A Nation in Agony: Demonetisation – Is it Worth the Trouble? Part 1

January 2, 2017

Excerpted from the Book published by SBIOA Institute

Question: The Prime Minister said the problem will be over in 50 days. Now the Finance Minster has stated that it will take 3 – 6 months. The RBI Governor does not give a time line. As a banker and association please let us know how long it will take for the problem to end?
Franco: It is unfortunate that nobody knows or nobody tells exactly when this problem will be over. When the PM & FM give contradictory statement, it is difficult to decide which is going to be correct. But from what has happened in the last 43 days, the position is bad. Even now banks are rationing cash, many ATMs are empty and the queue continues. As per the detailed report published in Frontline dated 9th December 2016 and articles published by Business Standard as a four part series, the RBI does not have adequate capacity to print 46.93 billion new notes which are required within 1 year. So the currency shortage is going to continue for long.

Where the currency is printed? Was the RBI not aware of its capability?
Franco: Currency notes are printed at Bharath Reserve Bank note Mudran Private Ltd, Mysuru and Salboni (West Bengal) Both these are under the control of Reserve Bank of India. Security printing and mining corporation of India Ltd has two units one at Nashik in Maharashtra and the other at Dewas in Madhyapradesh. These two are controlled by the Finance Ministry. As per reports, printing of 2000 notes has been temporarily stopped and 500 notes are being printed. We badly need 100 Rupee Note also. All the printing presses are working overtime in shifts but they have not been able to print enough.

In his own statement RBI says that out of 14.6 lakh crores 13 lakh crores of currency has come back to the banks and RBI has dispersed around 4.5 lakh crores. There will be more deposits by December 30. So there is necessity for supplying around 11 Lakh crores more to bring back normalcy. RBI printing presses are not capable of doing this within 3 months. May be RBI wants to force people into a less cash economy by switching over to transactions without currency.

Is it not good to switch over to a less cash economy?
Yes. It will be good but moving over to a less cash economy is not that easy.

For example in the much talked about point of sale (POS) machine you have to key in your pin number. You have to carefully see whether the amount has been keyed in correctly by the shop keeper or the vendor. Majority of our people find it difficult. In mobile banking the person who is paying and the person who is accepting money have to know their account numbers and the procedure for completing a transaction in which again passwords have to be correctly used. There are chances of cheating. Even e-wallet frauds have come to surface.

Moreover before announcing demonetization steps should have been taken. For example now the Govt has announced that there will be two POS machines in one lakh villages. They have also projected that by March 2017 there will be 10 lakh POS machines added. This should have been done before demonetization. Nobody would have questioned why you are introducing more POS machines or more ATMs.

The only country which has switched over to a cashless economy is Sweden where 100% of the people are literate, education is provided free by the Govt and every citizen has an internet connection. . A question also arises whether these things can be forced on the people when the Govt has not provided free education, free health care and free connectivity to all the citizens.

You had stated that private banks were given more money than the public sector banks.
Yes, I had stated that private sector banks like ICICI, Axis Bank and HDFC which have much lesser number of currency chests and less number of branches were proportionately given more fresh currency than the public sector banks together. This has been reported in different parts of the country. Hence it needs investigation and clarification from the Reserve Bank of India.

When the RBI has stated that adequate currency is available why banks are not paying Rs.24,000/- per individual per week?
This is one of the reasons for which I demanded that the RBI Governor should quit. The reality is there is shortage of currency. Banks have not been provided adequate currency. Because of this Banks have to ration what is available so that more people get some money. The Bankers have been working overtime to service as many customers as possible without adequate sleep and rest. If there is currency why they will not give? In Tamilnadu we have been collecting currency from shops including TASMAC shops so that we could disperse as much cash as possible. The statement of RBI misleads public and public start fighting with the Bankers. This should come to an end.

Don’ you feel that people have been made to beg for their own money?
Yes, there are begging at different levels. Public Sector Banks are begging RBI to provide adequate currency to their currency chests. Some banks are begging to the currency chest owning banks. Even within the banks, branches which do not have currency chests are begging to the currency chest branches. The customers are begging to the bankers to provide adequate currency.

Your Chairman has stated on November 14th that within 10 days things will become normal. Why it has not happened so?
May be even the SBI chairman was not given the real picture by the Finance Ministry or Reserve Bank of India. The problem is supply of currency. SBI cannot print its own currency and it has to depend on RBI.

What are the constraints for the Banks?
There is too much of burden on the banks. The first is the shortage of currency which has made bankers work day and night for arranging currency, loading ATMs and convincing the customers to take less cash.

Only for one day the ATMs were shut down. Probably RBI did not know that there is requirement of recalibration of ATMs to load Rs.2000 notes as the size of the currency had been changed. Adequate Rs.100 was not available. So the ATMs are still getting calibrated and as per news reports even the recalibrated ATMs only 36% of them are functioning due to shortage of currency. The joint custodians had to come even on holidays to give cash to the ATM outsourced Agencies for loading ATMs. This has put lot of stress and strain on the Bankers.

Then suddenly we were asked to use indelible ink which was not available in the market. It took 5 days for us to get the ink. One fine day it was announced that for marriage purpose one could withdraw 2.5 lakhs and 5 lakhs for both the couple together. People started coming with invitation cards to get payments. We started paying. After 3 days the circulars came from RBI with so many conditions, it is impossible to fulfil all the conditions and pay the couple. Now that is also changed.

Initially the Business Correspondents who are around 250,000 in number were not allowed to pay cash. This put tremendous pressure on the bankers. Again adequate cash was not provided to post offices which have a large network of 1.55 lakh branches. As per the Hindu dated 10.12.2016, only Rs.238 Crores has been given to post offices till 9th December 2016.

Another big problem is the Co-operative banks which have 93,042 Primary agricultural co-operative societies under 370 district co-operative banks supervised by NABARD were not provided cash for exchange. It is stated that they had Rs.3.5 lakh crores with them. Their outreach is 15 crore customers. If they would have been permitted to exchange currency and provided cash the situation would have been much better. It is said that providing currency to co-operative banks would have led to massive exchange by politicians. It is not so. By providing strict norms and monitoring the transactions later, misuse could have been detected as it is being done at Mumbai now. After all without any limit, new generation private sector banks have been given so much currency and now it has been proved that they have done lot of exchange illegally. The poor co operative banks are suffering when the customers are left in the lurch. Till now no body knows when they will be able to give back the old currency notes which they are holding and get fresh currency. When Big Bazaar could accept old notes why not the Co-op Banks?

Another problem was handling old soiled notes given by RBI in Rs. 100 and smaller denominations. They had fungus, they were stinking and the cashiers and officers had to use masks and many of them fell sick .

The biggest problem is the other banking business has come to a grinding halt. No NPA followup, almost nil sanction of new loans, and the advances portfolio has gone down by more than 65000 crores. This is going to affect the profitability.

One more burden thrust upon the Bankers was to deposit 100 % of the incremental deposits as cash reserve with RBI which was not earning any interest. This has increased the burden.

Another burden is the cost of recalibrating ATMs, cost of putting up shamianas and Pandals in places where it was possible, providing tea where possible and the expenditure on overtime and out of pocket expenses for late sitting and working on holidays which is going to again affect the profitability of the banks.

One another burden is lack of space for keeping the old currency. At many places they are kept on the floor with huge risk. When we return this to RBI there might be problems of shortage( due to the counting machines which will not be able to count the old notes correctly as some of them will be stuck together)

A sudden announcement of permitting the borrowers to defer their loan repayment by 2 months is also going to be a big burden on the banks where already the NPA is mounting and the Govt has not taken any steps to implement the parliament standing committee recommendations.

There is going to be further burden for returning these old notes to reserve bank, increasing the advances and follow up of NPA.

The Finance Ministry has announced that 27 public sector bank officers have been suspended. Is there large scale mis use of the Banks system and procedure?
First of all I demand that the Finance Ministry publishes the names of officers suspended as on that date. As per our information it was just 10 officers and 11 cashiers. Out of 1.32 lakh branches with more than 3 lakh officers and 7 lakh employees 10-20 black sheep should not have been shown as big, and painting a bad picture of bankers. This was probably to divert attention from the anger which is building up against the Finance Ministry and the RBI. It is unfortunate that the Finance Ministry never spoke about 17 Bank employees who have died during this period in work related to demonetisation and the number of employees who have fallen sick due to this hard work. As because one former Minister of BJP, one youth leader of BJP and an MP’s son in law in Nagaland connected to BJP have been caught, can we say entire BJP leadership is corrupt? As few RBI Staff are arrested, can we say entire RBI is corrupt?

The system is perfect. Anybody who misuses will be caught sooner or later. Serious actions are always taken against the culprits. In most of the cases it was the bank management which had seen the mistake and suspended the people. The Banks have a very strict service condition and those who commit mistakes are never spared. Already special Audits are going on.

It is these bankers who made jan dhan yojana a success and it is these bankers who are toiling day and night. Rumours are that the Government is looking for scape goats and bank officers will be the target.

What does the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation Demand?
From Reserve Bank of India we demand that the RBI should supply adequate fresh currency in Rs.2,000, Rs.500 and Rs.100 denominations immediately.

We also demand that RBI should publish full data on Rs.2,000 and Rs.500 printed from the first day of printing. The details should have the date of printing, date of despatch, where it was despatched, how much was the despatch, what were the numbers printed in the currency and to which state it went? RBI should also give state-wise details of notes distributed to different banks from day 1, indicating the amount, denomination and value including non issuable notes (separately).

Appointment of officer directors
From the Govt we demand that the Govt which talks about transparency and good governance should immediately release the appointment of Officer Directors and Employee Directors. More than 20 recommendations are pending and some of them for more than 20 months. This will give some transparency to the Banks Boards which take major decisions regarding sanctioning large loans, write off of loans, and also deal with the HR matters of Banks.

We also demand that the recommendations of Parliament Standing Committee on NPAs should be implemented immediately. We also demand that the expenditure involved in the demonetization exercise by the Banks should be reimbursed by the Govt to the Banks.

We also demand that the families of Officers and employees who died during the period starting from Nov 8th should be provided compassionate appointment.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

Seeking Votes on Basis of Religion a Corrupt Practice: SC

January 2, 2017

In a majority verdict, delivered on the second day of the New Year, 2017, the Supreme Court today held that any appeal for votes on the ground of "religion, race, caste, community or language" amounted to "corrupt practice" under the election law provision. The majority view, led by former Chief Justice TS Thakur and shared by Justices M B Lokur, S A Bobde and L N Rao, said 'secularism' has to be considered while dealing with such issues.

Referring to the term 'his religion' used in section 123(3) of the Representation of The Peoples (RP) Act, which deals with 'corrupt practice', Chief Justice T S Thakur and three others in the 4:3 verdict said it meant the religion and caste of all including voters, candidates and their agents etc. This gives a substantive jolt to the arguments put forward by the ruling dispensation through their counsel when the matter was argued in October 2017.

Reflecting a division of opinion in the highest court of the land, however, the minority view of three judges – UU Lalit, A K Goel and D Y Chandrachud – held that the term 'his' religion means religion of candidate only.

The judicial findings of the majority verdict, 4-3, will have lasting implications not only in the upcoming elections to state assemblies but will ensure more maturity to Indian democracy—they will have lasting implications, especially on those supremacist outfits who unashamedly appeal to exclusivity of the faith of candidates to garner votes.

For decades now, especially since the sharp rise of political parties that espouse sharp religious (and often antagonistic and inciteful) sentiments, electoral politics has been coloured by communalism.

Under consideration by the Supreme Court of India were several petitions that raised and interpreted this issue and over which appeals and reviews were filed. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India (Justices JS Verma, Saran Singh and Venkataswami), in 1996, held Shiv Sena supremo, Bal Thackeray to be guilty of a corrupt electoral practice under section 123 (3) and 123 (3A) of the Representation of People’s Act. The interpretation of section 123(3) however was narrow. The three speeches made by Thackeray on November 29, 1987, December 12, 1987 and December 10, 1987 were made in support of the then mayor of Mumbai, Ramesh Prabhoo, contesting the assembly elections.

Now the Supreme Court has spoken: on the crucial aspects of the interpretation of the section of the law, section 123(3) and the relationship between the candidate contesting the election and ‘his’ religion as also the relationship (and thereby the legal culpability) of a particular candidate with the manifesto of his party (and whether the candidate can be held legally bound to it), following this verdict, political parties cannot take shelter under ambiguity.

Is a contesting candidate an ‘agent’ as defined under the Representation of People’s Act and is a ‘leader’ of the party, who campaigns for him also an ‘agent’ as defined and liable for legal restrictions under the Act ? Political parties are registered under Section 29(a) of the Act.

If a leader of this party so registered (under the Act) makes a speech that violates the Constitution, is inciteful (and by being a corrupt practice of misusing religion for electoral ends), i.e. if such a speech is violative of Section 123(3) of the Act, what are the consequences for such a ‘leader’? Sometimes during an election campaign, a candidate actually contesting the election is present at the time when such a speech is made by a 'leader'; on occasion he is absent. There are posters, videos and other materials circulated (that are violative of the Election Law, inciting voters against other faiths); can a candidate be held guilty of violation of the Election Law or not?

It is on these key issues that the Supreme Court has spoken.

Related Articles:

"If Hinduism is a way of life, so are Islam and Christianity, or any other — SC must revisit Hindutva verdict"

Secularism Betrayed

Is the Misuse of Religion Tainting India’s Electoral Process?

हिंदुत्व की व्याख्या पर दोबारा गौर करे सुप्रीम कोर्ट

Disclaimer: The co-editor of Sabrangindia, Teesta Setalvad had, in her individual capacity intervened in the Supreme Court of India on the crucial issue and her intervention application had been heard. Writers Dilip Mandal and Shamsul Islam were co-petitioners with Setalvad.

In pictures: The black-and-white story of a Delhi lost in time

January 2, 2017

Narain Prasad’s images reveal an era when the Yamuna was clean and Okhla was a picnic spot.

Image credit: Courtesy Centre for Community Knowledge

Lala Narain Prasad received his first camera in year 1938. It was a box camera. And he was just 14.

Over the next four decades, that gift remained Prasad’s constant companion, as he roamed the streets of Delhi, clicking incessantly to feed his obsession with photography. Each image was lovingly captioned, dated and archived at his residence, Haveli Haider Quli, in Chandni Chowk – and that’s where they remained until Surajit Sarkar, an associate professor at Ambedkar University, came across them in 2009.

The Delhi in those 1,200 sepia images was fascinating.

Picnic at Okhla, Narain Prasad (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

Prasad died in 2016 at the age of 96. But in his last years, he helped Ambedkar University’s Centre for Community Knowledge, an organisation that aims to preserve India’s living communities and their cultural heritage, take over his archive and digitise them.
Around 120 images from the Narain Prasad Collection are on display at Camera Dilli Ka – A Delhi Photo Archive 1880-1980, an exhibition at the India International Centre in Delhi.

“He had seen Delhi through such a long period that he was history himself,” said Ranjani Prasad, archives manager with the Centre for Community Knowledge, who kick-started the process of digitising Prasad’s images. “It was a slow process of recollection and narration, but he had shown incredible foresight by preserving them with labels and proper cataloguing of his material.”

Rotary Club Awareness Walk, Narain Prasad, 24 March 1981 (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

The collection, according to Sarkar, is unique because it gives a people-centric view of the metropolis in its growing years – it draws attention to how city spaces were used and remembered. “It went beyond the history by way of photographs of monuments or landscapes that we generally see,” said Sarkar.

Wrestlers in training at an akhada, Narain Prasad, February 1980 (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

Another reason the archive is special is because it retells forgotten stories. “For example, we have a picture of wedding that took place in, what we think is probably Roshnara Baag,” said Sarkar. “It reflects the life of the English-speaking elite of Delhi at the time – how they dressed, their little rituals.”

A marriage party in 1931, Narain Prasad Collection (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

The exhibit does include photographs of Delhi’s monument – one cannot capture the essence of Delhi without its heritage – but the images set themselves apart in how these structures nudge their way into the frame. The Safdarjang Tomb can be seen in distance in a picture of an airplane at the Safdarjang Airport. Humayun’s Tomb features in an image as the site of transition camps for Muslim refugees on their way to Pakistan. Even a photograph of the Qutab Minar actually gives the view from the top of the monument (which was closed to visitors for decades ago).

The Iron Pillar from Qutub Minar, Narain Prasad, July 1980 (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

According to Sarkar, Prasad’s passion for photography was noticed by his sister Sarla Sharma, who took part in the Quit India Movement. “She asked him to accompany her to some of her meetings and rallies as an ‘unofficial’ photographer. This made him privy to some extremely intrinsic moments in history and brought him in close proximity to influential leaders.”

Subhash Chandra Bose at a rally, Delhi, Narain Prasad (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

Camera Dilli Ka has been loosely organised according to themes: children playing instruments, changing modes of transport, images of Okhla when it was a popular picnic spot, the early days of flying, and images of the once-clean Yamuna in which people boated and swam.

Swimmers at Ghat No. 23, Yamuna Bazaar, Narain Prasad, May 1945 (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

The mood of the moment reflects in each photograph – the demureness of a bride wearing flowers, the joy at playing hopscotch, the pride of the first person from Delhi who got a private pilot’s licence.

The first Dilliwalla to obtain a private pilot’s license, Narain Prasad, early 1940’s (Image courtesy: Centre for Community Knowledge).

The exhibition, dominantly showcasing Prasad’s work, also includes around 20 images of the city curated from the collections of Fozan Ali Ahmed, Jan Friese and from the archives of travellers, such as Mexican journalist Gossi Soto who visited in the 1950s, and some colour photographs by Christophe Fanjat from as recently as the 1980s.

Camera Dilli Ka – A Delhi Photo Archive 1880-1980 is on till January 29 at the India International Centre, New Delhi.

This article was first Published on Scroll.in

नोटबंदी की मार: छत्तीसगढ़ में फ्री सब्जी बांटने को मजबूर किसान

January 2, 2017

रायपुर। छत्तीसगढ़ के रायपुर में सोमवार को किसान विरोध स्वरूप मुफ्त में सब्जी बाटेंगे। नोटबंदी से छाये मंदी के कारण किसानों को उनके उत्पाद का सही मूल्य नहीं मिल पा रहा है। किसानों ने तय किया है कि इससे बेहतर है कि एक दिन विरोध स्वरूप जनता को मुफ्त में सब्जियां बांटी जाये ताकि वे किसानों का दर्द समझ सकें। इस विरोध कार्यक्रम का आयोजन राजधानी रायपुर के बूढ़ा तालाब स्थित धरना स्थल में प्रगतिशील युवा किसान संघ द्वारा आयोजित किया जा रहा है।

धरना स्थल पर सोमवार को किसान 1 लाख किलो शिमला मिर्च, टमाटर, पत्तागोभी, बरबट्टी, लौकी, मिर्च तथा केला जनता को बाटेंगे। किसान संघ दरअसल 2 लाख किलो सब्जी 60 गाड़ियों में लाकर बांटना चाहता था परन्तु प्रशासन ने केवल 30 गाड़ी सब्जी बांटने की ही अनुमति दी है।

रायपुर के बूढ़ा तालाब स्थित धरना स्थल पर सुबह के 11 बजे से जनता को मुफ्त सब्जी बांटी जायेगी। एक व्यक्ति को केवल 5 किलो तक सब्जी दी जायेगी। इसके लिये किसान संघ ने घर से थैले लेकर आने का आव्हान् किया है। गौरतलब है कि इससे पहले छत्तीसगढ़ के दुर्ग तथा पत्थलगांव में किसानों ने सैकड़ों ट्रक टमाटर सड़कों पर उड़ेलकर अपना विरोध प्रदर्शन किया था। सोमवार को प्रगतिशील युवा किसान संघ मुख्यमंत्री को एक ज्ञापन भी सौंपेगा।

छत्तीसगढ़ कि किसान नेता नंदकुमार कश्यप ने इस विरोध प्रदर्शन पर कहा है दरअसल किसान आम जनता को यह संदेश देना चाह रहे हैं कि वे तबाही के कगार पर पहुंच गये हैं। किसानों ने बीज, खाद व अपनी मेहनत से जिस फसल को तैयार किया है नगदी एवं चिल्हर की समस्या के कारण उसका सही मोल नहीं मिल पा रहा है। नोटबंदी के बाद से ट्रांसपोर्ट व्यवसाय भी ठप्प पड़ गया है इसलिये किसानों अपने फसल को बाहर भी नहीं भेज पा रहें हैं। किसानों की तबाही गांवों में गहराते आर्थिक संकट का संकेत है। जिसका राज्य के ग्रामीण अर्थव्यवस्था, किसानों की क्रयशक्ति पर विपरीत प्रभाव पड़ेगा।

Courtesy: National Dastak

उन्होंने कहा कि आज किसान मुफ्त में सब्जी बांट रहें हैं इसका अर्थ होता है कि उनके पास अगली फसल के लिये बीज, चारा तथा खाद किये पैसे नहीं हैं। आने वाले समय में राज्य में सब्जियों की कमी होगी इतना तय है। नंदकुमार कश्यप ने कहा आज जो रायपुर में हो रहा है दरअसल वह पूरे राज्य के किसानों के दर्द है। पूरे छत्तीसगढ़ के किसान व सब्जी उत्पादक इस बार भयंकर मंदी का सामना कर रहें हैं।

छत्तीसगढ़ के एक और किसान नेता आनंद मिश्रा का कहना है कि आज के विरोध प्रदर्शन के बाद क्या होगा वह ज्यादा महत्वपूर्ण है। यही किसान इसके बाद किसानी से तौबा करने लगेंगे। पलायन करने के लिये मजबूर हो जायेंगे, कहीं मजदूरी करने लगेंगे। यदि अन्न उत्पादकों को, सब्जी उत्पादकों को बाजार की मंदी से सुरक्षा प्रदान नहीं की जाती है तो राज्य धीरे-धीरे खाद्य संकट की बढ़ता जायेगा। आज किसानों को कैश चाहिये जिससे भविष्य में उत्पादन को जारी रखा जा सके। यदि वे ही तबाह हो जायेंगे तो निकट भविष्य में सब्जी कौन उगायेगा, जनता कहां से सब्जी खरीदेगी?

NDTV पर आजीवन बैन की माँग करने वाले सुभाषचंद्रा के ज़ी न्यू़ज़ को अब इमरजेंसी नज़र आ रही है !

January 2, 2017

पश्चिम बंगाल की ममता बनर्जी सरकार ने धूलागढ़ में हुए सांप्रदायिक दंगे की रिपोर्टिंग को लेकर ज़ी न्यूज़ के ख़िलाफ़ जो fIR कराई है, वह कुछ और नहीं पत्रकारिता पर अंकुश लगाने की एक कोशिश ही कही जाएगी। यह सत्ता का वही रवैया है जो बार-बार रंग दिखाता है, फिर चाहे सरकार किसी भी पार्टी की हो….पत्रकारों के पास इससे लड़ने के अलावा कोई रास्ता नहीं है।

लेकिन……!

क्या वाक़ई मामला इतना सीधा है। क्या ज़ी को सिर्फ़ इसलिए पत्रकारिता के मोर्चे का सिपाही मान लेना चाहिए क्योंकि उसके पास ख़बर दिखाने का लाइसेंस है ?आज ज़ी को

पत्रकारों की अभिव्यक्ति की आज़ादी का मतलब समझ में आ रहा है, लेकिन अभी दो महीने भी नहीं हुए जब ज़ी के मालिक और बीजेपी के सांसद सुभाषचंद्रा ने एनडीटीवी पर आजीवन प्रतिबंध की वक़ालत की थी। तब यह चैनल कहाँ खड़ा था ? तब वह एनडीटीवी को उसी तरह राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा के लिए ख़तरा बता रहा था जैसे कि आज उसे सांप्रदायिक सद्भाव की राह का रोड़ा कहा जा रहा है।

वैसे ख़ुद ज़ी के संपादक सुधीर चौधरी अपने एक संपादकीय सहयोगी के साथ तिहाड़ जेल की हवा खा चुके हैं और मसला किसी ख़बर

दिखाने का नहीं, एक उद्योग समूह से सौ करोड़ से ज़्यादा की उगाही का था। ज़ी की ओर से तब भी इमरजेंसी की दुहाई दी गई थी, जैसे अब दी जा रही है।

कुछ दिन पहले हरियाणा के मुख्यमंत्री मनोहर लाल खट्टर से तीखे सवाल पूछने वाले ज़ी संवाददाता महेंद्र सिंह की नौकरी सुधीर चौधरी ने ले ली थी, तब उन्हें इमरजेंसी का ध्यान नहीं आया? जब जेएनयू को बदनाम करने के लिए फ़र्ज़ी वीडियो गढ़े गए तब भी सुधीर चौधरी को कुछ ग़लत नहीं लगा ! ज़ी के ही एक प्रोड्यूसर विश्वदीपक ने नौकरी से इस्तीफ़़ा देकर बताया था कि न्यूज़रूम का माहौल किस कदर सांप्रदायिक और घुटन भरा है। कैसे जेएनयू को बदनाम करने के लिए ख़बरों का खिलवाड़ किया गया था।

यह बात कैसे भुलाई जा सकती है कि जेएनयू अध्यक्ष कन्हैया कुमार की हाईकोर्ट में पेशी कै दौरान हुई दिल्ली के तमाम पत्रकारों की पिटाई के ख़़िलाफ़ जब प्रतिवाद जुलूस निकला तो सुधीरचौधरी मज़ाक उड़ा रहे थे। छत्तीसगढ़ से लेकर झारखंड तक में आए दिन होने वाले पत्रकार उत्पीड़न भी उनके लिए मायने नहीं रखते।

सच बात तो यह हैकि ज़ी न्यूज़ आज़ाद पत्रकार समूह की हैसियत अरसा पहले खो चुका है। वह पूरी तरह बीजेपी की नीतियों के साथ ख़ुद को नत्थी कर चुका है। ज़ी के मालिक सुभाषचंद्र के राज्यसभा जाने के साथ यह बात और स्पष्ट हो चुकी है। कौन भूल सकता है कि सुधीर चौधरी ने अपने डीएनए में वैज्ञानिक परीक्षण के साथ यह बताया था कि 2000 रुपये के नए नोट में चिप लगी है। ज़ी न्यू़ज़ आजकल ख़ुद को राष्ट्रवादी पत्रकारिता का अलंबरदार बताता है जिसकी नज़र में दूसरों की देशभक्ति संदिग्ध है। ख़ासतौर पर सेक्युलर लोगों की।

यह सही है कि धूलागढ़ की घटना पर पश्चिम बंगाल या बाक़ी देश के मीडिया ने तूल नहीं दिया या कहें कि संयम दिखाया। इरादा इस आग को फैलने से रोकना था। बहरहाल ज़ी को यह हक़ था कि वह रिपोर्टिंग करे। लेकिन उसने जो दिखाया वह इसके इरादे के खोट को ज़ाहिर कर रहा था। उसने बताया कि "पश्चिम बंगाल में हिंदुओं का हाल वैसा ही है जैसे कि पाकिस्तान में है" और धूलागढ़ में हिंदुओं पर एकतरफ़ा हमला हुआ और उन्हें अपना घर छोड़कर भागना पड़ा। हक़ीक़त यह है कि वहाँ हिंदुओं और मुसलमानों, दोनों ही एक दूसरे पर हमलावर हुए और दोनों ही समुदाय के लोगों को अपना घर छोड़ना पड़ा है।

इसमें संदेह नहीं कि वाममोर्चे के शासन के दौरान पश्चिम बंगाल में सांप्रदायिक झगड़े नहीं होते थे और यह घटना ममता बनर्जी के शासन पर कलंक है, लेकिन ज़ी न्यू़ज़ ने वहाँ सच्चाई की पड़ताल नहीं की, बीजेपी और विश्व हिंदू परिषद जैसे संगठनों की 'ज़रूरत' के मुताबिक़ वीडियो रपटें तैयार कीं।

बहरहाल, ममता बनर्जी सरकार ने अगर मुक़दमा दर्ज कराया है तो उसे अदालत में अपनी बेगुनाही साबित करनी पड़ेगी लेकिन ज़ी को पत्रकारों की ओर से कोई सहयोग मिलेगा, इसमें संदेह है। पत्रकारों और पत्रकारिता की मर्यादा पर अगह ज़ी न्यूज़ खरा नहीं उतरता तो फिर उसे इनकी दुहाई देने का हक़ भी नहीं है।

Courtesy: Media Vigil

सूर्या नमस्कार करने पर क्रिकेटर मौहम्मद कैफ हुए ट्विटर ट्रोल का शिकार

January 2, 2017

भारतीय क्रिकेटर मौहम्मद कैफ अपनी सूर्य नमस्कार की फोटो सोशल मीडिया पर अपलोड करके ट्विटर ट्रोल का टारगेट बन गए।

कैफ अक्सर सोशल मीडिया पर हेल्थ और फिटनेस टिप शेयर करते रहते हैं। कैफ ने इन तस्वीरों के साथ लिखा कि सूर्य नमस्कार शारीरिक सिस्टम के लिए कंप्लीट वर्कआउट है।

कैफ द्वारा किया गया ये ट्वीट उनके प्रशंसकों को रास नहीं आया,और लोगों ने इसे इस्लाम की परंपराओं का अनादर होना बता दिया। लोगों ने लिखा- “सूर्य नमस्कार इस्लाम की परंपराओं के खिलाफ है। आप क्यो विवादास्पद चीजे पोस्ट कर रहे हैं।”

“सूर्य नमस्कार इस्लाम में 100% मना है। हम अल्लाह के सिवा किसी के सामने नहीं झुक सकते”

“कभी नमाज़ पढ़ने की फोटो भी लगाई है ??

आलोचना के बावजूद, भारत के पूर्व अंडर -19 कप्तान ने उनके विरोधियों को बताया कि फिटनेस एक्सरसाईज़ का धर्म से कोई लेना देना नहीं है।

कैफ ने लिखा कि मेरे द्वारा शेयर की गई हर फोटो में मेरे अभ्यास करने के दौरान मेरे दिल में अल्लाह था। मैं यह नहीं समझ पा रहा हूं कि कोई भी एक्सरसाइज, चाहे वह सूर्य नमस्कार हो या जिम हो इसका धर्म से क्या संबध है? यह सभी को फायदा पहुंचाती है।

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

जब जनाज़े के लिए सीमा पर मस्जिद को लगानी पड़ी गुहार “गोलीबारी बंद करो, हमें दफनानी है लाश”

January 2, 2017

पिछले कुछ दिनों से पाकिस्तान की तरफ से हो रही गोलीबारी ने कश्मीर घाटी में हालात फिर तनावपूर्ण बना दिए है. जहां लोगों के रोज़मर्रा के काम इससे बुरी तरह से प्रभावित हुए है वहीं एक दिल को छू लेने वाली घटना सामने आई है।

जम्मू कश्मीर के पूंछ सेक्टर जहाँ रूक रूक भारी गोलीबारी हो रही है जिसमे हाल ही में कई सुरक्षा बलों और नागरिकों की जान गई है।

Photo courtesy: ndtv

बीते शुक्रवार सोलह वर्षीय तनवीर की ऐसी ही गोलीबारी में मौत हो गई ।तनवीर के परिजनों ने लाइन ऑफ़ कंट्रोल के पास उनके गांव नूरकोट में अपनी जमीन पर दफनाने का फैसला किया। लेकिन भारी गोलीबारी के बीच उन्हें ये फैसला वापस लेना पड़ा। मामले में दखल देते हुए मस्जिद को सीमा पर जज़्बाती अपील करनी पड़ी कि कुछ देर के गोलीबारी रोक दी जाए ताकि लाश को दफनाया जा सके।

राज्य की विधानसभा के सदस्य जहांगीर मीर के अनुसार मस्जिद ने अपने लाउड स्पीकर से कहा “तुम्हारी गोलीबारी ने एक जान ले ली है। गोलीबारी बंद करो। हमे जनाजे की नमाज अदा करनी है।

Photo courtesy: ndtv

सीज़फायर के उल्लंघन का ताजा मामला पाकिस्तानी सेना की दो हफ्ते की चुप्पी के बाद आया है। इससे पहले भारतीय सेना ने माछिल सेक्टर में मारे तीन भारतीय जवानों के बाद कार्रवाई में आपरेशन चलाया था। पुलिस के अधिकारी ने बयान देते हुए कहा कि रविवार को पाकिस्तान की ओर से बिना उकसावे की फायरिंग की गई जिसमे भारतीय सेना की तीन पोस्टों को निशाना बनाया गया।

Courtesy: Janta ka Reporter

VIDEO: भाजपा मुख्यमंत्री पर घंटों बरसते रहे जूते-चप्पल, मुर्दाबाद के लगे नारे

January 2, 2017

रांची। झारखंड के बीजेपी मुख्यमंत्री रघुवर दास को रविवार को जूतों और चप्पलों से आक्रोश झेलना पड़ा। झारखंड में खरसावां के शहीद स्थल पर रविवार को आयोजित शहीद दिवस समारोह में शहीदों को श्रद्धांजलि देने आए मुख्यमंत्री रघुवर दास को आदिवासी समुदाय के लोगों का आक्रोश झेलना पड़ा। तल्ख विरोध के बीच मुख्यमंत्री ने शहीदों को श्रद्धांजलि दी।

इस दौरान आदिवासी समुदाय के लोग मुख्यमंत्री को काला झंडा दिखाते हुए वापस जाओ के नारे लगाते रहे। सीएम के श्रद्धांजलि देकर वापस जाने के समय जूते-चप्पल उछाले गए। जबकि शहीद दिवस समारोह में पुलिस ने कड़ी सुरक्षा व्यवस्था की थी।

मुख्यमंत्री के आने की सूचना मिलते ही आदिवासी संगठन के लोग उग्र हो गए और शहीद स्थल पर ही प्रदर्शन करते हुए मुख्यमंत्री वापस जाओ, रघुवर सरकार मुर्दाबाद के नारे लगाने लगे। भीड़ ने सीएनटी (छोटानागपुर टिनेंसी)-एसपीटी (संथाल परगना टिनेंसी) एक्ट संशोधन का विरोध करते हुए नारेबाजी की।

उपायुक्त के. श्रीनिवासन एवं पुलिस अधीक्षक संजीव कुमार ने लोगों को समझाने का काफी प्रयास किया, लेकिन आदिवासी समुदाय के लोग अपनी जिद पर अड़े रहे। जब मुख्यमंत्री श्रद्धांजलि देने शहीद स्थल पहुंचे तो लोगों ने शहीद बेदी का दरवाजा अंदर से बंद कर दिया।

पलक झपकते ही बड़ी संख्या में काले झंडे लहराने लगे और मुख्यमंत्री और बीजेपी के विरोध में नारेबाजी होने लगी। इसके बाद पुलिस-प्रशासन के अधिकारियों के साथ आदिवासी समाज के लोग धक्कामुक्की करने लगे। लोगों ने मुख्यमंत्री को लगभग आधे घंटे तक रोके रखा।

काफी प्रयास के बाद मुख्यमंत्री शहीद बेदी तक पहुंचे और श्रद्धांजलि दी। श्रद्धांजलि देकर जैसे ही मुख्यमंत्री शहीद बेदी से बाहर निकले, आदिवासी समुदाय के लोग सरकार के विरोध में नारेबाजी करते हुए जूते-चप्पल एवं कुर्सियां उछालने लगे तथा काले झंडे दिखाने लगे। इस पर पुलिस बिल्कुल लाचार दिखी।

यह पूरा वाकया लगभग एक घंटे तक चलता रहा। कड़ी मशक्कत के बाद मुख्यमंत्री को उनकी कार तक पहुंचाया गया, जहां से वे हैलीपैड पहुंचे और फिर जमशेदपुर के लिए रवाना हो गए।

Courtesy: National Dastak

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A Nation in Agony: Demonetisation – Is it Worth the Trouble? Part 1

Excerpted from the Book published by SBIOA Institute

Seeking Votes on Basis of Religion a Corrupt Practice: SC

In pictures: The black-and-white story of a Delhi lost in time

Narain Prasad’s images reveal an era when the Yamuna was clean and Okhla was a picnic spot.

नोटबंदी की मार: छत्तीसगढ़ में फ्री सब्जी बांटने को मजबूर किसान

NDTV पर आजीवन बैन की माँग करने वाले सुभाषचंद्रा के ज़ी न्यू़ज़ को अब इमरजेंसी नज़र आ रही है !

जब जनाज़े के लिए सीमा पर मस्जिद को लगानी पड़ी गुहार “गोलीबारी बंद करो, हमें दफनानी है लाश”

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