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Kanchi Shankaracharya attains Siddhi – a short bio of the seer

Naagesh Padmanaban
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Kanchi Shankaracharya attains Siddhi – a short bio of the seer

The Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jeyandra Saraswathi Swamigal, attained siddhi on 28th February 2018 at the age of 82. He had earlier complained of breathlessness and was taken to the hospital where he attained siddhi. Millions of Hindus as well as his followers in India and around the world mourn his loss.

In 1954, the nineteen year old M.Subramanyam was anointed as the 69th pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam by his guru, the revered Sri Chandrashekara Saraswathi Swamigal. After the siddhi of his guru, he became the head of the Matam in 1994 and had since provided a unique combination of social and religious leadership that had endeared him to millions of his followers. The seer, well versed in traditional vedic scholarship, was also keenly aware of the fast changing socio-religious ecosystem in a developing India and swiftly adapted himself to the changes. He displayed from early on, a multi-faceted personality that went well beyond his traditional religious callings at the Matam.

PudhuPeriyava, as he was reverentially addressed by his followers, had shown keen interest in spreading the teachings of Adi Shankara to every section of the society. In this effort, the Kanchi Matam, like many other venerable Hindu religious institutions in India, has a glorious tradition of unmatched service to the community. His followers came from every walk of life. They included the rich and the famous, powerful politicians of every shade, the poor, Muslims, Christians, destitute folks and people abandoned by society.

Jeyandra Saraswathi Swamigal was always acutely aware of the sufferings as well as the worldly pressures on large sections of Indian society. For him, India’s true progress lay in uplifting these sections and he did his bit silently, often working below the radar.  As a Sanyasi, he was a pillar of support and succor to all of them. His demise, naturally, has saddened millions of people in India and all over the world.

During his lifetime, Sri Jeyandra Saraswathi Swamigal did not shy away from speaking out on issues that affected India at large. Obviously, this did stir up a lot of controversy. Following the footsteps of his guru, the Kanchi Seer too decided to meet these controversies headlong. But all along, he was laser-focused on serving the poor and underprivileged and did not allow the criticisms to deter him from his path of service.

Today it may be fashionable to speak of “inclusive growth”, but this Kanchi Seer had actually been practicing this for at least forty years. He had personally walked into housing communities of Dalits, fishermen, scheduled caste folks etc. in every nook and cranny of not only Tamil Nadu, but all over India. For instance his visits to the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai was well received by the residents there so much so that even today many have a picture of this great seer in their humble homes. This proved that in reality he was not just a religious leader to a small section of society as portrayed by many politicians and liberal media, but was the guru who had a pan Indian following.

The Shankaracharya was instrumental in opening innumerable free schools for children of the poor, irrespective of religion. Many of these schools also provide free food to the children. He had also established several hospitals for their welfare. Many of the super specialty hospitals he had set up now offer advanced treatments on a non-profit basis.

As mentioned, he was not a stranger to controversy. He had briefly left the Mutt in 1987, but returned shortly thereafter.  Later in 2004, much to the anguish of Hindus at large, he was arrested by the Tamil Nadu government on trumped up charges of murder. The case had dragged on, but the then state government headed by J Jayalalithaa could not prove the charges it had bought on in the court of law. Needless to say, the charges were dropped and the Seer and his disciple were acquitted.

It must be mentioned here that years later, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the former President of India, in his memoir, has pointed fingers at the erstwhile UPA government, hinting that it was instrumental in framing the Shankaracharya for apparent political reasons. He has also written that in a subsequent Cabinet meeting he had vehemently opposed the arrest and disrespectful treatment of the seer.  The Seer’s arrest had left a deep scar in the minds of the Hindus since they perceived this as a wanton affront to their religious rights and freedom to practice their religion. Not surprisingly, the mainstream media in India had never raised a hue and cry about religious freedom or tolerance then.

The Seer was also instrumental in bringing together the leaders of Muslim and Hindu organizations to the discussion table to arrive at a negotiated settlement of the vexed Ayodhya Ram Temple dispute. Both Hindus and Muslims alike had admired the Seer’s pacifist approach and vowed to continue the discussions. It is indeed sad that the Seer did not have an opportunity to see the dispute settled in his lifetime.

Hindus at large have lost a true pillar of support , a sage who did not shy away from speaking up for them – be it conversion, Ram Janma Bhoomi , their right to manage their own temples or for that matter anything that encroached on the freedom of religion in India.

For the Dalits and the neglected sections of society – Hindus as well as non-Hindus, whom the politicians fashionably profess to court and serve – he was like a banyan tree – praying, caring and doing his bit for their welfare in every small way. For them the banyan tree of support has fallen and is indeed a colossal loss. Yet, life has to carry on and they will miss their beloved Swamiji.

The mantle at the Kanchi Matam now passes on to Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 70th pontiff. But the memory of Sri Jeyandra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 69th Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, will linger on for ages to come. A widely admired and revered Swami is no more.

Why Bharatiyas should pay attention to Rajiv Malhotra

Priya J
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Why Bharatiyas should pay attention to Rajiv Malhotra

I wonder how many of us Bharatiyas actually pay attention to Rajiv Malhotra and his brand of Swadeshi Indic thoughts. After Narendra Modi’s uprising, the dissent from the so-called ‘Left’ has kicked off and hence, we can no longer ignore Mr Malhotra. If you have an hour to spare, please give this video a chance before reading this article.

The Trustees of the Hindu Forum of Britain and the volunteer team of the British Board of Hindu Scholars came together to arrange this ground-breaking lecture on “Soft Power Reparations” in the House of Commons. This important event was hosted by Honorable Bob Blackman, who is a loyal friend to India and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus.

This is the most important lecture ever given by Rajiv Malhotra in all these years he has spoken on stages in conferences, debates and talks. Although I am a relatively new follower of him, I realise the importance of this particular lecture, which sets the tone of the India’s Grand Narrative.

Rajiv Malhotra was not the first one to speak on reparations to be done by the British for the injustices they have meted out to India during colonisation. Shashi Tharoor has also spoken on many occasions, and even written about, financial reparations that Britain must do for India. While Tharoor’s proposal did not include any specific recommendations on what the British government must do in terms of financial reparations, Rajiv Malhotra goes many steps forward and puts forth a concrete agenda of items that can be done by the British government, which he termed as “soft power reparations”.

At the beginning of this lecture, Malhotra reminded the British that without the Indians who fought together with the English against the Axis, they would not have won the World War. Many Indian soldiers have given their lives fighting together with the Allies for the betterment of the world, and yet no memorial has been built for them in Britain. If not for these great Indian Army heroes, we would all be speaking German instead of English.

Likewise, Rajiv Malhotra put forth a few key suggestions on how the English can do reparations to India. His first important suggestion was asking the British to support and institutionalise the Swadeshi Indology, by cooperating with India on various matters. While India has attained political and economic autonomy, we still have not completely decolonised our education system.

Even today, we look towards what the West sets as the narrative, before even looking into the Indic narrative. Therefore, the English have to first quash the historical distortions and false propaganda narratives it has built on India, starting from the Aryan Invasion Theory. The United Kingdom stands to benefit greatly if it were to collaborate together with the Sanatana Dharmis, and integrate our scriptural knowledge of the mind, health, body, consciousness, neuroscience, surgery and more.

India and the cultural heritage of the country has always been an inclusive culture. We never practised exclusivity and we always want to place India as Vishwa Guru (Teacher of the World) and share our invaluable knowledge with the whole world. Therefore, the UK must stop seeing India as a threat and stop helping the ‘Left’ in India, as they are usually extreme leftists disguised as “liberals” and “human rights activists”. This can be detrimental to both UK and India in the future. As the ‘Left’ of India has been politically defeated with the rise of Narendra Modi-led NDA government, it is high time that the British start backing this new dispensation and let go of the old ones.

Hence, the most important point mentioned by Rajiv Malhotra in this lecture, according to me, is that the word ‘tolerance’ should be replaced with ‘mutual respect’.

If I ‘tolerate’ you, it means that I do not like what you practice and yet I will endure your behaviour. This would mean that nobody will change, and this sort of ‘tolerance’ fosters hypocrisy. On the other hand, if I were to “respect” you, then I would also expect you to “respect” me. If we were to truly replace “tolerance” with “mutual respect”, then there should be reciprocity and equal reverence for both viewpoints. But also, there should be a degree of “deserving” of such respect. In that case, there will be room for change for self-betterment. Mutual respect also demands that we first possess self-respect. Hence, there will be ‘integration’ with the people of differing viewpoints, but there will be no ‘assimilation’. Each and every cultural uniqueness must be preserved and celebrated.

This lecture will have two important outcomes that will be put into action: i) A conference marking the 100th Anniversary of Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on 13 April 2019, and ii) A conference on refuting the Aryan/Dravidian Theory developed by the East India Company.

With these two conferences lined up, Rajiv Malhotra will also be soon establishing his Infinity Foundation in UK. We can expect more from him, but we can also contribute ourselves to the Swadeshi Indology by reading Rajiv Malhotra’s books and watching his videos on YouTube.

UN-Habitat organizes World Urban Forum 9 to scale up & localize implementation of the New Urban Agenda

Meera VM
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UN-Habitat organizes World Urban Forum 9 to scale up & localize implementation of the New Urban Agenda

Summary: The ninth session of World Urban Forum (WUF9) was convened by UN-Habitat during 7-13 February 2018 at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The objective of the forum was to localize and scale up implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) : Cities for All, Cities 2030. There was strong participation from India at many levels in the forum. Like NUA, India too envisions Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Urban Development. In principle, implementation of the New Urban Agenda is equally important for India. However, implementation of NUA will be a mammoth challenge for India given her unique social, economic, political circumstances. Some of the NUA provisions may be controversial for India and how far will NUA be applicable to Indian circumstances is yet to be assessed. (Click for Marathi version)

Meera_VM | Urban Management & Policy Expert | 7 – 13 February 2018, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

World Urban Forum 9: Introduction

Impacts of fast-growing cities and rapid urbanization on environment, society, and economy is the burning issue of the 21st century. The World Urban Forum is the biggest non-legislative, bi-yearly conference of the United Nations to discuss Sustainable Urbanization and Cities. The ninth session of World Urban Forum (WUF9) was jointly organized by UN-Habitat, Malaysia Government and Kuala Lumpur City between 7-13 February 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The focus of the WUF9 was to localize and scale up the implementation of the New Urban Agenda: Cities for All, Cities 2030 to help to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The United Nations had launched 17 Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. SDG-11 is about Sustainable Cities and Communities. The next logical step to follow SDG-11 was the New Urban Agenda (NUA). NUA was formally adopted by world community during the Habitat-3 conference in 2016 in Quito (Ecuador, Latin America). Habitat is the UN-Habitat’s 20 yearly Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development. Earlier Habitats, Habitat-1 happened in 1976 in Vancouver (Canada) and Habitat-2 happened in 1996 in Istanbul (Turkey). NUA works as the bridge between Sustainable Development and Urbanization by providing framework and guidance for the sustainable cities of future, cities of 2030.

The United Nations’ Our common future or Brundtland Report defines Sustainable Development (WCED, 1987) as : The balanced development that optimizes Economy, Society and Environment; a development that meets needs of the present while preserving resources for the future.

According to UN-DESA (2014), more than 50% world today is urban and by 2050, 70% world will be urban. Hence, for sustainability, sustainable development of cities and urban areas is essential

The New Urban Agenda : Cities 2030, Cities for All

Based on the guiding principles of Inclusion, Innovation and Integration, the New Urban Agenda (NUA) presents 175-point framework for future urbanization. NUA envisions future Cities of 2030 as Inclusive, Just & Safe, Healthy & Accessible, Prosperous & Affordable, Resilient & Sustainable Cities; Cities 2030: Cities for all where no-one and no place is left behind. NUA mentions few other relevant Global Agreements in its documents: Paris Agreement COP21 2015, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries, Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries etc. Although, the New Urban Agenda is a non-legislative framework.

175 points of NUA can be grouped under 5 basic elements:

World Urban Forum 9

Approximately, 22778 people from 165 countries representing various National & Local Governments, International Organizations, Academia and Professionals, NGOs, Grassroot Organizations, Civil Society groups etc, from all sections of society across gender, age and class participated in WUF9, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 7-13 February 2018. There was strong and active participation from India at many levels in the forum. Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Mos, MoHUA (Minister of State, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs) represented Government of India in the forum. Shri Puri was appointed as the President of UN-Habitat’s Governing Council at Kuala Lumpur in 1st week of February 2018.

The focus of the World Urban Forum 9 was the preparation of framework to “localize and scale up” implementation of the New Urban Agenda through consultation, consent and cooperation of the representatives of the stakeholders on one common platform. The Action Framework for Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (AFINUA) included 5 groups of subjects: 1. National Urban Policies, 2. Urban Legislation, Rules & Regulations 3. Urban Planning & Design, 4. Urban Economy & Municipal Finance, 5. Local Implementation.

Discussions during WUF9 and Kuala Lumpur Declaration

During the conference proceeding, numerous high-level roundtables, meetings, side events and networking sessions were organized and a plethora of subjects ranging from climate change to urban planning was discussed. However, discussions about Housing, Infrastructure and Governance & Policy took the center-stage. Role of data and new age technologies like unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones and its importance in addressing the urban challenges was also one of the important set of discussions.

The outcome of WUF9 was presented in form of Kuala Lumpur Declaration. KL Declaration highlights some of the challenges in front of urbanization like limited opportunities, inequitable access to the city, violations of human rights, inequalities, social, cultural, gender-based inequalities, environmental degradation etc.

  • KL declaration makes a strong recommendation to nations to bring a comprehensive National Urban Policy for implementing New Urban Agenda at National, Regional and Local Level and empowerment of Mayors & Urban Governments.
  • The discussions at WUF9 placed the issue of migrations to safer urban areas due to manmade/natural disasters, conflicts and persecutions etc in the context of Urban Policy. KL declaration recommends urban governments to take the lead in establishing social cohesion and extending the Right to City to all the refugees along with the intra-state migrants.
  • Another set of discussions at WUF9 was pertaining the Territorial & Regional Development. The definition of urban areas is extended to the city regions in NUA and development of the peri-urban and rural area with the help of smart technology is recommended for sustainable territorial development [HRH Prince of Wales Charles during his address to WUF9 via video conferencing mentioned the need for research about smart villages]. In the context of Economic & Trade Corridors, WUF9 recommends partnership & cooperation between cities for sustainable regional development.
  • While recognizing the importance of data and new age technologies in addressing the urban challenges, KL declaration emphasises the need for policies to ensure equitable access to data and technology to all. KL declaration also recommends the need for adapting Innovative solutions by urban governments.

The points which came to the forth during WUF9 are 1. Global recognition of City as the central unit of governance and the increasing importance of urban governments and urban leaders internationally. 2. Participation of the Grassroots organizations and actual Slum Dwellers and their vital feedback regarding Housing, Infrastructure and Urban Planning issues. 3. Need for the resilient development along with the climate change adaptations.

Urban Scenario of India

Social, Economic and Environmental impacts of rapid urbanization is a major concern for India too. While economic growth and urbanization should happen together, migration and demographic growth are driving urbanization in India. The growing urban population is outpacing the development of infrastructure and housing in Indian cities. At present, 1/6th of the global population is in India (approximately 121 Crores as per Census 2011) and 1/3rd Indian population is in urban areas. It is projected that by the year 2050, Indian population will grow to 170 crores and 60% of that population will be urban. India will be the most populated country in the world by the year 2020. As such, future of sustainable development depends upon India to the large extent.

However, global studies indicate highly unsustainable cities and urbanization in India. India’s 4 important cities: Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are included in the Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2016. All the 4 Indian cities are ranked in the bottom 10; at 91, 92, 97 and 100 respectively in the list of 100 global cities. While present Indian urbanization may have inherited some chronic social, economic and natural problems, it is important and essential for India to avoid further negative consequences of urbanization and leapfrog towards sustainable development.

In principle, implementation of New Urban Agenda providing framework and guidelines for future sustainable urban development is important for India.

Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index 2016.

Fortunately, the present perspective of India towards cities and urbanization is optimistic. Urbanization is looked at as the engine for economic development, an instrument for uplifting millions from poverty. India has initiated large Infrastructure up-gradation programme and a plethora of urbanization-related schemes and policies viz. Smart Cities, Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY), Clean India, AMRUT, HRIDAY, Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA) etc. Some of the social schemes viz. Accessible India, National Health Protection Scheme, Ujjwala (Clean fuel), Saubhagya (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana) etc. also deserve mention as they are helping social sustainability.

Whether India’s efforts are in the right direction? How her efforts will be measured on a global scale? WUF9 was the important platform to answer these questions and to understand the global trends in urban policy; to develop partnership & cooperation with international organizations; for the exchange of ideas and for voicing India’s opinion on the global stage.

Challenges for India in the implementation of NUA

In principle, implementation of New Urban Agenda is important for India to achieve sustainable urban development. Nonetheless, it is a mammoth challenge given her large, diverse population and Political, Economic & Social Circumstances. Some of the provisions in NUA may be controversial for India. Some of the implementation related difficulties in India’s context are:

  • National Urban policy in conformity with New Urban Agenda

The first challenge for India will be to bring a comprehensive National Urban Policy (in conformity with NUA) in consultation with all the states, local governments and other stakeholders. Also, the legal framework will be required for the policy for effective and timely implementation at all levels, especially at local level. All the states will also have to do this exercise (of bringing the comprehensive urban policy at the state level).

  • Empowering Urban Governments

Today, cities from the developed world are autonomous to a large extent having the power to make decisions regarding overall urban management and financial planning. Larger autonomy is recommended for cities in New Urban Agenda too. How far will India’s federal structure allow decision-making power and financial autonomy for cities is yet to be seen.

  • Inclusive cities for all genders

India has not yet decriminalized transgender and LGBT community. There are still rules and practices discriminating against women. If India wants to extend Right to City for all irrespective of gender, she needs to make the legal system inclusive. For that, India will have to change laws to give equal rights to women and gay community. This is a bit complicated matter because it does not come under the jurisdiction of urban governance.

  • Rights for Migrants and Refugees

According to Mr William Lacy Swing (Director General of Migration International Organization), 1 out of every 7 persons globally is migrant due to reasons like conflicts, persecutions, climate change, aspirations etc. The New Urban Agenda brings the issue of migrants in the context of urban management. The NUA which is based on the principle of inclusiveness, recommends city governments to extend the Right to City to all the migrants including international refugees. However, migration is a sensitive matter for India, especially in the areas like Mumbai, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and entire North East India. Any change in migration strategy will have Political, Social & Economic consequences. The handling of the issue will involve not just urban governments but political leadership at central and state levels.

  • Accessible, Inclusive cities for old and disabled

At present, India may be demographically young country, however, a sheer number of the old people having age more than 60 years and persons having a disability is significant (8% and 2.2% respectively out of 120 crore population in 2011). The proportion of old will increase to 20% by the year 2050 and India will have 34 crores old people out of 170 crores total population then. Providing old and disabled with physical & digital access to the city and ensuring economic inclusion will be a huge task for India.

In conclusion:

There will be many more challenges in implementing New Urban Agenda apart from the list above. Development of economic corridors involving cross-border cities vs geopolitical interests is one such challenging area. Even though Urban Agenda focuses on Inclusive, Just & Safe, Healthy & Accessible, Prosperous & Affordable, Resilient & Environmentally Sustainable Cities, all these goals may not be complementary to each other at all the time, for all the places in the Indian context.

India has been an active player in the multilateral negotiations of the New Urban Agenda. However, implementation of NUA will depend upon the policies and governance to the large extent. Next review of implementation on NUA is scheduled in July 2018, then we will get the fair picture about India’s preparedness about the implementation of NUA.

*****

References:

  1. (2015). SUSTAINABLE CITIES INDEX 2016, 9. Retrieved from https://www.arcadis.com/media/0/6/6/%7B06687980-3179-47AD-89FD-F6AFA76EBB73%7DSustainable%20Cities%20Index%202016%20Global%20Web.pdf
  2. Charles, A. (2016). The New Urban Agenda has been formally adopted. So what happens next? | World Economic Forum. Retrieved February 27, 2018, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/last-month-a-new-global-agreement-to-drive-sustainable-urban-development-was-reached-so-what-is-it-and-happens-next/
  3. (2012). Kuala Lumpur Declaration. In the Second Strategic Roundtable Discussion ISRA-IRTI-DURHAM University (pp. 1–3). Retrieved from http://wuf9.org/kuala-lumpur-declaration/
  4. Ministry of home affairs. (2011). Census of India Website: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved from http://censusindia.gov.in/
  5. UN DESA. (2015). Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
  6. UN Habitat. (2017). Action Framework for Implementation of the New Urban Agenda. Retrieved from http://nua.unhabitat.org/AFINUA19thApr.pdf
  7. UN Habitat (2016). QUITO DECLARATION ON SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS FOR ALL. In New Urban Agenda. Retrieved from http://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/Habitat-III-New-Urban-Agenda-10-September-2016.pdf
  8. (2017). The Paris Agreement – main page. Retrieved February 26, 2018, from http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php
  9. Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction – UNISDR (2015). https://doi.org/A/CONF.224/CRP.1
  10. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future – A/42/427 Annex – UN Documents: Gathering a body of global agreements. Retrieved from http://www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.htm

Reference images & videos: 

1. Implementation Plan of the New Urban Agenda 2016-2026

2. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2015

3. Video address of HRH Prince Charles:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RoO_fMB6oo?ecver=2]

Corruption in India and the recent PNB fraud

sudip47
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Corruption in India and the recent PNB fraud

India has been ranked 81st in the global corruption perception index for 2017, released by Transparency International, which named the country among the “worst offenders” in terms of graft and press freedom in the Asia Pacific region. It is to be noted at the same time that this index covers public sector corruption and press freedom including death of journalists and therefore does not accurately reflect extent of corruption only.

However, corruption has been the bane of Indian Society ever since independence. This started with Mundhra-LIC scam and Dharma Teja-The Jayanti shipping scandal during Nehru’s time and have continued to flourish till now. This is all pervasive starting from small value bribes and tax evasions to large value financial fraud, black money generation and illegal overseas deposits.

To gauge the extent of bribing, there is this Ipaidabribe.com, a website where people can anonymously report bribes paid by them or demanded from them to access government services. Since the website was launched in August 15, 2010, it has received 1,54,058 reports involving bribes to the tune of Rs 2,867.51 crore.

The largest contributors to corruption were entitlement programs and social spending schemes enacted by the Indian government. Examples include the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the National Rural Health Mission. Other areas of corruption include India’s trucking industry which is forced to pay billions of rupees in bribes annually to numerous regulatory and police stops on interstate highways.

Direct transfer of benefits and GST will largely bring down the level of such corruption. Tendering processes and awarding contracts was another area offering much scope for corruption. This has been lowered through streamlining of procedures, computerisation and online approvals. Electoral funding is another issue govt. is currently trying to address.

As a matter of fact, nearly one third of Indian MPs of 16th Lok Sabha have criminal cases pending against them. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved high level government officials, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam, the Adarsh Housing Society scam, the Coal Mining Scam , the Mining Scandal in Karnataka and the Cash for Vote scams. Corruption in India is a consequence of the nexus between Bureaucracy, politics and criminals.

As R Jagannathan so precisely said on financial frauds in Swarajya –  what links the Harshad Mehta, Ketan Parekh and PNB scams is that money was lent against fake documentation, either actual paper or virtual, but without the backing of real assets.

Most banks and financial agencies have operating manuals which lay down how every transaction is to be done or recorded following specified policy and procedures. Yet, there are many gaps in the such SOPOP or statement of policy and operating procedure, which makes this and many other frauds possible. Like in PNB case, the transactions could be made outside the Core Banking Solution and reconciliation of NOSTRO account was not done. This as far as the internal control mechanism is concerned.

But most astonishing is how, say in PNB case, the collusion in such high value fraud between the officials of borrower company and lending bank could be continued for such a long time without the knowledge of their colleagues at the branch.

It is understood that judicial requests for exchange of information are being sent for getting details of the overseas financial holdings of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi and also details of their bank accounts, assets, partnerships, showrooms, trusts and other assets. These assets and their sources of income will be investigated and if necessary would be attached under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) if it is found that they have been created using tainted funds or the proceeds of crime from the alleged bank fraud.

India has arrangement with USA for implementing Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act effective from 2017. It is also a signatory to Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax matters. These provisions could also be beneficially utilized for criminal proceedings against them and seizure of their assets.

Phone calls from Delhi on who to give loans to is another impediment to good credit administration. There needs to be a permanent structure in place to separate the government’s ownership rights from the actual job of running banks on commercial lines.

In PNB scam, 19 persons including an auditor of the branch have been arrested. Govt. has asked PSU banks to scan all bad debts above Rs. 50 crores for possible fraud. It has shut down 35 overseas branches of PSU banks over synergy and profitability; 69 more offices under review for closure. It has also moved to set up a new regulator for CAs and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill for confiscation of assets without conviction where such fraudsters flee the country. Recently, Karti Chidambaram has been arrested in the INX Media Money Laundering case. This comes in the wake of actions against Bhupinda Singh Hooda, Gurpal Singh (Amarinder Singh’s son in law) and wife of Abhishek Singhvi.

Corruption is like a cancer in the body of Indian society. Its seed is the greed in individuals. It needs treatment like chemotherapy. That is why measures like Vigorous prosecution, Aadhar identification, Demonetization and GST were injected to reengineer human souls and minds as much as socio-economic realities.

What lies ahead for Chidambaram senior?

vishalchou1
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What lies ahead for Chidambaram senior?

P Chidambaram, arguably the second most powerful person after Gandhis during UPA years seems to be in big trouble. His son is already in CBI custody and multiple attempts to derail the investigation have yielded zero results for him so far. CBI and ED have already convinced the court that they have a strong case against Karti. Every one knows if Karti was accepting bribes or favours from corporate it was only on behalf of his father.

So what lies ahead for Chidambaram Sr. he already has haters withing congress against him, the Finance ministry officials have already shared many details of his dealings with CBI and ED as per media reports. Chidambaram senior is not finding enough support from his own party as many think the case can no longer be defended.

What does all this lead to? Sr. chidambaram may become an embarrassment to his own party and they will conveniently walk away, his son may get a long time in and out of jail, he himself may be subjected to various enquiries and may even get arrested. Chances are low that he will get any public office any time soon.

All this may make his situation similar to Lalu prasad and family, some or the other member of family will be facing enquiry and the family might have to keep moving to court regularly to seek bail for some one or the other in family.

All said and done it seems like very difficult times ahead for Chidambaram and family.

कांग्रेस के सुहावने सपनो पर चला मोदी का हथौड़ा

Chetan Prinja
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कांग्रेस के सुहावने सपनो पर चला मोदी का हथौड़ा

लगभग कुछ समय से तो मीडिया का एक वर्ग लगातार राहुल गांधी की तारीफ़ो के पुल बांंधने में लगा है। जैसे उन्होंने कोई करिश्मा कर दिया हो। और बस चुनाव जीतकर देश के अगले प्रधानमंत्री बन गए हो। लेकिन ये सब एक दूर का सपना लगता है।

सबसे पहले पंजाब के विधानसभा चुनाव की बात करते है। जिसका सेहरा राहुल के सर पे डालने के लिए कांग्रेस में होड़ लग गयी है। लेकिन पंजाब की जनता साफ़ जानती है कि ये जीत राहुल गांधी की नहीं बल्कि कैप्टन अमरिंदर सिंह की जीत है। जिन्होंने अपने सियासी ताजबूरे से इस जीत को संभव किया है। पंजाब के लोगो ने वोट कैप्टन अमरिन्दर को दिया है, राहुल को नहीं। राहुल जी ने तो चुनाव में पंजाब में गुजरात की तरह पूरे जोश से आना भी ठीक नहीं समझा। या फिर कैप्टन साहेब ने आने नहीं दिया। शायद इस लिए की वो जानते थे इसका फ़ायदा कम और नुकसान ज्यादा हो सकता है।

अब आते है गुजरात चुनाव की तरफ। गुजरात में तकरीबन बीस साल की anti-incumbency के बावजूद भी और तीन हुकम के इक्के अपने हाथ में होने के बावजूद भी कांग्रेस के हाथों सेगुजरात निकल जाना निश्चित ही कांग्रेस की जीत तो नहीं है। और अभी हुए उपचुनाव, जिसे सेमीफाइनल कहा जा रहा है, में जीत यकीनन हौसला बढ़ाने वाली है लेकिन अति-उत्साहित होना सही नहीं है, क्योंकि बीजेपी में अमितशाह जैसा चाणक्य है जो कि हार मानने वालों में से नहीं है।

और सिर्फ उपचुनाव में जीत को 2019 की जीत समझ लेना समझदारी तोह बिलकुल भी नहीं हो गईं। बीजेपी में अमितशाह नरेन्द्रमोदी जैसे दिग्गज लीडर है जो अपनी गलतियों से सीखने में कभी झिजक महसूस नहीं करते। और ऐसे अहम समयह में राहुल का विदेशी दौरा उनकी सियासी सूझबूझ के बारे में बताता है।

और जैसे अभी नतीजे आए हैं, नार्थ ईस्ट की जनता ने भी मोदी जी पर विश्वास जताया है। जनता का जवाब स्पष्ट है। जनता अब सिर्फ विरोध की राजनीती से आक चुकी है। जिस तरह बीजेपी अटक से कटक तक जीत का परचम फहरा रही है। 2019 में किसी चमत्कार की आशा करना कांग्रेस की सबसे बड़ी भूल होगी।

कांग्रेस और बीजेपी के नेत्तृत्व में बड़ा अंतर है। बीजेपी सामने से हार की जिमेवारी लेना जानती है। लेकिन कांग्रेस हार के लिए राहुल को जिमेवार नहीं ठहराना चाहती। शायद जे उसकी मजबूरी है कि उसे गाँधी परिवार की जी हजूरी करनी पड़ती है। जिस किसी ने भी राहुल गांधी के नेतृत्व पर सवाल उठाया उसे बाहर का रास्ता दिखा दिया गया। कांग्रेस को अपने अंदर की कमी को देखना पड़ेगा और अपने श्रीश नेतृत्व से सवाल करने पडेंगे। नहीं तो बाद में 2019 के चुनाव में भी उसका ऐसा ही हश्र होगा। नहीं तो सांप के निकल जाने पर लकीर पीटने से कोई फायदा नहीं होगा।

A glass half full: Didn’t the British also liberate India?

Saten
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A glass half full: Didn’t the British also liberate India?

15th August is celebrated as the Indian Independence Day. And of course, even a child if asked, can tell from whom. The British of course! But was it really so? Did India get independence from the British only? In essence, on this historic day, India, and especially Hindus, gained an independence on a much larger scale, going beyond the British colonialism.

Let us go back a few centuries back to the times when British had not arrived on the scene. Was India independent? Wasn’t most of India, rather the entire Indian sub-continent, under a foreign rule? So why do we refer to only 200 years of subjugation when we talk of independence? India was since 11th century almost continuously under rule of invaders, marauders (or their descendants) who came from foreign lands, primarily Central Asia or Persia. True the Mughals settled down and made it their home, but in all sense of lineage or race, they were not the sons of the soil. And it is here that the question arises: What if the Europeans, especially the British, not found India? What if India was not colonized by the British? Some would dismiss these as hypothetical questions, but indeed there is value in this discussion as this helps establish an important aspect of Indian history.

It was the Europeans, in their strive for colonizing the land, that weakened the Mughals. The Hindu rulers, except for a few exceptions like Shivaji, were in no position to challenge the Mughals, and were neither united nor had the wherewithal to make any significant dent. There was no concept of an Indian nation. The states or the satraps were busy fighting their own battles or ensuring their survival under the Mughals, but very parochial in focus, and therefore there could not have been a fight for independence from the Mughals. And this could have most likely continued for ever, with entire India gradually becoming one big Islamic land, from Afghanistan to Bangladesh.

The British conquest of India weakened the Mughals and all other regional forces and created the modern Indian State. And this re-inforced or revived the concept of Indian nation, something that the Indians had given up. It was the advent of the British and their education, that produced freedom fighters like Bose, Nehru and Gandhi. Could these leaders have nurtured under a Mughal India and fought with a Mughal ruler for independence? Most likely not, as the vision came from the education and international exposure possible owing to India getting connected to rest of the world.

And therefore credit goes to the British for liberating India from the Mughals and preventing it from slipping into darker ages. When the British left, India not only gained independence from 200 years of British rule but actually almost a 1000 years of foreign rule. And the parting gift was the partition itself. The creation of Pakistan has been more a boon to India than a bane. Western Pakistan (FATA) and Afghanistan had historically always stayed feudal and recalcitrant. No one could ever reconcile or rule them. And had this land stayed with India, what are many of Pakistan’s problem today, would have been India’s. Pakistan fortunately is that buffer between India and those lands that still continue to live in medieval times. India already fixed the only incorrect aspect of partition by cutting Pakistan to size and creating Bangladesh in 1971 on the eastern side. We now have geographically an India as perfect as it could be, we only have to make it great again.

So actually the British did liberate India! And here my aim is not to eulogize the British or justify their rule, it is just a consideration on how the circumstances still went on to help India in some manner, and had an influence on shaping our destiny.

Keeping faith in the system- Should I or should I not?

sahilkhale
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Keeping faith in the system- Should I or should I not?

I grew up in a middle class family and knew that we need to do a lot of hardship for leading a good life. Leading a good life means, owning a house, car, do some investments, health insurance etc., etc. For a long time my family had been saying, we should buy a house. I was against it but finally gave in. But before booking any house, we had to think a lot where do we invest as there are lot of builders who just take the money and don’t give house on time. We have seen a lot of ups and downs in real estate market, but then as a middle class person, I need to have a house to safeguard my family and their future.

So, after much research and thinking, we bought a house in NCR with a heavy loan and invested my complete savings over there. Over the period of time, things started changing in real estate market as RERA kicked in, Central & Local Govt. changed and Supreme Court started bashing the builders and putting them behind bars. But still, there’s always a worry within us, what if we don’t get the house on time. We need to pay EMIs, heavy EMIs.

Few days back, “Bail-in” clause was to be introduced in our banking system. Having in touch with financial markets, I know a thing or two about “Bail-in” clause and was very hard for me to convince my father-in-law that such a condition will not come in India and the FDs which he has made in bank are still safe. We were thinking on those lines and then suddenly PNB’s scam came into picture and focus shifted on the NPAs of the banks and the scam amount, which is growing day by day. My father-in-law again called and this time it was hard for me to convince him about this situation. I still believe, this situation may not come India, but I also remember this happened in Cyprus during financial crisis in 2012-2013, where bank took the 50%~ of the uninsured deposits and returned rest to the investors.

Back of my mind, all these things were running but was happy that EMIs are less as interest rates were lowered by the banks. But as the NPA discussion became more prevalent in the country, banks increased the lending rates, which might impact our EMIs. So, it comes as no surprise that banks are trying to recover all those NPAs from those honest people who are paying their loans/EMI judiciously.

In a nutshell, as a middle class person, I need to research before investing my hard earned money in a house. After investing, I need to worry about my EMIs and pay more even though central bank is reducing the rates, because the banks handed over the money to some people who looted it and went bankrupt or ran off from the country. Before I put money in bank in FDs, I need to think whether those are insured or not. If not, how can I save it from “Bail-in” clause.

I do not blame Govt. for it or the RBI for that matter. But I do get worried, where do I keep my money. Whether I keep it in bank, the system which we entrusted for years or keep it with me in cash form (which is least likely). But then, what do I do? Do I trust this system and give it a try or not?

And Siddaramaiah scuttles to bring in ‘Development’

sharathkumar
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And Siddaramaiah scuttles to bring in ‘Development’

Bengaluru: Happenings in and around capital’s political landscape seem to suggest that CM Siddaramaiah has finally woken up from his iconic sleep. Past few days, CM is touring nook & corner of the city & state to inaugurate projects which are far from complete for a photo-op with “Development”.

The story of inauguration by CM and being closed for public the next day: 8-lane Okalipuram signal free corridor has been inaugurated by the CM while the project is only about 65% complete or 6 months from completion. Of the 3 lanes which were inaugurated, one was closed to traffic since there were electrical and civil works to be completed.

The other half-finished projects which CM inaugurated include a multi-level parking facility of which only one floor has been completed, the 920 metre Hennur flyover which after 8 years of construction still had works to be completed before CM inaugurated it. Construction work is still underway for the construction of service road.

Potholes and a model street: The first rains of monsoon in 2017 badly exposed the Bengaluru’s roads. Potholes became a meance. Numerous accidents and a death later Siddaramaiah responded saying ‘Poeple have died due to accidents and not because potholes’. And now, the same person is using images of a 715 metre Church Street road project with hashtags #TransformingBLR, #BengaluruOurPride.

With 2 months left in office, the CM has come up with a vision document NavaKarnataka 2025. All these efforts by the CM to show himself with development seem a mere eye-wash for a person who has been in news for all the wrong reasons – his iconic sleep, poor state of law and order, political violence in coastal Karnataka, Goondaism of his ministers and their sons, the treatment meted out to honest officers, the poor state of roads in Bengaluru etc.

The coming polls would decide whether the people of Karnataka buy these photo-ops of CM Siddaramaiah.

Authorities need to look into this online betting website

Ashish Shukla
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Authorities need to look into this online betting website

An online betting website could emerge as one of the most embarrassing threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s credibility and BJP’s relentless march towards Mission 2019.

WWW.LCEXCH.COM siphons off annually over Rs 5,000 crores from India —hold your breath—to Pakistan via Dubai and has so far escaped the radar of BJP which is determined to smash the nexus of black money, money laundering and terrorism.

The online betting shop has one Lal Chand as the contact and Bhatoro General Trading as the organization under the “Registrant Contact” available with the www.whois.net. Even a casual search on the net is good enough to show Bhatoro company dealing with food products and operating from Dubai.

The Dubai link to underworld betting mafia and Dawood Ibrahim, and thus notorious ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) of Pakistan, is an acknowledged fact with India’s police and security agencies yet this online betting shop has escaped scrutiny for at least two years now.

India’s archaic Public Gambling Act of 1867 offers a punishment no worse than Rs 200 and three months in prison. The Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 was amended last month; and Payment and Settlement Act 2007 exists but the scale of betting has only ballooned to the scale of Rs 8 lakh crore annually in cricket alone.

Online betting shops have zoomed since the Patiala House court ruling in 2015 which acquitted cricketer S. Sreesanth and 35 other accused in the IPL spot-fixing case and ruled cricket betting is NOT illegal since it involves “skills” and not “chance.”

This grey area has been exploited to the hilt by betting world. All Indians need to do is to open e-wallets in Neteller or Skrill and a host of legalized betting shops would accept your bets even in Indian rupees. The Indian laws permit States to frame their own laws on gambling—and Telangana has done a great job in banning online betting altogether with the 2017 Telangana Gaming (Amended) Act—but www.lcexch.com is a different matter altogether.

For one, it’s an offline betting mafias working in the garb of legal online outlet. You don’t even need to open e-wallet accounts as the agents of www.lcexch.com are spread over every nook and corner of India who collect and disburse black money physically.

Thus, you could use your BLACK MONEY (sic) to open accounts in www.lcexch.com and place bets. The revenue generated for the website goes to Dubai via Hawala channel and from there ostensibly across the border to Pakistan where it funnels illegal and dangerous activities, such as drugs, arms and cross-border terrorism.

According to data available with www.whois.net over 71 percent users of www.lcexch.com are from India which is massive and an estimated Rs. 15 crores are traded on the website everyday – apparently illegally.

While legalizing betting in cricket is presently under review of the Supreme Court, the apex court of the land is also examining a PIL filed by retired bureaucrat Atul Kumar and eminent journalist Shantanu Guha Ray which expresses concern over illegal betting controlled by underworld mafia and fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, further making submission that the massive transfer of funds for illegal betting is a risk to national and economic security.

All the security and regulatory exchange authorities need to do is to follow the example of Telangana and forbid the access of www.lcexch.com in India. If need be, laws must be amended to ensure this massive nefarious operation is stopped here and now.

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