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Showing posts from April, 2020

Inactive State Information Commissions must resume work on CIC model

By Venkatesh Nayak*  While Governments at the Central and State levels have leaped back to the era of sharing information with the citizenry on a “need to know” basis, thanks to the threat posed by COVID-19 epidemic, all but one of the 29 Information Commissions established under The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) have shut down. During the first and the second phase of the lockdown imposed by governments, we, at CHRI, conducted a rapid telephonic survey of Information Commissions established across India. While the Central Information Commission (CIC) resumed hearings in appeal and complaint cases from 20th April, 2020, its counterparts in the States are not yet functional. Our findings from the rapid telephonic survey are given below, followed by a submission as to why transparency and accountability are indispensable during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 epidemic. Findings from our Rapid Survey of Information Commissions During the first and the second phase

Is the pandemic an illness symptom of already suffering humanity?

Image courtesy: Christopher Alexander (Nature of Order) By Juzar Shabbir A body, like consciousness, is at the same time personal and social. If someone is hurt, I feel an odd sensation in my body. This is a proof of a body that is more social than personal. I don’t know where my body ends and yours begins. The more dear someone or something is to me the more intense that undesirable sensation will be. We are glued to one another by a feeling of sympathy. The relation between a flower and a bee is a sympathetic one and not a symbiotic one. Life, like the body, is as much social as it is personal. Because it’s not only me who suffers death, but also the lives that surround me. The death of a squirrel is as much a cause of pain as it is of a human. Symbiotic relation is a relation of exchange, more precisely an equal exchange; I give you a thing and you give me another in return. This sort of relation presupposes possession of objects. And a self-defined in this way will be a self-made u

Entrepreneur Chanda guides women into mass producing face masks

By Moin Qazi* The self-help group movement has been one of the most powerful incubators of female entrepreneurship in rural India. While there were several young semi-literate women who had homegrown skillsets, absence of capital and regressive social norms prevented them from taking a full plunge and setting up their own independent business. A membership of a self-help group, however, enabled these women to access finance, build confidence and get social support to set up their own enterprises. Most of these women had no formal business training and it was purely within the SHG milieu that they honed their raw skills. This meant that they could not think of any unique businesses that could leapfrog them to more profitable avenues. Tailoring was the most common skill that most women learnt from their mothers. But here also those who could use their creativity to distinguish themselves from the regular clutter and develop some niche market could succeed. One woman who fitted this mould

Prevent anticipated disasters, flooding, water logging in Vadodara due to negligence

Senior activists and experts* write letter to the Municipal Commissioner, Vadodara, with copies to the Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India (GoI); Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, GoI; Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat (GoG); Additional Chief Secretary, Forests & Environment Department, GoG; Principal Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department (GoG); and other concerned officials, seeking immediate steps to prevent anticipated disasters, flooding, and water logging : The recent ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has brought all our anthropocentric activities to a screeching halt forcing us to introspect on our actions and life on this planet. Yet, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, the governmental powers and the related administrative mechanisms have again chosen to assert their top down development decisions, which are not thought through or rely on the latest sciences or techniques, and are imposed on the citizens wi

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou

Vishwamitri project for Vadodara problematic, high-handed, a rushed attempt

Opposing the decision of the authorities for floating tender for “rejuvenation” and “flood mitigation” for the Vishwamitri River in Vadodara, several concerned citizens* have said that this has been done “amidst chaotic conditions in the city, Gujarat and the country, in the wake of the world-wide pandemic, COVID-2019.” In a representation, they said that the tender document has numerous discrepancies and spelling errors “indicative of a high-handed and rushed attempt to undertake the project” at a time when there is “lack of clarity” regarding the Vishwamitri Riverfront Development Project (VRDP), adding, the the project area mentioned in the tender is “problematic”, because the ethos and approach of VRDP was “heavily questioned by informed and concerned citizens of Vadodara.” The representation – sent to municipal commissioner Vadodara; secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India; Gujarat chief secretary; Gujarat Forests & Environment secre

Key to equitable, inclusive development: Compassionate, sustainable capitalism

By Moin Qazi* The field of social entrepreneurship has attracted great global interest on account of its role in providing sustainable solutions to a diverse range of challenging environmental and social problems – health, poverty and climate change – with limited resources. Social entrepreneurs are drawn by a variety of social missions. They are passionate about tackling a problem, have an idea for a solution, and the determination to make that solution happen. This fertile field has given rise to extraordinarily ingenious people who have conjured brilliant ideas and used them with operational prowess to dramatically improve people’s lives. Social entrepreneurship is an appealing construct precisely because it gives primacy to social benefits while at the same time remaining firmly grounded in sound financial principles. Finding the balance between social purpose and financial viability is the toughest challenge for any social entrepreneur. The social entrepreneurship community has no

Need to prepare, implement Corona Disaster Management Plan

Letter* to the Gujarat Chief Secretary, the Gujarat Disaster Management Authority chairman, and the Amreli district collector, demanding relief to the common people during the epidemic of COVID-19, and regarding the preparation and implementation of Corona Disaster Management Plan according to the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Gujarat Disaster Management Act, 2003, and guidelines for preparation of the District Disaster Management Plan: *** Our suggestions on the preparation and implementation of Corona Disaster Management Plan: In Section 37(1) and Section 32 and Section 31 of the Central Disaster Management Act, 2005 and Sections 15 and 16 of the Gujarat Disaster Management Act, there are provisions for the preparation of Disaster Management Plan. Such provisions are present in the rules as well. Demand for preparing and implementing the “Corona Disaster Management Plan,2020” as per the above legal requirements set forth and existing Corona Disease Epidemic: Guidelines for preparati