RajivSpeak

A shocking episode of mass fish death in East Delhi’s Sanjay Lake has sparked outrage among environmental groups and citizens. While initial reports attributed the incident to the ongoing heatwave and climate change, the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) has squarely blamed mismanagement and prolonged disruption of water supply as the primary cause.  

A stunning failure in transparency has been uncovered in Gujarat, where only 75 out of 11,883 public authorities have submitted mandatory compliance certificates for proactive disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. This revelation comes from an analysis of an official government press note and related RTI correspondence obtained by a citizen. 

  In a candid and wide-ranging conversation, three generations of feminist activists from Maharashtra have taken stock of the women's movement in India, tracing its evolution from the labour struggles of the 1970s to the complex, identity-driven challenges of the present day. Hosted by  Gagan Sethi  and  Minar Pimple , the discussion, featured on the podcast  Unmute , brought together veteran activists to reflect on 50 years of mobilization, legal battles, internal debates, and the daunting political landscape that lies ahead.

  An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from  Gujarat  during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

  In a candid conversation that blended personal memoir with sharp critique, veteran civil society leader Ingrid Srinath painted a sobering picture of a sector adrift—caught between corporate metrics, regulatory chokeholds, and a fading sense of purpose. Speaking on the  latest episode  of the YouTube series Unmute, hosted by Gagan Sethi and Minar Pimple, Srinath—former Secretary General of global watchdog CIVICUS and founder of the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) at Ashoka University—urged civil society to reclaim its soul before it's too late. 

Decades ago, when I was a student at Delhi University, the Left-wing student organisations, one of which I was a part of, would hold a highly negative view of NGOs. They would go so far as to castigate them as imperialist or CIA agents -- just because they were foreign-funded, by bodies such as Amnesty, Oxfam, Human Rights Watch, and Greenpeace.

The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has sharply criticised the  Union Budget 2026–27 , calling it a “budget sans kartavya” that weakens public welfare while favouring private corporations, even as inequality, climate risks and social distress deepen across the country.

  A few days ago, I received an  email alert  from a veteran human rights leader who has fought many battles in  Gujarat  for the  Dalit  cause — both through ground-level campaigns and courtroom struggles. The alert, sent in Gujarati by Valjibhai Patel, who heads the Council for Social Justice, stated: “In 1935,  Babasaheb Ambedkar  burnt the  Manusmriti . In 1972, we broke the idol of  Krishna , whom we regarded as the creator of the  varna  (caste) system.”

  The latest analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch on the self-sworn affidavits of 102 re-elected Members of Parliament between the 2014 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections reveals a striking escalation in personal wealth among India’s political class. The average assets of these MPs have more than doubled in a decade, rising from ₹15.76 crore in 2014 to ₹33.13 crore in 2024, marking a 110 percent increase. This surge underscores the widening gap between political representatives and the citizens they serve, raising urgent questions about the nexus of power, privilege, and economic inequality.  

  In a compelling town hall discussion hosted at  L.J School of Law , prominent voices from industry and civil society underscored that corporate investment in strengthening the rule of law is not an act of charity but a critical business strategy for building a safer, stronger, and developed India by 2047. The dialogue, part of the  Unmute podcast  series, examined the intrinsic link between  ethical business conduct , robust legal frameworks, and sustainable national development, against the sobering backdrop of India ranking 79th out of 142 countries on the global  Rule of Law Index .

  In a thought-provoking dialogue on the  UnMute Podcast  (Part 2), hosts  Gagan Sethi  and  Minar Pimple  engaged  Professor Navdeep Mathur  in a deep examination of the tensions reshaping  India’s democracy  and  civic space . The conversation challenged prevailing narratives on  economic growth , dissected the evolving role of  civil society , and explored tools for  active citizenship  in an increasingly complex landscape.

  In a recent in-depth podcast discussion, a leading public policy scholar issued a stark critique of India's evolving governance landscape, arguing that the growing reliance on public-private partnerships has fundamentally weakened civil society’s ability to hold power to account and advocate for equitable public policy.

  Bharat Beej Swaraj Manch (BBSM), a nationwide network of Indian seed savers and farmers, has written to the Prime Minister of India seeking urgent intervention against proposed amendments to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), currently under negotiation at the 11th Session of the Governing Body in  Lima, Peru , from November 24, 2025. The group has also issued an open letter to national leaders of the  Global South , warning that the changes could cause grave harm to India’s national interests,  seed sovereignty  and  farmers’ rights .

I usually avoid being interviewed. I have always believed that journalists, especially in India, are generalists who may suddenly be assigned a “beat” they know little—sometimes nothing—about. Still, when my friend  Gagan Sethi , a well-known human rights activist, phoned a few weeks ago asking if I would join a podcast on  civil society  and the media, I agreed.

By Rajiv Shah    A recent, well-attended meeting of Gujarat civil society activists in  Ahmedabad , held to discuss the impact of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, has decided to file a petition in the  Supreme Court  against the controversial exercise initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) across the country. Announcing this, senior High Court advocate  Anand Yagnik , who heads the Gujarat chapter of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), said that a committee has already been formed to examine the pros and cons of SIR. “While the SIR exercise began in Gujarat on November 4 and is scheduled to continue for a month, we will file a supporting petition in the case against SIR in the  Gujarat High Court  or the Supreme Court after observing how it proceeds in the state,” he said. Yagnik’s announcement followed senior advocate  Shahrukh Alam —who is arguing the SIR case in the Supreme Court—urgi...

  Recently, I attended what I would call a veterans’ meet — a gathering to recall the  Emergency  imposed by  Indira Gandhi , whose resistance is said to have begun in  Ahmedabad  on  October 12, 1975 . At that time,  Gujarat  was one of the two states described as an “island of freedom.” It was ruled by  Janata Morcha  chief minister  Babubhai Jashbhai Patel . The other such “island” was  Tamil Nadu .

  A  new report , "Who Controls the Narrative? Legal Restrictions on Freedom of Expression in the Commonwealth", prepared by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA), and the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, approvingly quotes Access Now, which has named India the “world’s internet shutdown leader,” with at least 116 recorded shutdowns in 2024.

This is a follow-up to my news story in Counterview about why Morbi, India’s ceramic hub, has become a major cause of concern for health rights organisations. The other day, Jagdish Patel, who heads the People’s Training and Research Centre (PTRC) – an organisation that has been working with occupational hazard victims, especially those suffering from deadly silicosis, for the last few decades – called me.

 A new study by the Gujarat-based health rights organisation, Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), warns that most workers in Morbi district’s ceramic industry—which produces 90% of India’s ceramic output—are at high risk of contracting silicosis, a deadly occupational disease.

It was the mid-2000s when my children wanted me to take them to the municipal market on CG Road — Ahmedabad’s posh upmarket area — where they said Kentucky Fried Chicken had opened a shop. I was reluctant, but eventually had to drive them in my Maruti Frontie car from Gandhinagar , 35 kilometres away, where we lived. After finding a suitable place to park, we went in search of the high-profile restaurant. After roaming here and there, and even asking other shopkeepers in the market area, we still couldn’t find our supposed destination. So, we decided to return to our car and drive to some other place for lunch. Suddenly, a stray dog jumped on me, catching hold of my pant. While I managed to free myself immediately — with people around shooing away the dog — I sustained a few scratches on my leg. I immediately rang up a doctor in Gandhinagar, who advised me to take an initial injection in Ahmedabad right away, which I did. I took three more shots on my return to Gandhinagar. I have ne...