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 that seeks to amend forest act  Aug 03, 2023 https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/parliament-clears-contentious-bill-that-seeks-to-amend-forest-act-101691002458287.html The Rajya Sabha cleared the contentious Forest Conservation (Amendment) bill 2023 on Wednesday, opening the door for development and exploitation of vast tracts of forest lands that are not recorded as such in government records and potentially endangering sensitive ecosystems in the Northeast that fall under a national security exemption. The forest bill was passed after a debate lasting one hour and 40 minutes without any member from the Opposition that walked out over the violence in Manipur.

And, with the controversial Biological Diversity Amendment bill -- which sparked a row for exempting users of traditional knowledge and Ayush practitioners from sharing benefits with local communities -- that was passed by the Upper House on Tuesday, it marks the beginning of a new era in India’s environmental protection regime.

BEST drivers’ strike at two bus depots continues; Aamchi Mumbai Amachi Best to hold rally Somit Sen / TNN / Aug 2, 2023,  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/102362033.cms  As many as 500 drivers are likely to continue the agitation which started on Wednesday morning and this could inconvenience citizens for the second day on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Aamchi Mumbai Amachi Best, a Citizens' platform, will take out a protest rally on the occasion of "BEST Divas" on August 7 from Kotwal garden opposite Plaza Cinema (Dadar West) to Wadala Depot to submit memorandum to BEST authorities on increasing fleet, maintaining buses properly, merging BEST budget with BMC budget, restoring discontinued bus routes and also introducing dedicated lanes for buses in city.

Dark Side of India's Data Protection Bill | Deshbhakt Takeover Ep3 - ft Anjali Bharadwaj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_ERWLezCzI Aug 2, 2023
The Data Protection Bill is finally set to be tabled in Parliament. While important for India's Digital Infrastructure - there are serious concerns about the Bill. Besides the issue of Govt. infringing on our right to privacy - it could also be diluting the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Anjali Bharadwaj https://youtu.be/p_ERWLezCzI?t=126 

The dangers in the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-dangers-in-the-digital-personal-data-protection-bill/article67147030.ece 
With the executive vastly empowered to draft rules and notifications on a range of issues, India might end up with a law that takes away the right to seek personal information
August 02, 2023 ANJALI BHARDWAJ,AMRITA JOHRI

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-problems-with-the-data-protection-bill/article66531928.ece  the Bill seeks to dilute the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which has empowered citizens to access information and hold governments accountable. Experience has shown that if people, especially the poor and marginalised, are to have any hope of obtaining the benefits of welfare programmes, they must have access to relevant, granular information. For instance, the National Food Security Act recognises the need for placing the details of ration card holders and records of ration shops, including sale and stock registers, in the public domain to enable social audits of the public distribution system. In the absence of publicly accessible information, it is impossible for intended beneficiaries to access their rightful entitlement of food grains. This is equally true for delivery of other social security programmes such as old age pensions and scholarships. It is behind the cloak of secrecy that the rights of individuals are most frequently abrogated and corruption thrives. In recognition of this principle, democracies ensure public disclosure of voters’ lists with names, addresses and other details to enable scrutiny and prevent electoral fraud

Problems with the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJOlHJ87J0E Online Public Meeting   National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information (NCPRI)

Anjali Bhardwaj Jul 30, 2023
Online Public Meeting