June 1, 2021
India’s COVID-19 response limited by strong urban and tech bias
India's response to the second wave of COVID-19 glosses over the lack of infrastructure and technology know-how in rural India.
Nageena Banu is a member of the executive committee of the Neralu Beedi Workers' Union and member-president of the Mehnath Muslim Mahila Alpasankyathara Souharda Sahakari Niyamita (a cooperative bank), based in Davanagere, Karnataka. For more than a decade, Nageena has been organising women working in the informal beedi rolling industry in her area to demand fairer wages and working conditions. As part of the union, she has also worked extensively on issues including access to healthcare, education, and government entitlements for people in her community.