Always change your device password to one that is not predictable: Beenu Arora

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June 17, 2021

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Beenu Arora has been in the IT security industry for more than a decade. Currently, he is based in Melbourne, Australia with one of the big consulting firms. Beenu’s primary focus is in the areas of Vulnerability Assessments/Penetration Testing, Web Application Security Assessments, malware analysis and Incident handling & response.

Beenu is one of the firm’s global subject matter specialists in attack and penetration testing, malware analysis, mobile security, cybersecurity and web application security. Beenu Arora gave his valuable inputs on smartphone hacks.

With branded smartphones, even today phone hacking is possible?

Yes, with advances in technology, the hacking mechanism and tools used for cyberattacks such as phone hacking are simultaneously evolving. Therefore, irrespective of the Phone model and operating systems used in it, even a single loophole may make the device vulnerable to attack.

How can someone force access into another’s phone or its communications?

There are several types of phone hacking methods, ranging from hacking into someone’s voicemail to stealing sensitive data stored on one’s smartphone. Hackers can access or attack the device with help of vulnerabilities or even by abusing the Operating System APIs, and Exploits (i.e., png exploit).

What is telephone hacking by Brute force?

Brute force is a type of cyberattack wherein the software methodically generates an input key in order to guess the correct value of a password of the device. In most cases, it involves a trial-and-error approach used by attackers for cracking a secure device.

Who can be most vulnerable to phone hacking?

Phone hacking generally involves any method to force access into any device or its communication which could be an attack ranging from advanced security breaches to listening into unsecured internet connections. As this can happen to all kinds of phones and Operating Systems, anyone can be vulnerable to these attacks.

What should one do If their smartphone has been hacked?

The first and foremost step to be taken when your phone is hacked is to identify and remove the malware. Once you’ve established that the phone has been hacked, it’s important to reset the device to the previous backup files and uninstall the recently installed applications. Another important step is to remove saved credit cards or banking details being used by any financial or online shopping services and even changing the passwords to your accounts. Also, keep an eye out for any fraudulent transactions and in case there are any unauthorized transactions, be sure to report these to your bank.

How can one cut those cyber criminals out of their personal tech?

There are several ways to stop cybercriminals from accessing the personal information stored in their phones. Some of the recommended prevention tips are:

Enabling Two-factor authentication in login pages
Always clear out your web history and cache
Using a complex password and securing it using a password lock mechanism
Refraining from storing your credentials on your device

How cybercriminals try to combat and bypass antivirus protection?

Cybercriminals bypass the antivirus protection in devices by using the following techniques:

Code packing
Code mutation
Masking the code on sites
Stealth techniques by blocking antivirus program

What are SMS Attacks and Mobile Malware Threats?

SMS attacks are created and distributed by cybercriminals to target a victim’s mobile device. In most cases, SMS attacks contain variants of a Trojan that are used to fetch user information and send unauthorized text messages without the users’ knowledge.

How to know if someone is hacking your phone?

Some of the common identifications or signs that can indicate that your phone has been hacked are:

High data usage
Faster battery consumption
Slow device performance
Unknown outgoing calls or messages to premium numbers
Strange pop-ups and ads displayed in-between applications

What is your advice to phone users to prevent getting hacked?

Some of the basic precautions you can take to avoid being hacked are listed below:

Always change your device password to one that is not predictable.
Avoid installing applications from open market sites. Always install from legitimate application stores.
Avoid providing unnecessary permissions to applications and watch out for applications that ask for permissions that are not relevant to their function.
Always connect devices to secure connections instead of using public Wi-Fi

Sanitation workers did not get justice for years due to ignoring the commissioner

By

Akshay Redij

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June 17, 2021

sanitation, sanitation workers, vasai-virar, vasai virar city municipal corporation, balveer vaid, workers, Gangatharan D — Sanitation workers did not get justice for years due to ignoring the commissioner 5

Commissioner of the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation Gangatharan D has ignored sanitation workers welfare and basic needs allege Balveer Vaid, President of the Bharatiya Safai Majdoor Parishad. Due to the rudeness and willful neglect of officer Gangatharan, hundreds of sanitation workers have been exploited by the contractors. Vaid has demanded their transfer.

Balveer Vaid told Afternoon Voice, “Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation has been playing with the lives of the residents of the city and also the sanitation workers by handing over the contract of essential service and cleaning work to private hands for many years. Despite giving a written complaint to the commissioner for the past several months with indications of exploitation and corruption by the contractor, he refused to take action against them.”

On the contrary, the complainants were harassed by threatening to be fired. Even after meeting Commissioner Gangatharan D. numerous times, he comes up with a similar excuse, that he will talk to the department. But the officer of the department did not pay any attention or did not take any action.

He gives such a shoddy answer and shirks on the issue of sanitation workers. Vulnerable sanitation workers have to bear the brunt of their prudence. Amid the Corona pandemic, the rights of sanitation workers are being violated and they are exploited continuously.

Vaid said, “the commissioner is doing his arbitrariness by taking advantage of the fact that the protest or agitation cannot be called during Pandemic. Such an irrational person should be transferred and justice to be delivered to Sanitation workers.”

Sanitation workers are at multiple risks in India

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 17, 2021

sanitation workers, sanitation, labours, employment, sanitation work, workers — Photo for Representative Purpose | Image: AFP

In India, sanitation workers are considered to be the lowest stages of a casteist society. They are socially always dominated and disowned, but they are expected to clean your piles of dirt. Government is also not kind to them; crores of rupees were spent on Swachh Bharat like flopped government programs but sanitation workers are deprived of basic facilities and grants.

The life of a sanitation worker is pathetic in our country. There are about five million people employed in sanitation work in our country with nearly two million of them working in ‘high risk’ conditions. They act as warriors to keep our cities clean and drains unclogged. Since the past month, we have heard the news from various parts of the country such as Mumbai, Vadodara, Delhi stating loss of human life due to unavailability of the safety measures such as face masks, hand gloves, etc.

In the absence of this safety gear, they inhale toxic gases and die. They have to do it for their daily wages. This exposure leads to the spread of various skin diseases which passes onto their family members as well. As every single human life is precious to the country, these sanitation workers should be provided with necessary safety measures. In most places, sanitation workers are seen working without any safety measures.

They get less remuneration than many others who are educated and employed. The reason being the demand and supply. India is a nation where most of the people are poor, uneducated and unemployed. So, the supply of manual labour exceeds much more than its demand. Labourers are available on low wages. If education and other employment opportunities increase, such discrepancies may be corrected. Moreover, we lack the infrastructure to improvise the efficiency of these workers. Average thousands of deaths per year transpire over a cross-section of sanitation workers in India.

Due to lack of education and poverty, 90-95% of the government sanitation workers as well as self-employed/private workers had no idea about laws like The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 (the 2013 Act) which was meant to protect them. They aren’t aware of any schemes or employment benefits like maternity leaves under government employment and even if they are, most are scared to avail them in fear of losing their jobs.

The urban local bodies have made no effort in enlightening these workers on their rights and privileges and seem to play an institutionally exploitative role instead of empowering them. Basic rights like medical cover or receiving a payslip with their salaries are missing even under permanent employment under MCDs as sanitation workers.

Government has no awareness programmes for them to understand their basic rights. Rather they are kept in the dark and in fear of losing their jobs. The provision of protective gear is almost a fable and no effort to create a safe working space for these people has been made by local bodies. Even if provided with safety gears, sanitation workers don’t wear them because they weigh too much and the gumboots gnaw at their toes. They lose grip and control when diving into a septic tank.

Developed countries provide bunny suits to their sanitation workers, our sanitation workers go into the septic tank and manholes wearing nothing but briefs. Most of the time they depend on alcohol consumption to bear with the foul smell around. According to the National Human Rights Commission in October 2002, most permanent workers in Delhi wear safety belts. While this is seen as protection, actually this is a threat to life. These safety belts connect workers in manholes with men standing outside through thick ropes – offering no protection against poisonous gases/ liquids/ sharp or infected objects.

These ropes only help to pull them out when they die in the process or lose consciousness inside the hole. Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) reported that 80% of the manual scavengers die before the age of 60 due to vocation induced health problems. In Mumbai alone, a (conservative) average of 20 sewer workers dies per month due to suffocation, exposure to toxic gases and other accidents. While the government is concentrating so sternly on toilet provision with Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, the focus on behavioural change towards sanitation and a moral change towards sanitation workers is what is lagging behind.

Presently, in India, a very vague outline of laws on work-related safety and health rules and regulations are available. Policy influencing institutions like Central Public Health and Environment Organisations and MoEF need to bring out manuals on operation, management and handling of sewerage, its treatment and municipal wastewater. There is a crucial need for periodic health surveillance of sanitary workers to detect early signs of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, TB, etc. among them and inform them regarding balanced diets and the risk of drug and alcohol abuse – since these are habits, they fester to be able to work in the inhumane conditions of septic tanks and sewers.

There is an urgent need of identifying the figure of sanitation workers across India as no public document states the exact figure yet and no attempt has been made to get realistic statistics on the same. Until we know the space of sanitation workers, it is impossible for policies to be effective without knowing the type and numbers of its direct beneficiaries.

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

Former Cop and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma arrested by NIA

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Web Team

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June 17, 2021

pradeep sharma, sharma, pradeep, nia, national investigative agency, national investigation agency, mansukh hiran, sachin vaze, shiv sena — Former Cop and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma arrested by NIA 8

Former top cop and Shiv Sena leader Pradeep Sharma on Thursday was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from his residence in Andheri area of Mumbai.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had reached the residence of Sharma in Mumbai’s Andheri east area on Thursday morning and initiated a search operation. Sharma was present inside his house when the officials were conducting searches. His helper was communicating with some media personnel denying the inside information.

According to media reports, the arrest was made at the Mumbai office of NIA, just three hours after the NIA team conducted searches at Sharma’s residence.

According to the reports, Sharma was arrested on the basis of statements of other accused mentioning his name and evidence in form of technical data pointing towards his possible role in the Antilia explosive case and the Mansukh Hiran murder case.

Pradeep Sharma, a Shiv Sena leader and former encounter specialist, was questioned twice earlier by NIA officials in connection with the case. He is known to be close to former Mumbai Police cop Sachin Vaze, who has been arrested by the central agency as the main conspirator in both cases.

An NIA team along with armed CRPF personnel raided Sharma’s house at around 6 am, the official said. A search is being carried out, he said. According to sources, Sharma is also being questioned by the NIA team in connection with the case.

According to media reports, the roads leading to the building, where Sharma lives, have been cordoned off by the central security forces and public movement in the area has been restricted. After getting the information about the raid, the Mumbai police also deployed its personnel at the spot.

Pradeep Sharma joined Mumbai Police as sub-inspector in 1983 and has been involved in over 300 encounters related to the Mumbai underworld, out of which, 113 shootouts are in his name. The NIA carried out searches at the residence of former Mumbai Police cop Pradeep Sharma in the Antilia bomb scare case and the murder case of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

The fairytale love story of Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain was a political strategy?

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 16, 2021

nusrat jahan, nikhil jain, nusrat-nikhil, tmc, trinamool congress, actress nusrat jahan — The fairytale love story of Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain was a political strategy? 10

Around half a million people break up every day in India but life goes on. People learn and unlearn. Some break up for lack of compatibility, some fall out of love, some fall for someone else, and at times, even for no reason. Nusrat Jahan is a Member of Parliament from the Basirhat Constituency in West Bengal and belongs to the TMC party.

A year ago, she married Nikhil Jain from Kolkata and sported sindoor, mehndi and attended parliament. She even touched the feet of Om Birla, Lok Sabha speaker. Typical Hindu traditions, her conduct was liked by many Indians. The press too ran many positive stories of her behaviour in parliament and Twitter went gaga over her behaviour. Even many BJP supporters fell into the trap.

Prashant Kishor and Mamta Banerjee were the two people who are responsible for the changeover of Nusrat Jahan and a political game played by the political strategists. TMC is being regarded as Muslim appeasement and anti-Hindu party unlike it had a secular image before the 2019 election. TMC wanted to win the state election of 2021 and she can only win if Hindus also support the party.

Nusrat Jahan is a symbol of TMC secularism image as planned by TMC poll strategist. For an actress and politician like Nusrat Jahan, religion and traditions in public life are driven by agenda and not beliefs. All these Sindoor, Mangalsutra, Jai Hind, Vande Matram were political accessories and slogans for her. The marriage was for the purpose and now its irrelevant to her life. Her marriage was the talk of the town and no one ever imagined that the marriage would end up this way.

One day Nusrat Jahan, in the statement, stated, “Being on foreign land, as per Turkish Marriage Regulation, the ceremony is invalid. Moreover, since it was an interfaith marriage, it requires validation under the Special Marriage Act in India, which did not happen. As per the court of law, it is not a Marriage, but a relationship or a live-in relationship. Thus, the question of divorce does not arise.” She went on to allege that their separation happened long back, but she did not speak about it as she intended to keep her private life to herself.

Jahan accused Jain of mishandling her accounts, and she alleged Jain of taking her money without her knowledge. her estranged husband Nikhil Jain has issued a letter in which he made some revelations. Nikhil Jain has asserted that they lived together as ‘husband and wife’ but despite his ‘best of efforts’, her attitude towards him and the marriage changed within a year. This comes after Nusrat Jahan put out a detailed statement where she claimed that her marriage with Nikhil Jain had been ‘invalid’ as per Indian laws and also by the laws of Turkey where the wedding had taken place. Pertinently, Jain also contests Nusrat Jahan’s claims about various

Amongst various theories and news reports, Nikhil Jain also issues a statement stating that Nusrat Jahan’s ‘marriage invalid’ is not invalid. He wrote, Since August 2020 during the shooting of a film, Nusrat Jahan’s behaviour started changing towards Nikhil, for reasons best known to her,” he said while adding that on multiple occasions he asked her to get their marriage registered but by some pretext or the other, she avoided doing so.

On November 5, 2020, she left Nikhil’s flat with bag and baggage along with her personal values, papers and documents and shifted to her Ballygunge flat and thereafter they never stayed together after being husband-and-wife. The rest of her personal belongings along with the documents (IT returns etc) were also sent to her shortly after her shifting, he added in the statement.

Pointing out that he got ‘disheartened’ by going through various media reports regarding his outings and felt cheated, he accepted filing a Civil Suit against her in Alipore Judges’ Court for annulment of their marriage on March 8, 2021. He then outlined that as the matter is sub judice, he cannot divulge all details but went forward to ‘clear’ certain things. The statement of Jain comes a day after Nusrat Jahan issued her statement.

Jahan got married to Jain in June 2019 in the attractive town of Bodrum in Turkey. On their first anniversary, she had penned a note for Nikhil Jain saying “You are my today and all of my tomorrows, I will always love you with all my heart coz real love stories never have endings! Happy anniversary, love.” She further mentioned how delighted she was when Nusrat and Nikhil got married, as they belonged to different religions. Marital discord between Nusrat Jahan and Nikhil Jain has been doing the rounds for a few months now.

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

Twitter has appointed interim Nodal Contact Person and Resident Grievance Officer on contractual basis

By

Akshay Redij

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June 16, 2021

twitter, meity, it act, it rules, ravi shankar prasad, twitter india — Twitter has appointed interim Nodal Contact Person and Resident Grievance Officer on contractual basis 12

On 5 June, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had sent its final notice to Twitter over non-compliance of the new IT rules, warning it again of penal action in case the US-headquartered social media platform failed to comply with the norms. The notice sent by the ministry noted that in view of Twitter Inc’s non-compliance with the rules, which came into effect on May 26, 2021, “consequences follow”.

Companies had to originally appoint the officers by May 25, but many were delayed as they blamed the lockdown and other technical challenges for their failure to comply with the rules. Meanwhile, Twitter on Tuesday said it has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer and the details of the official will be shared with the IT Ministry directly soon.

The Government had issued a notice to Twitter giving it one last chance to “immediately” comply with the new IT rules and warned that failure to adhere to the norms will lead to the platform losing exemption from liability under the IT Act.

Twitter becomes the only American platform to have lost the protective shield – approved under Section 79 of the IT Act, even though others such as YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp remain protected. After not being able to appoint statutory officers on time, Twitter has lost the coveted “safe harbour” immunity in India.

The reports says that the company’s top executives, including the country managing director, could now face police questioning and criminal liability over ‘unlawful’ and ‘inflammatory’ content posted on the platform by any user.

Twitter had said that as per the new guidelines, it has appointed a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Office on a contractual basis, and the company is making recruitments to fill the positions on a permanent basis.

Twitter had assured the Indian government last week that it is in the advanced stages of finalising the appointment of the chief compliance officer as required under the new IT rules, and that it will submit additional details within a week. On Tuesday, a Twitter spokesperson said the company continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines and is keeping the IT Ministry apprised of progress at every step of the process.

An interim Chief Compliance Officer has been retained and details will be shared with the Ministry directly soon, the spokesperson added. The move by Twitter assumes significance as the microblogging platform has been facing heat over delay in complying with the IT rules that mandate large digital platforms to undertake greater due diligence, and make them more accountable and responsible for the content that is hosted. As per the rules, Twitter is required to appoint a grievance officer, a nodal officer and a chief compliance officer. These personnel have to be residents in India.

MMRDA to clear mangroves on a one-hectare (ha) plot at Bhakti Park

By

Afternoon Voice

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June 15, 2021

mmrda, bhakti park, mumbai metro, wadala, mangroves, mangrove, mumbai mangrove, wadala station, save mangrove, save aarey, mmrda, high court, bombay high court, bombay hc — Scenic view of Bhakti Park area in Wadala, Mumbai. | Image: Facebook / Abha Mittal

Mumbai had set aside 224 hectares (ha) of mangroves as reserve forests. About 40 ha of these newly-protected areas are along the Mithi River, which is choked by illegal construction. Many other areas notified as reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, get better protection from destruction and encroachers.

Despite the protests by the environmentalists, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to clear mangroves on a one-hectare (ha) plot at Bhakti Park in Wadala for the construction of an elevated station of the 32-km-long Wadala-Thane Metro line.

Ecologists have raised objection to the clearance and said regardless of adequate land available for building the station, the mangroves are being cut. In Wadala for construction of an elevated station of the 32-km-long Wadala-Thane Metro line.

MMRDA director (Works) Pramod Ahuja told Afternoon Voice, “We are using only this particular patch of mangroves on Metro Line 4. The Bombay High Court has granted us permission and all the other authorities. This plot has a very scanty mangrove cover. The forest department will also undertake the compensatory planting of trees on an area of land in order to recover green.”

Virendra Tiwari, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (mangrove protection cell) said, “We will be doing compensatory afforestation in our drives later.”

BN Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation said, “This appears to be a methodical, systematic conspiracy MMRDA destroy the mangroves, the act of destruction of mangroves appears to be picking up momentum as the Mangrove committee has given a final deadline to Mumbai, Thane and Raigad district collectors and CIDCO to transfer unreserved mangroves under their respective jurisdiction to the forest department, following NatConnect’s complaints,” Kumar said.

MMRDA assured the court it will restore the temporary area to its original condition once the construction is completed, and abide by the Union ministry’s conditions for approving the proposal. MMRD has argued apart from providing eco-friendly transportation, the Metro Rail project is also expected to reduce emission, improve traffic conditions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and save precious fuel.

Environmentalists have raised objection to the clearance and said despite adequate land available for building the station, the mangroves are being cut.

Environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanashakti said, “The BEST depot and truck terminal in Wadala have more than adequate space where a station can come up. This is completely unnecessary in our opinion. The non-mangrove wetland areas in the region were earlier handed over to private developers and now they are going after mangrove areas too.”

Mumbai Metro Line 4 from Wadala to Kasarvadavali is a 32-km-long elevated corridor with 32 stations. The Rs 14,500-crore project is expected to provide interconnectivity among the existing Eastern Express Roadway, Central Railway, Monorail, and the ongoing Metro lines.

Mumbai’s Mangrove getting slashed time to time

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 15, 2021

mumbai mangroves, mangroves, mangrove, metro, development, mumbai, infrastructure, mumbai metro, sewri, mangroves — File Photo

The land is needed for development but people need trees to breathe, in the name of infrastructure, Mumbai is losing its greenery part by part. The Bombay High Court (HC) allowed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to go ahead with cutting 357 mangroves for the construction of Metro piers at Sewri and Bhakti Park station, as part of under-construction Metro Line-4 that connects Wadala in eastern suburbs to Kasarwadavli on Ghodbunder road in adjoining Thane district. The court has allowed MMRDA to cut 357 mangroves primarily after it observed that the development of Metro Line-4 has immense public importance in terms of public transport.

Development is a very important aspect of city infrastructure but in this growing concert jungle, one needs to breathe. Mangrove ecosystems provide a range of economic and environmental benefits to people who utilise them as ecosystem goods and services. Those can be assessed by ecological sustainability (e.g. nutrient and organic matter cycling), economic prosperity (the food and timber that people obtain), environmental security (protection from the tsunami) and cultural values (acting as recreation fields). The estimated annual economic value of these ecosystems is USD 200,000 – USD 900,000 per hectare.

They perform important ecological functions like nutrient cycling, hydrological regime, coastal protection, fish-fauna production, etc. Mangroves act as shock absorbers. They reduce high tides and waves and help prevent soil erosion. They also provide livelihood opportunities to coastal communities. Look at the present condition of Mumbai.

Mangroves are found at the interface between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and support unique fauna with high biodiversity by providing habitats, nurseries, shelter, and feeding areas for various animals such as reptiles, birds, mammals, fish, and shrimps. The latter two, fish and shrimps, include many commercially important species and thus the linkage between mangroves and nearshore and offshore fisheries has been focused on. More than 50% of global fish and shellfish harvests have been linked directly or indirectly to estuarine nurseries. In Southeast Asia, mangrove-associated species contribute 30% to fish and 100% to shrimp catches. Therefore, mangrove ecosystems significantly support the coastal economy by providing valuable fishery resources. Sustainable global marine fisheries are partly dependent upon the health of mangrove ecosystems.

The bench has also directed Metro authority to comply with the conditions imposed by authorities while granting permission. The conditions include compensatory afforestation over a hectare of degraded mangrove forest at Gorai, where the MMRDA will need to plant 4,444 mangroves saplings with developing a nursery cost and fully fund it for the duration of ten years. It also directed the MMRDA to construct a temporary road for carrying out the construction work. The orders are given, permissions are granted but there would hardly be any follow-ups. Earlier, the court directives had prohibited development work in mangrove forests and a 50-meter buffer zone around mangroves until the court found the importance of the work keeping in mind the benefits it would provide to the people.

MMRDA assured the court it will restore the temporary area to its original condition once the construction is completed, and abide by the Union ministry’s conditions for approving the proposal. MMRD has argued apart from providing eco-friendly transportation, the Metro Rail project is also expected to reduce emission, improve traffic conditions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and save precious fuel.

Mumbai has set aside 224 hectares (ha) of mangroves as reserve forests. About 40 ha of these newly-protected areas are along the Mithi River, which is choked by illegal construction. Other forests that have received protection are in Charkop, Vikhroli and Versova, locations that are threatened by encroachers. The latest notification brings the total mangrove forests under protected status to 3,948 ha — almost 40 square km. Areas notified as reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, get better protection from destruction and encroachers.

Whenever I visit the seaside of Mumbai, my heart cries out looking at the waste and pollution in the water. Sea beaches are overloaded with plastic; clothing pieces, cosmetic and chemical industry waste. Earlier, major Industrial wastes used to be dumped into the Sea. The Mumbai coastal area always had some of the other challenges. Somehow with imposed laws and vigilant citizens, sea cleaning became the priority and many NGOs tirelessly worked towards the same. Among all of these Mangroves is one of the least noticed yet most important ecosystems.

Wherever there is an intermediate landform, the diversity of species will be very high. Also, most of the species in such landforms would be unique to that ecosystem. In the case of mangroves, it supports a vast range of species from microorganisms to Tigers like big animals. Mangroves are a special type of ecosystem with loosely packed sediments, constant influence of tides and very high salinity when compared to river waters. Species in this ecosystem have special adaptations to survive the challenging conditions.

There are thousands of projects and billions of funds poured into cleaning and spreading awareness about maritime pollution. Lots of strain is laid these days on preventing it. Actually, I strongly feel there is a need to create awareness about water and waste management onboard ships. Meanwhile, stringent policy and rules are a must, and implementing them should be much more prompt. In most countries, it is not easy for any ship or company to get away after causing any damage to the Sea environment. Right now the major threats to the world’s coastal lines include extreme climate events, unsound sightseeing practices, poison fishing for decorative fish, overexploitation by fisheries, sedimentation, harvesting, detonate fishing and pollution.

Due to the increasing population, the coastal lines and sea pace is occupied by humans for livelihood. Which has resulted in an imbalance of the Coastal Environ system, Such as hampering Mangroves at coastal lines? The heavy rainfall that Mumbai receives every monsoon causes extreme havoc and with the destruction of mangroves, the flooding and waterlogging problems in the city is only getting to exacerbate.

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

Chhatrapati to Tagore and now Golwalkar – All about Modi beard

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 14, 2021

rss, bjp, pm modi, pm narendra modi, narendra modi, modi, avatars, chhatrapati, shivaji maharaj, west bengal, bengal elections, bjp elections, beard, modi beard, modi, modi daadi, shave, rabindranath tagore, golwalkar — Chhatrapati to Tagore and now Golwalkar - All about Modi beard 16

In the year when the Bengal elections were approaching, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone from sporting a trimmed beard to a flowing pure white beard. His beard has become the talk of the town, some justify and some make fun of it. Modi moved around in election campaigns and political tours, with his flowing beard, resembling a typical ancient sage or, as some thought Rabindranath Tagore.

But his conduct was neither sagacious nor Tagore-like. He had high hopes from West Bengal with his “Didi-O-Didi” remark and also allowed his party to communalise the Assembly election campaign. Surprisingly most of the West Bengal BJP leaders were former Trinamool Congress members, who now rejoined the TMC after BJP’s humiliating defeat. So, the beard could not impress the Bengalis.

Bharatiya Janata Party failed to conquer West Bengal, retained Assam, and could not breach the South. Puducherry is a consolation victory, for it barely counts in the national election. These results will have even toughened BJP supporters who agree that month-long polling, supposed to have been scheduled at the Union government’s behest, had Modi taken his eyes off the rising COVID-19 graph.

Maybe Modi wants to convey that he is very busy due to continuous problems in India. The problems are COVID-19 related, economic crisis, unemployment, Indo-China border tension, above all BJP’s internal issues. Therefore, he has no time for trimming his beard. The assembly election in Bihar has another headache for Modi because in six continuous state assembly elections BJP lost. Our beloved PM always believes in good looks and he cannot simply be normal when elections are coming. He becomes a Himachali when elections are in Himachal, he becomes Punjabi (Sikh) when elections are in Punjab.

Now Bengal elections are over, BJP and Modi both are facing criticism over their love for election. If Modi suddenly trimmed his beard, people would prove that it was for Bengal. If he doesn’t trim his beard, they will make fun, now they are trapped, let’s see in the Uttar Pradesh election what new drama BJP’s PR agency will bring. Maybe they will try to portray him to look like Golvalkar Guruji, who had an equally long beard.

Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar was the second Sarsanghchalak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He has been widely noted to be the most prominent ideologue of Hindutva. Golwalkar is considered one of the most influential and prominent figures among Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was not the first person to put forward the concept of a cultural nation called “Hindu Rashtra” which is believed to have evolved into the concept of the “Akhand Bharat” theory, United Nations for Bharatiyas. Right now, Ram Mandir will not fetch votes for Modi in UP, Golvalkar Guruji has an immense following. The longer beard reflects the native style and he may be deciding to impress Sanyasi to sages of his constituency.

Now Modi and BJP are trying to project him as an icon to unite Hindus under a common identity and what’s better than a historical figure who is respected and revered by a large number of Hindus regardless of regional affiliations. Thus, it is a bit of PR or publicity on part of Modi and BJP to make an emotional connection with the voter base of largely devoted Hindus by making them feel like Modi Ji is some modern-day version of this or that personality, whether it’s right or wrong is debatable and depends on point of views, some people (especially ethnic Hindu) feel offended but who cares?

BJP never shied away from the fact that they aspire for Hindu unity under a common umbrella and BJP and RSS were actually instrumental in promoting the likes of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who is projected as Hindu Hridhay Samrat or emperor of Hindu hearts and a sizable majority of Hindus regardless of the region have expressed their allegiance to this concept. If you recollect during elections in Maharashtra, Modi with that typical beard was compared to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, it’s the Marathi population that never fell for the bait.

He started his Prime Ministerial campaign in 2014 with the Chaiwala avatar – which was then proven to be false/fake after many years but by then people were already fans of the “Chaiwala to PM” story. For the 2019 elections, he started the Chowkidar trend “Main Bhi Chowkidar”, which too died after the elections were over. He arranged himself to be filmed in a Man vs Wild episode with Bear Grylls to show that he is all about nature. Unfortunately, this campaign was not a big hit. BJP stooges started a comic called Bal Narendra, trying to project him as some kind of child prodigy – never so successful. If I am not wrong, there is also a TV channel called “Namo TV”.

During the demonetisation crisis, he arranged for his 75-plus age mother to be filmed by the media while visiting a bank to exchange currency notes. So, when a person with such a track record starts to grow a beard suddenly, it is more than obvious that a new avatar or a trend is in making. Well, the moral of the story is, stop focusing on his beard, focus on the betterment of India.

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Anil More the Chaiwala who sent Rs 100 to PM; was a politically motivated stunt?

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 14, 2021

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Afternoon Voice spoke to Anil More the Chaiwala (tea-seller) from Baramati, Maharashtra who recently came in the news for sending a money order of Rs 100 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shave off his beard.

More says that due to the lockdown people had suffered, even though he was out of work and had to survive on black tea for many days. His agony and restlessness for the people had prompted him to do so.

When asked how he managed the PM’s postal address, he said the post office staff helped him.

We asked him why he was mocking the PM’s beard, Anil clarified that it was not his intent to insult or offend the Prime Minister but to inform him of the plight of the poor during this pandemic. He said, “I respect the PM but to seek attention towards my appeals I added this point which went viral.” Anil More said the PM should focus on solving people’s problems.

In reply to his political affiliation, he said “All the political parties are the same, I am not here to play politics but here to talk for the people. I am an active member of Republican Yuva Morcha, Maharashtra and working with its state head Rahul Dambale.”

When contacted Rahul Dambale, he said, “PM Modi always emphasized that he is a people’s leader hence, Anil More through his letter to PM has voiced the common man’s problems and requested him for immediate aid for the poor and to ensure proper health facilities. BJP’s IT cell and their members are portraying an image of India and Modi as if everything is normal and nobody is suffering, I request PM Modi to come out of this IT cell and see the reality of the country and the common man, rather than living in a fairyland.”

While commenting on Republican Yuva Morcha’s registration Dambale said, “We are very much active in politics, we contest in elections. We are associated with secular ideology and political parties like NCP and Congress.”

Anil More the Chaiwala is an active member of Republican Yuva Morcha, which is affiliated to Congress-NCP, coincidentally More is from Baramati, which is the NCP supremo’s constituency and fortress. When More’s news went viral, there were speculations that the entire event was politically motivated.

Our Editor-in-Chief Vaidehi Taman had a brief interview with Anil More to understand the motive behind his letter and act of sending a money order to the PM, it follows as:

How did you feel when your news went viral?

I am feeling honoured and really thankful to the entire media, news channels, newspapers and social media for making my voice reach the Prime Minister.

What made you think that sending the letter to the PM with money suddenly?

I am a simple tea shop owner. There is no food to cook for four or five days in my household. We all had black tea and slept. This experience made me think about what the other crores of poor people who also are seeing such a difficult time must be going through. They all have no employment and survival must be very tough for them too.

Why did you not send this to the Chief Minister or local political leaders?

All welfare, health care and vaccination matters are being addressed on a national level. In my letter to the Prime Minister, I have requested that please don’t become a saint. Focus on citizens of his country and instead of growing your beard, increase vaccinations, increase health care facilities, increase food supply to the hungry people. I have made such a request to him. If I would have just sent only the letter, it wouldn’t have been acknowledged so quickly. That is why I sent a hundred rupees money order to the PM. Today I am very grateful to all the media as due to them a common citizen’s request has reached the Prime Minister.

If you want to send anything to the Maharashtra Government or your regional politicians, what would be that?

I will state the same requests to them too. Citizens’ needs are genuine and they need to support us people. We require support and they, being political representatives, should help us as we are in dire situations.

What are your interests beyond tea-selling and citizen’s representation?

By profession, I am a tea-seller and I have always been inclined towards social work. Presently I am working with Republican Yuva Morcha and we take up various public concerns.