1) Confused verdict on Aadhaar!
There is a slip between the cup and the lip as far as the Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar is concerned as for how can government schemes give credits to citizens if the law invalidates linking of bank accounts to Aadhaar?
Aadhaar is a unique identification number and citizens have no problem with it as it is a proof enough to prove your identity as a citizen of the country. The absence of data protection is what bothers all including the Supreme Court of the country which is worried about data theft in today’s age of digital crime and govt even have admitted of this goof up in the past.
India luckily has top software companies in the world and there is no reason why personal details of citizens cannot be secured fully in future with better planning and secrecy. Aadhaar can be advantageous and the government needs to work in that direction as citizens’ interest should be of Prime importance!
– S.N.Kabra
2) Remembering Bhagat Singh
Shahid Bhagat Singh was born in a Sikh Jat family in Khatkar Kalan, Punjab on September 28, 1907. His father Kishan Singh, grandfather Arjan Singh, and uncle Ajit Singh were actively involved in the struggle for India’s Independence. His family members inspired him immensely and the feeling of patriotism was instilled in him from the very beginning. It seemed like the quality ran in his blood.
Bhagat Singh was known to be one of the most influential revolutionary socialists. It was two of his acts of violence against the British government and his consequent execution that made him a household name.
He was just 23 years old when he was put to death by the British government who ruled India during those days. His heroic acts inspire the youth even today.
– Jubel D’Cruz
3) Law needed to take over erring private hospitals
It is a known and bitter fact that the private hospitals have become money-making industrial institutions through their negligent and inhuman attitude. There are reports that employed super-specialists are given daily targets of business for the profiteering of hospitals when treatments are done irrespective of their actual needs. People going only for some tests etc. are unnecessarily alarmed for some serious disease to ensure admission to the hospital even without any need.
Media-reported examples are two cases of December 2017, about raising exorbitant bill of Rs 16 lakhs by Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, also charging disproportionately for consumables like gloves and syringes, and giving body of a live child wrapped as dead child by Max Hospital (Shalimar Bagh) though such examples are otherwise routine for private industrial institutions called hospitals.
Public-memory is very short, and the guilty ones get escaped after some lapse of time. Law should be enacted that such erring hospitals may be taken over by governments to be run as premium hospitals. Such a system will make effective utilisation of huge money invested in these hospitals for the public good. It will also serve as a deterrent against wrong-doings by private hospitals.
– Madhu Agrawal
4) A case of negligence
The busy life of Mumbai is not giving time for women drivers about the danger and a car ran over an eight-year-old boy at Goregaon. It is a sheer case of negligence and the human life has no value. Fortunately, the 8-year-old boy escaped with minor bruises despite being run over by the Wagon R car. The tall boy model car did obstruct her side view and caused the mishap. The Mumbai police contended that the woman apparently failed to notice the boy as he was sitting in a blind spot just beside the car when she started, and as nobody screamed, she simply zoomed away. But that is not an excuse as the drivers will have to look around all the sides before taking out the car from the parking lot. As the video went viral on social media, stunned citizens and furious internet users demanded that the police trace the accused and register a complaint. The negligence on the part of the lady driver should not be neglected and the arrest came in a timely way. It is a lesson for all the drivers.
– Calicut Krishnan
5) PM Modi gets UN’s highest environmental honour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is recognised world over and his contribution is hailed and honoured. But our secular press is more interested in head lining opponents of Modi only. They are not seeing the good work done by Modi and the NDA government. It is a pity. Modi has given BPL families free gas, free electricity, transfer of subsidy directly to their accounts, subsidised housing to the poor, etc. But these are not seen by the press who are bent on bringing “ghatbhandan” to power in 2019. But people in the country are smarter. Good news. Clean energy, clean rivers, the clean and green earth is the demand of the day. Congratulations to French President Emmanuel Macron and Narendra Modi who have been jointly recognised in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of co-operation on environmental action, including Macron’s work on the Global Pact for the Environment and Modi’s unprecedented pledge to eliminate all single-use plastic in India by 2022. Kudos! We are in for more in store from Modi.
– M.R. Jayanthi
6) Asia Cup for team India
India’s supremacy in Asia Cup came to prominence, as Rohit Sharma led side lifted Asia Cup for the 8th time at the Dubai International Stadium in a Friday night final. The decision to allow Bangladesh to bat first did not yield much result. The 120 run opening partnership between Liton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz was Bangladesh’s biggest stand for the first wicket against India. India got the breakthrough when Jadhav got the wicket of Mehidy for a well made 32. And by the time the score touched 150 four more wickets fell and Team Indi was back in driver’s seat. But for a brief recovery by Liton (121) and Soumya Sarkar, there was no resistance from the tail end batsmen and the Bangla team folded up for 221 with 9 more balls to spare. K. Yadav and J. Jadhav shared the five wickets and two got themselves run out.
– Anandambal Subbu
7) Develop Kalkaji Temple
Famous Kalkaji Temple at New Delhi has been of utmost importance to Hindus, witnessing huge crowds especially in days of holy navratras twice a year for nine days each. Whole premises on the hill having Kalkaji Temple need proper development. Presently there are unauthorised structures in the complex which lack of cleanliness. The area should be beautified with all necessary facilities provided with a modern touch. Huge earnings by way of offerings and sale-resale of coconuts and other items of worships should be utilised for public-welfare schemes like is done at Tirupati with effective government-control in the management.
Priests controlling the temple as per dynastic traditions run Kalkaji Temple like a business shop. These priests sell VVIP-passes in festival-days at exorbitant high costs for Darshan just near the deity. People seated on high posts in legislature, bureaucracy, and police enjoy such privilege without any cost. All these persons are flattered through special Prasad and other puja items without any cost. Otherwise, the priests are very arrogant towards commoners. The commoners are made to stand in long queues that too for a hasty Darshan of the deity from a distance that too obstructed by VVIPs doing puja inside the deity-enclosure itself.
Even management of world-renowned Sai Temple at Shirdi has stopped special treatment to VVIPs by disallowing priority Darshan in peak days around New Year Day on January 1 when the temple attracts a maximum crowd. At least right to worship should be equal for all. It happens only in India that VVIPs are de-facto self-made gods getting undue favour even at religious places. Even everything is very well-managed at the famous Pashupatinath Temple at Kathmandu in Nepal. Premises is always very clean with official receipts given for different types of pujas with rates fixed and date of puja booked in advance. Priests are given a handsome fixed salary besides commission on money collected through offerings and for bookings of pujas. Prasad and puja-items are given after the puja, the cost of which is included in the official puja cost.
– Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
