“Achhe din anne waale haan.” But when?

The Bharatiya Janata Party under the dynamic leadership of PM Narendra Modi completed two years in office, and as it approaches halfway, the ‘achhe din’ promised by the Saffron brigade can be nowhere seen.

The Modi government after their surprising victory in May 2014, and the change in course they have endeavoured for the nation since, is enough of a time to pass judgements.

As Modi completes this milestone, I bring to you ground report from Karol Bagh Market, one of the prime shopping hubs in Delhi. While most of the people expressed their grievance against the Modi government, some said that they will still opt for the Modi government over Congress in the next Lok Sabha election.

The PM on the other hand, who carried the hopes of millions, still remains the star party campaigner who directed BJP to the 2014 election triumph, rather than becoming a leader who can lead the government with realistic action. What he does is nothing more than Political Jhumlabazi. He gets time to criticize Rahul Gandhi in foreign soil or to compare Kerala with Somalia but he finds it irrelevant to address the farmer suicide crises or the Dadri incident.

Ashok, a shopkeeper in the market said, “The policies that Modi bought are promising but I haven’t seen any change till now.” He said that governments have come and gone but none have made any reasonable impact in their life.

Leaving apart the bigger issues, the basic issues of the middle class citizens of the country couldn’t be addressed so far. Modi came into power with the promise of controlling ‘Mahengai’ but the price rise remains the same. Infact the rise in prices of the basic commodities have increased. One Lassi seller in the market said, “Leave aside other thing, the commodities I need for business are drastically increasing. In a year the price of sugar rose by 5-6 rupees.” “The prices of vegetables, rice, wheat all are increasing,” he added.

Modi also promised lakhs of job opportunists for the youth, but except for promotions of ‘Make in India’ and his ever increasing foreign trips, the unemployment problem still remains inevitable. The youths still remains jobless. Except for the IT sector no other sector in the country is growing, yet the credit for IT sector doesn’t go to BJP alone.

However, there is not just negativity in his two years tenure. The government has been working on most of his promises that they mentioned in their manifesto. If you analyise the economic parameters, the GDP is on the rise. GDP rise in financial year 13-14 (congress rule) was 6.1 % which rose to 7.2% during BJP’s first year and it rose to 7.3% during their next year. So, do these indicators reflect in the life of the people? Certainly yes. The BJP government is doing better than the Congress government but they are yet to live up to the promises that they made during their election campaigns.

To See or Not to See (East): Perception(s),opportunities and Problems in North-East India.

genus irritabile vatum

The North-East has always been considered the ‘exotic’ other, a place of beauty unmarred by the ravages a metropolis like Chennai or Mumbai has been subjected to. The ‘Seven Sisters’ have been marketed by the Government as an exotic, holiday destination, capitalizing on the potential for a flourishing tourism industry to boost local economy. People often overlook the possibility of a developing economy based on industries and IT, preferring to look at these states as insurgency-hit and reducing them to photos on postcards. In my opinion, the perception of the North­-East has always been influenced by internalized prejudices relating to traditions and culture. The North-Eastern states have been neglected by the mainstream media in terms of coverage and by the Government under its policies.

With access to the internet, we are able to see photos being posted miles away on social media apps like Instagram, or a minute-by-minute account of…

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Bihar is now the fourth dry state…but is it sound Economics?

In one of Nitish Kumar’s major moves after coming to power he has formulated laws to ban liquor in the state. With this, he kept his promise which he made in the run up to the elections. The ban came in response to the women’s protest against alcohol in the state that initiated a large scale anti-liquor campaign. The states in which liquor ban is already imposed are Nagaland, Gujarat and Kerala.

The sale of any type of alcohol, including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and country liquor will now be completely banned in Bihar. The decision on the ban on any type of alcohol was taken on Tuesday by the Bihar cabinet, four days after a partial ban began on the production and sale of liquor on 1st of April. There was a tremendous response of people particularly women and children against liquor in Patna and other towns in a short period of four days only convinced the cabinet that a constructive environment against alcohol has been created in the state. There is also a ban on consumption of Toddy in the state.

But the real question is what will be the implication of such a major step considering the fact that alcohol is one of the major sources of revenue for any state government. If we go by the stats of 2014-15, the earnings from alcohol in Bihar sums up to more than 400 crore and their contribution to the state tax revenues increase is immense.  Nitish Kumar’s own bureaucrats are clueless on how they will make up for this huge loss. So, is this really sound economics? Certainly not. Or is this politics’ triumph over economics?

The ban may be bad economics with unpredictable social results, but it certainly is smart politics. Kumar received a lot of votes from women in the recent elections to the Bihar legislative assembly and he definitely want to retain this vote base. Like Lalu has a solid vote base of Yadavs and Muslims, Nitish wants one for himself and what could have been better when he had the chance of pleasing the entire women community. Prohibition appeals to all women cutting across caste, region and religion. So, this major move by Nitish Kumar is certainly a political master class.

Social media and creativity.

genus irritabile vatum

How do you define creativity? Does the same definition apply to everyone?
Social media and creativity aren’t as far apart as you’d think. Social media is creativity. A whole host of websites pop-up everyday offering us new mediums to express ourselves in. We have been through a renaissance of sorts in terms of how we have come to express ourselves. We have moved away from stifling definitions of ‘art’ and ‘creativity’ to a more accessible and malleable one and it’s become so for both artists and consumers.
The beauty of social media is that it’s allowed us to expand our idea of creativity. It’s no longer limited to a canvas. Who would have thought paintings by the great masters could have haikus written about them or that we now have Greek gods exploring feelings of teenage angst in fanfictions? I have interpretations and re-interpretations of canonical works at my fingertips…

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“JNU, JNU, Stand with JNU”

The JNU campus has entered an indefinite state of siege. Police have been swarming all over campus, raiding hostels, picking up students and interrogating them. The BJP backed student organization ABVP, predictably, has been directing them to the lairs of ‘anti-national elements’. The JNU administration has gone to the extent of cutting off the power supply to the microphones used at the protest meetings. The left inclined student organizations have countered it resisting protests, ironically in a democratic way. The institution seems to be nothing less than a battle ground for the national parties.

At Patiala House on Monday the 15^th of February, the BJP’s MLAs and what appear to be a group of lawyers have assaulted JNU students and teachers and; the same is repeated again on 17^th of February but now the target is the prime accused himself, Kanaiya Kumar. His only fault was that he supported something which was always a part of the JNU culture, debating. Yes it is never acceptable that someone shouts anti-India slogans like “India ki barbadi tak jang rahegi” but, there is nothing wrong in debating a controversial topic like “the execution of Afjal Guru” ,where the final judgment of our Judiciary itself accepts ‘lack of evidence’. The police should have focused on indentifying the individuals. The fault of one or two individuals can never be generalized for a premier institution which served as the epicenter for critical thinking in the country.

It is clear that the arrayed forces of the central government are pitted against a campus which has long been an object of hatred for the Right. The dictatorial attitude of the government is only leading us to a situation of 1975. For a democracy like India there is no space for vandalism where the lawyers themselves beat up a man, in a court premises and the police keep watching from a distance. However, there’s no telling how matters will develop in the days and weeks to come. From what started with #shutdownjnu is now #standwithjnu.

Is Mint a NextGen business daily in India?

Understanding the intricacies of economics and the market conditions that fuel the country is a fundamental building block that is a part of my study of Commerce. In order to get a better consideration of the Indian context to supplement my understanding of economics, reading business papers and articles by experts was mandatory. However studying economics in isolation only gave a two-dimensional perspective to the functioning of the country. Most business papers, in my view, stop at just business.

Leaving personal opinions aside, with India heading towards being the next financial super power, the interest of the general public has shifted from a main stream newspaper to a business oriented paper. However news should not stop at business alone. This purpose is served by the Mint. Indian media organisations no longer have an audience who look for political or agriculture oriented news. They want a more business centric newspaper.

Mint is India’s first newspaper which was published in the Berliner format. It is the second most circulated business newspaper, next only to The Economic Times and established itself as India’s fastest growing business daily.

Mint was launched in collaboration with The Wall Street Journal on 1 February 2007, with the Journal’s former deputy managing editor Raju Narsetti as its founding editor. The newspaper was initially designed by Mario Garcia, who was also the architect for redesigning of the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper mostly targets the business executives and the policy makers.

Mint, in spite of being a business daily doesn’t think of itself as a newspaper of record, focusing instead on the bigger stories of the day, along with analysis and lifestyle pieces. Some media critics have called Mint a daily magazine because of this choice of presentation. Its format too helps the readers shift from the usual broadsheet form of papers. The paper also has a weekend edition called the Mint Lounge, which has higher circulation figures, especially with women readers. Lounge is a magazine-style supplement that focuses on the arts, food, culture, fashion, sport and music. This form of writing is suitable for a next generation newspaper which is very convenient to hold and also provides an alternative choice for the readers.

Is it mere politics or a real threat to secularism in India?

A Political row has erupted on Dadri lynching as a number of politicians have started visiting the communally sensitive zone of Bisara Village,Dadri and making comments on the issue. All this, for electoral gains.

The residents of Bisara in order to prevent politicizing of the issue restricted entry of politicians in the area. The police on Wednesday arrested 19 people and turned away VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi. There are also prohibitory orders in place. Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi,Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Rahul Gandhi  and   BJP politicians Mahesh Sharma and Sangeet Som visited the place to earn political mileage out of the situation. Sharma and Som however were booked for violating section 144 of the IPC.

On the other hand Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan said that he is determined to take the lynching in Bisada to the United Nations despite widespread criticism from political parties. Khan’s remarks came against the backdrop of leaders of political parties such as the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena stepping up their war of words over the killing.

The incident dates back to 28^th September when a mob of people attacked the Muslim family on the night of 28 September 2015 in Bisara village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh after rumours were spread in a local temple that the family of Mohammad Akhlaq had killed a cow and consumed its meat on Eid-ul-Adha. The attackers killed 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi and seriously injured his 22 year old son Danish. 

A mob carrying sticks, swords and pistols arrived at Mohammad Akhlaq’s house at around 10:30pm. The family had finished dinner and was going to sleep. Akhlaq and his son Danish were already asleep. The mob accused them of consuming beef. They found some meat in the refrigerator and seized it. But the family insisted it was mutton. The mob dragged the family outside. Akhlaq and Danish was repeatedly kicked, hit with bricks and stabbed. Akhlaq’s elderly mother and wife were also attacked. The family’s Hindu neighbours tried to stop the mob but could not succeed. The police were called and they arrived an hour later. By then, Akhlaq was dead and Danish was severely injured.

Akhlaq’s elder son, Mohammad Sartaj, 27, works as a corporal-ranked technician in the Indian Air Force and was in Chennai at the time of attack.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office was today briefed on the mob killing of a Muslim man in Dadri last week over rumors that he had beef in his house. This is the first visible involvement of the Prime Minister’s Office amid nationwide condemnation and a political war of words over the 10-day old incident. The prime minister’s silence on the Dadri killing has been questioned by opposition parties as well as prominent citizens.

Nayantara Sehgal, nephew of Jawaharlal Nehru also protested the event what she called a “vicious assault” on “India’s culture of diversity and debate” and questioned the silence of the Prime Minister on “this reign of terror”. She returned her Sahitya Akademi award on Tuesday. Ashok Vajpeyi, former chairperson of the Lalit Kala Akademi, also returned his Sahitya Akademi award, saying, “It’s high time that writers take a stand.”

Now the real question is why our Prime Misinister is taking so long to take a stand on such a politically and communally sensitive issue in spite of widespread criticism from all corners. Moreover, if he has time or interest to tweet on the death of Asha Bhosle’s son, than why not in the case of an innocent Muslim man murdered by a communally charged mob? So, is it a failure of secularism in India with the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party?

Collegiums system or NJAC???

The NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission) was a proposed body which would have been responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India. The Commission was established by amending the Constitution of India through the 99^th constitution amendment and the NJAC act, which were passed by both the houses of the Parliament and signed by the president in 2014. The NJAC would have replaced the Collegium System (Three Judges Cases) for the appointment of judges as summoned by the Supreme Court.

The NJAC Bill and the Constitutional Amendment Bill, was approved by 16 of the state legislatures in India. Both the acts came into force from 13 April 2015. However, on 16 October 2015 the Supreme Court maintained the Collegium System and revoked the NJAC, labeling it unconstitutional after hearing the petitions filed by several persons and bodies.

The verdict had read that if the Union Law minister is contributing to the appointment of judges, how a society can expect the judges to work without being influenced by political parties.

The NJAC had a six member panel that included the chief justice of India, two senior most judges of the Supreme Court, the union law minister and two eminent persons. The two eminent persons were to be recommended by another panel consisting of the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister and the leader of opposition.

The judgement has evoked conflicting opinions, with one fraction supporting the NJAC and the other opposing it. Those in favour of the NJAC justify their stance by citing India’s 125 crore people that rule the country through their elected representatives in the different organs of the legislature. They say that the sovereignty of the nation which lies with the people of India cannot be compromised, which is exercised by the people through Parliament. The verdict has a strong opposition from the central government and also the opposition. They say that the Supreme court has upheld only one basic structure- Independence of the Judiciary but has declined other basic structure that are the elected government, the council of Ministers and the Prime Minister.

Union Minister, Arun Jaitley in an interview launched direct attack on the judiciary, calling the judgement flawed. He said that democracy itself would be in danger if the elected are undermined. There are also other learned jurists who have criticized the existing collegiums system and raised the need for a reform. K.P.S. Gill, a former DGP, said that India is the only country where judges select themselves, determine their own transfers and discipline themselves. He recommended the setting up of a judicial commission that would not only be responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges but also for seeing to it that judges perform their duties without any favor.

On the other hand, India is based on the Montesquieu’s theory of the separation of powers which state that one organ should not interfere with the powers of another. The state is divided into the executive, the legislature and the judiciary and has separate set of functions. In short, the legislature is to make laws, executive is to perform the law and the judiciary is to defend it. The legislature however cannot make a law which violates the basic structure of the constitution, which states that all its three pillars cannot interfere in each other’s affairs.

The judiciary exists to serve the people by performing various functions like passing and upholding judgments in the interest of the people, interpreting the constitution and also exists to keep the government in check. In such an institution, will government presence not mean compromising the authenticity of the judiciary in dealing with the legislature and the executive? Is intruding on judicial territory acceptable in the name of ensuring accountability or is there any ulterior motive of the government to keep the judicial bench under the eye of the government?

Ideally, there should be a check in each and every organization and the judiciary being one of them. However, is it necessary for such a check to come from Legislature? Moreover, how can you justify the veto offered to the two eminent persons and especially when such persons are elected by a board consisting of two persons from the legislature out of three.

Many even argue that judges are human and can be vulnerable to personal biases. But doesn’t the same law apply to the legislature. If the judiciary is vulnerable to personal biasness then so is legislature. Even the so-called democratically elected prime minister is not so directly elected by us or even the leader of the opposition.

There is no denying the fact that there is an urgent need of replacing the age old and erroneous collegiums system to make it more transparent but does it have to come from an already questionable NJAC?

 

Can Mizoram be the next Bamboo hub?

Mizoram, a state with a population of 10 lakhs that lies in the north eastern part of the country has an economy based on horticulture and forest products. Although the state has one of the fastest growing economies among the states in India with a per capita income of Rs 50,021, the state still lacks in self reliance and has to depend on the centre for funds.

Mizoram being a state which is mostly covered with topical forest do not have enough scope for agriculture. Most of its cultivated land is under jhum and only 20 per cent of the demand for rice could be met within the state. So there is no question of exporting agricultural products. Now remains the option of horticulture and forestry. Although the state was not doing very well until now, the government is trying to explore its true potential.

The state has abundant reserve of Bamboo forest covering 12,54,400 ha, which contributes 14 per cent of all India Bamboo distribution. Around 57 per cent of geographical area of Mizoram is under bamboo cover. A total of 20 species of bamboo are found in the forests of Mizoram and out of these species, Melocanna Baccifera is the predominant species which occupies 95 per cent of the bamboo afforestation.

The state government however in the recent years have tried to build a self-reliant economy based on its forest and horticultural resources, especially on its bamboo industry. The bamboo which was once a curse to the state in the form of Mautam has turned into the very structure of its economic up gradation. Recently I was in one of the state’s premier tourism festival called the Anthurium Festival. There I saw a huge publicity effort by the state government to popularised its bamboo products. Not only within the state, but the state government is also trying to export its products to the rest of India and the neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Bamboo can be a useful tool for sustainable development, helping in agriculture, construction, handicraft, transportation, micro enterprises and industries. Regarding the use of bamboo in agriculture, its pipes are used to irrigate vast tracts of agricultural land in different agro agricultural settings. More than a million bamboo pumps are in current use. Bamboo is also useful in making dikes, dams, sluice gates, farm implements; floats fish traps, wind break barriers and several other articles.

Bamboo’s natural elegance and easy workability make it a choice material for handicrafts. The Mizos are very good bamboo artists, making elegant handloom products. The high rising Chinese manufacture more than 8000 bamboo and rattan items. There is huge scope for the Mizos to enter the bamboo handicraft industry and compete with the Chinese, with such a massive resource backing. When it comes to micro enterprises, it makes extensive use of bamboo in furniture, handmade paper, handlooms, curtains and blins, toothpicks, incense sticks and various other products. The incense stick industry in India has over 3800 production units that generates nearly 400 us dollar from domestic and export marts.

Bamboo is also an ideal raw material for many industries. The bamboo shoot industry in china earns 130 us dollar per year from exports. About half of India’s bamboo consumption is for making paper pulp. Other major uses of bamboo are in the production of rayon, activated charcoal and flooring and panelling products.

Now the real question is how to explore the bamboo potential of the state which seems to be underutilised.  My argument is that each state of our country has an individual identity of its own. It’s my firm believe that the state of Mizoram has huge potential to emerge as the bamboo state of India. Anybody from this state will take pride in the thought that there state can come up to be known as the bamboo state of India rather than a simple state in the north eastern region. Moreover with the coming of the look east policy, Mizoram can be a bamboo hub for Myanmar and other South East and East Asian countries.