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Showing posts from April, 2021

'Le Monde' editorial on Covid crisis: Modi's lack of prediction, arrogance and demagogy

Well-known human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi has forwarded a WhatsApp message, wondering, “they” can browbeat Twitter, Facebook, intimidate independent journalists, but can they really control the media world over? Reproducing the editorial of the French daily “Le Monde”, she says, “The Australian newspaper showed their thumb to the High Commission's “stupid” attempt at threatening them and asking for retraction and publication of rejoinder, which was turned down politely.” This is what "Le Monde" editorial "Covid-19: Narendra Modi's India shaken" says: *** Every day, 350,000 new infections and more than 2,000 deaths are recorded in the country. A situation due to the unpredictability of the virus but also to the lack of anticipation, arrogance and demagogy of the Indian Prime Minister. Presented as the "pharmacy of the world", the country exported and offered millions of doses of vaccine, ensuring that it produced enough for its populati

What policy makers need to do to make the informal sector vibrant

Ranjula Bali Swain, Arup Mitra* Many components within the informal sector share close linkages with the formal sector. In such a situation if the formal sector is growing rapidly it is natural that the informal sector would benefit from the percolation effects. However, in reality the informal sector is characterized in terms of low productivity and meagre earnings, explaining considerable overlaps with poverty and slum-dwelling in cities. Agglomeration economies work and they contribute to productivity growth as a result of which the real wages in the cities tend to be higher compared to the rural areas. Yet, urban poverty exists which warrant an explanation. Some of the reasons of course can be envisaged in terms of a high degree of heterogeneity this sector possesses. There are residual activities with almost no entry barriers and they often involve excess supplies of labour relative to demand. Similarly, there are self-employed households both in manufacturing and services, operat

Hope shines in Maharashtra’s worst-hit Nagpur district to heal corona scars

By Moin Qazi* The catastrophe unfolding of the pandemic appears to be the worst-case scenario that many feared: the second wave coronavirus has rapidly slid into a devastating crisis as the disease continues to rampage. The infections have spread so fast that overwhelmed hospitals are unbearably full; medicine is running out; supplies of lifesaving oxygen running low and morgues have run out of space. The sick have been left stranded in interminable lines at hospital gates or at home, literally gasping for air. But hope still shines in this dark tragedy as civil society has risen to the occasion with its cadres defying threats to their own safety to supplement the state’s efforts. An integral aspect of our collective response is that the pandemic has engendered a united resolve, and for some organizations, countering hate is an exercise in demonstrating love and compassion. In the face of the pandemic, Indians transcending barriers of class, caste, region and religion have spontaneousl

UK media's sensational claim: Unidentified 'rich, famous' flee India's 2nd Covid wave

Peony Hirwani reports in "The Independent" that India’s rich and famous are fleeing the country on private jets as airfares soar amid Covid crisis, adding, VIPs have reportedly spent more than £100,000 chartering nine-hour private jet flights to London, amid a rush for regular tickets out of crisis-hit country.

Anonymous employees' letter talks of Times Now's blatant PR in the name of journalism

  Veteran economist Amit Bhaduri, who gave up his status as professor emeritus of the Jawaharlal University (JNU) in protest against “throttling” of dissent in JNU in January 2020, has in an email alert released a letter, purportedly written by “former and present employees of Times Now” which talks “beleaguered and disillusioned employees” of the top English news channel, run by the Times of India group. Insisting that the letter must be published immediately everywhere "in solidarity to make a turning point in journalism possible”, the anonymously written letter is addressed to top bosses of Times Now – Rahul Shivshankar, Navika Kumar and Padmaja Joshi. Released by Bhaduri through the Dalit group Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre (PMARC), here is what it says: *** We, the former and current employees of Times Now, never imagined that we would come to a situation where we would have to write an open letter to remind the editors of the channel about the basic ethics and

Anonymous employees' letter talks of Times Now's blatant PR in the name of journalism

Veteran economist Amit Bhaduri, who gave up his status as professor emeritus of the Jawaharlal University (JNU) in protest against “throttling” of dissent in JNU in January 2020, has in an email alert released a letter, purportedly written by “former and present employees of Times Now” which talks “beleaguered and disillusioned employees” of the top English news channel, run by the Times of India group.

Ambarish Rai’s death shows the collapse of the healthcare system

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* It’s devastating news. My dear friend Ambarish Rai passed away in the morning today. His death is a big blow to all of us who have been associated with him or have known him for more than two decades. His death is an example of callousness and complete chaos in our health care system which is killing people. Ambarish ji was active and only admitted yesterday where the hospital said that he is a Covid Suspect. His Oxygen level was low and his friends and family took him to a hospital in Malviya Nagar where the hospital suggested that he is Covid suspect and needed to be taken to Covid Special hospital. He was then brought to Ambedkar Hospital where the doctors wanted his Covid report which had not come in. He was suffering from breathing. According to friends, they requested the hospital staff to at least provide him Oxygen till the report came in. I think they provided him with Oxygen but it was too late. He passed away in the morning. Basically, it is an exampl

Was Kumbh advanced by a year to please astrologers, setting aside pandemic danger?

By Mohan Guruswamy* Kumbh Melas are held every 12 years. The actual due date for the ‘current’ Kumbh Mela at Haridwar was 2022, not 2021. Because the last Haridwar Kumbh Mela had been held in 2010. So how did it get advanced by one whole lethal year? Let me tell you the reason. It was ‘advanced’ by a year, to 2021, because the ‘astrological configurations’ of the ‘Sun entering Aries’ and ‘Jupiter entering Aquarius’ were available for 2021 this time. This happens once every 83 years, and it happens because of the need to reconcile astrological configuration charts to calendrical years. The calculative arcana of this ‘adjustment’ is beyond my capacity. I suggest none of you try it if you don’t want to give yourselves a headache. So, not only did the Government of India, and the Government of Uttarakhand NOT cancel the Kumbh Mela, which they could easily have done, so as not to endanger the lives of millions of people by causing a super-spreader event for Covid 19; they also need not have

Sholay: Singing to the tune of Indian ruling classes, making people hero worship

By Harsh Thakor* Without doubt Sholay was the most impactful film ever made in the history of Bollywood.No film ever influenced or penetrated the Indian psyche as much as ‘Sholay’ .Few scenes of films ever flash memories, with such degree of intensity like ‘Sholay.’It literally created the impact of an inferno in your heart. I do not have an adjective of the effect it had on me each time I saw it in the theatre as a child and later on video, literally searching my soul.The characters of the film became icons or role models of the Indian people and dialogue a part of the everyday Indian vocabulary. Sholay virtually defined a new era after it was released in August of 1975, running in Minerva theatre for over five years. The movie had the effect of a spell cast on me in childhood and its characters greatly shaped my way of thinking. Sholay simply took entertainment to an unmatched crescendo with immaculate construction of plot with brilliant blending of violence with romance and comedy w

We must annihilate caste to save democracy, disprove notion human rights are unequal

Brass for coin donated for 1 Country 1 Nation Campaign By Martin Macwan* The truth is always simple. Caste has decayed Indian democracy and nationalism. It continues to shame India in the eyes of the world. Barring a miniscule section, most Indians carry the dual schizophrenic identity, “I-am-lower-than-the-other-but-I-am-higher-than-the-other”. Caste has humiliated every religion on earth. As a direct challenge to Mahatma Gandhi who appreciated caste and was opposed to untouchability, Dr BR Ambedkar advocated annihilation of caste against the backdrop of the Poona Pact to ensure that India truly grew as a nation. Independence from British rule failed to liberate India from the slavery of caste. Caste & Gender Discrimination based on caste (including sub-castes within each caste) and gender are two sides of the same coin. Contrary to the spirit of the Indian Constitution, we, as Indian citizens, continue to strengthen the notion that basically, human beings are unequal. As a result

Prevention of Atrocity Act: When will legal proceedings be transparent?

By Martin Macwan*  The Judicial trial in the case of unnatural death of George Floyd is aired live on the American TV channel. It is also shown on other international channels. The most noticeable testimonies are of the Police officers. They have clearly testified that the accused police officer in the case has broken the rules and protocols under which police officers have been trained. These two public faces of the US police, the one with the knee of the police officer which crushed the breath out of George Floyd and the other, the testimonies of the police officers nailing the offence of the co-police officers is something which keeps the faith of the common people alive in the justice. Is this possible in India that the Police force will follow the voice of their conscience and not use every possible arm they possess in their arsenal to defend the criminal acts of their colleagues? True, in the case of George Floyd there has been immense international pressure on the US and its own

Is social justice as enshrined in the Constitution a concern, any more?

An anti-untcouchabiliity meet at Dalit Shakti Kendra By Martin Macwan*  The news were disturbing. There was unruly confrontation between the District Magistrate and an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of Gujarat. Amrabhai Boricha, a head of the lone Dalit family in the village was brutally murdered in the presence of his family members and the police guards assigned to protect his life. There have been several incidents in the country where Dalits, even on their way to court to depose in the murder case of their own kin, are murdered in broad daylight, when officially they are protected by the State. The news for me have been disturbing for many reasons. In this case as well as other cases, the victims have made personal and oral representations before the authorities about the danger they are apprehending to their lives. Secondly, in the present case, the Police Sub-inspector has been alleged of willful negligent and booked. Third, the District Magistrate is a Dalit and the

Do Bigha Zameen: Portraying social reality of the times at the very core

By Harsh Thakor* To me ‘Do Bigha Zameen’ is the best movie ever made in India and the most relevant even today. In a most artistic manner it reveals the oppression of feudalism or capitalism, brilliantly weaving a set of characters into a plot. The film contains no element of melodrama or fantasy but still hits the core of your soul. Enacting character of Shambu Mahato Balraj Sahni is so much in the skin of the character that you feel he is the actual person. No film has portrayed Indian social reality in such depth and how socio-economic conditions shape the life of a family. I praise the movie portraying how peasants were compelled to work in the cities which is a predominant feature today in India and the third world. India today has lakhs of migrant labour swapping role in working in fields and factories Today feudalism in India is rampant in another form .Peasants are not directly subordinated to the landlords but still they often are forced to mortgage their land at ten times les

Resource saving growth and opportunities for human capital formation

By Arup Mitra*, Marie-Ange Véganzonès-Varoudakis** A world-wide problem that has posed serious concern is relating to the lack of surge in total factor productivity growth. The countries which are able to sustain high rates of growth or low growth rates at very high levels of per capita income are following the resource intensive path which can have serious repercussions in terms of future availability of resources. Faster economic growth based on total factor productivity growth, on the other hand, implies resource saving approaches being followed. Innovations resulting in technological progress, and better utilisation of the new technology are the key to higher output growth relative to input growth, which is defined as total factor productivity growth (TFPG). In other words, with the same amounts of inputs the obtainability of higher returns is envisaged as TFPG. The developed countries are not able to experience any major increase in TFPG, while the developing countries are neither