Un-Fair and Un-Lovely.

How empowering was it to watch Indians hold the “BLACK LIVES MATTER” placard in one hand supporting the protests in the United States and with the other hand applying a cream of poisonous chemicals to their naturally gifted skin. In this black and white world why do we hate brown? From the soil that gives birth to plants to the earthen pots which store our precious waters to the wood that burns into the flames of tomorrow’s ashes -brown is everywhere.

“Beta dhoop me mat khelo, tan ho jaaoge!”, yells the Indian parent while some family in the Europe takes their sons and daughters to play on the beach and get some tan. A land that prays Lord Krishna who is described to be as dark as the thunderous rain clouds and yet portrays him blue because anything is better than black anything is better than brown anything is better than dark.

Etymologically speaking, the Sanskrit word ‘Krishna’ means black or dark. At times, it is also translated as “all attractive”. According to Vedas, Lord Krishna is a dark-skinned God. Even in traditional patta chitras (cloth art) in Odisha, Lord Krishna and Vishnu are always shown having black skin.

50,000 years ago when our ancestors migrated from the North to the African and Asian continents, they were exposed to the UV rays of the Sun which is saturated at the equator and the tropic of Capricorn. Those days’ sunscreens were not invented hence due to evolution and the wonderful science of human body’s biology it produced melanin under the skin which acted as a natural sun screen. Skin creating its own protective layers, how cool is that?

But we as Indians would rather prefer skin burns and skin cancers than having a healthy skin. When my mother read the matrimony classified newspapers for my elder sibling’s marriage, her face falls down as she looks at those advertisements. No no-hold your horses, it’s not what you are thinking, everybody is progressive nowadays, nobody is asking for dowry. All they ask is – “seeking a fair bride for my son”, “fair and handsome boy with a fit body”, “girl should be white toned and open minded”, “boy should not be dark and not restrict our daughter from wearing her choice of clothing.” (no dowry).

To parents who are afraid because – log kya kahenge? Maa lets not look for brides or grooms who are fair, let’s look for individuals who treat people fairly. Let’s not buy besan (gram flour) for face masks rather let’s lather some potatoes in them and fry it in oil as we watch the fair besan turn into a beautiful crispy brown tasty pakodas (fritters). Fairness creams or home remedies for instant glow neither teach us to be a human with a clean heart, a heart free from the ignorance. Instead of handing a tube of glow and lovely to your loved one’s let’s make them stand in front of the mirror holding their head high because any shade is beautiful any shape is beautiful any scar is beautiful. Before teaching to love others let’s start by loving ourselves. It’s time we realise love comes in all shapes and shades, it’s time we loved all shapes and shades.

Forget snow white, I’m chocolate brown, I will write my own fairy-tale. A tale of every brown Indian girl and boy who is torn apart by the expectations of society and yet stands proud with a personality and smile beautiful than any white skinned magazine covers. To every Bollywood song that calls the actress “Gori” I would like to say – “Gore Rang Pe Na itna Gumaan kar. Gora Rang Do Din mein Dhal Jaayega” – don’t show such pride of your fair skin, the fairness will fade in time. What will remain is the virtues, beliefs, kindness and opinions .

Changing the name from fair to glow will not enlighten the young minds but it will give light to the years of colourism and discrimination to continue its course in every generation to come. Brown is beautiful and so is every colour ever discovered.

Right To Information : Here is you need to know about RTI

RTI stands for Right to Information. Right To Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. Right to Information empowers every citizen to seek any information from the Government, inspect any Government documents and seek certified photocopies thereof. Right to information also empowers citizens to official inspect any Government work or to take the sample of material used in any work.

Right to Information is a part of fundamental rights under Article 19(1) of the Constitution. Article 19 (1) says that every citizen has freedom of speech and expression.

Right to Information Act 2005, which became effective on 13th October 2005, provides that machinery. Therefore, Right to Information Act does not give us any new right. It simply lays down the process on how to apply for information, where to apply, how much fees etc.

Objective of RTI Act?

The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense. An informed citizenry will be better equipped to keep necessary vigil on the instruments of government and make the government more accountable to the governed.

The Schema of RTI Act

The Parliament recognized that proper and efficient functioning of a democracy requires an informed citizenry and transparency of information and that such transparency is vital for checking corruption and to hold governance and their instrumentalities accountable to the citizen of the country. The Parliament was also conscious that random and uncontrolled revelation of information is likely to conflict with other public interests including efficient operations of the governance, optimum use of limited fiscal resources and preservation of confidentiality of sensitive information.
In its endeavour to balance out and harmonize these conflicting interests while preserving the paramountcy of the democratic idea, the Parliament enacted the RTI Act. The object of the RTI Act is to set out a practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of public authorities.

Sec. 4 of the Act imposes an obligation on public authorities to maintain its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and form which facilitates the right to information under the Act.

Sec. 6 of the Act entitles a person desirous of obtaining any information under the Act, to make a request in writing to the Central or State Public Information Officer specifying the particulars of the information sought by him. The applicant is not required to give any reason as to why he is requesting for the information.

Sec. 7 of the Act requires the Public Information Officer to either provide the information or reject the request for any of the reasons specified in Secs. 8 and 9 within 30 days of receipt of the request. If the Officer fails to give a decision on the request within 30 days, he shall be deemed to have refused the request.
Under Sec. 19, if a person does not receive a decision within 30 days or is aggrieved by a decision of the Public Information Officer, he may prefer an appeal to an Officer who is senior in rank to the Public Information Officer in that Public Authority.

A second appeal is provided for against the order passed in the first appeal before the Central Information Commission or the State Information Commission as the case may be. The powers of the Information Commission are enacted in Sub-Sec. 9 of Sec. 19 which includes the power to require the Public Authority to compensate the complainant for any loss or other detriment suffered and/or to impose any of the penalties provided under the RTI Act.

Sec. 20 of the Act empowers the Information Commission to impose penalty on the Public Information Officer if the Commission is of the opinion that the Officer without any reasonable cause refused to receive an application for information or has not furnished the information sought for within the specified time under Sec. 7(1) or mala fidely denied the request for information or knowingly has given incorrect, incomplete or misleading information or destroyed information which was the subject of the request or obstructed in any manner in furnishing the information.

Sec. 22 of the Act is a non- obstante clause giving overriding effect to the provisions of the Act.
Under Sec. 25, the Information Commission is required after the end of each year to prepare a report on the implementation of the provisions of the Act during that year and forward a copy thereof to the appropriate Government.
Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen may request information from a “public authority” (a body of Government or “instrumentality of State”) which is required to reply expeditiously or within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerise their records for wide dissemination and to proactively disclose certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally. This law was passed by Parliament on 15 June 2005 and came fully into force on 12 October 2005.

Right to Information includes the right to:

Inspect works, documents, records. Take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records. Take certified samples of material. Obtain information in form of printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video, cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts. “information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advice, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.

Honor killing

Honour killing is seen as a dirty behaviour by the member of the family thinking to bring purity to the family. It is an act of murder by the family on the family members to bring honour to the family to eradicate the shame and dishonour brought by the family member. The male member of the family kills the female member who has violated the wishes and honour of the family. This is a kind of pre-planned murder by the members of the family against the member who had bought shame to the family. Mostly these acts are caused due to trigger done by the relatives, society, neighbours by whom the accused feels dishonoured and gets provoked. Mostly these occur against the female who are assumed for sexual and marital offences. In situation where the members should be a support for the female are against them and brings a situation where they should not exist. India is a democratic country as every citizen has their rights and freedom to do acts which does not violate law. In a society where the citizens are equal without any discrimination, honour killing brings discrimination where the family member is considered to bring dishonour by choosing a person of a different caste.(Keane 2016) Caste and status are the main reasons for honour killing in the present world as the caste and status changes for a girl when she goes to her husband house.

HONOUR KILLING IN INDIA

Honour killing is an act of shame caused to the family for which it is otherwise called as shame killing. It is an act of killing when the person does not accept for arranged marriage, marrying a person disapproved by the family, doing inter-caste marriage which is against the wish and will of the family. In India, this type of killing is been carried over since many centuries. From the olden days this has become a practice. It has become a common practice for our country. Supreme Court had brought a decision based on honour killing that, „killing or physical assault being made over young men/women who marries against the wish of the family is illegal.‟(Ercan 2014) This type of killing is a brutal and barbaric activity made by the member of the family. However, in our country, honour killing has been made a separate provision having severe punishment. In India, mostly in places of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan practice of honour killing is more. Due to
the complex socio-cultural problems the crime of honour killing is divulging more and more. The prime factors of honour killing is the high caste members do not accept inter caste marriage to maintain their caste and in case if anything occurs to bring their status down, they would feel such thing need not exist and in that case if the female /male gets married to that person of low status they feel the person need not exist instead of leaving down their status. Even in case the status and gotra is the same, the parents do not accept if the victim wants to go for love marriage. This killing is done to restore their honour which would be reduced due to the act of the young male/woman. In India, honour killing is practiced due to merciful act also. The parties who had committed the act of honour killing ca plea on the circumstance of grave and sudden provocation. Such an idea was been indulged when the act was formed as the act of honour killing is prevailing since ages. Honour killing is a crime which has become predominantly equal to other rigorous crimes. Culture is important for a family but still the young male/female that had been brought up by the family since years are also to be considered by the family. The level of importance given to the culture and status is not given to the members of the family. They think about the society and neighbors and the allegations and news spreading about the victim and get triggered to commit honour killing but does not seek remedy to safeguard the victim. This has become a spreading crime in our country.

EFFECTS OF HONOUR KILLING

Honour killing is not constrained to one gender. Men are also brought as a victim of honour killing. It is inappropriate that the victim is a man or a woman, if they had violated or brought down the name of the family, they are subjected to be killed by the members of the family. However, honour killing are focused on the women, it is not restricted so. It extends to men too. When the men violate the customs, the family members of the women or the male family members tend to join hands to kill him. For the execution of honour killing, the role of male is more. In case to commit the crime, the male descendants of the family form a group to kill the victim and especially if the victim is a girl, the male members would kill the victim. It does not matter about how close and love they had on the victim, they kill the victim if they cross the limits of the family. In certain cases, women also play a part in commission of honour killing. They join hands with the male descendants in executing the crime. They play a role in ensuring the limits of sexual regulations and plan to kill the victim, if the victim is her daughter.

SPECIFIC TRIGGERS OF HONOUR KILLING

Following are the specific reasons for which honour killing is been made(Reddy 2014; Singh 2013):

● Refusal of an arranged marriage: The member of the family be it a male or female member of the family, if refuses to accept the marriage arranged by the family, they would be triggered to be killed for the welfare of the family. It is a kind of shame the family members feel when the person does not accept the marriage arranged by the family.

● Seeking a divorce: The victim of honor killing would be a married party and would have been divorced due to family issues in their marital life. Seeking divorce by the member would bring down the prestige of the family where they feel the victim would rather die than being alive and they themselves kill the person.

● Allegations and rumors about family members: The victim may be subjected to allegations or wrong talks by the neighbors or other members in the society. In that case knowing the true fact or not, the members of the family for their status and prestige would kill the member. Killing the victim according to them brings an additional prestige and status to the family.

● Homo-sexuality: It has become natural where love comes between the people of the same sex. When a couple of the same sex wants to live together the family or the society does not permit it and in turn creates more and more allegations and triggers the members of the family.

● Victims of rape: In a society where women should be protected, they are being raped. In that case it is the duty of the family to accept such victims but the family feels it as a shame and feels the life of the girl is gone and she is completely useless to the society and the family and thus she would be killed by them.

● Inter-caste marriage: Marriage done by the victim with another person of the different caste brings down the caste of the party who seek their caste as their soul and important than their member of the family. In such case, the member who is of higher caste would kill the victim than living by lowering their caste. In case where the victim is of lower caste, and the caste is the heart and soul of their prestige, they do not care about the victim and would kill them despite of the fact that they belong to their family. Not only their family members become the victim the other party with whom they want to live also becomes a victim.

Honor killing is definitely a serious and heinous crime.

The conflict of Kashmir…

On February 14th 2019, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Indian security forces. “We’re getting reports of multiple casualties in a roadside…” He killed at least 40 Indian soldiers here in Kashmir. “The deadliest attack the region has seen this century.” The bomber was part of an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan. “Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for that attack.” 12 days later, India carried out airstrikes in Northwestern Pakistan. Then Pakistan shot down at least one Indian aircraft around here. “The most serious escalation in years.” Kashmir is one of the most disputed places on Earth. Over the course of 70 years, it’s been at the center of three wars fought between two massive armies. It’s heavily occupied by more than half a million Indian troops and a deadly collection of militias and terrorist groups.

Kashmir is the stage for the relentless conflict between India and Pakistan. But focusing on the two countries can obscure what’s really at stake: The voice of Kashmiris who are caught in a vicious cycle of violence. Kashmir is one of the most strategic places in the world, where 3 powerful countries collide: India, Pakistan, and China. China invaded and took this slice of Kashmir from India. And was given this one by Pakistan. India and Pakistan control these parts, but lay claim to more. This region is at the center of a brutal conflict over these disputed borders. So it’s important to start when they were being drawn. In the mid-1800s, India was a patchwork of several hundred provinces and princely states under British rule. A century later, when British India won independence, the British left and hastily decided to split the region into two. These areas would be a new Muslim-majority country, Pakistan. And this would be the mostly Hindu, but secular, India. The partition was bloody. “Communal hatred flares up within the Punjab.” “1 million people become refugees overnight.” “They flee from savagery and butchery that has never been exceeded, even in India’s stormy history.” Amid the chaos, some princely states were given the choice to join either country. In most cases, the ruling monarchs followed the will of their people. But this state, called “Jammu & Kashmir” was different. It was right along this new border and had a Muslim-majority population, but was ruled by a Hindu monarch. When asked to pick a side, the ruler chose to stay neutral Fearing that the monarch would join India, the Kashmiri population rebelled here in 1947 Armed tribesmen from Pakistan soon joined the fight.

The monarch turned to India for military help and in exchange agreed to join them, which sparked the first Indo-Pakistan war in Kashmir. “Continuing thus increased the threat to world peace and brought the dispute to the eye of the United Nations . The UN Security Council brokered a ceasefire in 1949, which established this line with Pakistan controlling this side and India this one. It also asked Pakistani tribesmen to withdraw and Indian troops to follow, so that Kashmir could hold a direct vote to decide its own future. But neither held up their end of the deal. Pakistan argued that Kashmir’s Muslim-majority population rightfully belonged with them. While India insisted that Kashmir was handed over to them by the Hindu monarch. So they doubled down and added Kashmir to their constution. Both countries continued to tighten their grip around it for many years . “Kashmir. Fighting is going on and heavy casualties in men and equipment have been inflicted on the aggressor.”

In 1965, the second India-Pakistan war broke out in Kashmir. Thousands of people were killed between the huge armies on both sides. A ceasefire ended the war, but didn’t change this line. Kashmir was kept divided and occupied. And another war broke out in 1971. This time the focus wasn’t in Kashmir — it was in East Pakistan. Here, India helped rebels fight for independence and dealt Pakistan a devastating defeat. This region became a new country, Bangladesh, and Pakistan lost its eastern half. This made Kashmir more important than ever: It became one of the most militarized places on Earth, as India and Pakistan deployed planes, tanks, artillery, and soldiers along the Line of Control. On the political front, in ’87, India reportedly rigged an election, declaring a pro-India party as the winner. Now this was a big turning point for many Kashmiris, who felt they were again denied the chance to vote. Thousands took to the streets in Indian-controlled Kashmir to protest the occupation. But India met the movement for independence with harsh resistance. Which quickly escalated to more violence.
“In January security forces opened fire on demonstrating separatists, turning a two-year old struggling movement into a full-blown popular uprising.” “More than 600 people are killed in clashes between troops and separatists.” Kashmiri militias, just like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, started recruiting Muslim youth to fight for independence. And increasingly attacked the Indian military. Pakistan saw an opportunity in this insurgency. They helped introduce a new kind of militant group: Radical Islamic fighters who fought for a more pro-Pakistan Kashmir. By the mid ’90s, these groups dominated the insurgency. India responded with incredible military force, deploying 500,000 troops to Kashmir. And they cracked down on militants and protestors. Unarmed civilians were killed and many more were forced to flee the violence. And in ’98 the stakes were raised yet again. “Today India conducted three underground nuclear tests.” “Pakistan today successfully conducted five nuclear tests.” Kashmir became a battleground between two nuclear-armed nations and another war broke out in 1999. “More evidence of the attacks being launched on the Indian-controlled area of Kargil.” “The past two days have seen a number of the fiercest fighting thus far .” “Militant Muslim fighters have also crossed over into some parts of Indian-ruled Kashmir.” The 1999 war ended with another ceasefire, but that did not stop either country.

Over the years, Pakistan’s militant groups got bolder and launched terror attacks in Kashmir and outside of Kashmir. In 2001, members of Lashkar-e-Taiba bombed India’s parliament building in New Delhi killing 14 people. And in 2008, 10 militants from the same group killed 174 people and wounded 300 in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Indian military cracked down in Kashmir, firing bullets and pellets on unarmed protesters. Leaving hundreds wounded and blind. This is the vicious cycle of violence. The Indian Army’s crackdown drives some Kashmiris to join Pakistani-backed militant groups, who carry out violence against the Indian forces. It’s a cycle that Kashmiri civilians are stuck in the middle of. Which brings us back to 2019. The suicide bomber was 19-year old Adil Ahmed Dar from Pulwama, Kashmir. According to his parents, in 2016, Indian police officers stopped him and humiliated him by forcing his face into the ground. The same year he was shot in the leg at a protest. The next year, Dar left home with his brothers, to join Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistani-supported militia that radicalized him and trained him to be a suicide bomber. A year later, he drove explosives into an Indian military convoy. For more than 70 years India and Pakistan have driven a cycle of violence, retaliation, and exploitation in Kashmir. But beneath it all is the Kashmiri’s wish to make a choice. A wish that continues to be suppressed, again and again, by violence.

Role of Youth in Eradicating Corruption.

Once, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam has rightly said, ” If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are – Father , Mother and the teachers.”

The truth is, corruption is now a worldwide phenomenon. But according to me the fourth and the most important societal member who can eradicate corruption is the YOUTH of our country. The real war has to be fought against these social evils and as the leaders of tomorrow it is our prime responsibility and duty. Why should we create awareness in small children about such vicious crimes ? Because – Things sowed in the minds of young take deep roots.

In reality, it is very difficult to root out the infectious disease known as corruption which has become rampant in every field of life. However instead of bearing it we must challenge it. Some years ago when social activist Anna Hazare started the anti-corruption moment, the maximum crowd was of schhool and college students. Their support is what made the purpose of the protest a succesful one. But was that enough?

Mahatma Gandhi- the father of our nation has quoted ,” A small act of good deed can cause endless ripples.” Youth of our country should remain vigilant and never allow themselves to be exploited by this social evil. Many people say that nothing can be done, but I believe things can change. Of course individual efforts can bring excellence but only collective efforts can be delivered effectively.

In the modern era, our Government is slowly accepting the opinions of young minds and their needs have been put forth as priority.I truly believe that the modernisation and dinamic attitude in the Indian parliament will slowly yet steadily change the phase of our nation. According to me it is not only the duty of politicians and government officials to boycott curroption but also the duty of each and every individual to war against it.

Whenever the circumstances may come, public should not bribe school or college managements to accomodate seat and admissions. We should not bribe traffic police for violating the traffic rules. Corruption has made our country lawless. Muscle and money power has come the law. Our freedom fighters fought all their lives to give us freedom from physical slavery. However we as a educated generation are not free from financial slavery.

Gandhi led the non-violent fight against the british but the currency note which bears his photo is the medium of corruption. What an irony ! Corruption is a virus which can be eradicated if the youth of our country decides to do so. No matter how much the delay we must not pay the bribe at any cost.

Albert Einstein has rightfully said that, ” Evils in the world exist not only because of those who do them but also because of the one’s who just see them annd do nothing to prevent it.” Corruption is like cancer which starts at one part of the system and spreads to every part if not treated or cured at an early stage.

Many years ago we had tryst with destiny and now the time has come when we shall redeem our pledge as the responsible citzens of this nation. Let us wake the Anna Hazare in us and stand for ” India against Corruption”. Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.

Even if the older generations saw corruption as an immortal enemy, we millenials think of it as a mortal one. So my dear youngsters, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Country and World at large as one family.

Why economy of India is slowing down???

India is one among the world’s fasting growing economies. It had been touted as an economic and geopolitical counterweight to China. But recently its growth fell to its slowest pace in six years. Investment has weakened, and unemployment has risen. So what’s causing the slowdown, and how can it be reversed? Since the turn of the century, India’s economy has grown at a rapid rate, helping transform the country. Between 2006 and 2016, rising incomes lifted 271 million people out of poverty, meaning the proportion of Indians still living in poverty has fallen dramatically, from around 55% to twenty-eight . Access to electricity has also improved. In 2007 just 70% of the population had access to power. By 2017, that grew to nearly 93%.

More recently, the Indian government constructed around 110 million toilets — a huge step towards better sanitation designed to prevent the practice of open defecation. It’s a signature program of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known as Swachh Bharat, or Clean India. All this development has been supported by a booming economy, but as lately , that expansion has begun to run out of steam. In the third quarter of 2019, India’s economic output grew by 4.5% – making it the primary time the country’s growth dipped below 5% since 2013. For context, 4.5% growth remains much above that of developed economies just like the U.S., But with 12 million Indians entering the workforce per annum , economists say the country needs annual growth rates to remain above nine percent to make sure there are enough jobs. So, what’s causing this recent slowdown? Well, officialdom argue turbulence in international financial markets is guilty.

Political uncertainty and U.S.-China trade tensions mean confidence levels among investors and consumers everywhere have sunk. The United Nations has even warned that a global recession in 2020 is now a “clear and present danger”. But back to India – many economists say the country’s growth problems are literally self-inflicted. One obvious culprit is the shadow banking sector. During the 2000s, India saw an investment boom. It was fuelled by state banks dispensing a load of loans for giant infrastructure projects. But some of the companies taking advantage of these loans couldn’t keep up with the repayments. That meant the state banks weren’t getting paid back and therefore struggled to give out new loans. To keep business moving, shadow banks stepped in. These financial institutions, which operate like ordinary commercial banks but don’t follow traditional banking rules, eventually made up an estimated third of all new loans nationwide. The loans played a pivotal role for the millions of small businesses and consumers who would otherwise have no access to credit. But in 2018, shadow banking giant Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, defaulted on its debt repayments. Its collapse sent shockwaves through the economy and shook up more traditional banks that had supported the world.
It became harder for people to shop for expensive items like cars. That hurt India’s automotive industry, which is one among the country’s biggest. It employs about 35 million people and makes up about 7% of India’s GDP. Last summer, the industry suffered its worst sales performance in nearly 19 years, and reports suggest tens of thousands of workers are laid off. The agriculture and construction sectors have also been hurting, with small and medium businesses being hit the hardest. The country’s percentage has been on an overall upward trend since July 2017, rising several percentage points to 7.7%. Higher unemployment means consumers are buying less, resulting in the unfortunate cycle of slower manufacturing, production, investment and job creation.

A survey from the Reserve Bank of India found consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in five years. But Indians still have a positive outlook for the longer term , with most consumers expecting to feel more optimistic during a year. However, if things don’t improve, debt could become another issue. Expecting better days ahead, many households have continued to spend, by taking out loans and dipping into savings. Household savings as a proportion of GDP has fallen from 23.6% to 17.2%. Meanwhile, household debt has surged to 10.9% during the same period. Critics say the govt in New Delhi has did not spot these risks and hasn’t done enough to urge the economy moving again. The Reserve Bank of India’s former governor Raghuram Rajan recently blamed the lack of significant reforms and a slowdown in investments since the global financial crisis. Even the country’s chief economic advisor recently admitted reforms are needed to form India more friendly to investors.
India has cut its corporate rate , but labor and land laws are still extremely strict. He also says the country must become pro-market, instead of just pro-business, to avoid costly government bailouts of failing sectors. But not all reforms have been good to the economy. In 2016, Prime Minister Modi tried to crack down on corruption, counterfeits and evasion by banning high value bank notes. In one night, the cash ban made 86% of all cash invalid. Three years later, many analysts say the policy disrupted the economy and did not achieve many of its original goals. In 2017, a replacement nuisance tax placed small businesses struggling and a few of them were forced to shut . In mid-2019, India’s government introduced a controversial new tax on foreign investors. Consequently, India’s stock exchange suffered its worst July performance in 17 years. Just one month later, the measure was scrapped.
The government has now refocused its efforts on international trade and investment, and thus the recent changes to the corporate rate could indeed help attract businesses and investors to India. But if the country wants to be a part of the world’s largest supply chains, it’ll need low and consistent tariff levels to encourage outsiders to take a position for the long term.

The country’s shifting export policy has harmed several of its largest industries, particularly clothing. India’s share of the worldwide apparel market has increased only slightly within the past 20 years. And though the Indian workforce is vast, both Bangladesh and Vietnam now export more. On top of that, the country’s import tariffs on the average are much above the world’s biggest economies. They’re also among the highest of the world’s emerging economies. Even U.S. President Donald Trump has called for the country to bring down its duties.

Has India’s growth actually slowed the maximum amount as we think? The government’s former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian caused a good little bit of controversy in June 2019, when he claimed the country’s official stats probably overstated GDP growth by 2.5% from 2011-2012 to 2016-2017. He says the bottom line is that India never recovered from the global financial crisis. The government denies this. But none of this has hurt Prime Minister Modi at the polls – he won by a landslide in the most recent election. So how will he keep his promise and double the dimensions of the economy by 2025? Many economists insist a well-explained economic vision would help. As would more long-term investment, better skilled workers and enhancements to infrastructure. It may not matter who or what’s responsible for India’s recent economic challenges, but bottom line – India’s economic process must recover , and fast.

Legality of Lockdown

After Unlock 2.0 we again hearing that some state govt going for lockdown, firstly on March 24 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announce 21 day lockdown than it’s extended many times. So, today let’s talk about legality of the lockdown is this legal or illegal ? Govt can put lockdown or not ?

Under Section 6 of the Disaster Management Act Ministry of Home Affairs announce the nationwide lockdown under his powers in Section 10 of the Disaster Management Act, as the Chairman of the National Executive Committee constituted U/S 8 of the Act.

The term Lockdown and curfew have not been defined under Indian law but are still being used to markdown the fundamental right of movement induct under article 19 [1] of the Indian constitution. This cannot be termed invalid as this right is subject to restrictions under Article 19 [2].

Section 2 and 2A of Epidemic Diseases act gives power to the Central or State Government to take necessary steps in the situation where people have danger to life or mankind. Section 2 [d] reads; “‘Disaster means a mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area.”

This section is not meant to deal with epidemics or diseases of any kind but causes such as, but not limited to, tsunamis and earthquakes. MHA declared the spread of COVID-19 as a “notified disaster”, thus bringing into play Section 2(d) of the Disaster Management Act. This enabled the State Governments to use a larger part of the State Disaster Response Fund to fight the spread of the virus.

In furtherance of the declaration of a nationwide lockdown, the Ministry of Home Affairs published guidelines using Section 10 [2][l] of the Disaster Management Act on the measures State and Central Governments must take during this twenty-one day period. The guidelines established that all types of transport services (Air, Train, & Road travel) will not be operational during this period. Commercial and private establishments shall remain closed, except for ration shops, banks, ATMs, media services, and telecommunication companies and other essentials.

The guidelines also said that any person who violates these containment measures will be liable under Sections 51 to 60 (Offenses and Penalties) of the Disaster Management Act, and under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code which creates the punishment for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant.

Yes, we can say that In an ideal scenario, the government should have involved the states in a spirit of cooperative federalism rather than the top down approach that was adopted earlier.

However, at the end of the day, it came down to the Doctrine of Necessity, which proclaims loud and clear that “Necessity knows no law”.

Social impact of COVID-19 on Indian society

With approximately 7 lakh cases and 21k deaths India has become 3rd most affected country by Corona virus in the world.

Indian society has immensely effected by COVID-19. Indian economy have devastated too.

The COVID-19 outbreak affects all segments of the population and is particularly detrimental to members of those social groups in the most vulnerable situations, continues to affect populations, including people living in poverty situations, older persons, persons with disabilities, youth, and indigenous peoples. Early evidence indicates that that the health and economic impacts of the virus are being borne disproportionately by poor people. For example, homeless people, because they may be unable to safely shelter in place, are highly exposed to the danger of the virus. People without access to running water, refugees, migrants, or displaced persons also stand to suffer disproportionately both from the pandemic and its aftermath.

Let us have a look on how the society is affected by COVID-19 :

Women

Women are at greater risk from the health perspective. Homes which were already unsafe along with families living in poor and substandard conditions have added on to the social inequities like gender-based violence and child abuse, lack of security, money and health.

The report by NALSA documents cases from the start of the lockdown till May 15 and was collected through 28 State Legal Services (SLAs). Some shocking numbers were revealed in the report which mentioned that a total of 144 cases of domestic violence were reported in Uttarakhand. From Haryana, the number of cases were 79 and a total of 69 cases surfaced from Delhi. In financially affected Lower class and lower middle class families, women tend to neglect their own requirements and prioritising other family member’s Issues. Issues like her menstrual hygiene, mental health and nutrition do not feature in the list of priority.

Mental health

Social stress caused by lockdown has many faces and reasons resulting from travelling restrictions and disruption of cultural celebrations, limited healthcare facilities and interruption in regular immunisations in hospitals leading to anxiety and fear among the population, social distancing with friends and family, closure of places of entertainment and leisure, unplanned closure of schools and colleges affecting both students and parents regarding the academic year and the loss of quality education. Inadequate infrastructure, leading to ill-equipped healthcare employees who are fighting endlessly to treat patients and protect themselves from infection at the same time are all quite visible. This major loss and unpreparedness is an aftermath of the negligence of healthcare sector since years. Incapacitated hospitals and distressed primary healthcare are significant reasons behind so much distress among the people for a disease which could be prevented with a little care and precaution.

Mental health of people has disturbed cause of the lockdown. People are in financial troubles and cannot go out, so they’ve started taking impulsive decisions like suicide. Many suicide cases have been reported within past few months.

Migrant workers

The issue of migrant workers was one of the most cruel and highlighted issue in this pandemic where millions were rendered unemployed and stranded without money, food and shelter, criss-crossing the country’s highways to return to their villages and several meeting with accidents and deaths on their way. Unemployment has rendered a large section as directionless, leaving the social health as well as economy in shambles.

Elderly people

Older people are particularly affected by COVID-19. They need special attention during the COVID-19 crisis, and their voices, opinions and concerns are important in formulating responses.

Older persons living in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, are particularly vulnerable to infection and adverse outcomes from COVID-19. Older persons who live alone may face barriers to obtaining accurate information, food, medication, and other essential supplies during quarantine conditions and community outreach is required. Older persons, especially in isolation, those with cognitive decline, and those who are highly care-dependent, need a continuum of practical and emotional support through informal networks (families), health workers, caregivers, and volunteers.

Youth

COVID-19 effected the youth of India immensely. Their career hampered because of nationwide lockdown. School and colleges are closed for a particular time period. Board exams got cancelled. It is creating a sense of frustrating among the students and their parents.

Another impact of COVID-19 on the Indian society is distancing from family and friends. Due to social distancing people cannot attend the wedding, birthday parties and many functions.

These were some impacts of COVID-19 on Indian society. There are more impacts as well.

India will have an Important role in scaling up vaccine production: PM Modi.

As the whole world is waiting for discovery of corona virus , the next big challenge in front of world is large scale production of vaccine so that it is feasible to common man.India is going to play major role in vaccine production as it has past experience as well as skilled doctors. India is responsible for providing 2/3 of world’s children with vaccine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his inaugural address at the India Global Week 2020, said that India will play an important role in developing and in scaling up production of the vaccine once it is discovered.

“Vaccines made in India are responsible for 2/3rd of the vaccine needs of the world’s children. Today also our companies are active in international efforts for development and production of #COVID19 vaccine. I’m certain that India will have an important role in developing and in scaling up production of the vaccine once it is discovered,” PM Modi said.

Speaking on India’s economy, PM Modi said, “India remains one of the most open economies in the world. We are laying a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish their presence in India. Very few countries will offer the kind of opportunities India does today.”

“The pandemic has once again shown that India’s pharma industry is an asset not just for India but for the entire world. It has played a leading role in reducing the cost of medicines, especially for developing countries,” the Prime Minister said.

He also further said that India will lead world in the path of revival post corona virus pandemic in terms of economic as well social development.India is power house of young talents may it be technological or scientific or doctors field.

World over, you have seen the contribution of India’s talent-force. Who can forget the Indian tech industry & tech professionals. They have been showing the way for decades. India is a power-house of talent that is eager to contribute. In these times, it is natural to talk about revival. It is equally natural to link global revival and India. There is faith that the story of global revival will have India playing a leading role,” PM Modi said.

Hope there will be discovery of vaccine soon and life comes back on track.

How India’s Rising Political Presence Led China’s Backpedal.

Making an apparent hit at china, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the age of expansionism is over and added that the new age of development is here.

“Age of expansionism is over and this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back,” Modi said addressing soldiers in Ladakh’s Nimmoo. However, the Prime Minister did not mention China at all in his address to the soldiers.

The remark comes amidst the on-going tension between India and China at Line of Actual Control in the eastern Ladakh. In a violent brawl between forces almost 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the Galwan Valley on June 15 midnight when Chinese troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation.

The Prime Minister also said that the people of Ladakh have rejected every attempt to create separatism in the region.

“Ladakh is the head of the country. This is the symbol of pride for the 130 crore citizens of India. This land belongs to the people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the country… Every attempt to create separatism in the region was rejected by the nationalist people of Ladakh,” Modi said.

He further added, “We are the same people who pray to the flute playing Lord Krishna, but we are also the same people who idealise and following the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshan Chakra”. The two countries, India and China have been involved in talks to ease the on-going border dispute since last month.

Praising the bravery displayed by the soldiers, the Prime Minister said: “The bravery that you and your compatriots showed, a message has gone to the world about India’s strength.”

“Your courage is higher than the heights where you are posted today,” he added.

“Atmanirbhar Bharat ka sankalp aapke tyag, balidan, pursharth ke karan aur bhi mazbut hai,”(The vision of self-dependent India gets strengthened from your sacrifice and courage),” the Prime Minister said.

During Prime Minister’s address the soldiers were observed maintaining social distance amid pandemic.

PM Modi on Friday made a surprise visit to Ladakh and was briefed by senior officers at Nimmoo amid ongoing tension with China. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat.

He reached Nimmoo, early in the morning and interacted with Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel. Located at 11,000 feet, this is among the tough terrains, surrounded by Zanskar range and on the banks of the Indus. Prime Minister Modi Also performed Prayer rituals at the Holy Indus River.

The idea of India started its journey with high moral values (non-violence, democracy, people rights) and since 1947 we’ve indulge into many wars, conflicts being internal or external both resolved with democratic path. This path of Democracy is extremely hard, to pass one reform bill in the parliament of India could take years, as we all (Indians) know it’s quite hard to please the majority, though for good things. This does make progress of India slow but what wonder it does is the trust and believe it seeds among the rest of the Nations in the world. World would definitely prefer a democratic nation when compared to a communist country. Democracy has always been a safer place to live in and contributes zero threat to the world’s security and safety. This further boosts India’s take on becoming a reliable superpower to which world can trust.

The days of expansionism are apparently turning fade with the rising support for India’s stand at border disputes with China. The world now knows that the new India would never compromise on its national integrity and would never step back from its own territory. The recent aggressive response of Indian Army at the Galwan with close to 43 casualties on the Chinese side was a true representation of its new mood of hitting harder. The government of India following a straight path of “No Compromise” shows its rising diplomatic presence at global politics.

Indeed, a lot has changed since 1962’s Indo-China war. India in 2020 is much technically advanced than ever before. India is the biggest influencer of information technology, it is Indians who are providing software strength to major Chinese IT firms since China so far had focused only on manufacturing leading into a hardware oriented industry.

Apart from IT, India’s military might had boosted exponentially with more weapon, warheads and war machine imports, India is also focused on indigenous weapons, thus reducing the foreign imports and reliability.

Taking military strength, China does seem upper handed while looking at numbers. India has an approximate of 1.3 Million active armed personnel and China has close to 2.1 Million of armed personnel. Yet, strategically China is helpless. Surrounded with 14 neighbouring nations China could never risk putting all of its force on to the west, this will leave East China (China’s Densely Populated and Economy Region) in a huge threat from Japan, USA and other Nations.

India with complete command over Indian Ocean reflects threat to China’s trade route to the Gulf countries. India is able to improve its political position in the global community by making more of friends and forming strong business ties that works two ways, equally.

Breaking News: UP gangster Vikas Dubey arrested from Mahakal temple in Ujjain, Madhya pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh gangster Vikas Dubey, accused of killing eight policemen last week, was arrested from a temple in Madhya Pradesh after a nearly week-long chase involving the police across three states. Vikas Dubey was caught in Ujjain around the same time two of his aides were killed in separate encounters in UP. His closest aide, Aman Dubey, was killed yesterday.

Bihar police congratulated MP police for arresting Vikas Dubey.

Vikas Dubey was spotted at Mahakal temple around 8 am, according to the police. He was buying prayer offerings to take inside the temple when the shopkeeper recognized him and reportedly alerted security guards. When he emerged from the temple, the guards questioned him.

He first produced a fake ID card of a much younger man. When prodded further, he hit out at the guards, who dragged him to the police station.

“Main Vikas Dubey hoon, Kanpur wala,” he shouted out, when he was beaten while being taken to the police van.

“It is a big success for the police, Vikas Dubey is a cruel killer. The entire Madhya Pradesh police force was on alert. He has been arrested from Ujjain Mahakal temple. We have informed Uttar Pradesh Police,” said Narottam Mishra, Madhya Pradesh Minister.

Dubey – charged in 60 criminal cases including murder, kidnapping, extortion and rioting – had allegedly been alerted to the raid by local policemen and had set up an ambush. When the policemen reached the village, Dubey and his men, armed with AK-47s, fired from rooftops.

UP police is informed about the arrest. However many say that it was planned surrender by Vikas Dubey who allegedly went to temple and made people see him. It is very positive for the state though.

E-commerce sites to display country of origin on products to promote made in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

New Delhi: The government had taken yet another big step after ban on 59 Chinese apps to make it compulsory for E-commerce sites to display ‘country of origin’ tag so that users can identify Indian products and help make Atmanirbhar Bharat a success. The online shopping sites have agreed with government to display’country of origin’ and are cooperating with government.

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, which is used by government departments for public procurement, on Tuesday made it mandatory for sellers to enter the “country of origin” while registering all new products.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) asked e-commerce players including Amazon and Flipkart to display mention ”country of origin” on each product sold at their platforms.

While GeM says it has taken this step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India), the move also comes days after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers. Sub-standard and cheap Chinese products often make their way into the Indian market, more so through online platforms. The government has ramped up efforts to curb the inflows of such low-grade imports and their consumption here.

The government has taken such steps to reduce dominance of Chinese products in Indian market and make India self-reliant country. We must support the efforts of government and use as much as possible made in India products.

Southampton Test:West Indies ,England players take a knee to show solidarity with black lives matter movement.

The international cricket resumed after 117 days due to corona pandemic with all due precautions of safety. In this 117 days world witnessed many challenges besides impact of corona virus, one such major was the brutal killing of George Floyd by a us police officer for using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. The officer knelt on neck of Floyd for almost 8 minutes, where Floyd pleaded the officer to leave him as he was unable to breathe,but to no mercy from officer he later chocked to death.This was most brutal act and against humanity, many protests were done against the officer and he was even suspended.

This led to disclosure of many incidents of racism ,discrimination on color many cricketers came forward to explain how they had faced such things.

England and West Indies cricketers took a knee to show their solidarity against racism and support the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement before the start of the first Test of the three-match series here at the Ageas Bowl on Wednesday.

Cricketers take a knee to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement

A minute of silence was also observed before the start of play to pay respect to the victims of the coronavirus pandemic and West Indies legend Everton Weekes, who passed away last week at the age of 95.

The Premier League resumed its suspended season in June and all teams have been sending out a strong message to show solidarity with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.All teams have been taking a knee to show their support, while jerseys of all teams have ‘Black Lives Matter’ written on them.

Kabaddi- The new World Sports!!!

Kabaddi is played on a 13×10 meter court and is separated into two halves by a midline. The game is played between two teams made up of seven players each. The teams alternate between raiding and defending. The raider’s objective is to go to the other half of the court, tap one or more of the defenders and return safely within 30 seconds. However, the raider must start repeatedly saying “kabaddi” before he crosses the midline and can’t stop repeating this word until he crosses back over to his team’s side. If he stops saying “kabaddi” on the opponent’s side of the court, even for a split second, he is out. He picks up one point for each defender he touches, but he must also avoid being tackled to keep the points.

This is difficult as he can face between one and seven defenders at the same time. The defenders have to work together as a unit, avoid the raider’s tap and failing that, stop him from returning. Defenders get one point for a successful tackle. Any player that steps or is forced out of the court is then eliminated. UP Yoddha represents the northern state Uttar Pradesh. The team is in its second season in the Pro Kabaddi League and Rishank Devadiga is the team’s captain. So, kabaddi is all about a body contact game. It’s basically like a rugby game. You have to be strong, you have to be fit, mentally fit and also agile on the mat. In one of interview they were asked when, what’s the atmosphere like? How much pressure was there on him as captain?… He replied, Pro Kabaddi started they were told to face the camera, the audience, and everything. It was a bit nervous at the start, but then they enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the matches.

Kabaddi as a professional sport is a relatively new thing. Until recently, it’s been seen as more of a hobby only played outside the cities. Kabaddi was looked as a rural, rustic sport. It was a sport that was not embraced by urban India, completely overlooked the sport. The settings of the sport was such that it used to be played on dusty bowls. Kabaddi on television? Completely unheard of, “Why would somebody watch it? How are they going to present it?” And that was what aggregated people to come and sample the sport. In other sports, in cricket, for example, you have to wait for a four, or a six, or when a wicket falls. That is the high point. In soccer or football, it’s a goal, similarly in hockey. In kabaddi, every 30 seconds is a high point. It has got the potential of either being a successful raid or being a successful tackle.

The idea behind the Pro Kabaddi League or PKL started back in 1994. However, it wasn’t until 2014, 20 years later, that a broadcaster, Star Sports, came on board. The Pro League, now in its fifth year has seen considerable growth in both investment and audience numbers. From 2016 to 2017, the PKL increased its viewership in India by almost 100 million. And while it’s still second to India’s premier T20 cricket competition, the Indian Premier League, domestically, the Pro Kabaddi League is more popular than the Fifa World Cup, one of the world’s most- watched sporting events. Investment in the league has also increased. In 2017, Star Sports signed the biggest sponsorship deal in India for a non-cricket sport, worth more than $40 million. As a result player salaries have also increased. Following the 2016 player auction, the highest paid player was on just under $130,000 This year it’s $210,000. For team owners and stakeholders in the sport, more investment will help attract more young players to the game. What ultimately a sport stands on is, what does it do for its players? So, what we have been able to do is to make kabaddi athletes aspirational for sports lovers in India. Player salaries have gone up and they definitely see themselves in the front line of the committee of sports persons in India. Which means that increasingly being a kabaddi athlete will become a viable career. That is at the heart of any sport. There are also signs of the sport growing outside India. At this year’s Asia Games neither the men or women’s India kabaddi teams won gold, and the men’s team didn’t even make it to the final. Something that caught the world’s attention. Of course, we are the country who lost, which is bad for a fan, but then for our game of kabaddi, it’s an ultimate manifestation of how the game is growing.

Interesting facts that will surely make you think twice.

In this universe, there are many interesting facts that will blow up our mind and make us think twice about them.As it is said change of subject is rest of mind ,Knowing about interesting facts help us in relieving stress and keep mind updated, as such in this crisis times let us be worry less and tension free and explore some of the interesting facts:

1.It can take a photon 40,000 years to travel from the core of the sun to surface, but only 8 minutes to travel the rest of the way to earth.