Author name: Sneha Yadav

Sneha Yadav is an electronics engineer with a postgraduate degree in political science. Her interests span contemporary social, economic, administrative, and political issues in India. She has worked with CSDS-Lokniti and has been previously associated with The Pioneer and ThePrint.

Dementia Prevention in India: Why Even Light Exercise Matters

Leave a Comment / Food & Health /

Until now, most studies have broadly linked dementia prevention to factors such as regulating cholesterol levels, maintaining healthy blood pressure and blood sugar, and staying physically active, but they lacked precise guidance on the type and minimum duration of exercise required to achieve protective benefits. A small amount of physical activity can lower the risk […]

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Jhelum River in Crisis: The Alarming Decline of Kashmir’s Lifeline

1 Comment / Environment, SPOTLIGHT /

The Jhelum’s story is both a warning and a reminder that a river can carry a civilisation only as long as the civilisation cares for it. If pollution continues unchecked, the damage will not only erase aquatic life but also erase the memory of a city built around water. The Jhelum River, once the shimmering

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Bihar's Wetland-Centric development

From Water to Wealth: Bihar’s Wetland-Centric Development

Leave a Comment / Environment, Hamra Bihar, SPOTLIGHT /

Wetlands hold immense potential both in economic and ecological sense, but fragmented governance across departments and a lack of scientific monitoring create major challenges for the development of a wetland-centric economy. Without solving the governance issue, no wetland economy can take off.   Bihar has one of India’s richest networks of wetlands- oxbow lakes, floodplain

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The Makhana Paradox: Bihar Grows It, Others Gain

Leave a Comment / Economy, Hamra Bihar, SPOTLIGHT /

Bihar still lacks a modern food-processing ecosystem; raw makhana is often sold to traders in states like West Bengal, Delhi, and Maharashtra, where private companies manage the stages of cleaning, roasting, flavouring, and packaging. These states then market the final product under premium brands, reaping profits that should have ideally strengthened Bihar’s local economy. Did

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Threads of Nepura: Reviving Bihar’s Handloom Heritage

Leave a Comment / Economy, Hamra Bihar, SPOTLIGHT /

Their struggle is not with creativity, but with access. They can weave magic with their hands, but they lack a platform — a place to reach customers directly. Most of their earnings are eaten up by middlemen and wholesalers who buy at low prices and sell at high margins elsewhere. The handloom industry is one

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Bihar’s Anganwadi Sevikas: India’s Unsung Care Workers

Leave a Comment / Hamra Bihar, Society, SPOTLIGHT /

The Anganwadi Sevikas (AWWs) in Bihar, numbering over 1.12 lakh, are the frontline functionaries of the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme, the Government of India’s flagship programme for early childhood care and nutrition. Yet, despite their vital role, these Anganwadi Sevikas are not recognised as government employees and are left without any access to job

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Why Bihar’s Hospitals Remain Half-Built Promises

Leave a Comment / Food & Health, Hamra Bihar, SPOTLIGHT /

Across primary and secondary facilities, over 61% and 56% sanctioned posts were vacant. Tertiary and AYUSH facilities also suffer from alarmingly high vacancy rates, resulting in an overall personnel shortage of 60%. Such gaps are not just theoretical; they translate into overworked staff, unattended beds, and poor-quality healthcare. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration of the

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The Faulty Education System-Prevailing in India: A Book Review

Leave a Comment / BOOK SUTRA /

The country produces many first-class degree holders, yet only a few of them possess the soft skills necessary to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy. Education has been reduced to a ritual of performance, where curiosity is sacrificed at the altar of grades. The book not only critiques the prevailing education system in India

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The Hidden Carbon Cost of Electric Vehicles: A Life-Cycle Look at India’s EV Revolution

Leave a Comment / RESEARCH ARTICLE, Society, SPOTLIGHT /

Electric vehicles (EVs) represent a pivotal shift in the automotive industry, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. However, a comprehensive life-cycle assessment (LCA) reveals that while EVs deliver significant environmental benefits, they also pose substantial upstream and downstream challenges. India’s electric-mobility moment has arrived. At the recently held CII Delhi

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Vanishing Wetlands of Bihar How Patna’s Urban Growth Is Choking the Ganga Floodplain

Vanishing Wetlands of Bihar: How Patna’s Urban Growth Is Choking the Ganga Floodplain

Leave a Comment / Environment, RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT /

Over the past two decades, Bihar has witnessed rapid growth in urbanization, mostly centred in and around the capital. Large tracts of low-lying land and “jalla” (wetlands) have been converted into residential and commercial areas, while “bagh” zones (orchards) have been urbanized. This transformation has led to the loss of the natural drainage system, worsening

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The Forgotten Custodians of Cleanliness: The Harsh Reality of Bihar’s Waste Pickers

Leave a Comment / RESEARCH ARTICLE, Society, SPOTLIGHT /

Apart from the poor economic condition, their social mobility is also an issue. Waste picking carries heavy caste and class stigma. Many waste pickers belong to marginalized communities and face daily verbal abuse. Their children are bullied in schools, reinforcing exclusion and a sense of inferiority. In the Ramchak Bairiya dumping yard on the outskirts

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How Bihar Is Turning Sports Into a Tourism Powerhouse

How Bihar Is Turning Sports Into a Tourism Powerhouse

Leave a Comment / Economy, RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT /

Bihar’s sporting revolution is more than new stadiums and glossy inaugurations; it is an effort to reconfigure the state’s economy where sport becomes an engine of travel, investment, and local entrepreneurship. Rajgir has just cut the ribbon on Bihar’s first world-class international cricket stadium — a 45,000-seat arena with gleaming pavilions and Olympic-grade facilities. But

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Crores Spent, Villages Submerged: The Untold Story of Bihar’s Broken Flood Promises

Leave a Comment / Environment, RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT /

The CAG audit and media reports found that hundreds of crores had been spent or marked as ‘completed,’ yet many embankment structures remained incomplete, poorly built, and offered little actual flood protection. Despite frequent claims by Bihar’s leaders that international rivers and inadequate central support are to blame, residents view this as a convenient deflection,

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From Trump Tariffs to China’s Subsidies: Why India Must Rethink Its Medical Device Dependence

Leave a Comment / RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT, World /

India’s domestic medical device industry remains highly fragmented, with most firms operating on a small or medium scale and lacking the infrastructure and capital needed to compete globally. Unlike China, India does not provide super deductions for Research and Development, limiting incentives for innovation. While the sector is poised for transformation, the shift from import

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Supreme Court’s Dupare Ruling: A Turning Point for Death Penalty Safeguards in India

Leave a Comment / EXPLAINER, Society /

The judgment underscores that justice in death penalty cases must be both swift and scrupulously fair, leaving no room for error when a life hangs in the balance. On August 25, 2025, the Supreme Court in Vasanta Sampat Dupare v. Union of India delivered a landmark ruling on capital-punishment jurisprudence. A three-judge bench comprising Justice

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Why India’s Urban Transport Fails: Insights from TheRise Survey on Commuters, Traffic, and Safety

Leave a Comment / Society, SURVEY /

In a country where nearly 90 percent of the population earns less than 25,000 a month, 12-15% of the salary is just lost in the daily commute. For a family already counting every rupee, it is almost unimaginable: how do they manage rent, groceries, or even put something aside for their children? Every morning, Indian

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Fraud in Vehicle Emission Testing: How Fake Certificates Worsen India’s Air Pollution Crisis

Leave a Comment / Environment, RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT /

Emission testing fraud isn’t just an environmental crime — it’s a betrayal of public trust. Across India’s cities, centres have been caught handing out certificates prepared in advance, faking tests by merely attaching nozzle pipes, and rigging results to let toxic vehicles stay on the road. Air pollution is choking our cities, and vehicles are

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Supreme Court’s Landmark Godavarman Verdict 2025: Balancing Forest Protection with Human Settlements

Leave a Comment / EXPLAINER, SPOTLIGHT /

The judgment improves predictability for rural livelihoods and encourages sustainable planning. The order goes beyond addressing individual encroachments. It attempts to bridge legal gaps while also setting out broader policy implications for forest governance. But with nearly 88,400 environment-related cases still pending across Indian courts, the challenge of judicial backlog remains pressing. On August 25,

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Reimagining Education in West Bengal: A Journey from Tradition to Innovation

1 Comment / SPOTLIGHT /

Education in India is not one-size-fits-all. West Bengal, while acknowledging NEP’s vision, chose its own path by introducing the State Education Policy (SEP) 2023. The policy is tailored to West Bengal’s unique framework. While it adopts selected ideas from the NEP, it rejects others and introduces fresh initiatives to suit the state’s context. “Education is

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Supreme Court Judgment on Election Petitions and Compliance Explained

1 Comment / EXPLAINER, Politics /

The judgment clarifies that election petitions should not be dismissed for minor technical errors, as long as curative remedies are possible. Overemphasis on technical compliance can result in the dismissal of meritorious petitions, while ignoring procedural requirements can compromise fairness. On August 22, 2025, a two-judge bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi,

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Digital Fatherhood: How Online Platforms Are Redefining the Role of Fathers in India

Leave a Comment / Society /

In the digital age, fatherhood is a narrative of renewal and reinterpretation. By giving men the resources, support, and self-assurance to take on parental tasks, online platforms have enabled fathers to transcend conventional boundaries. Together, they represent a larger shift in fatherhood, where men are now more than just breadwinners; they are also communicators, nurturers,

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Supreme Court on Extra-Judicial Confessions and Forensic Gaps: Neelam Kumari Case Explained

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The wrongful convictions can be a result of bypassing the investigatory steps, unreliable forensic evidence, and uncorroborated testimonies. The judgment highlights the urgent need to bridge gaps in investigatory practices and ensure consistent application of the ‘Five Golden Principles of Circumstantial Evidence’. On August 20, 2025, a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra

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Driving Against the Odds: The Socio-Economic Realities of Women Taxi Drivers in Delhi

Leave a Comment / Economy, RESEARCH ARTICLE, SPOTLIGHT /

The entry of women into Delhi’s ride-hailing and taxi sector embodies both empowerment and precarity. On one hand, it challenges patriarchal norms and creates new pathways for financial independence, but on the other, the structural inequities continue to limit this empowerment. Gig work in India is marked by deep precarity, and within this, the ride-hailing

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West Bengal Floods and the Women Who Lead: SHGs Building Resilience in the Sundarbans

Leave a Comment / RESEARCH ARTICLE, Society /

In the Sundarbans’ socio-economic milieu, where banks rarely reach and formal institutions falter, resilience is not built overnight or left to the government alone. The story of Shitama SHG exemplifies this: ordinary housewives who, armed with a ledger and a loudspeaker, map out lanes of hope and readiness long before a government Jeep or NDRF

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Supreme Court Strikes Down Army’s Gender-Biased JAG Policy: A Win for Merit and Equality

Leave a Comment / EXPLAINER /

While accepting the government and the Army’s submission that the ‘selection parameters for men and women were essentially identical’, the Court found evidence of indirect discrimination. More meritorious women were losing seats to less meritorious men due to the vacancy split. On August 11, 2025, the Supreme Court delivered the landmark judgment in the ‘Arshnoor

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Right to Education Act and Disabled Students: The Unfinished Struggle for Equity

Leave a Comment / Education, RESEARCH ARTICLE /

Disabled children under the Indian education system have been systematically “othered,” struggling to integrate with the mainstream. The educational journey of these children often begins with anxiety—finding a nearby, affordable school in itself is a challenge. Admission becomes harder due to a lack of proper guidance for their needs. Poor infrastructure further limits opportunities in

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India’s Tightrope: Leading the Global South or Pleasing Trump?

1 Comment / RESEARCH ARTICLE, World /

India’s challenge in 2025 is not about choosing between the Global South and the United States. It is about managing contradictions and maximizing influence without abandoning its principles. India is currently navigating a complex strategic landscape as it balances its role as a leader of the Global South with the challenges posed by President Donald

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Vulnerability to Energy to Climate

Vulnerability of Energy to Climate: A Perspective on Thermal Power Plant & Scope of Renewable Energy

1 Comment / Environment, Sci-Tech, SPOTLIGHT, World /

Climate change’s severity in India is escalating, driven largely by the country’s dependence on coal-based power plants. Recognizing this, the government aims to satisfy 50% of energy needs through renewable sources by 2030 and has taken steps to limit pollution with clean coal technologies. However, the transition from coal presents challenges, including fluctuating costs of natural gas and the reliability of renewable energy. Implementing new technologies and shifting towards renewables requires strong local institutions, community involvement, and private sector participation.

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India’s Fall in Gender Index

Unravelling India’s Gender Slide

2 Comments / Politics, SPOTLIGHT /

India’s fall in the world ranking based on the gender parity index warrants sincere introspection to strategize for achieving gender parity. We have already lost much of the ‘India 2020’ dream envisioned by Former President Kalam to petty politics and jingoism. Let’s not lose this golden phase of 37-year demographic dividend into which India entered three years ago!

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High Cost of Electioneering Fosters Corruption

Does High Cost of Electioneering Foster Corruption?

5 Comments / Politics, SPOTLIGHT /

The largest democracy of the world is a successfully functional democracy. But, there also exist certain instances where unethical practices woo the voters. It seems that the high cost of electioneering fosters corruption. The money should not play any role in influencing the voters. A nationwide debate to have major reforms in the electoral process is inevitable.

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