NICKELED AND DIMED

Evictions of varying degree and kind continue to progress at low-income settlements such as JJ (Jugi Jhopris) clusters which have been considered illegal, informal, unplanned and illegitimate by various master plans & municipal laws which implies that they possess no legal claim to tenure. What is alarming is the fact that these contemporary evictions have happened in democratic times through democratic processes. Each of these cases have one thing in common: Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The basic housing claims of the Bastis residents have been wiped out by the courts, who saw them as a burden to the planned city’s structure. These evictions remind us that balance is critical and through these reflections I hope this will encourage us to think more deeply about the necessity for fresh & innovative approaches and claims under the changing governmental landscape. We need to plan a “pro poor city”. We have to work with the city the way our city is, not the way we wish it was. The courts need to broaden their social understanding, realising that the workers who have built the city have a right to the city and that this right has to be protected and strengthened.

This book review traces the triple burden of class, caste and gender on Dalit women living in rural areas, with little or no access to education and healthcare. It analyses the public and private dichotomy with the help of Urmila Pawar’s firsthand account of life as a Dalit woman, and an ardent upholder of Ambedkarite ideals

Presently, the US and China have not engaged in an action-reaction contest. But the case of Taiwan seems to be different. China sees Taiwan as the last piece in overcoming the humiliation by the foreign powers. Whereas for the US, Taiwan represents its decades-old dream of containing the rise of international communism and being too dependent on China for crucial economic supplies. Thus, this article explores in detail some of these reasons behind Taiwan emerging as a flashpoint between the US and China.

In matrilineal societies, the property is inherited by women and the lineage is traced through their name unlike the pervasive patriarchal societies. But the nature of this structure has been questioned by various feminists, researchers and some men of these societies. This article attempts to analyze their contentions by discussing the gender relations and practices in matrilineal communities of the Khasi and Garo tribes of Meghalaya.

1971 is the year which immediately crosses our minds when we talk about the influx of refugees from Bangladesh. However, a considerable number of them came to India even before the independence movement in East-Pakistan started. They were resettled in not just West Bengal, but also in other states like Uttar Pradesh owing to land availability. This article is based on a field visit to a place called Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, which hosts over 4,000 such families.

Note: This article only contains excerpts from the interview. To listen to the entire interview, head to our Samvaad playlist on our YouTube Channel.

As the most recent G20 summit on climate goals ended inconclusively, energy consumption, more specifically coal consumption, has captured the current discourse. India and China have declined to sign for a coal phase-out. Ashika discusses the possible reasons behind this decision along with the barriers which India and China face, as opposed to developed countries, for a sustainable energy transition.