The Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA), has been engaged in critically analyzing the plastics lifespan from petrochemical manufacturing, production and consumption of plastics to its disposal using chemical recycling including incineration. In this context, it is important to note that India is emerging as a leading petrochemical manufacturing hub in Asia. The existing petrochemical industries have impacted the local communities. It has threatened their lives, livelihood and led to land acquisition. Moreover, the workers in these industries are denied basic human rights.
The research fellowship will be four months and is intended to encourage writers to deep-dive into the petrochemical industry and critically report on its impact and people’s responses.
Dipanjan Sinha
Dipanjan Sinha looks for stories all around him that somehow seem to fit the environment and politics categories in news. He loves to exist in the borders of these categories. After long stints at HT and Telegraph, he is an independent journalist now. You can see his bylines in Vice, Business Insider, The Wire, HT and more.
As part of the fellowship, Dipanjan will report on the impact of the petrochemical and plastics manufacturing industry in West Bengal and Odisha.
Varsha Singh
Varsha Singh is an Independent Journalist based in Uttarakhand in Northern India. She has 5 years of experience as an environment, climate, wildlife journalist. She covers the Himalayan region’s environment, wildlife and people’s issues. Her articles have been published in Down to Earth, Newsclick, BBC Hindi, The Third Pole, Mongabay Hindi, Firstpost, 101reporters and various other national digital media platforms.
She has been a fellow of TERI for climate change reporting, InOld news/ Internews MOJO fellowship, 12th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (Online) Fellowships, Land Conflict Watch Biodiversity boot camp, IDP-Newslaundry Data Journalism fellowship. Received training from the Centre of Science and Environment on climate change and data journalism.
She has received grants from Earth journalism network, Internews Europe, WildEye Asia/Oxpeckers, Thakur foundation. She has won Laadli media and advertisement award for gender sensitivity jury appreciation citation supported by UNFPA in 2021.
As part of the fellowship, Varsha will explore the road for a just transition in the context of the petrochemical industry through an understanding of the impact of the industry in Dahej, Gujarat.