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Showing posts from July, 2021

Debt bondage, forced labour, sexual abuse in Gujarat's Bt cottonseed farms: Dutch study

By Rajiv Shah  A just-released study, sponsored by a Netherlands-based non-profit, Arisa , “Seeds of Oppression Wage sharecropping in Bt cottonseed production in Gujarat, India”, has said that a new form of bondage, or forced labour, exists in North India’s Bt cottonseed farms, in which bhagiyas, or wage sharecroppers, are employed against advances and are then often required to work for years together “without regular payment of wages.”

Demand to raise cottonseed procurement price to 'factor' increase in farm labour wages

By Our Representative Centre for Labour Research and Action (CLRA),  a labour rights NGO of informal and migrant workers in Gujarat, has written letters to cottonseed companies operating in Gujarat demanding hike in procurement rates for farmers to factor the increase in agriculture labour minimum wages rate in the state. Gujarat. A copy of the letters has been sent to the state labour commissioner.

Sea rise-induced displacement in Bay of Bengal: Need for 'suitable' rehab policy

By Simi Mehta, Ritika Gupta, Amita Bhaduri  To understand the far-reaching and disproportionate impact of rising sea-level on coastal communities, the Centre for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development (CECCSD), Impact and Policy Research Institute ( IMPRI ), Tarun Bharat Sangh , India Water Portal , and Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan organized a #WebPolicyTalk on Sea Rise Induced Displacement in the Bay of Bengal: The Need for Suitable Rehabilitation Policy as part of its #WaterAndClimate series.

Giant conglomerates 'favoured': Whither tribal rights for jal-jungle-jameen?

Prafull Samantara By Mohammad Irshad Ansari*  The struggle for “Jal, Jungle and Jameen” has been a long-drawn battle for the tribal communities of India. This tussle was once again in the limelight with the proposed diamond mining in the Buxwaha forest of Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh). The only difference in this movement was the massive social media support it gained, which actually seems to tilt the scale for the tribal people in a long time.

Gujarat govt gender insensitive? Cyclone package for fisherfolk 'ignores' poor women

By Our Representative A memorandum submitted to the Gujarat government by various fisherfolk associations of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat under the leadership of Ahmedabad NGO Centre for Social Justice's senior activist Arvind Khuman, who is based in Amreli, has suggested that the relief package offered to the fishermen affected by the Tauktae cyclone is not only inadequate, it is also gender insensitive.

If not Modi, then who? Why? I (an ordinary citizen) am there! Main hoon naa!

By Mansee Bal Bhargava*  The number of women ministers is doubled in early July from the first term after cabinet reshuffle by the present government led by Narendra Modi. While there were 06 women ministers in the previous term, this term there are 11. The previous two governments led by Dr Manmohan Singh had 10 women ministers in each tenure. Are these number of women ministers something to rejoice in the near 75 years of independence? Yes maybe, if we think that things are slowly improving in the patriarchal system. This change is less likely to achieve gender balance in the parliament otherwise we require more than 11 as per the 33% reservation . This change is also less likely because the men politicians’ inability to handle the country’s mess is becoming more and more evident and especially during the corona crisis. Seems, the addition of more women ministers may be a result of the recent assembly elections where women played a decisive role in the election results. For example

Did Modi promote Dholavira, a UNESCO site now, as Gujarat CM? Facts don't tally

By Rajiv Shah  As would generally happen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet – that not only was he “absolutely delighted” with the news of UNESCO tag to Dholavira, but he “ first visited ” the site during his “student days and was mesmerised by the place” – is being doubted by his detractors. None of the two tweets, strangely, even recalls once that it’s a Harappan site in Gujarat.

Effluent discharge into deep sea? Modi told to 'reconsider' Rs 2275 crore Gujarat project

Counterview Desk  In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, well-known Gujarat-based environmentalist, Mahesh Pandya of the Paryavaran Mitra, has protested against the manner in with the Gujarat government is continuing with its deep sea effluent disposal project despite environmental concerns.

Vishwamitri river: 'Destructive' activities continue despite CPCB objection to GPCB

Counterview Desk  In a letter to the Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara, with copies to several senior Government of India officials -- including secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti; secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; chairman, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) -- and their Gujarat counterparts, several concerned citizens of Gujarat’s cultural capital have insisted upon stopping what they have called “utterly destructive” clean up activities at the Vishwamitri River banks, continuing since July 10, 2021.

How real is Mamata challenge to Modi? Preparing for 2024 'khela hobey' moment

By Prof Ujjwal K Chowdhury*  Third time elected West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee is on a whirlwind tour of Delhi, meeting everyone who matters within and beyond the government, the Prime Minister, the President, some Cabinet ministers, Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, several other opposition leaders, et al.

UP arrest of 'terrorists': Diverting attention from Covid goof-up, Ram temple land scam?

By Advocate Mohammad Shoaib, Sandeep Pandey* That corruption is rampant in police department is a common experience. However, there is another form of corruption which devastates lives of individuals and their families. It has now emerged as a common phenomenon that police more often than not register false cases because of which individuals have to spend number of years in jail.

Khorigaon demolition: People being 'brutally' evicted, cops 'restricting' food, water

By Ishita Chatterjee, Neelesh Kumar, Manju Menon, Vimal Bhai* On July 23, the Faridabad Municipal Corporation told the Supreme Court that they have cleared 74 acres out of 150 acres. Despite the affidavit of the Municipal Corporation, the court, on the complaint of various litigants, that the arrangements for living, food etc. have not been made for the people. 

Olympic Laurel awardee Prof Yunus sends out message of solidarity, peace, resilience

By Nava Thakuria*  With Nobel peace laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus receiving the Olympic Laurel award at the opening ceremony of 32nd Games of the Olympiad Tokyo 2020, organized under the shadow of Covid-19 pandemic with no audience on the ground, his motherland in South Asia incorporated its name in the history of Olympics.

Project launched to fight high malnutrition in Odisha's backward Malkangiri district

By Our Representative Odisha civil rights groups have launched a new project, which will cover 8,000 households under of Podia block in Odisha’s Malkangiri district in order to provide essential preventive medicine to the community through the trained village-based Swasthya Sathis (health workers) and fight malnutrition in the district’s rural areas.

Racist assumptions, stereotypes influence UK Home Office raids on 'immigrants'

By Aaron Gates-Lincoln*  It is no secret that the UK government’s current attitude towards issues in immigration are harsh and punitive based. Recently, Priti Patel has faced much criticism as Home Secretary for implementing a large range of policy that many argue is regressive and unnecessarily ruthless as she attempts to deter migrants from wishing to enter the UK. One method that has faced heavy criticism as of late is that of frequent immigration raids within local communities.

Ganga world's second most polluted river, Modi's Varanasi tops microplastics pollution

By Rajiv Shah  Will the new report by well-known elite NGO Toxics Link create a ripple in the powerful corridors of Delhi? Titled “Quantitative analysis of microplastics along River Ganga”, forwarded to Counterview, doesn’t just say that Ganga is the second most polluted river in the world, next only to Yangtze (China). It goes ahead to do a comparison of microplastics pollution in three cities shows Varanasi – the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – is more polluted compared to Kanpur and Haridwar.

Meghalaya: Demand to release Rs 52 crore for unoganised workers 'pending' for a year

By Our Representative Taking serious note of the failure of the Maghalaya government's refusal for a year to ensure distribution of the Rs 52 crore promise by it in March 2020 under the Chief Minister’s Relief Against Wage Loss (CRAWL), intended to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on unorganized sector workers, India's civil rights network National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has said it supports social activist Angela Rangad who has been on a protest sit-in at the gates of the Secretariat in Shillong on this.

How BSF, police, court turned Bangladeshi woman slave victim into accused in crime

Counterview Desk  Civil rights leader Kirity Roy has strongly objected to the manner in which the Border Security Force (BSF) , the police and the judiciary in West Bengal have treated a 35 years old Bangladeshi woman victim of human trafficking, who was subjected to sexual exploitation for 15 long years, has been declared guilty of violating the Foreigners Act, violating all human rights norms.

Madhya Pradesh tops India's 145 instances of 'anti-Christian atrocities' this year

Counterview Desk  A report prepared by the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), founded in 1951 as the national alliance of evangelical Christians of the Protestant denomination, in its just-released report, “Hate and Targeted Violence against Christians in India: Half Yearly Report 2021”, has said that an analysis of 145 cases of violence it has documented against Christians, mainly by non-state actors, “stems from an environment of targeted hate.”

Video documents 'bitter struggle' of Dang tribals working as sugarcane cutters

By Debarun Dutta*  Nearly two lakh tribal workers migrate every year from districts of Dang and Tapi in Gujarat and Nandurbar and Dhule in Maharashtra to harvest sugarcane in farms of South Gujarat. The workers are deployed by the Sugarcane Cooperative Factories promoted by sugarcane farmers who are a powerful political community. The workers are recruited by middlemen against advances that they have to pay back one and a half times after the six-month work season.

Demolition drive: Why aren't high-end hotels, farmhouses treated same way as Khorigaon?

By Our Representative A public hearing, sponsored by the civil rights group National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) to hear the affected citizens of Khorigaon, off Faridabad, Delhi NCR, has seen local people complaining how their houses are being demolished even as the entire area was converted into a prison through heavy police deployment.

Delhi's 97% ration shops 'not distributing' rations, 42% closed during working hours

Counterview Desk Ponting towards "alarming state of food insecurity in Delhi", the civil rights group, Delhi Rozi Roti Adhikar Abhiyaan (DRRAA) has regretted that ration distribution for people without ration cards has stopped in most areas and public distribution system (PDS) grain distribution is yet to be started in most places for the month of July.

Covid impact on menstrual cycles? Young girls 'relapsing' back to unhygienic old-cloth rags

By Dr Sudeshna Roy*  Covid-19 pandemic has gripped the world in health and economic shock. Combating this public health crisis has diverted development resources earmarked for adolescents and the youth. India; having world’s second largest population; 1.38 crores as per UN mid-year 2020 estimation, also shelters the largest adolescents and young adult population, which at 243 million constitute 20% of the world’s 1.2 billion adolescent population.

Two child norm to increase girls' abortion, family violence against mothers: Prof Kundu

By Our Representative  Even as Uttar Pradesh goes ahead with its decision to introduce a bill to control its population denying government jobs, subsidies and the right to contest local elections to anyone who has more than two children, top demographer Prof Amatabh Kundu, who is senior fellow at the World Resource Institute in India, has warned, “Forced implementation of the two-child norm would increase the number of abortions of girls.”

Meaningful? Punjab govt's debt waiver offer for agricultural workers, landless farmers

By Dr Gian Singh*    On July 14, 2021, the Punjab government announced that it would hold a state level function on August 20 to waive the debt of agricultural labourers and landless farmers(pure tenants) of Punjab to the tune of Rs 590 crore. Prior to the 2017 elections, the Congress party had promised in its election manifesto and public speeches that the Punjab government would waive all the institutional and non-institutional debt of farmers and agricultural labourers of Punjab.

Madhya Pradesh Adivasis protest govt move to displace 8,000 people, allow diamond mining

By Our Representative  Over 3,000 Adivasis reportedly stormed the Khandwa collectorate in Madhya Pradesh (MP) in order to “teach” law to district administration and officials responsible for “illegal evictions and assault on Adivasi families”. NGO sources said, the raid took place under the banned of the Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), which staged a demonstration against the forest department and the district administration (DC), Khandwa.

Ex-official: Why not offer Vaishnaw to run loss making BSNL, Air India to prove his worth?

By Rajiv Shah A senior chartered accountant, whom I have known intimately (I am not naming him, as I don’t have his permission), has forwarded me an Indian Express (IE) story (July 18), “Ashwini Vaishnaw: The man in the chair”, which, he says, “contradicts” the blog (July 17), "Will Vaishnaw, close to Modi since Vajpayee days, ever be turnaround man for Railways?" I had written a day earlier and forwarded it to many of my friends. Written after taking extensive talks the reporters Liz Mathew and Aishwarya Mohanty appear to have had with BJP insiders and government officials (of course, all anonymous), I read through the IE story and sought a reaction from a former government official, who had also seen my blog and was happy about whatever I had written, doubting Vaishnaw would be a big success. The ex-government official, whom I forwarded the story, told me, while IE piece was surely presented a “positive side of Vaishnaw”, and that the new Railways-cut-IT minister is indee

Pro-corporate? New GoI circular 'blatant attempt' to control Adivasi lives, livelihoods

By Hemant Das*  The Indian Community Activists Network (ICAN) condemns the anti-forest dwellers circular jointly issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the (Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India (GoI) on July 6. 

Why no human rights mechanism in South Asia, but other regions in world have them?

Counteview Desk A civil rights group, Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), has floated an online petition  titled "Governments of South Asia: Time for the Establishment of a South Asian Human Rights Mechanism", stating that South Asian states should work towards the establishment of a regional mechanism for human rights at the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) SAARC level in order to create better conditions for peace in South Asia.

When phone tapping rumours were afloat in Gujarat among BJP leaders, IAS babus

Gordhan Zadaphia By Rajiv Shah  While alerts were coming in over the last few days about a series of articles on how phones of “journalists, ministers, activists” may have been used to spy on them with the help of an Israeli project, Pegasus, finally, when I got up on Monday morning, I saw a Times of India story quoting (imagine!, we never used to do this, did just a followup in case we missed a story) the Wire, a top news portal on this providing some details, along with government reaction. While the first Wire story on Monday confines itself to journalists, including the news portal founder-editor Siddharth Varadarajan, pointing towards an “international collaborative reporting project” which establishes “the frightening extent to which governments around the world, including India, could be using surveillance tools in ways that have nothing to do with national security”, a friend in Australia, Neeraj Nanda, editor, South Asian Times, Melbourne, sent me a link of a “Guardian” stor

Shariat Council: Muslims must offer sacrifice 'as for as possible'; precaution needed

By Our Representative  Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s (JIH's) Shariah Council, in an appeal to Muslims, has asked them to celebrate Eid-al Adha and offer sacrifices “with necessary precautions”. Issuing guidelines ahead of the Eid this year , Shariah Council chairman Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari and secretary Dr Muhammad Raziul Islam Nadvi cautioned that Muslims should remember, "the coronavirus has not yet been eradicated.”

Political party run by Supremo, controlled by single voice 'always looks for' turncoats

By Sudhansu R Das  In a democratic country a politician is free to choose a party of his choice. If he does not like the party’s ideology or its leadership, he can change his party which is not an unethical political behavior. But, if a politician changes his party at an opportune moment for enjoying power, it erodes people’s trust on democratic system.

Gandhi Ashram eviction: Finally historian Guha speaks out; but ageing trustees are silent

By Rajiv Shah  Finally, at least one expert, top historian Ramachandra Guha, has spoken out on eviction of 200 families living in the Gandhi Ashram premises. Last week, I received an email alert from a veteran academic, Ashoke Chatterjee, former director, National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, which happens to be one of the most prestigious academic institutes of India based, informing me about it. NID is one of the several top institutes founded when Jawaharlal Nehru was India’s Prime Minister. The email alert by Chatterjee, who is also associated with several NGOs, including Centre for Social Justice and Janvakas, quotes Guha, stating how the eviction drive by the Gujarat government in order to build a hi fi Gandhi memorial reflects the challenges faced by a Trust, which is said to look after the Gandhi Ashram, especially in view of the fact it is “composed of ageing men and women, who all live in Gujarat, and thus cannot speak out for fear that they or their families will b

New pension rules an attempt to 'impose' silence on govt servants: Ex-civil servants

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 100 civil servants, protesting against the amendment to Central civil services pension rules, have said this would curtail “freedom of expression of retired officials”.

Climate change: Can India be Vishwa Guru through glib statements as glamorous pursuit?

Counterview Desk  Shankar Sharma, a well-known power and climate policy analyst based in Karnataka, in an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has said that there are “striking examples” of accelerated degradation of natural resources in India, including “fast-disappearing natural forest cover and wildlife habitats, with “unacceptable level of pollution/contamination of air, water and soil.”

Citizens object to 'utterly destructive' activity for executing Vadodara riverfront project

Counterview Desk Several concerned citizen of Vadodara have asked concerned authorities to to stop immediately “utterly destructive clean up activities undertaken” on the river passing through Gujarat’s cultural capital in light of the National Green Tribunal order, dated May 25, 2021.

Will Vaishnaw, close to Modi since Vajpayee days, ever be turnaround man for Railways?

By Rajiv Shah  Ever since he was appointed as railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, I was curious to know who he was and how did he come closer to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, most important, when. Hence, I decided to talk with some Sachivalaya officials in Gujarat in order to find out if there was, if any, Gujarat (or Modi) connection. I got particularly keen after I read in Free Press Journal (FPJ) that, a product of IIT, Vaishnaw “quit government service in 2008 and went to Wharton University in USA to pursue an MBA.” On his return, the daily said, “After working for top firms, he set up his own automotive components manufacturing units in Gujarat.” First, let me put the record straight. FPJ is wrong: he did not quit government service (or IAS) in 2008, as reported. He quit in 2010, after returning from Wharton, as the Hindustan Times reports . Apparently, he went to the US to do MBA, obviously after taking study leave from the Government of India, which is what many bureaucrats

Cops, outside mob 'let loose' on MP tribals, looted grain, cattle, money, household goods

Counterview Desk  Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), a Madhya Pradesh civil rights group, pointing towards how in Khandwa atrocity and illegal eviction were “committed” by the state forest department in in the state forest minister’s home district, has said, as many as tens of adivasi families have been illegally evicted, their belongings were looted by mob brought by the forest department, and six people were assaulted, abducted and illegally confined by forest officials.