SEBI’s Social Stock Exchange and Fund Raising for NGOs in North East

For decades, India’s Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) landscape has pulsated with
countless dedicated organizations tackling diverse challenges, from healthcare and education to environmental conservation. Yet, despite their unwavering efforts, fundraising often remains a daunting obstacle, particularly for smaller and emerging NGOs. Read More

Plugging the Leaks: North-East India and Development

For over a decade there have been reports of central funds meant for the north-eastern region going into the wrong hands. The Government of India has proposed creation of the post of joint director in the Central Bureau of Investigation exclusively for the north-east to check the leakage of development funds. Though late in coming, this is a welcome move. Read More

DIGITAL FINANCIAL INCLUSION PROGRAMS SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO BE FAIR AND ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

The following is a perspective sharing on Digital Financial Access & Inclusion in North East India, as interacted with Shri Eugene Emmanuel Karthak, Director, Indian Institute of Bank Management (IIBM), Guwahati, Assam. Read More

EMERGING CHALLENGES OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE IN NORTH EAST INDIA
Violina Barman | 09-02-2023

Internet Governance as a concept came to the view of the wider public with proceedings of the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003 and 2005 under the aegis of the United Nations (WSIS). Read More

THEN AND NOW: NEW POST-PANDEMIC CHALLENGES TO DIGITAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY IN INDIA
Dr. Syed Kazi | 02-02-2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected civil soci ety – operations were disrupted, new issues emerged, and civic space continued to close.1 The pandemic brought about travel restrictions, supply and network chain disruptions, and a lack of access to many of the services that civil society organisations (CSOs) offered. Consequently, digital technology emerged as a way for civil society to network, collaborate and engage in their areas of work and on their priorities. Although digital tools reshaped global communications decades ago, lockdown measures strengthened digital adoption among movements, organisations and communities, with many using social media to mobilise people and resources, organise, and engage in advocacy, networking and campaigning to raise concerns and seek support and solutions. Read More

Internet Shutdowns in Meghalaya
Alexander L Passah | 20-01-2023

Internet Shutdowns are defined as intentional disruptions in internet services by government authorities. This practice has been highly adopted in the Indian context, and according to Internet Shutdown Tracker (2022), India has registered 690 internet shutdowns. In addition, a report by SFLC.in titled Let the Net Work: Internet Shutdowns in India (2022) has provided a map of the distribution of reasons for internet shutdowns in India. Read More

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Few Issues
Dr. Aruna Deb Roy | 24-06-2022

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities are growing at their pace and are undertaken by the corporates as mandate under the law. But there lays scope for discussion on a few topics which are still in the nascent stage and requires calibration. The issues like accountability through reporting, moral disclosure, social disclosure, and its relationship with CSR. Read More

Social media capital: Future trends in Meghalaya 
By Alexander L Passah | 21-06-2022

Meghalaya has seen a substantial surge in social media usage in recent years. During the pandemic, this was greatly accelerated. Individuals must remain critical of social media and its link with development and employment, despite the numerous benefits that emerge from its use in terms of alternative livelihood prospects. Read More

Natural Language Processing (NLP): A means for human-computer interaction using the Khasi language

By Dr Medari Janai Tham | 21-06-2022

Natural Language Processing (NLP) allows any human language to communicate with a computer. It is a step toward developing tools that will improve a Khasi speaker’s computer usage: for example, he can communicate with non-Khasi speakers via machine translation, which translates Khasi to another language and vice versa; browse the internet and convert the contents to Khasi; and perform simple tasks such as typing text in Khasi and having a tool check the spellings, grammar, and so on. Read More