Skip to main content

Central control 'draconian', offer Article 370 'special status' to villages, towns, districts

By Chandra Vikash* 
Growing up in the industrial town complex of Bokaro Steel City. currently in the state of Jharkhand, hailed by India’s legendary Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as among the “modern temples of India” and amidst school friends and neighbors from diverse parts of India, the feeling of national integration has been strong in my upbringing.
This got further reinforced, when I got into the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, where I studied from 1989 to 1993 where illustrious Google and now Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai was my classmate in the Metallurgical Engineering department. It was here that the words “Dedicated to the Service of the Nation” got strongly etched in my memory which you read in bold letters on the masthead of the Main Building of this sprawling campus in the state of West Bengal, the oldest and the largest among all IITs. Those were the formative years.
All the while till about four months back when the Government of India abrogated Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, whereby the special status of the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) was removed. Consequently, the state was bifurcated into two union territories; J&K and Ladakh.
Around this time in the early 1990s when I was still at IIT Kharagpur, I also supported the movement for the state of Jharkhand breaking away from Bihar, which had gained lots of notoriety under the corrupt regime of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Priding over the special educational achievements of the townships of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Hazaribagh I even wrote an article in the “The Telegraph: newspaper to this effect. So, I support not just the bifurcation into two UTs as well as the removal of the “special status” only to J&K as has been projected in the national media.
In the spirit of collaborative federalism and the oft-repeated mantra of "unity in diversity" that we all endorse across political ideologies and geographical identities, every village, town city and district in the country, however, is special. More so, when experiments in centralization have failed around the world from the breakup of Soviet Union to the coming collapse of behemoths from China to United States, Brazil, Africa and Europe.
As a climate and ecological activist for past two decades, I also strongly believe in Localised Abundance and Circular Economies as the only way to avert the looming ecological catastrophe and to leave behind a safe, sane and sustainable future for our children and coming generations. It is my earnest enquiry therefore whether can India buck this trend and should it. Here is why in a nutshell.

Local is the future: Globalisation of things is an idea whose time has gone

As a firm believer in the traditional indigenous of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, which means “world as a family” I am a strong proponent of globalization and a cosmopolitan at the core.
I travel around the country in my quest to learn about Indian culture, civilization and traditions and to share what I learnt from a diverse set of gurus – from Subodh Kumar, IIT Roorkee alumnus with his rich interest in Veda and Gaupalan; Ravindra Sharma “Guruji” of Kala Ashram in Adilabad; KN Govindacharya on Gau, Krishi and Rishi tradition; Ram Bahadur Rai on recent history since independence; Puri seer Swami Nishchalanand Saraswati; Swami Muktanand of Amritam Trust; Swami Shivanand of Matri Sadan in Haridwar among several others.
In the past, I travelled to UK, Japan, Singapore and US which helped me understand global perspectives beyond reading stuff.
My keen interest in understanding diverse cultures, issues and challenges and how our fates in a highly globalised economic system are closely intertwined has been bolstered by internet and for past decade by social media where I have nurtured a diverse set of friends and fellow travelers from around the world.
Yet, wherever I go, one thing that I insist upon is to eat local and in every possible way learn about and adapt to local customs and ways of life even on short trips. And I strongly believe that the global ecologically crises has been single-handedly cursed by our rabid and incessant greed and recklessness to capture markets by moving stuff around from centralized and “cheap” production units to elbow out much superior local produce.
This monstrosity feeds itself as over time, the local eco-systems of production become weaker and inferior teetering towards collapse, which leaves the market wide open to loot and plunder by the monopolistic industrial produce from centralized units. This is then dogmatically defended using rigid and draconian trade and tariff regimes that lock local economies into a subversive rut of disguised but predatory economic imperialism.
With the internet blackout stretching for more than 120 days in J&K, start-ups which began with much fanfare are closing down
The fitting response to resurrect local economies and preserve the diversity of cultures that sustains them, is to provide an Article 370 and 35A like “special status” to every village, town and district in the country and easing the burdening and draconian control of both the central and state governments, especially in the larger states.
This is already reflected in the existing Article 371, which just like the now abrogated Article 370, falls under PART XXI titled 'Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions' of the Indian Constitution. It extends to 11 states -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka -- and outlines the special provisions in place for them. Six are from the Northeast where the provisions aim to preserve tribal culture.

Restore the internet that is like oxygen to the modern economy

With the internet blackout stretching for more than 120 days in J&K, start-ups which began with much fanfare are closing down. In an article today in A "The Hindu" report by Peerzada Ashiq points to how young Kashmiri entrepreneurs are leaving behind their homes and dreams to seek employment elsewhere.
Buoyed by the entrepreneurial instincts of Kashmiri youth, the Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party regime had formulated a J&K Start-up Policy, which was made public in September 2018. It aimed to “facilitate and nurture the growth of at least 500 new start-ups in J&K in the next 10 years.” In just about one year, as the internet shutdown on August 5, the start-ups are in disarray for over 4 months now.
This has dealt a severe blow to women's empowerment in the region, as many women had set up with big dreams as entrepreneurs and as the distress prolongs this is forcing the local entrepreneurs to emigrate and is likely to abet rage and frustration turning to terrorism to settle scores unless quick and pressing action is taken to restore internet and communication services.

Immediate withdrawal of armed forces

Attending a press conference in Delhi on Thursday December 5 by various civil society groups from different states in India who recently undertook a ‘Restoration of Democracy’ march from Jammu to Srinagar, I arrived at a firm conclusion that the people of J&K are highly burdened and their daily lives in a disarray due to the heavy-handed armed forces presence in the region.
The group also released a report titled “Jammu to Srinagar Yatra: A Report on the Absence of Civil Liberties, Economic Distress, and Political Crisis” at this event and shared their experiences and insights. It is evident from the report that with the winter approaching, the continued army presence will debilitate the civil supplies and in tandem with the internet shutdown will jeopardize the seasonal migration between not just J&K regions but also with Ladakh which is now a separate Union Territory.
In turn, unlike the general perception, it is the erstwhile BJP supporting trading community in Jammu which has incurred a huge monetary loss from the economic breakdown as the supplies of high value produce from Kashmir is no longer getting routed through Jammu.
---
*Strategic thinker, ecosystem innovator and innovation coach, has wored in various companies – SAIL, Arvind Mills, TCS, Mastek, Logica, Reva Electric Car Co., Erehwon Innovation Consulting and Vertebrand Brand Consulting. At present, convenor, Global Academy for Indigenous Activism (GAIA)

Comments

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Sections of BSF, BGB personnel 'directly or indirectly' involved in cross border smuggling

By Kirity Roy*  The Border Security Force (BSF) of India and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Bangladesh met for 54th Director General level meeting at Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 5th to 9th March, 2024 to discuss on minimizing killings at border area, illegal intrusion, trafficking of drugs and other narcotics, smuggling of arms and ammunitions and other crimes at bordering areas. Further, the summit had an agenda to discuss on overall development in 150 yards area at both sides of the border and design an activity plan for the same.