Will India end this deadly trade? Swiss tycoon jailed for causing asbestos deaths

By Rosamma Thomas*
Swiss billionaire Stephen Schmidheiny,73, was sentenced by an Italian court on June 7, 2023, to 12 years in jail for the deaths of 392 people from asbestos exposure. Schmidheiny ran the Eternit Italia factory at Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, the largest of his six factories, where asbestos was used to strengthen cement in the 1970s and 80s. Under Italian law, the owner of the factory rather than the firm is tried for the deaths of workers from a cause that relates to work.
Ban Asbestos Network India (BANI), in a press release on June 9, 2023, said the fate of Schmidheiny awaits those in India causing deaths by asbestos exposure. Eternit has plants in India as well, and even the new Parliament building in India is not asbestos-free, the press release said. On January 27, 1995, the Supreme Court of India in Consumer Education and Research Centre vs. Union of India had ruled that all asbestos factories in India must preserve health records of their workers for 40 years, or for 15 years after their retirement.
Stephen Schmidheiny had been awarded an honorary degree by Yale University, and the BANI called for the revocation of that honour. Foundations funded by the family of Schmidheiny had awarded the UN Secretary General and Infosys founder-chairman NR Narayana Murthy a freedom prize, and it is time these “tainted awards” were returned, the press note said.
India is now the world’s biggest asbestos consumer, importing from Russia, Brazil, Kazakhstan and other nations. Diseases caused by asbestos exposure have a long incubation period, and illness can result five decades after exposure. Even if the ban takes effect today, there will be people suffering from past usage, the press note mentioned.
Harminder Bains, whose father was among those who died from asbestos exposure, was on the team of lawyers that tasted victory in this case. “Eternit does have asbestos manufactories in India and is responsible for many asbestos related deaths,” she said. The UN has taken note of a study of the asbestos factory in Kymore, Katni, Madhya Pradesh, where asbestos dumping had contaminated soil and air. Eternit was a shareholder in five asbestos factories in India, and sold its shares ahead of the ban on asbestos in Belgium in 2011. It is ironic that Everest, the firm that currently runs the Kymore factory, takes up tobacco control as it Corporate Social Responsibility activity! Everest has factories in Nashik, Coimbatore, Roorkee and Kolkata.
Naval dockyards use asbestos for its fire insulation properties, and among those suffering as a result are people of the Indian Armed Forces, with long years of such exposure. The Indian Railways is currently engaged in the process of making stations asbestos free. The press note from BANI urges an immediate audit of the current status of victims of exposure; it has also suggested that medical colleges mandate instructions on how to treat victims of such exposure. Nearly 70 nations have so far banned asbestos. The press note states that many asbestos cement factories – the major use of asbestos in India is for cement – are owned by members of Parliament. India also does not record cases of mesothelioma, and the lack of data is presented as an absence of disease. There is a compelling logic of charging manufacturers with manslaughter, the press release noted.
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*Freelance journalist

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राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी: जल जीवन मिशन के लक्ष्य को पाने समन्वित प्रयास जरूरी

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* जल संसाधन से जुड़ी स्थायी समिति ने वर्तमान लोकसभा सत्र में पेश रिपोर्ट में बताया है कि "नल से जल" मिशन में राजस्थान, मध्यप्रदेश, पश्चिम बंगाल, झारखंड और केरल फिसड्डी साबित हुए हैं। जबकि देश के 11 राज्यों में शत-प्रतिशत ग्रामीणों को नल से जल आपूर्ति शुरू कर दी गई है। रिपोर्ट में समिति ने केंद्र सरकार को सिफारिश की है कि मिशन पुरा करने में राज्य सरकारों की समस्याओं पर गौर किया जाए।

Old bias, new excuses: How western media misrepresents India’s anti-terror strikes

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'A tribal lifeline': Health rights group asks Gujarat governor to halt Vyara govt hospital privatization

By A Representative In a strong appeal to the Governor of Gujarat, the National Health Rights Alliance (NHRA)—an initiative of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)—has urged the state to halt the ongoing move to privatize the Vyara Government Hospital and Medical College in Tapi district.

जैविक जीवित संसाधनों व प्रकृति पर निर्भर मजदूरों की व्यापक आर्थिक सुरक्षा कैसे हो?

- राज कुमार सिन्हा* भारत में 60 करोड़ से अधिक लोग भूमि, जल, जंगल और समुद्र जैसे प्राकृतिक स्रोतों पर निर्भर हैं । देश में 14.6 करोड़ छोटे और सीमांत किसान, 14.4 करोड़ खेतिहर मजदूर ( बड़ी संख्या में दलित हैं), 27.5 करोड़ वन निवासी, 2.8 करोड़ मछुआरे, 1.3 करोड़ पशुपालक और 1.7 करोड़ कारीगर हैं जो सीधे तौर पर प्रकृति के साथ और प्रकृति के भरोसे काम कर रहे हैं । लगभग 6 करोड़ मौसमी मजदूर हैं जो काम के सिलसिले में लगातार अपने गांव से बाहर जाते हैं और लौटते हैं। प्रकृति निर्भर समुदायों की आर्थिक गतिविधियां जो बड़े पैमाने पर जीवन निर्वाह और छोटी आय के लिए है। वर्तमान आर्थिक नीतियों के कारण, जो कॉर्पोरेट्स और बड़े व्यवसायों का समर्थन करती है, प्रकृति निर्भर समुदाय के लिए अव्यवहारिक होती जा रही है।

Censor Board's bullying delays 'Phule': A blow to India's democratic spirit

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* A film based on the life and legacy of Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule was expected to release today. Instead, its release has been pushed to the last week of April. The reason? Protests by self-proclaimed guardians of caste pride—certain Brahmin groups—and forced edits demanded by a thoroughly discredited Censor Board.

Naveen Gautam creates history, becomes first Dalit youth to moderate session at UN

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Kashmiriyat lives: Beyond the prime-time lies

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Choice of the word 'Sindoor' in India's anti-terror operation: Symbolic feminism or patriarchal strategy?

By Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava* In the aftermath of a war and subsequent ceasefire in 2025, Operation Sindoor has emerged as a focal point of national discourse, not only for its military objectives but also for its symbolic framing. The operation, named after a traditional marker of Hindu marital identity, and the prominent roles of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force in its media briefings, have been widely celebrated as a step toward gender inclusivity.

In the fury of war, humanity succumbs to the illusion of nationalism

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How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das* India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

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