’s entrance exam system is. Paper leaks and corruption are common, calling into question the effectiveness of the process and where it leaves aspirants. So routine is the leak of papers and release of incorrect results that they have been connected to several student suicides. Wha...

Birsa Munda, the legendary tribal rebel who died more than 120 years ago, is at the center of a heated political battle. Sangh Parivar outfits are using his memory to co-opt Adivasi identities into the saffron fold while demanding that tribals who have converted to ‘non-indigenous’ religions, such as Christianity, be excluded from the Scheduled Tribes list. Adivasis maintain that they are distinct...

Impact investing, which aims to achieve positive social or environmental results alongside financial returns, is considered a big opportunity in India. Impact funds usually earn a market rate of return, which flies in the face of the belief that investing in social or environmental priorities is important but not profitable. Avishek Gupta, MD and CEO of Caspian Debt, speaks to All Indians Matter a...

There are several structural problems with the way exit polls are conducted in India – from inadequate sample sizes to the blending of irrelevant historical data into the projection, an improper understanding of the demographics, voters withholding their true choices from researchers and many more. Also, inadequate budgets mean pollsters cut corners. It’s a flawed exercise and even harmful at time...

The data shows that India’s roads are among the most unsafe in the world. In 2022, more than 4.6 lakh accidents were reported in which 1.68 lakh people lost their lives and nearly 4 lakh were injured. The impact of accidents is felt well beyond the tragedy itself – the economic loss alone is equivalent to 3.18% of the GDP, or Rs 8.17 lakh crore in 2022-23. Such incidents strain the healthcare syst...

 It is estimated that India’s digital lending market will grow to an astounding $515 billion by 2030. While there are serious challenges such as data privacy and predatory practices, the RBI has stepped in to protect consumers. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 An estimated 12,000 Indians die every day due to blood shortage. What’s more, access to safe blood is not a given in the country. As we observe Blood Donor Day on June 14, India has a great gap to bridge when it comes to blood safety and supply. Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, Member Secretary of the Thalassemia Patient Advocacy Group and a respected voice on blood safety, speaks to All Indians Matter....

 A new survey shows that India tops the world in workplace burnout, with 59% of respondents reporting symptoms. While a range of factors – from the competitive job market to urban stress – can be blamed, burnout can have worrying physical and emotional impacts. The social stigma around mental health doesn’t help either. Focusing on work-life balance, as well as physical and emotional wellness, is...

India rose eight places to 127 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2023. But it’s still worse off than even Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan at 103. Among the many factors pulling India down, from educational attainment to political empowerment, is the gender pay gap. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more about your ad ch...

Generic drugs are a great way of making healthcare more affordable to those who really need it. They are becoming increasingly popular and seem to have strong government backing. However, doctors claim that they being arm-twisted into prescribing them even when there are questions about their quality endangering patient safety. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Matter. Learn more...

I came across a musical Daastangoi performance, ‘Jo Dooba So Paar’, by chance. And it showed me how the arts can bring people together. It’s much needed, especially in these times of great social fissures. The show embodied the message of harmony that the intertwined lives of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau delivered and reminded us that communities across the world are in need of something to...

The recent gangrape of a Brazilian tourist in Jharkhand underscores why India suffers from a serious perception problem. Several foreign governments have issued advisories to women tourists asking them to be careful while travelling in India. Tourism industry leaders have also demanded greater safety measures. As women travellers leave scathing reviews and horrifying news reports of sexual assault...

India is a late starter in the quest for lithium as it transitions towards new-age energy. It has picked up five lithium blocks for mining in Argentina and is looking for more across the world. If it has to reduce its dependence on China for lithium and to catch up with it, India will need to pick up pace not just in mining but also processing of the ore. But it’s not easy, takes a long time and t...

The top 1% of Indians earns 22.6% of the national income and holds 40.1% of the wealth. This inequality is among the worst in the world, finds a recent study. This ‘Billionaire Raj’ has been pronounced since Narendra Modi came to power, the report said, and is founded on “an authoritarian government with centralisation of decision-making power, coupled with a growing nexus between big business and...

Micro-entrepreneurship can be one of the solutions to poverty and a means of sustainable income generation in developing countries like India. Central and state governments have launched several programmes to aid micro-entrepreneurship but has enough been done and what more is needed to raise income and employment levels, especially in rural India? Amit Patjoshi, CEO of Palladium India, which runs...