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Showing posts from November, 2021

Dalits 'celebrate' Constitutional Power Era in 12,500 villages of 16 districts on Nov 26

By Pradip More*  It is a fact that the majority of the people do not have much knowledge about the law, and especially the Constitution. Yet, today's younger generation is becoming increasingly aware of its rights. One wished it would have been good if it was taught about the Constitution well in the schools.

Govt of India's 'narrative' of hate, 'clarion call' for onslaught on civil society: Ex-babus

Counterview Desk  Addressing “fellow citizens”, the Constitution Conduct Group (CCG), having former prominent civil servants as it members, has said that recent assertions by National Human Rights Commission National Human Rights Commission Justice (retd) Arun Mishra, the Prime Minister and General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff, portent a deliberate and disturbing strategy to “deny civil society the space and wherewithal for its operation.”

Book on Bhil rebels offers other side of history, neglected by 'nationalist' historians

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  One of the major accusations against Indian historians is that of neglecting and ignoring the role of the marginalised in the freedom struggle. Most of the time, we are ‘informed’ that there were some ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ of the freedom movement, all of them belonging to the same stock of caste as well as ‘power’ positions as their opponents.

Mysterious death of Kishenji 'triggered' series of splits in Maoist camp in India

By Harsh Thakor* On November 24 fell the 10th death anniversary of Kishenji, a prominent Maoist leader, he was also a poet, a scientist, and a soldier. Since his school days he dreamt of planting the seed to create new man. Born in 1954 in Peddapally town (in Karimnagar district, north Telangana), Kishenji was raised by his father Venkataiah (a “freedom fighter”, he called him) and a progressive mother, Madhuramma.

Covid taught us: Exams are cruel process of 'eliminating' those seeking education

By Sandeep Pandey, Seema Muniz, Gopal Krishna Verma* Some people are disheartened with the disruption in children’s education due to the menace of Covid and the successive lockdowns. While a number of children are getting used to attending online classes, their counterparts from the weaker socio-economic backgrounds continue to struggle either because of unfamiliarity with technology or because of having to share a single device with their siblings and/or parents. More unfortunate ones have been completely pushed out of the system which has resulted in the virtual drop in the rate of enrolment.

Govt of India responsible for 71% delays in NREGA wage payments, say economists

Counterview Desk  In an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 70 economists have urged the Government of India to release “adequate funds” for implementing the rural jobs guarantee scheme under the MGNREGA immediately, pointing out that the pandemic continues to adversely affect the living condition of working families.

RSS wanted Constitution 'replaced' by Manusmriti which abused Dalits, women

By Shamsul Islam* The Constituent Assembly of India finalized the Constitution of India on November 26, 1949 which is celebrated as the Constitution Day This Constitution promised new born Indian Republic a polity based on democracy, justice, egalitarianism and rule of law. However, RSS was greatly annoyed. Four days after the historic event of approval of it, the RSS English “Organiser” in an editorial on November 30, 1949, complained:

Arrest of top J&K civil society leader shows contempt for international law: PUCL

Counterview Desk  Commenting on the arrest of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, India’s top human rights advocacy group, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has said that the Government of India action is “one more attempt ... to silence peaceful, non-violent dissenters”, adding, it suggests how “a brutalizing state machinery" has been acting.

Learning to bridge 'huge chasm' between highly educated, illiterate, badly literate

By Shrey Ostwal, Sandeep Pandey*  The pivotal point of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s journey to become Mahatma Gandhi began when his “political guru” – Gopal Krishna Gokhale – advised young Mohandas to travel around India. This rigorous journey was essential for Mohandas to understand his country and countrypersons better if he were to fight the inhumane and unempathetic British regime which had been looting India of its glory for about two centuries then.

Experts regret: India's participation in global value chain 'stagnated' since 2008

By Arjun Kumar  A #WebPolicyTalk on Global Value Chain (GVC) and participation in it of the Indian economy, organized under the series of ‘The State of Foreign Trade- #Talking Trade and by the Centre for Finance and Economics, Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi, saw Prof Takahiro Sato sought to highlight the role of the Indian manufacturing industries and their place it GVC, even as seeking to contrast it with the economies of China and ASEAN countries.

Nuclear energy 'can't solve' global warming, will 'strain' financial, natural resource

Counterview Desk  Taking strong exception to Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who has favoured nuclear energy as a solution to global warning, well-known power and policy analyst Shankar Sharma has said that the IAEA chief's “unsubstantiated advocacy” of nuclear power is associated with “diversion of considerable amounts of scarce resources, both financial as well as natural, of many developing countries, such as India.”

Failing to be rehabilitated, displaced Khori Gaon residents begin 'chitthi andolan'

By Our Representative  Displaced Khori Gaon residents have begun what they have called 'chithhi andolan' (letter movement) after a large gathering on the Delhi border in order to remind the authorities that till now, the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad, Haryana, under whom they come, has not provide any basic facilities to them despite the fact that about 10,000 of their houses have been demolished.

Farm laws: Modi has been taking decisions without consulting experts, stakeholders

By Ajit Singh* In a surprise move, the Prime Minister of India in a video message that went live on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti announced to scrap three contentious farm laws in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. These laws were notified in September last year but put on hold due to widespread opposition, especially by farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

Modi withdrew farm laws, but has no word on 'pro-corporate, oppressive' policies

Farmers celebrate withdrawal of three laws By Harsh Thakor  Punjab farmers have no doubt won a historic battle in overpowering the farm laws with the support of the working class, students, youth and intellectuals. Noticeably, the non-sectarian approach of the participating organisations, which confronted Hindutva neo-fascism, Sikh separatist politics and Indian and foreign corporate monopoly, helped in enhancing their striking capacity.

Once centres of civilisation, Indian cities turning into 'major cause of concern'

By Soumyadip Chattopadhyay*  Each year, October 31 is celebrated as the World Cities Day. The theme this year was Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience. The Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), New Delhi, organized a special lecture on city as environment as part of the discussion under the #WebPolicyTalk series on the State of Cities -- #CityConversations.

Bollywood: Hindutva street politics of hate? Kangana 'no individual aberration'

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak*  The Hindi film industry in Bombay has contributed immensely in the growth of peace, solidarity and secular nationalism, and progressive popular culture in India. The actors, directors, singers, artists, producers and writers of Bollywood have challenged power and stood behind people and their citizenship rights by upholding highest traditions of art and cinema.

Forget 'bheek', by this logic, Gujarat was free of British rule in 1995, 19 yrs before India

The real freedom fighting brigade By Rajiv Shah  Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut may have her own reasons to say that India acquired real freedom in May 2014, when Narendra Modi came to occupy India’s seat of power.  There was little to be amused by what she said, for, as many commentators have variously pointed out, her viewpoint was surely based on her little or no knowledge of the history of the Indian freedom movement.

Pending GoI wage payments to rural labour reach Rs 5,100 crore: NREGA Morcha

By Our Representative  MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), which is said to have provided a cushion to millions of rural households amidst great economic distress during the Covid-19 pandemic, continues to be bogged with poor implementation, NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has alleged.

Devoid of social security, Delhi contract sewer workers get 25-35% less wages: DASAM

By Our Representative  A civil rights group Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) survey of temporary sewer workers working under contract in many areas of Delhi has found that contractors pay wages to the sewer worker only for four months, even though their tender is for six months. Worse, the contractors deduct 25-35% from the wages before giving these to the workers.

Absence of cohesive climate, energy policy 'defeating' India's Vishwa Guru dreams

Air pollution in Delhi By Shankar Sharma*  In view of the fact that the recently concluded COP26 has failed to assure the global community that the country governments have committed to do all that is feasible in order to minimise the worst impacts of Climate Change, there is an urgent need for civil society in India to urgently consider what can be done to protect our poor and vulnerable sections from the fast looming threats.

Farmers' 'message' to Modi: Constitution is non-negotiable despite big 'acche din' talk

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  Our farmers know the way, go the way and show the way! Thanks to their relentless struggle and their great sacrifices, for all of us – the three anti-farmer laws have finally been repealed. For more than a year now – with blood, sweat, toil and tears, their protest has continued unceasingly. In heat and cold, in the pouring rain and under the blistering sun – they did not stop!

Modi withdrew farm laws as BJP found west UP Jat-Muslim communal divide 'failing'

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The announcement for repealing the three notorious farm laws that were passed by Parliament is definitely a big victory for the farmers' movement and those who have been protesting against these unjust laws for the last one year. The government failed to the extent that BJP lost one of its oldest allies Akali Dal when the government took this decision; it felt that farmers would be tired of the protests and would go back to home after some time, but that did not happen.

'Eco-friendly': 58% of Delhi's 2 lakh waste pickers move in cycles to collect waste

Counterview Desk Safai Sena, in partnership with Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group* and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), organized a cycle rally on November 16 in New Delhi as an awareness campaign to reduce air pollution and create safe spaces for cyclists and pedestrians on the road. 

Gadchiroli encounter suggests Maoists have failed to 'properly' insulate themselves

By Harsh Thakor*  At least 26 Maoists, all said to be belonging to CPI (Maoist), were recently killed in what was reported as a fierce encounter with security forces in a dense forest in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. Four policemen were also injured in the encounter and were taken to Nagpur for treatment.

Beautifying Varanasi? Displaced residents remind Modi of promised rehabilitation

By Rosamma Thomas*  “Democracy is not a system but the natural tendency of India,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the 82nd session of the All India Presiding Officers’ Conference over a video call. This apex body of the legislatures of India celebrates its 100th year this year. Meanwhile, in Prime Minister Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi, people displaced for various beautification projects have been appealing for the rehabilitation earlier promised.

Unilever, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola among India's top 10 global plastic polluters: Report

By Our Representative  Unilever, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Company emerge as the top international brands contributing to plastic pollution in India. Seven of the top 10 international brands --mostly fast-moving consumer goods – polluting India have consistently featured in the world's top 10 plastic polluters list based on the Break Free From Plastic's (BFFP) annual Brand Audit report.

Ex-babus on India's poor rankings: Hard won democratic rights, life, liberty 'at stake'

Counterview Desk The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCD), representing "concerned" former civil servants of the All India and Central services, has alleged that India’s plummetting rank in key global indices "amounts to violation of Constitutional provisions", regretting, Government of India, instead of expressing concern at the decline and attempting to stop the deterioration, "has been more concerned with attacking the reports and surveys and stating that they are wrong or deliberately misleading."

Schooling? 50% Odisha children didn't get any support during pandemic, says study

By Our Representative  Children, despite being less affected by coronavirus, are bearing a disproportionate burden of the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic and it is not just affecting their physical health but also their mental wellbeing. The prolonged school closure and movement restriction caused fear, anxiety, stress and social bearings among children.

'Save Constitution, remove Manu statue': US Dalit, Hindu rights groups support campaign

By Our Representative  In a major campaign, as many as 11,000 villages will light a lamp on November 26 to "honour and protect" the Indian Constitution, which is allegedly under great duress today. As part of the campaign, spearheaded by Martin Macwan of the Dalit rights NGO Navsarjan Trust, Gujarat, he has also sought support from all sections of public for the removal of the statue of Manu from the premises of the Rajasthan High Court.

India's smart city reforms 'seldom address' urban areas' organic, historic character

By Soumyadip Chattopadhyay*  Consideration of small and medium towns as well as the uniqueness of each city is imperative while planning urban cities. Noting this, the Center for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies (CHURS), Impact and Policy Research Institute ( IMPRI ), New Delhi presented a discussion with Prof Manoj Parmar and Dr Binti Singh on “India’s Smart Cities Mission: Light Houses?” as part of The State of the Cities – #CityConversations.

Climate change: Indifferent youth, lack of local action behind governance failure

By Mansee Bal Bhargava*  As a governance scholar-teacher-learner, it is an undying belief that the individual is the core unit and thus influences any governance decision and action. Besides, a belief that grounded-local solutions are key to any large (regional-national-global) problems like climate change. This belief can be extended to the philosophy of self-organization, which is also fundamental to governance research and practice.

Book an answer to 'irrationally' tag Fr Stan a traitor of India by Hindutva forces

By Gladson Dungdung*  Since the death of the 84-year-old renowned human rights activist Fr Stan Swamy (trained as a Jesuit priest), in judicial custody on July 5, 2021, which was actually an institutional murder orchestrated by the Indian state, a billion-dollar question has arisen in the minds of millions in India and abroad. Was Fr Stan Swamy a martyr or a traitor?

What made Savarkar discard an all-inclusive India, instead turn to Islamophobia?

By Shamsul Islam*  An aggressive campaign to rehabilitate VD Savarkar (1883-1966) as great Indian freedom fighters is under way. He is being touted as a legendary Indian nationalist, freedom fighter who spent 50 years in the Cellular Jail [CJ]. Multiple mercy petitions of his are hailed as a ruse to secure freedom in order to work for uprooting the British rule, last but not the least, he is glorified as a rationalist who fought against untouchability.

'Killing' of Dalit youth on Bangladesh border: Complaint to NHRC against BSF

Counterview Desk  Kirity Roy, Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), and National Convenor, Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity (PACTI), Hooghly, West Bengal, in a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman, has alleged “extra-judicial execution” of a poor young Dalit, Prakash Barmar, who was “shot dead on his head from point blank” by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on the Bangladesh border.

Ironic? A monk from Myanmar seeks to bring back glory of Buddhism to India

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kushinagar is celebrating the life and achievements of Bhadant Gyaneshwar Mahasthivir, the Monk in Chief of Mahaparinirvan main temple. He completed his 85th birthday on November 10. Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh is one of the foremost prominent places for the Buddhists all over the world as Buddha delivered his last sermon here and met his ‘Mahaparinirvana’. Recently, Kushinagar was linked with international aviation circuit as a new airport has just been inaugurated here a couple of weeks back.

Critical of Marx's views on India, book calls Gandhi an apologist of Brahmanical system

By Harsh Thakor*  The book ‘Of Concepts and Methods' by K Murali (Ajith) seeks to challenge the conventional approach of Indian Communist parties and elaborates how they dumped the issue of caste into the graveyard. Divided into seven chapters, the writer does not reveal a classical Marxist-Leninist touch but traverses into unexplored regions, taking an inventive approach.

Inadequate social security post-second wave; livelihood risk, poverty aggravate: Study

By Shalaka Chauhan, Adrian D’Cruz* With the Covid-19 crisis, the urban informal workers, largely invisibilized by modern urban development, were visible at least on mainstream news, and social media. Those heart wrenching images and news, and the subsequent mobilisation of civil society organisations, campaigns and government officials scrambling to fill gaps in safety nets for workers led to the mainstreaming of the informal workers’ social protection discourse.

Costs up, profits down, sales 'neutralise': IIM-A surveys of top business executives

 Cost perceptions By Our Representative The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), which seeks to provide ways to examine the amount of slack in the economy by polling a panel of business leaders, has said that the cost perceptions data indicates "hardening of cost pressures".

Sold by online stores in India, 'dark truth' of made in Pakistan skin whitening creams

By Our Representative  Dangerously high levels of mercury, a heavy metal and neurotoxin, were found in imported skin whitening creams being sold in Indian markets, Toxics Link, a well-known environmental research and advocacy non-profit, has said in its latest report “Dark truth of skin whitening creams: Presence of Mercury in skin whitening creams”.

100% renewal energy dependent scenario will need 'diversion' of vast forest, farm land

By Shankar Sharma* It is not the concept of capitalism (as has been warned about by a recently  leaked IPCC report ) alone, which should be a matter of great concern to the poor and vulnerable people across the globe. The real concerns are the associated high GDP growth rate oriented economic policies, which are leading to over exploitation of our natural resources, and extreme exploitation of the the poor and vulnerable people.

Fighting to end Brahminical dominance, Dr Bangar nominated for Padmashree. Any hope?

Counterview Desk Human rights defender Vidya Bhushan Rawat, in an email alert, has said that padma awards are out, and unlike the political custom of declaring them on the eve of Republic day, this year they have just been given by the President of India, hoping, Dr Manisha Bangar's name, nominated by various OBC organizations, would not be ignored.

Indian strategy on Covid-19 is like 'treating' a wart in a patient with disease of the heart

By Dr Amitav Banerjee* Community diagnosis in public health is similar to the role of clinical diagnosis when treating an individual patient. In practice of clinical medicine, one does not get down first to treating a wart on the leg of a patient who has come to the hospital with severe chest pain suggestive of a heart attack. 

Khori Gaon residents not encroachers but victims of land racket: NGO Team Saathi

Counterview Desk  Team Saathi, the civil society network which has been working on the ground as well as in the Supreme Court with the people of Khori Gaon village, where about 6,600 dwelling units in Khori have been razed by the Municipal Corpoaration of Faridabad (MCF) that had allegedly encroached 150 acres of what is considered Aravalli forest land, has insisted that rehabilitation of the displaced people “is the moral responsibility of the Haryana government”.

'Obsession' with coal power, dams: Is India ready to challenge climate change?

By Shankar Sharma*  For the environmentalists and rational thinkers in India, it seems never too far away from getting increasingly concerned about how serious the ecological catastrophe will be, and what can happen to our countrymen (as well as people elsewhere) within the next 2-3 decades.

Refugees in India face 'constant' prejudice, hostility, live in fear, seek resettlement

By Vertika Mani*  People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) has expressed deep concern at the treatment of refugees in India, especially at the daily violation of their human rights at the hands of the police. The situation of the refugees in India has always been precarious since India does not have any laws to protect them but their condition during corona lockdown and after has become alarming.

Tripura violence: Invoking anti-terror law on Delhi lawyers 'violates' India's UN obligation

Counterview Desk  Commenting on the Tripura police India’s top rights group, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has taken strong exception to “criminalize fact-finding” carried out by senior Delhi-based advocates into Tripura violence, stating, it is “in effect criminalize human rights work itself.” Signed by Ravi Kiran Jain, president, and Dr V Suresh, general secretary, PUCL added, the “orchestrated violence” was unleashed by “Hindu majoritarian groups” against minority Muslims “with the tacit connivance and conscious abdication of their duties by the Tripura police.”

Amidst anti-conversion 'intimidation', violence, Christian population goes down

By Ram Puniyani*  As sectarian nationalism is becoming more assertive, religious minorities are being subjected to intimidation and violence on a regular basis. As such there is an alarming increase the frequency of this phenomenon during the last decade. Anti-Muslim violence is noticed and partly reported, but anti-Christian violence, for various reasons, is not brought to the fore.

Rural relegated to the background, urban 'sought to be seen' as future of India

By Arjun Kumar* The Centre for Habitat, Urban and Regional Studies, Impact and Policy Research Institute, (IMPRI), New Delhi, recently organised the book release of ‘Remembering India’s Villages’ edited by Prof Santosh K Singh followed by a panel discussion on ‘Why India’s Villages Matter: Challenges and Possibilities’ in order to highlight why villages need to be approached differently.

With 25% energy loss, 'cruel joke' to rank Karnataka No 1 in efficiency index

By Shankar Sharma*  It is hard to appreciate the true relevance of such indices in the Indian context, where the term 'efficiency' does not seem to be favoured either by the industry or the bureaucrats/politicians. It may be called as a sorry state of affairs at the global context to rank Karnataka as the highest even among Indian States.

Farming at crossroads? Majority of India's 'active' farmers are above 60 years

By Suddhansu R Das  The recent data of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows 10,677 people in the farm sector have committed suicide in 2020. Industrially advanced Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh occupy top three positions in the number of farmer suicides in the country in 2019 and 2020 consecutively.