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Showing posts from June, 2020

100% increase in gender-based violence amidst lockdown: IMPRI seminar told

By Our Representative The National Crime Bureau Records data 2020 have revealed there is an over 100% increase in the incidences of violence against women from March 2020 to May 2020. An online panel discussion , which addressed key issues of gender-based violence in India, revealed that this happened because the lockdown “restricted the mobility which has made the so-called ‘safety nests of women’ a sphere of fear and anxiety.” The discussion was organised by the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) in association with GenDev Centre for Research and Innovation (GCRI). said that during the Covid-19 crisis, the failed to “properly address” the fundamentals of patriarchy and power relation within the household. Participating in the discussion, Poonam Kathuria, director, Society for Women's Action and Training Initiative (SWATI) presented the findings of a study by interviewing 3000 women across several states in the India, which suggested that the frequency of violence has go

Andhra gas tragedy: Favourable court order helps 3 LG Chem personnel 'flee' India

By Our Representative Three South Korean LG Chem personnel, whose passports were confiscated due to their importance in the investigation of the company’s deadly styrene gas release , have "fled" India after getting a favourable court judgement . Bringing this to light, the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims ( ANROEV ), an international NGO network, said, this would "help" the company to “avoid responsibility” as has happened in other cases, including Bhopal.

How India's 'draconian' sedition law hasn't just survived in statute books but thrived

Vinod Dua, Arundhati Roy By Atul, Sandeep Pandey* British left India in August 1947 but left many of their draconian laws here as a colonial legacy. Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code 1860, i.e., the law of sedition is one such law. British Government of India had inserted it in the penal code in the late 19th century to curb anti-colonial activities in British India.

Neoliberal patronage leading to 'sharp rise' in religious, cultural right-wing in politics

Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The world is facing its deepest crisis after the world wars. The legitimacy of Westphalian international systems and their post-war reincarnations are falling apart. Political parties are losing public trust and people question their legitimacy. States and governments are becoming hostage and facilitators of neoliberal capitalism, where people live in an environment of unfreedom and market oligarchs enjoy absolute freedom.

Wanted a John the Baptist who will walk with migrants, uplift Dalits, stand with Adivasis

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* Wanted Now: A John the Baptist! – who brings hope. For many, these past months have been a period of hopelessness, of despair, of despondency and of dejection. There is a listlessness and a cloud of unknowing that have gripped the lives of millions over during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. John’s birth was announced to a barren, aged woman Elizabeth. No one would have expected that; but with God nothing is impossible: John is the new hope!

Environmentalists' fresh video 'reveals' Sabarmati turns into gutter for 120 km

By Our Representative A fresh video taken by a group of environmental activists led by Rohit Prajapati of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti has suggested that Sabarmati river, which passes through Ahmedabad, turns into a dead river for the 120 kilometres stretch after it leaves Ahmedabad city to “meet” the Arabian Sea. Pointing out that the “river” comprises of just industrial effluent and sewage, Prajapati said in a WhatsApp alert that the video, taken on June 29, 2020, at 2:16 pm, from the river’s Vishala Bridge, next to Gyaspur village, reveals Sabarmati’s “disastrous condition” in and around Ahmedabad district in the downstream. According to Prajapati, even before it leaves the city’s much acclaimed Sabarmati riverfront project, “The river has become a pool of polluted stagnant water”, and after it leaves the city, it is “reduced to a channel carrying effluents from industries from Naroda, Odhav, Vatva, Narol, and sewage from Ahmedabad city.” He says, “The drought like condition of th

Custodial death of father-son duo in Tamil Nadu tip of 'horrendous' iceberg: NAPM

Counterview Desk Denouncing what it has called “all-pervasive and routine culture of police violence and impunity” pervading currently in India, India’s premier civil society network, National Alliance for People’s Movements (NAPM), referring to the custodial death of Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) residents, Jayaraj and Bennicks, said, the FIR filed by the police on the incident “indicates an obvious attempt at obfuscation.”

How Gujarat NGO helped market women farmers' produce locally amidst lockdown

By Sanjay Dave* In these difficult times of coronavirus pandemic a unique initiative has been undertaken by Utthan, an NGO based in Gujarat, to turn adversity into opportunity for rural poor and marginalized. Due to lockdown the daily wage labourers stopped getting work, and thus there was no source of any income for them.

Expanding Indian media circle of those 'ready' to go along the credo of communalism

By Anand K Sahay* The time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second term in office began – about a year ago – has been tumultuous in India. A succession of momentous events, with likely long-term impact, has passed before our eyes. Each of these had strong communal undertones and overtones. Each shook the country.

Luring neighbours to 'encircle' India, China may be biting more than it can chew

By NS Venkataraman* It is clear by now that China has not concealed its aim and determination to dominate the world as a superpower and expand its territories. In fact, China has begun to give the impression that it would combine different types of strategies on the trade front, propaganda campaign and military strategy to achieve its objectives, depending upon circumstances.

Macwan starts missed call drive to remove Manu statue in Rajasthan HC area

By Our Representative In a fresh campaign, Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan has asked people to give a missed call on 9823157779 asking Congress president Sonia Gandhi to impress upon Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot to ensure removal of Manu’s statue from the state High Court premises. The decision for the campaign follows a letter signed by him and supported by over 750 concerned citizens across India for the removal of the statue of Manu, whose laws allegedly stand “in total contradiction to what the Indian Constitution has committed itself to – equality and fraternity, social justice and freedom.” An earlier missed call campaign in May 2019 by senior Gujarat activists, who included Macwan, had seen more than 2.5 lakh people supporting the demand that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections must be declared only after verification of 50 percent electronic voting machine (EVM) data with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) receipts. During the counting for the Lok Sabha polls on M

Coal blocks for tycoons: Rinchi village tribals may be declared forest land encroachers

Renchi villagers' protest in 2018, declaring Gram Sabha as supreme By Gladson Dungdung* On June 18, 2020, the Government of India initiated the process for auctioning 41 coal blocks for commercialisation. These coal blocks are located in different states within India and most of them fall under Fifth Schedule areas. The Indian government claims that their decision to auction these coal areas is a big step towards making the country Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant) in the energy sector.

Unwilling 'sacrifice': Who will be responsible for India's 884 non-Covid deaths?

By Simran Kaur, Vasundhra Kaul, Varsha Sharma, Sandeep Pandey* While the entire world faced the threat of the coronavirus, India was witness to a peculiar phenomenon. Hundreds of migrant workers poured into the streets, despite explicit warnings – and passionate appeals – by the Prime Minister to stay indoors.

Hindutva impact? Why political, ruling elite don't need Emergency rule today

Counterview Desk  Marking 45 years since the declaration of the Emergency, the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), a platform of 36 organizations*, mainly civil rights groups and Left-wing labour unions, has called upon on all its constituent organisations and all democratic and progressive organisations and forces to carry forward the struggle for upholding democratic rights and principles and strengthen the movements for unity across caste and community and the struggles for wages, land and livelihood.

Call for bids for Vadodara riverfront project opposed: Experts seek consultation

By Our Representative A concerned citizens’  letter  to the Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara, with copies to senior environment and forests officials of the Gujarat government and the Government of India, has taken strong exception to continuation of the local authorities’ decision to continue with the bid for preparing project report for the "rejuvenation" the Vishwamitri river, passing through the city. It says, the bids have been invited even though there have been no “pre-bid meetings and involvement of local expertise and know-how”. Signed, among others, by environmentalist Rohit Prajapati, urban planner Neha Sarwate, landscape architect Dr Shishir R Raval, civil engineer Rutvik Tank, wetland ecologist Dr Deepa Gavali, hydro-geologist Dr Jayendra Lakhmapurkar, and botanist Dr Jitendra Gavali, the letter states, “We strongly believe that Vishwamitri river and Vadodara city deserve much better. The proposed project and its current tender ought to be reconsidered.” Seeking

AITUC opposes Govt of India move to reduce interest rate on Provident Fund

By Our Representative The All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has opposed reported move to once again reduce the interest rate on Provident Fund. AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur has said in a statement, “The employees/workers are already hard pressed in a situation where they did not get wages in lock down due to Covid-19, and many have faced retrenchments.” Pointing out that there may be more wage cuts during unlock phase, Kaur said, the government took unilateral decision to reduce the employers’ share without consent from CBT during Covid-19. The earlier announced reduced interest rate from 8.65% to 8.5%. It is yet to be approved. Yet, there is fresh plan for such reduction without CBT nod, which would amount to total disregard to the statutory functioning of the body. “AITUC is opposed to any attempt to reduce the interest rate on PF”, she added.

Govt apathy, funds crisis? 36% NGOs drop Covid relief, 54% plan to: IIM-A survey

By Rajiv Shah A high-profile Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) survey of civil society organizations (CSOs) has complained that government indifference despite the “felt need” to continue with the relief work to the poorer sections society amidst Covid-19 crisis was a major reason why more than 36% of CSOs were forced to stop doing the work, while another 54% said they had plans to stop it in a month’s time.

Smart cities: Why pandemic response can't rely heavily on high-tech platforms, apps

By Soumyadip Chattopadhyay, Arjun Kumar* The Covid-19 pandemic brought the world's smart cities to a halt and is exposing the fault lines in human habits and habitations. More than 99 million people living in India 100 smart cities , especially those living in the densely populated informal settlements and slums, with dreadful combination of poverty and inadequacies in access to water and sanitation and poor waste management, are facing the wrath of this pandemic. 

It's a pity: Small neighbours Bhutan, Sri Lanka offer free universal healthcare, not India

By Prem Verma* The spread of coronavirus in India and the subsequent misery of the Migrant population has exposed the underbelly of dismal healthcare in our country. There is a daily outcry of shortage of hospital beds, doctors, nurses, intensive care units (ICUs), absence of functioning rural healthcare centres, etc.

STARS project: Despite objections, World Bank approves $500 million loan

By Our Representative Setting aside concerns raised by 1,400 academicians, practitioners, teachers’ unions and civil society organisations (CSOs),  the World Bank has approved USD 500 million loan to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for Strengthening Teaching Learning and Results for States (STARS) project. Approved on June 24, 2020 by the Bank board, the project will be implemented in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra and Odisha. The signatories, in their letter to the World Bank president, had said that the project lacked provisions to improve access to education among marginalized communities, potential involvement of for-profit entities in education and excessive focus on standardized assessments. The project was approved on an “absence of objection” basis, a Right to Education (RTE) Forum statement said. There was no formal discussion, despite the fact that several members of the Bank Board raised concerns directly with the Bank management abou

Odisha view: Govt of India centralising power, 'destroying' cooperative federalism

Narendra Modi with Naveen Patnaik  Dr Bhabani Shankar Nayak, Dr Gopabandhu Dash*  The pandemic of Coronavirus has exposed all limitations of free market economies and anomalies in capitalist global economy. The world economy is in shambles. The unprecedented restrictive and unavoidable lockdown measures by governments across the world has led to the loss of livelihoods, growth of unemployment, economic stagnation and crisis. It is one of the biggest challenges in world history.

Situation 'worse' than Indira's Emergency: PUCL calls for concerned citizens' campaign

Counterview Desk The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), India's premier human rights organization, in a statement issued on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the Emergency, has described the situation today as worse than what it was on June 25, 1975, when the “Indian government waged a war on its own people, suspending the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”

Super Emergency? 'Pity the nation, oh pity the people, Who allow their rights to erode'

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* Few will forget that infamous night of June 25/26, 1975 when emergency was declared in India. No right-thinking Indian will ‘celebrate’ that event as one marks its 45th anniversary. There will be some muted voices perhaps, who will attempt to justify its imposition. There will certainly be no lover of Democracy who will count among them. Abrogating, denying or even suspending the Constitutional rights and freedoms guaranteed to the citizens of a country is a non-negotiable and not acceptable. 

A reform move? Plan to auction 41 coal blocks 'on behalf of' powerful business lobbies

Counterview Desk The National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), India’s major civil society network, has asked the of India to immediately revoke the auction of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining in order to “stop corporate loot in eco-sensitive and Schedule V Adivasi areas of Central and Eastern India”.

45th anniversary of Emergency: How RSS leaders 'kowtowed' to Indira Gandhi

Ram Madhav By Shamsul Islam*  RSS is a Hindutva gurukul (university) which appears to be specializing in training cadres in speaking lies and manufacturing history. As a latest proof, we find on the 45th anniversary of the Emergency, an ideologue of RSS, Ram Madhav, a prominent graduate of the above gurukul, to claim that Indian democracy survives due to "leaders in the government who fought for that very freedom and are committed to liberal democratic values, not just as a matter of compulsion but as an article of faith."

Big Brother 'watching': Isn't it worse than Emergency, perhaps close to dystopia?

A George Orwell poster in US By Pushkar Raj* As we commemorate suspension of democracy in India during Emergency in 1975, it is disturbing to note that police are on spree to arrest and detain people and send them to jail as arbitrarily as then. Police knock at the door of journalists and social activists ; one can be charged for airing views on television, or posting comments on social media.

Social, digital divide puts disadvantaged at risk of 'learning' losses, dropping out

By Our Representative  Lauding the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEMR) 2020 of UNESCO, which highlights the need to make education a universal right for all, the Right to Education (RTE) Forum has demanded the government and policy makers in India should pay immediate attention towards this as it has become crucial at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has further exacerbated the existing inequalities in society.

Remove Manu statue from Rajasthan HC: 600 Dalit activists write to Sonia Gandhi

Counterview Desk A letter by well-known Dalit rights leader Macwan Macwan, signed by over 600 concerned citizens, including scholars, writers, teachers, activists and journalists, has asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s intervention to remove the statue of Manu from the Rajasthan High Court premises.

Was Rahul ill-advised? By criticizing Modi, did he try to appease Chinese?

Rahul Gandhi with Jagdish Tytler By Firoz Bakht Ahmed* It seems that Rahul Gandhi has decided not to grow. Rahul’s displaced questions to the Narendra Modi government appears to be more as an effort to vitiate the atmosphere of patriotism. It only further helps bury the image of the already shattered Congress. Amidst trying circumstances at the India-Chinese borders, he asked where Modi was hiding.

Pandemic, subsequent lockdown used as excuse for media 'clampdown': PUCL

Supriya Sharma, Siddharth Varadarajan, Aakar Patel Counterview Desk Asking the Government of India and state governments to stop “criminalizing” free speech and protect journalism, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has said that the latest victim of media crackdown is new portal “Scroll” executive editor Supriya Sharma, wrote an eight part series on the suffering imposed by the lockdown in Varanasi, exposing the loss of livelihoods and hunger faced by the marginalized”.

Hurried nod to Western Ghat projects: 16 lakh Goans' water security 'jeopardised'

Counterview Desk Taking strong exception to "virtual clearances" to eco-sensitive projects in the Western Ghats, the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) in a statement has said urged for a review of the four-lane highway, 400 KV transmission line and double tracking of the railway line through the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and Mollem National Park in Goa. 

NGO effort to quell hunger better than govt, religious trusts: German-funded survey

Counterview Desk A survey by the Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi Research Group and the Karwan-e-Mohabbat campaign undertaken to address key questions of how India’s labouring classes have had to cope with the strictest lockdown the world between March 25 and May 31, has talked of “continued humanitarian crisis of joblessness, intense food insecurity and massive dislocation of workers.”

Lack of jobs: Uttarakhand's 68% 'returned migrants' want to go back, says survey

Returned migrants being tested at an entry point in Uttarakhand By Our Representative A telephonic survey, conducted among 323 returned migrant workers in hill districts of Uttarakhand, has revealed that even though they have returned from the places they worked – mainly Mumbai, Delhi NCR, other districts of the state and Rajasthan – majority of the respondent (68%) would like go back to their destination places in the absence of employment opportunities in their native places of the state.

Fresh samples show Central Gujarat industries continue dumping 'untreated' effluents

By Our Representative Following the latest round of samples taken they have taken at the J Point, Sarod Village, on the banks of Mahi river in Central Gujarat, senior environmentalists Rohit Prajapati and Krishnakant of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) have alleged that the Vadodara Enviro Channel Limited ( VECL ) and polluting industries in Vadodara district continue to discharge untreated wastewater despite clear directions not to do it. VECL claims to be in the business of conveyance of wastewater for more than 250 industrial units in and around Vadodara district of Gujarat through the 55 km long channel after adequately treating them and safely disposing them into the Bay of Khambhat. In a statement, the environmentalists say, the samples, taken on June 21, 2020 at 10.30 am, suggested that chemical oxygen demand (COD) at the J Point was 2520 mg/l as against the norm of 250 mg/l, chloride was 6098.11 mg/l as against the norm of 600 mg/l, and sulfate was 4328 mg/l as against the

Modi's 'ruthless' neighbours: Will US come to rescue India in case of war with China?

By NS Venkataraman* There are still six months left in the year 2020 and it is difficult to predict as to how the India-China confrontation would turn during this period. It is crystal clear that India has no territorial ambition and has no desire to be involved in military confrontation with neighbouring countries, in the absence of provocation.

Why refugees do matter, should be made to feel welcome, protected, integrated

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* On June 20 the United Nations observed yet another ‘World Refugee Day’. In a statement for the day the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said: “We are marking this year’s World Refugee Day against a backdrop of a dramatic global crisis. Not only are record numbers of people forced to flee their homes, but the world is grappling with Covid-19, a disease that is still very much affecting us all. What started as a health crisis has expanded, and today many of the most vulnerable – refugees and the displaced amongst them – face a pandemic of poverty.

‘Distancings’ taking us away from making of aspirational, new, smart India-III

Abhijit Banerjee, Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan By Mansee Bal Bhargava* The implicit presence of array of distances between the long standing social distancings and the pandemic’s requirement of physical distancing prevailing in the country, became more explicit rather exposed in the last few years and more so in the Covid-lockdown period. Those distances are Political, Economic, Judicial, and Intellectual, besides the prolonged Environmental/Ecological distancing.

Stop dumping into ravines, other water bodies of Vadodara: Letter to GPCB

By Our Representative Concerned citizens of Vadodara, Gujarat, led by senior environmentalist Rohit Prajapati have written a letter to the district collector and the Gujarat Pollution Control (GPCB) taking strong exception to “tactless” removal of riparian vegetation growth under the pretext of pre-monsoon clean-up while spending tax-payers money on “ill-conceived” activities, especially along the Vishwamitri river of the city. They have released photographs of the river, taken on June 21, 2020. Pointing out that this this is an annual feature, the letter states, “Either of these two authorities do nothing to remove construction debris and other toxic and questionable solid wastes that they dump along the banks of our river, it's tributaries, wetlands, and in the ravines throughout the year. Such mindless dumping reduces the water holding and carrying capacity of these water bodies.” The letter demands, the district authorities and GPCB should ensure that Vadodara Municipal Corpora

Oxfam on WB project: ICT 'ineffective', privatised learning to worsen gender divide

By Rajiv Shah  A top multinational NGO, with presence in several developed and developing countries, has taken strong exception to the World Bank part-funding Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States (STARS) project in six Indian states – Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha – for its emphasis on information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled approaches for teacher development, student assessment and digital platform for early childhood education. 

World Bank 'fails to provide' safeguards for engagement of private sector in education

Counterview Desk In a collective letter, 1400 signatories, including education networks, teacher unions, grassroots organizations, academics, teachers and concerned citizens from 24 states have asked for the World Bank-supported quarter trillion rupees STARS education project to be delayed and wider public consultations held before its finalisation.

If poor are 'empowered' with govt healthcare, they wouldn't go to charity for help

By Dr Maya Valecha* Let us understand each issue point by point. First of all I must thank you for initiating this mind churning discussion. It’s your response that has started discussion. Let me make it clear right in the beginning that what is being proposed right now is that the huge resources of our country, material and human in private hands, specially in allopathy, to be taken to serve the public interest, because that resource is built by public money in the form of loans and used for many unnecessary investigations, drugs and surgeries.

Digital education? About 80% children may find themselves 'excluded', webinar told

Dr Manish Jain at the webinar By Our Representative A webinar organized by the Right to Education (RTE) Forum on "Quality education through digital learning: Grassroots reality" has been told that nearly 80 per cent of children are at the risk of being excluded from as a result of the excessive stress on digital learning. Stating this, national convenor, Right to Education (RTE) Forum, Ambarish Rai, said, "Digital education cannot be an option of school. The school gives us a sense of sociality and reduces the feeling of non-equality and high-pitchedness.” Dr Manish Jain, who is with the Department of Educational Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi, said, "Reports coming from many sources across the country show how annoying online learning courses and sessions are proving for both children and parents. Even in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, barely 50 percent children are able to connect with digital platforms.” Prof Poonam Batra of the Central Institute of Education

SC's 'belated' order on migrant workers: Whither high ideals of judicial activism, PIL?

By Atul, Sandeep Pandey* The Covid-19 lockdown in India has witnessed an unfathomable scale of internal migration, displacement, tragedies, and human sufferings not seen since the time of partition 70 years ago. The haphazard manner in which the government implemented the lockdown resulted in absolute chaos when crores were forced by cruel circumstances to go back to their homes using any means and routes they could get hold of.

Healthcare: Total nationalisation can mean 'strengthening' bureaucracy, state power

By KP Sasi* Nationalisation of healthcare is not a simple idea to be pushed. Even with the existence of the private sector and the public sector in healthcare we are not in a position to deal sufficiently with the healthcare that is required. The non-government sector includes a large number of charities and missions in deep areas in India.

Disturbing signal? Reliance 'shifting focus' away from Indian petrochemical sector

Mukesh Ambani By NS Venkataraman* Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), a large Indian company, has expanded and grown in a spectacular manner during the last few decades, like of which no industrial group in India has performed before. RIL is now involved in multi various activities relating to petroleum refineries, petrochemicals, oil and gas exploration, coal bed methane, life sciences, retail business, communication network, (Jio platform) media/entertainment etc. 

Anti-CAA protest in Lucknow: Notice to rights lawyer, ex-IPS to pay up Rs 64 lakh

Advocate Mohammad Shoaib, ex-IPS SR Darapuri By Our Representative Uttar Pradesh-based human rights sdvocate Mohammad Shoaib, who is also state president of the Socialist Party (India), retired Indian Police Services (IPS) officer SR Darapuri, a rights campaigner, and others accused of “instigating violence” during protests against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Lucknow, have been served notices for recovery of Rs 64,37,637, threatened with seizure of property in the event of non-payment within a week. Protesting against the move, the Socialist Party (India) said, Shoaib was under house arrest in Lucknow on December 19, 2019, when nationwide protests against CAA and NRC took place, “yet he was charged with instigating violence and had to spend a month in jail.” A statement signed by prominent social activist Sandeep Pandey, who is also vice-president of the party, said, “Even the accused could be proved guilty by a court of law, all accused i

US religious freedom report to have 'serious consequences' for Indian business

Amit Shah By Our Representative The Washington DC-based Centre for Pluralism even as welcoming the recent United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report , released by the US Department of the State (DOS), agreeing with the suggestion on the need for “penalties” against Union home minister Amit Shah, “the man behind the violations.” Pointing towards USCIRF listing India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), the Center for Pluralism said, this should have “severe consequences for India.” It believes, following this, “The major global corporations that are interested in India's prosperity will hesitate to do business in India due to social and political unrest. Most companies in the world want to do business in a stable nation.” Offering “solutions”, the Centre said, the CPC title could be withdrawn if the Government of India recognizes “all citizens are equal under the law.” As a first step, the GoI, it said, should issue visas to the commissioners of

No city govt 'controls' all 18 functions as per 74th Constitutional amendment

By Our Representative A senior expert has revealed that despite more than a quarter of a century of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which mandated setting up and devolution of powers to Urban local bodies (ULBs) or city governments are not abiding by its provisions. The Act, said Dr Soumyadip Chattopadhyay, senior fellow, Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) and associate professor, Viswa Bharti University, mandates 18 principles be followed by the city government. “But not a single city government has control over all 18 functions”, he regretted. According to Dr Chattopadhyay, who was participating in a webinar on re-thinking city governance amidst Covid-19 organised by the Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS) and IMPRI, in association with the Department of Social Work, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, urban local bodies are trapped in a vicious circle where paucity of resources leads to poor service delivery and thus, poor revenue generatio

Govt of India 'silencing' media under the garb of curbing fake news: Think-tank report

Counterview Desk The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), a New Delhi-based  think-tank  claiming to conduct risks analysis to prevent human rights violations, in a detailed report on arrest, registration of FIRs, summons or show causes notices, physical assaults, alleged destruction of properties and threats for reportage against 55 journalists amidst Covid-19, has regretted that India has become the riskiest place for the journalists in the world.

Poet-activist's health deteriorating, present care in Mumbai jail 'unacceptable': 14 MPs

Counterview Desk Fourteen members of Parliament* have addressed a letter to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, expressing concern over the health of Varavara Rao, veteran Telugu writer and poet, who has been lodged in Taloja Prison, Navi Mumbai, following sharp deterioration in his health. A campaigner for the rights of the tribals and the poor, Rao was arrested from Hyderabad August 28, 2018 by the Pune Police following the Bhima Koregaon violence, where the police claimed to have found links between Varavara Rao and Naxal activists.

Galwan valley imbroglio: What is behind the standoff between India and China?

By Shabir Ahmad* What is behind the Ladakh standoff along the India-China borders? India was carrying on some construction activity along its side of line of actual control in the Galwan valley, as there was no real dispute on the area. After all, it was for long considered part of Indian territory.