Counterview

Madhai and Aparna Mondal Counterview Desk  In a representation to the Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), human rights defender Kirity Roy, Secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has alleged Border Security  Force (BSF) personnel, stationed near the Indo-Bangladesh border, have "completely destroyed" a West Bengal Dalit fisherman's property, "ignoring" NHRC directives. 

By Harsh Mander*  I am taking the extraordinary step of writing to all Members of the Indian Parliament after I traveled in Manipur seven months after it had exploded with violence and hate. I encountered a land still badly broken -- smoldering, wounded and aching.

By Harasankar Adhikari  Bengali society is usually stratified and multilayered because of social, economic, and cultural factors. Politically conscious involvement of Bengalis stratifies its society differently, although the sensitivity of Bengalis is high in politics. Especially, democratic decentralization of power has been coping at Bengal first. Initially, the long time left rule (party-based) was advantageous. Various social movements, reforms, and reconstructions were witnessed by Bengalis through their active participation.  But at present, it is lower-graded and self-centered. Their political psyche has been restructured for political loss or profit, or it might be dole-centric. They are now limited in their support to a government or a political party as a rule, only for some flavors. It is evident that democratic government and political parties are synonymous. They do not bother whether it follows any bar of ethics, morality, or other good qualities for overall prog...

By Harsh Thakor*  This year the International Communist Movement commemorated the 75th anniversary of the 2 line struggle undertaken by the CPSU led by Stalin against Yugoslavian Communist Party, led by Marshal Tito, and for the first time USSR making a clear distinction, between the people’s democracies and Socialist States under Georgi Dmitrov. Both had historical connotations with respect to the ‘dictatorship of the Proletariat.’ The seeds of New Democracy and People’s Democracy were planted in the experiences of the international communist movement after the usurping of power of Nazism in early 1933. The Seventh Congress of the Communist International of 1935 carved a road to combat the rise of fascism. There was a dramatic turn in 1935 with the Seventh Congress of the Communist International formulating a new approach to the international revolutionary process. The eruption of Nazism had germinated an initially defensive strategy and tactics in the fight against fascism and...

By Shankar Sharma*  This has reference to a news report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on a steep increasing trend in the price of uranium, which is required for nuclear power production, an already difficult scenario with regard to a steady supply of the fissile materials, and the stated/ implicit policy of the government to increase the number of nuclear power reactors in the country by an astonishing margin.

Counterview Desk  Demanding revocation of suspension of 146 MPs from Parliament, the top human rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has said the move has "reduced" Parliament  to an appendage of the executive.

By Bharat Dogra  With increasing realization that the earth’s basic life-nurturing conditions are threatened by man-made factors, the world has responded in a number of ways ranging from climate change commitments to treaties to reduce weapons of mass destruction. While each and every sincere effort should be welcomed and appreciated, there is clearly need for a frank evaluation of where we have reached so far despite the undoubted value of each and every sincere effort, no matter how small, that has been made. All the available evidence indicates that in terms of checking climate change, the world has fallen far short of what it ought to have achieved by now. Despite important success stories here or there, similar is the case of several other life-threatening environmental problems. More of the planetary boundaries are being transgressed, or else the situation is very close to this. In the context of disarmament the situation is even more worrying as instead of progressing furthe...

By Bharat Dogra*  Important initiatives regarding rural water supply and sanitation have been taken in India in recent years. In this context the need for community mobilization on these important issues has increased further. As ground water is tapped more and more to meet the requirements of taps in all rural homes, the need for water conservation is also increasing more and more.

By Susan Lal Thomas*  Dr S Faizi, eminent ecologist and UN Environmental Negotiator, has been selected as Review Editor of the seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) being produced by the United Nations Environment Program. The GEO assesses the state and direction of the planet's environment, especially in relation to the Agenda 21 adopted by the UN Conference on Environment (Earth Summit), and is produced every four years since 1997. GEO guides in international environmental policy decisions and national level policy reforms and actions. The team of authors is comprised of experts nominated by governments and other stakeholders, and their work has already commenced. Review Editor's role is to review the different generations of texts as they are developed. The GEO 7 process is Co-Chaired by a committee of four, including Dr Robert Watson who had shared the Nobel Peace Prize 2007, nominated by UK. GEO 7 is expected to be released in the first half of 2025....

By Abhilash Khandekar*  The scarcity of water, how we use and misuse it and thus the very importance of this very precious resource is yet to dawn upon most Indians. Not that different awareness campaigns in various parts of the country are not held regularly. The media stories about deep water crisis, the plight of most of our rivers and lakes is all known yet criminal neglect of the water sector continues.