Search progressive ideas and resources

26+ min ago (385+ words) Every year on December 5th, the world observes World Soil Day. It is not just another day marked on the calendar'it is a reminder of the very foundation of our existence. Soil is often taken for granted, yet it is the silent provider that sustains all forms of life. Without healthy soil, there is no food, no forests, no biodiversity, and ultimately no future for humanity. Soil: A Precious Gift of Nature The Alarming State of Soil Degradation Soil and Food Security The Limits of Nature The Role of Chemical Agriculture Soil and Human Health Every Human Has a Role Soil and Future Generations A Call for Respect and Responsibility Soil does not demand respect, but it deserves it. It is time we recognize soil as a living system, not a dead resource. It breathes, it nurtures, it sustains. If we…...

31+ min ago (1080+ words) India now aligns itself with authoritarian governments like Russia, which force technology firms to install state-sanctioned software under the pretext of "national security." In truth, these tools often function as surveillance devices, enabling governments to map citizens" behaviour, mine private conversations, and construct political profiles of every individual who holds a smartphone. A Constitutional and Legal Betrayal The Indian Constitution guarantees the right to privacy as a fundamental right'affirmed unambiguously in the landmark Puttaswamy judgement (2017). The Supreme Court ruled that privacy is intrinsic to liberty, dignity, and democratic participation. Any intrusion must satisfy strict tests of legality, necessity, and proportionality. This mandate satisfies none of these. There is no narrowly tailored objective. There is no clearly defined legislative framework. There is no safeguard against misuse. There is not even the pretence of independent oversight. And there is certainly no proportionality…...

48+ min ago (745+ words) Amit Pai graduated from the ILS Law College in Pune in 2010, and was appointed as a Law Clerk to a Judge of the Supreme Court. Thereafter, he began practice and became an Advocate on Record in 2018, and has been practising thus ever since. In an exclusive interview with Abhish K. Bose, Amit Pai, emphasizes AI's limitations in replacing human discretion in judicial processes, citing concerns about algorithmic bias, transparency, and the importance of human judgment in sentencing and decision-making. Excerpts from the interview" Abhish K Bose:" How do you see AI driven tools reshaping the fact-checking and precedent-search phases of a trial." Amit Pai :" I don't think that AI can replace the human intervention in the Court process, because there is some element of human discretion and persuasion that cannot be replicated by AI. While AI can be used as a…...

58+ min ago (948+ words) Why the government's push for a mandatory mobile app has triggered deep fears about privacy, consent, and democracy What made this episode even more disturbing was that the move came quietly'without parliamentary debate, without public consultation, and without wide media scrutiny'until a Reuters report and resistance from companies like Apple forced the government into a partial retreat. What Is Sanchar Saathi and Why Is It Controversial? The Sanchar Saathi app, promoted by the Department of Telecommunications, is officially projected as a public welfare initiative'meant to curb telecom fraud, spam calls, cybercrime, and mobile theft. The government claims that millions of phones have already been traced or blocked using this system. On the surface, the intent appears noble. But controversy erupted when reports suggested that the government had issued directions to smartphone manufacturers to pre-install this app compulsorily on all new…...

1+ hour, 1+ min ago (238+ words) Dr Bijayani Mishra teaches Sociology at Maitreyi College, University of Delhi. Her areas of specialization include social movement(s), penology, ethnography, and social policy. During my last visit with my primary care provider, an internist and a medical doctor, I told her that from time to time I have anxiety attacks to which she" by Mattea Kramer and Sean Fogler24/04/2025 This Mental Health Awareness Month, Funding Slashed While Surprising New Research Shows Bipartisan Support for Expanded Services The United States has been in the throes of a mental health and" The State of Mental Health in IndiaWith mental disorders as the second most common cause of years lived with disability (YLDs) and suicide as the third most common cause of" The World Happiness Report 2025, released on March 20, 2025, places India at a dismal 118th out of 147 countries, forcing the nation to confront it's own…...

1+ hour, 4+ min ago (833+ words) State is key in president's effort to secure Republicans' fragile House majority for second half of his term " key US politics stories from 4 December 2025 Texas can use a redrawn congressional map that adds as many as five Republican-friendly congressional districts, the supreme court ruled on Thursday, handing Donald Trump a major win in his push to boost Republican seats ahead of next year's midterm elections. In an unsigned order, the 6-3 conservative majority court granted a request by Texas to lift a lower court's ruling that struck down the state's new map in November. The supreme court's three liberal justices dissented. "The district court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections," the supreme court said in an order explaining its decision. The lower district court had previously found that…...

1+ hour, 11+ min ago (604+ words) French leader Macron says he was "very touched" by Xi"s gesture to accompany him to Chengdu " a departure from protocol. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have pledged deeper cooperation on global issues, as the two leaders met ahead of France"s hosting of the Group of Seven (G7) summit next year. Xi hosted Macron on Friday in the southwestern city of Chengdu, state media said, in a rare instance of the head of the world"s second-largest economy accompanying a guest beyond the capital, Beijing. As Macron wrapped up his three-day visit to China, he and his wife, Brigitte, met the Chinese presidential couple for lunch in a more relaxed setting compared with the previous day. Macron said he was "very touched" by Xi"s gesture, a departure from official protocol, after he hosted Xi…...

1+ hour, 11+ min ago (249+ words) What should individuals do. Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social activist by V A Mohamad Ashrof30/05/2025 This article offers an extensive hermeneutical refutation of claims advanced by Robert Spencer, an American anti-Muslim author and blogger, an individual known for his polemical critiques of Islam. Spencer attempts" by Vidya Bhushan Rawat19/05/2025 The Bihar government has decided that the pilgrim city of Gaya would now be called Gaya ji. The announcement in this regard was officially made by the government after a" by Vidya Bhushan Rawat03/05/2025 Vidya Bhushan Rawat in conversation with Shipon Rabidas, General Secretary, Bangladesh Dalits and Excluded Rights Movement Born in the Dalit community of 'Ravidas' or locally known as Robidas or Rabidas," by Vidya Bhushan Rawat19/03/2025 Noted scholar and historian Dr Atul Krishna Biswas, popularly known as Dr A K Biswas passed away on February 28th, 2025 at his home in Kolkata. He was…...

1+ hour, 19+ min ago (465+ words) But India's calculus is more intricate. It is a nation too large to be anyone's satellite, yet too pragmatic to reject beneficial partnerships. Russian officials understand this. New Delhi understands that Moscow understands this. And that mutual clarity is why the relationship survives. Then there is labor migration, a subject that rarely appears in diplomatic press releases but is quietly redrawing the socio-economic map between the two countries. Seventy thousand Indians are already working in Russia, a number set to rise sharply as Russian construction, manufacturing, and service sectors face acute shortages. As Ivanov puts it, both nations are looking not just for agreements but for an anchor. A partner whose support does not collapse under pressure, whose interests overlap more than they collide, and whose political systems'different as they are'understand the value of autonomy in foreign policy. Putin's December…...

1+ hour, 46+ min ago (633+ words) Jumli Bai is a 70 years old woman living in Kakarmala village of Jhadol Block, South Rajasthan. Her vision is badly impaired. She has a lot of difficulty in hearing. She is a widow and lives alone. Although she can access a small government pension and some free food grain, cooking any food on her own is also a problem. So she is entirely dependent on someone sparing some food for her. Under the present circumstances food availability for her remains highly uncertain and precarious. Her day is spent sitting here or there and hoping that she will get some food. I met her at a meeting of elderly people in her village around noon time. She had not eaten anything till then, finally she could eat something here. Her son is given to drinking a lot of alcohol and does…...