Varsha Singh
Passionate about social issues, especially children and women’s rights, rising inequity and human rights, Varsha Singh, a Post-Graduate in English (Hons) from Calcutta University and Mass Communications from St Xavier’s Calcutta, gravitated naturally to journalism in 2013. Varsha has made her passions the subject matter of her work and she has been writing regularly about these issues, besides business, tourism, culture and politics. Of late, Varsha has been pursuing another passion, multimedia journalism making videos reports on social issues and current affairs, looking at them with a different lens. Outside of her work, Varsha is equally passionate about cinema, music, travel and tea. Indeed, she is the inhouse film and music encyclopedia and a full-time chai-o-holic.
A low-key Lokpal remains a toothless anti–corruption watchdog
December 14, 2020
Nearly seven years after the Lokayukta Act came into effect, the much-vaunted anti-corruption ombudsman has failed to make an impact, despite the establishment of Lokayukta in all the states, the state governments and politicians are deliberately weakening the institution by not ...
Read MoreInternational Anti-Corruption Day: “Zero tolerance of corruption remains just a slogan in India”
December 9, 2020
Q. How effective are the laws on anti-corruption in India? Anti-corruption laws in India like POCA, RTI, Lokpal and Lokayukta Act are stringent per se but because of the social and political climate in the country which accepts bribe-giving and corruption as a regular affair, ant...
Read MoreBharat Bandh draws nationwide support for farmers’ protest
December 9, 2020
“Soora so pehchaniye, jo lade din ke het, purja purja kat mare, kabhun na chhade khet (Brave is the one who fights for the rights of the poor/weak. Even if his body is chopped to pieces, he does not leave the battlefield),” says Satnam Singh, a sevadar (volunt...
Read More“Modiji, don’t help us anymore, you have already helped us so much,” say protesting farmers
December 4, 2020
Protesting farmers say nothing less than a total repeal of the three Farm Acts would be acceptable and they will continue to sit in protest for as long as needed.
Read MoreInterview: Agriculture is not unorganised but unprotected sector, says Medha Patkar
December 3, 2020
There have been allegations as to why only Punjab and Haryana farmers protesting and not the farmers from rest of India? What do you have to say to that? Any government, whenever they are challenged as the power holders, always try and condemn the movements and try to u...
Read MoreFarmers’ protest: A festive air & high spirits at Singhu Border
December 1, 2020
Singhu border in northern Delhi, on the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, is normally crowded and busy with thousands of vehicles zipping through. However, over the past week, the area around the principal highway linking the national capital with rest of northern India seems to have tra...
Read More551st Gurunanak Jayanti: Devotees throng decked up Bangla Sahib in Delhi
November 30, 2020
On the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, Sri Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in Delhi wears the festive golden glow, with the golden domes standing in sharp contrast against blue skies. Today is the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, one of the most celebrated Sikh gurus and the fou...
Read MoreRejecting Amit Shah’s offer of talks, reinforcements join protesting farmers at Delhi border
November 30, 2020
The farmers unions unanimously rejected on Sunday union home minister Amit Shah’s offer of holding talks provided the farmers moved to Burari as a protest site. “Shah’s offer was conditional and it has been rejected after a meeting of the coordination committee of over 500 ...
Read MoreFarmers’ protest: Indian farmers let down by government on all counts
November 28, 2020
It’s been three days now that farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have been marching towards Delhi and are now in Delhi protesting against the three farm laws that were passed in September. The farmers say that the laws that concern them were passed withou...
Read MoreVictorious farmers enter New Delhi as government blinks
November 27, 2020
farmers protest, Overcoming several barricades as well as braving tear gas shells and lathi-charge, protesting farmers manage to enter New Delhi as the government climbed down on Friday evening. Farmers say they are ready for the long haul if the government does not accede to the...
Read MoreTAAI to meet government in bid to restart inbound tourism
November 27, 2020
Continuing its efforts to get the government to reopen the tourism sector, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) says it hopes to meet with the officials of the ministry of civil aviation and tourism next week in order to discuss the next steps for revival of an industry ...
Read MoreDay for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2020: Indian women trapped by social norms
November 25, 2020
violence against women, Indian women have had to pay a heavy price for the lockdown that followed the Covid-19 pandemic as they were subjected to higher incidence of violence. Though there may be more awareness amongst the women about their rights, the social prejudices still wei...
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