On January 17, China announced its population is at 141.2 crore. According to the World Population Review, India's population increased to 142.3 crore people as of January 18. Though we have always seen overpopulation as a problem in our country, this could be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. 50% of our population is under 30 and it could lead India to become the fastest growing economy in the world. China on the other hand, is announcing incentives so that people have more children and boost their population after this decline. 

In this episode of TSIS, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Poonam Muttreja, the Executive Director of Population Foundation of India, about the next steps we should take as a country.

India may overtake China as most populous country sooner than UN projections of 2027: Report - The Economic Times 
India has surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world, as per estimates | Mint 
India's surging population is an economic virtue
As the Chinese population shrinks, cities announce new childbirth incentives | The Indian Express 
Depo-Provera
Investigation: Why Does India's Public Health System Want to Use Scary Injections for Birth Control in Women?
India uses controversial contraceptive in family planning programme | Business Standard News
It is time we start talking about side effects of contraceptives
India’s Forced Sterilization Practices Under International Human Rights Law - Völkerrechtsblog
Despite Tragic History of Sterilisation Camps, Chhattisgarh Has Not Learnt Its Lessons

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In this episode, Sneha Richhariya and Suhail Bhat visit Haldwani to make sense of the eviction order in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area, issued by the High Court on 20th December.

We take a deep dive into the politics of eviction and demolition in India and explain how it has become a tool for the state to subdue minorities. We put all this in perspective by explaining the politics and legality behind it. We also look at how the people here are navigating through employment, housing and education. We talk to them about how they are trying to organize, mobilize and fight against injustice.

This episode features conversations with residents, lawyers, petitioners, social activists, political experts and others. 

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The Mangarh Massacre of November 1913 resulted in the death of around 1,500 people belonging to the Bhil tribe. They had gathered there to protest against the exploitation of tribal people by the British as well as rulers of princely states in the region. British and Indian forces attacked the protestors. This event is usually referred to as ‘Adivasi Jallianwala Bagh’ as it is not as well-known. However, there has been more chatter about this incident especially with upcoming elections in Rajasthan. Last year, the Prime Minister declared Mangarh Dham a national monument. While the state’s Congress government built the Tribal Freedom Struggle Museum at Mangarh Dham. 

In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Dr Jitendra Meena, a professor of History at Shyam Lal College in Delhi University, to understand the historical and political significance of this incident.

Independence Day 2016 PM Modi on Tribal Museums | Spectrum India Online
3 states in one go: ‘Adivasi Jallianwala’ site at centre of unfolding BJP-Congress contest for tribal votes | The Indian Express 

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Anti-feminist groups have become increasingly visible on Indian Twitter over the years with campaigns like #MenToo, #MarriageStrike and of course, the recent reaction to Shraddha Walkar’s murder. A study was conducted at the University of Michigan by Associate Professor Joyojeet Pal along with Sheyril Agarwal and Urvashi Patel to take a deeper look at these groups.
In this episode of The Suno India Show, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Sheyril Agarwal about how these groups work and what impact they are having on Indian society both online and offline.

The Indian Anti-feminist movement on Twitter – Joyojeet Pal
Joyojeet's Twitter thread on the study  
Aayushi Murder Case: Man Shot Daughter In Delhi, Wife Helped Pack Body In Suitcase, Say Cops

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In November, there was a ransomware attack on the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Patients suffered as the cyber systems were completely shut down for a few days and were running only manually. As AIIMS cyber systems are slowly limping back to normal, Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to Dr. Muktesh Chander, an IPS officer who was the founder and director of the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre that started in 2010. He is an expert on matters related to cybersecurity and spoke about how it is important to consider putting cybersecurity mechanisms in place before expanding digital infrastructure

References

AIIMS server still down; police deny reports of ₹200-crore ransom demand - The Hindu

AIIMS cyberattack underlines challenge for hospitals amid Centre’s push to digitise health records

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/a-first-look-at-the-new-data-protection-bill/article66162209.ece

THE DIGITAL PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION BILL, 2022 

AIIMS cyber attack | Investigators asking E&Y about its audit of hospital’s cyber systems - The Hindu

Lessons from critical cyber security incidents - Express Computer

 

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Recently many Information technology-based companies including Meta, Twitter, Byju’s, Unacademy among others announced layoffs. Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to  Aabid Firdausi, a Ph.D. scholar in Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. His focus is on labour relations and unionisation. In 2020,  he wrote a paper on unionisation at the IT industry in Kerala after conducting fieldwork at an IT park in Thiruvananthapuram. Aabid spoke about the history of the IT industry in India, and the precarity of the jobs in this sector.

Reference

(PDF) The IT Industry and Employment in India: A Critical Reassessment | Aabid Firdausi - Academia.edu

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In November 2022, Edtech firm Byju's announced 2500 layoffs. However, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala after intervention by a welfare organization called Pratidhwani, Byju restored about 150 jobs of those in Thiruvananthapuram. 

This is the first podcast in a two-part series about IT sector layoffs. This podcast is about specific strategies employed by collectives, such as Pratidhwani and some unions which have been successful in negotiating for IT workers' rights.

Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks to Vineeth  Chandran, Secretary of Pratidhwani, which is a welfare organization IT employees in Kerala, and Spandan, the general secretary of the Delhi chapter of All India IT/ITes Employees Union.

References

https://thefederal.com/business/kerala-govt-intervenes-after-byjus-lay-off-plan-at-technopark-triggers-protests/

Byjus, Meta, Twitter: India tech workers fight back amid mass layoffs - BBC News

https://www.facebook.com/labourcommissioneratekerala/posts/pfbid0XsZ39ra8tvnMbuYc43FT3XfM7XkDsk6mtbdxAAhcQQYGSbqHS4oF47V36RGCvzUgl?__cft__[0]=AZUN3QU5HyBrIvFw_kBQiYpDEFZIfqC51BYJEqZ5-R1Ccotu-ue2wgpmXuyXRsUguSSwejJoyDuWRJKYjjHYg6oFLQdoL57ffDTjGFjJhplatxd5xc9vbee2Gb99qRUgDtvmxRKS-juJCoJphAB-jtNe&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

BYJU'S Says 140 Layoffs In Kerala Are Revoked. This Is Why

KITU becomes first registered IT union in Karnataka | Deccan Herald

Bengaluru court asks Wipro to reinstate employee who was allegedly forced to quit | The News Minute

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We have come a long way since the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s. Some of the groups that the HIV intervention programs focused on are men having sex with men and transgender women. In fact that is how the fight against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises “unnatural sexual” relationships began as liberation is key to queer people’s health. Despite the advancements since, queer people are still bullied in schools and rejected by their families, resulting in them turning to high-risk activities for relief and escape. On the other hand, the intervention programs have not caught up with technological changes posed by dating apps. 

We are embarking on an LGBTQ miniseries about all things queer in India today. For our first episode, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to policy researcher Avinaba, HIV activist Firoz Khan, and a young person living with HIV, Vishwas*. Avinaba is a genderqueer person and a research fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the co-founder of Pleqsus India foundation. Firoz Khan is a gay man who works with Alliance India on HIV outreach. Vishwas* is an alias for a 22-year-old bisexual man who contracted HIV as a young teen. We spoke to them about the need for a more comprehensive HIV intervention plan.

Republished on December 01, 2022.

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In a complaint from a woman who suffered severe injuries after a pit bull attacked her, a Gurugram district consumer forum banned 11 foreign breeds of dogs in its district. Several cases related to street dogs are being heard both in high courts and the Supreme Court.

Suno India’s Menaka Rao speaks with Neha Panchamiya, an expert on this issue. Neha is the Founder and President of RESQ, Pune, and is an animal rescue specialist and wildlife conservationist. She is also a Managing Committee Member of the Pune District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

References

Gurugram consumer forum bans 11 foreign breeds
Be Indian, adopt Indian: AAP to campaign for stray dogs post-Delhi MCD elections | Mint
THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ACT, 1960
Animal Birth Control (dogs) rules, 2001
Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules.pdf

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The Supreme Court ruled that 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections in the General category is constitutional. In this episode of In Our Opinion, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks with journalist Tejas Harad about what this means for our reservation policy going forward. Previously, reservation was based on social, educational, political as well as economic backwardness. However, with EWS, economic status is the only criteria and it is capped at a household earning of Rs 8 lakhs. Congress Leader Dr. Jaya Thakur has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court judgement. 

Data | Hundreds of eligible SC/ST/OBC applicants, zero admissions: Disparity in PhD intake at IITs - The Hindu
‘Over 40% of teaching posts in IITs are vacant’ - The Hindu
Sinho Commission Report   

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