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Showing posts from June, 2016

India's public sector banks' bad loans or NPAs may cross 10%: RBI. A "troublesome pressure" on economy?

  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that risks to India’s banking sector have sharply gone up since December 2015, with the gross non-performing assets (GNPAs), or bad loans, rising “sharply to 7.6 per cent of gross advances in March 2016 from 5.1 per cent in September 2015”, adding, GNPAs may see a further deterioration over the next one year.

When Modi handed over written answers to questions Gulf News never asked

Amidst raging controversy on how  "tame"  Times Now interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was, especially when it was taken by its aggressive editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, a well-known Dubai-based journalist has revealed that arranging an interview with Modi is a "long drawn and cumbersome process", ending up with a "handshake" and  "a written script" prepared in advance.

Top Dalit rights activist to Xavier's NGO: Annihilation of caste "can't be fought" by invoking caste names

In a controversial commentary on St Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, in the eye of storm for a recent “saffron” attack on an NGO run on its campus (click  HERE ), a well-known Dalit rights activist has recalled how those running the college decades ago were responsible for perpetuating caste discrimination, yet the discriminatory mindset has not disappeared even today.

Modi adopted use and abandon policy towards Gujarat's "lower caste" encounter cops: 'Gujarat Files' sting

Gujarat's top “encounter” cops never trusted their political leadership, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his chief minister in the state, even though they had to “fall in line” of the system, and carried out the “fake encounters”, allegedly to “save the country”.

Industry body FICCI seeks stringent laws to deal with labour unrest, says it's No 1 risk to Indian economy

  The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (FICCI's) annual study, “India Risk Survey 2016”, has ranked strikes, closures and unrest as the most important risk affecting the Indian economy, even as ironically declaring at one place that “industrial strikes and lockouts showed a waning trend this year."

Acute water shortage in South Gujarat district 100 km from Narmada: HC seeks reply

Tribal village in Chhotaudepur district Taking serious note of acute water shortage in South Gujarat’s Chhotaudepur district, which is less than 100 km from the Narmada dam-reservoir, and the high-profile Narmada canal passing by less than 50 km away, the Gujarat High Court has issued notice to the Gujarat government to reply back by July 20 on what is being done to mitigate the situation.

Gujarat Congress student activists "part of" saffron attackers on Ahmedabad NGO in Xavier's College campus

Outside the NGO building following the attack By Our Representative Are Congress student cadres in Gujarat operating as “B” team of the Sangh Parivar? Amidst accusing fingers being leveled on saffron outfits “attached” with RSS for the recent attack on a well-known NGO, operating from the premises of the St Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, a senior Dalit rights leader has told Counterview that the leadership of the attack was “provided by an active member of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), student-wing of the Congress.”

Gujarat's saffron brigade "attacks" NGO, files FIR for offering sweeper's job to dominant castes

  An advertisement issued on April 6, 2016 by Ahmedabad-based NGO, Human Development and Resource Centre (HDRC), has turned into a full-blown controversy in Gujarat, with persons alleged to be owing allegiance to the Sangh Parivar forcing their way into the HDRC building, pelting stones, breaking its windows, and damaging flower pots.

Oust Modi's chief economic adviser Subramanian: BJP hawk Subramaniam Swamy fires another missile

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's top hardline supporter Subramaniam Swamy, who has gone stronger after his “successful” mission of ensuring the ouster of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan, has now fired yet another missile – this time against Modi's chief economic advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian, wanting the latter to be “sacked” forthwith.

Environmental battle: British NGO says, India one of 16 countries where activists were killed

  India is one of the 16 countries which a British non-profit organization, Global Witness, has identified where environmental activists were killed in the year 2015. In its latest report, titled “On Dangerous Ground”, the top advocacy group has said, of the 117 non-indigenous people who died fighting for environmental rights worldwide, six were Indian.

Chicago University backs RBI governor, says Rajan fought crony capitalism, bad debt, hence under attack

The University of Chicago, from where Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan has been on leave for three years, has warned through a blog that the decision of the “highly regarded central banker” to leave his job in September this year following “attack by politicians” is likely to “reverberate throughout India’s political system and financial sector”.

RTI plea: It took Govt of India 16 months to disclose report recommending new coastal regulation norms

Kanchi Kohli By Our Representative Sixteen months after a Right to Information (RTI) application was filed, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has disclosed a copy of the “Report of the Committee to Review the Issues relating to the Coastal Regulation Zone, 2011” to Kanchi Kohli, a well-known expert with the Centre for Policy Research (CPR)-Namati Environment Justice Programme.

Allow limestone mining in Gujarat, relax environmental norms in coastal zone: High level Govt of India report

  A high-level committee, appointed by the Government of India soon after Narendra Modi took over reins of power in 2014, has recommended that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) should “relax” mining coastal environmental norms for “developmental purposes.”

Farmers to lose 35% land: Gujarat govt decision to implement of "sub judice" Surat urban development plan

Sabar Rabari The Khedut Samaj – Gujarat (KSG), the apex body of farmers' organizations across the state, has estimated that thousands of farmers of 104 villages of Olpad, Choryasi, Kamrej, Palsana and Mangrol talukas of Surat district are likely to lose 35 per cent of their land owing to the declaration that these villages will be inducted into Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA).

2002 Gujarat riots: Ex-Cong MP Jafri fired in "self-defence", SIT closure report on Modi role had asserted

Ehsan Jafri While CBI judge PB Desai's verdict on Gulberg Society trial has courted controversy for the assertion that former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri's gun fire triggered the gruesome mob attack, which led to the massacre of 69 persons, a recent human rights report has revealed that the special investigation team (SIT) in its closure report called the firing an act of “self-defence”.

81 per cent Indians have "no objection" if fleeing refugees take refuge in the country

A new survey by a multinational advocacy group, Amnesty International, has said that 81 per cent of Indians would have no objection in welcoming into India people who flee war or persecution in another country. While this may appear to be quite high, there are 16 other countries where a higher percentage of people would be ready to accept refugees.

Industry friendly move?: Govt of India to provide green nod to projects begun without environmental nod

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, is all set to go even more industry-friendly. A draft notification, uploaded by the MoEFCC for “feedback”, on its website has said that industrial projects which have gone ahead with implementation without environmental clearance would be provided green nod under certain "conditions".

At 44%, "progressive" Gujarat has one of the highest proportion of Dalit out of school children

  Government of India figures, released in the Rajya Sabha recently, have shockingly revealed that, of Gujarat’s nearly 1.59 lakh “out of school” children, 43.76 per cent are Dalits, which is one of the highest proportions in India. The revelation is particularly surprising because Gujarat has one of the lowest proportion of Dalit population in the country, less than seven per cent.

Gujarat govt had complained: Teesta met junior UN officials for "anti-India" propaganda abroad, used foreign funds

Top social activist Teesta Setalvad has described the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order to cancel Foreign Currency Regulation Act (FCRA) license of her NGO Sabrang Trust as a clear case of vendetta. Setalvad, it is well-known, has been fighting 2002 Gujarat riots cases, including the Gulberg Society case, whose  final verdict  was pronounced on Friday.

UN experts ask Govt of India to repeal "obstructive" foreign currency regulation Act, "it's against global norms"

UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders Michel Forst Three top United Nations human rights experts have called on the Government of India to repeal the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which they say is being “increasingly used to obstruct civil society’s access to foreign funding”. They have said in a statement, the FCRA contradicts “international human rights norms and standards.”

Power surplus gas, coal plants, state boards' erratic cuts responsible for drop in hydro power supply: Modi aide

  Top technocrat Babubhai Navalawala, currently heading a Government of India panel on inter-linking of rivers, has said that the real reason behind a huge drop in India's hydro power generation is the problem of surplus generating capacity in thermal and gas-based power projects.

Smart city Ahmedabad? Ranking worst in India, 101st globally, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore "perform" far better

Global index ranking. Column B: 2016, Column C: 2015 A recent report by top British consultants, AT Kearney, with branches all over the world, has suggested that Indian cities have far to go in case they wish to become smart. Titled “Global Cities 2016 ”, the consultants seek to answer the question: “Which global cities are performing best today, which have the best long-term potential, and what makes a smart city?”

India rated one of the worst 10 countries where workers "exposed" to unfair labour practices

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the apex body of national trade union centres across the world, has characterized India as one of the worst countries from the angle of workers’ rights in its latest Global Rights Index (GRI), which seeks to rank 141 countries across the world on the basis of "97 internationally recognised" indicators.

Top Hindutva theorist declares against caste-based reservation, "it leads to votebank politics"

 A well-known US-based Hindutva theorist and businessman, Rajiv Malhotra, hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “glorifying our priceless heritage”, has declared that there should not be any caste-based reservation in India.

Impact of climate change: India's hydropower generation drops by 20%, by 45% in western region: SANDRP

  Well-known civil rights organization, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), in a recent  scrutiny , has said that “India’s hydropower generation has dropped by up to close to 20% compared to previous year in some of the months this year, even as installed capacity of hydropower projects keeps climbing relentlessly.”

Maharashtra govt "unwillng" to build 124 community shelters for 60,000 homeless in Mumbai: GBGBA

  The most awaited monsoon may have knocked the doors of Mumbai, bringing cheers on the face of the city dwellers. But the rains are proving to be a curse to nearly 60,000 homeless persons, especially infants, the sick and the aged. A right to information (RTI) reply has revealed that, despite clearcut official guidelines, the government has not cared to build 124 community shelters to protect them.

Gujarat's Bharuch suffers drought, as Madhya Pradesh industries offtake 172 crore litres Narmada water per day

Piped water to industry Top anti-Narmada dam organization, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), has estimated that about eight lakh rural people are in the grip of severe drought in Bharuch district of Gujarat stretching in a 41 kilometres area up to the spot where Narmada river merges in the sea, thanks to lack of fresh water inflows in the river from the upstream.

Govt of India's child budget down by 29% to "respect" states' autonomy, undermines regional imbalance: Report

  Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (WNTA), a civil society initiative, has taken strong exception to the Government of India’s fund sharing pattern in centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) between the Union and state governments, set at 60:40 (as against 75:25 previously) for child-related schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Mid-Day Meal (MDM), and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).

Builder-politician nexus in Ahmedabad's Morarji Chowk behind tension in minority area: NGO team

A fact-finding team led by volunteers of the civil rights organization Jan Sangharsh Manch (JSM), Ahmedabad, has said that the recent tension in a Muslim neighbourhood of old Bapunagar area, where the Gujarat Housing Board wants to construct an affordable housing scheme, is the direct result of the nexus between local politicians and builders.

20,000 Narmada dam oustee families "not calculated" as project affected, just 50 resettled in Madhya Pradesh

Top social activist Medha Patkar has accused the Madhya Pradesh government of “constantly fudging” the backwater level data of the submergence zone of the Narmada dam, thereby keeping approximately 20,000 project affected families (PAFs) out of the number of beneficiaries.

Ford Foundation formally conveyed ahead of Modi visit to US: All restrictions on foreign funding "removed"

Knowledgeable sources in the Gujarat government, citing information they had received from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), have said that the US-based philanthropic organization, Ford Foundation, has been formally conveyed that all restrictions placed on it under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Government of India have been “removed”, and it could freely operate as a registered NGO in India.

India one of the five countries having half of $1 trillion illicit financial flows, has poor World Peace Index: Report

  A new international report has noted a worrying trend for India. Titled “World Peace Index 2016”, the report says, India is one of the five countries in the world – alongside China, Russia, Mexico and Malaysia – which are involved in most of the illicit financial flows to other countries.

Indo-US agreement would "free" N-technology suppliers from being held liable for nuclear accidents

Strongly reacting on the nuclear deal between India with the US during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest visit to Washington, the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), India’s national network of over 200 voluntary and individuals, has said that it effectively “celebrates the undermining of India’s sovereign Nuclear Liability Act, passed by Parliament in 2010.”

Ahmedabad Dalit women: Urban poverty, gender discrimination, caste intolerance

In Ahmedebad, located in the heart of Gujarat state, Dalits have been an important but often invisible presence for generations, working as scavengers and waste-clearers within the strict confines of India’s caste system. Concentrated on the periphery of the city, frequently segregated from other communities, many had also migrated to the city in search of work in emerging industries such as Ahmedebad’s textile mills. Nevertheless, though strong caste and communal barriers remained in place, Dalit settlements existed alongside upper caste and Muslim neighbourhoods in the city centre and the nearby industrial townships. However, over the last few decades a number of violent incidents, including anti-Dalit riots in 1981 and communal violence in 2002, have reinforced divisions. In this context, Dalit women are especially vulnerable and face marginalization both within their own community and from wider society. This is reflected in limited access to basic services and other opportunities...

Sushma Swaraj blocks Twitter accounts critiquing her, "becomes" most popular female leader

  India’s Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj has begun blocking individual twitter accounts, which give a negative feedback about all that she does or believes. The last to be blocked is well-known Ahmedabad-based young academic Pravin Mishra after he made a scathing reply to her suggestion that, next time when fellow Indians meet an African, they should shake hands and say “I love you.”

Right to layoff workers in Gujarat a major Modi "achievement" of the two years of NDA rule: Panagariya

Top Narendra Modi aide Arvind Panagariya believes, one of the major achievement of his boss is his ability to push through the exit policy in India. Thus, he says, in Gujarat, firms of all sizes located in the special economic zones (SEZs), special investment regions (SIRs) and national investment and manufacturing zones (NIMZs) have “the right to lay off workers” at will.

As Modi visits US, geospatial Bill targetted by activists, academics, digital industry protagonists

The Government of India may have reacted sharply to Pakistan's objections to the proposed Geospatial Information Regulation Bill, 2016 but now sharp objections to the Bill have come from within the country, with senior academics, activists and digital industry protagonists usually joining hands. The objections have come just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US.

Saeed Mirza, Feroze Khan, prominent Muslim writers, activists oppose triple talaq, say it's "not God given"

In a strongly-worded statement, 12 prominent citizens based in Mumbai, all of whom happen to Muslim men, have opposed “triple talaq” and “nikaah-halala”, saying they “categorically reject the false claim of the ulema that what goes in the name of Muslim Personal Law in India is a 'God-given' law.”

Pro-MNC consultant praises Modi for opening up India's $1 trillion retail market for global investors

  Top international consultant, Chicago-based AT Kearney, known to take care of the interests of multinational corporations around the globe, has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governance for ensuring what it calls “foreign retailers’ increased optimism in the $1 trillion retail market and its vast potential” in India.

Govt of India blocks Dalit solidarity network's move to seek recognition at UN for 18th time

Rikke Nohrlind In a move that has not surprised non-government organizations (NGOs), the Government of India has ensured that the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), the apex body of all Dalit rights organizations across India and elsewhere in the world, does not get the consultative status as the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC).

Ahmedabad "removed" from list of top cities for Air Quality Index monitoring, no data available since Nov 2015

Screenshot of website showing Ahmedabad AQI has "no data" The Government of India does not seem to think that Ahmedabad is a major city, requiring monitoring of air quality index (AQI). A year ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared 10 AQI monitoring stations open across the country, and Ahmedabad was one of them.

Five lakh child workers engaged in e-waste activities, mainly generated by industrial sectors: ASSOCHAM

India's top corporate body, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), has admitted that there are about four to five lakh child workers in the age group 10-15 engaged in various electronic waste (e-waste) activities alone. It does not, however, say what percentage does it form of the total number of child workers in India.

India's GDP growth 5.2% in 2015-16, not 7.1% in 2014-15 as claimed by Govt of India: CMIE

  Sharply disputing the Government of India's estimate that India's gross national product (GDP) grew at 7.6 per cent in the financial year 2015-16, India's top statistical consultancy firm Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has said that, according to its calculation, it should be 5.2 per cent, down from 7.1 per cent a year earlier.

Mithi Virdi nuclear plant "shifted out" of Gujarat ahead of Modi visit to US: Ex-power secretary, Govt of India

Has the nuclear power project, being planned on South Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, been shifted out? It would seem so if one of the top ex-bureaucrat, EAS Sarma, former union Power Secretary, Government of India, is to be believed. The move comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's US visit on June 7-8. 

Unhealthy trend? Indian youth's working hrs longest in world: Manpower Group study

  A recent  study , “Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision - Facts, Figures and Practical Advice from Workforce Experts”, has found that, among those who had achieved adulthood around the year 2000, Indians top the list of doing work for the longest hours than all other countries surveyed.

Modi unlikely to sign deal on black money during Switzerland visit: 'it's not on agenda'

In a setback to his alleged efforts to bring money stashed abroad, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to sign a deal on data sharing during his to Switzerland on June 6. Reporting this, a top Swiss media organization has said, the trip comes when "Switzerland is under great pressure to share banking information with India."

Ranking 4th, India slips in modern slavery index; modern slaves increase from 14.29 to 18.35 million in a year

An international  report  has said that India has one of the highest, 1.4 per cent of its population, living in conditions of “modern slavery”, up from 1.14% last year. Only three other countries out of 167 surveyed have a higher proportion of “modern slaves” against their respective populations – North Korea 4.37%, Uzbekistan 3.97% and Combodia 1.65%.