Niha Masih

India’s Green India Mission has achieved only 2.43% of its original forest-expansion pledge, according to government auditors. The government’s claims of rising forest cover are challenged by independent assessments and critics who argue that orchards, plantations and other tree-covered land inflate the figures. At the same time, India has approved the diversion of forest land roughly equivalent to Hong Kong, with mining, roads and irrigation among the main drivers. Madhya Pradesh accounts for nearly a quarter of recent diversions, while the proposed Great Nicobar Project could clear at least 700,000 trees and damage Indigenous communities and fragile ecosystems. Experts argue that compensatory tree planting cannot replace diverse natural forests, and warn that India’s delayed forest report makes the true condition of its forests increasingly difficult to assess.

Women activists across India describe why they are challenging injustice through student organizing, hunger strikes, direct protest and electoral politics. Neha Bora demands accountability over exam-paper leaks and education reform; Rhiya Ahir defends her intervention to help detained protesters despite a gendered online hate campaign; Danish Ali links activism to Muslim women’s equal citizenship and freedom to criticize government policy; and Ratna Singh argues that young Indians are rejecting religious division and demanding faster political change. The feature places their activism in a longer history of women-led movements, while noting that formal politics remains difficult for women, especially those without political family connections. It also highlights criticism of Narendra Modi’s rhetoric, missed environmental targets and the limited functioning of India’s parliamentary Question Hour.

India’s relationship with Israel has deepened under Narendra Modi, moving beyond arms purchases toward joint manufacturing and the export of weapons components by Indian companies to Israeli military suppliers. An Amnesty International investigation traced hundreds of thousands of components shipped between October 2023 and November 2025, raising concerns that India could be implicated in abuses in Gaza. Despite international criticism of Israel, allegations of genocide and war crimes, and opposition from activists and parts of India’s political left, the issue has produced little broad public backlash, which analysts attribute partly to ideological overlap between Hindutva and Zionism. India has also become Israel’s largest defence customer and sent more than 20,000 workers to Israel. The closer alignment could expose India to energy and economic risks from the wider regional conflict, particularly tensions involving Iran and the Gulf.

India’s Cockroach movement used memes, livestreams and street demonstrations to challenge both the Modi government and television news outlets accused of downplaying police violence and examination-leak protests. After authorities used teargas, batons and allegedly pellet guns against demonstrators demanding education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, mainstream channels framed the events as clashes or anarchy, while social media documented injuries and alleged abuses. The protests helped fuel Pradhan’s resignation and prompted broader criticism of “godi media,” with younger and some older audiences turning to independent creators and citizen reporters. The episode suggests that Gen Z’s ability to bypass television narratives may accelerate the declining influence of India’s prime-time news ecosystem, even as BJP supporters target protesters online and the government seeks new ways to engage younger audiences.