A re-look at India’s broken healthcare infrastructure

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

Covid-19 induced pandemic since early 2020 has brought untold miseries to India with unprecedented loss of lives, livelihood, loss of jobs, innumerable/unaccounted/undercounted deaths for shortages of medicines, for lack of oxygen, lack of beds, people dying on roads, on pavements of hospitals, black marketing of life saving drugs, black marketing of oxygen, indignity in deaths for cremation or burial of loved ones, never ending serpentine queue of dead bodies at crematoria and burial grounds, mismanagement in vaccines, deaths of more than 1000 medical doctors registered with Indian Medical

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Union Government out to ban VPNs

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

While recommending ban on VPN, Parliamentary Standing Committee cited technological challenges that it posed maintaining the Dark Web and VPNs can bypass cyber security walls and allow criminals to remain anonymous online. It said further that VPNs could be downloaded easily. Many websites providing such facilities are advertising them. It asked the government to block VPNs with the help of Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

An exercise is afoot in the Ministry of Home Affairs in tandem with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to ban Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) following recommendations of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology. Ban on VPNs will be incursive to people’s fundamental right to privacy and impact adversely corporates as it obscures ones identity on the Internet. VPN services establish secure connections between users and servers or services by routing the data through a remote server/servers thus disguising the users’ identity.

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Nationalist sells the nation

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

Monetising railway stations and passenger trains is estimated to fetch about Rs.76,250 crore and Rs.21, 642 crore respectively. Monetisation value of Konkan Railway is estimated at Rs.7,281 crore and of hill railways at  Rs.630 crore.Other segments of railways monetizing are 673 kms of Dedicated Freight Corridors at Rs.20, 178 crore, from track, signaling and Over Head Equipment (OHE) Rs.18,700 crore. Identified goods-sheds for monetization are to fetch Rs.5, 565 crore and railway colonies redevelopment Rs.2, 250 crore.  Indicative Monetisation Value of identified railways assets is Rs. 1,52,496 crore over the NMP period financial year2022-25, as mentioned in NMP document.

With failed economic promises to misbegotten economic reforms, relentless communal polarization, the crushing of civil dissent and the destruction of citizen’s fundamental right to liberty, the nationalist (fascist) Union Government has tried everything in its quiver to shore up the image of PM as a superman of himself that he has tirelessly built over the last seven years.

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मुस्लिम विरोधी घृणा का एक संगठन तंत्र है और उससे हममें से ज़्यादा को कोई ऐतराज़ नहीं

:: अपूर्वानंद: साभार 'द वायर' ::

मुसलमान विरोधी घृणा से मुक्ति फ़ौरी राष्ट्रीय काम है. इसमें पहले ही 70 साल की देर हो चुकी है. अब और देर नहीं की जा सकती. अगस्त के महीने में यह नहीं हो सकता कि चीखें भारत के आसमान को ढंक लें: मुझे बचाओ और आप स्वाधीनता के बैंड बाजे के शोर से उन चीखों को दबा दें. स्वाधीनता का ऐसा पतन हमें क़बूल नहीं होना चाहिए.

आज का पाठ है- मृत्यु के साधारण तथ्य

अनेक हैं; मुख्य लिखो.

रघुवीर सहाय की कविता ने बहुत पहले कवि को उसका कर्तव्य बता दिया था. क्यों हर मृत्यु को एक नहीं मानना है, यह इसके बाद कविता स्पष्ट करती है…

वह सबको एक-सी नहीं आती

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India on the 75th Independence Day

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

Government has ignored its democratic responsibility to inform the people about Chinese aggression along the LAC. Institutional democratic mechanism of consultations and consensus has been dispensed with. Government continues to be arbitrary, authoritarian. Decision taken is without forethought, without pre planning. Governance authority is centralized in one individual who is all time fascistic.  All structural facades of democracy, though apparent, stand emasculated and the Constitution of India castrated. Judiciary has been blackmailedcovertlyto hand out favourable judgments in recent past emboldening the fascist to be more and more arbitrary and authoritarian.. 

India on completion of 74 years of the Independence from the British colonial rule on August 15, 1947 projects a very grim picture with all the public institutions corroded, hollowed out and dashed from within so much so that they cannot stand up to provide theneeded  checks and balances on the democratically elected Union Government much less safeguard people’s fundamental rights enshrined in the rule of law based Constitutional democratic governance.

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Union Government not keen to enact anti-mob lynching law

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

People will appreciate Union Government’s intent widely if it ratifies the United Nations Convention Against Tortures-1984 by repealing the provisions of torture by police and other law enforcement agencies. India is already a signatory to the UN Convention. Two other important measures to be taken should include separation of investigation from police and creating a dedicated organization for investigation to minimize corruption in police as per the recommendations of Justice Malimath Committee Report on Criminal Justice Reforms to improve justice delivery, besides repealing the clause in all criminal laws that decision taken in good faith by officials in implementing such laws cannot be questioned in courts of law. This clause is pernicious with vestiges of colonial oppressive rule that avoids accountability to the people. Hence, undemocratic. People of India are well aware the decisions taken under criminal laws are often biased, ill intentioned, malicious and seldom fair and neutral. This alone should make our democracy functionally well meaning. 

Union Government in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is not keen to enact a law to prevent mob lynching and hate crimes in keeping with the judgment of July 17, 2018 by the Supreme Court of India in Tehseen Poonawala case. MHA maintains there is no direction in the impugned judgment to this effect, it is learnt officially. However, the MHA shifts the responsibility to the States and Union Territories who administer Police and Public Order in the scheme of the Constitution of India to deal with mob lynching and hate crimes.

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Privatisation of railways stadiums

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

To augment further resources, IR has handed over 15 of over 32 railway stadiums to the RLD for commercial development on PPP model, for which RLD has taken up techno-economic studies. In addition, IR has identified 87 land parcels, 84 railways colonies, four hill railways and three stadiums for monetisation so far. It is also planned to privatize/monetize Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) after its commissioning, as is learnt from official sources.RLDA has been charged with generating revenue for the IR by leasing out parcels of railway lands.

Union Ministry of Railways has planned investment of Rs.11.43 lakh crore in railways by 2024-25 in which Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), a regulator set up to develop unutilized, surplus railwayland and air space for commercial utilisation keeping in view the futuristic use for the railways own requirements on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model to garner additional resources for modernization, up gradation and expansion of railways to meet futuristic challenges of increasing faster freight and passenger traffic.

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Ageism and growing elderly abuses

:: M.Y.Siddiqui ::

Pandemic induced lockdown enclosed the elderly victims with the perpetrators, leading to covert abuses. Living with perpetrators of ill treatment may be traumatic; nevertheless, living alone has become even more traumatic considering the needs of the elderly and their susceptibility to the virus. Additionally, there is emerging trend among middle class/upper middle class in urban conglomerates to shift their old parents/grand parents to senior citizens arbours where they feel isolated, lonely and traumatised away from their loved ones resulting in their early deaths.

Elderly abuse and ill-treatment have become far more frequent and unidentifiable during the corona virus induced pandemic than ever before notwithstanding the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 and Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 that provide for all round maintenance and care for elderly. India needs a comprehensive policy and execution of welfare programmes for economic, social and emotional wellbeing of senior citizens.

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स्टेन स्वामी के कार्य, संघर्ष और योगदान

:: ग्लैडसन डुंगडुंग ::

नये झारखंड राज्य में फा. स्टेन स्वामी मानव अधिकार आंदोलन का चेहरा बन कर उभरे। 1991 में चाईबासा जाने के बाद सबसे पहले उन्होंने सिंहभूम में जारी पुलिसिया जुल्म के खिलाफ स्थापित मानव अधिकार संगठन ‘‘जोहार’’ का पुनर्गठन किया और राज्य प्रायोजित मानव अधिकार हनन के मामलों को उठाना शुरू किया। उन्होंने सिंहभूम में हुए पुलिसिया जुल्म का अनुसंधान एवं कानूनी हस्तक्षेप किया। वे जब 2001 में रांची आये तबतक मानव अधिकार आंदोलन का चेहरा बन चुके थे। उस समय वे एक मात्र व्यक्ति थे, जिन्हें मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता के रूप में पहचान मिली थी। तीन दशक तक वे राज्य प्रायोजित मानव अधिकार हनन पर निरंतर हस्तक्षेप करते रहे। इस दौरान उन्होंने राज्य प्रायोजित मानव अधिकार हनन के मामलों का अनुसंधान एवं कानूनी हस्तक्षेप किया। इसके अलावा लोगों को जागरूक किया तथा अपने वक्तब्या एवं लेखन के द्वारा मानव अधिकार हनन के मुद्दों को उठाकर कई लोगों को न्याय दिलाया।

5 जुलाई 2021 को भारत के इतिहास में और एक काला अध्याय जुड़ गया। धरती का सबसे बड़ा लोकतंत्र ने राजसत्ता से असहज सवाल पूछने वाले 84 वर्षीय फादर स्टेन स्वामी की संस्थागत हत्या कर दी। वे एक निडर, संवेदनशील, दृढ़संकल्पी, सशक्त एवं तटस्थ मानवाधिकार कार्यकर्ता, आंदोलनकारी, प्रशिक्षक, शोधकर्ता एवं लेखक थे। उनका जन्म 26 अप्रैल 1937 को तामिलनाडु के त्रिची में हुई थी। वे मई 1957 में येसु समाज से जुड़े एवं 1965 में पहली बार झारखंड आये और यहीं के हो गए। हालांकि उन्होंने विधिवतरूप से 1991 में आदिवासियों के बीच काम करना शुरू किया। वे ईसाई धर्मगुरू जरूर थे लेकिन धार्मिक गतिविधियों से दूर आदिवासियों के मानव अधिक

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आरएसएस सचमुच बदल रहा है, बदलना चाहता है!

Approved by Srinivas on Fri, 07/09/2021 - 11:44

:: श्रीनिवास ::

सरसंघचालक मोहन भागवत ने कुछ दिन पहले आरएसएस के ही एक अनुषंगी संगठन 'राष्ट्रीय मुसलिम मंच' के समारोह में जो कुछ कहा, उसे कल तक संघ केआलोचक रहे लोग भी स्वागतयोग्य और संघ के नजरिये में आ रहे सकारात्मक बदलाव का द्योतक बता रहे हैं. संघ यदि सचमुच संकीर्णता का त्याग कर दे, तो बेशक इसका स्वागत किया जाना चाहिए. इतना बड़ा संगठन यदि वास्तव में 'राष्ट्रीय' हो जाये और समस्त भारतीयों के हित में काम करने लगे, इससे अच्छा क्या होगा?

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