Provide a response team for tribal and forest dwelling communities adversely affected by the second wave of Covid-19, demanded civil society organisations, activists, researchers in a letter to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) on June 4, 2021.

The group said, “Covid-19 spread, which was sparse during the first wave, has increased and intensified this year compounded with poor or non-existent health service.”

Accordingly, members recommended: 

• a government Covid-Response Cell to collect data, communicate preventive protocols and conduct RT-PCR and special vaccination drives; 
• special monitoring of health care structure and services; 
• immediate removal of forest-entry restrictions, allowing indigenous people to exercise rights approved by their respective Gram Sabha; 
• state government support for transport of forest produce, its procurement and marketing to prevent distress sale; delivery of essential materials like food grains, vegetables, medicines, masks, sanitizers etc.; 
• effective coverage with all social security schemes such as MGNREGA.

On the aspect of livelihood, the group said, “Nearly 87 percent of Adivasis are forest dependent. Minor forest produce collection, transport and sales are affected by the lockdown. State procurement and special measures to address livelihood and food security are largely absent or ineffective. Other calamities such as cyclones, forest fires and untimely rains have further pushed them to severe distress.”

The group also suggested activating State Tribal Welfare departments to ensure effective implementation of the above recommendations. It suggested that the State Tribal Welfare departments and MoTA can work together to streamline a flow of information allowing easy monitoring of the situation, status of services and response to emergencies.

Signatories like Madhu Sarin and CR Bijoy of Campaign for Survival and Dignity, Soumitra Ghosh of the All India Forum for Forest Movement, Neema Pathak Broome of Kalpavriksh, noted that 21 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) already reported Coronavirus infection.

Prior to the letter, the group submitted a report to the government in May 2020 highlighting problems faced by Adivasis and other forest dwellers during the first wave. It demanded urgent action, including creation of a task force for quick response towards the situation.

While it is unclear whether officials responded to the report at the time, nowadays Adivasi areas lack effective and accessible health care facilities. Absence of basic equipment like oximeters, medicines, and capacity to deal with emergencies have compounded the crisis. Even to access basic health facilities, one has to travel to far away district headquarters where healthcare facilities are functioning at full-capacity.

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Return Assam’s land and forests to the indigenous and Adivasi people: DSG
Covid-19: Assam struggles as 90 Tea Garden workers test positive
Father Stan Swamy to remain in Taloja jail till June 7

The post Urgent action needed against spread of Covid in tribal areas! appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Political and civic organisations on November 28, 2020 voiced their support with the nationwide farmers protest against the new agriculture laws.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Nationalist Congress Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Communist Party of India -Marxist Leninist and other left organisations, in a joint statement, said that the Nirankari ground allotted to farmers by the central government is too small to accommodate the tens of thousands of protesters approaching Delhi.

“We the undersigned demand that a larger ground like Ram Lila Maidan or similar must be allotted for this peaceful protest and all necessary arrangements must be made for their stay and food,” they said.

Demanding that the government adhere to the democratic process and norms and address the concerns of the protesting farmers, leaders reiterated their opposition to the new agriculture laws that threaten India’s food security, Minimum Support Price (MSP) system and destroy Indian agriculture and farmers.

“Braving severe repression, tear-gassing, heavy water cannoning, roadblocks, police barricades and digging up the national highways surrounding Delhi akin to waging a ‘war’ on our farmers, tens of thousands of farmers have successfully reached the National Capital of Delhi. We salute their determination and courage in this massive protest demanding the withdrawal of the retrograde anti-Kisan agri laws,” said the press statement.

The Indian National Congress (INC) published a separate video demanding an apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after Minister of State, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Anil Sharma called protesting farmers “gundas” (hooligans.)

Similarly, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted in support of protesting farmers.

अन्याय के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठाना अपराध नहीं, कर्तव्य है।

मोदी सरकार पुलिस की फ़र्ज़ी FIR से किसानों के मज़बूत इरादे नहीं बदल सकती।

कृषि विरोधी काले क़ानूनों के ख़त्म होने तक ये लड़ाई जारी रहेगी।

हमारे लिए ‘जय किसान’ था, है और रहेगा! pic.twitter.com/EZWxMpIoJc

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 28, 2020

Meanwhile, people of Shaheen Bagh, Batla House, Abul Fazal, Jauhri Farm, Zakir Nagar, Ghaffar Manzil, Jamia Nagar extended their strong support to “farmers agitating against the ‘fascist farman’ (Diktat) of the right-wing neoliberal regime.”

“We the people of Jamia Nagar will be shortly visiting protest sites in a collective of Muslim men and women with our demands to repeal the CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] and anti-farmer, anti-labour laws. This elected government should note that we elected them to enact and implement the guiding principles of the Indian Constitution, which promotes social justice, equality and fraternity, not eroding them through the process of Jingoistic majoritarianism. We won’t allow them to further erode and control the executive, judiciary, legislative, media and sell India to fascist and corporate lobbies of Ambani and Adani,” they said in a press statement.

They also demanded the government repeal its “anti-people laws” passed in 2014-2019 as well as policies passed during the current tenure.

Earlier on Saturday, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) stated that Punjab and Haryana farmers have continued their onward march towards Delhi. The coalition called it an “unprecedented and undeterred mobilization ever witnessed in the history of the country.”

Moreover, they condemned the Uttar Pradesh government for its brutal, barbaric repressive behaviour against farmers’ protests in the state. Protestors from Uttarakhand have also been camping in Uttar Pradesh since they were detained by the state police.

Leaders also countered the notion that these protests are mainly Punjab-centric by pointing out that farmers are attempting to enter Delhi from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, indicating that the resistance is pan-India. Further agitations are underway in numerous states including in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and other areas.

“The lack of sincerity of this government is apparent in numerous ways. Empty assurances and statements will not be believed by farmers any more. The government chose to ignore farmer protests for months on end now, and tried to malign it in numerous ways. It spent crores of rupees of taxpayers’ money in a publicity blitzkrieg in the name of ‘farmers being misinformed’. This very attitude and approach of the Govt. is unacceptable,” said leaders in a press statement.

Related:

Cop gets drenched in water, farmer slapped with attempt to murder case!
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan: Punjab farmer’s soldier son martyred 
Agri Minister should meet farmers ASAP: Why wait till December 3?
Nirankari ground, a moral victory for India’s protesting farmers
Top 10 Moments of November 27, 2020
Second peasant strike in two months garners even bigger support!

The post Residents of Jamia Nagar and left organisations voice their solidarity with India’s farmers appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image Courtesy: nationalheraldindia.com

The BJP ‘stalwart’ and former Union Minister Chinmayanand was arrested on charges of stalking, criminal intimidation, wrongful confinement and sexual intercourse by a person in authority (Section 376C) last Friday. The BJP, which otherwise makes a lot of hue a cry when it’s to blame matters on leaders who aren’t even alive, has not uttered a single word on this conduct, officially. The women ministers of the party, occupying responsible positions, who have been seen as the ‘torch bearers’ of ‘women empowerment’ (person in reference Smriti Irani), have not commented at all on the issue, nor have shown any visible support for the clearly vulnerable law student who accused the minister of rape. The Uttar Pradesh (UP) police also delayed arresting the minister and hasn’t, to date, added charges of rape to this case. Yesterday, women’s organisations in Lucknow led a street protest against the charges of ‘extortion’ against the survivor, while the former BJP union minister Chinmanyanand, a rape accused was ‘allowed’ by the court to be in hospital though he was arrested!

After remaining silent on the whole issue for about a month now, suddenly the BJPannouncedon Thursday that the former Union minister is “no longer a member of the party.” BJP spokesperson Harishchandra Srivastava told PTI, “He is not a member of the BJP”.

However, the spokesperson failed to specify the time when such a decision was taken to remove Chinmayanand from the party. A three-time Lok Sabha MP from Jaunpur, he is also the president of the management committee of the Swami Sukhdevanand Post Graduate College (SSPG), where the 23-year-old law student studied. The reasons given by Srivastava for not being more specific about the details of the decision, are ambiguous too. “All our records are now digitised and so we cannot tell since when he has been discontinued as a member of the party,” he said.

Chinmayanand has been in the party since the 70s and was elected to the 13^th Lok Sabha from Jaunpur seat in UP. He has been a minister of state for home in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led BJP government. He even won general elections from Badaun in 1991 and from Machhlishahr in 1998.

Reportedly, the Akhara Parishad is also planning to expel Chinmayanand from the body at its meeting in Haridwar on October 10. The Parishad is based on the system of Akharas in the Hindu society. An Akhara literally means a wrestling ring in Hindi, but also stands for a place of debate. There are 14 such organisations based on the form of Hinduism and Hindu philosophy they adhere to. Most Akharas are Vaishnavas (followers of Lord Vishnu) and Shaivism (followers of Lord Shiva).

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) president Narendra Giri told PTI, “In most of the cases like this, the seer is expelled from the Akhara Parishad until he is proven innocent.”Giri said that the 72-year-old Swami Chinmayanand belonged to the Prayagraj-based Mahanirvani Akhara.
Notably, before the ‘Swami’s’ deeds came into public eyes, last year, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered the withdrawal of a rape and kidnapping case lodged against Chinmayanand by a disciple and manager of Mumukshu Ashram run by him.

However, the chief judicial magistrate, district court, Shahjahanpur, had stalled the withdrawal proceedings after objections from the victim. The manager of the Mumukshu Ashram had filed an FIR against Chinmayanand on November 30, 2011, alleging that she was held captive, raped and assaulted for several years.

Congress alleges support to the rapist Minister

The Congress on Thursday accused UP BJP government of supporting former Minister Chinmayanand and questioned the silence of women leaders of the party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had alleged that both, the government and the UP police were repeating the ‘negligence’ shown and ‘protection’ given to the accused in the Unnao rape case.

She highlighted that “the consequences of the BJP government and police’s negligence andprotection of the accused in the Unnao rape case are in front of everyone.” She added, “Now, the BJP government and police are repeating the same in the Shahjahanpur case. The victim is in fear. But do not know what the BJP government is waiting for”.

Congress spokesperson Sharmishtha Mukherjee said that ‘inaction’ against Mr Chinmayanand is proof that the BJP is standing behind him. She said, “This is a very serious issue. It has become very clear that this government has a very non-serious approach to tackling increasing crimes against women. The government has a completely blind eye towards crimes against women and they are instead protecting their leaders,” and asked if this case too will be handled like the Unnao rape case.

The rise of Chinmayanand

The three time parliamentarian is currently the president of the managing committee of Swami Sukhdevanand Post Graduate College located in Shahjahanpur. He also ‘looks after’ the management of the Mumukshu trust located in the same region.

Chinmayanand started his political career with the Jayprakash Narayan’s movement. As the movement got the support from prominent leaders, he became an instant favourite with the Jan Sangh, the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which was then preceded by BJP. It was 1980s then. The efforts to build the Ram Temple were gaining momentum. By this time, Chinmayanand had gained importance among the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders. So, he became one of the leading faces of the Ram Mandir temple building propaganda.
By 1985, the ‘movement’ to build the temple was at its peak. By this time, Chinmayanand had established himself as an important Hindutva politician. It is around this time that he came in touch with Yogi Adityanath’s teacher Mahant Avaidyanath. Chinmayanand, along with Avidyanath started the Ram Mandir Mukti Yagya Samiti. It was then that Adityanath and Chinmayanand’s relationship was strengthened.

And hence, when in 1991, Atal Bihari Vapayee became the PM, Chinmayanand got the ticket for UP’s Baduan for the first time. Despite him having no connection with Badaun, merely on the basis of his ‘campaign’ to build the Ram Temple, he won the election and became a parliamentarian. Afterwards, in 1998 he was elected from Machhlishahr and 1999 from Jaunpur. 2003 is considered crucial for Chinmayanand.

This was because, for the first time in the history of India, a ‘sadhu’ (‘saint’) had been elevated to the position of a Home Minister. He would report directly to Advani in 2004.

Adityanath and Chinmayanand’s relationship is neither hidden nor a secret from anyone. In 2017 when the BJP won election in UP, the question was who should become the CM. It was Chinmayanand, who like a good ‘guru brother’ suggested Adityanath’s name.

No wonder then that the Yogi chief minister appears clueless about how to deal with the ‘phenomenon’ that is Chinmayanand!

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https://sabrangindia.in/article/fb-video-missing-student-what-has-transpired-chinmayanand-case
https://sabrangindia.in/article/court-breather-student-who-accused-bjps-chinmayanand-rape
https://sabrangindia.in/article/political-vendetta-law-student-sent-judicial-custody-after-accusing-min-sexual-exploitation
 

The post ‘Swamy’ turns slimy: Chinmayanand’s fall from grace appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Ayesha, now 21, has been suffering from epileptic seizures since birth. She lost her father in 2010 and her mother Shakila Begum sews clothes at home. Ayesha’s coach MA Ali took her in his wing from the slums of Beniakupur, Kolkata and groomed her into a karate champion.

Ayesha has won gold thrice representing India, first time in Mumbai in 2010 and twice in Bangkok in in 2013 and 2015.

A documentary about her journey from the slums in Kolkata to winning gold at the international level despite her health condition called, “ Girl connected” was made by the International Television series (ITVS) and screen globally. It was also telecast by Doordarshan (Delhi).

Recently the Times of India, honoured Ayesha as ‘Times Women Heroes Award’ on 7^th June 2019.

Ayesha teaches nearly 100 girls from the slums self-defense for free because she has a mission of empowering girls. She wants to them fight against crimes against women especially rape.

Ayesha and 4 of her pupils have now been selected to represent India at the International sports meet , 2019 in Bangkok where Ayesha will be given the International sports award in the month of September in Thailand.

Both Ayesha and her pupils are excited about the upcoming event but are sad they won’t really be able to make it for lack of financial support. Ayesha has so far in her career spanning more than a decade has not received any financial support from the state government. It has always been private donors and well-wishers who have helped her.

In 2013 she was helped by TwoCircles.net (TCN) to generate finance to support the financial cost of the trip to Bangkok.

This time also she and her coach are both banking on generous people to support her pupils to make their passports and fly to Thailand.
To help Ayesha, you can donate to her account:

Ayesha Noor, United Bank of India (Entally Branch); Account no:0088010250894.

IFSC code :UTVIOENT131.

Courtesy: Two Circle

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