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Why the Net Neutrality activists are nothing but scaremongers

aveek
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For the last few days, we have a gang of net neutrality “activists” who have suddenly activated their sleeper cells again after April 2015. They are backed by a second tier of mercenary influencers- stand-up comics etc. who don’t even know what net neutrality is, leave alone reading the 2 TRAI consultation papers.

All their arguments center not around facts but on a propaganda that if so & so is implemented then “some demons will roam free” and at times internet would become very expensive (they fell into their own trap when free internet restricted to few sites was released.)

I’ll take down all their arguments one by one here. But what I find most amusing is that these net neutrality “experts” mostly don’t have a technical background & the rest are from such nondescript engineering colleges that I expect nothing better of them anyway.    

For those interested in reading the 2 consultation papers, here is the link-

  1. http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReaddata/ConsultationPaper/Document/OTT-CP-27032015.pdf
  2. http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReaddata/ConsultationPaper/Document/CP-Differential-Pricing-09122015.pdf

The first is a bit lengthy at 150 pages but the second is just 11 pages. I found both the papers quite balanced, suggesting views from across the spectrum and inviting comments. When the first was released these experts, chiefly among them Nikhil Pawhwa of Medianama, started scaremongering without even reading the paper. That is obvious as the paper even had the views he advocated & that it was a consultation paper and didn’t impose anything.

If you don’t have the time to read it like most or find it filled with too much of technical jargon, don’t worry I’ll put it across in layman’s terms now. 3 terms are being used often in this discussion-

  1. Net Neutrality
  2. Zero Rating – all content be treated the same
  3. Free Basics – certain free content to be given by FB’s Internet.org platform

All three are pretty simple terms that are obfuscated (made obscure) purposefully by these people. Comparatively the TRAI consultation papers put forward the points in very simple language. First of all net neutrality has no fixed water-tight definition & has been used in a varied form in different countries.

Broadly it is treating all data packets the same. I personally find it a very stupid idea. I’ll elaborate why here- suppose you’re watching a live cricket match online & access your mail on your tab you don’t want the telecast to drop. You would be okay with your mail loading a bit slowly.

Second aspect that isn’t yet thought of in India as we are yet to see adoption of IoT (internet of things). In it, for example, you have 2 cars communicating their positions so that they don’t collide. That data has to be dealt with on a priority basis. Again, youtube uses CDN including caching servers that make the videos load faster for each user. This would also violate net neutrality & if competitors like dailymotion file complaints it will only stop innovation. How is it the fault of youtube if dailymotion doesn’t innovate or invest in CDNs ? Also the only loser here will be the consumers.

It is like the pre-liberalisation markets of India when you had the option of buying only a substandard Fiat Padmini & not an imported car that’s better at the same price. Same for FMCG. The problem now is that everyone who’s speaking against net neutrality is perceived to be totally pro-Facebook’s free basics.

I don’t like their weak PR campaign calling it “philanthropy”. Instead they should have just said its our business expansion model & if you have have an issue as a competitor, you are free to come up with your own similar or dissimilar business models. When e-commerce sites gave huge discounts backed by VC capital no hullabaloo was created. Here too a major concern that any new app won’t be able to compete in there’s a restricted Internet.org as competitive apps would be free but theirs won’t. The basic fallacy here can be seen in 2 points-

  1. The newer users wouldn’t be too experimentative with their app usage anyway. They would have used popular apps even if they started using internet fresh on their own
  2. Any good apps will be overtime backed by VCs who would ensure it comes up bundled free on Internet.org or its competitor say Airtel Zero or any other platform

Even today why do we use facebook or whatsapp or other social networking apps/sites? Its because our friends use them. I wouldn’t use orkut if it was offered free & it would be similar  for most people as after using FB I liked the interface and now my friends are also using it, which was not the case when I initially joined FB in 2009. Similarly any new app that becomes popular among users of unrestricted internet would over time be popular among those using the free subsidized internet.

Another concern because of the constant scaremongering by these people is that the prices of internet access or packs will shoot up drastically. But this is another lie being peddled. Right now we hardly have any websites or apps in regional languages & this is also a reason for low internet penetration in rural areas in addition to low internet infrastructure. These are two concerns that need to be addressed together as they are related.  I’ll digress from the topic at hand and come to it.

This free internet model is basically similar to free first rides on Uber/Ola etc., on it you can browse facebook but not view media/pics for free. Basically all the business are trying to introduce you the wonderful world of the internet or in other words make you an addict. Pick whatever you choose; its the same thing.

Facebook & other players who would benefit from the rural users would thus share the cost burden  with the telecom companies & ISPs to develop the internet infrastructure there. This will spur a demand for regional language websites & apps. Not just that it will also spur Indic computing & localisation. Again the same free internet platform can be used by the government to ensure e-governance reaches all. This would make the government initiatives & services within the reach of a smartphone for the rural population in their local language.

Again I find the logic used that facebook would earn a lot from this initiative but is doing nothing in return. First, even Google is rolling free internet by building the internet infrastructure at railway stations and through project loon. Google & facebook are using buoys & drones to distribute internet in farflung areas globally through such platforms. Also none of these “experts” talked about the point in the TRAI paper where the government had a proposal to tax the OTT services like facebook or whatsapp depending on its traffic (hence ad revenue).  

The misreporting my a media that hardly has anyone who understands tech has totally confused most people.

I am not sure if you would interested in stats, if you are read  the TRAI paper-

http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReaddata/ConsultationPaper/Document/OTT-CP-27032015.pdf

Recommended if you are interested. Its in layman’s terms.

When will the odd-even rule be really “successful”?

Sjd45
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My post is based on this tweet by Ramesh Srivats. Isn’t it odd that a rule, which is enforced by law, followed by people is considered a success. Let me clarify here that I am not against the odd-even rule but I am against the wrong use of the word success. The real “success” of the rule won’t be when people follow it but when it caters to its purpose i.e. reducing pollution.

Now some “journalists” are sharing some figures (something which they don’t do usually) which compare the PM 2.5 levels in the afternoon to that in the morning and saying that pollution levels have dropped ‘drastically’. First of all I want tell them please do a basic search on how pollution varies throughout the day. Levels are always higher in the morning than at noon so comparing them proves nothing.

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As far as traffic is concerned it is bound to reduce there is no miracle in it. As far as success is concerned we should wait for an actual working day and see wether pollution levels are actually reducing or no and not see wether people are following it or not.

Let us consider an hypothetical situation of some state A. The CM of that state feels that liquor is the major reason for crimes in the state so he bans it. A strict ban is enforced. A person found with alcohol will have to pay a hefty fine. Now it is obvious that liquor consumption in that state will go down. But this will have no benefit till it is proved that there has been a reduction in crime levels in the state after the liquor ban.

The ban in liquor may reduce crime levels in the state but it is not the only solution. Similarly the odd-even rule alone won’t solve the pollution problems of the state. It is just one step maybe in the right direction but a lot more needs to be done. We will have to wait for a few days more to see wether the odd-even scheme is really a ‘success’.

The ubiquitous internet trolls

Venkat Parthasarathy
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The evolution of the internet trolls began long before the advent of the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. .

Much before the Youtube revolution and in the early days of internet, the Yahoo chatrooms gave a platform for anonymity that broke the inhibitions of strangers to discuss, disseminate and solicit sex online. The virtual world created newer opportunities of expression for the low-on-confidence introverts. Soon there was a definitive churn and the internet chatroom abuses did not remain confined to private rooms but got a larger public audience.

The birth of online news portals and the opening up of the comments section was the early indication of online trolling taking roots. Internet policing, politely referred to as moderation by admin moderators, had just started taking steps to control abusive language through blockade/removal of a set of abusive words and phrases. Only to be pushed back through usage of words, phrases and expletives in Hindi and native Indian languages. The new age internet mobs on news portal comments section came back with newer ways to beat the moderators.

Patriotism and public display of patriotic fervour found a new place on internet and the online comments became a ready to use platform to air views on pro-India and anti-Pakistan barbs, the latter is strangely still perceived as the surest way of patriotic display in this jingoistic country.

It wasn’t long before every article, every discussion or an analytical piece – on politics, sports, movies, entertainment, health or environment – got battered with comments that were less patriotic and more Paki bashing. There is quite a marked take-off from the news portal comments that we see today in the pattern of abusers, trolls on social media. They all have one unique similarity – they just vent their spleen on strangers, celebrities – who they have never met, successful artists, sportspersons and above all the insensitive-to-insult politicians.

While an innocuous article on a south Indian movie online would seem no way of attracting Paki bashing – you would be surprised to see comments that first start with a north vs south Indian divide and some racist remarks on the colour of skin and soon turning into the inevitable Paki reference and invariably unite the commentators with fancy names like Akhand Indian, Proud Himalayan, Filthy desi etc fighting out a non-existent neighbour with the choicest of expletives. Cut to the present day Twitter trolls – you would have a long forgotten Bollywood character actor making snide remark on the Government on a civic issue inviting hordes of followers of the party in power jumping over the other in throwing expletives at the now victimized soul. Then there are sympathizers of the new age self-proclaimed crusader’s political party who don’t want to be left behind in the war of words and take sides and exchange the now infamous pleasantries.

Joining the bandwagon of the trolls and giving them credence are the I-know-all-on-any-subject celebrity journalists who are only too happy getting all the attention through the public bashing of the netizens, they invite them with open arms through their skewed commentary, prejudiced tweets and comments, before crying victim.

So how does this malady end… or will it really end? The answer is a firm NO!

The growth and spread of internet is expected to bring in newer and hitherto unheard of young users to taste the freedom of unsubdued expression and studies on the psychology of the internet trolls reveal that “people who are physically distanced from each other are less likely to play nice”

A recent article in Health.com says – Cyberbullying is all too common in chat rooms, message boards, Facebook, and the Twitter-sphere, says Alan Manevitz, M.D., a clinical psychiatrist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “There’s a freedom of speech without a fear of consequences,” he says. “There’s no inhibition. It’s like being drunk.”

While there are laws to curb abusive and harmful content online, the size and magnitude of the crime, if I may call that so, makes it herculean to curb, leave alone end.

The trolls have long arrived and are here to stay!

 

~ Venkat Parthasarathy

[email protected] / Twitter.com/venkrek

Modi visit to Pakistan is All about Barkha’s Book

Ankesh Kumar
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This years Christmas was quite just like any another Christmas when I woke up by stretching my sleeping time by an hour and switching on the TV while sipping tea and what I see it’s Modi all over the main stream media. For a second I thought What this guy has done now as BJP was in news recently for all the wrong reasons and then I got pleasantly surprised by the casual gesture of our Prime Minister to accept an invitation of visiting Nawaz Sharif to wish him birthday just over a phone call.

Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter

Knowing how our media goes gaga and have intellectual thoughts on NDA’s attitude towards Pakistan I was smiling and curious to know what and how media will take this, so I started browsing through news channels. From browsing through various Hindi Channels where they were projecting this visit with drama to the extent one of news channel in fact put Modi & Nawaz as Jai & Veeru in Sholay motorcycle riding poster with caption saying- Yeh, Dosti Hum Nahin Chhodenge to shocked English media with great list of political analysts. Then I came across NDTV where Barkha’s Christmas plan was spoiled by our PM sudden decision and she was analysing the entire situation with her elite set of panelists. It was interesting where she keeps on repeating “Media had no clue of this meeting, but still this would have been planned well in advance and it’s overall strategy” and then comes her googly where may be one of her junior colleague got hold of Twitter post of Sajjan Jindal’s smiling  selfie with his wife saying – He is in Lahore for Sharif’s birthday as well as his grand daughter’s wedding.

That’s it, now Barkha got all the ammunition to mention her books time and again. Since then all her sentences and points was taking panelists to excerpts from her recent book “This Unquiet Land” where she mentioned secret meeting between Modi & Sharif during SAARC summit in Kahthmandu with the help of Sajjan Jindal and she starts connecting dots which was not even on the same surface. She made several attempts to emphasise on common points of Sajjan Jindal, how he was in Kathmandu then and now in Lahore. Her repetitive attempts had no takers except confused Congress  who based on her hunch made statement that Modi was in Pakistan for Jindal’s business interest. She didn’t stop there and went on tweeting the same mentioning MEA coz they denied such scoop as she imagined. And at every occasion she was referring this incident towards her books as much as it looked like Modi visitng Lahore is Barkha’s book promotion event.

In fact after sometime I also started thinking it could be true until Pakistan’s spokesperson in his press brief explained how impromptu this visit was planned because of many from Islamabad could not make it to Lahore to meet Modi. This makes the case clear that Sajjan was in his personal capacity not as secret meeting arranger otherwise why will he flaunt his selfie on twitter?

But our leading lady doesn’t stop here, next day it was mentioned in all NDTV debate on this issue and one article on main page of NDTV.com with coverpage of her book on how she was the one who knew about it.

This is I believe over attempt to sell her books which got negative reviews by users in Amazon. Let’s see how much such attempts we will see in future.

Fallacies Of Sanatan Dharmis

luffy22
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The idea that Indian Culture is old and majestic is well perceived by Hindus. That they belong to great lineage of Rishis and Maharishis who were scientifically advanced and morally superior is well argued and to a point credible based on historical, architectural and scientific evidence. This article is not really meant to counter the claims of a great Vedic Civilization. It is to counter those who chest beat about their forefathers greatness in present day scenario.

Today Hindus are mostly divided into two parts:

  1. Those who are apathetic meaning they have no interest in past, present or future of the culture where they were born. They are more interested in being in the good books of others and swimming with the current. They form a majority and they would go with the current in-thing.
  2. But there are other type of Hindus who know about their culture and traditions. These so-called Sanatanis rave and rant about the glories of Ancient India as if there is no end to it.

This is the most fundamental error that they engage in. They think talking about Past Glories matter in Present Day scenarios. Also they refuse to acknowledge a lot of current day evils in Hindu Society are embedded in the culture that they rave and rant about. For example Sanatan Dharmi’s get red with anger when evil of Caste System is mentioned. They keep arguing that nothing of that sort is present in Vedas or Old Vedic Texts. Problem is they haven’t really seen where to look. Try Gita Chapter 11 Shloka 27. There Arjuna mentions Karna as “Sut Putra” and not Radhe or Angraj which are epithets associated with Karna. Similarly Bhima insulted Karna saying “Sut are Kaput” meaning Charioters Son are not Worthy. Laxmana in Ramayana was seething with anger when the Navik(Sailor) said he and Rama belonged to the same caste. Sanatanis can either keep arguing how it is taken out of context or agree that the problem of Caste System is quite deep and embedded in the chapters of their glorious past. Instead of arguing it would serve better purpose if they try some innovate ideas to eradicate the caste system problem like Mr. Modi is trying

Nepotism is another evil that is associated with Indian Culture. Nepotism is present in foreign countries as well but in India it is carried out like a religious practice. Pritvhvi Raj Kapoor to Raj Kapoor to Rishi Kapoor to Ranbir Kapoor the nepotism lineage has not disappeared. Muslims are not far behind with Tariq Khan launching Aamir Khan and Aamir Khan launching Imran Khan. It is not limited to films as parents keep urging their children to settle in their well established business be it as an Engineer, Doctor, Architect or Politics. Apparently Bhagwad Gita is now a holy book rather then a practical guidance manual otherwise Chapter 3 Shloka 35 as well as Chapter 18 Shloka 47 would allow Hindus to cast out the evils of Nepotism prevalent in the society. Trouble is Sanatan Dharmis are more interested in defending Gita and Hinduism rather then practical application of the wonderful teachings by Shree Krishna.

A year ago I had objected to a tweet by a devout RSS guy who wanted an article on Sex Education to be taken off from a Standard 8 Textbook. I looked at the text and could not find anything wrong in it. It was a well written and scientifically accurate text on male and female anatomy. Considering children are 13-14 by that time it should be the right time for them to learn such important issues related to body anatomy. He argued that it was ruining Culture Of India. I just stated if Kama Sutra was unable to ruin Indian Culture how could a scientifically accurate text with no vulgarity ruin it? All he could do was the known concept of Taqiyya with a Hindu Flavor of how our ancestors were great and how knowledge of Arya Bhatta and deeds of Shivaji were necessary to be propagated to future generations. Once again I stated that if Arya Bhatta kept uttering “Ram, Ram” instead of making advancement in Mathematics we would not have gotten so far in Maths. Thankfully he listened but other Sanatanis are not so polite or humble. They keep bickering and ranting and can’t stop raving about the great Indian Culture.

Sanatan Dharmis, HDL’s, VHS and other devout Hindus need to learn that your past doesn’t matter anymore. It is the Present and your plans for the Future which would sow the seed for a better India. Hindus were defeated by Islam and then by Christianity and made subservient to them. Now the Socialist and Leftist Liberals are ruling and controlling much of India’s thought pattern. Unless Hindus take stock and start responding to challenges they would be a lost cause. It is better to learn from Jews and the State Of Israel. The Jews successfully took stock after Holocaust and World War 2 and today they control most of the major Corporations, Media Companies and Pharmaceuticals. One can either rubbish it and start the idiotic Conspiracy Theories about Zionism or one can acknowledge their Hard Work(Karma) to get to the place where they are today. Today the small state of Israel is successfully defending against Enemies from all Sides and International Pressure while still growing and thriving.

If Jews can do it then so can Hindus. But for that to happen all the Sanatan Dharmis need to leave the fallacies associated with ancient and glorious Bharat on one-side and start working for a Better and Hopeful India for the future generations to come. Acknowledge the evils in Hinduism and try to change them rather then play the blame game. Sanatanis also have the important role of making Ancient Knowledge relevant to modern times. For example if you keep harping about benefits of Surya Namaskar then no one would listen cause that is Pagan Worship Tradition for others. But if you endorse it as a 12 Steps Total Workout Program which rejuvenates the mind and body then a lot of them would listen. Get Shilpa Shetty or Bipasha Basu in gym clothes to endorse it. Trust me it would sell like Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake.

No one outside of India is interested in our glorious and wonderful culture. Even majority in India are not interested. They are only interested in results and staying relevant in the society. Ancient Knowledge of India however great it was has no meaning in present day as it is out of date with the modern times. It is up to the Sanatanis, VHS and HDL’s to make it relevant to modern times. There are two benefits from it:

  1. They keep alive the knowledge of their great ancestors.
  2. They earn Profits from selling that knowledge. After all everyone is in the business of making money.

Why we must welcome more Oxford Union type interviews

sanjay kapur
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So often do we see on TV news channels that public figures – politicians mainly – utter things that everybody knows is a falsehood, much to the embarrassment of those who are expected to consume these diatribes as the ‘truth’. The said politician then goes on, either denying a very obvious fact, or emphasizing an untruth, resting assured on the knowledge that the listeners cannot or dare not challenge him.

Some time back a press conference was held on service tax where P.Chidambaram was answering journalists’ questions. When asked why lawyers had not been included in the service tax ambit, Chidambaram bluntly retorted, “Who says lawyers provide a service?” This was met with an embarrassed hush from the audience every one of whom must probably have thought, ‘Then what is it that the lawyers do?’ As all know, both P.Chidambaram and his wife are accomplished lawyers.

There was certainly a time when due to lack of exposure of their antics politicians were mostly able to get away with whatever they said or did by simply ignoring the few who questioned, or denying it, or claiming to have been misquoted. But today, when media scrutiny is so pervasive, and politicians and events so minutely covered, even then politicians fall back on their old habit of ‘ignore-deny-claim misquote’. The common citizen is left fuming at the sheer temerity with which they fool the people at large. Most people today are much better informed on political matters because of the same pervasive media. But apart from the few occasions when the odd bold journalist tears apart and exposes the foolish presentations of such naïve politicians, there is little succor for the helpless common man. Compounding this is the period of security that politicians enjoy between elections, when the more brazen among them tend to cross all limits of probity.

So, does the common man – the voter, the public, the ‘ruled’ – have nothing to fall back on for relief from the wily games our ‘rulers’ play? The wiles that play out in the form of absolutely ridiculous utterances that are dished out in spite of everyone knowing the reality?

Yes, there is.  And that is to show such people the mirror. So that they may see the sorry picture they cut with their ridiculously brazen statements. The more brazen among them – and they have indeed reached that plane too – will not care if the ‘locals’, the ‘natives’, have caught on to their game of uttering untruths or dishing out ridiculous statements left, right and center.

For such people, the new trend that we should welcome is the interview or debate – at the international level. One where the interviewer is not a ‘local’ or a ‘native’, but a journalist of international standing and one who prepares himself impeccably for the one-on-one. And also where in addition to the viewing audience worldwide, even the audience present at the venue of the interview comprises of well selected and extremely well informed and discerning people. Their spontaneous reactions to the interview as it goes along is a genuine representation of – the truth.

It is in this context that the recent interview of BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav with the Al Jazeera anchor Mehdi Hasan is relevant.

Compare two situations. One, where you may have just any typical present day politician replying to the questions (that were put up by Mehdi Hasan) in India and by a run of the mill TV reporter. Imagine what the answers would have been – the flat denials, the dodging of questions, the refusal to answer some questions – which will be aired as-is-where-is, and the ‘native’ audience will be expected to lap it all up faithfully (“what else can they do?”).

In the next situation you have an international journalist Mehdi Hasan doing a well-publicized interview with a senior politician Ram Madhav on foreign soil, at a reputed venue and with a very discerning audience as well as international viewership. Now the interviewer has done his homework thoroughly and knows that Madhav is an eloquent speaker and has an RSS background. The interviewer is also well aware of the current ground situation in India. So he’s prepared his questions accordingly which are searing, penetrative, and truth-extracting, and won’t allow any dodging of his questions. In fact, wherever dodging is attempted he points it out promptly. Where the answers are wrong he points them out too, and where Madhav makes a mistake, he pounces on such moments further winning the audience’s appreciation.

Beginning to get flustered, Madhav makes some more errors like saying “Your ISIS”, and unacceptable denials like “there’s no intolerance in India”, and face-saving refusals-to-answer like “we have taken steps but I won’t tell you about them now”. And to this last one Mehdi Hasan taunts, “Oh, you don’t want to say what steps you’ve taken; they’re secret!”  And then Hasan scores another huge one by making an embarrassing reference to the theory of ‘Akhand Bharat’ which Madhav defends sheepishly.

Interspersed in all of this – for about 47 minutes – there are sniggers and titters, and a few more incisive observations in the form of audience questions, as well as several observations from the expert panel.

And at the end of all this, even though Mehdi Hasan compliments Madhav on being a “strong interviewee”, you can see the expression of relief on Madhav’s face. The interview and its outcome become a raging hit on social media, the BJP is forced to distance itself from Madhav’s observations on ‘Akhand Bharat’, and the interview is a hot talking point even today.

So much for this interview. It is only a reference point. The true gist is that this is the kind of mirror that needs to be shown to our politicians for a reality check.  The more frequent, the better. The international stage is where they cannot get away with the lackadaisical statements and theories that they are used to dishing out to ‘the natives’ back home. This is where each word they speak will be measured for its true meaning and worth, and they’ll be pulled down to earth whenever they try to be too clever by half.

So for the sake of keeping our ‘rulers’ grounded to reality and to instil the fear of pretense and falsity, such interviews at the international level are really welcome.  Maybe, for the sheer truth value of such discourses, the politicians might be compelled to accept that TV scrutiny even back home is actually as penetrating as these international interviews, and thus their conduct and speech on home media also needs to be within acceptable parameters.

For starters, what could be better for the hapless common man?

No Odd/Even But 7 Realistic Ways To Reduce Vehicular Pollution from Metros !

Ankesh Kumar
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Enough of several debates that we keep hearing about AAP’s new odd/even rule to control the pollution due to vehicles in Delhi. I am having an engineering background and with basic knowledge of science & technology, I don’t think that this odd/even will yield in improvement on air quality but grabbing headlines on media and funny whatsApp jokes to laugh about. So, here are my suggestion which I think can make a great effect in reducing Delhi’s emission or our any Metro’s pollution woes through vehicle, however someone needs guts to implement it as this kind of tough measures may affects vote banks and not to forget also may attract protests in the name of democracy.

Image Source: Google Image Search

So, to curb pollution and take extra ordinary measures in today’s exta ordinary circumstances, these are seven such suggestions:

  1. Blanket Ban on any vehicle of any type which is more than 10 years old:

The maximum emission comes from older vehicle which usually more prone to pollution beyond 10 years of it’s life. This must include two wheeler as well. This may not be liked by many voters but this is the need of an hour as logically it won’t be possible to prove how one is maintaining more than 10 years of vehicle within permissible limit of emission of all forms. The government must also put ban on all 2-stroke engines which cause severe damage to air quality.

  1. Restrict two cars for each household:

This is very common problem in any major metro city especially in Delhi where there are many households who has more than two cars per person not even family. So the government must impose strict rule, for households who already purchased more than 2 cars by levying heavy surcharges on extra cars and for the future do not allow more than two cars to be registered in same address. If any family feels for any reason they need to own more than two cars then they should buy permit which should start from min. Rs. 5 lacs to own a 3rd car and higher for 4th car. Singapore has rule of Certificate Of Ownership which is 2-3 times than cost of cars, this has reduced car buying drastically there.

  1. Increase Parking Charges Multi Fold:

Parking Charges of Rs. 10/50 or even Rs. 500 is nothing for people who owns cars in metro and no more deterrent for them not to take car along wherever they go. Government must make parking charges in tune of Rs. 3,000 – Rs. 5,000 in congested area and Rs. 2,000 in other public areas to think twice before taking cars. We have offices & house measured as per per sq. ft. based on respective locations however parking space for temporary usage has been priced very low. Many major cities like New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong put hefty parking charges which sometimes even costlier than owning a car.

  1. Hefty fine on illegal parking:

Our most of main roads are occupied by illegal parking especially with trucks/tempos/Shop Owners vehicles which congest the roads which in term increases traffic menace and hence extra emission as cars mostly comply on 1st & 2nd gear in such jammed roads. In fact in Mumbai the stretch of LBS Road, SV Road, Saki Vihar Road and many more road’s one lane are occupied 24×7 by illegal parking which defy the purpose of widening of roads. Any illegal parking vehicle must be towed away for minimum 7 days with Rs. 10,000 fine.

  1. Double the Buses/Cabs/Autos and Promote Public Transport:.

Ultimately this has to be improved to cater all sort of audiences to motivate them to use safe and clean public transport. Our country has pathetic quality of cabs even compared to less developed nations. We must promote App based  cabs services such as Uber & Ola and must have public transport which caters to all section of society.

The government must also impose criminal offense on refusal of Auto Ricksaw & Cabs. It should implement SMS or App based complaints on refusal and online suspension of license with SMS alert to cab/auto driver to enforce this rule. Any repeat offender with more than 2 times of refusal must be punished by suspending his/her license for a year. Government must also fund the installation of GPS trackers in Auto/Taxi to improve security. The best way to implement is to make it as mandatory required specification pre-installed at cab/auto manufacturer itself.

  1. Digitize the RTO and integrate with all the Vehicle: 

A lot of country has moved to digitization of vehicles integrated with RTO via RFID sensors to curb traffic offenses & impose real time penalty without human interventions to curb corruptions. We must make use of technology to make all fines & punishment in real time based on these monitoring traffic offense via sensors. Like many countries make registrations subject to annual renewal by having kiosk at multiple place to have transparency on fine collected & zero leakage. Any vehicle without registration renewal must sends alert to RTO to take action in real time.

  1. Exclusive Freight Corridor to avoid heavy vehicle mixing with Inner Roads:

All major cities must have separate transport corridor which helps exclusively to carry on cities supplies and it must not overlap with public traffic. The corridor also must carry equipment to check on emission, allowed carrying weights from all vehicle in real time and freed from multiple check post to avoid long jams.

These are the steps which can be taken immediately and can be implementable within 6-9 months of time. There are other macro level steps required such as moving to Euro 6 fuel, Making entire country vehicles in single database etc.

If we are serious about pollution these are the steps which must need to be implemented strictly as well as holistically for cleaner tomorrow otherwise we will again land up in never ending debates on who is doing what and whom to blame to grab headlines with zero effect on ground.

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Dear Mr Modi, can we have Special Agricultural Zones for our farmers?

leemon
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Agriculture is the back bone of India, since it constitutes a major contribution towards GDP. As Gandhi said “The soul of India is in the villages”, we can say that “The soul of agriculture is in our fertile lands”. Its good to hear about advanced agricultural techniques, awareness programmes, subsidized loans for farmers etc. This segment is still in doldrums even though we have an experienced manpower ,diversified topography, huge land mass and sops from government. We have witnessed many incidents on farmer suicides and climatic catastrophes. Nowadays political parties are using these issues as a ladder for their electoral benefits and political benefits.We have umpteen committees, advisory boards, NGO, banks to nullify the core agricultural issues, but all in vain, because of  no intent towards the same from various outfits. Lets not politicize the issue or act like a catalyst to flame up the core issue in this forum. We should find out a permanent solution for the same and execute plans effectively, without which our food deficit and infertile land masses can pose serious threats in the near future.

SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL ZONES (SAZ)

I am not the first person to raise the need of SAZ. Many eminent personalities including M.S Swaminathan (Agricultural scientist) have already demanded for SAZ from the government through different sources and the effort is going on from 2006 onwards. There are no developments or initiatives from the government for implementation of SAZ till now. SAZ is a zone,which  is marked only for agricultural purpose like Special Economic Zone(SEZ) for industrial units.

IMPORTANCE OF SAZ

Preservation of agricultural land

As I told you earlier “The soul of agriculture is in our fertile lands”, fertile land is the gift of nature which never can be reproduced. Urbanization may be a stepping stone towards development, but not at the cost of our invaluable agricultural land. Fertile land is not mandatory for creating Hi tech cities and residential townships. The development of a rural area to an urban outfit is executed by the administration based on many parameters, but Fertile land is not the part of any of these parameters for unknown reasons. Fertile land is decided by the contents in the soil and there will be a difference in the composition based on the topography. Nobody can create an infertile soil equal to natural best, but can reproduce some features by the excessive use of artificial techniques which can harm the person consuming the produce. So many people succeeded in replicating the agricultural yield in terrace gardens and kitchen gardens. These arrangements cannot replace agricultural lands, but only a mere arrangement which can’t fulfill the need of an entire country in the coming future. Preservation of agricultural land can act as a catalyst to support a perfect natural balance and think about a nation which can boast of vast agricultural land masses, which in turn can even think of catering the rest of the world also,along with our GDP and citizens.

Employment and empowerment of farmer community

India is blessed with a larger agricultural work force which is experienced and has evolved over the years. They are equipped with an abundant knowledge transferred from ancient times, in traditional farming techniques in all type of topographic areas. But they are being forced to sell their land to land grabbers, so that they can give a normal life to their family. Farmers are slowly alienated and government aids garner zero benefits in the absence of a proper system. Genetic experiments and renowned agricultural methods are not required to increase the yield, but precious agricultural knowledge of our traditional farmers clubbed with their will can create wonders. Establishment of a proper system in this segment is the need of the hour than advancement.Government can create employment to our traditional farmers by way of SAZ, thereby empowering farmer community. SAZ will instill confidence on traditional farming techniques at a low cost. Government bodies can work more closer with farmers and understand their problems. The benefits of SAZ is more rewarding than creating software platforms for agricultural awareness of a farmer,who is already struggling to make one toilet in his house because of financial crisis. SAZ will create self sustainable farmer communities across the countries with lakhs of employment opportunities created.

Diversification of Agricultural process

Agriculture is not a simple process as many say. There are so many processes and brainstorming along with experience is required to get an yield.Once the yield produced the same has to go through logistics and ware housing before reaching the end users. Diversification of the agriculture process can be executed effectively, if all the process happen in the same place. SAZ will facilitate the execution of these diversified processes in a systematic way at a lower cost. Preparation of the soil,sowing seeds,harvesting,logistics,warehousing and packaging can be done in a shorter span of time compared to the existing obsolete and time-consuming processes. Many of the foreign investors and technologies can be attracted in an easier way by showcasing SAZ. Moreover the diversification increases the revenue and profit of farmers and country than increasing the burden.

Ground water level,flora and fauna

Ground water level is an important aspect of an ecology. Ground water forms after centuries of natural process and it add-on to 20% of world’s fresh water supply. This has to be preserved and rejuvenated from depletion. Depleted ground water regions will become deserts and the soil will become infertile. Ground water preservation methods like effective canal systems and rain water harvesting systems allow us to protect this source for the consumption of people. Even if the government has made Rain water harvesting mandatory in cities, developers are less equipped and least known about the advanced rain water harvesting methods. The regulations and mandates can be changed with the help of bureaucrats and politicians as per the comfort of a developer, which will deter the real purpose. We are going through an era, where there is a scarcity of rain and constant climatic changes.Destruction of river beds are also a major concern. Government has created Development authorities for lakes but the office bearers are busy developing their personal properties. SAZ can end this by driving out cities from fertile zones to infertile zones.

Flora and fauna are very essential for ecological balance. God has created human beings as a part in an ecosystem,and not as a controller. If we are not living as a part of the nature,in coming future the nature will wipe out this race from earth. We have seen deforestation in the name of agriculture. We should know that ,we can plant crops which will grow along with the forest without destroying the same. SAZ can effectively implement agriculture suited to forest areas without destroying the Flora and fauna. Tribal community in that particular area can be used to develop effective farming techniques suitable for forest lands.

Effective warehousing and logistics

Agricultural products are perishable goods. Our country is facing serious warehousing issues with lakhs of tonnes of food products rotten to drain.We should think that our country has a major number of BPL families. Death by starvation are on a very higher side.An effective ware housing will address the issue. Logistics has always been a problem for agricultural products. Absence of better preservation techniques of food products during logistics and warehousing is a big concern to government agencies. There are private organisations who have implemented better preservation techniques like cut vegetable preservation,food grains preservation along with better packaging to end users. SAZ will open up a way to pull in these private players because of the measure of yield, which will improve the efficiency of our existing logistics and warehousing methods. This will help government to think beyond ration shop systems to reach the BPL families with quality food products. The role of middlemen can be eliminated completely.

Elimination of land grabbing

Real estate land grabbing is a nemesis nowadays. The land grabbers or their associates never think about the loss of fertile land or ecological problems ,since they are concentrated towards money making. The flaws in our existing land rules and complications in judicial systems add-on to the miseries. I have seen many articles about the need of a powerful law for stopping this crime. But the delay in drafting, fight between the political outfits and constitutional logger heads failed to decelerate land grabbing activities. I am not saying that SAZ will cut this crime, but at least this will stop the poaching of fertile land. Constitution and our lawmakers has to have the real guts to clean this mess.

R&D

Acquisition of fertile land for R&D has always costed the farmer. Indian R&D techniques will open up an array of opportunities,once the scientists and the experiments are exposed to a huge agricultural land mass. SAZ will enable the right application of lab techniques and a higher sample size compared to the present scenario. Scientists are constantly under pressure to develop agricultural technologies which will produce largest yield on a minimal land mass. These type of methods will lead to heavy use of chemical pesticides,food products with less carbohydrate and protein content and lesser life of a fertile land. SAZ will encourage experiments which will improve the traditional methods.Government will be in a place to produce nutritional food products with the help of organic manure.Chemical companies will be forced to concentrate on producing organic pesticides. Our scientists can develop advanced agricultural methods in India itself,instead of visiting European countries. Our country is blessed with scientists of high intellectual acumen, capable of creating agricultural heavens at a very small cost.Government can create a perfect environment and platform for our brilliant scientists through SAZ.

Implementation of Schemes and benefits

Government is declaring many schemes and benefits for the farmers every year.But none of these reach the farmers because of corrupt officials and ministers. If the Schemes and benefits has to reach a farmer,it should be direct,but the same is not happening because of the complex segmentation of our bureaucratic system. The Schemes prepared by our administration and decision makers are undoubtedly flawless, but the system of fund flow is like a leaking funnel.The system uses different leaking funnels in different levels of fund flow.The end use will only get an inadequate amount which will reach him after so many delays and processes.A benefit becomes a curse.if it wont be given on the right time. SAZ allows Government to channel the benefits in a simpler way to the needy on time. Families with traditional farming back grounds can be used for SAZ by allotting land to them inside SAZ. This will create more revenue to the farmers and encourages their coming generations to take up agriculture as a profession. SAZ can undoubtedly increase the labor force in agricultural segment and can act as a catalyst in reducing our food deficit.

There are many other advantages of SAZ.We need action from Government to carry out SAZ in a transparent and simple way. It shouldn’t go to drain like many other ambitious projects started earlier. This is all about existence of human race and eradication of death by starvation.Human race can’t sustain with out food. Lets start living along with nature, not by controlling nature.

 

Beep Song Vs Beef Ban – How the Left groups decide our Freedom to do anything

Manithan
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Few days back, a song sung by Tamil actor Silambarasan (also called Simbu) and allegedly composed by music director Anirudh who is famous for composing ‘Why This Kolaveri Di?’ which went viral worldwide, has landed them both in soup. The song titled ‘Beep Song’ now, starts with a censored cuss word and then goes on to advice men to stop falling in love with women. At one point, a censored portion allegedly suggests men to have an one-night stand with girls instead of love. With no denial, this song has misogynism written all over it. Since few women had taken offense of this song, section 509 of the Indian Penal Code applies here which might land the actor and the composer in jail. Since there are a good amount of obscene words, section 292 of the IPC applies here. So, this song is now a legal issue apart from being a sexist.

The point of this article is not to condemn the duo and I’m not supporting them at any point, but to look at who had protested against the duo on this issue and their contradictory points when it comes to ‘freedom of expression’. Two hardcore Left organisations had staged protest and one of them had filed case against the duo. This article is not meant to divert from the issue, but to look at how Left groups decide our ‘freedom to do anything’.

Beep song issue vs Beef Ban issue – Freedom to do things

When Maharashtra and Haryana governments made some amendments in the already existing cow slaughter laws, Leftist Intellectuals across the country outraged like it is the end of our freedom. Their bone of contention was ‘what an individual does within their home or in private should not be the interest of State’. They cried that ‘State should not be poking its nose into eating habits and there must be freedom’. A group of Hindus were offended by the ongoing cow slaughter and the response of Left to it was ‘no matter who feel offended and no matter if cow slaughter is illegal, freedom to eat must be upheld at any cost’.

By applying the stand Left took on Beef Ban, it might sound like ‘no matter who gets offended and no matter if obscene words are illegal, freedom to sing must be upheld at any cost’ in case of Beep song. Now I wonder, if BJP government at Centre had arrested Simbu for this Beep song, will the same Left groups publicly sing the same Beep song, like how they held Beef fest?

According to Simbu’s side, the ‘Beep Song’ was recorded two years back at a private location for their personal entertainment and it was leaked recently by some unknown person. While the method of leaking is still dubious, this song stayed as a private recording for almost two years. Simbu had clarified that this song was composed for purely personal purpose and was meant only for a particular private audience. Without the leak, this was purely a private matter and without surveillance, chances of the State penalising Simbu is very negligible. Even plots to create tension or perform assassination happen within closed doors, but that does not fall under ‘freedom to do anything behind closed doors’. Similarly, both cow slaughter and beep songs are illegal and needs to be viewed from the prism of law, rather than from the prism of ‘freedom of expression’. People who are uncomfortable with such laws must challenge them in court and channelize their energy in performing amendments to it, rather than shouting about ‘freedom’ from their rooftops.

Beep song has offended a large group of women and Cow slaughter has offended a large group of Hindus, which also include women. Both are offensive acts and both must be solved legally.

Left Misogynism vs Right Misogynism

Not only Beef Ban, Left groups supported a Tamil folk singer called Kovan when he called Tamilnadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha in a derogatory manner in his song ‘Shut down the Tasmac‘ and called for protesters to demolish government run liquor outlets. In the case of Kovan, making obscene statements at a woman falls under freedom of expression, as long as the person belongs to their ideology. If Simbu becomes a Leftist, will the Left support Simbu?

Sunni Muslim leader Aboobacker Musliyar mocked ‘gender equality’ and made misogynistic remarks labeling women as ‘baby making machines’. Of course, he had not used any abuse words, but did ‘only fit for delivering babies’ statement not outrage modesty of any woman in the country? There were just words of condemnation from a Left leader from other state but none of the Left groups protested or burnt effigies. Maybe, Simbu should look out for converting?

When Congress leader EVKS Elangovan made sexist joke after Modi met Jayalalitha in her residence, none of the Left group protested against him. On the contrary, many supported the Congress leader and called Jayalalitha’s action on him as stifling the freedom of expression.

When writer Perumal Murugan wrote about an alleged extra-marital ritual in a Tiruchengodu festival, Left groups supported the writer and claimed that ‘Freedom of Expression’ is absolute, while locals of Tiruchengodu claimed that ‘the book outraged the modesty of their women’.

Leftist Intellectuals protested against Censor of obscene words and Porn Ban

Our progressive Leftist Intellectuals have issues when Censor board puts a list of obscene words to be banned. And they want cuss words to be banned in a song even after it is replaced with beep. Do they want abuses to be censored or not to be censored? So, if a song with vulgar words becomes viral without censors, should we be holding the Leftist Intellectuals responsible for such behavior from young celebrities?

Our Left-leaned intellectuals wants porn to be freely available and protests against ban on porn. But does porn glorify women? Porn movies demean women and forms the foundation for rampant sexism and misogynism among youth. We are confused. What does our Indian Left really want? Does it want to fight against misogynism by fight against a particular cuss word while calling for free flow of porn among our youth? So, if two young celebrities watch porn at their homes and that video goes viral without their knowledge, does that becomes an act that warrants arrest? Is that an intrusion of their privacy or does that act abuse women? So, by protesting against porn ban, can the Leftist Intellectuals be held responsible for such a future incident?

Sexism on the Silver screen

This Beep song is not the only song with misogynism propped up in Tamil cine industry. There were more strongly sexist lyrics with no obscene words though, that had occupied the tongue and mind of so many Tamil youth. A song sung by Raanjhanaa fame Dhanush in one of his Tamil movie called ‘Mayakkam Enna’ raps women for not accepting love and at one point suggests the lead character to beat, kick or leave the woman. I do not remember an outrage by women groups then. However, the concern now raised by women groups might prove fruitful when it can help prevent such ideas taking root among youth. Most of the recent Tamil movies featured a bar song where drunk hero and his friends blame women for their love failure. Given the storyline that they force women with their repeated torture and the weak heroine gives in, her rejection seems to be not her fault alone. But since most of young men are indoctrinated with such ideas by movies or by fellow men circles, directors might have urging to keep such songs to attract that huge audience. Let the outrage generated by this Beep song serve as a tool to end such misogynistic ideas being spread among the populace via movies.

To conclude, this article is not to support the actor-musician accused of an obscene and sexist song. The sole intention of this article was to pen down the oscillations of the Leftist groups when it comes to events surrounding ‘Freedom to do anything’. Such incidents prove that Left groups takes the side of ‘Freedom of Expression’ or ‘Women modesty outraged’ depending on their political agenda and not to support the real victim at any case.

Modi’s Visit to Pakistan

samirkumar
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So, India has two options with Pakistan. Go to War or Initiate Dialogue. War is not an option as both are nuclear states so diplomacy is the only way forward. And this visit needs to be seen in that context only.
The visit was indeed surprising but it was not unplanned or undertaken at short notice. It was planned well in advance but not announced to avoid media speculation and creation of unnecessary hype which has ruined the past initiatives taken by the Modi Government on the Pakistan front.
This is the plane on which the Prime Minister traveled to Moscow.
And this is the plane on which he came back and went to Kabul and Lahore.
The difference between the two planes is that the latter is operated by Indian Air Force and has advanced security measures which is unavailable in the first. So, they knew they were going to travel to troubled lands. Apart from that, the Pakistan High Commissioner to India went to Pakistan a week back to prepare the ground for the meet. Also, the Air Traffic Control in Lahore was told about this trip on thursday itself.
Now the visit:
After the failure of bilateral talks at Foreign Secretary level and the proposed NSA meet after Ufa talks due to pressure created as a result of intense media speculation, PM had understood that discreet is the only way forward.
A pull aside impromptu meeting in Paris, followed by NSAs meeting in Bangkok and then EAM Swaraj visiting Pakistan on the pretext of Heart of Asia Conference culminated into the resumption of comprehensive bilateral dialogue. A visit by the Indian Prime Minister clearly shows diplomatic offensive and the intent with which Modi has pursued his Pakistan policy recently. The Indian PM trusted Nawaz Sharif with his security and traveled in a Pakistani chopper. That’s for me the biggest confidence building measure India has undertaken with respect to Pakistan till date.
When PM had visited INS Vikramaditya for the Commander’s Conference, he had remarked that we are engaging with Pakistan to try and turn the course of history. That was the boldest statement by Modi on Pakistan till date. And it had been followed with the visit now.
The way ahead:
Have our concerns been addressed? Clearly NO.
So what should be the way forward: India should restart the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue with Pakistan with a positive note but at the same time we shouldn’t be complacent and must prepare ourselves for any Pakistan misadventure. The need is to increase Intelligence and Army Strength at the border to prevent any terrorist attacks and subsequent derailment of talks.
The civilian Government in Pakistan is facing same legitimacy issues like the Ghani Government in Afghanistan. Taliban is the culprit in Afghanistan and the Pakistan Army in Pakistan. India can do little to alter the situation. But this gesture by the PM has been appreciated by everyone except, of course, the Congress Party.
Has Modi ignored national concerns: A day back Prime Minister was in Russia negotiating S-400 air defence missile systems and submarines and frigates. Soon, these agreements will see the light of the day. After that Modi visited Afghanistan where India has offered 4 Mi-25 attack helicopters to Afghanistan to fight Taliban. So. clearly national security and strategic issues remain his top priorities. And the Pakistan visit should be seen in that context only.
A hectic day for the Prime Minister but very fruitful for India-Pakistan relations. Let’s be optimistic and alert. We need to anticipate how Pakistan will reciprocate the gesture. But Prime Minister Modi has surely made serious efforts to re-initiate the dialogue process and needs to be complimented for that.
A smart move by the Prime Minister to keep out the media and make a surprise visit to Pakistan which was otherwise unthinkable.
So, is it a masterstroke?
Politically, YES. He did not have to waste any political capital as he was spared of unwanted media and opposition scrutiny prior  to the visit.
Diplomatically, well lets wait for sometime to know the true outcome.
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