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People have a job that they want, they don’t have the wages they need

By
Vaidehi Taman
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unemployment, india, rate, employment rate, salary, gdp, economy, development, job loss, job losses,
People have a job that they want, they don’t have the wages they need 2

According to the International Labor Organization’s database, India’s unemployment rate rose to 7.11% in 2020 – the highest in at least three decades. India is undergoing tremendous growth but it’s jobless growth also it is a really tough thing to provide jobs to such a huge task force in the time of industrialization and artificial intelligence merged with robotics, but still various kind of factors are responsible for it, form grooming to education, as Most of the Indians are job seeker – We are told by our parents, ‘Padh Likh Kar Sarkari Naukari Karna‘ (Become a government servant after education), and then the youth keep saying why the government does this, why don’t they fill up vacancies, they didn’t fulfil their promise but you rarely find someone saying that I want to employ people than being employed.

The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy, a think tank, said India’s labour participation rate in May was 40%, with 15 million jobs lost in the month. May 2021 is also the fourth consecutive month of a fall in employment. The cumulative fall in employment since January 2021 is 25.3 million. Everyone wants a safe future so they keep trying for selection exams for many years, if they become unsuccessful, they get depressed and don’t want to settle for less and stay jobless.

Selection examinations like IAS have an age limit of up to 32 years, if someone is trying up to 32 years then it becomes really difficult to learn new skills at this age for employment if he doesn’t get success. Jobs are inadequate and doing business is Hercule’s task. It is really horrible to start manufacturing in India. Most “Made in India” products have very low-value addition in India itself. If we talk about Micromax, they have added only and only 7% value in their products mainly manufactured in China, although they are considered to be Indian manufacturers with pride.

Bureaucracy is more focused on their own personal GDP than the nation. They don’t care about entrepreneurs and their role in countries growth. There are few companies like Reliance, Tata, Birla and they are considered to be only serious businesses and the startup founders are considered to be garbage and demotivated by the system itself. Due to lack of basic infrastructures like transport, electricity and complicated tax system, most of the companies do not want to produce here which cut down a huge amount of jobs in India

High rates of unemployment are dangerous. If you have so many unemployed people, it means they are neither saving nor consuming. This has a direct impact on economic growth and the country’s economic potential. The youth are employed by the informal sector, where cash flows are unpredictable and erratic, no one can plan investments and other initiatives. It also impacts the level of consumption, on the future of the country. When these people are past their working age, they will have little money saved as a formal pension, forcing the government to provide social safety nets, the burden on the government will be enormous.

Unemployment was there even before the pandemic, but now the situation has turned from bad to worse. The government has acknowledged that virus lockdowns have affected economies across the globe, including that of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked industry representatives to look at ways to increase exports, a move that could help boost employment. The priority and policy should be to give a basic income to everyone and give support to unemployed youth. The situation is serious. The government has to be more active because it hasn’t done anything significant.

When you have fewer options available in the market, you have to accept jobs with low salaries. The government needs to be more serious for the youth, they are the future. There are competing narratives about the significance of ‘official’ unemployment rates on the larger canvas. For example, everybody who wants a job has a job; they just don’t have the wages they want or need. However, it is also true that despite the government’s claims, there is a growing consensus that job creation has not kept pace with the numbers of those seeking employment.

There is widespread evidence from countries around the world that education benefits both individuals and nations in material terms. Most Indians believe in the benefits of education which is why one survey found 71% of them to be willing to even borrow money for the education of their children. In theory, college education, in particular, improves employment prospects. Many young people find jobs of their liking and when suitable employment is not immediately available, they are likely to remain patient if the economy is growing and if they see others like them benefiting from the nation’s economic growth in terms of employment or other opportunities.

The number of domestic MNCs are very low. Most of the MNCs will have headquarters and a base of operations in their home country. Apart from a few household names like Tata, Reliance and Infosys, the majority of the MNCs either belong from the USA, UK, Europe or China. India comes way behind.

Red tapes and inefficient administration. Our bureaucracy is so hospitable that by the time you are done visiting their office, you will probably get high blood pressure and hypertension. Innovation sucks. From the very beginning, we are trained to do the art of copy-paste by mugging up textbooks and churning the same answers. Also, there is no outlet to pursue your hobby. For example, if you are an RC plane enthusiast who likes to assemble and fly model planes, not only there are rules and regulations like height restriction, weight restriction etc. Also, you cannot import RC planes from other countries if they don’t meet the criteria of the ‘radio frequency’.

Remember the home-schooled Indian girl who won Olympiad medals but was rejected by IIT because she didn’t have an HSC degree only to get accepted by MIT. The Indian education system is so rigid and obsolete that having a degree matters. Even a smart guy with laurels will be rejected if he does not possess a degree. Such folly will kill any innovative and smart students.

Shiv Sena and Narayan Rane locked in a bitter fight

By
Vaidehi Taman
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uddhav thackeray, narayan rane, shiv sena, sena, nitesh rane, nitesh, rane, sena vs rane, shiv sena, thackeray, aaditya thackeray
Shiv Sena and Narayan Rane locked in a bitter fight 4

Once Narayan Rane was a blue-eyed boy of Shiv Sena, later on, rebelled against Balasaheb Thackeray and quit the party. Seventeen years since he left Sena, Narayan Rane is again locked in a bitter fight with the former. Rane, now a Union Minister, and one of his sons too joined BJP following his father’s footsteps. 

Starting with a loyal Shiv Sainik from old times, Balasaheb decided to give chance to Manohar Joshi, a Brahmin by caste. Well! Joshi was CM and Gopinath Munde from BJP was his deputy, the government did perform good, most important and most required at the time, the government was successful in wiping out the underworld gangs headed by Dawood Ibrahim and Pathan and other small regional gangs of Mumbai.

Everything was going well until Balasaheb asked Joshi to resign from the CM post and replace Narayan Rane. As a result of this, Rane became hugely arrogant. Narayan Rane made a mistake when he quit the Shiv Sena in 2005. The political scenario in the state would have been different had Rane not quit, Rane mistakenly believed that he would be made CM on joining the Congress. He had faced a lot of humiliation. After a few years, he restored to open attacks on Congress leaders until expelled.

The primary years of the Shiv Sena were entirely different; those days’ people had no guts to speak against Balasaheb and his party. Rane was one of the trusted lieutenants of Balasaheb Thackeray for years and Balasaheb gave him a lot of political honours. After quitting the party, Rane was in two minds over joining a new party and whether he should choose Congress or NCP. He had met Pawar before taking the decision but Pawar did not offer him anything.

Amongst all the people who left Shiv Sena, Narayan Rane was the only one who started condemning Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray to the worst extent. Also, he created troubles for Shivsainiks, murdered a few in the arrogance of power. Rane’s one son is an ex-MP and another one is currently a BJP MLA they too followed the footsteps of his father. Also, the ex-MP son criticized Balasaheb posthumously with the worst accusations. MLA son is busy cruising Aaditya Thackeray, grandson of Balasaheb and son of Uddhav Thackeray. Rane couldn’t be loyal to a family that changed his life. So, making Narayan Rane a CM of Maharashtra was one of the worst decisions of Balasaheb.

Shiv Sena has never happily played second lead in Maharashtra politics since 2014 and it was quite evident that the alliance with BJP was always conditional. During Balasaheb’s time, they were scary powerful, while the BJP played the second fiddle. 2019 Lok Sabha elections BJP was in a minority government and when BJP failed to take Shiv Sena into confidence, BJP tied the knot with Rashtravadi leaders and came to power for a few hours. Maybe that was a well-thought plan of Pawar to control the situation. Meanwhile, Shiv Sena played its card well and took to the Uddhav becoming CM was shocking to many political parties. When Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister of Maharashtra, there were four corner attacks on him. Still, Uddhav somehow managed to cope up with all challenges and Maha Vikas Aghadi is still in power.

If you go back to history, Narayan Rane’s political ambitions have no end and so always wanted to remain in high profile. When Balasaheb started portraying Uddhav Thackeray as the next president of the party it was Narayan Rane who created unrest within the party. Although Balasaheb was never in favour of the dynasty in Indian politics, he did not mind nominating Uddhav and thereafter Aaditya as the future leaders. Many aggrieved Shiv Sena leaders then left the party.

When Rane joined Congress; INC was already over flooded with loyalist leaders. The friction was so harsh that in 2014 when he lost the assembly elections, many INC leaders were happy not to have him in the assembly. He was given one more chance in Mumbai, however, there also he lost the elections. Finally, he became a member of Samvidhan Parishad. Despite knowing his ambitions, INC members preferred to distance themselves from him. Frustrated, Rane had no other option but to form his own political party or to enter some other party. His political support in the Konkan area is dwindling day by day and in addition to this, the deeds of his two beloved sons have always embarrassed him. So probably out of no choice, he joined the BJP.

Balasaheb Thackeray always was a sky-high figure in Maharashtra politics by virtue of his attitude of taking a stand and being firm on that. He was able to maintain his image of a strong & self-made leader. Shiv Sena-BJP alliance came into existence in 1990. Given the stature of Balasaheb, then BJP leaders always behaved with him with the utmost honour. National leaders of BJP used to pay him courtesy visits regularly. Uddhav was not active in politics until Shiv Sena came to power in 1994 i.e., after about 30 years of presence in politics. As Balasaheb grew older, Uddhav started to pose his command over the party affairs. Gradually Uddhav was appointed as party chief. But until the demise of Balasaheb, BJP leaders used to give an upper hand to Shiv Sena in its alliance out of the stature of Balasaheb.

BJP MLA Nitesh Rane allegedly accused in an attempt to murder

By
Afternoon Voice
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nitesh rane, rane, narayan rane, santosh parab, parab, kankavli, konkan, mla, bjp mla, rane
BJP MLA Nitesh Rane allegedly accused in an attempt to murder 6

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane and his father Narayan Rane are always in the middle of a controversy for commenting on Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray or Shiv Sena leaders. This time is attempted murder. Nitesh Rane, seek relief from any coercive action against him in an attempt to murder a complaint that was registered against him in Kankavli, the home turf of the Rane’s. The complaint is linked to an alleged attack on 44-year-old Santosh Parab. He has filed an anticipatory bail application in an attempt to murder a case.

The Rane’s have alleged a political conspiracy over the case and have said that the case is linked to the upcoming elections for the board of directors of the local district bank, which are to be held on December 30. In his court plea, Nitish Rane has said that he is canvassing candidates put up by the BJP for the polls, and his work will be impacted if any coercive action is taken against him. The plea states that he will cooperate with the police investigation when needed. The plea also states that the police investigation has not yet found anything that points to his involvement in the attempt to murder case.

These days Rane’s are making deliberate attempts on Shiv Sena leaders. Last week, Aaditya Thackeray was entering the Maharashtra assembly building when he was “cat-called” by Nitesh Rane, who was participating in the protest, loudly “meowed” at the state Tourism Minister, and drawing sniggers from other BJP leaders.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar urged Maharashtra MLAs to behave in a way that suits lawmakers of a great democracy. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly, Ajit Pawar said that the legislators ‘don’t represent dogs, roosters or cats’. The jibe was directed at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane.

Ajit Pawar said, “We all must behave like we legislators of the state and in a way that suits a lawmaker of such a great democracy. We don’t represent dogs, roosters or cats, so we should avoid mimicking their sounds.”

Manisha Sawant, a Shiv Sena karyakarta said, “Rane’s does not have etiquettes and mannerisms to adhere to in politics. They don’t have their roots in Political or Social practices. Unlike Aditya Thackeray who was born in a Political family under the shadow of his grandfather and father. Rane became CM only because of Balasaheb Thackeray’s gratitude but he could not hold that status. Rane’s sons are following their father’s footsteps, they need to learn to be humble like Aaditya Thackrey.  Aditya Thackeray never indulges in any personal attacks and that shows his upbringing. He is keen in his work and that inspires his organized Yuva Sena.”

Riddhi Bhaskar Khursange corporator from Borivali said, “Aaditya Thackeray has class. He is dignified and well brought by his noble parents, whereas Nitesh Rane is street smart, with no class. Both Rane, father and son duo, are ill-mannered and do not understand civilized behaviour.”

Shiv Sena, MP Prakash Surve said, “Other than social media circulations and media coverage, no one is interested in what father and son are saying. Let them be entertained with their own circus.”

Political researcher Gaurav Kaul said, “This happens in a party, specifically the regional parties which are mainly family-centric or person-centric. Party workers, in order to earn brownie points from their leader, go to any extent. Many examples are there like the beating of retired Navy officers by Shiv Sena workers, shaving the head of a man for commenting on Uddhav etc. Now compare this to Modi. That is why he is so successful in politics. One leader named Imran Masood from Saharanpur said that he would cut Modi into pieces, Rahul Gandhi said that people will beat Modi with sticks, Manishankar Aiyyar called him “Neech” and there are many more statements as well. Modi silently ignores them, the way a national leader does. In his own words, he turns abuses into ornaments. The best example is how he turned Rahul’s “Chowkidar Chor Hai”Bhi “Mai Bhi Chowkidar”.”

Shiv Sena member Sujata Patker said, “Rane’s have lost their mental balance due to continuous travel from one party to another. BJP took them into the party to unleash these leaders against Uddhav Thackrey. Rane’s are assigned the same and they are doing their job to score some brownie points.”

Vilas Potnis, Shiv Sena MP said, “We the Shiv Sena leaders have bigger goals in mind. We are committed to the people, the state and its welfare. Aaditya Thackrey and Uddhav have big roles to play, they have bigger responsibilities, and they are doing their best. We don’t pay attention to such petty creatures because what they do is their way of living.”

Vinod Ghosalkar, Shiv Sena leader said, “These attacks on Shiv Sainiks and mockery by Rane’s show the restlessness in them. Uddhav is a tall leader with a focus on development. Similarly, Aaditya Thackrey doing his best for the state, they have learned to ignore all those entities that attack them under some agenda.”

Avid reader Suresh Mistry said, “A few years back when Rane’s announced their own political party, Nitesh Rane alleged, “Modi is a liar” and RSS never had any role in the independence movement. His Father Narayan Rane and elder brother Nilesh were defeated in a row in assembly and parliamentary election in 2014, 2015 and 2019, now all three joined BJP. He and his father have been given back door entry in BJP to execute such nonsense because both of them have proficiency in such street talks.”

Insurer can’t repudiate claim by citing existing medical condition rules Supreme Court

By
PTI
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supreme court of india, sc, westland trade private limited, noida, gurgaon, westland trade, scam, franchise scam
Insurer can't repudiate claim by citing existing medical condition rules Supreme Court 8

An insurer cannot repudiate a claim by citing an existing medical condition that was disclosed by the insured in the proposal form, once the policy has been issued, the Supreme Court has said.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and B V Nagarathna also said a proposer is under a duty to disclose to the insurer all material facts within his knowledge.

The proposer is presumed to know all the facts and circumstances concerning the proposed insurance, it added.

While the proposer can only disclose what is known to him, the proposer’s duty of disclosure is not confined to his actual knowledge, it also extends to those material facts which, in the ordinary course of business, he ought to know, the court said.

”Once the policy has been issued after assessing the medical condition of the insured, the insurer cannot repudiate the claim by citing an existing medical condition, which was disclosed by the insured in the proposal form and which condition has led to a particular risk in respect of which the claim has been made by the insured,” the bench said in a recent judgment.

The top court was hearing an appeal filed by Manmohan Nanda against an order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), rejecting his plea seeking a claim for medical expenses incurred in the United States.

Nanda had bought an Overseas Mediclaim Business and Holiday Policy as he intended to travel to the US. On reaching the San Francisco airport, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a hospital, where angioplasty was performed on him and three stents were inserted to remove the blockage from the heart vessels. Subsequently, the appellant claimed the treatment expenses from the insurer, which was repudiated by the latter stating that the appellant had a history of hyperlipidaemia and diabetes, which was not disclosed while buying the insurance policy.

The NCDRC had concluded that since the complainant had been under statin medication, which was not disclosed while buying the mediclaim policy, he failed to comply with his duty to make a complete disclosure of his health conditions.

The apex court said the repudiation of the policy by the United India Insurance company was illegal and not in accordance with the law.

It said the object of buying a mediclaim policy is to seek indemnification in respect of a sudden illness or sickness that is not expected or imminent and that may occur overseas.

”If the insured suffers a sudden sickness or ailment, which is not expressly excluded under the policy, a duty is cast on the insurer to indemnify the appellant for the expenses incurred thereunder,” the bench said.

Madhuban Me Radhika Nache – Sunny Leone song got huge negative publicity

By
Afternoon Voice
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sunny leone, sunny, madhuban mein radhika naache, madhuban, sunny song, item song, new movie songs, songs 2021, ban sunny leone, twitter
Madhuban Me Radhika Nache - Sunny Leone song got huge negative publicity 10

After the song’s release, a politician gave a warning to Sunny Leone to remove that song from YouTube. He told the media that such songs are a deliberate attempt to hurt Hindu sentiments. The video ‘Madhuban Me Radhika Nache’ is one such condemnable attempt. Soon after the minister’s statement, “Arrest Sunny Leone” started trending on Twitter.

A lot of users are blaming Sunny Leone and the makers of the song for hurting religious sentiments. A few even asked for action to be taken against Salman Khan for promoting the song on Bigg Boss 15. Ever since her Bollywood debut, Sunny Leone has always been in the limelight due to her career in the adult industry.

Sant Naval Giri Maharaj of Vrindavan said, “The makers of the song should render an unconditional apology and withdraw that song. We will go to court if the government does not act against the actress and ban her video album.”

Several religious groups have taken an objection to the song which has the lyrics “Madhuban Mein Radhika Naache”. They are bashing the song for Sunny’s obscene dance to such lyrics.

Priests in Mahura’s Vrindavan are seeking a ban on Bollywood Star Sunny Leone’s latest music video which allegedly hurts the sentiments of Hindu religious people. The song was released on 22nd December.

Himanshu Jhunjhunwala film PR said, “This is huge negative publicity for the film, without any publicity or PR video got maximum views. Sometimes controversy benefits the makers. Hardly anyone was aware of this song release; suddenly it grabbed all the news space.”

Shantanu a film buff said, “This is not the first such song, Aliya Bhat’s Radha Teri Chunari to Sonakshi Sinha’s song on Radhaji, everyone wore skimpy choli and lehenga”. Sunny has a little unsuitable background to Indian culture so she has become a target. The song is already a big hit with this Twitter trending.”

The Super Actors Vs Super Stars

By
Vaidehi Taman
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ott, actors, ott actors, superstars, makarand deshpande, ott actors, ott stars, aditi pohankar, neeraj kabi, pankaj tripathi, radhika apte, rajshri deshpande, kubra sait, nawazuddin siddiqui, nawaz, bollywood actors, bollywood
The Super Actors Vs Super Stars 12

These days OTT platforms are milling good actors, many theatre artists have ruled these mediums, be it Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajshri Deshpande, Kubra Seth in ‘Sacred Games’ or Radhika Apte in ‘Ghoul’ or Aditi Pohankar in ‘She’, Pankaj Tripathi and others in ‘Mirzapur’. These actors are a treat to the audience. Somewhere the monotonous superstar images are overpowered by these actors. They live the characters that they relate to and influence the common public. 

On the other hand, there are a series of so-called megastars. Salman Khan’s stardom has faded in the recent past. Be it Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan or for that matter even much-hyped Kangana Ranaut, could not make much impact after two or three successful movies. Their repetitious acting could not captivate audiences for long. She might have won national awards one after another (not difficult to guess how), but the fact is that she gave all super-duper flops in series. Sanjay Dutt to Salman, many megastars are doing their movies in certain intervals and they have their set of audiences but they could never be good actors. With thousands of retakes and good editing skills, picture corrections, they could project their hero image and we all know heroes come and go.

There are some theatre artists like Makarand Deshpande, Neeraj Kabi, Ratna Pathak, late Girish Karnad and many more who made a huge impact on audiences. I would like to mention Makarand Deshpande directed and written drama ‘Ram’, a witty op-ed in Hindi imparts the wisdom that God inhabits hearts and minds, not real estate. Makarand, Nagesh Bhosle, Madhuri Gawli, Aakanksha Gade all of them are power-packed performers. Nagesh Bhosle appeared in various roles in Marathi daily and his presence dominates the entire soap.

These days many superstars are restored to television as reality show judges or anchors. They really had to start from where they began. Meanwhile, theatre personalities have taken a leap at OTT; these actors have talent and willingness to work hard to get into the character that can keep their audiences glued.

Theatre is always a challenge because it is right in front of real audiences. There is no scope for retake or picture correction. Theater acting requires the stamina and focus to work for two or three hours straight. Film acting is comparatively now so challenging because there they have a scope of correction. Theatre is hard because you can’t just stop and try again if you make a mistake.

Some plays are harder for some actors than some films. Some films are harder for some actors than some plays. Good acting is good acting, and the film is very different from the stage. There are many, many actors in India trying to break into a film who have never been on a stage in their lives. This isn’t necessarily a terrible thing for the state of acting in general, because film and stage are so very different displays.

Someone who is astounding at theatre might have initial difficulty toning down their technique for film, and someone who is a mesmerizing film actor might look like a stiff, nervous, quiet weirdo on stage. Some actors learn to perform well at both, like Makrand Deshpande, Paresh Rawal, Pankaj Kapoor, Rohini Hattangadi and many more. I believe that either type of actor can cross over to the other side nicely with the help of a director who really understands acting. If an actor himself is a writer and director, then the stage is all his.

The stage is an actor’s medium and film is a director’s medium. There are many elaborate methods to philosophize your way around this simple truth (including discussions about celebrity, public image, and marketing, the intervention of executives, studio clout and Bollywood politics) but it is the truth nonetheless.

How can I forget Shyam Benegal, who is a master of parallel cinema, he gave us the best actors like Naseeruddin Shah, he was one of the first actors, who came and changed the way people look at the actors. He was an actor who took parallel cinema to its height in the 70s and 80s. Om Puri is another great hero with a very average look, Irrfan wanted to leave acting because he was not getting work because of his looks. He died as a superstar in Bollywood and Hollywood. Nana Patekar, when Govinda, Shah Rukh, Salman, Aamir and others were at the peak in the industry, he changed the narrative of HERO. 

Manoj Bajpayee, Sanjay Mishra, KK Menon, Konkana Sen Sharma, Boman Irani, Rajpal Yadav, Anupam Kher, Anant Mahadevan (the list is endless but mentioning few prominent names) are the trendsetters in Bollywood. No matter how the Box office collection is, kind of criticism, their only agenda is to perform well in each and every take. They are above all that melodrama, beating villains, doing romantic songs, caring for his family etc all good deeds etc. Doing all good itself is admired by people because we are conditioned with that definition of Good since childhood.

The Bollywood movies exploit the emotion of people and make the prominent character of the movie as a highly ethical and able person, who often makes the impossible possible. People try to imagine a real-life hero in these characters. But in real life, they get disappointed, because such heroes hardly exist in Indian society. Also, most of the common people do not have the courage to do the right thing in tough situations. Not able to relate any living person with the heroism, they, in turn, idolize the actors. This is where all goes wrong.

Theater acting requires a wide range of skills, including vocal projection, clarity of speech, physical expressivity, emotional facility, a well-developed imagination, and the ability to interpret drama. At times, actors may also be called upon to employ dialects, accents and body language, improvisation, observation and emulation, mime, and stage combat. In order to develop these skills, many actors rehearse their roles and it takes a lot of effort. Today India has really very talented actors, directors and writers. They won millions of hearts just by their acting abilities without getting into false stardom.

Government announced child vaccination, but unclear on booster doses

By
Afternoon Voice
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vaccination, vaccine, children, narendra modi, pm modi, pm narendra modi, booster dose, booster
Government announced child vaccination, but unclear on booster doses 14

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced vaccination for children from the age group of 15 years to 18 years but these children are mostly from High school and Junior college. The prime minister also said precautionary doses will be given to healthcare and frontline workers from 10 January. For those above 60 years with comorbidities, precaution doses too will be given from 10 January.

The government claims almost 85 to 90% of vaccination in Maharashtra is done but still Tribal areas of Maharashtra and India are yet to be vaccinated. There is fear of vaccination among these tribes because the government campaigns have failed to convince them about the importance of the same. Palghar district, Murbad village’s tribal communities are not given vaccination so far. Government must convey vaccination messages in their local language so that they can understand the urgency of vaccination.

At 4-6 years of age, children in Britain USA already started receiving vaccines to protect them from COVID related diseases. When the world is going ahead injecting children India has no guidelines, are we lagging behind economically or we are not ready to take this additional burden at this hour? India is a densely populated country so WHO should set doctrines for vaccination.

Amid the Omicron scare and surge in cases in various parts of the country, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday said that multi-disciplinary Central teams would be deployed in ten identified states.

“A decision has been taken to deploy multi-disciplinary Central teams to 10 identified States some of which are either reporting an increasing number of Omicron and COVID-19 cases or slow vaccination pace,” says the Union Health Ministry in an official statement. According to the order issued by the ministry on Friday, these states are Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Mizoram, Karnataka, Bihar and Jharkhand. Also on the list are Punjab and Uttar Pradesh — both are due to hold Assembly elections next year.

The Center’s teams will be deployed for five days, during which time they will work with state health authorities on improving testing and surveillance and enforcing COVID-appropriate behaviour. As per the Ministry, these teams will specifically look at areas of contact tracing, including surveillance, containment operations and COVID-19 testing including sending of adequate samples from clusters to the INSACOG network for genome sequencing.

The government has also announced booster doses but which vaccine they are going to use as the booster dose is not clarified, Covaxin or Covishield or Moderna Pfizer? People too are not obeying the COVID rules by wearing masks and social distancing. There is no deterrence in them, so how is the government going to address these basic issues?

Dr Deepak Sawant, former Minister of Public Health and Family Welfare said, “Vaccination may not be sufficient to fight against new variants because of repeated mutations in spike protein. We have to observe corona attributed behaviour. Watch for double mutant and P.1 Brazil virus.”

Dr Abhilash said, “Maybe we are lacking with infrastructure or finance, when the world is done with vaccines for children we have started now, meanwhile no clarity on this subject. Above all the booster dose are another trial and error because which vaccine would be used and availability of the same is a big question mark.”

Dr Nita M Jagad, a Pediatrician said, “When you say vaccine, any vaccine is good to take because it prevents the disease. Vaccines are medicines and every medicine comes with its own side effects, when you take any vaccine, the benefits have to be weighed against the risks of any side effects, so these vaccines are good to take, also take proper precautions.”

Dr Jagad further said, “If any symptoms occur in 24 to 48 hours after taking the vaccine they should immediately go to the doctor, definitely should take the vaccine and proper precautions post-vaccination should be taken care of.”

“Definitely, Children’s should take the vaccination, the government is doing something and proper research has been done on the vaccination. He also said Other countries have already started with the children’s vaccines so definitely India should start too,” Dr Keval Shah, a Pediatrician from Mumbai said.

Dr Camy Shah, Children specialist said, “Children should be vaccinated, especially the ones who are immune or had a prolonged disease they should be the one targeted first for taking the vaccine as soon as possible because they are the ones at more risk of getting infected and also spreading to others, so it should be taken into consideration and children should definitely get vaccinated. 

Dr Tatyarao Lahane, the Director of Haffkine said, “This is a right move and should be taken positively. There is no negative side to this immunization program. We all very well know that there is no infection due to this dose. Nor it has any side effects as such. The disease gets mild and preventively cures it by diagnose. Even the educational institutions will be confident as they have vaccinated pupils. Students and parents will also feel confident.”

Dr Preeti Doshi, an Academician said, “The dose jab is required for 15-20 academic classes. Many academies have already started their syllabus. To be on the safer side, prevention is better than cure and even there are no side effects. So, at a young age if you are protected, then you are anti to disease.”

Scheming spirituality and scandals are on the rise

By
Vaidehi Taman
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baba, gurus, spiritual gurus, spiritual leaders, hindu babas, hindu leaders, sri sri ravi shankar, asaram bapu, jaggi vasudev, baba ramdev
Scheming spirituality and scandals are on the rise 16

The sacred land of Bharatvarsha has been sanctified by many spiritually attained people, since time immemorial. It is on the people whether they could recognize them or not. If anyone looks for Guru and spiritual solace outside them than looking for it within, has opted for a fake choice. These so-called Gurus, Babas, religious heads and these typical cults are a market of hypocrites to serve those who opted for false choices. Everyone in this trade has his own business module and selling point.

Asaram Bapu and his son like spiritual leaders used to call themselves “Sakha” a friend, they always emphasized to their believers that they are not Guru or Babas. They are friends and father figures, that’s why people used to call him Bapu (in Gujarati Bapu means father). He always advocated that staying in the marriage and married life producing children; one can still be in spiritual practice. Controlling one’s sexual cravings needs big scarifies, see how they have landed in jail. The family keens, wife and children are enjoying what they have earned from their spiritual business but not the needy disciples.

Bhaiyyu Maharaj was one horrific example of a married spiritual leader, as a human he was one of the best people I have ever witnessed but his married life was a big challenge to his spiritual survival. Finally, he had to commit suicide. Today his daughter, wife and family members are enjoying the wealth that he accumulated but not his followers.

A similar example is married Jaggi Vasudev, his wife took Samadhi (wishfully ended her life), there are many arguments on her death. Well, my point is that he has his daughter as a legal heir to what he accumulated so far. Maybe some part of it he leaves for the so-called trust or organization they run and people who work for him.

Maharashtra has examples like Gora Kumbhar, Tukaram Dyaneswar, Sant Gadge Maharaj but none of them ever indulged in brand making, people remember and worship them even today. But modern day’s babas are like products, once Shri Shri was a big brand, now Sadguru took the market and many are in the line to spring in this industry.

These days’ self-styled spiritual folks are well-written plots. They all have one known-unknown guru, then they have some storyboard to tell you about what made them adopt such practices, then they want celebrities, politicians and people who can pump in money as their tool to the business. A disciple who pays from his pocket to reach such entities to seek something is indirectly spending their hard-earned money in the forms of donation and goodwill, in turn, what they are receiving is an enthralled hoax.

Nevertheless, there are few who are applying gains from business ventures to other social beneficial causes. Actually, spiritual and religious organizations in India have not become businesses or shops, people have just become customers and consumers, so when they look for spirituality, they look for a shop and find one. These are not spiritual or religious organizations, they are, as you guessed, shops answering the popular demand. One finds what one is looking for.

However, and thankfully, not everyone is a shopper, there are seekers too. They are looking for light and wisdom; they first make themselves worthy, bring about necessary changes in their being and then set out on their quest. And believe me, they are blessed; they continue to find true religion and spirituality in India abundantly even today. Religious organizations are one of the most profitable businesses on Earth, this religious business is not only in India, but it’s also all over the world. Many innocent people are simply influenced by those religious people, so call a Priest, friend, a Guru, Baba’s or any other religious leader, and people simply have faith in them.

I have witnessed many innocent people being lured by those spiritual business tycoons. So, people wake up, God is not only with these gurus and they are not the custodians of spirituality, it is all within you. Do you think these people will move mountains for you? Remember you have to slog for yourself and if the time comes you have to give your precious time to make your guru a brand and collect riches for him at the cost of your sweat. You are the giver; you are the creator and you are the one who has brand value and that is the reason held by these so-called spiritual leeches.

Most people are brainwashed by so-called practices of spirituality. They will never be friends with you because they don’t sit with you on the floor, hug you in need, wipe your tears in pain or touch your feet considering you a good human who has visited him. It’s you who makes choices and prefers to surrender. The one who needs brand value and money is nothing but a product and business.

Since they are all tax-free, they are already at least 30% better than the rest of us. On top of that, India is a country of diverse beliefs. Most people are scared, restless and can pay you to listen to comforting words and advice. Some of the time this helps (come to think of it, some of the things these spiritual gurus say make sense too, but what they say is not unique, is said by many like them), but it’s the hypocrisy that makes you yield to them.

Please understand, they are in a lucrative business with an almost unlimited market share of customers that can be influenced pretty easily. The income arises from various aspects – donations, selling books, printed material or paintings, Ayurvedic products etc. In the question, you say that it is impossible to create such a huge empire solely based on donations, but I disagree. They receive huge sums as donations, and often these figures are unbelievable. Obviously, we don’t know whether they are in any other business (they might be), but even their apparent sources of income will accumulate more wealth than what you see in public.

“Manan” is a Sanskrit expression that denotes ‘churning’. Out of Manan evolved “Manas” or “That which churns.” Mind is the English word for Manas and it came from the root Manan as indicated in its etymology. The ancient Indians accorded great importance to the “churning” of thoughts. They also indulged in what is known as ‘Samvada’ or ‘inquiry’ (largely misunderstood as ‘discussion’) often with the help of a “Guru” [“Gu”= darkness + “Ru” = that which dispels] to dispel the ‘darkness of ignorance.’ They believed that the “Self” which resides inside every living being has “self-awareness” which included “Dhyana” or meditation to invoke nature awareness to know the “True nature of Things.” This produced an “immense wealth of knowledge and wisdom” for humanity and this is the primary reason as to why India among other things spiritually is so very rich. Please be responsible and don’t fall for money-making spirituality.

Secondly, the edifice of the Indian Philosophy of Hinduism was built on the well-churned load-bearing pillar of “Dharma” or “behaviour and actions that are considered to be in accordance with “Rta” or the “Order that makes life and universe possible. ” The stress, therefore, was to make “life and Universe” possible and this cannot happen in the absence of knowing that “the true nature” of the “Self” that pervades inside and “propels” the body is “goodness”.

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South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, passes away at 90

By
PTI
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desmond tutu, tutu, south africa, anti-apartheid, africa, tutu passes away
Image: AFP

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon who won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting racial discrimination in the country, has died. He was 90.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Tutu passed away in Cape Town in the early hours of Sunday. He was the last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tutu, who previously survived tuberculosis, had undergone surgery for prostate cancer in 1997. He was also hospitalised several times in recent years for various ailments.

“The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa,” Ramaphosa said as he shared condolence with the family and friends.

“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.

“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world,” Ramaphosa said.

The president also lauded Tutu for his role in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where he was often driven to tears as victims of apartheid shared their inhumane treatment at the hands of apartheid-ear security forces.

Then newly-elected president Nelson Mandela had appointed Tutu to lead the Commission in 1995.

“As Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and touchingly and profoundly demonstrated the depth of meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation and forgiveness.

“We pray that Archbishop Tutu’s soul will rest in peace but that his spirit will stand sentry over the future of our nation,” Ramaphosa concluded in his statement.

Paying tributes to Tutu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was a guiding light for countless people globally and his emphasis on human dignity and equality will be forever remembered.

Modi said: ”Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was a guiding light for countless people globally. His emphasis on human dignity and equality will be forever remembered. I am deeply saddened by his demise and extend my heartfelt condolences to all his admirers. May his soul rest in peace.” Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 when he was still the Bishop of Johannesburg.

Referring to Tutu as “Africa’s Peace Bishop”, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said Tutu’s award was made ”for his role as a unifying leader figure in the non-violent campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa.” “Tutu was saluted by the Nobel Committee for his clear views and his fearless stance, characteristics which had made him a unifying symbol for all African freedom fighters. Attention was once again directed at the nonviolent path to liberation.

“Despite bloody violations committed against the black population, as in the Sharpeville massacre of 1961 and the Soweto rising in 1976, Tutu adhered to his nonviolent line,” the Institute said on its website.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) recalled Tutu’s relationship with Mandela after the two first met at a debating competition in the early 1950s until they first met again only before Mandela’s release from 27 years as a political prisoner on February 11, 1990.

The minority white apartheid government had thwarted all attempts by Tutu to meet Mandela again in the intervening four decades.

“Mandela’s first night as a free man was spent at the home of the Tutus in Bishopscourt, Cape Town,” NMF Chief Executive Sello Hatang said in a statement.

“From then until Mandela passed away in 2013 they were in regular contact and their friendship deepened over time.” Hatang said he was privileged to have worked on a number of projects with Tutu, whom he described as “a friend to Madiba and to the Foundation.” “It was Tutu who held aloft Madiba’s hand on the balcony of Cape Town’s City Hall on 9 May 1994 and presented him to the assembled throngs as the country’s new “out of the box” President,” Hatang said.

Hatang quoted Mandela’s comments on Tutu: “His most characteristic quality is his readiness to take unpopular positions without fear… He speaks his mind on matters of public morality.

“As a result, he annoyed many of the leaders of the apartheid system. Nor has he spared those that followed them – he has from time to time annoyed many of us who belong to the new order. But such independence of mind – however wrong and unstrategic it may at times be – is vital to a thriving democracy.” Tutu had in recent years also been an outspoken critic of the looting of state enterprises in what has been identified at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, not sparing the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of which he had been a proud member all his life.

“Madiba and the Arch (the popular names by which the two leaders were affectionately known) were both founding members of The Elders, an international grouping of inspirational leaders who has done human rights work in countries around the world.

“We owe it both to Madiba and to the Arch to continue working for the country and the world of their dreams. Their intersecting legacies are powerful resources for social justice work,” said Hatang.

PM present at poll campaigns but absent in Parliament: Congress’ Mallikarjun Kharge

By
ANI
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Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress, PM Narendra Modi, Modi, PM Modi
PM present at poll campaigns but absent in Parliament: Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge 19

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday by saying that the “PM could make himself available for the election campaign every day but he chose to be absent in the Parliament for all the days.” “There was logjam in the Rajya Sabha. He could have come and eased it out but he didn’t,” said Kharge.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a vaccination drive for children between 15 and 18 years of age from January 3 and booster doses for healthcare and frontline workers, Kharge said that there is nothing to talk about it as the COVID-19 third wave is the same throughout the world and all the Prime Ministers and Presidents around the world are taking necessary precautions.

“It is just that our PM talks about his achievements and believes in addressing the nation rather than doing actual work on COVID-19. He had even decreased the deaths due to COVID-19 infection”, the leader of Opposition added.

“Before this never have a Prime Ministers ever done publicity for his party just like PM Narendra Modi does for BJP”, added Kharge. Kharge opined that a leader should think about making common people’s lives better instead of “dictating them about ‘what to eat’ and ‘how to live’ their life.”

“If BJP comes back again next term with a two-thirds majority, then they will try to amend our constitution which will directly affect the common man’s freedom of speech”, said Kharge. “By looking at the poverty line itself people can guess whether progress is increasing or is decreasing,” added Kharge.

On the recent child marriage act, Kharge said, “Make as many laws as you can, until you make people aware, the girls below the age of 18 will continue to get married off.”

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