काउंटरव्यू

By Rohit Rakshit  Over the last few years, I have been fortunate to work with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across various states in the country. This experience has allowed me to gain insights into their diverse areas of work while also enabling me to analyze the key attributes that contribute to the success of a good NGO. According to my observations, the following are the critical factors that determine the effectiveness of an NGO.

By Payel Sannigrahi  Frozen food temperatures could be changed by just three degrees to save the carbon dioxide emissions of 3.8 million cars per year, research suggests. 

By Sanya Hans  Researchers at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) launched two crucial policy briefs ahead of the much anticipated 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023 at Dubai, UAE.  Former climate negotiator, Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri, a Distinguished Fellow at TERI emphasized, “Adaptation is an imperative and absolute must in present times for the Global South. COP28 needs to make the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) integral to climate commitments and action”.  “Climate change demands that energy use must be sustainable; the development imperative of the Global South demands it to be inclusive, just and fair," Mr Puri added.   Outcome on GGA will be a key determinant for the success of COP28   The policy brief titled ‘Road to Dubai and The Global Goal on Adaption’ reviewed the discussions around the GGA framework to provide perspectives on what could be a robust, equitable, and flexible outcome of the GGA process at CO

By Abhay Kumar*  The BJP’s successful methods of winning the elections have often been its ability to achieve anti-Muslim polarisation. No one argues here that these time-tested formulas have been abandoned, yet the saffron party has undertaken several steps to attract the minority community. Ahead of the General Elections 2024, the BJP has sped up its efforts to woo Muslim voters. The major reason for this is the compulsion of Indian democracy. The BJP and its parental body the RSS understand the concrete reality that the Muslim community is not only “a minority” but also the second-largest community in the country. The Muslim population in India is estimated at 20 crores, three times more than the British population that ruled over the world for centuries. The BJP and the RSS are pragmatic organisations. They do not mind taking a few steps back from their ideology if it suits their interests. While they do want to keep their hardcore supporters pleased with their anti-Mus

By Bharat Dogra*   It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land.

By Bharat Dogra*  A large number of daily-wage workers gather every day in Haiderpur (Delhi) on a side of a busy road. They wait here till a contractor or other employer comes to hire them. This daily wait may be for several hours. The workers come here in all seasons, in shivering winter and in blistering summer and during the rainy season as well. Yet no one has thought of constructing a shelter here. There is no sign of a toilet or any other basic facility. A worker said—even in rain we keep standing here in the open getting drenched. There is not even any proper place for them to sit.

By Bharat Dogra*  It is around 10 in the morning and the number of workers at the Sigalpur labor chowk in Shalimar Bagh area of Delhi is increasing. As a worker Munna says: “The hope of getting any work is much lesser now due to pollution related ban on construction but still workers assemble here in the hope of getting at least some minor repair or other work.”

By Harsh Thakor*  On November 17, progressive sections in Greece marked the 50th anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic Uprising of 1973. A massive rally from the Athens Polytechnic passed through various parts of the city, including the US Embassy. Thousands of activists from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Communist Youth of Greece (KNE), Students Struggle Front (MAS), Federation of Greek Women (OGE), Hellenic Committee for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE), and All Workers Militant Front (PAME), among other groups, participated in the march denouncing imperialism, fascism and military dictatorship.

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ*  It is Constitution Day once again! We, the people of India, gratefully remember 26 November 1949 when the Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The Constituent Assembly comprised women and men of distinction, who were able to represent the heart and soul of the people of India without fear or favour. They gave of their best, so that we may a visionary Constitution, which would be the mainstay for and of democracy in India!

By Dr Kapilendra Das  The 26th of November, the day of an important landmark in India's journey as an Independent, Sovereign, socialist, secular, and Democratic, Republic is celebrated as National Constitution Day in India, also known as Samvidhan Divas. On this day the constituent Assembly adopted the constitution of India in 1949 to secure the Indian Citizen's justice, liberty, equality, and union which came into effect two months later, on January 26, 1950, and India became a Republic.

By Harsh Thakor*  On September 27th, earlier this year, the Bellsonika Workers’ Union was stripped of legal status or registration. The Haryana government's labour department cancelled the registration of the Bellsonica workers' union over granting the membership to one of the 'contractual workers'. It was major breach on Constitutional Rights of workers, to enable the contract labour system to flourish, and tighten the noose on any form of workers resistance.

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided.

Letter to Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations, by Chandra Vikash , Convenor, GAIA Earth Sansad, a civil society initiative: *** On 24 October 2023, in your remarks to the Security Council on the Middle East, you referred to how the 10/7 military raid on the belligerent occupier state Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian resistance forces ‘did not happen in a vacuum’. I quote you below with the comprehensive historic context of your statement: "The situation in the Middle East is growing more dire by the hour. The war in Gaza is raging and risks spiraling throughout the region. Divisions are splintering societies. Tensions threaten to boil over. At a crucial moment like this, it is vital to be clear on principles — starting with the fundamental principle of respecting and protecting civilians. "I have condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented 7 October acts of terror by Hamas in Israel. Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidn

By Bharat Dogra*  A report prepared by Oxfam GB with the help of Stockholm Environment Institute has stated that carbon emissions of the richest 1 per cent at world level accounted for 16 per cent of the world’s total CO2 emissions in 2019. The top 10 per cent or the richest 10 per cent account for about 50% of the global consumption emissions.

By Tanka Dhakal*  Shilshila Acharya was initially hesitant to buy her first electric car back in 2018, because she was worried how it would perform. But Acharya, who directs the Avni Center for Sustainability in Kathmandu, did not want to buy a petrol or diesel car. “I just had my child at that time and definitely didn’t want to transport the next generation in environmentally damaging vehicles,” she explains. Five years later, Acharya is happy with her decision: “It is comfortable, cost-effective, and doesn’t contribute to emissions.”

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs on how the U.N. Security Council can quickly end four wars: *** The Security Council is in a position to take decisive actions to end the wars precisely because it is clear that the interests of all U.N. Security members, Security Council members, and notably all of the P5 countries, is to bring these long standing wars to an end before they escalate into even more dangerous conflicts.

By Ryan Brightwell*  Like so many of our work partners globally, BankTrack is shocked by the horrific events that have unfolded in Israel, the Gaza strip, and the West Bank since the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7th. We mourn the innocent victims of this conflict, in Gaza and in Israel, and support the call on all parties in this conflict for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

By Bharat Dogra  A very important but neglected dimension of the efforts to resolve climate change and related serious environmental problems concerns the social values and relationships among people. To bring out the significance of this neglected aspect let us examine the response of two different types of societies.

By Abiud Onyach*  Hundreds of environmental and community activists staged peaceful protests at the corporate headquarters of some Chinese banks and insurance firms, as well as Chinese embassies across Africa, Europe and North America today, demanding those institutions commit not to support further development of the controversial East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

By Chaitanya Pandey, Sandeep Pandey*  In this article without taking sides we’ll present a balance sheet of gains and losses of both sides in close to century long Israel Palestine conflict and leave it to readers to assess for themselves which side is sufferer and which is the oppressor.

By Bharat Dogra  COP 28 will be held at a time of increasing, perhaps overwhelming evidence that the targets set earlier to restrict global warming to 1.5 degree C above pre-industrial levels and to achieve reductions in GHG emissions in accordance this are being badly missed and so the world is at present on course to see higher levels of global warming, accompanied by several other catastrophic and possibly irreversible changes, sooner than it was anticipated earlier.

By Harsh Thakor  The Revolutionary Communist Party of Nepal should be saluted for formulating a most balanced and constructive analysis and critique of the International Communist League. Very similar to the analysis on the same subject by the CPI (Maoist). I also complement the International Communist League for giving a most lucid, comprehensive and objective reply to critique of the CPI (Maoist).

By Mehjabin Bhanu*  There has been a recent surge in the number of Chin refugees entering Mizoram from the adjacent nation as a result of airstrikes by the Myanmar Army on ethnic insurgents and intense fighting along the border between India and Myanmar. Uncertainty has surrounded India's Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project, which uses Sittwe port in Myanmar, due to the recent outbreak of hostilities along the Mizoram-Myanmar border.

By Jan Ritch-Frel*  All of humanity can now take the Grand Tour: a travel circuit of global sites that help us understand ourselves and our history, made increasingly clear thanks to recent advances in archaeology and the sciences. The stops on this tour include archeological sites key to understanding the stages of human history starting six million years ago and leading up to the dawn of the modern era. Other sites include museums and spaces that educate visitors about the biology of our existence, focusing on our primate roots within a diversity of ecosystems.

By Bharat Dogra  While fundamentalist and sectarian elements of all religions generally have violent tendencies and are harmful for peace, social harmony and democracy, in recent times more attention has been focused on Islamic fundamentalist and sectarian forces including the militants among them.

By Harsh Thakor  On 4th of November, the 100-year anniversary of the Communist Party of Norway (NKP) was observed. Multiple events took place on the anniversary, with communists and revolutionaries from Norway as well as other countries participating. The event inaugurating the day was a seminar on the history of the Communist Party of Norway and the necessity of its reconstitution. There were also greetings presented at the seminar, from the International Communist League.

By Nils Bartsch*, Dr. Ognyan Seizov**  Urgewald and more than 50 partners have published the second update of the Global Oil & Gas Exit List (GOGEL). (Click here for the first list.) GOGEL is a public database that provides a detailed breakdown of the activities of oil and gas companies worldwide. It covers 1,623 companies active in the upstream, midstream or gas-fired power sector. Companies listed on GOGEL account for 95% of global oil and gas production. The 2023 GOGEL can be downloaded at www.gogel.org .

By NS Venkataraman*  The Global Climate Meet at Paris, at Glasgow, and subsequently at Egypt,  were marked by high concern, expressed by leaders of every country about the climate crisis and the need for strategies to protect the global climate from impending disaster.

By Bharat Dogra*  The many-sided serious problems and risks being faced by nearly 1.7 million Afghan refugees who are without the documents considered essential by the Pakistan government have been the subject of much concern recently.

By Aishwarya Singhal, Lubna Das  Light pollution, or excessive artificial light at night, is now recognised as a major driver of environmental change, adversely impacting wildlife and even human health. But predicting how entire communities of plants and animals respond to light pollution is difficult. Published today (30 October) in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, the world’s longest running scientific journal, a team of Guest Editors that includes researchers from Newcastle University have compiled a theme issue titled ‘light pollution in complex ecological systems’ that draws together 17 papers from experts in the field.

By Bharat Dogra  The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts.

By Harsh Thakor*  Diminutive at 5ft.3 inches, Aravinda De Silva of Sri Lanka was amongst the most talented or craftiest batsmen of his generation or of all time. Possibly in his era, he was the most technically correct of all batsmen. Few ever surpassed his pure, technical finesse. On bad wicket or in a crisis Aravinda was the ultimate man to resurrect a team from the grave or stitch a team’s wounds. He was equally effective in defence and attack, blending them to perfection.

By Chandra Vikash*  Could India, as a mirror to the ethno-federal One State solution, play a key role in resolving the Palestinian genocide crisis, that has emerged in the global consciousness as a focal point for injustice of centuries-old settler-colonialism project that continues to spread its hydra-headed tentacles through globalisation of this Old World Order?

  By Bharat Dogra*  Several stories of courage and firm determination of four martyrs of Kakori case have become an import part of the legends of our freedom movement. This case is regarded as an important event of our freedom movement. All four of these martyrs were hanged to death within four days December 17 to December 20 1927. These four freedom fighters known for their great courage and firm resolve were -- Ramprasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri and Roshan Singh.

By John Pilger*  Spartacus was a 1960 Hollywood film based on a book written secretly by the blacklisted novelist Howard Fast, and adapted by the screenplay writer Dalton Trumbo, one of the ‘Hollywood 10’ who were banned for their ‘un-American’ politics. It is a parable of resistance and heroism that speaks unreservedly to our own times. Both writers were Communists and victims of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s House of Un-American Activities which, during the Cold War, destroyed the careers and often the lives of those principled and courageous enough to stand up to a homegrown fascism in America. ‘This is a sharp time, now, a precise time …’ wrote Arthur Miller in The Crucible, ‘We live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world.’ There is one ‘precise’ provocateur now; it is clear to see for those who want to see it and foretell its actions. It is a gang of states led by the United States whose stated objective is ‘full spectrum dominance’.

By Harsh Thakor*  On October 27th, during the morning, a massive police operation was carried out (in proportion to the region) to evict peasant families from Camp Mãe Bernadete, in Carinhanha, in the southwest of Bahia. There were 13 police vehicles from Guanambi and Carinhanha, illegally and shamefully accompanied by goons paid by the Calsete mining company.

By Sudhansu R Das  The phrase “the world is one community” has never become a reality because the nature of people has changed due to greed which dominates reason and blurs the finer human emotions like love, sympathy, kindness and moral courage etc. The human race has become more aggressive than the stone age people due to defective religious, moral and educational bringing up. There is frequent war, state sponsored terrorism, state sponsored exploitation of the resources of the weak nations, state sponsored proxy rule, state sponsored religious conversion, misuse of science and technology for amassing wealth instead of improving the quality of life.  

By Bharat Dogra  Dipawali is a festival when lamps and candles are lighted in the homes of even the poorest with the hope of economic prosperity. This is a time of light and hope, yet we cannot forget that millions and millions of people are still unable to meet even their basic needs. Much needs to be done still to ensure that prosperity at least in the form of basic needs being met can reach these millions of homes.

By Bharat Dogra   Festival season is fast approaching. Woolens for the winter must be purchased now. This is when construction workers of Delhi would like to get as much work as possible to meet the extra expenses. However precisely at this time when they need more cash, a ban on construction work has been imposed to check further deterioration of air quality. Hence suddenly the workers are without any income. Even in normal times they get employment on average for about half the days—about 13 to 15 days in a month. With a monthly income of about Rs. 7000 or so a worker has hardly any savings, in fact survival is possible because of the additional income that is earned by a second family member, generally by his wife. On the other hand there are single woman households too. One can imagine the distress in festival times in tens of thousands of families in Delhi. In fact as similar serious pollution problems exist in many other cities, construction workers in some other cities may be fa

By Prem Singh*   The ongoing scene of the Palestine-Israel conflict seems like Brecht's epic theatre, where the tussle between human cruelty and human compassion is being staged at different locations across the world. In this epic scene one can easily find and understand that big towers of cruelty are standing with their heads raised on all sides. But sprinkles of compassion, even if small, are also spread everywhere. The indiscriminate killings of children is perhaps the worst form of human cruelty. By Hamas in southern Israel on October 7 and subsequently by the army of Israel in Palestine's Gaza Strip the killings of thousands of innocent children have become a topic of discussion/debate among politicians, diplomats, journalists and concerned citizens world over. But even after more than a month of conflict, there is no letup in the killings of children. The incident of killing of about 6,000 children in a month in Gaza, which is 41 km long, 6 to 12 km wide and has a total