Counterview

By A Representative Handicrafts and artisans of Kutch are said to be a major identity of Gujarat's culture, both in the rest of India and abroad. Taking advantage of this, a state-sponsored proposal was floated in June 2007 to develop a Handicrafts and Artisans Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on 132 hectares (ha) land in village village Moti Chiral, near Bhachau town in Kutch district, Gujarat. Eight years after it was "formalized", the Narendra Modi government has dropped it like a hot potato.

By Mohit Gupta* India along with a handful of countries including Russia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Cuba once again blocked the listing of Chrysotile Asbestos in the Prior Informed Consent list (PIC) at a UN convention meeting currently underway in Geneva, using bogus science and advocating “controlled use”.

By Shaktisinh Gohil* Merchant of fake dreams, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken off on a paid vacation to China to avoid uncomfortable questions about his one year tenure as Prime Minister. Modi completes his one year tenure on May 16. All his fake promises of employment of 15 lakh youth in each department, strengthening of the rupee, no farmer will ever commit suicide, safety for women in public spaces and others have proved hollow during the year. To avoid accountability and facing the nation, Modi has gone off to China on an official trip. This visit to China, now that he has undertaken it, should not be limited to sight-seeing, enjoying hospitality and a feel-good visit. India’s experience with China since 1962 has not been pleasant. Last year also when Chinese president Xi Jinping visited India, his visit was marked with an intrusion on our border by the Chinese. Modi should also take up important issues with China. Last year Jinping promised $20 billion investment which is s...

By RK Misra* Destiny is a tyrant’s authority for tomfoolery and a fool’s excuse for failure. More so in politics. Not all are born great; some have greatness thrust on them but then neither are those perceived as great, always wise. And when respected citizen-journalist Arun Shourie speaks, the toast of the times, Prime Minister Narendra Modi need take a reality check on his politics and pursuits rather than be guided by personal pique to engineer a contrived PR show counter. Shourie, unlike the two other mercurial mavericks, Subramaniam Swamy and Ram Jethmalani, who stood by Modi in his worst hours of crisis (2002 communal riots etc. etc.), commands respect in both journalism and politics. A man of unimpeachable integrity, he has earned every bit of it through his exemplary conduct, and high quotient credibility. And when he speaks, people listen. For most of those who have watched Modi and his politics over years and decades, he has now become very predictable in his unpredictability...

By Venkatesh Nayak* One silver lining in the dark cloud that was the debate on the amendments to the Whistleblowers Protection Act (WPA), passed in the Lok Sabha on May 13, 2015, was the frequent mention made of the power of the right to information (RTI) and the numerous attacks on RTI users. Several MPs cutting across party lines made these salutary references. Even the Minister of State for Personnel, who was piloting the Amendment Bill, justified the amendments as being necessary to further the cause of transparency and accountability and protection of persons combating against corruption, though he did not mention how curtailing the scope of whistleblowing by 90 per cent would help those very public causes. The National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) was referred to by one MP in the context of the attacks on and murders of RTI users. One National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MP from Maharashtra used the my article (click HERE to read) I forwarded a couple of days...

By Rohit Prajapati, Trupti Shah* The Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan’s (VMSS) proposed Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project resembles a mere real estate project. The “planned” Riverfront Project completely ignores the important characteristics of the river, its wetlands, ravines, biodiversity, flora and fauna, flood and floodplains etc. Many times sophisticated language and concepts are used in the feasibility report of the Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project, but if one closely examines the report, it becomes abundantly clear that those words are not understood in letter and spirit. The project work for the Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project is being carried out hastily and mindlessly, without having conducted the mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA). The VMSS is using the people’s money in blatant violation of several laws of the land, including the following: (1) The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. (2) Environmental Imp...

Sharad Sawant in Geneva By A Representative Reports from Geneva say that India has opposed listing the chrysotile asbestos at a meeting called under the UN auspices to exclude hazardous substances in international trade. The International Ban Asbestos Association (IBAA), a top campaign body, has said that India is the company of such countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Belarus, Sudan and Cuba, all of whom do not want "exclusion" of the hazardous material in world trade. In a strongly worded criticism of the Indian stance, the French campaign body Association Nationale de Défense des Victimes de l'Amiante (ANDEVA) said, “India is the biggest importer of asbestos."