The piece underscores that a fast changing technology and power dynamics of the virtual world pose unique and complex challenges for human rights. This situation demands a comprehensive, strategic and collective response from the rights based civil society organisations (CSOs). The piece discusses different aspects of the virtual world and their implications to human rights along with the way forward.

Through an online survey of children who are attending online classes, this article tries to capture their experience of this new arrangement of learning.

While government machinery, both at the national and the state level, are trying to tackle the immediate threat of the pandemic, there are concerns around ensuring proper nutrition for children and pregnant women, especially for the marginalised sections. This can have disastrous effects on the long term health of these already vulnerable groups. In this backdrop, the article highlights some of these issues and discusses the need for protecting public provisioning in relevant government schemes and programmes which are crucial for nutrition as well as the need to modify the guidelines to expand the beneficiaries of such programmes.

The study shows that the reach of the government in health care, across states, is limited, which has made the poor section dependent on the private sector, and that has led to economic impoverishment. It requires a large scale increase in public expenditure on health to make the system battle ready.

Implementation of MGNREGA has suffered due to an inadequate allocation of resources. This was reflected in lower than legal minimum wages, low level of days of employment creation and leaving out a sizable number of households from receiving gainful employment. Allocation of little over Rs. 1 lakh crore is still inadequate to counter the crisis and a higher allocation will not lead to substantial burden on the exchequer.

MHRD is exploring the possibility of reopening schools and for which NCERT is preparing guidelines related to social distancing in schools/classrooms. However, data suggests that the majority of the schools are not equipped to implement such measures and one of the prominent reasons is chronic under-funding in the school education sector.

The stimulus package has not made clear whether or how small farmers will really benefit.

Tax justice and financial transparency are ever more urgent. To start to rebuild an international society worth living after Covid-19 we need a plan that puts human rights at the centre of our response.

While the government seems to appreciate the potential of NGOs in addressing the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, the need is to foster a complementary and collaborative engagement which looks far beyond.

Certain amendments made in the Finance Act 2020-21 alter the validity of registration granted to these organisations. New rules require NGOs and charitable organisations to renew their registration every five years. The Centre must reconsider the amendments so as to make the regulatory environment more enabling for NGOs.

The present rural livelihood crisis could have been averted if the government of Odisha would have established small and medium industries in the rural sector, especially Ganjam district.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how rooted structural imbalances are between rural and urban, male and female, rich and poor, even in the digital world.