By A Representative   The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) and members of the All-India Workers Forum have submitted preliminary comments to the Karnataka Labour Department on the Draft Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, urging the government to strengthen rights-based provisions and ensure wider public consultation. The submission was made on November 15 in response to the state’s call for public comments on the draft law.

By A Representative    The latest PropEquity report on housing activity in India’s top 15 tier-2 cities reveals a deeper shift underway in the country’s real estate landscape. While overall housing sales volumes declined 4% year-on-year in the July–September quarter of 2025, the total sales value rose 4%, signalling a decisive movement toward premium and high-value homes rather than the mass-market affordable housing that traditionally drives demand in these regions. This trend reflects a growing divide between elite housing buyers and the middle-class population, whose purchasing power is increasingly strained.

By A Representative   The price of luxury homes has risen sharply across India’s top seven cities, far outpacing the growth seen in affordable and mid-income housing. According to new data released by Anarock—one of India’s leading independent real estate consultancy firms offering research, advisory, brokerage, and capital markets services—luxury properties priced at ₹1 crore and above have appreciated by 40% since 2022, while prices in the affordable category (under ₹40 lakh) have increased by only 26%. Mid-income and premium homes recorded growth of 39% during the same period—reinforcing concerns that the housing market is increasingly shifting towards high-end buyers rather than the middle class.

By N.S. Venkataraman*  Rarely a day passes without the Prime Minister or a cabinet minister speaking about the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat . The Start-up India scheme is a pillar in promoting this vision, and considerable enthusiasm has been reported in promoting start-up projects across the country. While these developments are positive, Atmanirbhar Bharat does not seem to have made significant progress within the Indian chemical industry . This is a matter of high concern that needs urgent and dispassionate analysis.

By Harsh Thakor*  Cultural activist and translator Kanchan Kumar passed away at 12 noon on November 29 at the age of 90. Kumar was known for translating political and revolutionary literature into Bengali from languages including Telugu, Tamil and Punjabi. He was active in literary and cultural movements associated with left ideological streams in India.

By Bharat Dogra   Jeremy Seabrook received wide appreciation and acclaim internationally for his hundreds of articles and reports, as well as nearly 40 books written largely from a perspective of social justice . His reporting from many countries on the victims of multifaceted injustice has been read and re-read for its deeply sympathetic yet realistic portrayal of people placed — or pushed — into very difficult circumstances. India was one of the countries from which he reported extensively.

By Vikas Meshram   The story of 42-year-old Manglibai Hakra Garasia, a resident of Jumki village in Sajjangarh tehsil of Banswara district, Rajasthan, is an inspiring example of how renewable energy and effective use of government schemes can transform the economic future of a tribal family. As a tribal woman farmer, Manglibai has not only secured her family’s livelihood but has also emerged as a role model for other women in her region.

By Ram Puniyani*  While delivering the Ramnath Goenka Lecture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India should take a ten-year pledge to root out the colonial mindset. In ten years, he noted, it will be 200 years since Lord Macaulay introduced the English-based education system. According to Modi, Macaulay’s project aimed to reshape Indian thought by dismantling indigenous knowledge systems and enforcing colonial education. He went on to argue that Macaulay’s “crime” was creating Indians who were “Indian in appearance but British in thought.” This, Modi claimed, destroyed India’s self-confidence and introduced a sense of inferiority.

By A Representative   Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation , a Dehradun -based public-interest organization working on climate change , sustainable development and environmental issues in Uttarakhand , has released its preliminary Factsheet on Char Dham Yatra 2025 . The document compiles data on pilgrimage days, footfall distribution, peak footfall dates and zero-pilgrim days across the five major pilgrimage sites— Kedarnath , Badrinath , Gangotri , Yamunotri and Hemkund Sahib —for the recently concluded Char Dham Yatra 2025. The Foundation announced preliminary results in a fact sheet ahead of a comprehensive Char Dham Yatra 2025 report saying, long-term planning, collaborative governance and sustained stakeholder engagement are essential to ensure that the Char Dham Yatra remains spiritually meaningful and environmentally secure. Presenting the factsheet, Anoop Nautiyal , Founder of SDC Foundation, noted that the 2025 Yatra recorded 51,06,346 pilgrims, compared ...