Re: [CSSP-Forum] Dr. Papia Sengupta, SSS-JNU, Elected as Fellow at the Royal Historical Society since February 2026

Congratulations, Dr Papia. Good news. Please keep it up.

Prabir G Dastidar

On Mon, Mar 30, 2026 at 9:02 PM anup kumar das <anupdas2072@gmail.com> wrote:

Very glad to inform you that Dr. Papia Sengupta has been elected as Fellow at the Royal Historical Society since February 2026. 

• Also sharing here her latest publication:

• Migrant Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Delhi, by Papia Sengupta, pp. 159–186, DOI: 10.33134/HUP-36-7. In: Protecting Workers? Crisis, COVID-19, and South Asia, edited by Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden, Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 2026. Abstract: The chapter critically analyses the pandemic measures adopted towards migrant workers in Delhi to investigate their consequences. This is important given the high density of migrant workers from neighbouring states. Utilising oral testimonies of workers and document analysis of the Delhi government's special programmes, the chapter analyses the case of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi through three lenses: state support, pandemic inequities, and vulnerability. This is undertaken by using narratives of migrant workers in Delhi and their experiences of the pandemic and how it affected them. I used qualitative methods based on long oral testimonies of 25 migrant workers in the two industrial sites of Wazirpur and Kapashera. These accounts were collected between December 2021 and June 2022, which coincided with the lowering of the first wave in 2021 and just in the aftermath of the devastating second wave in 2022. This was a period of pain, loss, and suffering for the poor and marginalised. This chapter gives a nuanced perspective from below, that is, how the workers experienced policies on the ground: the hardships of the pandemic was felt by everyone but many of these workers lost jobs and family members to the virus. Others, who were fortunate not to lose a family member, lost out on the possibility of vertical mobility.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CSSP Discussion Forum" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cssp-forum+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cssp-forum/CA%2BtqtLDF26YboLKTaPCVGDuApvruWL7Gr8fxwCDf5DdwP_ThCA%40mail.gmail.com.

--

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Prabir G. Dastidar

(He/Him/His)
Scientist G/Adviser (Retd)
C/O Ministry of Earth sciences (MoES)
Prithvi Bhavan (Opposite to India Habitat Centre)
Lodi Road
New Delhi- 110003.  INDIA.

** Professor of Practice, Techno India University, West Bengal

** Ex-Visiting Professor at the SGT UNIVERSITY, Gurugram, Delhi NCR

Residence: NOIDA Sector 150, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Delhi NCR

Uttar Pradesh, Pin 201310

E-mail: prabirgd11@gmail.com (Regular)
(Alternate mail) prabirgd11@rediffmail.com

ORCID id: 

Orcid.org/0000-0001-5871-6261

Telephone: +91-0120-6053740(R)

 Mobile.    : +91-9868543999.

*****************************************************************************
Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, 
is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain 
confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, 
disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended 
recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all 
copies of the original message. 
*****************************************************************************

Dr. Papia Sengupta, SSS-JNU, Elected as Fellow at the Royal Historical Society since February 2026

Very glad to inform you that Dr. Papia Sengupta has been elected as Fellow at the Royal Historical Society since February 2026. 

• Also sharing here her latest publication:

• Migrant Workers and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Delhi, by Papia Sengupta, pp. 159–186, DOI: 10.33134/HUP-36-7. In: Protecting Workers? Crisis, COVID-19, and South Asia, edited by Kanchana N. Ruwanpura and Wilfried Swenden, Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 2026. Abstract: The chapter critically analyses the pandemic measures adopted towards migrant workers in Delhi to investigate their consequences. This is important given the high density of migrant workers from neighbouring states. Utilising oral testimonies of workers and document analysis of the Delhi government's special programmes, the chapter analyses the case of the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi through three lenses: state support, pandemic inequities, and vulnerability. This is undertaken by using narratives of migrant workers in Delhi and their experiences of the pandemic and how it affected them. I used qualitative methods based on long oral testimonies of 25 migrant workers in the two industrial sites of Wazirpur and Kapashera. These accounts were collected between December 2021 and June 2022, which coincided with the lowering of the first wave in 2021 and just in the aftermath of the devastating second wave in 2022. This was a period of pain, loss, and suffering for the poor and marginalised. This chapter gives a nuanced perspective from below, that is, how the workers experienced policies on the ground: the hardships of the pandemic was felt by everyone but many of these workers lost jobs and family members to the virus. Others, who were fortunate not to lose a family member, lost out on the possibility of vertical mobility.

Articles "The quality challenge for generic medicines in India: An industrial policy-sensitive perspective" & "Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025: In Search of an Alternative" by Abrol and others

The quality challenge for generic medicines in India: An industrial policy-sensitive perspective by Dinesh Kumar Abrol, Rollins John, Nidhi Singh, 2026, Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. DOI:10.20529/IJME.2026.017
Abstract: This article provides an industrial policy-sensitive understanding of the problem of quality of Indian generic medicines supplied both to the domestic market and to weakly regulated markets in Asia, Africa, and South America. Most of these medicines come from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). While all drugs manufactured in the country must comply with standards under the revised Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945, the deadline for MSMEs' compliance has been extended repeatedly, and even as of March 2026, drugs are manufactured in the country in two categories of manufacturing facilities — one compliant with the revised standards and another non-compliant with the revised standards. While double standards are unacceptable, the policy discourse on medicine quality focuses entirely on uniformity of standards, and their regulation, without setting an industrial policy-sensitive context for the reasons for poor quality, and for developing an appropriate response. We argue that the problem of medicine quality is closely connected to the structural changes in the industry after India signed the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Large-scale enterprises depend on MSMEs — many of which are poorly equipped — for supplying branded generic medicines in the domestic market and poorly regulated markets abroad. Further, a sharp decline in the indigenous manufacture of raw materials and active pharmaceutical ingredients has left the industry vulnerable, because of its dependence on China for the import of these materials. We propose that poor quality must be addressed through industrial policy-specific changes, institutional collaboration, and technical support, not merely by closing down MSMEs. Quality assurance cannot depend on a system of inspection alone; quality by design must be built into the manufacturing process, and there must be strict enforcement of standards.

Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill, 2025: In Search of an Alternative by Dinesh Kumar Abrol, Economic & Political Weekly, 2026, LXI(13), 17-19.

New Article "Technopolitics of tinkering and the ‘new’ innovation economy: insights from India", by Mishra & Bhaduri

Technopolitics of tinkering and the 'new' innovation economy: insights from India

by Rajiv K. Mishra and Saradindu Bhaduri, Innovation and Development, 2026, DOI: 10.1080/2157930X.2026.2640738.

Abstract: Tinkering and its role in the innovation economy have captured the imagination of policymakers across the globe. In India, a variety of tinkering spaces have emerged in recent years. In this paper, we make an attempt to analyse the mandates, motivations, actors and networks of these evolving spaces of tinkering. Tinkering has the potential to make innovation ecosystems more inclusive, offer solutions that are affordable, need-based and pro-social. Tinkering can delay technological obsolescence by promoting, re-use, and re-combination of technology. Our analysis, however, brings out that the policies on tinkering seem restricted to promoting technological temper, and entrepreneurship. A robust focus on local development and ecosystem building around tinkering remains wanted. The paper emphasizes the need for better embedding of tinkering into the policies on innovation, education, skill development and the local economy.

Press briefing - UNESCO’s first People and Nature report: the state of the world’s most protected places

PRESS BRIEFING   UNESCO's first People and Nature report: the state of the world's most protected places   UNESCO invites you to a press briefing presenting the results of its first global assessment of all 2,270+ World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks – a network spanning an area larger than China and India combined, which supports 10% of the world population. The report, People and Nature in UNESCO sites, provides the most comprehensive picture to date of what these sites mean for the planet, and the accelerating threats they face.   Press briefing on the People and Nature in UNESCO Sites report Thursday 09 April, 14:00 CET Online, in English Click here to register     Drawing on scientific collaboration involving more than 20 leading research institutions, this report brings together data across all UNESCO designations to quantify their role in stabilizing the climate, sustaining human communities, and sheltering biodiversity. The report also examines the economic value, cultural significance and Indigenous knowledge embedded in these landscapes.   The press briefing will present the key findings of the report, provide an early opportunity for journalists to put questions directly to the authors, and learn how it impacts their own regions and audiences.   The full report, executive summary and factsheet will be shared with registered participants, under strict embargo until the official launch on Tuesday 21 April.   Press contact François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

Global water crisis aggravated by gender inequalities according to new UN Report

PRESS RELEASE   Global water crisis aggravated by gender inequalities according to new UN Report   Paris/New York March 19, 2026 - Despite decades of progress, inequalities continue to compromise global water security, disproportionally impacting women and girls, who despite of being the main collectors of water, continue to be excluded from water management and leadership roles.   This is the conclusion of the United Nations World Water Development Report, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water. The report reveals that women are responsible for collecting water in over 70% of unserved rural households.   "Ensuring women's participation in water management and governance is a key driver for progress and sustainable development. We must step up efforts to safeguard women and girls' access to water. This is not only a basic right, when women have equal access to water, everyone benefits," said Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO's Director General. "It is time to fully recognize the central role of women and girls in water solutions – as users, leaders and professionals. We need women and men to manage water side by side as a common good that benefits the whole of society," said Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Chair of UN-Water. The United Nations World Water Development Report is released annually in the context of World Water Day. This year's report, Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, warns that 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, with women and girls bearing the heaviest burden. Women and girls are most often responsible for collecting and managing water for their households, exposing them to physical strain, lost education and livelihoods, health risks, and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence — particularly where services are unsafe or unreliable. Please visit UNESCO's Media Corner where you will find the report, the executive summary, a factsheet and a list of specialists to interview. Link to the report Key findings Globally, women and girls spend a total of 250 million hours every day collecting water, time that could otherwise be spent on education, leisure, or income-generating activities. Girls under 15 (7%) are more likely than boys under 15 (4%) to fetch water. Poor sanitation facilities disproportionately affect women and girls, especially in urban slums and rural areas. Lack of toilets and water for menstrual hygiene leads to shame and absenteeism: an estimated 10 million adolescent girls (15–19), across 41 countries, missed school, work, or social activities between 2016 and 2022. Despite their central role in household water provision, agriculture, ecosystem stewardship, and community resilience, women remain systematically underrepresented in water governance, financing, utilities, and decision-making. Despite numerous gender equality declarations and policies, progress towards equal access to water and sanitation, and women's participation in water management, remain insufficient due to weak integration into operational plans. Gender inequalities in land and property ownership directly impact women's access to water. Water rights are often linked to land rights, directly impacting the availability of water for productive uses such as farming. Land tenure-related laws and regulations that discriminate against women leave them at social and economic disadvantages. In some countries, men have ownership over twice the amount of land than women. Women remain under-represented in water management and governance, available data from 64 utilities in 28 low- and middle-income countries indicated that fewer than one in five water workers were women, and they were paid less than their male counterparts (World Bank, 2019). In 2021/2022, women held fewer than half of WASH positions in government jobs in 79 of 109 responding countries and fewer than 10% in almost a quarter of responding countries (WHO,2022).    Gender inequality in times of crisis   Climate change, water scarcity and hydro-meteorological disasters are exacerbating existing gender inequalities, particularly in water-stressed and disaster-prone contexts. Gender remains a key determinant of vulnerability, shaping exposure to risk as well as access to early-warning systems, recovery support and long-term livelihood security. Evidence shows that climate change disproportionately affects women: a 1°C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed households, while women's weekly labour hours increase by an average of 55 minutes relative to men.   A call to bridge the gender gaps in water access and leadership The report provides concrete recommendations to drive meaningful progress, including: Removing legal, institutional and financial barriers to women's equal rights to water, land and services Scaling up gender‑responsive financing and budgeting, with strong accountability mechanisms Investing in sex‑disaggregated water data to expose inequalities and guide policy Valuing unpaid water‑related labour in planning, pricing and investment decisions Strengthening women's leadership and technical capacity, particularly in scientific and technical fields of water governance Moving beyond "low‑cost" solutions that rely on unpaid labour and exacerbate inequality.   About UNESCO's work to advance gender equality in water   Aligned to its Gender Equality Priority, UNESCO devotes effort to improve women's participation in water resource management, governance and sciences across the world. Our World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP): develops tools and guidance to help integrate gender-equality considerations into water policies and practices. The WWAP Toolkit on Water and Gender is the cornerstone resource and a global reference to support decision makers and practitioners worldwide. It contains over 100 gender-responsive indicators, guidelines for their application and use, and nearly 400 ready-to-use questions to support data collection and analysis; fundraises and implements field projects in diverse regions of the world directly impacting communities and promoting water co-operation; has trained over 1000 water practitioners in 35 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pacific Small Island Developing States, West Africa and Southeast Asia expanding capacities in inclusive water management; targets government leaders and decision-makers, water practitioners, academia and general audiences, relying on a multi-donor approach and combining financial mechanisms and voluntary contributions from a range of partners; and leads wide-scale advocacy efforts, supports efforts and mobilizes concrete gender equality action that help transform societies.   About UN-Water's work to advance water and gender equality UN-Water is the United Nations' coordination mechanism for water and sanitation, comprised of 36 Members (UN entities) and 52 international Partners. UN-Water supports United Nations system-wide efforts to advance gender equality in water and sanitation by promoting coordinated action, shared evidence and joint advocacy across its Members and Partners. Through global campaigns such as World Water Day, analytical work including the United Nations World Water Development Report, and implementation of the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, UN-Water helps integrate gender perspectives into water policies, programmes and financing discussions.   Press contacts UNESCO : Clare O'HAGAN, c.o-hagan@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 29 UNESCO : François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46 UN WATER : Felicia Vacarelu , felicia.vacarelu@unwater.org   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

Hybrid Seminar on Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for Top Journals: Opportunities and Future Ahead | 18 March at 3pm IST

Seminar on Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for Top Journals: Opportunities and Future Ahead on 18 March 2026 at 3:00 pm IST 

Greetings!

As part of its initiative to promote dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of academics, the Centre for Software and IT Management (CSTIM) at IIM Bangalore, will host a Seminar on 'Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for top Journals: Opportunities and future ahead' on 18 March 2026. Dr. Anandasivam Gopal, President's Chair of Innovation and Information Systems and Head of Division, Information Technology and Operations Management (ITOM) Nanyang Business School, NTU, Singapore will be the speaker. The seminar will last 1 hour and 30 minutes starting at 3:00 pm IST on 18 Mar 2026 and will be followed by refreshments for in-person participants. Remote participants can join via zoom link. The flyer with links for registration is attached. For any questions, please write to csitm[@]iimb.ac.in. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/centre-for-software-it-management/

 

Best regards,
Team CSITM
Centre for Software and IT Management
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Email: csitm[@]iimb.ac.in

RRC Academic Lectures cum Discussions | Gandhi Peace Foundation, ITO, New Delhi, 17 March at 3.00 pm

RRC Academic Lectures cum Discussions

Date & Time: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 3 pm.

Venue: Auditorium, Gandhi Peace Foundation, 

221 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Near ITO, New Delhi 110002

Entry is free. Registration not required.

Regards,

Dr. Nirmal Kumar Khatri 

Convenor, RRC Programs Committee 

Mob: 9910613694

Just Released "The Hoover Annual Survey of India 2026", edited by Šumit Ganguly

The Hoover Annual Survey of India 2026/ edited by Šumit Ganguly, 2026,  Hoover Institution. Download.

About: The Hoover Institution's Annual Survey of India provides a detailed examination of the country's current landscape, focusing on political, economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Table of Contents

• Introduction | Šumit Ganguly
• Indian Politics in 2025 | Eswaran Sridharan
• India's Economy: Inside and Out | Nirvikar Singh
• India's Foreign Policy amid Global Unpredictability | Ian Hall
• Tactical Successes and Strategic Challenges in Indian Defense Policy | Arzan Tarapore
• Education in India: At the Crossroads | Rishikesha T. Krishnan and Shreyas Ramkumar
• India's March to Universal Health Coverage | Azad Singh Bali
• India Environment: The Challenge of the Balance | Shreekant Gupta
• Science, Technology, and Innovation Policies for Development: India's Contemporary Challenges | Venni V. Krishna

ISID-ICSSR Two-week Capacity Building Programme on Industrial Transformation: Prospects and Challenges | 4–16 May, New Delhi

Dear Scholar, 

 

Greetings!

 

The Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), New Delhi invites applications for a two-week Capacity Building Programme, being organised with support from Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), focused on the theme "Industrial Transformation: Prospects and Challenges" to be conducted physically during 04–16 May 2026 at ISID, New Delhi.

 

The programme aims to enhance knowledge and research capabilities of the young social science faculties/teachers in industrial development and policy research. The curriculum includes lectures by eminent experts on topics like industrialisation, structural change, MSMEs, competitiveness, R&D, innovation, industry 4.0, e-commerce, and green industrialisation as well as technical sessions on data analytics, geographic information system, industrial databases, and academic writing. 

 

Last date for receiving applications is March 20, 2026. 

 

For further details, interested faculty/researchers may visit the Capacity Building Programme URL & register online https://forms.gle/PjMiv83xmd69J15c9.

 

The flyer & EPW advertisement (issued on February 28, 2026 Vol lXI No 9, Pg 15) may be reviewed.

 

 

Regards 

 

Dr Satyaki Roy, Associate Professor, ISID

Dr Sangeeta Ghosh, Assistant Professor, ISID

(Programme Coordinators)

Press Invitation - World Water Development Report 2026: Online Press Briefing

PRESS INVITATION   World Water Development Report 2026: Online Press Briefing   The new UN World Water Development report, to be published on March 19, warns that persistent gender inequalities in access to water and leadership are exacerbating the global water crisis: 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water billions still lack basic water and sanitation The latest data shows that women and girls are still largely responsible for collecting water in most unserved rural households, with impacts ranging from lost education, to health risks and heightened vulnerability to violence. They also remain underrepresented in water governance despite their central role in water provision and resilience.   The report, Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water, highlights that women bear the brunt of poor sanitation, which impacts their menstrual health. It calls for removing legal and financial barriers, investing in gender responsive data and financing, valuing unpaid labour, and strengthening women's leadership across the water sector.   UNESCO's experts will present the key findings and data from the report, which will be under embargo until March 19. The report will be published to coincide with World Water Day commemorations. An event will take place the same day at the UN headquarters in New York, which is open to the press.    After the press briefing, journalists will be able to access UNESCO's press corner where the embargoed report, the executive summary, a factsheet, and the embargoed press release will be available, will go live.     What? Online Press Briefing on Zoom When? 15.00 CET on Tuesday 10 March Who? Abou Amani, UNESCO Director of Water Services and Laura Veronica Imburgia, Senior Water and Gender Program Specialist at UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) Press Accreditation: Please register here to attend the press briefing   The press briefing will be conducted in English; journalists can pose questions in either English or French.   Press contacts Clare O'HAGAN, c.o-hagan@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 29 François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France