Tag: awareness

Farm Bill 2020

In India, agriculture is regarded as a dominant sector in the country. More than 70% of the population in India is involved in the agricultural activities either directly or indirectly. We are able to eat peacefully only due to the hard work of the farmers. Though the farmers work hard in the field day and night in order to feed the country yet they are compelled to live a life of indigence and starvation. Recently in 2020, new bills for the welfare and comfort of the farmers and the agricultural sector was introduced by the Central government. However, these bills were greatly opposed by the farmers and the government of the State. There were protests against the bills on roads and streets by the farmers across the nation. A resolution was also passed by the Punjab Assembly rejecting the ordinances of Central government on 28th August 2020.

A combination of three bills together constitute the Agriculture Bill 2020 or Farm Bill 2020. These three bills were recently passed by the Parliament. These bills are: Farmers Produce and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, Farmers Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020. These bill make huge changes in the agricultural sector structurally. These bills also seemed to encourage corporate investments in the ecosystem of agriculture in order to make agriculture more benefitable to the farmers.

The Farm Bill 2020 contemplates an alternative possible way to the farmers to sell their produce in open market, providing them an opportunity to sell their products anywhere and to anyone and even get high price for it. In such areas of trade, neither agriculture produce market committee (APMC) fees nor tax by the government on transactions will be charged. The APMC would require to compete with these alternate platforms and now the farmers would have the choice to sell their produces of the farm. The farmers have the authority to sell their farm’s produce directly to the corporate or exporter purchasing in bulk from the farm. The current procurement of food grains based on minimum support price (MSP) is not obliterated by the Farm Bill 2020. The system of procurement based on MSP continues and the farmers can also sell their farm produces at Mandis on the existing MSP.

A number of schemes for the well being of the farmers as well as agricultural sector is launched every now and then by the government. The main aim behind introducing the Farm Bills was to boost the agriculture sector and double the income of farmers by 2022. It was believed that freeing the agriculture sector will consequently help in better pricing due to vast competition in the market. The corporate sector would be induced to invest in the ecosystem of agriculture as the farmers would have the choice to sell their crop products directly to the corporates and the exporters.

As the New Farm Bill 2020 provides great measures for the welfare of the farmers by giving them opportunity to sell their farm products in open market and also allowing them to fix the price according to themselves on mutual understanding of both the farmer and the corporates. Farmers are apprehensive of getting the MSP for their produce. However, the farmers do fear the domination on the agricultural sector with the power of money by the larger corporates and retailers, they also fear that the Mandies would become inessential like BSNL and MTNL future days and they also doubt that if in near future the trade shifts substantially to alternative platforms, the APMCs may become unavailable and have to shut down. No mechanism for fixation of price was prescribed under the Price Assurance Bill. The farmers were anxious about their exploitation as free hand was given to corporate houses. The Bill seemingly deregulated the movement, production, storage and distribution of essential food commodities such as edible oils, pulses, oil seeds, potatoes and onion which are removed from the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance.

Electric Vehicles

At present, the technology is advancing day by day and so is pollution, global warming and increased demand for fuel. Thus, in order to tackle such issues and to be at par with the modern era, electric vehicles as a means of eco-friendly transport is a better option in future.

Electric vehicles refers to vehicles or transport means that consume electric energy in place of traditional fuels such as diesel, CNG and petrol. Such vehicles include an electric generator to convert fuel to electricity or maybe inbuilt with a solar panel, battery, fuel cells or electricity may be supplied via collector system from off-vehicle sources. The metros are already running with electricity around the world.

The contemporary age in which we all are living has now become an era of technology and this advancement in technology has greatly enhanced our human life. Thus, the use of electric vehicles is necessary in near future. The electric vehicles run from electricity and as a result no smoke is emitted, reducing the pollution, global warming and import of diesel and petrol. It would conserve natural resources like CNG, petrol and diesel that are non-renewable and promote the use of renewable energy. The over use of such fuels are harmful for the environment. It would also fulfill the requirement of growing demand of more means of transport. Electric vehicles are eco-friendly, thus it is good for both human beings and environment. As it is a new form of technology and with the increasing demand of this sector, more employment generation will take place. Electric vehicles will also reduce the nation dependency on petroleum export countries.

The electric vehicles are environment friendly and seemingly cheaper in the long run. Since past decade, many trains including the metros have been running on electricity. Even almost all the trains in the Indian Railways are running on electricity. As a result, the use of electric vehicles are continuously promoted by the government. Today, electric scooters or bikes, electronic rikshaw, electronic cars , etc. are already in the market. Various campaigns have been started by the government to promote the use of electric vehicles. Recently, a campaign named’ Switch Delhi’ was launched by the Delhi Government to promote the same. The Delhi government took this initiative to cut down the pollution of air which was caused by the smoke emitted by the traditional petrol and diesel vehicles. The smoke emitted is hazardous to human health. Prior in 2020, Delhi EV Policy was also introduced. Under this policy, a waiver on road tax was provided with a benefit up to Rs. 1.5 lakh on four wheelers and more.

Thus, it can be inferred that the people should use more electric vehicles instead of traditional petrol and diesel vehicles. Electric Vehicles are seemingly the future of means of transport. It becomes more essential when the increasing pollution, global warming and diseases borne out of pollution are considered.

“I really do encourage other manufactures to bring electric cars to market. It’s a good thing, and they need to bring it to the market and keep iterating and improving and make better and better electric cars, and that’s what going to result in humanity achieving a sustainable transport future. I wish it was growing faster than it is.”

– Elon Musk

Impact of caste dynamics in contemporary India

The association between various caste groups has now become more flexible and is now at ease. One of the significant impacts in the contemporary age is personal job preference. In the past, men believed in pursuing occupation under its caste like mainly they were engaged in pottery, blacksmithing etc. However, the current scenario is very much different, people have started pursuing jobs of their own choices irrespective of their caste such as in railways, teaching, government jobs, marketing and business. The food habits of the people have been modified, sharing of food is now common between both the sections of society and nowadays people of both upper and lower caste enjoy their food in restaurants in the local together. Power and wealth are almost in least association with the caste. The belief that the lower castes are responsible for pollution and freshness has now somewhat become extinct. However, in petto, rituals of purification with regard to one’s caste ranking, such practice still prevails. The custom of marrying only within the limits of a caste is still in practice, though not as severely as in the past. Lower sections of the society still faces difficulty in pursuing of caste related occupation and access to essential resources in extreme remote rural areas, however in urban areas, caste has almost nil significance in the society. The growth or ranking of women is still based on man’s positioning in the society. But today awareness of equal rights of women, education, employment are eventually advancing the modern society. The Indian Constitution made and implemented various special provisions, due to which competition among the caste groups in order to access the power and necessities like better life enhancement, educational benefits, government oriented jobs, etc. have gained force.

Implementation of such provisions and policies have always been the talk of the town and ground to numerous controversies, although political parties support these policies seemingly for their political benefits, but keeping it aside, it has been of great significant to the people belonging to the lower caste especially the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and backward classes (OBCs). These groups have grabbed every opportunity provided to them and excelled in it. In the elected offices, these groups have greater representation. They have proved to be an essential part of the Indian political election system. They have also successfully mend their paths in each and every institution, be it political, legal or educational, and also secured high posts in government jobs. In a number of regions, these caste groups have succeeded in forming powerful parties in politics.

However, regrettably, a small portion of people belonging to the lower caste have gained profit from the policies and provisions made by the Indian Constitution. When observed from far, other sections of society seem to have willingly accepted the individuals of the lower castes, but the reality is quite contrary, in numerous parts of India, the upper castes still treat the lower caste’s individuals as outsiders and deny them access to resources. Such an incident came into light in parts of Bihar, India in 1994, the landowners of the upper caste formed a special army known as Ranvir Sena in order to defend themselves from lower caste’s individuals. Though fortunately by 1999, this was disbarred, the Ranvir Sena had already slaughtered 20 Dalits. The upper caste’s individuals who are against the special polices made for the lower castes and also those who are at any sort of economic disadvantage by the implementation of such policies, often are responsible for the mistreatments against lower sections.

The caste system has played a vital role in molding the ethics, principles as well as habitation of the society in India. The rituals  and customs of Hindu philosophy greatly influence the faith and lives of the Indians. Post independence, Indians are still in the clutch of beliefs regarding one’s social rank and their caste status. In the ancient days, people of a common society were divided on the basis of caste, sex and birth. Since birth they had their lifestyles organized according to their specific caste rule and had no choice preference as such. However, with the course of time the linkage between one’s occupation and caste has become almost insignificant. In urban areas, interaction among various castes is without restriction. The current Indian society is progressing eventually from the closed caste system to interactive functioning of the society irrespective of any caste. The various provisions and policies implemented by the government have encouraged the lower sections to come forward and represent themselves in the society. Such provisions have also encouraged the people of other caste groups to be secular towards one another. Therefore, it is essential to look after how caste discrimination has affected the standard of life and mobility of society in contemporary India.

Impact of Feminism and Women Empowerment on Indian Society

Feminism came up into being and became operative after India gained freedom in 1947. The Constitution of India then conceded right to equality, religious freedom and freedom from gender or religious discrimination. To provide health, welfare, education and employment to women, a seven five year plans were brought up by the government. The sixth five year plan even declared women “partners in development”.

Although the Indian government has tried their best to terminate inequality in workforce yet women fail to receive equal treatment. However, AIIMS nurses professed gender inequity in Nursing Officers enrollment, providing 80 percent posts to female candidates and remaining to male. Indian women winning international beauty pageants have also demonstrated in the form of pride of nation, such growth have provided considerable sexually self governed and independent women and more authority over their own bodies but some differ in opinion considering that this only portrays female bodies as mere commodities having purpose only to serve man’s desires. Headway is being made in enrollment of female students and teachers in schools, by now the female literacy rate has increased handsomely and great efforts are still being made so that female may receive education in par with male students.

In order to protect the rights of women and in wake to feminism and women empowerment different bills have been passed and various policies have been made by the government, some of them are as follows:

  • In 1986, the National Policy on Education (NPE) was made in India and a program known as Mahila Samakhya was set afloat, the aim is to promote a sense of knowledge to take control of their own lives, learn to demand information and realize their true potential. In 2019, DRDO has launched scholarship programmes absolutely for girls.In Haryana now girls are provided passport along with graduation degree.
  • The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, is an act of legislature to protect women from any sort of sexual harassment at workplace.
  • The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 is a parliamentary act of India which seeks to protect women from domestic violence.
  • In 1992, the Parliament passed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act in which it was ensured that in all offices of election, one-third of the total seats would be reserved for the women. This was applicable in both urban as well as rural areas.
  • During 1991-2000, a national Plan of Action for the Girl Child was brought up to make sure the development, survival and protection of girl child. The terminal aim of the plan was to enhance the future for the girl child.
  • In 2001, a National Policy for the Empowerment of Women was made by the Department of Women & Child Development in the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The policy aimed at the empowerment, advancement and growth of women in various political, social, cultural and political field, by generating awareness among all.
  • In 1992, a National Commission was brought up by the government in order to monitor and examine various matters with regard to the legal and constitutional defences provided for women and also modify the existing codification whenever needed.

Today women are treated equal to men and offered equal opportunities. They are also excelling in their work and in various fields they are even ahead of men, still in many parts of India regardless whether urban or rural region, women are still battling against numerous brutal crimes.

Child Marriage: A Legal View

In the culture of Indian society, the practice of child marriage still subsists. Child marriage refers to a marriage duly performed by minors mainly between a female below the age of 18 years and a male below 21 years. Child marriage is customarily in rural regions where there is increased rate of poverty and illiteracy. Social customs and rites, ignorance, benight and consideration of women as a burden financially, are few factors that causes solemnization of child marriage. Such marriages have their unintended consequences like problems related to health due to pregnancy at early age, deliberately cruel gender inequality cycle and further worsening of women status also happen.

Considering all these factors, the British government in 1929 enacted the Child Marriage Restraint Act. This was the first secular law towards restraining the child marriage peril. The Act only held punishments to those adult males who married minors and the parents who encouraged such marriages but the marriage was not made void. As the punishment and fine was considerably less, the Act was hence amended now and then to increase the limit of age.

Due to the inadequacy of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, a new legislation was enacted namely, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. This new Act anticipate in averting child marriage along with intensified punishments such as fine of Rs. 1 lakh or imprisonment for two years. Provisions for the maintenance of the girl child were also implied. In case if the husband is major, he is liable to pay for the maintenance and if the husband is minor, then his family is liable to pay for the same.

The marriage would be void if the child is used for trafficking or any sort of purpose that is immoral. Under the prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, the age of a female is 18 years and for male is 21 years. A girl can obtain a degree of nullity within two years before attaining the age of 18 years if entered into a child marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act 1956. The parties though not did consent to the union in child marriage yet they are punishable As for now there is no such provisions for punishing the people or the parents involved in the solemnization of marriage. A girl can declare a marriage invalid if she’s married off before attaining an age of 15 and can challenge it until she is 18. However till now there is no such provision which states child marriage invalid. In India, Muslim law is not codified, thus the scholars interpret provisions of the Quran. Child marriage is not barred under the Muslim law. A guardian has authority to get a child married. Although, there is an option of puberty available to the couple where they can refuse to accept the marriage after attaining puberty following the condition that they should do it before attaining the age of 18 then only the marriage can be said rejected. According to the Muslim law, the age of puberty is 15 years. Nevertheless, the marriage prior the age of 7 is void ab initio. Under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, if a marriage is to be contracted between the minors, a notice preliminary is set to be issued 14 days before marriage. Post the expiration of the 14 days, the parties have the right to go on with the solemnization of marriage without consent of the guardian or parents. Under the Parsi marriage and divorce Act, a child marriage is considered invalid. In India, Jewish law is uncodified. According to the Jewish law, the age of puberty is the marriageable age which is fixed at 12 years.

Child marriage is jeopardy and it cannot be restrained without the support of the society. Under the prohibition of child Marriage Act, several demands have been made to make the child marriage void ab initio but the society is complex as well as complicated and making child marriage void will only prove to be hazardous for the rights of women who are victims of child marriage.

Feminism and Women Empowerment

Feminism in general terms can be defined as equality among all genders holding equal rights and opportunities. The word feminism is evident whole around the globe and is concerned with activities mainly indulging women’s rights and interests. It is an approach against inequality  between men and women in this huge man domain world, it can be in form of social, economic, political movement aiming to establish social, economic, political and even personal equality among all. It ensures and encourages women to put forward their ideas, beliefs, utilize their knowledge and strengths and empower them to perceive their true rights. Feminist movements have organized course of action and are still continuing to do so for women’s rights including right to vote, receive education, equal wages, equal sibling property ownership and to safeguard women and girls from any sort of sexual harassment be it rape or domestic violence. These movements also make certain legal abortion and other social reforms for women.

Historically, women faced discrimination on the basis of their gender, they had to fight against the orthodox society with the result being constant failure. Now things have bit changed and such a result is feminism, an initiative to fight against gender stereotypes and bringing about a change in this unhealthy dynamics of society.

Feminism means congeries things to congeries of people, it is not expected to define a particular’s feminism in any way. Its all about cutting the difference between men and women and leveling them on the same scale. Thus, making similar opportunities available to both men and women in life.

Women Empowerment refers to steps taken in order to empower women. The following concept may be understood in a number of ways like, taking into consideration the opinions or views of women, encouraging women to pursue higher education and uphold a high rank in society and also to uplift the position of women through literacy, training etc. It also provides them to take their own life decisions, tackle various problems in society. Women empowerment can also be defined as to encouraging women to realize their self worth, their capacity to discover their own way out and most important their right to bring about effective social change for themselves and society.

In true sense, empowerment of women contributes greatly in the development of society. The advancement of status of women also intensifies their decision making ability at all scales in all volume of life, particularly in the field of reproduction and sexuality. This without doubt is necessary for the long term accomplishment of the population programmes. Women empowerment and ensuring women’s rights have now become a worldwide movement.

In this contemporary age, feminism and women empowerment is the talk of the town. Numerous developments have been seen till date in awake of both the elements. It is right to say that women empowerment is contributing greatly in the advancement of the society and will continue to do so. Gender discrimination has nearly diminished in the last few decades. But today also in some parts of the country such distinction still subsists. Thus, to tackle such situations it’s important for females to understand the true meaning of feminism and it is the essential right of the women to be empowered so as to hold an independent role in the society. But apart from these various developments, women and girls still face discrimination on some or the other ground and are victims to numerous harassments each day in every part of the world.

AATMNIRBHAR BHARAT

Aatmnirbhar is a Hindi word which in English means self-sufficient and no one should depend on others for their success in life. In other words, one should neither depend nor expect help from others in order to run their livelihood. One must be self dependent and self reliant as the person who depends on others never succeeds in life.

Post independence, India was still dependent on others for various resources but today India is becoming self dependent in every field. In May 2020, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India announced a Rs 20 crore economic package under the Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in order to avert the probable economic decline during the global Covid-19 pandemic and to spin the catastrophe into opportunity. The self sufficient mission was launched in pursuance to address the pandemic crises and the economy falloff due to subsequent lockdown in India.

The Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan was promulgated with the aim to make India self-dependent and also apportioned boost to the economy that had slowed down by the pandemic. This package is approximated to be GDP’s 10 percent.

Five Pillars of Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

  • Economy: An economy that guarantees a huge bounce instead of gradual change.
  • Infrastructure: It is postulated on the 21st century systems driven by technology.
  • Technology: Such infrastructure would be assisted that would become the cotemporary age’s recognition.
  • Demography which is vibrant: A remarkable Constitution, well-developed democratic institutions and true participation by the people in social governance is the source of our energy for India to be self-sufficient.
  • Demand: The chain of demand-supply will be utilized at its complete potential.

Benefits of Aatmnirbhar Bharat

It aims at aiding India to a become self-reliant nation. The unemployment in the nation will be terminated and growth will be seen in the industries. Thus, ensuring decline in the rate of poverty and will also result in strengthening the economy of the nation. Every citizen of the country will be benefitted by the self reliance. The dependency of India on other countries for different resources will also decreases rapidly. It also aims at making and promoting local products and providing assistance to Indian companies to compete in supply chains globally. Thus, focusing on the idea of ‘ Vocal for Local’. The foreign exchange will also be saved by the import reduction and by exporting additional goods, more foreign exchange could be earned. In order to provide employment and shelter to the migrants, an additional Rs 40,000 crore was allotted to the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005). More number of labs and health institutions will be instituted. The industry of Indian Space will also be benefitted by the opening of space exploration for the private sector. The needs and requirements of various sections such as industries, small business, laborers, etc. will all be catered by this economic package.

Criticism

The Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is mainly criticized for being somewhat similar to the ‘ Make in India’ campaign. It is argued by the critics that it is the same plan, just implemented with a different name. The fundings allocated are mostly in the same way as the budget in general. The critics believe that the package will not be beneficial enough to rejuvenate the economy of the nation. The employment in the Urban region is seemingly ignored in this package.

It can be concluded that there are a number of challenges before the Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan but its approach of the target postulates growth inclusively including development in every field and promoting equality and being ready to face all the problems coming ahead.

SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAN

Apart from water and environmental pollution, single use of plastic is also one of the most common causes of pollution. The use of plastic has been proved to have highly destructive impact on water bodies especially on hydrophytes and sea animals. Thus, ban on single use plastic has become a beneficiary need today. In many countries including India, the government has started a number of campaigns to cease the single use of plastic and initiated the use of carry bags which are environment friendly.

Every year, million of tons of single use plastic are produced, out of which many cannot ne reused or reprocessed. Polythene, plastic bags, plastic glass, straws, water bottles, etc. are included in single use plastics. Single use plastics are meant to be used only once and then thrown away as trash or waste for recycle. Most of such single use plastics that are thrown away as trash are not recycled. These plastics are not capable of decomposing by bacteria or any other organism and are usually buried in the dumping ground or sometimes it gets into the water and at times it also reaches the ocean, polluting the water bodies. They come in contact with water and soil and crumble up into small fragments but remain undecomposed. They remain intact in the soil and water for hundreds of years releasing lethal chemicals and causing damage to the surrounding environment. Thus, it is considered to be non environment friendly. The major cause of the water pollution is the lodging of plastic bags in the water bodies. The ecology and the surrounding environment is greatly affected by these plastics in every possible way.

The use of single plastics has been proved to be hazardous to animals, human beings, hydrophytes and marine organisms. Highly toxic chemicals are released by the the plastic bags as well as plastic items which causes grave diseases to those involved in its production. At times, the aquatic creatures in a mistaken way consume particles of plastic along with food. Plastics are also found sometimes inside the stomach of marine animals like, turtles, fishes etc. These plastics block the digestive system and the organs of the animals are also perforated resulting in serious health issues and death at the end. The use of plastics also affect the environmental imbalance causing pollution. The single use plastics when burnt releases smoke which increases the risk of heart disease and make worse the ailments of respiration such as emphysema and asthma. Nausea, rashes, headaches and damage to nervous system are also caused by it.

Various measures have been taken by the government to prevent the use of plastics. A multi-ministerial plan has been laid out by the government of India to prevent the use of single use of plastics across the nation to make India free of plastics by 2022. In order to eliminate the use of single use plastics in urban as well as rural areas, the ban on plastic bags, water bottles, plates, straws and all plastic items have already began on October 2, 2019.

A great number of serious problems are caused by the single use plastics. Thus, it becomes essential to take effective measures to terminate the use of plastics and look forward towards a healthy and friendly environment. In order to protect the living creature and the environment, it is our duty to come up with advance technologies with time to recycle the plastics more efficiently so that the wastes of plastics are recycled and reused.

ROLE OF STUDENTS IN ERADICATION OF DRUGS

Addiction of drugs is eventually spreading unchecked among school going students especially in teenagers across the world. Today, the crisis of drug abuse has reached to such levels which are unparallel. Thus, drug eradication is the need of hour. The young school students are being targeted by the drug dealers as potential consumers and their life are at a stake of risk.

The youths fall in the trap of drug abuse due to being unable to cope up with excessive stress or anxiety, peer pressure, lack of self confidence etc. A number of parents have renounced their duties as guardians and protectors and expect that around the school campus, it is the teacher’s duty to protect the students in their absence. As a result of parent’s lack of strictness and care, the students on the contrary have become more prone to be regular drug users. The school children are vulnerable and are easily lured in the addiction web by the cunning and clever drug dealers. The peddlers sell drugs disguised in form of sweets or any other confectionery to the unwary students easily.

“Get high on grades- not on drugs.”

-Anonymous

Therefore, the students play a significant role in the eradication of drugs both at school as well as at home. Firstly, they should be made aware of the vicious effects of using drugs. Hence, by being aware of the dangerous effects which could disturb their physical as well as mental health, they could be able to concentrate on the eradication of drugs in order to stay safe. The youth especially the school students must also be taught the method to identify different types of drugs and drug addiction symptoms. Although, all drugs are addictive but cocaine and heroin are hard drugs and are comparatively exceptionally addictive. The students must be responsible enough to make certain that they never attempt to experiment with any sort of drug. As through various surveys, it has been found that addiction initially begins in youth with the drug experiment and gradually unknowingly turns into addiction.

The students must be cautious while buying any eatable items sealed or unsealed. To be on a safer side, they must always purchase any item either from a reliable shop or from the school canteen. They should mainly avoid buying snacks from the streets or on the road side, as consequently it would reduce the chances for the drug dealers to sell disguised drugs to the students. It should be the duty of the students to report to the school administration about any suspected selling or use of drug of any sort or any person found suspicious of selling something doubtful to the students. It would be helpful enough for the school administration to notice early, the use of drugs and consequently take effective measures in this regard before it becomes an escalating problem.

Today, drug addiction among the youths and school going students is a matter of concern. The cases of drug addiction is increasing day by day. Thus, student’s role in the eradication of drugs is very beneficial and effective. It is the need of an hour for the students to pay attention towards drug eradication and avoid coming into contact of any sort of drug in order to preserve their good health and bright future and life ahead.

ADDICTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is network based on computer that allows people to communicate, interact or associate with friends and family via an internet connection. One can chat, share videos, pictures, views and many other activities are also accessible through social media. If compared the social media sites are most visited other than any websites. At present, around three billion people globally have a social networking account. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn enables us to stay connected to our closed ones and also keep us updated by the day to day happenings worldwide.

Social media sites are often visited with about more than one billion users active on daily basis in order to count the number of likes on their post and update their status. As per various surveys conducted, it can be inferred that an individual spends about an hour minimum on these networking sites. The line between addiction and habit is very thin. The situation of addiction arises when an individual desires for something more than their actual need. It becomes addiction when people start to spend more and more time on social networking sites. Therefore, it is observed that in the present generation social media is becoming addicting and it is a matter to contemplate seriously. The increased dependency of an individual over a particular thing be it, food or drink or activity makes the person to feel helpless and eventually the person starts to loose control over themselves. The condition gradually turns worse leading to complex diseases related to brain.

“Social media is a wonderful medium, problem starts with its addiction.”

-Anonymous

The addiction of social media is severe that the person every now and then logs in their account meaninglessly and checks in at every place they go in order to update their status. The purpose behind to do so is sometimes just to kill or pass time. Such individuals begin to consider that posting pictures and informing about the day to day activities or chores on the social media is their moral duty. They begin to obsess over their activities on the networking sites.

The post effects of social media is not worth the while. The mental and emotional health of an individual is greatly disturbed. The often seem frustrated and an ease of escalating peer pressure is seen in them while comparing oneself with the other. They are surrounded by the sense of dissatisfaction and hopelessness. The individuals found suffering from social media addiction are desperate, stressed and fatigued. There is a constant rise in their level of anxiety and consequent fall in productivity. The frequent pop up notifications prevent them from focusing on essentials things in their lives.

Thus, it can be concluded that it is important to recognize the addiction of social media at an early stage prior the situation becomes worse. People must remember that it is not their social duty to be in social media throughout the day rather they must give themselves time to self- reflect and divert their attention to more essential things in life.

” One day you will look back and recall all the time you spent on social media and wonder why you didn’t invest that time someplace else.”

– Germany Kent

Juvenile Justice System In India

Juvenile offending is the act of participating in some unlawful behavior against the society by the persons young in age. The term Juvenile Justice refers to fair and just treatment to youth or children in shaping their personality in the society. Juvenile Justice System means a procedure to tackle with the issues related to minors with respect to society. The main purpose of the system is to protect the minors by applying effective treatment and creating a positive human developing environment. The main aim of the system is to adopt measures that are rehabilitative in nature instead of being punitive. If any means a young individual commits or minor turns lawbreaker, then the Juvenile courts takes up the duty to foster delicate treatment and care through special institutions. Thus, it would encourage the Juvenile delinquents to find their path to lead a much better and decent life. The system of Juvenile Justice is considered as one of the most enlightening and developing system worldwide, focusing on the children’s growth. The central focus is to provide proper care to the unprotected child and the reformation of deviants.

Earlier there was no separate system for the juveniles. They were held into prison without trials and were even locked behind the bars accompanied by the desensitized criminals. It was prescribed by the penologists in the nineteenth century that punishment should be equal for both juveniles and adults. As per the history records, juveniles were treated similar to the adult criminals and were imprisoned, hanged and even transported.

In India, the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) aroused during the British rule. Prior the rule of the British, the juveniles were treated either by the family or society in general. Gradually, the Indian Constitution provided distinct treatment for children and women. The issue of juvenile lawbreakers were given separate treatment. The light was thrown on the Juvenile Justice System aftermath the Nirbhaya case, 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder when people expressed their hostile nature attitude and sentiments towards the court’s decision. The minor who was involved in the brutal case was demanded for death sentence by the public. There was chaos and roaring in the Indian parliament, as a result of which new law came into existence. The Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children 2015, was a provision of comprehensive nature for minors found and reported guilty of conflict with the law. The law also deals with minors in need of protection and care. This was implemented taking into considerations the conventions of the rights of the child along with other related international instruments. The conception that the children are not mature compared to adults and are not aware of the nature and post effects of their acts led to the development of the Juvenile Justice System worldwide. The idea is based on the principle of doli incapax i.e. children are off the capacity to form intentions of criminal nature. Hence, a minor cannot be held liable for any unlawful act. It should be noted that there is no general consensus about the definition of youth and child. In the matter of age or adultery, different statutes have different mandates. The new act is seemingly a progressive one and a policy shift is observed in the legislation of Juvenile Justice. It was mainly designed to adopt the parens patriae philosophy and prescribe institutionalized care and protection. Punishment of delinquents in case of serious offence is the only shift observed. The socialization and reformation policy of the young individuals with punishment as an exception is being adopted by the Juvenile Justice System. It can also be distinguished from the general criminal courts as in adopting informal hearing. In the existing Juvenile Justice act of 2015, significant amendments were made last year.

The principle on which Juvenile Justice System is based is rights of the child and welfare of the society. It’s main center of focus is rehabilitation and reformation. The aim is to maintain equality and opportunities available to the minors for their personality development. There should be personality transformation from negative to positive. However, taking into account the former experiences, it is necessary to bridge the broad gap between the practice and theory. In order to do so, we have to build an efficient and good infrastructure Juvenile Justice Administration. The dreams are carried by the new legislation and it is our duty to make those dreams reality.

Should courts declare prostitution legal in India?

In general, the word ‘prostitution’ refers to the situation of women which means in Latin terms ‘expose publicly’. It means for hire, sexual activity by either giving or receiving one’s body. It is common lewdness of women in exchange of some value or gain. It can be considered as a business that exploits an individual’s vulnerability, particularly the women and children and also violates the human rights completely and making them object to transaction of money by use of force and power for the purpose of sex, bondage or labour. In India, prostitution is regarded as one of the oldest profession. In Indian society, prostitution is a problem of serious concern and its solution is seemingly difficult. It is a gender specified phenomenon where mainly the victims are girls and women and the men being the perpetrators. The dispensing chance of prostitution is nil if observed practically, thus it is a still a bitter reality today. The form of existence has altered but the outlook and sight has remain unchanged. One can describe the picture of prostitutes as any sex worker or prostitute found either in remote or public place staring at the public with a smile of welcoming gesture as well as approach.

Globally, consistent stand have been taken criticizing the gross violation of human resources and has encouraged the government to take strict measures against it. It was observed that providing a mandate of legal importance would prompt a safe and better society and environment for women. A platform should be provided to access justice in case of gross violation. The prostitutes or the sex workers should be made aware of their rights, financial aids, interests, health and freedom to deny or choose to take medical check ups on regular basis and other important benefits.

As under the act, prostitution is neither punishable nor illegal. In the context of India, though the Court has marked prostitution to be unethical yet explicitly, it is not illegal. Certain acts such as managing, pimping and owning of bordello, luring or engaging an individual into prostitution, dependence on prostitution as a source of income, trafficking of children and women for the prostitution purpose, etc. are considered illegal under the Immoral Traffic (prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA). In India, a large number of bordellos are run illegally in some of the major cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

“Every country has made the laws to regulate prostitution so it might remain within its legal limits and without unduly violating upon the institutions of the marriage and family.”

– Law Commission Report of India

The societies in which prostitution is regarded legal have inferred that regulation of the profession is best as it is impossible to be ceased. India should also acquire understanding from such societies and thus take preventive actions. Today, there are millions of prostitutes in India and a quarter of them are believed to be minors, making Child prostitution and increased HIV virus incidences as among the most gruesome issues in India.

Prostitution should be made legal considering the following facts:

  • Medical checkups on regular basis will reduce the spread of STDs- Provision of adequate tools of birth control and conduction of regular medical checkups will result in the reduction of risk of sexual transmitted diseases which would possibly be transmitted from workers to customers and vice-versa. Thus, creating a safe and healthy society.
  • Protection of minors- Today a great number of minors are involved in prostitution. Therefore, by legalizing, the minors can be removed from this profession and their rights can be preserved safely.
  • Removal of middlemen and pimps- The legalization would reduce the criminal conduct and the sex worker’s wages would be increased as there would be no requirement of the middlemen and pimps. this would eventually lead to an upgradation in the industry system.
  • The count of sexual assaults and rapes would be reduced- Considering it as an easy alternative, the people would satisfy their sexual urge by directly resorting to the prostitutes instead of committing any heinous offence.
  • Protection of the rights of sex workers- Any sex worker could file complain and can prevail justice if denied agreed payment or ben a victim to any sexual assault.
  • Right to use body according to free will- Nobody prevails the right to put pressure on any individual to adhere a person’s standard in terms to morality.

Thus, it can be concluded that sex trade is here to stay and it can be ceased by any means, thus by recognizing it as a legitimate form of work would provide guaranteed benefits to the parties involved. The legalization of prostitution would preserve the rights of the sex works along with the job protection and also provide them a chance to live a normal life which they deserve.

Raising Legal Age of Marriage in India

In order to formulate policies for a better equality in gender, the Union Cabinet of India proposed to raise the age of marriage of both men and women. This proposal seemed to be a progressive step. As a result on December 15, the Union Cabinet made the decision to raise the legal marriage age of women to 21 years from 18 years and for men it is 21 years. Thus, making the marriageable age of both men and women equal.

The government is asked to establish and implement the minimum marriage age for women and child marriage is strictly forbidden under Article 16 of the Indian Constitution. The minimum age for marriage is mainly prescribed by the law so as to avert abuse of children and prohibit child marriage. Marriage is dealt by different religions according to their own standards. In Hinduism, under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the minimum age of women is 18 years and men is 21 years for marriage. In the Muslim religion, a minor’s marriage is considered valid if he/she has attained puberty. The minimum marriage age for men and women is also specified as 21 and 18 years under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and The Special Marriage Act, 1954.

It was decided by the Narendra Modi government to reappraise the marriage age of women for a great number of reasons with gender parity being one among them. Marriage at an early age often leads to instances of early pregnancies which may further effect the level of nutrition in both children and mothers. Thus, effecting the overall mental and physical health. It was also taken into consideration that if the voting age and consensual age to enter into a contract is same for both men and women, then the marriage age should also be made equal. Such changes in the age is believed to bring perceptional changes in the developing society. Such provision would also facilitate women empowerment specially encouraging them to enroll for higher education.

There might be some negative aspects to the law but these are just possibilities. As mentioned by the activists of women’s rights that the laws can be misused by the parents in order to punish the daughters who would have married either by eloping or against their will or domestic abuse. The authority of the parents would consequently increase over the young adults.

However, the law has a long way ahead. The law would ensure objective equality. There should be increased awareness among the women like the young girls should be counseled on pregnancies at an early age and network to enhance their health should be provided. The main focus should on creating awareness in relation to reproductive health and sexual rights of the women and it should be made sure that the girls are not drop out of colleges or school. The issues of equity should be addressed by the government and the unfortunate or disadvantaged women should be encouraged to complete their higher education, good job placement and opportunities should also be provided along with career counselling. It can be observed that the government is making great efforts to prevent any sort of discrimination towards women and trying to maintain equality between genders in every aspect.

Aadhar and Privacy

In the Indian Constitution, Article 21 preserves an individual’s right to privacy along with the human life’s dignity. The right to dignity is considered as a significant part of an individual’s right to life.

” In my considered opinion, right to privacy of any individual is essentially a natural right, which inheres in every human being by birth. Such right remains with the human beings till he/she breathes last. It is indeed inseparable and inalienable from human being. In other words, it is born with the human being and extinguish with the human being.”

– Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre

The most common question that we hear in every day is ‘May I see your ID?’, many of our regular activities depend upon the IDs like while cash withdrawal from an ATM, joining the line of fast track at the airport, at the entry of workplace etc. If the wrong ID is shown then in many places one is denied secure access to website, attention of emergency medication and many more facilities. In Hindi, the word ‘Aadhar’ refers to ‘the foundation base’. An Aadhar is basically a random number of unique identification containing 12 digits issued in India to all its citizens irrespective of the gender and age. The agency that issues and manages the Aadhar Card is Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). In order to obtain Aadhar number, an individual who is an Indian resident requires enrollment. Primarily, Aadhar was initiated for the direct subsidies transfer into the bank account of citizens. However, the scope of Aadhar has been widened today. A case of privacy infringement was filed, the reason being that in order to acquire the Aadhar cards, the citizens were asked for their Biometrics by the Indian government. It was made compulsory for all the Indian citizens to have Aadhar card under the Aadhar scheme for the smooth functioning of the operations such as tax payment, bank accounts opening etc. A number of security benefits are provided to the weaker sections by the government, thus to avail such benefits it is necessary for all the citizens to be Aadhar card holders. However, the enrollment is not mandatory and hence it does not violate the any privacy rights as the biometrics are also provided voluntarily by the citizens. Certain sections of the society are unduly influenced secretly or directly by the government, thus the Act of Aadhar is a form of Doctrine of Colourable Legislation. In the case of Justice K.S.Puttaswamy vs. Union of India and ors 26, a petition was filed by the retired justice in which he challenged the Aadhar Scheme’s constitutional validity asserting that as the Aadhar is made compulsory, there is instance of violation of right to privacy of citizen. As an outcome, the individuals who are unwilling to register are not left with any option. Besides, in India there is lack of laws related to data protection which further increases the chances of leak of personal information of data if not handled with care. It was held that Privacy is a constitutionally protected right which not only emerges from the guarantee of life and personal liberty in Art. 21 of the Constitution, but also arises in varying contexts from the other facets of freedom and dignity recognized and guaranteed by the Fundamental Rights contained in Part III of the Indian Constitution.

Right to Privacy is a Fundamental Right. The right protects an individual’s internal sphere by the State as well as the Non- State’s interference and autonomous choices in life are allowed by the individual. The Right to Life and Personal Liberty derives the Right to Privacy. An individual can enter a citizen’s house without knocking at its door, this is easily made possible by technology. The same may be possible in case of state or non states. The privacy of the home must preserve all the essential aspects of dignity such as marriage, family, sexual orientation. The Article 21 of the Indian Constitution extends to the right to privacy and the Right to live with dignity.

Role of media in protecting democratic values in India: Success and Failure

In relation to society, media plays an important role in the life of human beings. In the contemporary period, media in form of radio videos, television has become a dependable factor for people in order to get information related to national as well as international interests. Media has also become a source for people to stay connected with their family members, friends and colleagues and assist them to keep themselves updated with the ongoing social trends.

Today, under the basic idea of freedom of speech and expression, media has invaded almost all elements of an individual’s life and thus can be considered universal. In India, there are different categories of media such as mass media which is further of various types like cinema, television, radio, magazines, newspaper and many active sites based on internet. At present, the media power has reached upto such great height that a body of government can be formed or shattered, simply by the positive and negative determination of the people.

In the public domain, the Indian media functions as a mediator between the citizens and the government, bringing up problems of serious concern and also acts as an agenda setter. The citizens must be protected by media in the first place in order to preserve the democratic values of the nation. This role is rightly acted by the media socially by aiding governmental programs such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swach Bharat Abhiyan, water and fuel saving initiatives etc. The media also helps the underprivileged people. The crimes related to women such as violence and gender discrimination and the practice of considering women weaker both physically and mentally prevailing in Indian society has been brought into light by the media. The people of the society are communicated and made aware of various other gruesome crimes via television, effective films, influential radio documentary, drama and animation. The social evils are terminated by bringing about positive change by the government by the help of the media. Therefore, free participation of people is involved in media and it acts as an unbiased mentor, this aids in encouraging the state of being equal in status, opportunities or rights which fortify the democracy. The country is also shaped economically and politically by the media apart from the social change. The media at times derive secret information related to corruption and make is accessible to the public making the life of officials and corrupt bodies of government difficult. In the nation, a great number of people are not aware of the political parties or the political activities. As a result of which many do not vote or vote in darkness. The media helps in making the public aware of the clear picture of the political parties, leaders and their agenda. Therefore, it plays a significant role in the turnout of a voter which is beneficial for the democracy’s strengthening. The media contributes greatly by providing accountability, publicity and transparency.

The current role of the media in the system of Parliament is a matter of debate along with criticism for ignoring its responsibilities towards the society. Certain practices of the media commercially has affected the Indian democracy recently. In the Indian market, truth and the quality or state of being correct is almost lost at the expense of interest of the world in media. In the recent years, the media somewhat seem to be navigated towards the dark. Today, the media acts as mouthpiece of the political parties and the agencies are under the control of some political leader. The rising communal riots due to coverage of sensitive propaganda news might prove threat to the democracy.

Thus, it is the duty of the media to act in a more responsible way and be accountable for presenting any information or news to the public. There is lot of scope for media to rise up to the people’s expectations and refine its standard. Freedom of press is a blessing in India but at times it may turn out to be alarming.