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GST reforms: Recent issues and reforms required

Ritwik
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GST reforms: Recent issues and reforms required

“GST saves us from 17 horrifying taxes that amount to 31% in India. With GST, India has become one market. Some states levied entertainment tax ranging from 35% to 110% while there were 235 items on which 31% tax was levied. But under GST, there will be only 10 items under the 28% slab. Everyday use items will come under the 5% tax slab, and everything will go online” 

Above were the words of our ex-FM Sh. Arun Jaitley while responding to all the questions raised by the opposition in the parliament. GST was introduced on June 1, 2017, and it has been awarded the title of ‘Mother of all tax reforms’ by many economists and politicians. It was quite historic because, in a federal structure, both the Centre and States had the power to impose an indirect tax on goods and most of the states had multiple laws that gave them this power. It was an arduous task of getting all the States on the table for discussion and developing a consensus in the Parliament. With the earlier indirect tax regime of VAT with 14.5%, excise at 12.5%, the cascading effect of tax on tax, and filing multiple returns, today there is only one tax, everything online, no truck queues, and no inter-state barriers. 

But this is India, and the experts soon found the loopholes in the system and today fake GST invoices and e-way bills were issued. Recently a GST fraud of Rs 33 Crores came to the notice. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, a tussle can easily be seen between the Centre and State where the states are demanding full compensation but the Centre has put forward the option of market borrowing to bridge the gap. The recent CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) report on GST stated that the Centre government violated the GST Compensation Cess Act, 2017 and short-credited the cess fund to the tune of Rs 47,272 Crore during 2017-18 and 2018-19. 

Problems with GST

Those conceptualizing the concept of GST wanted that it should be made so simple that a common person can file the returns himself and need not give a fee to CA. But today, the GST with its dependency on technology has made it much more complex for a taxpayer to upload invoices, take actions in ANX-2 to claim ITC (Input Tax Credit), and report missing invoices. With no facility for uploading real-time invoice, the taxpayers have to spend extra efforts to upload the invoices with accurate details continuously. Another pain involved with the system is frequent matching which is the process of matching the invoices uploaded by the supplier with the books of accounts to claim the input tax credit. The taxpayer has to dedicatedly spend time to do the same.

Following the same, we have problems with the recipient who has to continuously keep an eye on the supplier whether he has uploaded the invoices on the portal, and therefore report for the missing ones. 

Technical Glitches with GST

Limits of file size and HSN code issues have been the major issues since January 2020. The government pushing the dates of implementation of E-invoicing and QR code shows that the government and the system itself isn’t still prepared for this technology-driven taxation process. The scheme of E-wallet for exporters that was proposed in 2017 is still a dream for the government. 

Rather than giving the option of filing TRANS-1/2  electronically or manually, the GST department focuses on the online system in which many taxpayers fail to complete the filing due to technical glitches. The same issue was raised in the case of Adfert Technologies Pvt. Ltd vs Union Of India And Others and M/S. Shree Motors vs Union Of India on 18 March 2020. 

A pertinent question arises on the reliability of GSTR-2A which is downloaded from the online portal because many times it does not match with the 2A excel sheet. While filing GSTR-1, the information is not accurately captured in GSTR-2A and not even updated on a real-time basis. Thus, an invoice of previous months does not get reflected in the month to which it relates, but in the month it is uploaded. The biggest lacuna is that the GSTR-2A report can be downloaded on a monthly basis rather than quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly. 

Even if a taxpayer has a valid invoice and is not reflected in the GSTR-2A reports due to technical problems, the ITC will get blocked. There is no facility for auto-calculation of ITC as per rule 36(4) of the CGST Rules, 2017. Thus, the onus of calculating is still on the taxpayer who still doesn’t understand the working of the so-called “simple Tax system”. 

For performing the GST audit, the taxpayer must have the Windows 7 or above Operating System installed along with MS Excel 2007 and above, GST em-signer, and updated versions of internet explorer and Java 1.6. The GST department must understand that taxpayers are not computer experts! This is one of the main issues that force the common man to go to CAs. 

Registering for the first time is itself a cumbersome task as you need to put all your documents in a file of 100 KB only! While there are online tools to compress the file size, why bother the taxpayer? Can’t it be increased to 10-20 MB?

With a total of 5 Crore taxpayers as of 1st April 2019, the website allows only 3 lakh taxpayers to file the GST returns, which also gets crashed multiple times! Many times taxpayers have to face the wrath of late filing just because of website traffic. The OTP is not received in the mailbox of the taxpayer which also delays the process. 

Downloading the GSTR1 and GSTR-2A data takes 20 minutes which should be available instantly on the website. 

Reforms Required in the GST

There should be a 3-tier GST structure. Under the first tier, the exempted goods and services along with zero-rating of exports should be placed. The second tier should contain a uniform 15% tax. The third tier should contain 6-12 well-specified goods and services like tobacco products, petrol, diesel, cars, and luxury hotels. This will lead to an improvement in Ease of compliance, monitoring, and analyzing while a drastic decrease can be expected in the cost to taxpayers and the administration. 

100% invoice matching isn’t followed anywhere. Thus, it is desirable to match the invoices above a certain value like Rs. 10,000. 

The analysis of the GST council is done by the ‘fitment committee’, consisting of nominated officials of the Tax Research Unit in CBIC, and some other officials of the commercial taxes departments from some states. Thus, there is an urgent need for technical experts with expertise in economics, administration, accountancy, and law so that better decisions can be taken with rigorous research. The tax system can’t be improved until and unless it doesn’t get audited well and transparently. CAG isn’t provided with the whole data. Thus, full access to pan-India data should be provided for a detailed audit. 

Housing For All is the flagship scheme of the government and since the 1% GST rate is applicable on affordable housing units, therefore, in order to achieve better results, the limit on the value of the unit must be raised from INR 45 lakhs to INR 75 lakhs (for non-metro cities) / INR 1.5 Crore (for metro cities). The carpet area must also be redefined under RERA by increasing it from 90 sqm to 120 sqm (in non-metro cities) and 60 sqm to 90 sqm (in metro cities). 

Solving the fake invoice industry 

The GST Council must expand the coverage of e-invoicing up to Rs. 50 Crore within this financial year and up to Rs. 5 Crore by July next year. Using the technology and reverse-charge mechanism, compliance will improve, the base will broaden and misuse of the input tax credit will decline. 

It is high time to rationalize the rates of electrical transformers, railway wagons, textile products, plastic bags, and solar panels to avoid inverted duty structure. 

It has been said that States are not comfortable bringing petroleum and electricity under the GST fold but since the economy is recovering, this is the best time to bring this biggest reform. Electricity has to be removed from the Seventh Schedule (Entry 53) and must be put along with other taxes in the GST. The only way to deal with the issue of State consumption tax is to have a separate excise on these items to safeguard revenues. 

Exports should be zero-rated and not be subject to IGST, following an international practice. 

The CGST rule of payment refund is quite a cumbersome process and can be easily simplified based on the submission of Form GSTR 1 and GSTR 3B without waiting for cross-verification of ITC claims in GSTR 2 for a period of six months. 

GST was a huge bargain when States gave up their rights to collect sales tax while the Centre gave up excise and service tax. Australia also shares the GST anniversary with us where the rates have been constant at 10%. Thus, a single rate in India can be a huge reform, and a matter of discussion too! But there is an urgent need for structural reforms in GST, in order to be a leading economy. 

The ‘religion of peace’!

Dr Jadabeswar Bhattacharjee
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The ‘religion of peace’!

One universally quoted verse of Quran reveals that whosoever kills an innocent person, kills the whole mankind and whosoever saves one, he saves the whole mankind. On the face value, the verse appears very benign. Most of the non-Muslims don’t want to cross-check the exact and complete text of the verse in the age of Google even.

But this verse is glossed over through concealing the whole verse and manipulating words by Islamic apologists who are keen to prove that Islam is the ‘religion of peace’. This they do either due to ignorance or for serving some Jihadi agenda. In the first group come Indian Leftists and Liberals and in the second group come Zakir Naik, Shahrukh Khan, Rana Ayyub, Arfa Khanum Sherwani and Asaduddin Owaisi et al.

The said verse is actually verse number 32 of Surah Al-Ma’idah of Quran and commonly denoted as Quran 5:32. As per Sahih International, the whole verse of Quran 5:32 reveals,

“Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.”

Now the violence and hatred ingrained in the verse becomes clear. The two sets of words are at the core of the verse. The first one is ‘unless for a soul’. This means that a man can be killed as revenge killing. And second one is ‘for corruption’, meaning a man can be killed for his idolatry or for worshiping other God than Allah or for polytheism. In all the situations, killing of anybody is illegal and immoral in today’s civilized world.

Since Quran is to be for all time to come, Islamic apologists find it very difficult to reconcile this violent verse in today’s world and resort to gross lie and deception. All non-Muslims should therefore read Quran and cross-check all Islamic propaganda in books or internet.

भाग 4/4 – कुछ लोग एमएसपी को एक कानून बनाने पर जोर क्यों दे रहे हैं?

satyanweshibharat
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भाग 4/4 – कुछ लोग एमएसपी को एक कानून बनाने पर जोर क्यों दे रहे हैं?

क्या देश के सभी राज्यों में इनपुट की लागत समान है?

पहला और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण MSP कानून बनाने की मांग है। अब इसे कानून बनाना एक चुनौती है। क्यों? हम सभी जानते हैं कि MSP की गणना कम से कम “इनपुट्स जो कि खेती में जाती है +50% मार्जिन” के रूप में की जाती है। देश भर में भूल जाओ; इनपुट लागत लैंडहोल्डिंग के आधार पर भिन्न होती है। 2.5 एकड़ से कम कृषि भूमि के लिए इनपुट लागत 5 एकड़ से अधिक कृषि भूमि के लिए इनपुट लागत से अधिक है। हमने देखा है कि देश में अधिकांश किसानों (80-90%) के पास 2.5 एकड़ से भी कम भूमि है। 5 एकड़ से अधिक भूमि वाले किसानों को एमएसपी शासन से सबसे अधिक लाभ होता है। जबकि 2.5 एकड़ से कम भूमि वाले किसान के लिए इनपुट लागत लगभग 12-13 rs गेहूँ प्रति किलोग्राम है, एक किसान के लिए जिसकी 5 एकड़ या अधिक है, लगभग 7-8 rs प्रति एकड़ है। तो जबकि छोटे किसान को केवल 6-7 प्रति किलो का लाभ मिलता है, इस एमएसपी बैरोमीटर को रखने पर – एक अमीर किसान 12-13 रुपये प्रति किलो तक कमा लेता है।

ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि छोटी भूमि वाले किसानों की तुलना में बड़े खेत पर आधुनिक तकनीकों और उपकरणों का उपयोग करना संभव है। छोटे भूमि-मालिक किसान – ट्रैक्टर भी नहीं खरीद सकते हैं और उन्हें मैनुअल श्रम पर बहुत अधिक निर्भर रहना पड़ता है। उचित तकनीक के साथ बीज बोने के उपकरण, यूरिया फैलाने के लिए उपकरण और उर्वरक के लिए भी यही तर्क लगभग सही है। कुछ राज्यों में इनपुट लागत भी कम होगी जहां किसानों को सिंचाई के लिए मुफ्त बिजली और पानी मिलता है।

यही कारण है कि इनपुट लागत पूरे भारत में समान नहीं है, और यह वास्तव में छोटे किसानों के लिए अभिशाप है। यदि स्वामीनाथन आयोग की सिफारिशें लागू की जाती हैं, तो आदर्श रूप से, बड़े किसानों को 13-14 रुपये प्रति किलोग्राम का एमएसपी होना चाहिए। यह उच्च मार्जिन, जो छोटे किसानों को बचाने के लिए है, वास्तव में किसी भी तरह के निवेश को रोकता है – क्योंकि खेती लाभदायक नहीं है।

यही कारण है कि कुछ तत्व किसानों के बीच भ्रम पैदा कर रहे हैं – ताकि एमएसपी शासन बना रहे – और एक कानून बन जाए। धनी किसान केवल अपने लाभ मार्जिन में रुचि रखते हैं और उच्च एमएसपी गणना से लाभान्वित करने का लक्ष्य रखते हैं। भले ही इसका मतलब है कि हमारी दरें अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजारों में प्रतिस्पर्धी नहीं हैं, और गोदामों में अनाज सड़ जाता है।

अब हम देखेंगे – ये तत्व किस तरह का भ्रम पैदा करने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।

प्राथमिक एक है – कॉर्पोरेट्स शुरू में एक उच्च मूल्य प्रदान करेंगे, फिर मंडियों को बंद करेंगे, और फिर किसानों को कम कीमत पर बेचने के लिए मजबूर करेंगे।

यह एक मूर्खतापूर्ण धारणा है। हिंदी में एक कहावत है, अगर आप पानी में रह रहे हैं तो मगरमच्छ से दुश्मनी न करें। कॉरपोरेट जमीन के मालिक नहीं हैं। कॉर्पोरेट अनाज खरीदते थे, और फिर भंडारण, आपूर्ति श्रृंखला में पैसा खर्च करते थे। उनका उद्देश्य उपभोक्ता या निर्यात के लिए अनाज प्राप्त करना होगा। अगर हम सरकारी आंकड़ों पर गौर करें तो 2020 में भारत में लगभग 65 लाख टन अनाज बर्बाद हो गया। एफसीआई ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में कहा है कि हर महीने यह भंडारण के लिए लगभग 5.21 रुपये प्रति 50 किलोग्राम अनाज खर्च करता है। यह प्रति माह 10 पैसे प्रति किलो तक आता है। यह लागत आपूर्ति श्रृंखला में अनाज के नुकसान, श्रमिकों की लागत, परिवहन लागत आदि को ध्यान में नहीं रखती है।

एफसीआई ने अकेले 2018-2019 में 4000+ करोड़ रुपये खर्च किए। किसी भी व्यावसायिक व्यक्ति से पूछें, खरीदा गया कोई भी उत्पाद तुरंत बेचा जाना चाहिए। एक बंद और संग्रहीत इन्वेंट्री वास्तव में बेकार है। कॉर्पोरेट्स ने आपूर्ति श्रृंखला में किसान से खरीद करने के लिए जो भुगतान किया है, वह लगभग उतना ही खर्च कर रहा है। यही वजह है कि 19.50 रुपये प्रति किलो के हिसाब से किसान से खरीदा गया गेहूं शेल्फ पर 38-46 रुपये प्रति किलो हो जाता है। अनाजों को संग्रहीत रखने के लिए कॉर्पोरेटों को कोई प्रोत्साहन नहीं है। कॉरपोरेट्स एक-दूसरे के साथ प्रतिस्पर्धा करते दिखेंगे – टाटा सेम्पन ब्रांड, आईटीसी (आशिरवाद ब्रांड), विप्रो और कई अन्य खिलाड़ी बाजार में हैं। नाशपाती उत्पाद को स्टोर करने की लागत और भी अधिक है। उत्पादित होने के 1 साल बाद कौन जमे हुए टमाटर खरीदना चाहता है?

अगर हम मानते हैं कि इसे स्टोर करने के लिए 50 पैसे प्रति किलो का खर्च आता है, और आपने अपना गेहूं अक्टूबर में बेचा है, तो आपकी अगली उपज अगले अक्टूबर में आने वाली है। इस 12 महीनों की अवधि में, कॉर्पोरेट्स पहले ही भंडारण पर 6 रुपये प्रति किलो खर्च कर चुके होंगे। अनाज। आप इसे अनिश्चित काल तक संग्रहीत नहीं रख सकते। कॉरपोरेट्स को फिर से खरीदना होगा।

कॉरपोरेट्स के लिए सबसे अच्छा लाभ किसानों के साथ मिलकर प्रति एकड़ उत्पादन बढ़ाने, गुणवत्ता में सुधार, इनपुट लागत कम करने और इसे न केवल भारत में, बल्कि अंतरराष्ट्रीय बाजारों में भी बेचना होगा। किसान को पीड़ित बनाने के लिए भंडारण में कोई प्रोत्साहन नहीं है।आर्म ट्विस्टिंग यदि कोई हो, तो किसान उत्पादक संगठन (एफपीओ) के निर्माण से भी बचा जा सकता है। व्यक्तिगत रूप से कॉर्पोरेट्स से निपटने की तुलना में किसानों के पास एक संगठित इकाई के रूप में सफल होने का बेहतर मौका है।

जैसा कि सरकार की मंशा सवालों के घेरे में है – हमने पहले से ही ऐसे कई अवसरों पर सरकार को कदम उठाते हुए देखा है ताकि किसी का शोषण न हो। उदाहरण के लिए Amazon और Walmart को लें। गहरी त्योहारी छूट के साथ ये ऑनलाइन साइटें छोटे दुकानदारों को नुकसान पहुंचा सकती हैं। सरकार ने यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए कदम उठाया कि यह दोहराया नहीं जाए।

कोई भी कानून त्रुटिहीन नहीं है। ये खेत कानून एक अच्छा पहला कदम है, और वह भी सही दिशा में। यह महत्वपूर्ण है कि हम सभी को लाभकारी बनाने के लिए उचित सुरक्षा उपायों पर काम करें। सभी कॉरपोरेट्स, किसानों और अंतिम उपभोक्ताओं को इस सहयोग से लाभ उठाना चाहिए, बजाय इसके कि किसी एक समूह का शोषण किया जाए।

A Hindu in Kashmir!

Swarn Kishore
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A Hindu in Kashmir!

If someone comes up with a piece of Kashmiri folk before you, the chances of it having its origin in the vatsun poetry of Lalleshwari popularly known as Lal Ded is more than 90 percent. If you are searching a book to pip through the history of Kashmir; the book which is a sort of authority over history of Kashmir is Rajatarangini and was authored by Kalhana. Since the ancient times, Hindus are sculptor of Kashmiri culture and its development as well. Therefore imagining future Kashmir in absentia of Kashmiri Hindus would be nothing but a deception with the culture and idea of Kashmir or we can say Kashmiriyat.

But suddenly in the first month of 1990, something weird started appearing on the walls in Kashmir. Posters were pasted on the walls of houses of Kashmiri Hindus, under the seal and stamp of some terrorist organisations which included Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front etc. In those posters the Kashmiri Hindus were instructed or we can say threatened to leave the Kashmir valley within 24 hours or to get ready to die. Some masked Kashmiris ran amok in the street waiving Kalashnikovs and raising anti –India slogans and taped slogans which were played from the loudspeakers of mosques whole night were ; “Kashmir mein rehna hai, Allah-o-Akbar kehna hai (if you want to stay in Kashmir, you have to say Allah-o-Akbar”, “Yahaan kya chalega, Nizaam-e-mustafa (What do we want here? Rule of Shariah)”, and the pathetic of them all (Asi gachchi Pakistan, Batao roas te batanev saan (We want Pakistan along with Hindu women but without their men). 

When some of the Hindus therein exhibited some sort of reluctance to leave their homeland, the Kashmiri terrorists even started massacring the Hindus; and not only killing them but raping the women as well. And in this campaign even the children and the older ones were not having the impunity. Believe it or not but house of a high court judge, Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo was bombed and later he was too assassinated in broad day light. An advocate and a national executive member of BJP, Pandit Tika Lal Taploo was murdered in front of several eye witnesses, but no one was arrested or even the matter found any sincere investigation. From hate slogans from the loud speakers of mosques to the whispering conversations in the streets, from passiveness the government in New Delhi to the inaction of the government in the state everything conspired to oust Kashmiri Hindus from their homeland.

Although what happened in 1990 is not hidden but for sake of brief recapitulation of facts, let me put it straight; killing of around 300 and exodus of more than half a million Kashmiri Hindus took place in the  campaign of ethnic wiping of Kashmiri Hindus from the soil of Kashmir. It was one of the largest exoduses of the century and almost doubles the number when compared to the exodus of Jews from Germany and Austria. For that expulsion of Jews we people still vilify Hitler but till today we fail to fix the responsibility for what happened in Kashmir in 1990.

It was a planned massacre of Kashmiri Hindus just to force them to migrate; thereby making them refugees in their own country. Even UN had recorded it as the biggest migration in so many years. And such a thing had happened for the first time that a community which constituted majority of a country was forced to migrate and to live in refugee camps elsewhere in their own country.

For last three decades, we are witness to continuous armed struggle between Indian forces and Pakistan sponsored Kashmiri terrorists. These years have changed a lot of things but the grim situation in Kashmir. Back then Syed Salah-ud-din being Mohd. Yusuf Shah was a political leader and now a proclaimed global terrorist, back then Yasin Malik was an armed terrorist of JKLF and now he calls himself a Gandhian, but the Indian struggle and distance of Kashmiri Hindus from their homeland keeps on growing day by day.

The Kashmiris still in the valley have grown for themselves some very popular leaders who are mainly bigots than anything, who are doing nothing but betraying the Kashmiri youth by appealing them to keep the struggle on while they are resting in their plush bungalows. Prominent among them are as; Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who had received the chairmanship of All Party Hurriyat Conference as a gesture of compassionate appointment after death of his father namely Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq. Otherwise how come a 17 year old kid be nominated a leader to run a movement which had international repercussions and where stakes of world powers are involved? Then there is Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who switched over from mainstream politics to separatism because of lack of funds there, and now he mainly transacts in Hawala only. And then there is Yasin Malik, once a terrorist and now a separatist leader having a Pakistani wife who is popularly known to own half of the Lal Chowk market, while most it is grabbed one. But one thing which can’t be denied is their populism in patches and its PR management. Just a minor gathering is all over the national media in few minutes and is a national issue in no time. Prime time in almost all the major news channels is pre-occupied with the rhetoric both in support and against the Kashmiri terrorists. Otherwise how come the stupid adventures and narcissist activities of teenager terrorist in the forests of south Kashmir reach the news studios in Noida; how come a guy playing cricket with Kalashnikov makes it to the TV screens; it is all PR management. Prior to this, an example of such PR management was seen in case of Veerappan only. I suppose there is something in the soil of Kashmir, otherwise when half of Bihar was submerged for almost a fortnight and no one bothered but two days flood in Kashmir extracted support for Bollywood and international forums.

Although the union government has been trying a lot to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Hindus from the time of Manmohan Singh ji led UPA till the present government, but nothing much seems to be accomplished till today. When the newly formed Narendra Modi led NDA government pitched in for construction of separate colonies for Kashmiri Hindus, it was widely condemned by all the separatist leaders and even by the Kashmir based political parties i.e. National Conference & Peoples Democratic Party. Nonetheless a change of heart took place overnight and the Hurriyat leaders started singing a song of welcoming Kashmiri Hindus; not in separate colonies but among them. Suddenly the whole separatist movement took a new turn and fresh secular flavour found place in their speeches. They started making space for Hindus in their idea of Kashmir and the idea of merging with Pakistan was dropped to form their utopian independent and secular Kashmir.

The new idea was an independent Kashmir which will be guaranteeing space for every Kashmiri irrespective of their religion. Let us assume this promise of Kashmiri separatist leaders is not like the promise of Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s Karachi speech, but how can we ignore when Mr Geelani goes on record and in speech comes up with a slogan such as “Hum Pakistani hain, Pakistan hamara hai; Pakistan se rishta kya, La ilaha illallah”. And when he appeals for support for Kashmir he yearns for support of people who are “Kashmiriyat pasand, Azaadi pasand & Islam pasand”. When the people there in Kashmir were forced to set their watches as per Pakistan standard time, how such words and acts can be interpreted? When a proclaimed terrorist having a huge fan following in Kashmir says that this whole movement is about Islamic Jihad and not about independence, whom are we supposed to believe?

In last three decades, barring few protected temples, each and every temple of Hindus has been desecrated. The few which still exist is only because Indian army personnel stand tall at the doors of those temples. The Hindus who visit Kashmir for pilgrimage are attacked and murdered. When Anantnag becomes Islamabad, Hari Parbat becomes Koh-e-Maran, Rangat Mohalla of Baramulla becomes Syed Karim Saheb and Lachhmanpura of Batmaloo becomes Sidiqabad, what is to be inferred from all this?

The problem is not only fixing of responsibility of those who murdered the Kashmiri Hindus but the absence of collective guilt of Kashmiri Muslims as well; who either became a party to the bloody exodus or stood silent to the oppression of their Hindu neighbours. When we take example of migration of Rohingya Muslim from Burma, we blame Burmese Buddhists, when we take example of migration of Syrian people, we blame ISIS, when Jews migrated from Germany, Hitler was condemned for that but in case of migration of Kashmiri Hindu, we have yet failed to zero in on the name and particulars of the guilty ones. I will not desist from comparing the massacre of Hindus in Kashmir with the Nazi pogrom of Kristallnacht (the night of broken glass) of 9-10 November 1938 in Nazi Germany, wherein a lot of Jews were killed and more than 30,000 Jews were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. But the real question is; will the people who were guilty of murdering and raping Kashmiri Hindu women be ever punished? Will the Kashmiri Hindus be ever getting into a position to go back to their homeland? Will Kashmiri Hindus ever get justice? And will peace ever find Kashmir without rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus? I remember a sentence from a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. from Birmingham prison in which he says “True peace is not merely absence of tension but presence of justice”. Therefore I ask; will justice be served to exiled community of Kashmiri Hindus? Will we ever be able to identify the murderers and rapists of Kashmiri Hindus or maybe this is just another case of “No one killed Jessica”; here I wish to quote a Urdu couplet of one of the greatest Urdu poet of our times, Dr. Rahat Indori which is;

Mere Hujre main nahin, aur kahin rakh do,
Aasman laaye ho? Le aao, zameen pe rakh do;
Ab kahaan dhoondne jaogey hamarey qaatil,
Aap to qatl ka ilzaam hmein pe rakh do!

The cost of reforms for New India – A lesson to learn

Ritwik
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The cost of reforms for New India – A lesson to learn

The years 2019 and 2020 will be written in history as the phase of remaking and reshaping India into a modern one, breaking the shackles of decades-old laws and acts. It will be enshrined as the phase when a government fulfilled all the promises of its election manifesto within a year! But alas!, our nation especially the leftist army and the urban Naxals want the same India of 1947. The government has already hit a series of six sixes in this 5-year test match.

The first six was hit bypassing the Muslim Women Protection Right Bill, the second six with the abrogation of article 370 and 35-A, the third six by passing the citizenship amendment act, the forth six by passing the unlawful activities prevention act, fifth six by passing the banking regulation act and now the sixth six by passing the farm bills. It has left the whole anti-national army in awe. The pain is so much that even Rahul Kanwal and Arfa Khanum had to ask ‘why the government is in a hurry to bring the laws?’ But do you know the cost of all these reforms that a taxpayer had to pay? Everything comes at a cost and eventually, these reforms also cost the general public a lot. Let’s have a look. 

The CAA-NRC-Delhi Riots

A bill that was not about taking citizenship but giving it, was rejected by the liberals by saying ‘Hindutva ki Kabra Khudegi AMU ki Chaati Par’ and ‘Jinnah Waali Azaadi’. The so-called peaceful protests took the lives of 53 people and injured 473 civilians along with 108 cops. Delhi’s metro services and transport services came to a sudden halt while CBSE board exams for class X and XII had to be postponed in North-East Delhi centers. According to the charge sheet by the Delhi police, the riots cost Rs 20 Crore. This loss doesn’t include the loss incurred by DMRC and inconvenience caused to citizens. Talking about Uttar Pradesh, the riots in Rampur estimated the worth of damage around Rs 25 Lakhs, 14 Lakhs in Meerut, 15 Lakhs in Sambhal, and 19.7 Lakhs in Bijnor. 

The rioters burning Delhi

In order to identify the protestors, the government has to further deploy surveillance cameras and use facial recognition technology to nail down the vandals. Thus, upgrading to the better version of Mahatma’s satyagraha will also come with a huge cost as India cannot afford unhindered damage to public property without accountability. 

The Farm Protests

The protests that started with raising the voice against the farm bills soon got hijacked by the Maoists and Khalistani groups. The reforms that came out as a suggestion from multiple committees like Shankerlal Guru Committee Report, Montek Singh Ahluwalia Report, RCA Jain Committee Report, Model APMC Act, MS Swaminathan Report, National Commission on Farmers Report, Harshavardhan Patil Report, and Standing Committee Report, was termed as ‘black laws’. 

The government is still ready to make the amendments in the clauses of the bill but how can a government release the Delhi riots accused who have UAPA charges against them? 

More of Khalistani than Farmers Protest

Most of the protestors are from Punjab, a state which has already bypassed the bills by bringing their laws in Punjab Vidhan Sabha. Since Congress found political mileage in these protests, it supported the protests and as a result, Punjab’s industry has faced a loss of Rs 30,000 Crore as of now due to the blockage. Industry bodies like ASSOCHAM and CII have already estimated that these protests are resulting in a daily loss of Rs 3,000 – Rs 3,500 Crore to the nation. In the coming days, the logistics cost will go up by 8%-10% and companies will start facing labor shortages. 

India’s economy is still recovering and when we talk about making a super-power, can we afford such protests? Doing a protest is the fundamental right of a person, which even SC reiterated while hearing but it should not harm the economy and public property! In 2021, you will see much bigger reforms like bringing the Uniform Civil Code, or One Nation One Election. So, as a responsible citizen, should we plan to destroy the nation (as done by the opposition) or cherish the reforms brought by the government? I do believe that our government must always have a long discussion on these overhauling reforms in the parliament as well as on public platforms, before bringing a bill. Discussion is a necessary evil but not riots! In the end, I remember those wonderful words and a piece of advice by former PM Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 

सरकारें आएंगी, जाएंगी, पार्टियां बनेंगी, बिगड़ेंगी मगर ये देश रहना चाहिए 

Jammu-Srinagar National Highway; a ticking time bomb!

Swarn Kishore
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Jammu-Srinagar National Highway; a ticking time bomb!

There were times when Jammu to Srinagar journey was a long affair of 12 hours wherein a morning breeze of the Manda hills marked the beginning of journey, followed by the curves of Nandni, pickles of Manthal and brunch of kulchas in Udhampur, Patisa of Kud. The coolness of Patnitop to be pacified by chai pakodas in Batote and Rajma Chawal along with a full view of Baghlihar dam in Peerah. Then came a place where throughout the whole stretch of national highway, River Chenab flows the closest i.e. Ramban. Some tea and snacks in Panthyal, dry fruits of Ramsoo, and then the last and steepest raise after crossing Banihal town to reach the all popular Jawahar Tunnel. As the sun starts sliding down, we used to reach the plain fields of Lower Munda followed the crowds of Anantnag and scrawny curves of Awantipora. Finally as we get closer to Srinagar, saffron fields of Pampore welcomed the passengers and after while plying through the banks of Jehlum, we could finally reach the banks of Dal Lake i.e. Dal Gate. This all used to take almost 12 hours and it was not just a journey but a brief tour of soul of Jammu and Kashmir.

Few days ago, it took me even less than 7 hours from Jammu to reach Srinagar but this time it was with three toll plazas, enormous dust and immense fear of a sliding shooting stone. River Chenab was never dirtier, the adjoining hills were never so very torn, leave aside the beauty. The adjoining markets are devastated, the air so very polluted that you can’t even afford to open the windows of your vehicle due to the immense surrounding dust and smog. Prior to widening project of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, only thing which created problems for the passengers was a week long blockade in Patnitop somewhere in the month December or January but now the blockade isn’t just for a week per year but for a fortnight every two months to add to the fury is a day of stillness every week. Stillness on highway is like putting the economy on ventilator, why doesn’t the administration understand this?

Somewhere in 2015, the work of construction of four laning of Jammu to Srinagar national highway commenced. And yes, it began simultaneously i.e. in the stretch which lies in Kashmir & Jammu. Two big shot construction companies were awarded with the contracts for four laning of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway from Udhampur to Banihal. People were happy as better and wider roads ostensibly translate into strengthening of economy as the local produce could find better markets in shorter times. But then began the debacle and construction companies did unleash the treachery and the real plunder of the resources of the region commenced. These construction companies were working much like East India Company by dividing the local people and bribing the influential ones while keeping the administration in their pockets by offering them something enticing.

In 2017, I remember a top official of a construction company while briefing with the progress of the project said since the construction work of the factory of Hon’ble Forest Minister is going on, therefore some of our workers are busy there. Inquisitively I raised a question over the reason for engaging their workers at work site of the minister’s factory, is it because of the rare expertise or what ? He replied this is called courtesy in our corporate culture. I was astonished. Similarly bureaucrats ask for plum posting in district Ramban where the maximum stretch of construction work locates; what for? And why only bureaucrats should have all the fun, every local politician of every ideological denomination have had their respective share in the work and consequent booty, not to worry abut the expertise in the work.

The construction companies delegated the construction work to either politicians turned contractors or contractors turned politicians, what could be probable reasons? It was just to bribe their conscience and make them believe that the welfare of company and the local politicos is mutual and in the meantime the public welfare can go for a walk. And at the end a long time goon has been roped in who brags keeping law under his feet, by the construction companies via a couple of illegal private contracts, while the governmental agencies like National Highway Authority of India and others sly in slumber. He has thrown caution to the winds while greasing the palms of the administration. It is always painful to see a district magistrate talking like a salesman of these companies and justifying their misdeeds. The words like “uppar se pressure hai”, “roz ka reporting karni hoti hai Delhi” and  “xyz neta ke bete ka share hai is company mein, hum kuchh nai kar skte hain ji” is the common expletive of almost all the bureaucrats posted in district Ramban.

The air is polluted to such a magnitude that in a bright sunny day, the visibility on the national highway is so very pathetic that it seeks the operation of headlights of vehicles. The people who are living alongside the national highway are falling sick with chest and lung diseases and this is not just a stray allegation; it stands further ratified with a report of Medical Superintendent, Ramban. So in a way people are being forced onto a road to death just to make sure some companies earn some extra bucks. Is this China or India?

And it is not the so-called construction work of NH44 which is inviting doom. The stone crushers and hot mix plants on the outer edge of national highway and in midst of the residential colonies is also helping their cause to kill the people of the area. What pains me the most is the fact that while the administration is enjoying its slumber why is the conscience of the political leadership put to auction and that too so very cheaply?

Unfortunately nothing is going to happen as everyone who could have had made something happen is having a portion in the potion. This helplessness finds expression in a poem which I borrow from a book of former governor of J&K, Sh. Jagmohan ji;

It has happened
And it goes on happening
And will happen again
If nothing happens to stop it.
The innocent know nothing
Because they are too innocent.
The poor do not notice
because they are too poor.
And the rich do not notice
because they are too rich.
The stupid shrug their shoulders
because they are too stupid.
And the clever shrug shoulders
because they are too clever.
The young do not care
because they are too young.
And the old do not care
because they are too old.
That is why nothing happens to stop it.
And that is why it has happened
And goes on happening and will
Happen again.

डेटा लीक घोटाला: 5 से 10 हज़ार रुपये में ऑनलाइन बिक रहा है NEET-JEE स्टूडेंट्स का डेटा

Vivek Pandey
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0
डेटा लीक घोटाला: 5 से 10 हज़ार रुपये में ऑनलाइन बिक रहा है NEET-JEE स्टूडेंट्स का डेटा

देश व दुनिया में पिछले कई वर्षो से डेटा लीक एक बहुत गंभीर मुद्दा रहा है। फेसबुक हो या आधार कार्ड, डेटा लीक होने की खबरें लगातार आती ही रही हैं लेकिन आपको पता नहीं होगा कि NEET-JEE की परीक्षा की तैयारी करने वाले स्टूडेंट्स का भी डेटा खुलेआम बिक रहा है। इस डाटा लीक के खेल में कक्षा 6 से लेके 12 तक के छात्रों का डाटा बेचा जा रहा है, एक एक्टिविस्ट के रूप में पिछले 3 वर्षो से मैं इस मुद्दे को लोगों के सामने लाने का प्रयास कर रहा हूं। वर्ष 2018 में सबसे पहले मेरे द्वारा इस घोटाले को उजागर किया गया, जिसके बाद कई मीडिया हाउस ने इस खबर को प्रकाशित किया। वर्ष 2019 में मेरे द्वारा सीबीआई को भी इस घोटाले की शिकायत की गई मगर कोई उचित कर्रवाई नहीं हुुई।

कैसे होता है डेटा लीक?

आम तौर पर नीट एवं जेईई की तैयारी करने वाले स्टूडेंट्स का डेटा दो ही जगह मिल सकता है। पहला है वह सरकारी संस्थान जिसके पास परीक्षा को कराने की ज़िम्मेदारी होती है, नीट और जेईई के मामले में यह ज़िम्मेदारी NTA (नैशनल टेस्‍ट‍िंग एजेंसी) को दी गई है। जबकि स्कूल में पढने वाले छात्रों का डाटा यातो सीबीएसई से लीक हो सकता है या फिर स्टेट बोर्ड्स से जोकि राज्य स्तर पर परीक्षायें कराती है .

जब स्टूडेंट्स परीक्षा फॉर्म भरते हैं, तो उनकी अधिकतर जानकारी उस फॉर्म में मौजूद होती है। उनके साथ-साथ उनके माता-पिता की भी जानकारी उस फॉर्म में होती है।

दूसरा कोचिंग संस्थान है, जहां स्टूडेंट्स प्रतियोगी परीक्षाओं की तैयारी करने के लिए जाते हैं। वर्तमान समय में आपको हर गली-मोहल्लों में कोचिंग संस्थान दिख जाएंगे। आमतौर पर देश के बड़े-बड़े नामी कोचिंग संस्थान स्टूडेंट्स से नीट-जेईई के फॉर्म भरते ही फॉर्म की एक प्रति मांग लेते हैं। उसे अपने पास बतौर डेटा रखते हैं। अब ऐसा क्यों किया जाता है, उसका जवाब तो इन बड़े-बड़े कोचिंग संस्थानों के पास ही मिलेगाइस तरह से मूलतः स्टूडेंट्स की निजी जानकारी इन दो माध्यमों से लीक होने की ओर इशारा करती है। अब यह तो निष्पक्ष जांच के बाद ही पता चलेगा कि आखिर स्टूडेंट्स का डेटा लीक हो कहां से रहा है और कितने बड़े स्तर पर लीक किया जा रहा है

क्या होता है स्टूडेंट्स के डेटा लीक होने के बाद

परीक्षाओं की तिथि नज़दीक आते ही एमबीबीएस की सीटों पर दाखले के लिए खेल शुरू हो जाता है। दलाल विभिन्न वेबसाइट्स के माध्यम से स्टूडेंट्स के डेटा को खरीदते हैं। मेरे द्वारा पहले ही करीब 15 से ज़्यादा ऐसी वेबसाइट्स की जानकारी दी गई है, जो आज भी नीट-जेईई के स्टूडेंट्स की निजी जानकारी खुलेआम बेच रहे हैं। आपको इन वेबसाइट्स पर वर्ष 2016-17 से लेकर 2020 तक के तमाम डेटा मिल जाएंगे, जिसकी कीमत करीब 3 हज़ार से 10 हज़ार रुपये होती है। वर्ष 2018 में लगातार हुई मीडिया न्यूज़ के कारण कई वेबसाइट को बंद कर दिया गया था पर इस वर्ष और भी बड़े इस्तर डाटा लीक हुआ है और खुले आम बेचा जा रहा है . मेरे द्वारा इस वर्ष भी करीब 17 से ज्यादा वेबसाइट की जानकारी ईमेल के माध्यम से सीबीआई को भेजी गई है.

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17.http://www.12thdata.com/

http://studentsdatabase.in/category.asp?id=3&category=Medical%20Entrance%20Exams

ऊपर दी गई यह कुछ वेबसाइट है जो खुले आम छात्रों की निजी जानकरियो को बेच रही है, इसमें छात्रों के नाम ,उनके माता पिता का नाम ,उनका ईमेल , फ़ोन नंबर ,जन्मतिथि से लेके पता तक आपको मिल जायेगा . 

डेटा मिलते ही ये दलाल एक्टिव हो जाते हैं। वे कॉल, टेक्स्ट मैसेज, ईमेल, व्हाट्सएप्प मैसेज के ज़रिये स्टूडेंट्स से सम्पर्क करना शुरू कर देते हैं। ये दलाल कई प्रकार के दावे करते हैं। कुछ का कहना होता है कि वे शासकीय मेडिकल कॉलेज में दाखिला दिला देंगे, तो कुछ 50 से 70 लाख रुपये में प्राइवेट मेडिकल कॉलेज में दाखिला दिलाने की बात करते हैं।

पर इसके अलावा इस वर्ष कुछ और नया हुआ ,ओयो रूम्स के पास भी NEET-JEE के छात्रों का डाटा आ गया 

और परीक्षा होने के ठीक पहले ओयो रूम्स की तरफ से कई 

ईमेल और एसएमएस छात्रों को आने लगे जिसमे होटल बुकिंग पर 40% डिस्काउन देने की बात कही जा रही थी .

अब सवाल यही है ओयो रूम्स के पास डाटा आया कहाँ से ? ट्विटर के माध्यम से ओयो रूम्स से हमने सवाल किया पर उनकी तरफ से कोई भी जवाब नही मिला।

http://Made by me

डेटा खरीद कर छात्रों से संपर्क करने वाले अधिकतर मामलों में ठग होते हैं, जो स्टूडेंट्स का डेटा पाने के बाद मोटी कमाई की फिराक में होते हैं लेकिन कई लोग वाकई में सीटों की हेराफेरी कर के एक मेहनती स्टूडेंट्स का हक छीन लेते हैं। मध्यप्रदेश का व्यापम घोटाला इसका सबसे बड़ा और जीता जागता उदाहरण है।

दलालों के झांसे में कई परिजनों ने लाखों रुपये गवाएं हैं

अधिकतर मामलो में अभिभावक अपनी प्रतिष्ठा को बचाने के लिए इन धोखाधड़ी वाले मामलों में शिकायत नहीं करते हैं। फिर भी कई मामले हैं, जो हर वर्ष सामने आते रहते हैं।वर्ष 2019 में कोटा में एक  गिरोह का पर्दाफाश हुआ जो MBBS की सीट दिलाने के बहाने लाखों की धोखाधड़ी करता था। बहरहाल, डेटा लीक होने के यह वह दुष्प्रभाव हैं जिनकी बात सिस्टम नहीं करता है। इस वर्ष भी करीब 40 लाख रुपये की धोखाधड़ी का मामला सामने आया है, दलालो द्वारा कर्नाटक एवम महाराष्ट्र में MBBS की सीट दिलाने का वायदा किया गया था। 

निजता का अधिकार

अगस्त 2017 में दिए गए एक ऐतिहासिक फैसले में न्यायमूर्ति के.एस. पुट्टस्वामी बनाम भारतीय संघ के तहत भारत के सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने मान्यता दी। संविधान के अनुच्छेद-21 के तहत एक मौलिक अधिकार के रूप में “निजता का अधिकार” “जीवन” और “व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता” के अधिकार का हिस्सा है। भारत के हर नागरिक के पास अपनी निजी जानकारी को निजी बनाये रखने का पूरा अधिकार है, इस तरह से डेटा लीक होने और किया जाना हम सभी के मौलिक अधिकारों का हनन है।

सरकार को इस मामले में सख्त कदम उठाने चाहिए। मैं अपने लेख के माध्यम से सभी स्टूडेंट्स एवं अभिभावकों को सचेत करना चाहूंगा कि किसी भी दलाल के बहकावे में ना आएं। यदि कोई आपसे मेडिकल कॉलेज की सीट दिलाने की बात करता है तो तुरंत उसकी शिकायत करें।

एक अच्छे भारतीय नागरिक होने का कर्तव्य निभाएं। अकेले इस भ्रष्टाचार को रोक पाना मुश्किल है लेकिन यदि सभी सचेत हो जाएं और इसकी मुखालफत करें तो ज़रूर डेटा लीक और धोखाधड़ी का यह खेल रुक सकता है।

“आपकी निजता और सुरक्षा आपके हाथों में है”

भाग 3/4 – किसानों के लिए ऋण माफी एक घोटाला क्यों है?

satyanweshibharat
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भाग 3/4 – किसानों के लिए ऋण माफी एक घोटाला क्यों है?

मान लेते हैं – आप एक किसान हैं और आपने सहकारी बैंक से 50,000 रुपये का ऋण लिया है। आपने अपने खेत के लिए निवेश करने के लिए पूरी राशि का उपयोग किया। 7 महीनों के बाद, आपकी गेहूं की फसल विफल हो गई है, या आपकी आय वास्तव में आपकी अनुमानित 6,000-7000 प्रति एकड़ से आधी है। कोई आय नहीं और अंत में आपके पास चुकाने के लिए ऋण है। आप बहुत अधिक तनाव में हैं, ब्याज जमा करते रहते हैं और अब आपको जो कर्ज चुकाने की जरूरत है वह ब्याज के साथ बढ़ गया है। अब ब्याज मूल राशि से 100% अधिक है। तो 50,000 (50 हजार) के ऋण के लिए, आपको लगभग 1,00,000 (एक लाख) रुपये से अधिक का भुगतान करना होगा।

एक बार जब आप पर्याप्त रूप से हताश हो जाते हैं – सरकार हजारों करोड़ों का एक बड़ा “ऋण-माफी” कदम उठाती है। अब, यह ऋण-चुकौती कौन प्राप्त करता है। किसान पहले ही 50,000 रुपये का निवेश कर चुका है। उसे एक रुपया अधिक मिलने वाला नहीं है। यह सारा पैसा बैंकों में चला जाएगा, जो न केवल मूलधन बल्कि ब्याज भी प्राप्त करेगा। किसान को कोई मुआवजा नहीं मिलता है। उनकी एकमात्र राहत यह है कि उनका ऋण माफ कर दिया गया है। किसान के पास कोई आमदनी नहीं है। यहां तक ​​कि बैंकों को लगभग 10-11 महीने के बाद मूलधन और ब्याज की पूरी राशि मिलती है।

अब यहां घोटाला क्या है?

जब एक गरीब भू-स्वामी किसान की फसल खराब हो जाती है – खराब तकनीकों, मौसम की स्थिति, या जो भी हो, के कारण यह अमीर भू-स्वामियों और राजनेताओं के लिए एक मुस्कान लाता है। जैसा कि छोटे और गरीब किसान दबाव में आत्महत्या करते हैं, धनी किसान जो ऋण का भुगतान कर सकते थे – अपने ऋण भुगतान में देरी करते हैं। वे जानते हैं कि किसानों की आत्महत्या के मद्देनजर, राजनेता बड़े ऋण माफी की घोषणा करके लोकप्रियता हासिल करेंगे। हालांकि इस तरह की छूटों से अधिकांश गरीब किसानों को फायदा नहीं होता है। सार्वजनिक कर धन का उपयोग बैंकों को वापस भुगतान करने के लिए किया जाता है। राजनेताओं को भावना से वोट दिया जाता है कि उन्होंने किसानों को “बचाया” और आगे की आत्महत्याओं को रोका।

ज्यादातर राजनेताओं से संबंधित अरथी और बिचौलिए खुश हैं, क्योंकि बैंक इन गरीब किसानों को भविष्य के ऋण देने से इनकार कर देगा, जिनके पास ऋण का भुगतान नहीं कर पाने का एक वास्तविक कारण था। भविष्य के ऋण उद्देश्यों के लिए, गरीब किसान उच्च दर पर इन अरहत्य और बिचौलियों पर निर्भर होंगे, और भूमि के शीर्षक के बिना अरहत्य और बिचौलिए सामंती स्वामी बन जाते हैं। इसलिए कृषि ऋण माफी, किसानों की मदद नहीं की है – यह केवल पर्याप्त तनाव देने के बाद उनके तनाव को दूर करने में मदद करता है।

कृषि बीमा के साथ मौजूदा सरकार की मंशा पर्याप्त सबूत है कि सरकार वास्तव में 80-90% छोटे किसानों के लाभ के बारे में सोच रही है।

कृषि बीमा पर पूर्व में चर्चा हो चुकी है – और वर्तमान सरकारों की कृषि बीमा योजना अतीत की तुलना में बेहतर है। पिछले मॉडल दावे-आधारित थे, जबकि वर्तमान प्रणाली किसानों को ऋण लेने के लिए स्वचालित है। केंद्र सरकार और राज्य सरकारें प्रीमियम भुगतान का बोझ साझा करती हैं। सरकार लगभग 80% का भुगतान करती है, जबकि किसान 20% प्रीमियम का भुगतान करते हैं। पूर्ववर्तियों द्वारा 28% की तुलना में वर्तमान योजना ने 41% का सुधार किया है। पूर्ववर्ती योजना की तुलना में फसल बीमा एक पूर्ण कवरेज करते हैं।

कई राज्य इसके सख्त क्रियान्वयन से कतरा रहे हैं, जिस बुनियादी कारण पर हमने चर्चा की है, वह बिचौलियों, धनी किसानों और राजनेताओं को आहत करता है। साथ ही, समृद्ध किसान, जो बेहतर कृषि तकनीकों के कारण बहुत अधिक नुकसान नहीं उठाते हैं, नाराज होते हैं क्योंकि यह उन्हें संपर्क के माध्यम से सरकारी ऋण-छूट देने से चूक जाता है।

इसीलिए मैं लोन-वेवर्स को घोटाला कहता हूं। इसके अलावा, आप इन राजनेताओं और कम्युनिस्टों पर विश्वास नहीं कर सकते हैं, जिनमें से कई आप किसानों के बीच खड़े होते हुए दावा करते हुए दिखाई देंगे – सरकार अमीर कॉरपोरेट्स के ऋण माफ कर रही है। ये लोग कभी भी किसानों या गरीबों के लिए अच्छे इरादे वाले नहीं हो सकते क्योंकि वे देश भर में आम आदमी को बेवकूफ बना रहे हैं। क्योंकि वे “वेव-ऑफ” और “राइट-ऑफ” के बीच के अंतर से पूरी तरह अवगत हैं। वे जानबूझकर लोगों से छिपाते हैं कि बैंकों की “गैर-निष्पादित परिसंपत्तियों” (एनपीए) को पुनः प्राप्त करने के लिए अमीरों की कितनी संपत्ति जब्त की गई है।

अगले और अंतिम भाग में – हम चर्चा करेंगे कि एमएसपी का निर्णय कौन करता है, और क्या देश भर में इनपुट की एक समान मानक लागत है? हम यह भी देखेंगे कि क्या वास्तव में, अंबानी-अडानी खेत पर कब्जा कर रहे हैं? डर को हवा देने वाले लोग कौन हैं, और उनके नापाक उद्देश्य क्या हैं?

On this day in 1971, one of the largest Genocides in modern history was put to an end

Vedaant
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On this day in 1971, one of the largest Genocides in modern history was put to an end

March 26th 1971 was quite possibly one of the darkest days in the Indian subcontinent as it marks the launch of the Pakastani army operation “Flashlight” in the Eastern Wing of Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh. It was a brutal crackdown and systematic elimination of independence-seeking Bangladeshis, through bullets and genocidal rape.

The operation led to the death of 300,000 Bangladeshis and the rape of 200,000 Bangladeshi women according to the most conservative reliable estimates.

I regard this moment of time to be one of the most horrible decisions in Foreign Policy by the West. While keeping in mind the various factors that the Cold war brought into global politics, the amount of destruction this one operation caused was unforgivable. The worst part about it is that it was all done under the guise of extensive support from the Western P5 Nations, who actively contributed to Pakistan and at one point even deployed a portion of the Seventh Fleet to pressure India into stopping their campaign against Pakistani forces in East Pakistan.

Before going further, it is of the utmost importance to understand that not a single person on any side of this brutal war was correct except for the innocents murdered in the vicious war. No power on any side of the war at any time was close to the moral thing to do or even near it. India, who in the end forced Pakistan into leaving the area had all opportunities to do so but only started actively contributing because of the strain to its economy due to new refugees. They joined the war by December but the genocide started by March-end. India, while making smart and strategic military actions did not do so for the moral reason, but for the economic one with the added benefit of being moral. Neither the USSR nor India were perfectly correct or the heroes of the war, but India still made better actions than that of the Western powers or Pakistan.

Putting aside the cold war, the actions of the United States were still one of the worst decisions in American foreign policy to this day. While I agree that India was close to the USSR and the creation of Bangladesh would have just led to another socialist eastern leaning country it did not justify the actions of the United States. The United States actively provided arms and advanced machinery as well as global aid and support while actively not stopping or even acknowledging their close ally’s (under the military regime of Yahya Khan) genocide. Not only did they not dissuade West Pakistan, but they also suppressed and denied its existence. The US was fully aware of the horrors being committed and Nixon was pleaded to multiple times by US consular officials through dissent channels like the Blood Telegram, which is considered to be one of the most strongly worded expressions of dissent in the history of the United States Foreign Service. Authored by then US Consul General to East Pakistan, Archer Blood who was stationed in Dhaka. It reads as follows:

Our government has failed to denounce the suppression of democracy. Our government has failed to denounce atrocities. Our government has failed to take forceful measures to protect its citizens while at the same time bending over backwards to placate the West Pakistan dominated government and to lessen any deservedly negative international public relations impact against them. Our government has evidenced what many will consider moral bankruptcy,… But we have chosen not to intervene, even morally, on the grounds that the Awami conflict, in which unfortunately the overworked term genocide is applicable, is purely an internal matter of a sovereign state. Private Americans have expressed disgust. We, as professional civil servants, express our dissent with current policy and fervently hope that our true and lasting interests here can be defined and our policies redirected in order to salvage our nation’s position as a moral leader of the free world.

Previously, Archer Blood had also sent the following telegram entitled “Selective Genocide”:

Here in Decca we are mute and horrified witnesses to a reign of terror by the Pakistani Military. Evidence continues to mount that the MLA authorities have list of AWAMI League supporters whom they are systematically eliminating by seeking them out in their homes and shooting them down
Among those marked for extinction in addition to the A.L. hierarchy are student leaders and university faculty. In this second category we have reports that Fazlur Rahman head of the philosophy department and a Hindu, M. Abedin, head of the department of history, have been killed. Razzak of the political science department is rumored dead. Also on the list are the bulk of MNA’s elect and number of MPA’s.
Moreover, with the support of the Pakistani Military. non-Bengali Muslims are systematically attacking poor people’s quarters and murdering Bengalis and Hindus.

After sending the blood telegram, he was recalled and assigned to the State Department personnel office. The telegram was labelled as Alarmist and Kissinger started referring to Archer Blood as a Maniac.

Kissinger and actively ignored the systemic genocide and rape of over 300,000 people simply to establish closer relations with China. Some might say it was justified, others may not agree. But in the end, we need to remember that it happened.

The story of the protest against farm bills in one picture

vinaykumar
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The story of the protest against farm bills in one picture

As someone who has been following the anti-farm bill protests minutely since the first day of protest in Delhi (today is the 20th day), the one thing that stands out to me is that these protests are totally insincere. Let me explain. For the first 13 days, the stand of the farmers was that the bills were objectionable since they did not give a written guarantee that MSP would continue. See the tweet by one of the leaders (among many) who was trying to exploit the protests for his party’s political gain—Mr. Sukhbir Badal, head of the SAD. That tweet was on November 28th.

The tweet makes it clear that the only issue of protest was (ostensibly) the inclusion in written form of the continuation of MSP in the farm bills.

Now, fast forward to 6 days back (December 9th). The government put out a proposal that OFFERED to add the guarantee of continuation of MSP in writing to the farm bills. It did not stop there either, it added a slew of other sops to the protesting farmers, such as putting APMC mandis on equal tax footing with the envisioned private mandis.

Yet, WITHIN HOURS (!!), on the very same evening, the farmers had rejected the proposal! A proposal that gave them all of their demands, vociferously put before the nation for 13 days (and in Punjab for 2 months prior to that)! Think about that for a minute. It did not take the farmers more than a couple of hours to decide they did not want precisely those things they had been agitating for for weeks now. How is that possible UNLESS those demands were just tokens for an agitation that had ulterior motives from the start. I am of course not saying that every Kisan who sat in dharnas had such motives, but it seems clear that the leadership did. It knew all along that these demands were not their real desire: they were just political theatre. Because the moment these demands were (perhaps unexpectedly) met by the government, the farmers rejected him almost immediately.

I personally feel that the farmer leadership (that includes political parties like SAD and the congress) IS ALREADY EXPOSED at the moment they rejected the government’s proposal. It could not be clearer: the government gave them exactly what they wanted, and even more. And they immediately rejected it. Does that speak of a sincere agitation? Have you seen any sincere principled agitation that does this?

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