NWMI

05/06/2026

★ NWMI June 2026 InkSights ★

The theme for this year’s is , which calls attention to the need for urgent action to deal with the climate crisis engulfing the globe 🌎 This year, too, the day is a reminder of the fact that women are central to the conversation around the environment ♀️

Women and girls are primarily responsible for water collection💧Globally, 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women. Climate change is expected to push 158 million women and children into poverty by 2050. Climate disasters like floods and heatwaves also tend to affect women more than men.

The second reason why women need to be part of the conversation about the environment is that they are also powerful agents of change. With their knowledge and experience of managing natural resources and building community networks, women can become important contributors to efforts to adapt to climate change, providing solutions to related problems and reducing the risk of environmental disasters 💪🏽🌀

Countries with greater representation of women in leadership are more likely to adopt initiatives to protect the environment as well as climate-related policies.

Read the piece here: https://nwmindia.org/features/climate-change-hits-her-hardest/

InkSights is a monthly art series by NWMI member Anupama Bijur viewing current affairs through a gender and news lens.

You can read the archive here: https://nwmindia.org/category/features/inksights/

genderjustice

18/05/2026

While a large number of women voters were struck off the rolls, the R.G. Kar r**e case and the teachers’ recruitment scam created an outpouring of public opinion against Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal, writes Shikha Mukerjee.

Read the full story here:

https://nwmindia.org/features/gender-media-elections/2026-assembly-elections/how-sir-workplace-safety-and-corruption-influenced-womens-votes-in-bengal/

15/05/2026

After 10 days of suspense and political drama, Congress leader V. D. Satheesan was chosen as the next Chief Minister of Kerala on May 13, following the Assembly election results announced on May 4.

Meanwhile, only 11 women have been elected to the 140-member Legislative Assembly, a shocking figure for a state known for its high literacy, strong social indicators and progressive outlook.

Saraswathy Nagarajan throws light on this shameful gender gap for our GME section.
✍️

Read here: https://nwmindia.org/features/gender-media-elections/how-keralas-patriarchy-keeps-women-out-of-the-assembly/

15/05/2026

After 10 days of suspense and political drama, Congress leader V. D. Satheesan was chosen as the next Chief Minister of Kerala on May 13, following the Assembly election results announced on May 4.

Meanwhile, only 11 women have been elected to the 140-member Legislative Assembly, a shocking figure for a state known for its high literacy, strong social indicators and progressive outlook.

Saraswathy Nagarajan throws light on this shameful gender gap for our GME section.

Read here:
https://nwmindia.org/features/gender-media-elections/how-keralas-patriarchy-keeps-women-out-of-the-assembly/

14/05/2026

Durba Ghosh, Guwahati Bureau Chief of the Press Trust of India and member of the Network of Women in Media, India, has been conferred the Brahmaputra Valley Journalism Award by the Assam State Journalists Union (ASJU).

It was reported that a jury board constituted by the association made the selection, recognizing Durba Ghosh’s long-standing and notable contributions to journalism in Assam. The citation commended Durba Ghosh’s ‘impartial and reliable approach’ towards several issues of the region and her role in taking it to the global stage.

Congratulations, Durba!

Read here:
https://nwmindia.org/network-news/awards/durba-ghosh-conferred-brahmaputra-valley-journalism-award/

03/05/2026

Silencing the story
🎤📰🗞✒️May 3 is observed across the globe as World Press Freedom Day. But this year there is not much to cheer about.
🎤📰🗞✒️ According to the World Press Freedom Index 2026 recently released by Reporters Without Borders, India has slipped to the 157th position, down six places from 2025.
🎤📰🗞✒️ The Index also reflects a broader global downturn for the first time in 25 years, with more than half the world’s countries (among the 180 surveyed) falling into “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.
🎤📰🗞✒️ According to the Index, out of the five indicators used to assess press freedom worldwide – economic, legal, security, political and social environments – the legal one has seen the sharpest decline this year, suggesting that journalism is increasingly being criminalised worldwide.
Conflicts, authoritarian regimes, economic strain in the media industry and political interference have also led to the shrinking of space for objective reporting. ✊🏼🕊️

This month on InkSights. Read more: https://nwmindia.org/features/inksights/silencing-the-story/



InkSights is a monthly art and current affairs series by our member & artist Anupama Bijur exclusively for NWMI.

You can view the InkSights archives on our website.
https://nwmindia.org/category/gender-lens/inksights/

26/04/2026

The casual misogyny of the campaign trail is not separate from the structural abandonment of women, Diya Maria George writes from Tamil Nadu for NWMI's Gender Media and Election blog.

Read her analysis here -
https://nwmindia.org/features/gender-media-elections/on-the-campaign-trail-speeches-about-respect-but-no-proof-of-regard-for-women/

25/04/2026

20/04/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞.

📜 On 17 April 2026, the Lok Sabha rejected The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 [Delimitation Bills of 2026] which aimed to expand the Lok Sabha. The Amendment was disingenuously linked by the government to the Women's Reservation Act 2023 (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) when in fact they are two separate amendments.

It is important to note that the Women's Reservation Act is the outcome of decades of advocacy by women's organisations.

📜
The Delimitation Bill aimed to expand the number of seats in the Lok Sabha from 543 to 850, based on the population of states in India in 2011, when the last Census of India was conducted.

This would effectively mean that several states in northern India, which have higher populations (on account of poor human development indicators), would have greater representation in Parliament. This would in turn favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the party has a stronger foothold in those states.

♀️
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam guaranteeing 33% reservation of seats for women not only in the Lok Sabha, but also in Legislative Assemblies in all states and union territories, was passed by Parliament unanimously in 2023. The Act (more popularly known as the Women’s Reservation Act) actually came into force on 16 April 2026.

📜
What was defeated in Parliament on 17 April was the amendment deviously attempting to link women's reservation to delimitation, based on data from a 15-year-old Census.

🗞️
Some media outlets and social media influencers have been presenting the defeat of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 as an anti-women development to be blamed on Opposition parties, thereby whitewashing the blatant attempt to push through delimitation in the guise of the political empowerment of women.
♀️

17/04/2026

Heartiest congratulations to NWMI member Aiswarya Raj, correspondent at The Indian Express, on winning the Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award 2026 in the Print category.

Aiswarya was joint winner with Dheeraj Mishra for their Indian Express story on the Uttarakhand tourism project. The award is a recognition of journalism rooted in truth, courage, integrity, and public interest.

This is a proud moment for NWMI and for all who believe in fearless, impactful journalism.

Congratulations, Aiswarya!
Read here: https://nwmindia.org/network-news/awards/aiswarya-raj-among-winners-of-danish-siddiqui-journalism-award-2026/