Home Blog Page 535

Arun Jaitley: All that was good about Indian politics

stavhaldar
-
0
Arun Jaitley: All that was good about Indian politics

In this world full of prevaricating politicians who either cannot string together a whole meaningful sentence or ones who have no substance to offer and yet are inebriated by the exuberance of their own verbosity, Arun Ji was someone who knew it all, and could persuade even a five year old (which is what more often than not he had to do in parliament) with his articulate and passionately put arguments. Although he would never die in our hearts and minds has become a part of the way we think and essential to our ideology, if there were an epitaph for him, it would read this: “Let’s be very clear about this”, as he would always say. This shall reverberate in my ears for as long as I think.

Indeed he wanted things to be very clear, that was his life and mission, whenever a decision was taken he knew exactly what he was doing and what needed to be done to make it work. This by far was the single most important yet singular quality that Jaitley Ji possessed. Public administration and governance is not only about right or wrong it’s often about order and chaos. When an organisation whether it be the party or the government “democratically” takes a decision which in its opinion would do public good, some of the consequences of that decision might not be preempted, this is what in political dictionaries is called a “brave” decision, it then becomes the “collective responsibility” of the members to do what it takes to cause minimum chaos and get the best results out of that decision. This requires the art of adaptability and moderation. It cannot be stressed enough that one needs to understand the nuances of the issue and its repercussions deeply to adapt and moderate. Arun Ji was the master of this art. His opponents might remember him for famously justifying the obstruction of parliament as a legitimate form of protest, but what they forget is his use of the word “sometimes”.

It is this art of moderation that is so difficult to inculcate. He knew best when an obstruction was constructive and gave voice to the public outcry and when it drifted towards opposition for the sake of opposition, and hence became counterproductive to the people’s mandate. Although he also knew that his understanding in such situations was subjective and would always hear the other side with an open and adaptive mind. To the contrary, on issues of fact, he was unforgiving. You could not hide behind the charade of rhetoric if you were wrong. He demolished both inside and outside parliament, the Rafale deal allegations which were based on fallacies analogous to comparing apples with oranges.

On issues of genuine concern and for the public good, he was not a trouble shooter, he was a trouble manager, he respected the gravity of situations and would never bypass the contrary opinions. Democratic to his soul, this was a man who spent 19 months in jail for opposing the emergency, yet later worked shoulder to shoulder with many leaders from the same party for public good, just because he respected the people’s mandate, and did not believe that people were stupid just because they did not agree with him.
GST was a mission waiting for the right man, and Jaitley ji’s democratic spirit made him the man for the job. It would not be a stretch to claim that no contemporary politician had the combination of intellect, adaptability, principled moderation, articulation, authority, respectability, affability and above all a strong sense of duty that could have made the GST council work and to everyone’s surprise take decisions by consensus. The variety of issues being discussed and the different vested interests of states and stakeholders made it impossible for governments of the past two and a half decades to come to an agreement, forget about a consensus, even a majority decision on most issues remained illusive. The GST law itself was a masterpiece, a great advancement over the UPA era law, allowing space for the grievances of the producer states, who felt cheated and would have never come on board had it not been the moderation, acumen and leadership of Jaitley ji.  The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was another milestone in his tenure as finance minister, another example of his art of addressing short term crises with a medium to long term solution and not by mere reaction leading to precipitate actions.

He understood that in the long run for the economy to succeed one needs to give leeway to risk takers, encourage companies to take calculated risks. Risks lead to the creation of new niches in the economy and propels it forward creating jobs and capital on the way. When risks are taken some failures are bound to occur, the IBC would help resolve such failures where there was no negligence not via punitive action but via resolution based on a consensus of all stakeholders. The universal insurance and contributory pension schemes and the income support initiative for farmers are also examples of how he believed in strengthening the people of India rather than giving them crutches of doles and subsidies. His vision was one of a nation where individuals stood up for themselves and each other and government’s role was limited to creating the right environment for growth by ensuring national security, providing economic incentives for risk takers and strengthening democratic institutions. Whether it was accountability within the party, at the RBI or in the Supreme Court he always believed in democratic setups.

He fought for them till his last day, when he wrote supporting the government’s decision to remove article 370 and hence fulfilling its mandate, its democratic responsibility. Replying to Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Rajya Sabha he had said that when the history of Jammu and Kashmir will be told in the decades to come it will be understood that the ideology of unification and integration propelled by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee proved much more productive than Pt. Nehru’s actions of pacifying the separatists. I am sure he will be proven right.

First with Shushma Ji and now him gone, parliamentary debates will no longer be either enlightening or fun to watch. They would lack Arun ji’s punch of legal and constitutional nuances, the affable wit and humor with which he once said to Shashi Tharoor that Shashi you should know better since atleast you read before you write, will also be missed. Above all it was the substance of the debate that he always brought to the forefront, rebutting people point by point he would always make things “very clear”. I will miss him like many many Indians.

Hong Kong protests – A David’s slingshot against monstrous Goliath

Bhimashankar Sanga
-
0
Hong Kong protests – A David’s slingshot against monstrous Goliath

Hong Kong protest is slowly devolving into the phrase: cutting off the nose to spite the face. Small islands have major ideological differences with the mainland. Singapore seceded from Malaysia mainly due to ideological differences. What unifies great societies is a common language, common beliefs, common goals, and common values. These are irrevocable traits that weather through epochal changes. Hong Kong has these in spades. CarrieLam’s mind-numbing death march towards full integration with the Mainland will only create a permanent schism.

In accordance with the “One country, two systems” principle of Sino-British Joint Declaration, the socialist system of the People’s Republic of China(PRC) would not be practiced in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong’s previous capitalist system along with its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years. This would have left Hong Kong unchanged until 2047. The broader fight between China and Hong Kong regarding the “one country, two systems” issue is more abstract and is subject to interpretation. China focuses on one country while Hong Kong focuses on two systems. What is pissing anyone off in Hong Kong is that mainland policymakers are acting as if Hong Kong = China, 28 years even before the treaty concludes.

Passing the ‘extradition bill’ which has massive implications, without even holding a referendum was just begging for a complete loss of confidence in the Hong Kong government’s ability to protect their citizen’s interests. The extradition bill allows Hong Kong people to be dragged to China and judged under Chinese law, constitutes a massive overreach that directly contradicts ‘One country, two systems’ policy. The bill effectively meant that anyone with different ideology from mainland China can be hauled off and tried in China for any fabricated reason. China refuses to allow Hong Kong any say in legislation. Beijing can reject any Hong Kong leader that they disapprove and they can force re-election, rinse and repeat. Catalonia, Spain – does it ring a bell? China needs to prevent future chaos while subsuming Hong Kong into part of their governmental system. So they have started in fluxing of mainland Chinese into Hong Kong and making Hong Kong more dependent on China.

A Hong Kong guy killed his pregnant girlfriend in Taiwan. He returned to Hong Kong and although he confessed his crimes to the Hong Kong police, he could not be charged because Hong Kong did not have an extradition agreement with #Taiwan. I wonder if things would have gone differently if the Hong Kong government decided to draw the line at ‘extradite criminals between Taiwan/HK’ instead of Taiwan/HK/China. The purpose of the Hong Kong protest was for the Hong Kong government to completely remove the extradition bill. Protesters are against this extradition bill because the Chinese legal system is completely broken.

China is against freedom of thought, speech, and expression, and China tends to have forced organ harvesting of political dissidents. Considering this bill would basically kill freedom of speech in Hong Kong, over 2 million protesters started protesting, a month ago. China caved into civil disobedience for the first time, though their traditional way of reacting to these occurrences have been less than palatable. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam took the bill back, but the bill could still be revived. As such, protesters are trying to get the bill completely retracted, so as to keep it from ever being revived until China absorbs Hong Kong. Carrie Lam has blatantly refused this. She also went on a public holiday during all the protests, which got Hong Kong protesters even more displeased. Now protesters want her to step down since she’s not responding to the voice of the people.

Fights between Hong Kong police and protesters have been escalating for a month now. Hong Kong protesters don’t only want the bill to be retracted completely, they want Carrie Lam to step down and for China to stop trying to subvert Hong Kong’s political freedom. The world would be kinder to China if they had sent government representatives to talk to Hong Kong citizens instead of military trucks to Shenzhen.

Hong Kong has been dependent on China for a long time for resources since it’s not self-sufficient in any way. Without China using it as a port, Hong Kong would never have become the way it is now, yet Hong Kong people have historically been discriminating against the mainland. So a lot of mainlanders are seeing Hong Kong as “biting the hand that feeds it”. Hong Kong can also be seen as a poisoned pawn and Trojan horse left by the UK and the West to raise opinion against China in their ideological war to evangelize the world with democracy.

China isn’t going to show the protestors in a good light and the west isn’t going to show the Hong Kong/Chinese government in a good light. The whole truth might never come to light, as there are no free media houses in China.

After effects of revoking Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir

Anant Chetan
-
0
After effects of revoking Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir

Ever since the Indian government has revoked Article 370 and Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, there have been a large scale hue and cry from certain groups of people. However, everybody is behaving the way they were supposed, except one entity.

The opposition parties like Indian National Congress are behaving in the exact way that they are expected to i.e. to oppose the ruling party. It does not matter to them if it is good for the nation or not, if BJP has done it, they have to oppose it.

Regional parties like Aam Admi Party etc. calculated the effect of this move on their upcoming elections and chose the side.

Political parties like the National Conference and PDP are exactly in the same dilemma like TDP and TRS where states were bifurcated. Moreover, integrating the region in mainland India creates room for other Indian political parties to set their foot and give a tough time to the Kashmiri evergreen parties, threatening their monopolies. Politics in Kashmir would resemble politics in Uttar Pradesh where four or five parties will be relying on only one vote bank i.e. the Muslim vote bank.

As far as the separatist leaders are concerned, the name says it all! Kashmir as an integral part of India not just in speeches but officially on paper leaves no place for a “separate independent Kashmir”. What are more than two dozen separatist parties and their leaders going to do when their core and their only issue is taken away from them? Would they continue receiving funds to carry on the agenda of separatism? How are they going to survive? They do have a genuine problem. It was but obvious that they would dislike this move.

In addition, they already know how Pakistan sidelined the militant groups that claimed Independent Kashmir to be their agenda rather than Kashmir as a province in Pakistan.  This is when Ikhwain & SOG were formed along with JKLF becoming a political party out of a militant group. What did you think? they had a change of heart? No! they were left in the dry by their Pakistani handlers and they had to surrender. The then clueless government tried to exploit this to score political points. Read more here: Entangled Kashmir: A web of poor and selfish decisions. It is not only a struggle of bread and butter for the separatist leaders but also their existence.

Apart from the political parties and leaders, a very small section of affluent and rich Kashmiris is also upset with this move. They ran their monopolies in businesses, owned a major section of real state at very cheap prices, enjoyed special privileges offered by the central government. There are a lot of monetary benefits to doing business in an unstable region. J&K received 10% of the grant for 1% of the population from the central government i.e. 1.4 lakh crore in the last 16 years. Do you think only political leaders got this? This affluent section sent their kids outside Kashmir, to the rest of India if not abroad like the political leaders. The Kashmiris you see in the UK, Canada etc. showing fancy placards are the rich ones. They are worried as this move would introduce competition in the region. They would no more be able to generate wealth with the ease of their fathers and forefathers generated. They are selfish, they want India to protect them from Pakistan but they don’t live by its rule. They want to enjoy the fruits of the world’s fastest-growing economy but they don’t want to contribute to its growth. They want to feel at home in Delhi, but they don’t want a Delhite to feel at home in Kashmir.

Sometimes I think what if instead of diluting 370 and abrogating 35A the government had amended it. I mean, like I was not allowed to buy land in Kashmir, a Kashmiri should also not be allowed to buy land in rest of India or say if a girl loses all her property on marrying an Indian guy; a guy should also lose all his property after marrying an Indian girl. Would these affluent Kashmiris like it? Whoever wrote 370 did not think about India at all. India is not a “dharmshala”, you come, you exploit the resources, you loiter and you don’t pay the dues. The same goes for NRC, refugees and for everyone. There are no free meals!! Not for anyone.

Article 370 & 35A were crushing the poor, other than them everybody was happy. And it is not rocket science to know that the number of poor people is way more than the rich. They were the ones who were suffering. Can a poor Kashmiri afford education in the UK?   This move benefits only those who were never heard or never had a say in any of the decisions regarding Kashmir. They will not have to go to other parts to find jobs, jobs would come to their state. They know this, which is why Kashmiris living in Kashmir are not fighting it but Kashmiris living outside Kashmir are unhappy with this. There is not one bullet fired since the announcement was made.

Moreover, conditions in Indian Administered Kashmir were never grim, if they were and human rights were violated as several people tried to show,  people would have migrated like Rohingyas or East Pakistanis (today’s Bangladesh) or Kashmiri Hindus. But they didn’t! People for their vested interests were making up the issues.

However, I am really surprised at the way Pakistan has reacted. Pakistan has made the largest diplomatic blunder that it could have made in the last seven decades. Pakistan literally gave its terror credentials. Imran Khan in his parliament session claimed with full authority that there will be a Pulwama like attack. Seriously? Pulwama did not happen by itself, RDX does not grow in Kashmir and it is not free. Somebody was involved, now we don’t have to guess who. Somebody called for genocide of Hindus if they settle in Kashmir on a news channel in Pakistan. It should not be difficult to guess as to who was also involved in Kashmiri Hindus exodus in the 90s. Pakistan even tried to rope in Taliban in the Kashmir issue. The funny part is that even the Taliban rebuked them on this. India had been for decades trying to convey to the world that Pakistan is creating problems in Kashmir. Pakistan now walked in and validated all of India’s claims. The world now knows, who is doing what.

In ’47 Kashmiris must have been thinking, who to go with: the neighbour that attacked them or the neighbour that saved them. Who would you go with? Pakistan made sure that independent Kashmir is not an option. Over the course of time, this choice became even easier. The Kashmiris have been witnessing how “muhajirs” (the Muslims who migrated to Pakistan) are treated in Pakistan. In fact, sorting out Muhajirs is the second biggest problem in Pakistan, Kashmir being the first. Kashmiris also saw as to who killed around 3 million in their own country (East Pakistan) and raped around 400,000 women just because they spoke Bengali instead of Urdu and hence deserved to be taught a lesson. They know what lies for them in the future if they decide to go with Pakistan.

Pakistan is, was and will always be the biggest reason why Kashmiris were, are and will always be willing to side with India even at the cost of giving up their dream of Independent Kashmir.

Forget Kashmiris, even Pakistani citizens, if given a choice, would not want to go to Pakistan. I have been living in Germany for the past four years and am still to meet one single Pakistani who would say: “Yes, I will go back to Pakistan”. On the other hand, I met several Indians who have already gone back to India and I know a large number of Indians who would go back to India after gaining a few years of work experience (including myself).

Pakistan knows all this, which is why they wanted plebiscite at gunpoint. They did not approve of the very first necessary but not sufficient clause of the UN resolution 47 that asked them to pull back every single armed man from Kashmir, be it a tribesman or regular armed force personnel. Since they did not move the forces, plebiscite never happened.

By invalidating J&K’s separate constitution and flag, the Indian government officially made it a part of the Indian mainland. Whatever hopes Pakistan had to capture Kashmir are thwarted. Imran Khan and his ministers are behaving like a high school kid whose parents get the television cable disconnected because they didn’t want the kid to watch tv. It does not matter, if the kid does his homework on time or keeps his room clean or his parents go out to visit the neighbours leaving him alone with the tv, he simply cannot watch the TV any more, not for fifteen minutes not for one minute. Likewise, Pakistan cannot have Kashmir anymore. It can go to all the countries in the world, do whatever it feels like, nothing is going to change.

Different regions in Pakistan are already fighting for their freedom. Be it Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or  Balochistan, or Sindhudesh(Sindh) or Gilgit Baltistan or Jinhapur and Muhajir Sooba, everyone is in a race to win its freedom. Sooner or later people in POK would see the change in Indian Kashmir, they would also witness assembly elections in J&K next year. They would realize what they are missing and might raise their voices even more. Pakistan is getting a feel of the ’70s again. Imran Khan literally went to Muzaffarabad to scare people and aggravate them. He claimed that he has information that India is going to do something in POK, misleading the people to get them aggressive and make them do something.

Imran Khan can consider himself a little unlucky. At the time when he got a chance to rule, he has to tackle a truly nationalist party at the centre in India which none of his predecessors had to. All his predecessors invested billions and billions, at the cost of the citizens, in creating and nurturing a monster directed at a part of the disputed land. Now that part is not a disputed land any more. What happens to the monster? Who does it target now? The real question is: Can Imran Khan save his country and people from the very same monster that his predecessors created?

India needs to stay alert because the monster is still there, hungry and reckless even more than before. Do you know who or what the monster is?

Also, read:

Spare no time to punish ‘Adharma’: Lord Ram and Krishna showed the way, Modi followed

S Ranganathan
-
0
Spare no time to punish ‘Adharma’: Lord Ram and Krishna showed the way, Modi followed

The massive hide and seek drama embroiled around the arrest of P Chidambaram, former Home and Finance Minister of India by CBI and ED has in fact maligned the image and reputation of the Congress party.

It was believed that P Chidambaram may get anticipatory bail on Wednesday (August 21 2019) from Honourable Supreme Court but the Court had declined to hear the matter on war footing basis and therefore posted it to Friday.

With the hope of getting an advanced bail, Chidambaram was reported to have been missing or untraceable until Wednesday evening (August 21, 2019).  When the possibility of anticipatory bail was far from reach, finally the veteran Congress leader appeared in Congress headquarter to address the media. He was thereafter arrested from his house in Delhi after great resistance and impedance.

This is at least how the matter is perceived by people of India. But the fact remains that the Congress party has lost both war and battle in reality as well as in perception.

The Look-out notice was served for P Chidambaram. Chidambaram is, however, not an ordinary citizen. He is, in fact, a brilliant legal luminary and the former Home Minister and Finance Minister. So, technically, acting in accordance with his stature and position, he should have gracefully embraced the request of the investigating agencies and should have cooperated. But instead, he created a scene that he is above law by applying for anticipatory bail after bail. he was unwilling to cooperate with the agencies and acted like an extra-ordinary citizen.

Unfortunately, the Congress party instead of advising P Chidambaram not to create an awkward situation and put the party under unnecessary duress appeared to have extended support to him to breach the law and justice as perceived by the public.

The question being posed to the CBI and ED by several so-called intellectuals was that when the anticipatory bail application was anyways coming up for hearing in Honourable Supreme Court this Friday (August 23, 2019) what was the urgency to arrest him? why couldn’t they wait till Friday?

Surprisingly, the people who are raising such questions are themselves unable to answer why P Chidambaram has been running after anticipatory bail, that too for nearly 23 times. Moreover, if he is innocent and the entire charges against him are fabricated and foisted, why doesn’t he cooperate and prove his innocence.

The point of debate is not about whether Chidambaram is guilty or not, which only the court of law alone can pronounce, but what the country has expected from the veteran leader and his party. The people of India expected courage, openness, conviction and gracefulness to accept and follow the law of the land instead of engaging in a hide and seek game or a so-called ‘Tom and Jerry’ hunt.

If P Chidambaram embraces arrest instead of avoiding it on a daily basis by running after anticipatory bail, public perception would have been different. A public person of his calibre and stature should have behaved more ‘leader-ly’ than as cowardice or like any ordinary citizen.

The question here is not about the methodology but the end means or the result.

Lord Ram, in the most famous epics in Hindu literature, the Ramayana, had adopted two different strategies to destroy Vali the brother of Sugriva and Ravan. The epic says that Lord Rama killed Vali from behind the tree as he said that the person coming as an aggressor with a malevolent intention, deserves to be killed and there is no sin in killing such a person by whatever means.

However, he adopted a different strategy in dealing with Ravan. He gave time to Ravan to come back to the battlefield the next day when Ravan lost his weapons to fight.

Rule of law in the battlefield is different from the rule of law required to deal with someone who has already got some extra-entitlement like Vali.

Similarly, Lord Krishna also had to adopt several new ways and strategies to defeat Bhisma, Drona, Karna because all of them joined with Duryodhana, the embodiments of adharma.

From the point of view of dharma, the strategy adopted by ED and CBI is justifiable as the people of India must be made to feel that no one is above law and justice.

The arrest is only pertaining to the investigation and not to conclude or award the status of guilty. As the preamble of the law, justice is not just done but made to feel it has been done. Congress and P Chidambaram should have handled the entire issue bravely than playing as if they are above law. They must not forget that they not only enjoy entitlement but are also extra-constitutional authority and should behave in accordance with their stature and position.

Effects of population growth and plastic use, few concerns dwelled upon in PM Modi’s I-Day speech

G Indira
-
0
Effects of population growth and plastic use, few concerns dwelled upon in PM Modi’s I-Day speech

The Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech touched upon very many important issues. Among them, the most that appealed from across parties were: population control, shunning single-use plastic, tourism within India, respect for wealth creators etc. His outlook is, undoubtedly visionary. However, all of the aforementioned, need much awareness campaigns.

Population growth is a cause for concern:-

The prime minister from the ramparts of Red Fort hailed the small family norm. He called those who observed small family norm to be Patriots. And further said, it becomes the “patriotic duty” of the citizens to control the population. Most of the rich and middle class, with education and awareness, already planned their families by limiting to one or two children. It’s the poorer sections and from among the minorities (either out of religious compulsion or for increasing their fold in India) do not observe small family norm.

Since the number of children is more among the poor, the parental attention paid to each child becomes less. It would not be possible, economically, for them, to provide nutritious food and health care to all. The malnourished and impoverished kids get all types of illnesses quickly. Whereas for those who limit the family could afford to provide good education, healthcare and ambience that nurtures a child to develop into a useful and productive citizen.

There is an argument on the other hand: most often, most methodically done surveys say: child mortality rate is high in the poor. The poor lose their children due to adverse, unhealthy conditions in which they live in. Hence, they require more offspring to compensate for the loss. Therefore, if infant mortality is curtailed by the government, it’s possible for the poor to limit their children. For this, the government has to involve itself in maternal, child welfare, and antenatal activities.

What applies, to a family, applies to the nation. The country’s resources and revenues are drained in ensuring welfare programs for the increasingly poor, rather than for developmental activities of the country. The infrastructural facilities created in the urban areas that are meant to cater to a certain amount of people would be damaged, if used, by the excessively increased population. That results in repairs leading to spending from public exchequer. In addition to that, increased population growth would put a burden on the environment by increased human activity. As a matter of fact, to help tackle climate change people should have fewer children.

For every policy measure, there are some critics. Regarding population control, Assaduddin Owaisi ridiculed the Prime Minister by tweeting “Majority of India is young and productive but this advantage will only last till 2040. PM is clueless about how to utilise this advantage, so he’s coming up with discarded and intrusive ideas of governance that shirk his own responsibility”.

Though the majority of India’s population is young and productive, most of them are not physically fit unlike the people of advanced countries in muscularity. Moreover, with no proper education and skills, they are lagging behind and are not productive. In that void, some are turning to nefarious criminal activities and terrorism. So, by controlling childbirth, parents could easily pay attention to keep track of the child.

In the recent ‘Neta Nagri’ episode on PM’S I-Day speech, the renowned journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai praised South India for containing the population boom. He didn’t stop there. Turning to the interviewer, he said: ‘you people always blame the Left, see in Kerala how effectively they educated and controlled the population growth’. These liberal journalists madly praise Kerala state till no end. If Kerala was so great to them, why didn’t they showcase the state in 2019 elections to win?

As a matter of fact, of all the South Indian states, Kerala is area-wise small and is densely populated. Andhra Pradesh (united), Tamil Nadu and Karnataka more than Kerala controlled population well. These states have never had the Left-Communist rule. If Liberal journalists believe the Left -communists, are capable of bringing change in population growth, what’s their answer for West Bengal? The state was ruled uninterruptedly for twenty four years by the Left, yet the population of the state remains high! The ground reality is, family-planning/family welfare-workers, often teach the majority community more and are scared to go to the places (to educate) where Muslim-minority is concentrated. The kind of talk- so-called Liberals make, hurts the cause.

Freeing India from single-use plastics:-

Single-use plastics are mainly grocery bags, milk packs, chips packets, mini shampoo and ketchup packets, straws for drinking cool drinks etc. By not using these single-use plastics, India would be helping in containing ‘Global Plastic Pollution’ Crisis. The single-use plastic bags are causing havoc to the environment as they block drainage leading to water waste clogging and overflowing of water. Sometimes, they end up as litter in the environment.

Plastic is of recent twentieth-century origin. In ancient days, people of India used the utility items made of mud. Mud pots when worn out or broken were thrown out. Immediately, they mixed with the soil on the ground. Similarly, Banana/Plantain leaves, used for eating food, are biodegradable (when left out after use they get dissolved into the earth ).

Next, the lightweight plastic, travels through the wind, in the form of small pellets normally 1mm or so, they enter into the guts of migrating birds. When minute plastics get accumulated in rivers and tidal flows through industrial spillages it enters into fish and mammals. And that fish, that is the career of those toxins, is eaten by men! It’s said, that by 2050, there will be as much plastic in the sea as there is fish.

Tourism:-

The PM also pointed out the ‘Tourism Industry’ to grow within India, which is a good idea. Indians are known for their spiritual tourism, not for a holiday-tourism for fun and frolic. However, the prime minister is encouraging people to relax and enjoy by going to different destinations within the country. There was a special mention of N-E states for tourism. Nowadays, many people are going on holidays to comfortable places for relaxation. Some would go to foreign lands outside India for the alluring sites and hospitality offered. In India, all states should build facilities in their tourist spots of importance for promoting tourism-culture. A country like Singapore thrives on its tourism. Why can’t India build such infrastructure and clean environment, is the moot question?

Respect for wealth creators:-

There’s a general cynicism on rich people in India and especially for those who invest in private industries and create wealth. The PM tried to dispel this feeling. Unless the rich create wealth for the country (by way of high taxes they pay and also by providing employment to many), the poverty in the country cannot be eliminated, is a fact. On the whole, the PM’s speech was direction-oriented.

Time to bell the cat

aksastry
-
0
Time to bell the cat

According to Aristotle, Democracy is the deviant or perverted form of polity, which is power going into the hands of a large number of people.

When Social Media came into being, it was considered to be a great leveller, taking power to the masses and to those who never had any say in governance. The so-called revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia etc were attributed to the power of Social Media and the power of the common man. However, the world realized that power cannot be distributed among the masses very lately.

Brexit is a case in point. Investigations in the United Kingdom revealed that most of the voters who voted against continuing in the European Union were influenced by fake news and posts on social media like Facebook and Twitter. Same is the case with the Presidential elections of United States during 2016, which was greatly influenced by foreign powers, namely Russia. Even though the alleged role of the President himself as a beneficiary could not be established, there is ample evidence to prove that Russian based agencies are involved in spreading targeted news items in social media, prior to the elections, which resulted in the surprise victory of Donald Trump.

With the increasing power of social media like Facebook and Twitter for sharing and spreading information and complete reliance on internet companies like Google for news, the status of traditional print publications is on the decline. It is an irony that while the search engines gather news from the traditional news agencies and publications and grow richer click by click, the actual agencies and publications are in the red economically and shutting shop.

Unlike the print publications, the online news portals, including that of the print publications, lacks any credibility as the news can always be taken away or edited whereas a printed matter will remain on record for years to come. Such convenience in editing or deleting information on the internet comes handy to spread false information and fake news, to instigate and incite people. Still, there are lakhs of people in this country who believes that if your bill is below Rs.1000/-, the GST is 12% and if it is above Rs.1000/- it will be 18%, courtesy a Whatsapp forward doing the rounds. There are several mob lynchings all over the country, suspecting innocents as child-lifters, due to fake news circulated through Whatsapp.

Apart from the convenience, there are many ways in which any fake news or misinformation can be planted on the social media and the internet anonymously, giving a boost to the activities of terrorist organizations and anti-national elements. However, it is to be noted with concern that not only terrorists but also the so-called liberals, ideologists and intellectuals are resorting to social media to spread anti-national sentiments.

After the bifurcation of J&K and repeal of the special status, these elements are active in spreading a false narrative and criticizing the internet blockade in J&K. Pakistanis and Pakistan backed and funded agents are having a field day on Twitter, spreading fake-news and doctored videos. Criticizing communication blockade, though for security purposes, is understandable but calling internet blockade as curtailing the means to communicate with near and dear is incredulous. Millions and millions of poor people in this country are in touch with their sons, daughters and relatives without having any internet.

Now even the liberals are at the receiving end of fake news and misinformation. Noted columnist Shobha De was at pains to refute the allegations that she was influenced by Pakistan to write about plebiscite in Kashmir. Whether the allegation is true or not, the damage has already been done to her reputation.

It is all about giving a level playing field. When people are not scared to reveal their identity while writing and voicing their views, why should those writing on the internet and social media be given the option to reveal their identity? This anonymity alone gives the freedom to spread fake news. There are several writers who voice anti-government and anti-national views in public. There were students in JNU who were never afraid of raising the slogan Tukde India. There is a spokesperson of a party who had the temerity to say “Kashmir was never an integral part of India” in an open and live debate in a channel. When these people can say anything against the nation without fear of repression, why should there be anonymity in social media?

Slowly but surely, those who are vociferous in peddling and supporting fake news will suffer by the fake news. This is the right time to put severe restrictions on social media and the internet, in order to curb the spread of fake news. Accounts in social media are to be verified through Aadhar or other government documents. Any website carrying news pertaining to India is to be allowed in India only if the ownership details can be verified by the Internet Service Provider and in the absence of this information, they are to be blocked.

Liberals may call it censorship of the worst kind but remember if a print publication carries an article containing false information, they can be tried in a Court of law but it is not so easy in the case of social media. These restrictions are in the larger interest of the country and its citizens. If the fake news is not curbed soon, it will be catastrophic for the society at large.

Narendra Modi – India’s unheralded agent of social change

hemenvarma
-
0
Narendra Modi – India’s unheralded agent of social change

Narendra Modi is being commonly and widely portrayed as a very clever, astute, sometimes scheming, politician who has mastered the art of winning elections. What a pity that those learned Lutyenite and free-loader commentators who engage in such shallow and biased analysis are not able to see beyond their twisted, forked and snooty nose.

The truth is that PM Modi has initiated and seen through some of the most important and beneficial changes for Indian Society.

Let us start with his very first one – the removal (or drastically narrowing down) of the RED LIGHT (Laal Batti) Culture and privilege. While everyone before 2014 was complaining about it and writing learned tomes on it, Modi came and did it. It requires courage, a sense of priority and a willingness to “face the consequences, come what may”. Is this not a huge cultural and social change in our Society where we are still awed by rank, aristocracy, hierarchy, dynasty and lineage ?

He then proceeded to delete and remove from the statute books all old and archaic laws that no longer made any sense as they had become irrelevant in the changed context. This was also a courageous change from the old mindset where we were conditioned to believe that whatever the British had done should not be touched, modified, and most certainly, not deleted. Once again a courageous act that brought about a change in India’s social fabric by giving it the strength to do “what it felt was right for it and discarding what was not”.

He then did away with pernicious practice of getting each and every document copy certified by Notaries before it was accepted by the authorities. Not only it meant a cost to the common man but also involve huge effort and harassment and delay as Notaries are not available everywhere. Trust is what has replaced this practice by accepting self-attestation as equivalent to Notary Certification with the Authorities having right to verify with Original whenever required.

Ayushman Bharat

गरीबों के लिए वरदान साबित हो रही मोदी सरकार की महत्वाकांक्षी ‘आयुष्मान भारत योजना’। ✓8.90 करोड़ से अधिक ई-कार्ड्स जारी किए गए। ✓ 32.11 लाख से अधिक मरीज योजना का ले चुके हैं लाभ। ✓ 16,001 अस्पताल पैनल में हो चुके हैं शामिल।

Just look at the numbers-  8.93 crores registered, 32 lakh beneficiaries and over 16000 Hospitals (Private & Government) empaneled and wiling to provide services to such patients.

This is a gigantic leap in providing health services to the economically and socially backward members of our huge population who were condemned to live with (till God’s mercy) major diseases like cancer, kidney failure, tuberculosis, weakened knees and back, simply because they had no recourse to affordable health support.

A healthier rural and semi – urban population will change the social equations on the ground giving this suffering segment much hope and relief which, in turn, will strengthen to fight life’s battles on their own terms and with renewed vigour.

Not the least of the changes we will see because of the Ayushmaan Bharat Yojana is that fleecing doctors in the urban areas will see a fall in rural footfalls as will the quacks in the villages and semi-urban areas.

Internet reach in the villages

A report from The Economic Times of  March 6, 2019,  tells it all.

Source:  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/internet-users-in-india-to-reach-627-million-in-2019-report/articleshow/68288868.cms?from=mdr

Internet usage in the country has exceeded half a billion people for first time, pegged at 566 million, driven by rural internet growth and usage.

PTI Mar 06, 2019, 05.56 PM IST

  • India’s internet users expected to register double digit growth to reach 627 million in 2019, driven by rapid internet growth in rural areas, market research agency Kantar IMRB Wednesday said.
  • Nearly 293 million active internet users reside in urban India, while there are 200 million active users in rural India, it said.
  • While internet users grew by 7 percent in urban India, reaching 315 million users in 2018, digital adoption is now being propelled by rural India, registering a 35 percent growth in internet users over the past year.
  • Because of “Increased availability of bandwidth, cheap data plans and increased awareness, the penetration in rural India has increased from 9 per cent in 2015 to 25 percent in 2018,”, a 177% increase on 3 years!
  • Bihar registered the highest growth in internet users across both urban and rural areas, registering a growth of 35 percent over last year.
  • The report also noted that the internet usage is more gender balanced than ever before with women comprising 42 percent of total internet users.

The following are important points to note about the above assessment on  Internet Reach in the country.

  1. Rural users are 2/3rd of the Urban users and are growing at 35% as compared to Urban growth rate of 7% Just a couple of years and there will be as many internet users in rural/semi-urban areas as compared to India’s urban areas– can you even fathom the huge “power shift” this means in terms of access to information instantly– a privilege that, till today, only the educated, English– speaking elite comprising mainly the Khan Market, Lutyenite and Award Waapasi gangs enjoyed till date? No wonder, NONE of them, EVER have praised this development in India.
  2. The government’s rural reach effort has been hugely successful with 177% growth in 3 years.
  3. Not only rural areas are catching up with urban ones, but backward states like Bihar are catching up with the developed areas of the country. IF “information is the next Oil” then clearly the government is highly successful in spreading “equality” very determinedly.
  4. Finally, just as many women are part of this process as are men, which is a great boost for gender equality.

All in all, the above will lead to a huge churning of social equations across regional imbalance, gender bias and urban–rural divide. All credit for this must go the Narendra Modi who has single-mindedly pursued this “digitization of the country” through the past 5 years.

Electricity in ALL villages

Source :  https://www.firstpost.com/india/narendra-modi-government-connects-all-villages-to-electricity-grid-heres-how-multiple-agencies-contributed-to-achieving-milestone-4451443.html

FIRSTPOST.com

Debobrat Ghose Apr 30, 2018 20:45:36 IST

With Leisang village in Manipur getting connected to the national power grid on 28 April, all Indian villages now have access to electricity.

After coming to power in 2014, the NDA government, through its rural electrification programme Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojna (DDUGJY), stepped up efforts to reach out to villages without electricity.

According to government data, all of the 597,464 census villages in India have been electrified. When the NDA government came to power in 2014, there were 18,452 un-electrified census villages. One may recall that Narendra Modi had promised to electrify all un-electrified villages within 1,000 days on his Independence Day address on 15 August 2015.

ODF India

Source :  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/9-16-cr-toilets-built-5-5-lakh-villages-declared-odf-since-2014-govt/articleshow/67886006.cms?from=mdr

9.16 cr toilets built, 5.5 lakh villages declared ODF since 2014: Govt.

By PTI | Feb 07, 2019, 06.24 PM IST

NEW DELHI: More than nine crore toilets have been constructed across the country till

February 5 this year under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin (SBM-G) launched in 2014,  increasing the sanitation coverage in rural areas to over 98 per cent, the government said  Thursday.

Giving out the details of toilets constructed under the mission, Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi said so far 27 states and 5.5 lakh villages have been declared open defecation free (ODF).

“Under SBM(G), 9.16 crore toilets have been constructed till February 5, 2019. As a result, sanitation coverage in the rural areas of the country, which was 38.7 per cent on October 2, 2014, has increased to more than 98 per cent.

“Twenty-seven states, 601 districts, 5,934 blocks, 2,46,116 gram panchayats and 5,50,151 villages have been declared ODF,” he told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Just  try to fathom the stupendous impact this accomplishment will have on the entire social fabric of the country. First of all India enters a distinctly different genre of development with this achievement. Admittedly there are still many gaps- many toilets do not have water, some do not have doors, some are choked whilst others are not getting cleaned regularly. Nonetheless, it is still a fact that almost the entire country now has access to closed toilets and need not resort to “open defecation” for lack of another option.

Amongst its many impact, dignity to women and infection-free sanitation option to children must surely count as its biggest achievement. This will do away with the mushrooming of roadside Romeos wanting to have cheap thrills by troubling women in the fields.

The remarkable thing about this development is not, merely, its achievement but that someone in the highest echelons of the Government thought about it and took it up as a priority task for implementation. The number of people who had ridiculed Narendra Modi for talking of something so mundane and lowly as toilets in his first  Independence Day speech must surely be squirming at this achievement which is being applauded the world over.

It has clearly been a “match – winner” as witnessed  by  the  high  rural support that the NDA secured in the 2019 elections, cutting across caste, community and religious lines. It is notable that not a single PM before this ever took up this issue in the public domain, never deigned himself/herself to stoop down to tackle this “embarrassing situation” and, of course, never put this on a Mission mode.

Smokeless Cooking

The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) is a scheme by the Government of India to provide subsidized LPG gas connections to female members who fall below the poverty line. The scheme has been a huge success since its launch on May 1, 2016 and is set to meet the next big milestone of achieving 8 crore household connections within the first hundred days of the government. Till date, the scheme has garnered 7.2 crore connections. In other words, about 93 to 94 per cent households now have access to cooking gas.

(Source : By: ZeeBiz WebTeam  Edited By: Harish Dugh Updated: Wed, Jul 17, 2019,  01:02 pm – https://www.zeebiz.com/india/news-ujjwala-yojana-subsidized-lpg-gas-connections-pmuy-to-reach-80-mn-connections-in-just-100-days-105864)

What does this mean for the common citizen? It means

  1. a) Huge amount of convenience for the rural ladies.
  2. b) Freedom from the drudgery of gathering firewood and stoking up the chulha
  3. c) Freedom from Smoke and associated ill-health
  4. d) Tremendous amount of reduction in cooking time as there is no “chulha revving up time” involved any more

Does this not count as  huge social and cultural change? Many women in rural and semi-urban areas are reported to have started small, wage– earning work because of time saved from cooking and thus improve their economic status.

Housing for All

The Housing for All by 2022 initiative was launched by the Modi government within five months of assuming office. As many as 1.53 cr houses have been constructed under the flagship housing scheme Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said in his Budget speech on Feb 1, 2019.

Till now over 93,000 people from this income group (MIG) have availed the Rs 1,960 crore interest subsidy from the Centre, which has been disbursed through banks.

Overall, until December 30 this year, around 3.39 lakh beneficiaries have availed the CLSS under the PMAY (Urban) and the total subsidy released was Rs 7543 crore.

(Source : https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/real-estate/budget-2019-1-53-lakh-houses-constructed-under-pradhan-mantri-awas-yojana-piyush-goyal-3459291.html)

Does this not signal a huge shift in the way people are going to now live in the rural and semi-urban areas as compared to the past ? Earlier,  a huge majority just did not have houses of their own and those that did, did not have pucca house – just a hut or an enclosure with make-shift walls and roof that were always victim to the vagaries of nature.

Can you imagine the huge personal uplift it gives to the spirit and morale of a family which begins to live in a proper brick and mortar house  as compared a temporary or weak cottage/hut ?

Does this not count for a social change and a subtle shift in the social power equation with the urban and semi-urban fortunate that were born into wealth and “pucca” housing ?

Modi Govt. has cancelled registration of 14,800 NGOs in last 5 yrs for FCRA violations

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai responding to a written question in Lok Sabha said the registrations were cancelled because NGOs committed violations of the provisions of the FCRA.

What does this mean ? It means that the privileged and connected few who were rampantly looting the government and, therefore, the country by sucking up funds under the NGO umbrella for all kinds of activities – many (the most innocent of them) for personal gain, several for various nefarious activities, many of which having an anti-national tilt – will no longer enjoy this easy money loot.  No wonder the entire Khan Market gang is up in arms against PM Modi.

Govt. servants all trooping to office before 0930 hours, including  Maharaja IAS Officers

This is one of the biggest and most visible social change we are seeing since 2014 when NDA 1 first came to power– everybody in Government Offices, particularly Central Government Offices– is on their desk on or before 0930. And nobody leaves before 1730 hours.

NO political leader or government in the past has been able to instill this discipline and fear in them. It must surely count as one of the biggest social changes of our times which is having a far – reaching impact. Consider these changes:

  1. a) Routines at lakhs of homes have changed– getting up time, tea-time, breakfast time and the like
  2. b) Traffic patterns and rush hour have subtly changed
  3. c) Golf Clubs & corner tea-shop business has changed/ dropped.

True, as the naysayers are itching to rebut,  this does not mean or ensure that these Government servants are working better or more– they be coming and leaving on time but they don’t do any work while they are there.

Yes, certainly possible but increasingly improbable because of another initiative of Narendra Modi –sacking people for inefficiency! Since 2014, over a 1000 lower level employees have been sacked form Central Government service on grounds of inefficiency and/or corruption.

In the last 2 months i.e. June onwards, 12 Income Tax Officers, 15 Officers from CBIT and CBIC and 17 Senior Officers from various Central Ministries, Departments and PSUs who had attained the age of 50 years and above, have been compulsorily retired, under Fundamental Rules 56(j) on grounds of inefficiency and/or corruption. Can you imagine what kind of strong message it has sent to all the remaining Government employees?

For the first time in the history of Independent India, Senior Government officials have been sacked for “inefficiency” apart from corruption. Earlier they merrily carried on with both. This has hugely impacted the leviathan Government bureaucracy  who are certainly going to be a little more alert, a little more speedy and a little more correct which doing their jobs instead of the “laid-back, couldn’t care less attitude that they have displayed for decades.

Clearly things are changing and the “impregnable halo” that people who were in Government Service “cannot be touched till they retire”  has now been pierced. This in itself is a major social change which will also change the culture of work and working in Government service– hopefully, for the better.

True,  this is just a beginning and a small one at that, but it is a positive one and in the right direction and will, over a period of time, bring about the desired change to make our babudom more responsive, more responsible and more productive.

These powers were always available to each of the previous Governments and Prime Minsters but it is only Narendra Modi who has taken the bull by the horns and has had the courage to take action where he has judged it to be so necessary.

Does this not amount a huge social change?

35.5 Crore Jan Dhan Accounts opened having total deposit of over Rs. 1 Lakh crores

When Modi talked of Direct Benefit Transfer, self-appointed experts like P. Chidambaram laughed and said where are the Bank Accounts? When Modi got these Jan Dhan Bank Accounts with Zero balance facility, experts like P. Chidambaram mocked and said where is the money– there are no balances ? When the Accounts now have over Rs. 1 lakh crore, experts like P. Chidambaram have started claiming that the UPA had also opened such Accounts!

Can you imagine the huge impact the opening of such Accounts has had in changing the “money management habits” of people in the rural and semi-urban areas? First and foremost there are far less slippages and leakage to middlemen who were collecting huge amounts of “grease money” when government scheme payments were made in Cash.

Secondly, these account holders now have a sense of pride that they also have a Bank Account which has a balance and earns interest for them. This is a big, big social and cultural change.  

The only people not happy with this development are the hoity –toity, high and mighty PLUs (People Like Us) who, now, do not have exclusivity of access to the banking system; even the hoi polloi, the looked down upon PLTs (People Like Them) are having access to the Banking System.

Cash thefts from homes have dramatically dropped simple because there are no large cache of cash to steal!  Money transfer has become much easier, quicker and safer through the banking system. The reduction in use of cash also means a reduction in fake currency rackets.

Speaking in Hindi in all Public and Official Inter-actions abroad

What a boost this has given to National Pride that our Prime Minster speaks in an Indian Language without any hesitation or awkwardness as do leaders of various other countries in their own language when they go abroad!

It has raised India’s stature and, indeed, when you travel abroad these days to popular tourist sites, you will find many guides greeting you with a “Namaste” and attempting to say a few words in broken Hindi. I myself experienced this in Venice and Rome. This is a huge morale booster for all Indians.

This is also another nail in the coffin of the “English – speaking elite” who had created an eco– system whereby not knowing English made you an automatic “discard” while not knowing proper English made you an “outcast” and not knowing proper English pronunciation made you a “criminal”!

The Introduction and operationalizing of the IBC (Insolvency and bankruptcy Code)

For the first time it has become “actually” punishable if you garner public money in the name of investment but “steal” it for your private pleasures.

No one is,  now, exempt from the reaches of the law – if you have stolen you will pay. How many owners have lost their companies– did it ever happen before? Money is no longer everything– of course, it can still buy you some time, some favours, but it is no longer a guarantee that you will never be touched.

This has had a major impact on our Social Fabric as the rich are no longer exempt from being apprehended and punished if they have stolen public money as compared to the pas when with this same stolen money and their connections they could buy their way out of any difficulties – witness how the founders are being cornered and being held accountable for their financial misdeeds – be it Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Ruia brothers (of Essar), Singhals (of Bhushan Steel), Naresh Goyal (of Jet Airways) and countless others (many of whom have coughed up large amounts of money to settle their cases which has given partial relief to various creditors including Public Sector Banks and small vendors.

This change has given the common and the not-so-well-to-do citizen hope that their funds are better protected and the scales of Justice are no longer as uneven as they were before.

Padma Awards to the Unknown & the Lowly

This is one of the biggest social changes introduced by Narendra Modi– the seeking of national opinion from all and sundry for the prestigious National Awards. As is well known,  in the earlier system instituted and perpetuated by the Congress, UPA and the English-speaking PLUs in the bureaucracy, not only the selection and finalisation of names for the awards was the preserve of the privileged few, the likely recipients only came from a blessed minority who were either related, connected or known to these decision-makers.

Modi has democratized the entire process now. First and foremost, by inviting nominations from the whole nation he has ensured that the net is cast, far and wide. The taking away of this exclusive preserve form the hands of the privileged few has led to tremendous heart-burns and is one of the many reasons for the hatred that the Lutyens and Khan Market Gangs harbour towards Modi.

Because the net is cast, far and wide (Anyone can nominate persons for this award, simply by logging in on https://padmaawards.gov.in/Login.aspx  and following the process enumerated at https://padmaawards.gov.in/PDFS/process.pdf) we now get to know about and, therefore, recognize and award so many silent heroes and toilers that have been giving yeoman service to nation and society by their devoted work.

Can you ever imagine a traditional “Dai” (midwife) getting awarded for her role in delivering babies at home – In 1940, when  Narasamma was only 20 years old when she helped bring the first baby into the world. ‘Sulagatti’ Narasammahas been delivering babies for 70 years in backward areas of Tumkur district in Karnataka. And her life-long services to women whose children she helped deliver  without taking a penny were finally recognised– she was honoured with a Padma Shri on January 25, 2018. And how was she recognised– through the innovative (and privileged coterie-breaking) step of PM Modi to throw open the Nominations for Padma Awards to the whole nation and every citizen.

Here are a few more such cases from the hundreds who have benefited so far.

Chewang Norphel, a 79-year-old civil engineer, put his engineering skills to a better use and created artificial glaciers to provide water in the cold and dry mountainous region of Ladakh. (Padma Shri – 2015)

Jadav Payeng saw an increasing number of reptile deaths in Assam and started planting Bamboo in an area that had been washed away by floods. Today, that same land hosts 1,360 acres of verdant jungle called Molai Forest, named after Jadav “Molai” Payeng, the man who made this possible single-handedly!  (Padma Shri – 2015)

Arunima Sinha, a former national level volleyball player from Uttar Pradesh, lost her leg when some robbers pushed her out of a moving train. Two years later she became the first woman amputee to climb the Mount Everest. (Padma Shri – 2015).

Manjula Anagani is an Indian gynecologist and obstetrician specializing in minimally invasive surgeries. She has several innovations to her name in minimally invasive surgeries on neo-vagina formation. She pioneered the art of Laparoscopy in late 1990s, at a time when Laparoscopy was still an emerging technology and it was primarily still a man’s world wherein all the techniques and equipment that came about were designed to suit the ergonomics of the male surgeon (NOTE  that she pioneered Laparascopy in late 1990s but it was only 17-18 years later that the Modi Government’s invitation to the nation to pick Padma Award winners brought this talented doctor to the eyes of the Authorities) (Padma Shri – 2015).

Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi is Chief Medical Officer of Imphal west region in Manipur. She has been working in the strife-ridden state and giving her valuable contribution since 1979. She mostly works in rural areas. (NOTE, again that she has been working since 1979 but got recognised only 35 years later because of the Modi Government’s invitation to the nation to pick Padma Award winners) (Padma Shri – 2015).

Uddhab Bharali, the innovator invented 24 machines between the years 1990 and 2005.

In 2006, Uddhab invented a pomegranate seed peeling machine which can de-seed approximately 55 kgs of pomegranates in an hour. This machine actually helped him in building his identity as an innovator.

However, it was only in 2015 that Modi’s Open Nomination Scheme for Padma Awards brought him to the forefront and he was awarded a richly deserved Padma Shri.

Saalumarada Thimmakka, 106-years-old  Padma Shri Winner

When she was unable to give birth to a child, Saalumarada  Thimmakka started planting banyan trees. She planted around 385 banyan trees between Hulikal and Kudur in Magadi Taluk of Ramnagar district at her own expense and then took care of them as her own children. The Open Nomination Scheme identified her and she was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019.

Chinna Pillai – Madurai’s Iron Lady

Chinna Pillai was married at the age of 12, and soon took to toiling on the fields of Alagar Kovil, a village in the Madurai district.

Thanks to her consistent efforts to drag the community out of its misery, Pullucheri, has become a model of self-sufficiency.It has its own banking system—Kalanjiam—a microcredit movement, which has empowered hundreds of women and their families in the last three decades now.

But it took more than 20 years after her State recognition for her work to be recognised, nationally, when the Modi Government conferred her, most recently in 2019, the Padma Shri Award for her service to the country. This clearly happened only because Narendra Modi  opened up the Padma Nominations to the entire country instead of  a coterie that shamelessly engaged in incestuous engagement for picking award winners.

Is this not a huge social equation change that PM Modi has brought about by the single, simple and yet hugely innovative step of opening the Padma Award Nominations all the citizens of the entire country?

The Lutyens and Khan Market brigade continue to live in their dream world,  believing that Modi is just an aberration in their “Zamindari Raj” and a strong whiff of verbal diarrhea by their Knight in Shining Armour, delivered in clipped British accented English will drown him away.

Actually, it is good for the country that they think so because it means they are never going to look at actually “delivering something to and for the people” and the people are, therefore going to return the compliment by never voting them back to power.

AIADMK must play spiritual politics while congress must cut DMK to size as DMK is all time weak after Vellore poll

S Ranganathan
-
0
AIADMK must play spiritual politics while congress must cut DMK to size as DMK is all time weak after Vellore poll

The victory of DMK candidate in the recently held parliamentary constituency election in Vellore is in true sense victory for Duraimurugan than for Stalin. Several sycophants of Stalin, post parliament election have started to refer Stalin as the chief minister in waiting, chief minister of people yet to be sworn in, the future of TN etc.

The massive victory enjoyed by DMK in the last parliament election would naturally make anyone say DMK is the party going to rule the state whenever the next election is held. But all such descriptions, alliterations and assonances got shattered by the victory of the margin of DMK candidate in Vellore. In true sense, the DMK just managed the victory but lost the battle and the possible chief minister ambition of DMK president Stalin.

Post parliament election, DMK has started to ridicule the congress party and even went to an extent to say congress party is a liability and why should DMK carry such burden/baggage.  But the Vellore election result has put the DMK in the back foot and made to swallow all those words it spits out in public against congress party.

The present situation, congress party must use to its advantage. DMK always claims that it stands for social justice and upliftment of the backward community. Congress party must train its gun to dare the DMK by asking the alliance to project the name of Thirumavalavan of VCK as the chief minister candidate of the alliance to re-assure the people of Tamil Nadu that Stalin is not after power or chief minister post but is deeply committed to social justice.

Congress must use this opportunity to firm up its position. Without congress, DMK cannot win (may not necessarily be the electoral battle but the perception battle among minority community). Minority community stood behind DMK only because of congress party and VCK, otherwise, they would have voted against DMK.

In assembly election, the victory margin can reduce further to just 1000 or fewer votes and hence DMK must carry congress party like a crown if DMK ever wants to come to power. If congress and VCK allow DMK to come to power with their support and these parties choose to remain second fiddle to DMK, both VCK and congress party can never gain any relevance in Tamil Nadu politics in future. A weak DMK is therefore necessary for congress and VCK. They can weaken DMK further only when they play assertive and proactive politics.

Nearly 10 years DMK is out of power. It is a do or die battle for DMK. If DMK fails to come to power in the next assembly election, the party itself may disintegrate. In the centre, DMK cannot hope of coming to power as the coalition era looks bleak in the near future.  Further congress party at the national level is non-existent. The only hope for DMK is capturing power in the state. DMK would agree for any compromise to come to power in the state. Vellore election result has put the DMK in a weaker position and hence congress and VCK must demand their pound of flesh otherwise must tell Stalin that he may have to wait for another 5 or 10 years to become the chief minister of the state.

When Duraimurugan celebrate the victory of his son, Stalin has every reason to fear and feel sad for himself and his son, the next prince of DMK who campaigned aggressively in Vellore.

If congress party misses or slips this opportunity and fail to play assertive politics, it cannot contain the big brother attitude of DMK.

The ground reality is that DMK is losing its ground fast. Even the anti-incumbency vote is not going in its favour. More than anyone DMK knows the truth well. DMK may try to form a bigger alliance but all alliance parties must play their card very well by demanding for a coalition government in the state. The alliance parties must ensure the DMK is not allowed to contest the number of seats required to form government in the state.

A broken, dilapidated, weak and precarious DMK is extremely necessary for the existence and growth of VCK and congress party in Tamil Nadu. Vellore is in fact DMK’s stronghold where the party has just made its victory but not won the victory.

When minority community rally behind DMK due to congress, AIADMK instead of engaging in minority appeasement to woo their vote, must invoke the Hindu bhakti period of Tamil tradition, the spiritual essence of Tamils and the Hindu ethos. Thanks to the dirty politics being played by DMK, the state has lost all of these. DMK has promoted nothing but dynastic politics, politics of hatred, anti-God, anti-Hindu, anti-Brahmin, anti-Modi etc.

DMK is looking for its last chance to come to power and once the last chance is denied, the party may disintegrate. If the smaller parties in the state support DMK to come to power and stabilize without any condition, that would be the end of all those regional parties including congress party. When Karunanidhi was alive, none of these parties could ask for a share in government but now the situation of DMK is different.

AIADMK needs to play a different game by consolidating all god-fearing people to defeat God abusing political force. Even an unstable, multi-party led coalition government is good for the state than DMK which people of the state must realize and accordingly defeat DMK or at least clip its wings.

India-China relations: tackling the monster next door

omkarshetty
-
0
India-China relations: tackling the monster next door

India and China over the last few years have demonstrated a peculiar case of a controlled corporation, in which the convergence of their economic interests tends to mask their prevailing strategic differences. Yet these disagreements, of which the territorial and boundary dispute is foremost, still holds the potential of upstaging ties at any point.

Modi government after coming to power in 2014 has tried to resolve these long-pending border issues with China. But the list of issues is so long and complex like the territorial issue at Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, or the latest China- Pakistan economic co-operation etc. that it takes only a small issue to flare up quite quickly. So was the case with the military standoff at Doklam in 2017.

The present establishment has tried all in its power to maintain a good relation with China by having a bilateral summit, increasing the trade with China etc. However, India has not been able to utilize its position to reason with China on important strategic matters like not to build an economic corridor in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, as it is technically an Indian territory or to lift off its veto against India’s entry into Nuclear supply group.

Tackling the monster next door

India- China relations are presently in a difficult phase, with each testing the other. The Modi government has energized the Indian foreign policy bureaucracy, which had become moribund in the last few years, and succeeded in giving it a sense of direction.  Internationally, it has taken India out of a reactive non-aligned foreign posture. And operationally, it has been able to carve out a robust China policy, the most important challenge facing India today.

As Jayadeva Ranade, a senior RA&W functionary observed “Exhibiting decisiveness in foreign policy as well as his strong nationalist credentials, PM Modi initiated a phase of hectic diplomacy that sought to re-energies some important relationships and highlight India’s space to manoeuvre.

Clearly, India’s biggest challenge in the coming years will be the uncertainty of geopolitics and the fast-moving diplomatic changes taking place in the Asia-Pacific because of China’s unprecedented rise. So far, Modi and his team have displayed rare resolve and reasonableness in dealing with a more aggressive and assertive China. The test lies in sustaining the policy even as India builds its own military, diplomatic and political strength in the coming years. By the Balakot airstrikes in February 2019, and now the revocation of Article 370, the Modi government has displayed a willingness to break from long-accepted norms in dealing with complex strategic issues.

Way Ahead

The recent visit by Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (MEA) to Beijing has laid the groundwork for President Xi Jinping’s visit later this year for the second Informal Summit after the landmark Wuhan Summit.

The Indian minister has deftly conveyed India’s position on Chinese apprehensions about the abrogation of Article 370 last week. During the second High-Level-Mechanism meeting between his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who also happens to be the State Councilor, it was made amply clear to the Chinese that the re-organization of the state into two Union Territories had effectively no impact on the Line Of Actual Control (LoAC), the de facto border between China and India.

Additionally, India has made no additional territorial claims. The visit assumes significance in the backdrop of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s visit to Beijing to drum up support for its anti-India rhetoric.

On China urging restraint and bringing up the issue of Pakistan, the Foreign Minister conveyed that India’s internal matter had no bearing on its ties with Pakistan. In a curtly worded Press Release, without naming China, spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had mentioned that it expects other countries to not comment on the internal matters of other countries and respect their territorial sovereignty in a veiled reference to China. While China grapples with the pro-democratic protests in Hong Kong which have shown no signs of relenting, India’s statement which would explicitly mention Hong Kong calling for restraint from all the parties involved in the last thing Beijing would want.

Modi, the total and complete Prime Minister of India

S Ranganathan
-
0
Modi, the total and complete Prime Minister of India

The invincibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ever-growing reputation and respect with people of India and the world at large exemplifies nothing but the loud truth that goodness and honesty in public life alone shall triumph.

The speech of Modi from Red Fort on 15th of August 2019 when India was celebrating 73rd year of Independence, has invoked and evoked the spirit of commitment, vision and self-sacrifice among the people of India. The road map shown by Modi in his speech, the micro-details presented, the initiatives taken, proposals under construct and the determination and speed at which he proposed to bring several reform measures to transform India has touched every Indian who had voted for him in 2019.

Those who voted against Modi also started to repent for the grave mistake that they have committed to the nation by voting for congress and other ‘tukde tukde gang’ and most of them have started to appreciate the transformation experienced by millions and millions of Indians since 2014.

Scraping of article 370 and 35A, enactment of UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, NMC Bill to prevent corruption and banning triple talaq to ensure justice to impecunious Muslim women are only a few steps taken by Modi which he cited in his speech.

Every man in the street has started to see the transformation both at the national level and at an individual level after Modi came to power. Prior to that, Indians were only witnessing corruption, omniscient scams, nepotism, policy paralysis, dynastic politics, coalition compulsion, instability etc. The quantum of destruction India had suffered during UPA1 and UPA 2 cannot be described or documented so easily. A separate library may be required to store the monumental destructions the congress party and the family politics has done to India since 1947.

In the name of minority appeasement, congress party and other tukde tukde gangs were tormenting the sentiments and spirit of Hindu communities. States like Tamil Nadu is facing a big danger of minority appeasement by DMK and its affiliates. Such an appeasement politics is in fact only going to divide the communities which the minority community must understand quickly.

Unless Tamil Nadu re-invents its ancient roots of Bhakti era where the spiritual scholars and divine poets promoted the sacred culture and literature of Tamil through divine worship, the state cannot be saved.

People of the state must re-play the great speech of Modi several times in order to understand how grave the situation some people in Tamil Nadu are creating by supporting DMK which promotes nothing but negativism, divisiveness and hate politics for a family to remain in power.

The Independence Day speech of Modi has both vision and caution for the citizens.  Starting from minimising the use of plastics, to population control to a healthy lifestyle..all most all important aspects for a healthy and happy life, Modi has listed in detail in his speech.

India must promote and strengthen its spiritual quotient and only through divine faith and belief, the moral, ethical and conscience behaviour in man can be developed.  Indians must, while going across the world to see several new things, also must travel deep within our ancient tradition, culture, Sanskrit literature, Mahabharat, Ramayana, Vedas, Upanishad etc., and how our ancient rishis and munis had lived in jungle embracing the nature and conquered eternal happiness.

In Tamil Nadu, the DMK and its affiliates had caused great cultural catastrophe by promoting anti-God, anti-Hindu, anti-bhakti sentiments and infusing hatred against a particular community by dividing the society under Aryan and Dravidian illusion.   People of the state must embrace spiritual politics than politics of hatred and atheism and must support Modi and BJP to save the rich cultural and spiritual tradition of Tamil Nadu. Dynastic Dravidian brand politics must end in the state and only then the state can progress.

Time has come people of India in general and people of Tamil Nadu, in particular, must realize the truth that Modi is the first total and complete Prime Minister of India who lives fully for India and Indians and not like the political parties that follow the rule of dynasty and family worship.

1...534535536...889Page 535 of 889