(WATCH): Raj Kumar Rana, a Dalit Sarpanch from Nurpur Village in Punjab, has been committed to the development of his community. Despite his earnest efforts, state-level party politics have significantly hindered his progress. The Panchayati Raj system, designed to empower local communities and promote responsive governance, faces challenges when state politics intrude. In the case of Sarpanch Rana, his firm stance leads to unforeseen consequences for him and his family.

Gujarat stands as India’s foremost salt-producing state, contributing 85% to the nation's total salt output. Within Gujarat, 31% of this production originates from the Agariya community living within the Little Rann of Kutch. Despite being the primary contributors to the salt industry, the Agariya people find themselves receiving the smallest share of profits. Furthermore, they grapple with the adverse effects of climate change, directly impacting their livelihoods. In this narrative, Bhopa and Gunand, two Agariya salt farmers, shed light on the disparity in earnings within the salt farming sector.

Nearly half of Mumbai's population resides in slums mirroring the spatial and economic fragmentation seen across Maharashtra. This economic inequality disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable. Jahana, who arrived in Mumbai at the age of 14 with her father in pursuit of a brighter future, has seen little improvement in her circumstances. Amidst the struggle to survive within Mumbai's stark rich-poor divide, she encountered tragic events when her children fell ill due to the poor living conditions in the slum. Jahana fears whether she will be able to secure a better and healthier future for her children.

The video delves into the lives of Delhi's slum dwellers, whose homes perpetually face the threat of demolition. In a recent case, on May 19, 2023, residents of Priyanka Gandhi Camp in Vasant Vihar, Delhi, received official notices from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to vacate the land by June 15, 2023. Despite legal battles fought by the PG camp residents, their ‘Jhuggis’ (slums) were ultimately demolished. Between April 1 and July 27, 2023, Delhi witnessed 49 demolition drives. In 2023, at least 1600 homes have been destroyed and about 2,50,000 are homeless in India’s Capital. This story is about the plight of those who become homeless overnight.

Bhupat Bhai Sekhaliya, a diligent and hardworking rickshaw driver from Gujarat, belongs to the Dalit community. Despite his unwavering dedication, the respect he deserves eludes him, particularly from individuals of "upper" castes in his vicinity. Many daily activities, deemed "normal" for any resident, remain inaccessible to him. Defiance can lead to physical assault. However, Bhupat's story is not an isolated incident. In Gujarat, the spectre of violence against Dalits looms large, with an average of four cases reported daily. The past seven years have seen a staggering total of over 9,000 documented instances of such violence.

If you are living in Delhi, you might lose 12 years of your life because of air pollution. Jyoti Lavakare Pande, an author and a journalist from Delhi, writes an open letter to highlight the intensity of pollution in Delhi. She reflects on her mother's vibrant and resilient life, filled with smiles and melodies. Her mother, Kamale Pande, a classical vocalist, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, struggling for every breath in Delhi's pollution. She pens down her mother’s journey to raise awareness about the invisible killer looming in Delhi’s air.

Maharashtra holds the unfortunate record for the highest number of farmer and farm labourer suicides in India, witnessing an average of 11 deaths per day as. This grim reality forces many women, including Sarika, to fend for themselves and their families. Despite facing adversity, Sarika persists with unwavering determination to provide for her children.

In Maharashtra's #gadchiroli district, Lalsu bravely exposes the environmental and cultural impacts of #mining. Shockingly, 21 tribals from 70 villages are arrested for protesting against injustice. Protest, their sole voice, is under threat as the government’s heavy-handed suppression of dissent intensifies, revealing a disturbing pattern.

Arjun Sahariya, a member of Madhya Pradesh’s Sahariya tribal group, courageously opens up about the atrocities inflicted upon his family. His situation is a representation of the increasing number of atrocities against tribal groups in the central Indian state which boasts the highest population of tribal communities.

Jai Chand, a farmer from Shimla's Kumarsain Tehsil in Himachal Pradesh, faced a devastating nightmare when a landslide claimed the lives of his son, daughter-in-law, grandson and destroyed their home. He and two other family members survived, but now they endure a life marked by grief and hardship.

Chhannu Markam lost his wife and four children. He claims that the deaths were a result of health complications arising from a polluted red-water river. He lives in Loha Village in Chhattisgarh, a state heavily reliant on its revenue from iron ore mines.

Mangal Markami was the first in his family to pursue education. However, due to an unsupportive school atmosphere and the demands of his tribal culture, he quit school after successfully completing his 10th grade.

Tulsi, a former Naxalite, was forcibly abducted and had no option but to join the Maoist army, suffering greatly under the insurgents. In the same Maoist-State conflict in Chhattisgarh state, Soni Sori, a former educator and tribal rights activist, endured brutality and sexual assault at the hands of the police. In the volatile region of Bastar, often referred to as the "Red Corridor,"…

Thakur Ram Orkera is just one of many tribals who depend on the forest for their daily needs. However, their source of survival is at stake. Orkera, along with thousands of other indigenous individuals in Chhattisgarh's Hasdeo forest region, faces the potential loss of both livelihood and cultural heritage due to governmental interventions and a major corporation's coal mining plans. Undeterred, Thakur and the Adivasis are resolute in their stance: enough is enough.

Rashmi Singh and Sadaf Khan, like many women in Madhya Pradesh state, aspire to participate in public life by running for elections. They have joined the ongoing movement advocating for equal representation of women in Indian politics. Presently, women hold less than 15% of seats in the country's parliament and most state Assemblies.

Kuldeep, a young man in Uttarakhand state, is one among countless individuals who have abandoned their native villages, and traditional farming, to migrate to big cities in search of employment. A few kilometres away, an elderly couple, Yashoda Devi and Ramesh Chand, bear witness to this mass migration, living alone in their now desolate village.

Gulfisha Fatima, a former student turned activist from Seelampur in Delhi, was arrested by the Delhi Police in April 2020. Alongside numerous other activists who participated in the anti-CAA movement, she faced charges under anti-terror laws and was booked under the stringent UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).

Young women Laila and Rajanti, like many other women from Madhya Pradesh state's Sahariya tribe, were able to conceive. However, what happened after the birth of their children was not in their hands. The Sahariyas are one of the 75 "particularly vulnerable" tribes of India.

Jhabe Ram bursts into tears as he narrates how a landslide swept away his family's house in Himachal Pradesh state, killing eight members of their joint family, including his wife and two children as well as his brother and his entire family. This northern state in the Himalayas is no stranger to natural calamities. 

Ravinder Kumar Mehra, a resident of Himachal Pradesh state, still feels uprooted, 50 years after his family was displaced from their land. Tens of thousands of other families also continue to pay the price for the construction of Pong Dam on the Beas River, even as justice remains a distant dream.

Shreya went through panic attacks after being sexually harassed by men in Delhi, India?s national capital which is also known as the country?s most unsafe city for women. Her fear led her to look for empowerment, which she finally found. But that didn?t mean she was now safer than other women in the city.

Harsimranjit Singh spent much of his youth looking after his father, who had cancer. Fazilka, where he lives, is one of the 11 districts that comprise Punjab state's "cancer belt," the Malwa region. In the nearby Ferozepur district, Kuldeep Singh had to quit farming as his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

Kartam Kosa, a tribal man from Chhattisgarh state, and his family fled their home in 2005, when fighting between Maoist insurgents and a civilian militia, Salwa Judum, intensified. About 55,000 tribal people left their ancestral homes and found refuge in the forests of neighbouring states.

It was out of curiosity that Pavitra tasted alcohol for the first time when he was at school. His adventure soon turned into drug abuse, addiction.... and even crime. The story of Pavitra, who lives in Punjab state's Sri Muktsar Sahib district, may resemble the stories of nearly four million people in the state who abuse substances.

Sucheta Tomar, a farmer and housewife in Uttarakhand state's Lohari village, is one of the many residents who lost their ancestral homes due to a hydropower project by the state government. Their home submerged in flood water, Sucheta and her husband now live in a classroom of an abandoned school.

Radheshyam Shukhlawas, a farmer-turned-activist, lives in Rajasthan state?s Shukhlawas village in Kotputli district. People in his village and surrounding areas are dying one after another, as unregulated mines are causing particle pollution leading to lung diseases like silicosis…

Deep in debt, Gurjeet Kaur’s father lost hope, and interest, in life. Kaur’s brother, who inherited the debt, followed suit. Like Kaur, thousands of women in the agricultural state of Punjab have similar stories to tell, as farming is becoming increasingly unsustainable and more and more farmers are finding themselves…