The Shiv Sena on Friday sought police protection in Mumbai for its newly-elected MLAs, who will be shifted to a resort, till November 15, apparently fearing defection from its legislative rank.
Sena secretary Milind Narvekar has written a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner, seeking necessary protection for the party’s MLAs till November 15.
In the letter, Narvekar said all MLAs would be staying at Retreat hotel in suburban Malad.
“Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will be meeting his MLAs frequently for future decisions. We request you to provide necessary security measures,” Narvekar said.
A police official confirmed receiving the letter.
“We have received the letter from the Shiv Sena and the Mumbai police will take care of the security of their MLAs,” the official said.
The Sena has 56 MLAs, including the party’s youth leader, Aaditya Thackeray, who was elected from Worli in central Mumbai in the October 21 assembly polls.
The BJP and the Sena are locked in a bitter tussle over sharing power post declaration of assembly poll results on October 24.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis resigned on Friday.
According to sources, Fadnavis drove to Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai and submitted his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
There has been no headway in government formation even a fortnight after Assembly poll results were announced on October 24.
The BJP and Shiv Sena are locked in a tussle over the issue of the chief minister’s post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation despite the Assembly poll results giving the alliance a combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House.
In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and the Congress won 44 seats.
Listening to a devoted journalist is always intriguing and it becomes more exciting when a foreign journalist describes the ancient glory of my own country with all convictions. However, it turned sour when we realize that even after decades of our independence from the British, millions of Indians still perceive the western concept of lifestyles and feel safe with the western medicinal practices. But India has the most ancient medical system in the world and Ayurveda (Unani/Siddha) is still in practice across the vast country.
Francois Gautier, a India-based French journalist, while interacting with a group of scribes at Guwahati Press Club on October 26, 2019 through video-conferencing, revealed that Indian ancient scholars realized the importance of plants & minerals in treatments long before the discovery of western medicines. Moreover, many diseases have a psychosomatic origin and it should be taken into consideration for treating those patients.
Most of the Indian schools and universities still today teach western concepts and thus produce some export worthy youths in western countries. So the greatest brain drain in the world can be seen among the Hindus, who leave their country to enrich research centers, academic faculties, medical & engineering groups all over the world, particularly in the US, Canada, and UK. Most Indians go abroad and eventually settle down there and finally, their successors are lost forever for their country of origin.
Otherwise, Hindus are descendants of an ancient civilization in human history and Hinduism is the only religion that accepts and respects all the other religious faiths, but there are many western journalists and correspondents who are still biased against India. The author of several books on India asserted that the western media should at least respect the country with a wiser past and still gives birth to humans with wonderful qualities.
“But most of the western correspondents posted in New Delhi take little notice about the uniqueness of India as they manage to see only the poverty and problems faced by the vast country. They hardly pay respect to the billion-plus nation even after 70 years of its independence. In a real sense, they are expected to report honestly about India so that their readers, many of whom are ignorant about the great nation, get enlightened,” said Gautier.
Himself a regular contributor to various international publications including few from France, Gautier argued that the foreign correspondents are normally assigned for four to five years in India and that is not enough for understanding a country which is so vast, diverse and also contradictory. More precisely, Delhi is very far from southern or eastern India.
Shockingly, the Indian journalists who regularly write for western media outlets normally follow the guidelines of their editors and very often they won’t hesitate to paint a negative image of their own country exclaimed Gautier. However, he feels that the alternate media has provided space for many Indians, including qualified journalists, to speak on various issues they deem fit for exposures.
“India is never in the news in the West unless there is some major catastrophe or huge elections. Thus, if anyone wants to write for those publications, he or she has to find stories that might often border on the sensational, marginal and even misleading,” commented the outspoken journalist, who was born and brought up in Paris and now living in India for decades.
“As a Frenchman, I was brought up to be proud of Voltaire, Napoleon, Victor Hugo, or Charlemagne. India has many great heroes, poets, authors, warriors, etc. If France had one Jeanne d’Arc, this country gave birth to dozens like Rani of Jhansi, Ahiliabai, Chennama, Rani Abbakka, Rani Rudramma, Rani Velu Nachiyar, etc. The British have Shakespeare, but Kalidas is one of the greatest poets ever on par with Homer,” stated Gautier.
In warfare, the French have Napoleon and here in Maharashtra Shivaji Maharaj could be a hero for modern India. Not just because he was a great fighter with extraordinary courage, but Shivaji was also an able administrator maintaining respects to human rights. Dedicated to Mother India, Shivaji was secular in nature, in spite of being an ardent Hindu, and never harmed the wives or daughters of his enemies. Fascinating with the life of Shivaji, Gautier has committed to a resourceful museum of Indian history in Pune, the birthplace of Maratha hero. The museum is expected to exhibit objects from the Vedas to tomorrow’s India. Visitors coming to the museum can learn many unexplained things about Indian history. The unique Hindu concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam should be explored as it can only save the human race, convinced Gautier explained.
Speaking about Hindu tolerance, Gautier opined that it has been one-way traffic for the Hindus as they experienced cruel genocides in the sad history of humanity. But Hindus have shown extreme tolerance and Hinduism is the only religion that never tried to convert others. However many Indian intellectuals claim that Hindus are intolerant, fanatic or fundamentalists.
Gautier took references from Kashmir pointing out that it was primarily the Muslims who wanted independence. But violence against the Hindus of Kashmir (called Kashmiri Pandits) was also propagated by them. They were chased out by violence and Gautier witnessed the massacre as he was there for media coverage in the early Nineties. Nearly four hundred thousand Hindus fled the Kashmir valley because of relentless violence targeting them.
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was a great admirer of English socialism and he adopted British constitutional, judicial and even education systems without considering the exceptional Indian socio-cultural and traditional values. Nehru had to nurture the sentient of a sizable Muslim population that did not join Pakistan (west or east) and continued to live in India.
“For these reasons, Nehru asked historians to show esteem to Muslim rulers like Akbar or Aurangzeb and ignore the greatness of Hindu warriors like Chatrapati Shivaji, Maharana Pratap, Rani Lakshmibai etc knowing that Hindus would not react not to speak of protesting,” commented the contributor to Journal de Geneve, Le Figaro, La Revue de l’Inde along with various Indian newspapers.
Hence Gautier believes that Indian history should be rewritten and he has reasons to explain. For over seven decades, the Indian establishment comprising people from Nehruvian-Marxist and pseudo-secular ideology used to influence everything from school curriculum to public policy to history writing. The Indian education system today produces a hundred thousand brilliant students, but they are not made to learn about their own history, works of literature, legends, etc.
It has built up a false narrative that systematically condemned India’s civilizational journey. Since the overwhelming majority of the people here remain Hindus, the establishment tried its best to turn itself anti-Hindu. It encouraged people to negate anything associated with Hinduism. The tendency extended up to reproving the Vedas, Upanisad, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata and also Sanskrit, the mother of all Indian languages.
Bringing the reference to Hebrew, the ancient language of Israel, Gautier pointed out that Israeli people after getting a part of their holy land in 1948 started welcoming Jews from various parts of the world. As they came back to live in Israel a major problem was aroused because they spoke different languages. The Israeli authority asked their scholars to revive Hebrew, which had fallen in decrepitude so that everybody can speak Hebrew.
“Today the Hebrew language has unified Israel like nothing else, which should inspire India to revive Sanskrit. The government should invite some dedicated linguists to sit down with Sanskrit scholars for devising a way of simplifying and modernizing the ancient language. I am sure, it would energize and revitalize the whole Indian culture” stated the author of ‘India’s Self Denial’, ‘Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a Guru of Joy’, ‘A New History of India’, ‘A History of India as it Happened’ etc
Married to an Indian woman (Namrita Bindra), Gautier also argued that India and Israel share so much in common and both can learn a lot from each other! Hindus and Jews, far from being the persecutors of minorities have been persecuted for nearly two thousand years and have been the victims of worst genocides in history. While the German dictator Hitler murdered six million Jews in his gas chambers, Gautier revealed eighty million Hindus had to die at the hands of Muslim invaders.
By Nava Thakuria
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
Tulsi marriage marks the beginning of the Hindu wedding season and is celebrated on the last day of every Diwali. I am a resident of Vrindavan Society, Lalbaug where Tulsi marriage is celebrated in a beautiful manner. Every year, on the first day of Diwali, a little boy in traditional attire visits a housing association member’s flat to invite him to his wedding, along with his friends from the society. He invites everyone to say, “I want you to attend my wedding ceremony at the Society compound.” The festival has been celebrated by practicing a marriage ritual in the society opposite Jay Hind Talkies in Lalbaugh for almost 3 years.
According to members of the society, they start preparing for this day in advance of the month. On this day, parents come forward to register the name of their child who wants to marry Tulsi. There is a tradition of placing a poster of invitations on the premises of the society to invite people on the first day of every year. On the morning of the first day, the groom is invited along with his friends to the wedding of each member of the society at their house. Two days before the start of Diwali, lanters are lit on the society premises. Seating arrangements are also made for guests coming from outside.
The tradition of inviting 100 other families of the society started in 1990. Indeed, all the traditions and rituals of the generation that started this ritual have been passed on to the next generation, and I have ensured that they are followed. Adolescents also share enthusiasm with older men.
To mark the beginning of the Hindu wedding season, the marriage of Tulsi is celebrated. People decorate the area near the basil tree. While celebrating the festival, the human face/figure embellished with the bride is tied to the plant. And the one to whom she is married is considered as Lord Krishna. I have been watching this festival since childhood. Members of the society contribute contribute voluntarily and also look for sponsors for bearing the additional expenditure. People belonging to other community are encouraged to participate in this festival. Festivals like these need to be celebrated to keep our Maharashtrian tradition alive.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Many people are enamoured by fame and adopt various ways to achieve it. But only a few deserving candidates achieve it. Amitabh Bachchan, popularly known as Big B in Bollywood, is one of them. Some of his blockbuster movies are Deewar, Silsila, Coolie, Parvarish, Amar Akbar Anthony, Trishul, Muqaddar ka Sikandar and Don. He has done a marvellous job in all his movies. No one can beat his acting skills. He is also a well-known face on television and can host KBC (Kaun Banega Crorepati) very well. He has made India proud by being conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award and other awards too like the Padma Shri in 1984, the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. He is also known as the Shahenshah of Bollywood. His contribution to the Indian cinema will never be forgotten.
JubelD’Cruz
Foreclosure-charges should be abolished business-loans
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in an RTI response dated September 3, 2009 mentioned that RBI does not approve policy of foreclosure-charges on pre-payment of loans, but keeping short of issuing any directives. However foreclosure-charges subsequently were abolished in a phased manner starting from RBI notification dated June 5, 2012 for home-loans with last two RBI notifications in this regard issued on August, 2 2019 where pre-payment of all types of loans except business-loans both for banks and NBFCs were waived.
With unprecedented economic-slowdown, business-activities have been drastically reduced where normal businessmen under pressure of loans wish to take sigh of relief by getting rid of loans of banks or NBFCs by arranging funds by selling assets or otherwise. Many NBFCs are charging foreclosure-charges to tune of abnormally high of 5-per cent plus GST.
RBI should respect its own principle of being against basic concept of foreclosure-charges by immediately abolishing all types of loans both by banks and NBFCs including business-loans and loans with fixed interest-rate.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Ban on junk food
Advertisements and sales of unhealthy junk food are not to be sold in school canteens and near school premises. The ban comes as a result of surveys conducted and health reports that our children are heavily getting addicted to junk food and also there is a heavy deterioration health wise among young Indian children. The FSSAI will take all efforts to promote nutritious, wholesome and safe food among children.
The FSSAI had identified during a study and research, (recommended and ordered by Delhi high court in 2015 to curb junk food ) that ingredients like common High Fat, Salt and Sugar content (HFSS) in foods like ready-to-eat noodles, chips, pizzas, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated beverages and confectionery are the villains causing obesity and health problems among children and later leading to fatal life diseases. The FSSAI decided to restrict the consumption and availability of such HFSS foods as six out of ten diseases were related to consumption of junk food. The FSSAI has called on stakeholders to take initiatives to promote healthy foods for a healthy life for our children.
FSSAI has banned the sale of junk food items like chips, burgers, pizzas, samosas and all oily items in school canteens and hostel messes. All foods that are high in fat, salt, sugar are not to be sold in school canteens, messes and shop’s within 50 metres of the school campus. Children addicted to junk food may find it difficult to come out of the habit initially and parents and teachers have a vital role to make them shift to consume healthy nutritious food. The ban which will be effective from December 2019 is surely going to be a game changer and in the long run is surely going to benefit students and help make them evolve as healthy future citizens of our nation.
M Pradyu
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
The disqualified Karnataka MLAs moved the Supreme Court on Friday, seeking further postponement of the Assembly bypolls which are scheduled to take place on December 5.
A bench headed by Justice N V Ramana on October 25 had reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions filed by the 17 MLAs, challenging their disqualification as lawmakers ahead of the trust vote by the then H D Kumaraswamy government.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the disqualified MLAs, mentioned the matter and said that the bypolls for the Assembly seats are scheduled on December 5 and candidates are required to file their nomination papers between November 11 and November 18.
He said the disqualified MLAs will not be able to file their nomination and moreover the apex court verdict has not been delivered on the particular issue.
Rohatgi sought postponement of the bypolls till the apex court delivers its verdict on the petitions challenging the disqualifications.
The apex court asked the counsel for the MLAs to file a fresh application in this regard.
Earlier, the Election Commission had postponed the bypolls, which were scheduled on October 21, to December 5 in view of the pendency of the petitions filed by the disqualified lawmakers.
No matter whatever are the speculations in Maharashtra, it’s Shiv Sena that wants its leader to be Chief Minister, they want CM chair to be shared in two tenure, two and half years Sena and two and half years BJP, nothing more or nothing less. Amid the impasse between the saffron allies for the 14th day since the election result, Shiv Sena has remained adamant. Earlier, addressing a press conference, Sena’s Sanjay Raut put forth the views of party president Uddhav Thackeray and claimed that the fight is for ‘truth and lie.’ He further asserted that there was no deadlock from Sena’s end.
In 2014, BJP and Shiv Sena fought election without alliance. BJP got 122 seats and Shiv Sena got 73. BJP claimed power as largest party and they didn’t even approach Sena for support. Congress and Sena boycotted the voting, NCP abstained and BJP won trust vote. Later, after distribution of important portfolios to own MLAs, BJP tried to woo some Sena MLAs to join BJP. Then Uddhav Thackeray announced support to BJP and asked for ministerial portfolio. BJP said we are short only 22 MLA’S for majority so will offer only 2 cabinets and one minister of state. After hard bargain they settled on 2 cabinets and 2 state ministers. In 2014, Cong and NCP had 42-41 MLAs respectively so nothing much to focus on opposition and Fadnavis Government enjoyed its full term.
Now in 2019, BJP made three mistakes, one it made agreement with Shiv Sena offering Dy. CM post and fifty per cent ministerial post. Two, they wanted to finish Sharad Pawar and much hyped ED enquiry of Pawar become emotional events for Maratha voters. Pawar fought this battle for survival and he stood as man of the match. He created waves for Congress too. Both got 104 seats. BJP and Sena both lost 24 Seats. Now Sena –NCP-Congress together got a chance to control horse of BJP from power. Sharad Pawar is a family friend of Thackerays and got chance to become a Kingmaker. He may not join power but drive government being remote controlled. So, Congress and Pawer said if Sena breaks from BJP then they will extend support. Before Fadnavis goes for trust vote, NCP may contest for Speaker’s post. NCP-Congress will support and automatically fate of Fadnavis will be unambiguous. In current scenario, Shiv Sena has upper hand and BJP in spite having large vote share has nothing to dominate their allies. Moreover, Pawar proved it to BJP that there are still voters for Congress and NCP and eliminating them from politics is not easy.
It was agreed between the BJP and the Shiv Sena that they will fight the elections together for Lok Sabha and later to the state assembly. After the assembly elections, they will share the power between them. While, this was announced in the press conference by Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra CM, later, Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam said that it was also agreed upon that there should be a Shiv Sena CM for 2.5 years and a BJP CM for the other 2.5 years. Subsequently, an audio clip attributed to Thackeray is going round that whoever has larger numbers will take CM post. Both will share seats equally, as has been agreed upon. Looks like they deferred a potentially troublesome issue to be resolved at a later date.
It is true that BJP could win more seats than Shiv Sena even without the alliance with that party. But BJP does not want to defeat Shiv Sena, because there are no differences with that party ideologically. If these two parties contested separately, Congress would be the beneficiary. Also in the future Congress may play a role in the state of Maharashtra. BJP did not want it to happen. BJP wants to settle a score with Congress and make India Congress Mukth, which is highly impossible at this time. If at all it has to achieve it, BJP need to have an alliance with Shiv Sena. If these two combine, they can pull more than 50% votes and sweep the entire state. Hence, BJP went in for an alliance and also agreed for 2.5 years share in administration of the state. Uddhav Thackeray may think he has put BJP in a situation where it has no choice but to accept his demands. It appears that Sena, Congress, Pawar Congress want surging BJP to be held back or sabotaged at all costs! That is because in today’s world, nobody wants other to win, leave aside accepting one’s defeat gracefully. That would be impossible to swallow.
Working for larger cause, upholding democracy are things one only speaks, never means! Politics is all about self-interest. So coming to options before BJP, accepting Sena’s proposal would mean Modi has to read or listen to ill coached novice. Secondly, it would also mean turning blind eye to indiscretions and embarrassments of a partner who will leave no stone unturned to extract its pound of flesh. Leaving Sena with two Congress may be an alternative worth considering since it is very likely that the new dispensation would collapse under its own contradictions.
The BJP claims to have 121 MLAs including Independents and small parties on its side. But this number is much less than the 145-mark, the number needed in the Maharashtra Assembly. Therefore, the party has decided not to stake claim to form a government. On the other hand, if no government is formed by November 8 and the Governor calls the BJP since it is the single-largest party, then in that case, the state leadership will decide only after consulting the top leaders if they should go ahead or not. November 8 is the last date for the formation of government in Maharashtra. 14 days have passed since the poll results were announced on October 24 but there is a delay in the government formation as BJP-Shiv Sena still engaged in ironing out differences.
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray warned his allies stating, “No one should take anybody for granted”. Meanwhile, a resolution to the BJP-Shiv Sena stalemate over government formation in Maharashtra is expected and a new dispensation may take office before the term of the outgoing assembly ends on November 9.
Till now, the BJP has put up a brave face and termed the Sena’s stand as posturing and bargaining tactics in an ongoing negotiation for better portfolios, such as finance or revenue, the deputy chief minister’s post, rural development, PWD and finally home department. Earlier all it used to take was a phone call from senior ministers to sort things out, but things have now changed with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the helm.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said, “We don’t have a personal grudge against Devendra ji. We have good relations with him. This is a fight of truth and lie, dharma and adharma. This is for the future of Maharashtra. There is no deadlock from Shiv Sena’s side. We have only one key, that is of truth. One must come forward with what was decided.”
Two weeks have flown by since Maharashtra’s voters gave the BJP and Shiv Sena a combined majority, but there’s still no government in sight. It’s been said that their relationship is “on again, off again,” and this fortnight’s events show why. The BJP and the Sena have been fighting over the chief minister’s post (the Sena wants to share it; the BJP doesn’t). And now, a key deadline looms: if a new government isn’t in place by November 9, president’s rule will have to be imposed.
BJP’s ministers Chandrakant Patil and Sudhir Mungantiwar met the Governor, they may stake claim to form the government again but nothing seems to be easy for them.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar says, “99 per cent” of the Congress’s MLAs did not want a BJP government, and that Sharad Pawar of the NCP was a good option for the chief minister’s post. The NCP and the Congress won fewer seats than the BJP and the Sena in last month’s election, but their tallies 54 and 44 would make them viable coalition partners. He further stated the “marriage” between his party and the Shiv Sena can be discussed after a “divorce” takes place between the Sena and the BJP, whose differences have delayed the formation of a new government in Maharashtra.
Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkarisaid that there will be a decision soon. “Government in Maharashtra should be formed under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis,”. The Union Minister also denied any mediation by RSS in the issue. “RSS and Mohan Bhagwatji have no connection with this,” he told reporters. He further said, “No question of me returning to Maharashtra, I will continue to work in Delhi,”
Supporting Gadkari’s statement, Sudhir Mungantiwar also dismissed the rumours and said “Nitinji will never come to Maharashtra. It is not even his distant dream to come to Maharashtra as chief minister.”
Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut has also denied that the Sena wants BJP leader and Union minister Nitin Gadkari to be the chief minister instead of Fadnavis. Gadkari himself denied being in running for the CM post and backed Fadnavis for the top job. The Union minister said there was “no question” of him returning to state politics and expressed confidence that the Sena and BJP will reach a deal soon. The tenure of the current Assembly ends in two days and a special three-day session of the House may be convened next week to swear in the new MLAs, said sources. A resolution to the BJP-Sena stalemate over government formation is expected and a new dispensation may take office before the term of the outgoing Assembly ends, they added.
Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar told AV, “The party has unanimously decided that only Shiv Sena leader be made the chief minister, all the party MLAs and 8 independent legislators will remain at Rang Sharda Hotel in Bandra till the government is formed in the state.”
At a meeting in Matoshree, Shiv Sena MLAs have reportedly asked party leader Uddhav Thackeray to be firm on his demand for a rotational CM during negotiations with ally BJP. Negotiations on government formation have dragged on for the 14th day since the election results were announced. Sena leader Sanjay Raut has denied rumours of party MLAs being moved to resorts to thwart alleged poaching by ally BJP, but sources say arrangements are being made to move the MLAs to a five-star hotel in case necessary.
Image Courtesy: Indian children attend a demonstration about air pollution in New Delhi, where air pollution poses a serious health risk. (Image Courtesy: Money Sharma/ AFP / Getty Images)
Pollution or air pollution is one of the most dangerous problems not only in India but also in the entire world. It refers to the contamination of the atmosphere by harmful chemicals or biological materials. Similarly the toxic level of air pollution in and around Delhi is creating quite a menace. Adding to the severity, the changing weather conditions have locked the pollutants in the air and made the situation worse. Experts have warned people that they may undergo dire consequences if the condition remains for long and discouraged them form stepping outdoors.
But do we ever think about the reasons behind this soaring pollution are? The Delhi government wisely managed to blame the neighbouring states responsible for such condition. It claimed that stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and West UP is the major cause for the air pollution in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR).
On the contrary to it, environmentalist Sunita Narain – director general of Centre for Science and Environment also a member of the SC-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), claimed that about 65 per cent of pollution in Delhi is due to local sources and it is the main reason why the state and surrounding eras are seeing poor or very poor air quality. She also said pollution from stubble burning contributes only about 5-7 per cent to Delhi’s pollution load, but this could go up if there is wind blowing down from the north.
Then another study, conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), throws some light on the reasons behind pollution in Delhi. According to Teri’s Sumit Sharma, who works on environment and pollution issues, 36 per cent of the pollution has its source in Delhi itself, 34 per cent in NCR while 30 per cent comes across international borders.
However, the studies may be different in figures but what is the common in all studies and figures is that Delhi itself is majorly responsible for such disastrous condition. Let’s turn to the major factors for which Delhi is responsible. There may be more than one reason that are contributing to worsen the air quality of the national capital but some are very important should be pondered over. Unusual increase in population of the city is deteriorating the environment.
Moreover unplanned development of industries and factories is also the factor which may develop the city but devastating human life. According to the studies, only about 20 per cent of the industrial units are set up in the approved industrial areas whereas the rest of them are in residential and commercial areas.
There are some other causes too such as huge rise in the vehicular population, increase in vehicles, solid waste, liquid waste, industrial and hospital wastes in the city. There has been too much dependence on fossil fuels like coal-fired power plants, improper use of energy in buildings and the excessive use of biomass for cooking and heating, etc.
According to Gardiner Harris (The New York Times, 2015) Delhi is quietly suffering from a dire pediatric respiratory crisis, with a recent study, showing that nearly half of the city’s 4.4 million school children have irreversible lung damage from the poisonous air. In addition, research shows that pollution can lower children’s I.Q., hurt their test scores and increase the risks of autism, epilepsy, diabetes and even adult-onset diseases like multiple sclerosis. Poor air quality is a cause of reduce lung capacity, headaches, sore throats, coughs, fatigue, lung cancer and early death.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Reduce passport application charges for senior citizens
Presently the senior citizens need to shell out an exorbitant charge of Rs.1350 in order to apply for a fresh passport under normal category at the Passport offices across the country and it thus causes an inconvenience. The passport officials are now kindly requested to empathise with the sensitivities and other related compulsions of Senior Citizens who otherwise lead a frugal retired life or are either dependent on their wards. While it is given to understand that other facilities are offered with atleast a 50 per cent rebate such as railway concessions, air fare etc. There is now an urgent need to revise the existing charges by upto 50 per cent for senior citizens applying for passports under normal category at the passport offices.
Hence the Ministry of External Affairs is kindly requested to reduce the normal category passport application fee by 50 per cent and thus enable senior citizens to apply at a fee of Rs. 750 only instead of the existing fee of Rs.1350. The move to reduce the normal fresh passport application charges as suggested will highly benefit the needy senior citizens to avail the passport facility and thus travel abroad in an affordable way.
Varun Dambal
Gilchrist’s advice to Pant
Former Australia batsman and wicket keeper Adam Gilchrist in a recent interview with the media has aptly said that young Indian wicket keeper Rishabh Pant must not try to become the next Dhoni and also advised the youngster to learn from the former Indian captain but not to ape him. He said that fans and journalists have started comparing Pant to Dhoni and that in a way has pressurised the youngster as he is nowadays found embattled, hard pressed and lacking form. Pant definitely has been selected, reckoning his splendid performance in some of the series held home and abroad. His imitation and actions of a legend like Dhoni did prove fruitful earlier but then one can’t charm the spectators always just with that. Good players have to have their own panache. Legends like Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and Dhoni etc rose to greater heights only because they had their own style and displayed splendid skills on the field. They carved a niche of their own by braving all the odds and by working hard to come out with their best. Sadly today’s youngsters get carried away by applause, praise and publicity. Mistakes made in one or two matches is quite common but a failure throughout results in doubts and comparison. No doubt Pant’s grit and mettle plus his skills landed him in the squad and definitely the young player should come out with his best and come out with his own style.
M Pradyu
Dehli a city of moving masks
The Supreme Court-mandated Environment (Prevention and Control) Authority made the declaration as the air quality deteriorated sharply and the region experienced its most polluted day in about two years. The air quality index topped out the highest pollution level that can be recorded at many places and gave the city the dubious distinction of being among the most polluted cities in the world. There is no normal life in Delhi, with people being advised to stay indoors, schools shut down, office timings rescheduled, and construction activity banned. It has been reduced to a gas chamber where all living things are gasping for air. It is a city of moving masks. A great responsibility rests on the people also, who should follow the rules and norms to tackle pollution and force governments to act right.
S Arif Magdi
WhatsApp not safe
Amidst the row over the alleged surveillance of phones through WhatsApp, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said her phone was also “trapped” and asked PM Modi to investigate the matter. Even mobile phones, WhatsApp aren’t safe. It is a very serious matter.
Arif Mahfooz
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
The Shiv Sena on Friday sought police protection in Mumbai for its newly-elected MLAs, who will be shifted to a resort, till November 15, apparently fearing defection from its legislative rank.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis resigned on Friday.
Listening to a devoted journalist is always intriguing and it becomes more exciting when a foreign journalist describes the ancient glory of my own country with all convictions. However, it turned sour when we realize that even after decades of our independence from the British, millions of Indians still perceive the western concept of lifestyles and feel safe with the western medicinal practices. But India has the most ancient medical system in the world and Ayurveda (Unani/Siddha) is still in practice across the vast country.
Tulsi marriage marks the beginning of the Hindu wedding season and is celebrated on the last day of every Diwali. I am a resident of Vrindavan Society, Lalbaug where 
Amitabh Bachchan has made India proud
The disqualified 
