The Silkyara tunnel, in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, has been in the news since November 12, when one of its under-construction sections collapsed, trapping 41 workers. After the rescue of these workers, this entire episode has been portrayed as a story of triumph. 

But, why exactly did the tunnel at Silkyara collapse? The 4.53-kilometre-long tunnel between Silkyara and Barkot is part of the larger Char Dham project. What does the Silkyara collapse tell us about the Char Dham Project in the central Himalayas?

In this episode of the Suno India Show, reporter Sneha Richhariya speaks to  Himanshu Arora, Anish Nal, Jaya Singh, Ira Chauhan and Ruchi Singh Rao, all members of Citizens For Green Doon- a Dehradun-based civil society group, which along with others have fought a case in Supreme Court against the Char Dham project and the rampant construction under it. 

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This December we mark 11 years of the gang rape and death of Jyoti Singh – or Nirbhaya. As a response to the Delhi 2012 incident, the government started the Nirbhaya Fund and Nirbhaya centres across the country. In this episode, we look at what women want versus what they get. 

Today, there are over 733 Nirbhaya Centres–or One-Stop Crisis Centres–across India; one in every district. However, these centres rarely function as hospital-based crisis centres i.e., they often operate in parallel with the police rather than in coordination with the hospitals. Experts say this is a missed opportunity, as hospitals–not the police–are the first point of contact for survivors. Hospitals are safe spaces and women are more likely to reach out for help here. 

In this episode, Mahima Jain visits the One-Stop Crisis Center inside the District Women’s Hospital in Akola, Maharashtra. This centre has used it's position as an opportunity to help violence survivors. With the help of its (now former) Medical Superintendent Dr Arati Kulwal, this Nirbhaya Center works with the hospital staff to identify survivors and help them. The hospital staff too was trained to identify signs and symptoms of gender-based violence. Is it time to relook how Nirbhaya Centers function? Let’s listen to how Akola’s One-Stop Crisis Center works, and the lessons all Nirbhaya Centres can learn from it.

Global database India on violence against women 

Crime in India – 2021 - SNAPSHOTS (States/UTs)

Reporting, script, and narration: Mahima Jain 

Editing: Menaka Rao 

Production: Rakesh Kamal 

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center. 

Read other stories from the Pulitzer Center project here: India’s Health Care Response to Gender-Based Violence

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After an exhaustive 400-hour operation, a collective sigh of relief swept through the nation as rescuers successfully reached the 41 workers who had been trapped in the Uttarkashi tunnel since November 12.

The Char Dham National Highway Project, launched in December 2016, aimed to improve connectivity to the pilgrimage sites of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri—all nestled in the Himalayas. This Rs.12,000 crore project spans approximately 889 kilometres through the Himalayan region. Despite its lofty goals, the project exposes critical errors and assumptions in its planning and execution.

The collapse of the Silkyara tunnel, while significant, is not an isolated incident but rather a part of a larger tragedy in the making.

In this episode of The Suno India Show, reporter Sneha Richhariya speaks to Suresh Bhai, a native of Uttarakhand residing just 30 km from the Silkyara tunnel. He has been advocating for the sensitivity of the Himalayas for decades.

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In this episode, three MTEs talk about their training, their lives before they took on the role, the state of science education in India, and societal perceptions about blindness. Most importantly, they reflect on what they contribute to society and how training as an MTE has altered their lives. Listen to Meenakshi Gupta, Neha Suri and Neetu Garg who work as MTEs in Delhi and Gurgaon. Also featuring Ashwini Rao, a Discovering Hands trainer from Enable India, Bengaluru.

This mini-series has been reported by Priti Salian and the project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Global Health Security Call. This programme is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Transcript: Hands that see - Blind and visually impaired women are emerging as a workforce in early breast cancer detection part 2.pdf

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In 2005, German gynaecologist Dr Frank Hoffmann, started his quest for a suitable medical assistant to conduct clinical breast exams for his clinic in Duisburg in Germany. By 2010, he had set up a social enterprise called Discovering Hands that trains blind and visually impaired women to conduct specialised routine breast examinations called tactile breast examinations. Today, Discovering Hands is spread across Germany, Switzerland, Austria and India, training blind and visually impaired women for the role of Medical Tactile Examiners (MTEs) who can offer accurate breast cancer screening with their highly sensitive and trained touch. The first episode in this two-part podcast series is about the problems associated with breast cancer in India and the solution MTEs offer. 

In the episode, hear from Dr. Frank Hoffmann, Meenakshi Gupta, Sonal Prakash, Dr. Mandeep Malhotra, Dr. Kanchan Kaur, Dr. Lily Gutnik, Dr Poovamma CU, Shanti Raghavan, Dr. Vrutika Patel, Asha Sharma and Shashi Menon.

This mini-serires has been reported by Priti Salian and the project was funded by the European Journalism Centre, through the Global Health Security Call. This programme is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Transcript: Blind and visually impaired women are emerging as a workforce in early breast cancer detection part 1.pdf 

References

NAB India Centre for Blind Women & Disability Studies

The burden of cancers and their variations across the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016 - The Lancet Oncology

Breast cancer in India: Present scenario and the challenges ahead - PMC

https://journals.lww.com/jfmpc/Fulltext/2022/11000/Status_of_cancer_screening_in_India__An_alarm.106.aspx

Survival Analysis of Breast Cancer Patients Treated at a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern India - ScienceDirect

Breast cancer in India: Present scenario and the challenges ahead - PMC

Status of cancer screening in India: An alarm signal from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 

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The alarming situation in Gaza has now entered its fourth week leaving over 8000 Palestinians dead, of which 3000 are estimated to be children. The harrowing situation began on October 7th when an attack by the armed rebel group Hamas which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel left nearly 1400 Israelis dead and many hundreds taken hostage.    

On 27th October, The United Nations General Assembly adopted a major resolution on the Gaza crisis, calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.” Despite the non-binding UN resolution, Israel continued and stepped up its bombardment on Gaza. On Saturday, October 28th, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that  Israel had entered the second stage of the war with Hamas, saying ground forces had gone into what he called "that stronghold of evil" - describing Gaza - to "dismantle" Hamas and bring hostages home. He also said this will be a long and hard war. 

In this episode of The Suno India Show, we will hear about the situation on the Gaza Strip, how the violence is leaving aid workers stretched, doctors unable to help sufficiently and the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Suno India’s Editor-in-chief Padma Priya spoke to Farhat Mantoo, Executive Director, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) South Asia on the situation in Gaza. MSF has been calling for an immediate ceasefire to stop the bloodshed. 

Additional reading: 

https://msfsouthasia.org/msf-immediate-ceasefire-is-needed-in-gaza-to-stop-the-bloodshed/

https://www.unfpa.org/crisis-gaza#:~:text=The%20humanitarian%20crisis%20in%20Gaza,access%20to%20reproductive%20health%20services. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwZ0l2lzjJg 

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In a country as diverse and culturally rich as India, discussions around sexuality and sexual health often remain shrouded in silence. This lack of open dialogue has led to a myriad of problems, from high rates of teenage pregnancies to the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Sex education isn't just about teaching anatomy or discussing contraception. It's about empowering young people with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and personal boundaries.

In this episode of The Suno India Show, Suno India’s Editor-In-Chief, DVL Padma Priya has a conversation with two young adults Aiswarya, a lawyer turned entrepreneur & Sudhanshu, a part-time podcaster & full-time corporate professional about how they navigate the world of sex, where they access sex-positive information and what the biggest barrier they are facing is, about sex education and more. 

This episode is part of ‘The Talk’, a series of stories, each produced by a different newsroom or team, painting a picture of the state of sex education around the world. During the month of October 2023, stories will be published by CNN As Equals, Kontinentalist, the Impact Newsletter, Unbias the News, Nadja Media, Suno India and BehanBox

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On October 16, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court rejected the abortion plea of a 27-year-old mother of two boys. She moved the court as she was suffering from postpartum psychosis after her second child. She was more than 6 months pregnant, and had crossed the 24-week barrier that is prescribed in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act. 

This case is significant because a two-judge bench had given an order permitting the abortion. But the case flipped after a doctor from All India Institute of Medical Sciences doctor raised clarifications with the bench seeking a specific directive to stop the foetal heart. The case then resulted in a split verdict, going to a higher three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. The higher bench denied the abortion plea, and asked her to deliver the child at AIIMS. The court even said that they can give up the child for adoption if they wish to.

Suno India’s consulting editor Menaka Rao spoke to this woman’s lawyer, Amit Mishra. He talks about her journey through this case, and a few other women he represented and says that women have a hard time getting abortion in the country if the pregnancy advances beyond 20 weeks.

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On October 3, 2023, the Delhi police arrested the founder and editor-in-chief of Newsclick Prabir Purkayastha, and the Human resources head, Amit Chakraborty -under the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). The same day it raided the homes and offices of 46 people including reporters, columnists and commentators associated with the news portal and seized their laptops, phones and other devices for further examination.

In a letter to the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud at least 18 press bodies have expressed alarm over the impingement of press freedom and spoken about the need to urgently issue guidelines related to search and seizure of personal digital devices drawing attention to the matter pending in the Supreme Court. Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks with Prasanna S, who has filed the 2021 PIL for academics Ram Ramaswamy, Sujata Patel, Madhav Prasad, Mukul Kesavan, and Deepak Malghan seeking guidelines for the seizure of electronic documents. 

Additional Resources:

Delhi Police arrest NewsClick founder, HR head in alleged terror case - The Hindu

FIR links NewsClick case to legal aid for Chinese companies - The Hindu

NewsClick raids: Young staffers and part-time employees to freelancers – no one spared

NewsClick Raids: Can journalists be compelled to share passwords and hand over electronic devices? | Explained - The Hindu

In NewsClick FIR, ‘false narrative’ on Govt, ‘paid news’ fall in terror ambit | India News - The Indian Express

NewsClick Case: Pressing Questions on Delhi Police's Powers To Search and Seize | OPINION

Hackers Planted Files to Frame Indian Priest Who Died in Custody | WIRED

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The Union cabinet has approved the Women’s Reservation Bill 2008 to provide reservations for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Attempts to create a quota for women have been ongoing since the mid-1990s.Since then, the Women's Reservation Bill has witnessed a long journey in the Parliament. Now, as this bill is passed, India stands facing chances of foreseeable changes in its political landscape. But what challenges have the women been facing in political representation in India over the years? How can  the Women's Reservation Bill impact the participation of women in Indian politics? What is the debate over delay, delimitation and intersectionality?

In this episode, host Sneha Richhariya speaks to Kanksshi Agarwal, the Founder of NETRI Foundation- which is an aggregator for women in the political ecosystem. NETRI is building opportunities and resources for people aspiring to join politics in India.

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