Quantitative data from hospitals on diseases to determine India's new pollution norms, not "eco-geological factors"

By Our Representative
In a major move to “undermine” Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI), which was calculated for determining whether a particular region complies with environmental norms or not, the Government of India is all set to drop what are called “eco-geological factors” to determine pollution norms.
The eco-geological factors such factors which were calculated till the Narendra Modi government came to power included such norms as how air and water pollutants were affecting water bodies (rivers, lakes and ponds), ecological parks, sanctuaries, ecologically sensitive zones and buildings or monuments of historical, archaeological or religious significance.
According to informed sources, the new norms which under active consideration for inclusion would include, instead, the real-time observed values of the pollutants in the ambient air, surface water and groundwater in and around the industrial clusters, and not on how they affect eco-geological regions.
Also, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change will be seeking health related data from hospitals in order to determine if health hazards of an industrial cluster are harmful.
For instance, said a report, for measuring air pollution, experts will consider the total number of hospital cases related to asthma, bronchitis, respiratory cancer, and acute respiratory infections, and the same would apply for checks on other types of pollution – diarrhea will suggest whether water in a particular region is polluted, for instance.
Environmentalist Sanjay Upadhyay, an advocate with the Supreme Court, believes this would completely “remove” any aspect of qualitative data and make the assessment “purely quantitative”, at a time when both are important.
Upadhyay has been quoted as saying, “It is unfortunate that CPCB is trying to dilute the CEPI parameters. In my view both qualitative and quantitative criteria are equally important.”
While the government believes that the new hospital-based norm will take care of 80 per cent of emissions from industrial sector and will bring transparency in implementation of pollution control regulations, environmentalists say the “dilution” was being done to help industry to do business in India without caring for pollution norms.
No sooner Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of India in 2014, the Government of India did away with CEPI and dropped the classification of severely polluted and critically polluted industrial clusters, removing the ban imposed on industrialization of several clusters, including Vapi and Ankaleshwar in South Gujarat.
Under the classification effective before Modi came to power, 59 industries scored CEPI of between 60 and 100 points, and were classified “red”, or severely polluted, followed by orange, qualified as critically polluted.

Dropping this methodology as “subjective”, there is a strong view that this is part of the effort to undermine people’s consent while going ahead with any industrial project. Already, moves are underway to amend the Forest Rights Act to remove the necessity for prior informed consent of local Gram Sabhas in forest areas and the exemption coal mining companies from public hearings.

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Missed call drive for VVPAT verification follows online plea to "pressure" poll panel

By Our Representative
Several political activists have begun a new campaign, asking concerned citizens to give a missed call on 9667655855 to “support the demand that 2019 Loksabha elections must be declared only after verification of 50% electronic voting machines (EVMs) with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) receipts.” The effort, supported by civil society networks across India, is meant to "further pressure" India's election machinery to ensure that the poll outcome becomes more transparent.

Did Modi own, buy digital camera costing Rs 7 lakh in 1987-88, also used email?

Counterview Desk
In an interview to the news channel News Nation, aired on Saturday last, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declaring that he had approved the air strike despite bad weather because he felt the clouds would hide Indian planes from Pakistani radar is known to have become a laughing stock across India.

When a neo-nationalist "invaded" hijab clad ladies, Bengali looking scholar in Delhi metro

By Aditi Kundu*
Travelling in Delhi metro on a daily basis to commute from Mayur Vihar to Dwarka, I see diverse people everyday. One can hear them talk about different aspects of life, from kitchen pilitics to national politics. On the morning of May 13, I witnessed a strange incident; disturbing and amusing at the same time.

Terror attacks: Difference in public reactions in India, those in Colombo, Christchurch

By Battini Rao*
Recently, on April 20 during Easter Sunday, more than 250 people were killed in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in churches and hotels in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Local Islamic organisations Thawheed Jamath (NJT) and Jamathei Milathu Ibrahim (JMI) are held responsible for the attack. Islamic State has also claimed responsibility.

Women lost 88 lakh jobs in 2018: Why Modi "failed" to address their disempowerment?

Counterview Desk
Five human rights leaders Anjali Bhardwaj, Shabnam Hashmi, Purnima Gupta, Dipta Bhog, and Amrita Johri of the Women March for Change have posed 56 questions (alluding to Modi’s claim of 56 inches chest) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP against the backdrop of his interview with a Bollywood star, which was allegedly masqueraded as a “non-political” conversation.

World Bank clarifies: Its 26th rank to India not for universal access to power but for ease of doing business

By Our Representative
In a major embarrassment to the Government of India, the World Bank has reportedly clarified that it has not ranked India 26th out of 130 countries for providing power to its population. The top international banker’s clarification comes following Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal’s claim that India has “improved to 26 position from 99” in access to electricity in just one year.

Disproportionately high death sentences against Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims: UN told

Counterview Desk
In their joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to meet for the listing of adoption of list of issues at its 126th session, July 1-26, 2019, top Dalit rights organizations have taken strong exception to, among other things, "disproportional application of death sentencing by the judiciary of minorities, such as Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis".

Ex-IAS, IPS, IFS officers tell Modi: Pragya Thakur doesn't represent India's rich heritage

Counterview Desk
In an open statement, a group of former civil servants have said that normally they would have dismissed the candidature of Pragya Thakur, who is BJP’s choice for the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, as an act of political expediency. However, they were forced to react to her candidature after none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed has as a “symbol of our civilisational heritage.”

India's 80% construction sites "unsafe", deaths 20 times higher than those in Britain

By Rajiv Shah
The Government of India may be seeking to project India’s construction sector as the country’s second-largest employer of the country after agriculture, providing jobs to more than 44 million people, and contributing nearly 9% to the national GDP, yet, ironically, its workforce is more unprotected than any other industrial sector of the country. Data suggest that the possibility of a fatality is five times more likely in the construction industry than in a manufacturing industry, and the risk of a major injury is 2.5 times higher.

India sans Modi preferable, Congress worthier recipient of Indians’ votes: The Economist

By Our Representative
In a strongly-worded and crucial commentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the electoral political battle is on, influential British weekly “The Economist”, has declared that “Indians, who are in the midst of voting in a fresh election, would be better off with a different leader”, even as pointing out that that under Modi, “India’s ruling party poses a threat to democracy.”

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