Ajit Nawale talks to NewsClick about the successful farmer’s movement in Maharashtra led by Kisan Sabha. He talks about the Kisan Andolan in Maharashtra which forced the BJP Govt to concede to Loan Waiver for Farmers. He talks about the farmer strike -a unique mode of protest by the farmers of Maharashtra. He says that the struggle still continues.
Courtesy: Newsclick
The 21st century police cannot be a “brute force” but will have to be a “civilised” unit, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today and asked the police personnel to be patient in dealing with challenging situations such as riots and protests, reports PTI.
These remarks acquire significance given the recent inhuman and unprofessional beating of young women students during the protests in the Banaras Hindu University. BHU lies within prime minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.
Singh made the remarks while addressing the personnel of the blue dungaree-donning Rapid Action Force (RAF) at their base at Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on the occasion of their silver jubilee (25th) anniversary.
Curb Castism and Communalism
Singh urged the security personnel to keep an effective check on the incidents in which attempts are made to break the country on the lines of casteism, religion or regionalism.
“The police of the 21st century cannot be a brute force. It will have to be a civilised force. Patience and control has to be practised and followed by police forces and the personnel on ground while dealing with hard and challenging situations like riots and protesting crowds.
“I understand sometimes police forces have to use slight force but in such situations too, prudence is required,” he said.
Singh said he has already asked the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to look for “less-lethal” solutions to be used in policing tasks and crowd control.
The head of the countrys internal security mechanism asked the forces to apply “minimum force” and obtain maximum results.
While lauding the efforts of the RAF, he said that five new battalions of the force will be made fully operational from January 1 next year.The RAF, at present, has ten operational battalions and they are based in ten cities that are regarded as sensitive from the communal and the security point of view.
The home minister also declared that personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be granted an annual allowance of Rs 10,000 to get stitched uniforms and the practise of providing them ready-made uniforms has been discontinued.
He said that he was “seriously” thinking about ways to ensure timely promotions to the about 10 lakh personnel of these forces.
The home minister also declared that personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be granted an annual allowance of Rs 10,000 to get stitched uniforms and the practise of providing them ready-made uniforms has been discontinued.
He said that he was “seriously” thinking about ways to ensure timely promotions to the about 10 lakh personnel of these forces.
He also took a dig at those who say that only taking a pledge does not transform the country.
“We took a pledge in 1942 and called it the Quit India movement…we achieved independence in the next 5 years, that is in 1947. This is the power of determination and pledge,” Singh said.
It has ten battalions (of about 10,000) based in various parts of the country in order to cut down response time to counter an incident of trouble.
The ten RAF bases are in Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Aligarh, Coimbatore, Jamshedpur, Bhopal and Meerut.
The high profile journal says, Vajpayee’s “splashy” India Shining campaign highlighting the wave of optimism supposedly sweeping the nation failed because hundreds of millions of Indians failed to feel Vajpayee’s economic magic, and showed the BJP the door in 2004.
In an opinion piece, William Pesek, a Tokyo-based journalist, who is author of “Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan’s Lost Decades”, warns, “Fast-forward 13 years, and it is easy to suspect Modi’s party is treading a similar path…”, underlining, “Modi’s team is veering dangerously toward ‘India Shining’ territory, hyping modest successes and resting on its laurels when it should be accelerating the epochal reforms voters in 2014 chose Modi to enact.”
Conceding that Modi has “pulled off some vital wins”, such as cut in red tape, privatization of aviation, defense and insurance sectors, and a national goods and services tax, Pesek says, “Missing, though, are the truly audacious moves Modi promised: revising labour, land and tax laws to raise competitiveness.”
“Nor has Modi’s ‘Make in India’ push created millions of high-paying jobs in export industries. Moves to upgrade infrastructure and reduce power costs are a work in progress”, the journal insists, adding, “Until Modi shakes up pivotal areas like retail, it is hard to gush about the outlook.”
Pointing out that “instead of the ‘Gujarat model’, voters are getting Gujarat light”, the journal says, there is a “reform vacuum” which is threatening “India’s long-term prospects”, adding, “In a sense, Modi has fallen into the same hubris trap as Vajpayee: the cult of GDP.”
Conceding that Modi is “widely credited with transforming the place into a free-market exemplar with faster growth, fewer regulations, less corruption and strong entrepreneurship” and “Modi’s mandate was to apply those successes nationally and drain the swamp in New Delhi”, the journal says, “Unfortunately, Indians may have to wait for a second Modi term.”
Pointing out that Modi faces several major challenges, the first one being “a mounting bad debt crisis” with “nonperforming loans at state-run lenders recently hit a 15-year high”, the journal says, “When New Delhi admits to about $200 billion of zombie loans, the odds are that the true figure is markedly higher.”
“That weakens India’s foundations by increasing incentives to misallocate credit, warping financial priorities and blurring lines between private sector efficiency and public sector bloat. Modi has relied on the central bank to sort out a problem his finance ministry should be tackling”, it says,
“Second”, it says, is the “demographic pressure”, adding, “Roughly 25% of India’s 1.3 billion people are under 15 and its labour pool will jump to 1.08 billion people from 885 million over the next 20 years. What is more, India will enjoy this swelling-workforce magic for roughly 50 years. Demographic dividends, though, become political nightmares if job growth does not keep pace. Hundreds of millions of young Indians taking to the streets in anger would be bad for business for Asia’s No. 3 economy.”
“Third”, the journal says, is “regional competition”. It explains, “As Chinese production costs rise, India’s chances of wooing those jobs are not assured. While Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam lack India’s scale, each is making a play for factories looking for cheaper and more pro-business locales. These upstarts are building better roads, bridges, ports and power grids at least as fast as New Delhi. Also, China’s push to recreate the Silk Road trade links may benefit East Asia more than South Asia.”
The journal regrets, despite a few reforms, “Modi should be accelerating market-opening efforts, not throttling back”, even as approvingly quoting Maitreesh Ghatak of the London School of Economics, who says, “Modinomics has turned into muddlenomics.”
The former President Pranab Mukherjee said that the country seemed to be moving towards “Balkanisation” — the process of fragmentation, division of a region or state into smaller units that are often hostile and uncooperative with one another.“It seems as if the country is moving towards Balkanisation. What good is the politics if the country itself gets divided,” Mukherjee told Bengali Tabloid, Ebela.
The 13th President felt that it was impossible for him to sit back and watch the nation being gripped by a climate of polarisation.
He was of the view that the politics of division was a ploy to divert people’s attention from serious issues such as misguided economic philosophy, slowdown in economic growth, and failure to create jobs.When asked what he could do under the current circumstances, Mukherjee said: “This is exactly what is on my mind these days.”
Even after demitting the highest constitutional office, it seems, the veteran parliamentarian will continue to voice his opinion and concerns.On October 14, Mukherjee is scheduled to address students at Aligarh Muslim University to mark the bi-centinary birth celebrations of the institution’s founder – Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
In November, he is set to deliver another lecture in Kolkata at Indira Gandhi Memorial orgsanised by Bidhan Trust, followed by a speech at Jadavpur University in December.
The blatant and repeated exhortations by wings of the government, and banks and financial services to compel citizens to link the Aadhar and UID to bank accounts etc is in gross violation of the Supreme Court’s Orders. Retired Major General S.G. Vombatkere has, in a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dr. HasmukhAdhia, pointed this out. The letter has also been copied to DrUrjit R Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of India and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Dipak Misra.
Though the GOI has committed on oath to only link Aadhar UID to certain government beneficiary related schemes in fact it is being forced on to citizens in utter contempt of the Supreme Court Orders, says an open communication by a former, senior Indian army official.
The text of the letter dated October 5, 2017 is below:
Subject: Contempt of Rule of Law and the orders of the Supreme Court of India
Dear Dr. Hasmukh Adhia,
Mandeep Kaur, Dy. Secretary of your Department notified GSR 538(E), citing powers conferred by sub-section (1) read with clause (h), clause (i), clause (j) and clause (k) of sub-section (2) of section 73 of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003), on 01.06.2017.
I draw your attention to the following:
1. A five member bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India in its Order dated 15.10.2015, had reiterated all its previous orders. In particular we draw your attention that the Court stated that:
(a) “After hearing the learned Attorney General for India and other learned senior counsels, we are of the view that in paragraph 3 of the Order dated 11.08.2015, if we add, apart from the other two Schemes, namely, P.D.S. Scheme and the L.P.G. Distribution Scheme, the Schemes like The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), National Social Assistance Programme (Old Age Pensions, Widow Pensions, Disability Pensions) Prime Minister’s Jan DhanYojana (PMJDY) and Employees’ Providend Fund Organisation (EPFO) for the present, it would not dilute earlier order passed by this Court. Therefore, we now include the aforesaid Schemes apart from the other two Schemes that this Court has permitted in its earlier order dated 11.08.2015”
(b) “We impress upon the Union of India that it shall strictly follow all the earlier orders passed by this Court commencing from 23.09.2013”
(c) “We will also make it clear that the Aadhaar card Scheme is purely voluntary and it cannot be made mandatory till the matter is finally decided by this Court one way or the other”
2. The three member bench of the court had noted earlier in its order of 11.08.2015 that: “The learned Attorney General had stated that the respondent Union of India would ensure that Aadhaar cards would only be issued on a consensual basis after informing the public at large about the fact that the preparation of Aadhaar card involving the parting of biometric information of the individual, which shall however not be used for any purpose other than a social benefit schemes.”. It had therefore ordered that
(a) “The Unique Identification Number or the Aadhaar card will not be used by the respondents for any purpose other than the PDS Scheme and in particular for the purpose of distribution of foodgrains, etc. and cooking fuel, such as kerosene. The Aadhaar card may also be used for the purpose of the LPG Distribution Scheme;”
(b) “The information about an individual obtained by the Unique Identification Authority of India while issuing an Aadhaar card shall not be used for any other purpose, save as above, except as may be directed by a Court for the purpose of criminal investigation.
3. In its first order of 23.09.2013, the Court had highlighted that “In the meanwhile, no person should suffer for not getting the Aadhaar card inspite of the fact that some authority had issued a circular making it mandatory”.
4. Under section 74 of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003) every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule. The rules have not been laid before the Parliament as required by parliamentary procedure.
5. Furthermore while clause (h) of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003) was omitted by s.29 with effect from 15.2.2013 and clause (i), clause (j) and clause (k) of sub-section (2) of section 73 does not allow for freezing of any asset or making it inoperable.
6. Furthermore, the use of Aadhaar for linking to other databases, retention, storage or publishing is not only prohibited but also a punishable offence under the TheAadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016.
7. It is evident that the GSR 538(E) to require linkage of Aadhaar is invalid and bad in law. More over it is in contempt of the Supreme Court and a disrespect for the Rule of Law. The tactic to coerce people under an invalid legislation that is in contempt of court is undemocratic and deplorable.
8. In light of these facts, and to ensure that you do not continue to commit contempt of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, disregard the Rule of Law and get embroiled in needless controversy, money-laundering, and criminality that results from the use and linkage of Aadhaar with the opening of bank accounts and undertaking financial transactions, we require that you kindly issue an immediate and urgent notification and advertise widely highlighting these facts and that banks can not and do not require or use Aadhaar numbers or Aadhaar information for any process including KYC and payment transactions.
Exactly one month after the brutal murder of Gauri Lankesh, the well-known journalist and activist, thousands of citizens gathered for a massive rally in Delhi on October 5. It was truly a ‘March for Democracy ’ demanding #JusticeForGauri and for intellectuals and journalists like Narendra Dabholkar, M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare , Shantanu Bhowmick and several others, who have been killed in recent times, because of their courage to stand up for truth and justice.
The massive crowd comprised a large spectrum of civil society and included media personalities, human rights and social activists, students and academics, grass root workers and intellectuals. Their refrains were loud and clear ‘Protect Dissent and Democracy’, and say ‘No to Fear and Hate’. Posters and banners with slogans like “we are Gauri” and the words of Pablo Neruda “you can crush the flowers but you cannot stop the spring”, were carried by the marchers.
As if on cue, most of the so- called ‘mainstream media’ hardly gave this massive march the coverage it deserved! Several of the journalists and other media folk in India, are coopted, bought up or bamboozled into silence. Some are just frightened. Huge corporations that are in sync with a corrupt Government, through dubious ways, have taken over some of the major print and electronic media. More are apparently in the offing. There are a good many media ‘guys’ who scream themselves hoarse on their channels in efforts to mouth lies, half-truths, ‘feku-isms’ and toe the line of their political bosses.
Freedom of speech and expression is systematically being throttled in India; the marchers in Delhi, made this evidently clear to all. Few of the major newspapers in India are able to demonstrate the freedom, the courage, the objectivity and the intellectual depth which some of the US dailies do today, as they take on President Trump and his policies, incessantly. Fortunately, we still have some excellent journalists, in India today, made in the mould of Gauri, who are articulate and fearlessly take on the fascists and fundamentalists who are trying to deny the citizens of their legitimate rights.
Very significantly on October 5th ,it was announced in Stockholm that the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2017 was awarded to English author Kazuo Ishiguro “who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world”.Ishiguro has written several best-selling novels. He also speaks plainly on critical issues. Writing a powerful op-ed in the ‘Financial Times’ (July 1st 2016) a little after the United Kingdom had decided to leave the European Union, he raises a critical question as to whether Britain had voted for xenophobia; he concludes his article saying, “we need a second referendum, for or against a “Brexit Light”, that will unite Britain around its traditional humane instincts. And to isolate the racists who today deludedly believe they have won the backing of the country’. Words certainly very applicable to the situation in India today!
More than 175 years ago ,novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his historical play of 1839, ‘Cardinal Richelieu’ wrote those immortal words, “the pen is mightier than the sword” Richelieu who was the Chief minister of King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him; but he is a priest and therefore unable to take up arms against his enemies. His page, Francois, points out to him, “but now, at your command are other weapons, my good Lord”. And Richelieu readily agrees, ‘the pen is mightier than the sword… Take away the sword; States can be saved without it!”
Across the world today, several dictators, fascists, fundamentalists and totalitarian regimes are afraid of the pen and use the sword to throttle freedom of speech and expression. Journalists and others who are visible and vocal in taking a stand for truth and justice, are harassed and incarcerated; brutalized and murdered. There is however, only one way forward: more power to the word! Therein lies our hope for tomorrow!
(The author is a human rights activist)
11,64,000 ration cards cancelled as ‘fake’;
2,71,000 old-age pensioners have been declared ‘fake’;
pruning of MGNREGA applicants as ‘fake’
The Jharkhand government published a full page advertisement on September 22, enumerating its achievements during the 1000 days it has been in power. Among the ‘achievements’ there is one item in the list that details of how it has cancelled 11,64,000 ‘fake ration cards’ leading to saving Rs.225 crores. Similarly, the state government has also ‘cancelled; 2,71,000 old-age pension documents and saved Rs.86 crores. Again, the state government claimed that it has saved Rs.203 crores by pruning MGNREGA ‘fake applicants’. This is peddled like and appears to be a huge achievement of the govt.
But can such ‘saving’ be at the cost of the deprivation of deserving families?
News reports trickling in from interior villages tell a different story. Volunteers of ‘Right to Food Campaign’ found out that several poor toiling people are being denied rations saying their cards are ‘fake’. When these families complained to concerned officials, they were told because they did not have Aadhaar Card, while the Minister for Food Supplies has given a clear directive that not having Aadhaar Card should not be an excuse for not giving rations to the deserving poor. One wonders whose orders are being obeyed by local officials!
Dheeraj Kumar, a volunteer working in Khunti district of Jharkhand, has the following to say about how Aadhaar is being used to circumvent PESA Act which gives constitutional powers to Gram Sabhas:
“ I would like to add few things about the exploitative character of Aadhar. What Modi government is presenting as a magic wand to end corruption and saving revenue, is in fact another weapon of exploitation of poor in the hand of officials, endangering their minimal food security provisioned in National Food Security Act. Aadhar based biometric authentication system is already creating exclusion and inconvenience in PDS, now the cancellation of ration cards just because they were not linked with Aadhar number may lead to starvation of poor, marginalised and voiceless people. We have been told by villagers that they have submitted Aadhar card several times to dealer but still their ration cards were cancelled. It raises question whether the Aadhar has become another instrument of arbitrary use of power by the state against the poor and voiceless, bypassing the constitutional power of PESA?” [emphasis added].(Dheeraj Kumar by email, 4 October.2017)
Who decides who the deserving beneficiaries are? It should be, as per law, the respective Gram Sabha.
The PESA Act, 1996, declares: “every Gram Sabha shall be responsible for the identification or selection of persons as beneficiaries under the poverty alleviation and other programmes”. [PESA 4.(e).(ii)]. This power of the Gram Sabha cannot be overridden by any other govt machinery. After all, it is common sense that the members of the Gram Sabha not only know every single family in their village but also know the economic and social condition of each family. Hence Gram Sabha is the most competent body to decide which families deserve govt’s special assistance to carry on their life in a humane way. On the other hand, the govt servants/officials are not only outsiders but also generally have no concern for the well-being of the poor. But alas, they have usurped the powers of Gram Sabha. This is illegal and unjust.
Unfair arbitrary imposition of ‘digital’ exercise on a largely illiterate population: 2011 national survey reveals in Jharkhand only 54% of male tribal and 27% of female tribal are literate. That means about half the male tribals and two-thirds of female tribals are illiterate. This is the sad reality after 70 years of independence! Now to impose a highly technical digital system on them in unfair and unjust. Added to this is the fact that 56% households in Jharkhand are not yet electrified, and although most villages are electrified the supply is only for limited hours. There are other factors such as whether the computer is functioning or whether the computer-operator is present etc.
Lastly, despite the (last) SC ruling that Aadhaar Card is voluntary, in practice it has been made compulsory. The poor, illiterate rural folk in interior villages are the casualties of state government’s arbitrary action.
[A version of this letter has also been sent to Com. MC Josephine, Chairperson, Kerala State Women’s Commission]
To
The Chief Minister
Kerala
Dear Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan
We write to you as individuals and organizations who are part of the women’s movement to express our outrage and concern regarding the dangerous implications of Hadiya’s continued isolation and imprisonment in her parental home. We are aware of the positive step that the State Women’s Commission has taken through filing an SLP in the Supreme Court regarding seeking directions from the bench for a meeting with Hadiya as part of its duty as an institution mandated to ensure that women are not subjected to unfair practices and denial of their civil rights.
We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to examine the High Court order vis a vis use of Article 226 to declare Hadiya’s marriage as invalid. We also appreciate the Honorable Courts’ decision to relook at the issue of ‘protection’ for Hadiya outside of her family. These are a recognition of the serious nature of violations that have impacted her liberty and freedom as an individual.
As women’s rights activists from across the country, we urge you as the Chief Minister to take steps to ensure that Hadiya is not forcibly confined in the home of her natal family, denied the right to cohabit with her husband, and be subjected to coercion for exercising opting for faith of her choice. It is alarming to have an adult woman today to be ordered into “protective custody” of her parent’s home under the orders of a Court, denied mobility, communication and the company of her friends and well-wishers. Reports of domestic violence at the hands of her family, which if true, is a travesty that places upon your Women’s Commission the duty of initiating an inquiry. This situation cannot be ignored or allowed to continue.
As you well know, the issue is not about what her family, religious extremist organizations – whether Hindu or Muslim, or even we in the women’s movement, think of her choice of partner. The fact is that she is an adult and that she has the autonomy and the fundamental right to make choices regarding her work, her religion and her partner.
We appreciate and support the efforts of all activists and women’s organisations in Kerala, and we are conveying our concern and sharing some suggestions emerging from our discussions.
-The State Women’s Commission of Kerala immediately visit Hadiya to assess the nature of human rights violations that she is facing.
-The Kerala SWC assess and make public a report on Hadiya’s condition.
-Hadiya be brought under the protection of the State, perhaps in a shelter in consultation with her.
-The Kerala SWC and the LDF government must immediately ensure that friends and well-wishers be allowed to meet Hadiya and that she is allowed access to a phone and communication beyond the walls of her parental home.
We urge you to intensify the efforts that you are already making towards action on her virtual house arrest.
Nandini Sundar
Tanika Sarkar
Kalyani Menon Sen
Mary John
Uma Chakravarti
Abha Bhaiya
Virginia Saldanah
Urvashi Butalia
Malika Virdhi
Deepa Dhanraj
Disha Mullick
Uma. V. Chandru
Purnima Gupta
Arunima
Farah Naqvi
Pramada Menon
Chaitali Haldar
Rohini Hensman
Ayesha Kidwai
Lalitha Ramdas
Susie Tharu
Madhu Mehra
Jaya Sharma
Dipta Bhog
Panchali Ray
Madhavi Kukreja
Brinda Bose
Vimala Ramachandran
Johanna Lokhande
Dyuti
LABIA –A Queer Feminist Collective
Bindu Menon
Svati Joshi
Saheli
Shahira Naim
Janaki Abraham
Suneeta Dhar
Jashodhara Dasgupta
Amrita Nandy
Kavita Punjabi
Ranjani Mazumdar
Sarmistha Dutta Gupta
Bindhulaxmi
Nivedita Menon
Rakhi Sehgal
Radhika Desai
Neeraj Malik
Javed Malik
Baaran Ijlaal
Svati Shah
Karuna D W
Sangeeta Chatterji
Geetha Nambisaan
Richa
Jan Abhiyan Sansthan, Shimla
Bebaak Collective-Voice of the Fearless
Vandana Mahajan
Teena Gill
Anup Kumar
Mast Ram
Anurita. P. Hazarika
Nilanju Dutta
Ranjita Biswas
West Bengal Forum for Gender and Sexual Minority Rights (WBGSMR)
Sayantan Dutta
Malini Ghosh
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