Home Blog Page 1052

All Dalit Netas got sidelined?

April 28, 2019

Dalit votes could be decisive in the 2019 general elections in India. Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could get grand success in 2014 because the party made inroads into the Dalit vote. The BJP’s emphasis on development and economic growth for all captured the aspirations of the younger and educated Dalits. For the first time, the BJP won the largest number of 66 seats in 131 reserved seats. 84 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes. Similarly, 47 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. According to the 2011 census, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes comprised about 16.6 per cent and 8.6 per cent respectively of India’s population. Keeping in the view of the social and economic backwardness of SC-ST, the provision of reservation in the Lok Sabha was made for the upliftment of these communities.

When contacted on this issue, former Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad said, “Mayawati, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ramdas Athawale and Udit Raj should have fought Lok Sabha polls. Raising the Dalit issue in Lok Sabha sends the right message to Dalits. I won’t comment about Athawale as his party has an alliance with BJP. Absence of Mayawati and Paswan might create some problem. If Congress forms government, then justice will be done to Dalits and minorities. If these leaders are not contesting election, other Dalit leaders will come forward to raise the issue of Dalits.”

This year prominent leaders of Dalit community — Mayawati, Udit Raj, Ramdas Athawale, and Ram Vilas Paswan are not contesting the Lok Sabha elections. It means new Lok Sabha will be deprived of these vociferous Dalit leaders. However, a question arises, who will raise the issue of 20 crore Dalits of the country in the Lok Sabha? It is said that all prominent Dalit leaders are sidelined. In Maharashtra, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar is fighting against the former home minister Sushilkumar Shinde. Therefore, either Prakash Ambedkar or Sushilkumar Shinde will enter the Parliament from Solapur. It is also possible that both of them may lose. Prakash Ambedkar said that the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi’s (VBA) main fight is against the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Prakash Ambedkar is the grandson of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. He is also contesting election from Akola. He was a member of the 12th and 13th Lok Sabha Akola constituency of India. Sushilkumar Shinde has served as the Union Home Minister but he is not very much popular like Mayawati or Ram Vilas Paswan among Dalits. New Lok Sabha will witness 84 representatives of Scheduled Castes but very few are of national level. They might be proved a puppet in the hands of their party leaders.

Jogendra Kawade, People’s Republican Party President said, “Opposition party leaders have raised their voice against atrocities against backward castes and minorities in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. They are fulfilling their responsibilities. NDA, BJP backward caste MLAs and MPs, Ram Vilas Paswan have not raised their voice against injustice done to Dalits. They are more interested in pleasing PM Narendra Modi.”

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has decided not to fight election but will take the Rajya Sabha route to the Parliament. Ram Vilas Paswan is the Lok Sabha parliamentarian from Hajipur. In 1977, he won from the seat with a record margin of 4.24 lakh votes. Since then, Hajipur has been Ram Vilas Paswan’s stronghold for three decades. Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati also announced not to fight Lok Sabha polls. She said the most important task for her is to ensure the victory of the BSP-SP-RLD alliance on every seat it is contesting in Uttar Pradesh. On the other hand, the Republican Party of India (A) Ramdas Athawale was denied a ticket from Maharashtra by BJP-Shiv Sena coalition. BJP has assured him to send to Rajya Sabha. Unfortunately, the ticket of Udit Raj, sitting MP of Parliament from North West Delhi was cut by BJP. After that, he quit the party and joined the Congress.

RPI (A) Mumbai unit president Gautam Sonawane said, “Many Dalit candidates are contesting Lok Sabha election so there won’t be much problem if Mayawati, Ram Vilas Paswan, Udit Raj, and Ramdas Athawale are not contesting the LS polls. There are representatives from Rajya Sabha who can address the issues faced by Dalits.”

The seven-phased parliamentary elections 2019 for 17th Lok Sabha are going on voting for the fourth phase in the country and the last phase of polling in Maharashtra will take place on Monday. In Maharashtra, the 17 constituencies going to polls are all the six seats from Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Nashik, Palghar, Maval, Shirdi, Ratnagiri & Sindhudurg, Shirur, Dindori, and Nandurbar. It is remarkable that Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh (80). Voting for 31 of these seats was held in the first three phases April 11, 18 and 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 23.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Amar Sable said, “Ever since the Modi government has come to power, it has resolved issues of Dalits pertaining to their reservation, security, and education. Congress has not done anything for Dalits. BJP has followed Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Deen Dayal Upadhyay’s ideology and worked for the welfare of Adivasis, SC, ST, and OBC. Mayawati, Paswan, Athawale, and Udit Raj not contesting polls will not make any difference as BJP has already worked for the upliftment of Dalits. The so-called Dalit leaders have not done anything for Dalits.”

Dalit politics has become slavery of mainstream political parties

Vaidehi Taman

April 28, 2019

This would be the 17th Lok Sabha, but almost all Dalit leaders like Udit Raj, Ram Vilas Paswan and Ramdas Athawale to Sunil Baliram Gaikwad were denied tickets. The biggest question is that, who will voice the concerns of Dalits in India if their leaders are sidelined or we can translate it as “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas”, the BJP messaging has proven to be a reality on the ground for the vast majority of Indians with the ‘Dalits’ being no exception. Dalits alike previously will choose an honest, corruption-free, and action-oriented government. A massive Dalit upsurge after incidents like the flogging of Dalit youths in Una, Gujarat, Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s suicide in Hyderabad University, or the Thakur-Dalit clashes in Saharanpur in UP have also pointed to the limits of the BJP’s Dalit love. In the 2014 polls, BJP got nearly a quarter of the total Dalit votes, something that the Congress used to get in the past. The BJP made inroads into the Dalit vote base of both Congress and BSP.

India’s Constitution, which is authored by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, who was a Dalit — outlaws caste discrimination, yet prejudice remains rife in everyday life. Dalits are often denied their basic rights such as attending regular schools, accessing public water supplies, and staging marriage processions. Even after death, they do not have special provision for cremations; they have to go to Hindu crematory, where dead bodies are cremated by the status. If we look into history, when Ambedkar passed away, he was denied cremation in Chandanwadi crematorium, later on, it was decided that the cremation would take place in Dadar Chowpatty, which is now known as Chaitya Bhoomi. Ambedkar was cremated there after his death on December 6, 1956. Chaitya Bhoomi is a revered place of pilgrimage for all the Ambedkarites and Buddhists in the world. After his death, many Dalit leaders emerged as guards of their community and many of them stayed out of politics and served the community; however, in the recent past, Dalit politics has changed to the slavery of mainstream political parties.

Since then, challenging the caste system and embracing their identity, Dalits have increasingly taken to the streets to demand better treatment, driven by rising education levels, greater entrepreneurship and a growing awareness of their political clout. Young Dalits are showing their power like never before, even wearing Tshirts that read “It’s a Dalit thing, you won’t understand.”

Leaders like Chandrashekhar Azad, who cofounded a Dalit group called the Bhim Army in 2015 to provide free schooling for underprivileged children, have delivered fiery speeches against PM Modi but in reality, he could not deliver much for the community.

Dalits have at times resorted to violent demonstrations to press their point. In April last, they protested a Supreme Court ruling they saw as diluting stringent antidiscrimination provisions, leaving 11 people dead. In January 2018, they clashed with Hindu nationalists in the financial capital, Mumbai, blocking roads and rail lines and attacking buses. There is unquestionably a growing assertiveness among Dalits in India that is expected to gather strength in the years to come. The impact that Dalit anger will have on the 2019 outcome will depend on how effectively the opposition coordinates — which remains a big question mark — and to what extent PM Modi can create divisions within the Dalit community. In the key state of Uttar Pradesh, PM Modi also faces the challenge of a united opposition after the Bahujan Samaj Party formed a seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party. Both oppose a second fiveyear term for the BJP.

BJP says it still retains Dalit support after the government launched programs that directly benefit them such as preferential loans. The decision to name Ram Nath Kovind, Dalit, as the President in 2017, shows the efforts by BJP to elevate oppressed groups. However, the amount of disrespect given to Kovind is annoying. There are many circulations on social media where PM is projected larger than the President of India. In the villages of Uttar Pradesh, discrimination against Dalits is still common. Jatav faced threats from upper caste residents when he announced his intention to ride into his bride’s village in 2017. After the local administration refused to help, Jatav appealed to the district magistrate, the head of police, the Chief Minister, and the High Court. The authorities finally allowed the procession to go ahead and deployed a huge police force for protection. After a long time, Dalits are now united and organised; they are fighting to bring social and political changes. The community has come to realise its power and the value of their rights. In UP, they comprise 21 per cent of the total population which means they can turn the fortunes of any party. In UP, there are 17 reserved seats for the Scheduled Caste community and all of them were won by the BJP in the 2014 polls. Ignoring them in 2019 is a big mistake of the ruling party. In the past, Dalits have remained with the Congress and the party has greatly benefitted from their support. However, the first shift came in 1984 when Kanshi Ram formed the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and weaned Dalits away from the Congress. The shift greatly impacted the prospect of the party and it lost power in the state in 1989.

The trouble for BJP with Dalits started soon after several leaders including Anant Hegde proposed changes in the basic structure of the Constitution. The dilution of the SC/ST Act followed by violence across the country only alienated the Dalit lawmakers from the party. One such MP Anshul Verma, from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh who resigned in March, hints at the growing discontent among the party’s sitting Dalit lawmakers over their conduct in the last five years, which has resulted in defection to other parties.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Will Mudra Loan create problems for Banks?

Web Team

April 28, 2019

Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (Mudra) is one of the major schemes of the Modi Government. This plan was inaugurated in April 2015. Under this, a small loan of up to Rs 10 lakhs is given to small businessmen without guarantee. Interest rates in the Mudra loan are lower than other types of loans.

The government wants that more and more people take benefit from the Mudra loan and become self-reliant. Due to the government’s efforts, the Mudra loan is currently being considered as a major source of employment generation. People are being financially self-reliant by benefiting from the Mudra loan. The success of this scheme is inspiring the government to increase the Mudra loan budget annually.

The Mudra loan is the flagship scheme of the Modi government. Perhaps, for this reason, Home Minister Hansraj Ahir had instructed to stop the annual increment of bank officials who did not achieve the target of Mudra loan. It is noteworthy that for the first time a Union Minister talked about penalising bank officials for the implementation of the government scheme.

Under the Prime Minister’s Rojgar Yojna (PMRY) or the Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP), the empowered government always makes pressure over Banks to achieve the set target in the given timeframe. Generally, the loans given under pressure become Non-Performing Assets (NPA).

Until a few years ago, the loans given under the government schemes when turned NPA, then no substantial action was taken against the bank’s employees because it was believed that such loans had given for political reasons, but now the situation is changing. The bank is taking action against the responsible bank’s employees.

In order to make Mudra scheme successful, the banks are trying hard, which can be verified from achieved goals. For example, in the financial year 2015-16, the banks had set a target of sanctioning Rs.1.22 lakh crores loan, but they sanctioned a loan of more than Rs.1.37 lakh crores. In the financial year 2016-17, the banks had a target of sanction loan of Rs.1.80 lakh crore and they were successful in achieving it. In the financial year 2017-18, the banks had targeted to give loans of Rs 2.44 lakh crores among beneficiaries and they approved loans of more than Rs 2.54 lakh crores.

In March 2019, the banks have distributed loans of Rs 70,000 crore under the Mudra scheme, which is one-fourth of the annual target of the Banks. The question arises here is whether the banks have disbursed such a large amount in a short time under any political pressure. If this is the case then it should be considered a matter of concern. Even if the banks have done this in a hurry to achieve the set target, it will also cause loss to the banks as loan proposals cannot be properly analyzed in a short period of time.

It is also being seen that some loans being distributed under the Mudra scheme by banks were first distributed under the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). The numbers of Mudra Loans are increasing due to re-distribution of the old distributed loan under the Mudra scheme. The intention behind doing so by bank personnel is to achieve the set target of the Mudra loan.

However, under the Mudra scheme, loans up to Rs 10 lakh are given without any guarantees. Because of this, most beneficiaries refrain from returning it after taking a loan. It was believed that the use of Mudra loan will be done for increasing business, which will lead to entrepreneurship in the country, and the economic condition of the country will be better, but this is not happening.

In this context, according to official figures of the year 2018, the level of repayment of Mudra loan was very good. It is notable that in the financial year 2017-18, NPAs in the Mudra loan stood at 5.38 percent, which was much lower compared to other loans, but this ratio has seen an increase in the financial year 2019. The NPA increased 53 percent in the third quarter of Financial Year 2019 if we compare it from the same period of previous Financial Year. The NPA amount of Mudra loan has increased to Rs.14,931 crore, which was Rs.9,770 crore in the financial year 2018.

In Shishu, Kishore and Tarun, there has been an increase of 64, 52 and 42 percent of NPAs against the previous financial year. NPAs have increased to 58.33 percent, 70 percent, and 45 percent, respectively, in comparison to the previous financial year. In this way, the pace of making NPAs of Mudra loan has already increased significantly. As on March 31, 2018, the number of NPA accounts was 17.99 lakhs under the Mudra scheme, which increased to 28.83 lakh by December 2018. Not only this, but the distribution percentage of Mudra loans is also decreasing.

It is also a matter of worry that the private sector banks, which have usually managed to reduce the NPA till now, have also proved to be lousy like government banks in case of Mudra loans. For this reason, the Mudra loan is becoming a big source of NPA. According to credit rating agencies, banks are showing fewer NPAs under Mudra scheme. If the figures are published honestly, then NPA can reach 10 to 15 percent level.

Mudra loan is becoming contingency liability for CGTMSME, operated by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). This means that CGTMSME will pay the defaulted amount in case Mudra loan becomes NPA. At present, having higher NPA of Mudra loan is adversely affecting the economy.

CGTMSME had been set up to free the micro and small enterprises from the bond of collateral security so that the flow of credit could be increased. In the joint study of SIDBI and Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited (CIBIL) in June 2018, it was disclosed that the rate of MSME NPA was stable between March 2017 and March 2018. This can be considered a sign of a menace. The NPA growth in this area can stop the growth wheel of the economy.

It seems that the purpose of the Mudra scheme is gradually defeating. At present, most of the people are not paying repayments by taking a Mudra loan. To get the benefits of CGTMME, the beneficiaries are avoiding to pay interest and instalments of Mudra loans. Normally, most of the beneficiaries are fulfilling the conditions of schemes for getting advantage of the CGTMSME facility.

However, it’s not too late now. If the Mudra lenders are properly investigated and the political pressure is not made unnecessarily on the banks to give a loan, then there can be a positive change in the situation, but at the moment, the situation seems to be slipping through hands like sand. Bank, government and other stakeholders must take positive steps in the matter, otherwise, the Mudra loan scheme will fail to achieve its objective like other government schemes.

By Satish Singh

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

Letters to the Editor: April 28, 2019

Web Team

April 28, 2019

Agriculture loans at subsidised interest-rates

Former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi in his Facebook-post has made a shocking revelation said to have been obtained under RTI Act and published in a social media that every year from 2010 to 2016 about 700 people were given total agricultural-loans of about Rs 60,000 crores every year with an average of about Rs 90 crores per individual every year on a highly subsidised nominal rate of just four per cent per annum. This is just a mockery of the economy where ultra-rich are getting tax-exemptions in name income from agriculture, and such heavy loans at a highly subsidised rate of just four per cent per annum. It may not be surprising if some of these might have availed loan-waivers granted in name of agricultural loans.

There must be a limit of loans sanctioned by banks in name of agricultural loans so that only really needy poor farmers may take advantage of heavy subsidy on interest-rates. Moreover, to avoid whitening of black money in name of tax-free agricultural income, provision of tax-exemption on agricultural income should have some limit of say Rs 5 lakhs that too when the total income declared may not exceed Rs 10 lakhs in a year.

Madhu Agrawal

Delhi RTI Act 2001 needs immediate repeal

This is in reference to order dated August 8, 2018, in WPC 8278 of 2018 in the matter ANIL DUTT SHARMA versus GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI AND ORS. wherein the court has specifically mentioned – This Court is of the prima facie view that the Right To Information Act, 2005 would now override the Delhi Right To Information Act, 2001 as it would occupy the entire legislative field.

Demand to repeal since meaningless Delhi-Right-To-Information-Act, 2001 (DRTI Act) is being made ever since much popular Right-To-Information-Act, 2005 (RTI Act) came into force in the year 2005. DRTI Act has lost all relevance with RTI Act in existence, and only a very few applications are now being filed under DRTI Act, with most officers of Delhi Government being totally unaware about provisions of DRTI Act. Complete infrastructure is set up at all about 200 departments and bodies under Delhi Government to handle just very few applications filed under DRTI Act thus unnecessarily wasting precious public resources.

Now at least with rightful observations made by Delhi High Court, DRTI Act should be repealed immediately without any further delay.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Cricket Umpiring, a thankless job

C K Subramaniam

April 28, 2019

There was a lot of criticism about the standard of umpiring going down in World of Cricket. To err is human but to err on a line call when replays are there is a blunder. It is usually said that the line belongs to the umpire and even the third umpire err at times, which includes pressing the red button instead of a green button to cause a stir. If an International umpire fails, he gets blacklisted and removed from the elite panel of umpires. At the same time, when an umpire is doing extremely well in a particular season, then he is rewarded by the ICC in its annual function.

An umpire is the only single person who, alone can make or ruin a game of cricket. If he makes it, your average cricketer takes the fact for granted. If he ruins it, your cricketer grumbles, forgetting that, for far too long, cricketers have paid too little attention to the umpiring of their matches. Players have only half knowledge about DRS but they make big cry all the time. Just like batting, bowling, and fielding, umpiring also play a crucial role in deciding the course of the match. As an umpire of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, I was able to officiate matches at Delhi, Chennai, Coimbatore, and Mumbai. Umpiring is a thankless job but at the same time, it is a very interesting profession also.

It is quite imperative to note that players learn by experience. When Gary Sobers was asked to follow-on in West Indies in a match curtailed by rain for four days, the leeway ought to be 150 runs and not 200 runs as in the case of a five-day game to enforce a follow on. Gary was surprised but quickly learned from the mistake. Geoff Boycott was once caught red-handed for not knowing a basic rule in Australia. Hit wicket rule is misconstrued and misused as well. My brother was given out hit wicket when he was in the process of taking a run and the bat accidentally fell on the wicket. That compelled him to learn the Laws of the Game and he became one of the first-rate umpires in DDCA. It is all in the game. At times, umpires are forced to give decision so that an outright win can be possible to attain points in a league game. Again, if you give a star batsman out LBW, the fielding side will look at you with a strange look as though you committed a murder.

An umpire should be professional in the best sense of the word “phlegmatic, unobtrusive, dignified, courteous of absolute integrity and very much prepared to discharge his duties fearlessly and impartially. The good umpire is dedicated to the task of conducting a game so that the players get the utmost enjoyment from it. This needs the highest possible standard of umpiring and he devotes a portion of his leisure to studying, refreshing debating points of law and reinterpretation and improving his technique in every way seeking to ensure that he becomes a master of his craft. The finest umpires are those who appear to make the fewest mistakes. Even our best umpires can be mistaken in fact, but the possibility of errors may be reduced by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the Laws of the Game and by unremitting concentration.

Once I was officiating a TNCA League match at Chennai and some of the team’s members were considered to be showing rough behaviour and go the extent of beating opposite team players and umpires with cycle chain if something goes wrong against their wishes. As the match ended, the notorious team captain lost the match but shook hands with me for my exemplary standard of umpiring. That saved me the day as the match went up to the mandatory overs stage. Umpiring is really a thankless job. Reading more books on cricket umpiring and attending a seminar on umpiring at the highest level and going through cricket umpiring question answers will help you to learn the finer points of umpiring.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

In US synagogue shooting leaves 1 dead, 3 wounded

Web Team

April 28, 2019

A gunman walked into a San Diego-area synagogue crowded with Sabbath worshippers on Saturday and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing one woman inside and wounding three others in a hate crime carried out on the last day of Passover.

The suspect fled the scene by car but surrendered to police a short time later. He was identified by authorities as John Earnest, 19, of San Diego, the apparent author of a “manifesto” who claimed to have set a nearby mosque on fire last month and professed drawing inspiration from the gunman who killed nearly 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said that police and FBI were investigating Earnest’s “possible involvement” in an unsolved predawn arson on March 24 at the Islamic Center of Escondido, a town about 15 miles (24 km) north of the synagogue attacked on Saturday. No one was hurt at the mosque fire. Gore said that Earnest, whose weapon apparently malfunctioned after the first several rounds he fired, had no prior criminal record.

The gun violence at the Congregation Chabad synagogue in the town of Poway, California, about 23 miles (37 km) north of downtown San Diego, unfolded six months to the day after 11 worshippers were killed and six others wounded by a gunman who stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh yelling, “All Jews must die.” The assailant in that massacre, said to be the deadliest attack ever against Jews on U.S. soil, was arrested.

Saturday’s Passover violence followed a recent spate of deadly attacks on houses of worship around the world. Suicide bombings during Easter Sunday services at several churches in Sri Lanka killed more than 250 people. A gunman who opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15 left 49 people dead and more than 40 wounded, some as they knelt in prayer.

Mumbai slums’ lives cutting short in trash

Vaidehi Taman

April 26, 2019

Size of waste around Mumbai slum is growing day-by-day cutting short the lives of people. Trash, garbage, rubbish, or refuse — whatever you prefer to call it is piled high, strewn all over, and sometimes collected into little mounds for clean-up. As with most public health hazards, there’s more trash in the poorer neighbourhoods than in the wealthier ones. You will find cows groping through a massive garbage pile at the corner of Kaula Bandar, the unregistered slum community. Over time, the docks were overrun with workers and their tenement-style houses. Though many residents are recent migrants, some parts of Kaula Bandar have been there for over 40 years. The slum now houses over 40,000 people. The area, a former jetty, is surrounded on three sides by water. The lanes near its end are so twisted you have to stoop to squeeze through them. In 1927, Mumbai started to send its waste, previously deposited in Kurla, to the outskirts of the city in Deonar. However, as the city spread and land prices increased, the region saw a remarkable shift. Oil refineries, fertiliser plants and resulting employee quarters came up. The railway line was extended, highways constructed, slum dwellers from the island city rehabilitated; further ahead, the satellite town of Navi Mumbai was planned, pitched, and executed. Meanwhile, on other open lands, new slums too cropped up. All along, the dumping ground remained a fixture in the background and ensured lower living costs. Thus, the slums around the dumping ground quietly mushroomed till, in 2011, they took over Dharavi as the largest slum pockets in Asia. Till the beginning of 2017, Mumbai produced 8,722 metric tonnes of waste per day that the BMC was trying to reduce to 6,789 metric tonnes. This measure was supposed to be started in slums and take the waste count below 5,000 metric tonnes of waste per day. The BMC also conducted various waste composting exhibitions over the months by spending huge public money but nothing much could be achieved.

Of the three dumping grounds in the city, waste is scientifically processed only at Kanjurmarg. The Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds have already reached their saturation point. A constant fire incident in these two dumping grounds has become a huge health hazard for citizens living in nearby areas. In February 2015, Deonar witnessed three major fire incidents and a multiple numbers of pocket fire incidents. Toxic inhaling and smoke have caused such serious issues that the slum residents dying without living their lives to the fullest. Children are born with down syndrome or with multiple deficiencies. Overloaded garbage is taking down the lives of people. However, the BMC needs another three years to set up a waste-to-energy plant at the Deonar dumping ground. The BMC is also in the process of appointing a contractor to scientifically close down the Mulund dumping ground, but no one knows how many lives going to be compromised in these three years. The life expectancy of people living around Deonar dumping ground hovers at around 39 years. The urban life expectancy in Maharashtra is 73.5 years. The slums around the dumping ground, so far, offer the cheapest living options in Mumbai. Many migrants, especially Dalits and Muslims, therefore, move into these slums, where a 6X6 room could cost Rs 500-1000, and become ragpickers to earn a living. Often underage and exploited by those who’ve risen up the ranks, these ragpickers ignore severe health concerns as they venture into the dumping ground to bring back recyclable material. India might require mass education drives to be convinced of the need for controlling the trash, but municipal corporations do with their powers and budgets. Activists hint at vested interests when the BMC keeps hunting for newer sites to dump waste and allots a significant amount to transportation.

Each year, the BMC budget announces ambitious plans to change the face of waste management in the city, each year it fails. This year too, Rs 100 crores has been announced for the long-touted waste-to-energy plant at the dumping ground. Mumbai’s development plan, too, marks certain areas as waste-processing centers, but if the past is any proof, these plans are mired in bureaucratic hassles and end up existing only on paper. For Mumbai to be able to manage its waste problem, a lot of things need to happen at once. Segregation, decentralised waste processing, only allowing unprocessed waste to reach the dumping ground, which would then be processed without polluting the environment. However, in the same breath, these steps are nearly impossible without the presence of strong leadership. Strong leadership is associated with an elected mayor or an empowered representative. Mumbai is dependent on how willing the Assistant Municipal Commissioners or the ward officers are. The councillors can take up issues in the standing committee meetings, but their powers are limited. The solid waste management department is a failure, and the elected representative, the councillor, has been reduced to someone who merely asks questions and complains to the Municipal Corporation. Regardless of the limited powers, the councillors are closest to the population but seem to be unable to provide any comprehensive solutions to their electorate. However, for slum residents, the choice lies between poor health and death by starvation.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Mumbai slum residents dying before age 40

Rajesh Choudhary

April 26, 2019

A survey report of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has revealed that the life expectancy of Mumbai slum residents barely reaches the age of 40. Only BMC and state government can be blamed for the failure to address the problems of the slums in the city. They neglected these regions and waste management has been a big failure. Political parties only talk about “slum-free Mumbai”, without any concrete plan and action. Whenever any accident takes place, political leaders blame each other. Mumbai’s slums occupy 12 per cent of its total geographic area but 55 per cent of its total population.

Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra, is surrounded by huge slum with shorter lives. Nearly half of Mumbai’s slums are non-notified, meaning they have no security of land tenure and are not entitled to access city services like connections to the water supply and sanitation. Most of the slum houses do not have individual toilets and taps. The residents have to pay to use community toilets which are rarely maintained. Here the slums lack water supply and 58 per cent have no electricity. Many slum houses do not have proper doors.

The condition of people living around Deonar dumping ground is more pitiable. The questionable problem of waste and the neglect of region hanging on its boundary is an example of diffused responsibility.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) fails to coordinate with elected representatives and expedite projects for the development of slums. Waste management is a bigger issue around Mumbai slums. The gas and smoke from garbage don’t stay in the ground, it spreads everywhere. Each day, 9000 metric tonnes of waste goes to the 134-hectare Deonar dumping ground in Mumbai. The life expectancy of people living around the dumping ground hovers at 39 years, as against an urban life expectancy of 73.5 years in the state. Better implementation of solutions, political will, stronger leaders and citizen responsibility is required to bring Deonar’s residents out of the landfills.

Balku Shivare, a resident of Deonar slum, told the Afternoon Voice, “Most of the people residing here have breathing problems and many are chronically ill patients. You will find most of the children scratching their eyes; the toxins from the garbage make it difficult to breathe.”

He further added, “The Deonar dumping ground often makes the news, especially when waste decomposes and the emitting methane gas catches fire, or when the municipal corporation announces something outrageous, such as inviting tenders for herbal deodorants to mask the landfill’s stink. However, to those living around, the nagging coughs, overflowing sewers, pungent air, or smoke billowing into their houses is not changing headlines but acknowledging a persistent truth.”

Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam stated, “At various places, slums have been demolished to make way for buildings. Bal Thackeray had started the slum rehabilitation scheme to provide appropriate housing to the slum dwellers. There is a provision to discharge sewage in slums through proper drainage. Dharavi is one of the biggest slums in Mumbai where slum redevelopment work has begun.”

However, Mumbai’s 12.4 million citizens send 9,000 metric tonnes of waste to this 134-hectare dumping ground every day. If one corner of the city wasn’t piling up this junk to a height of nearly 18-20 floors, it could accommodate almost 268 football fields or 30 per cent of the Bandra-Kurla Complex business district. This waste is unsegregated and some slum communities scavenge it for recyclable materials. Those who live around, suffer extreme health hazards.

It is worth mentioning that if people living in slums refuse to work for a day, life in Mumbai would come to a standstill.

Congress corporator Puspha Koli said, “People residing in slum areas near coastal areas of the city have to face severe hardships as garbage is not cleared. They fall ill. Contractors are not performing their work effectively and they fail to maintain cleanliness. The Shiv Sena ruled BMC is responsible for this.”

The unaffordable housing market in Mumbai and the failure of the state government to provide adequate housing for economically weaker sections of society has resulted in the spread of slums across the city. In the 19th century, as Mumbai became the hub of textile and emerged as the commercial capital of India, workers from various parts of the country flocked to Mumbai and had to stay in informal housing the slums. As the city continued to attract more and more people in search of a livelihood, the density of slums in Mumbai continued to increase.

Is Election Commission weakening?

Afternoon Voice

April 26, 2019

The moment Election Commission of India declares elections schedule, the Model Code of Conduct comes into force which presents the guidelines in conducting free and fair elections in the country and the Election Commission officers have the authority to take action against anyone violating Model Code of Conduct. The Election Commission declared the 2019 Lok Sabha elections schedule on March 10. Voting will take place in seven phases starting from April 11 to May 19, 2019. After the announcements, several reports rounded the India media which stated that the Model Code of Conduct was being crushed by the political parties, their leaders, workers and supporters without bothering about the consequences of their misconduct. Some reports stated that Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra even used Ambulances for promoting their political agendas.

The history of India is a proof in itself that the leaders continue their campaigning, promotions, public speech, sticking posters, distributing hand wills to the people cum voters even on polling day. MCC gives an overview of the political parties and candidates about what to do and what not to before and during the elections. Under the Model Code of Conduct, leaders and political parties are also not allowed to count and showcase their achievements and whatever work they have done during their tenure in the government and if they are caught doing the same, then the Election Commission has the authority to take action against them for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

In the last few weeks, many political parties from across the nation have lodged many complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as BJP president Amit Shah and other politicians from the ruling party of violating the Model Code of Conduct. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Chandranaidu Babu criticised the Election Commission of India for its biased behaviour towards perpetrators violating Model Code of Conduct and asked if the MCC is separate for the prime minister on one hand and chief ministers on the other.

He also added that this is not the first time when Prime Minister has violated the Model Code of Conduct. There is a violation by Modi’s part every day. Bahujan Samaj Party President and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati also accused the Election Commission of ignoring Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is moving freely even after being alleged in so many cases of violating the Model Code of Conduct. However, the Election Commission is yet to decide if PM Modi violated its advisory by referring to Indian Army as well as to Indian Air Force’s air strikes on a terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Pakistan while addressing a poll rally in Latur, Maharashtra on April 9.

It was also reported that PM Modi violated the Model Code of Conduct by his speech at another election rally at Wardha in Maharashtra on April 1. He accused that the Congress has hurt Hindu sentiments by allegedly coining the term ‘Hindu Terror’. He further attacking at Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, Modi and said that the opposition leaders are now seeking election from constituencies where majority community of the country is a minority.

The election committee is still examining the transcripts of Modi’s speech even after a month is passed after the prime minister statements in Wardha. Weeks have also passed since the prime minister during his rally in Latur on April 9, asked first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the defence personnel who conducted India’s February 26 air strikes in Pakistan. However, the Election Commission is still busy going through the transcripts of his speech.

The Election Commission on March 9 and 19 issued two advisories asking the politicians to not to display pictures of defence personnel or refer to their activities to grab votes during elections. As per the media reports the Election Commission had received the full transcript of PM’s speech on April 1 in Wardha. Similarly, the full transcript of his speech in Latur also reached to Election Commission headquarters in Nirvachan Sadan on April. But the action is taken from the EC side is zero.

However, the question that remained unanswered is that is EC interested or serious about taking the action about this perpetrator, or is afraid or may be under any influence or maybe it is being used by the ruling government that could be reason for it to not take any action against these parties and leaders violating the model of conduct. The new name that is rounding the media is of Narendra Modi, who wile casting his vote, gathered the media persons, had discussions, promoted himself, and directly violated elections law and order.

The Model Code of Conduct is a set of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India which are to be followed by both the political parties and candidates contesting the elections. The MCC is a set of instructions on complaining, general conduct and meetings during the election and it remains effective till the entire election process is completed. This is in keeping with Article 324 of the Indian Constitution which gives power to the EC to supervise the elections to the Parliament and the state legislatures. The MCC came into force after the Election Commission declares the election schedule, however, for the general elections this year, the MCC came into force on March 10, 2019, when the election schedule was announced and will remain in force till May 23, 2019 – when the final result will be declared.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

Celebrate the ‘Festival of Democracy’ on April 29!

S. Krishna Kumar

April 26, 2019

Indian democracy is alive and kicking in our “Mahan Bharat”. It’s, in fact, a Herculean task to conduct elections in a vast country like India, especially considering the situation the country faces like terror attacks, internal law and order and so on. In this context, we should applaud the efforts taken by our Election Commission and its officers and staff, in making all the preparations beforehand and conducting the elections in a systematic manner and peacefully.

However, what is rather painful is the percentage of voters casting their votes, is never encouraging. We have seen in many elections, how even in the prosperous cities and localities, the percentages of voting have been much lower than the average figures. In fact, in the localities which have the “upper strata of people”, the percentage of votes cast, has always been quite low. Whereas, the voters in villages and urban areas have always turned out in large numbers to cast their votes.

I, therefore have a suggestion or an idea. Why not link budget allocation to the percentage of votes polled? Thus, if an area votes 20 per cent, they will get only 20 per cent (or proportionately) and cannot crib later. The motto should be – no vote, no money, no amenities. If this is not practical, link it to supply of water, electricity, provision of infrastructure, and so on. Those who do not cast their votes (especially those from the upper strata or of posh localities like South Mumbai, Bandra, etc.) should be deprived of their amenities and their right to voice against lack of infrastructure facilities and so on. Normally, it’s very intriguing to note that the “upper strata” of people think they are privileged and that even if they do not exercise their votes, they will be extended all the amenities and benefits due to “VIP localities”.

I also feel voter apathy is existent because they have no connection with their corporators or MLAs or MPs and feel that their votes will have no effect – things would anyway continue to remain the same, they feel! If the elected representatives can have better connect with the people, some amount of the voter apathy could be reduced.

We need to work to demystify these elected posts and make them more accessible to people from all walks of society, ready to serve in these posts. Only then will there be a better exercise of electoral rights.

Let us remember that it is our prime duty to exercise our franchise in the “great general elections” to elect ‘our representatives of the people (MPs)’. So, do not take advantage of the weekend and the holiday on Election Day. It’s just once in five years. Do not forget to cast your valuable vote. Exercise your fundamental right.

All the eligible voters must, therefore, move out of their homes early in the morning on April 29 (Monday), go to the voting booths as applicable to them and exercise their franchise. And Yes, Vote Wisely. By and large, people should not misuse their right by voting for “NOTA”. Do not thus waste your precious vote.

It’s your vote that will decide the “fate” of the nation! So, get your “fate” sealed on April 29, 2019!

Mark the date to celebrate the ‘Festival of Democracy’ :

April 29, 2019!

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

1...1,0511,0521,053...5,590 Page 1,052 of 5,590