Ideological moorings and confusion hurting Congress: Part I

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June 30, 2019

It was India’s “Grand Old Party.” The Congress Party ruled the country for 55 out of 71 years since independence. However, following the party’s crushing electoral debacle for a second time, there are questions about its future as the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty at its helm is unable to counter the most powerful leader India has produced in eras, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India’s oldest party is going through leadership crises. Over a month after Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that he wished to quit as the party chief, over 130 Congress office bearers resigned from their individual posts to show harmony with him. Some threatened to protest outside the homes of other senior party office bearers in the days to come if the latter did not follow their example of quitting their respective posts and give Gandhi a “free hand” to restructure the party.

The battle within Congress is gradually one between the party’s old guard and the young leadership. The sense among the younger leaders is that Gandhi’s hands need consolidation for him to purge several from the old guard to restructure the party. However, those in the old guard argue that Gandhi had led the party’s campaign from the front and most of the decisions were his.

Gandhi appointed Mohan Markam as the head of the party’s Chhattisgarh unit, replacing Bhupesh Baghel since he is now the Chief Minister of the state. The Congress statement announcing the appointment said that “Congress President has appointed” instead of the “AICC” that was being used in party statements affecting organisational changes since Gandhi’s decision to quit as party head.

At the first Congress Working Committee meeting after the poll results, Rahul Gandhi had announced his resignation but questioned the senior leaders Kamal Nath, Ashok Gehlot, and some others for not putting in their best effort to ensure the party’s success. The Congress currently has governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Puducherry and runs a coalition government in Karnataka. Many think this phase of Congress as rebooting the party and others question the existence of it in the near future.

If we look at the history of the Congress, after independence, the defeat of Indira Gandhi in 1977, the Congress party under Indira Gandhi rose like Phoenix, in 1980. Congress continued to rule till 1989. Though Rajiv Gandhi won in 1984 because of sympathy wave after the death of Indira Gandhi with a massive majority, he could not sustain it in 1989. Again in 1991, Congress came back to power and formed a minority government because of the sympathy factor. Though its performance was exemplary under Narasimha Rao, it could not come back to power, mainly because of the lack of a popular mass leader. Again in 2004, Congress came back to power because of the efforts of Sonia Gandhi.

The Congress lost elections in 1977, 1989, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2014, and 2019. All the elections it lost are due to major gaffes like the imposition of emergency or huge corruption scandals or for want of a charismatic leader. The Congress could win the first four elections till 1967 because of the participation of Congress leaders in the freedom movement and the goodwill people had for the Congress. The 1971 election was won because of the charismatic leadership of Indira Gandhi. The spectacular victories of 1984 and that of 1991 are because of sympathy votes.

In 2004, Congress did not increase its seats. In fact, it reduced from 158 to 145. It still formed the government because BJP performed badly winning only 138 seats. Though the Congress could win 207 seats in 2009, could not get a majority. The Congress got divided in 1969 and many leading Congress leaders who were part of freedom movement left the party. It was at this period the nationalism of the Congress, which was its prerogative, started moving away from the party. Also the Congress, by its nationalisation of Banks, the abolition of privy purses to erstwhile rulers, and its socialism, pushed themselves towards the left. An emergency was the culmination of all these and the party had to pay a heavy price. Hitherto till 2009, Congress maintained some responsibilities both in the number of seats as well as vote percentages.

However, in 2014, securing only 44 seats, the party looked more like a regional party rather than a national one. Ideologically too the Congress is confused about where it stands. While in power followed liberalisation and open market but now projecting itself as left of centre.

This ideological moorings and the confusion that emanates from the same, is hurting the party. At present, Indian people are at home with the liberalisation of economy and privatisation. It is in the fitness of time, that Congress changes itself to suit the aspirations of the people. Congress may not completely be eliminated. However, it will slowly fade away unless its leaders take corrective steps.

The Congress may argue that it was able to capture power in 2004 but “the Congress of 2004” and “the Congress of 2019” are two different entities. The Congress of 2004 was not dubbed a corrupt party at that time. Sonia being new to politics, no negativity got attached to her. The public did not know her son-in-law’s corruption yet. Her son just entered the politics and his inefficiency was not yet public.

The Congress was in power in quite a few states but in 2019, the ball game is completely different. The Congress is in power in six states constituting 6 per cent of the country. In many big states, it has been pushed to margins or lost relevancy. Above all, the Congress has to confront Modi–Shah duo who are formidable opposition. The electoral politics also have changed remarkably putting the onus more on leadership and its strategy. The demanding scenario requiring the leadership to be proactive is too much for the party. How it faces the situation will be clear only in the upcoming state elections. However, it is reducing and it is apparent.

(The later part will continue tomorrow.)

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

Journalists belong on the edge, a dangerous place to be: Shahidul Alam

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Web Team

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June 30, 2019

redink 2019 award winners,redink awards 2019,mumbai press club,redink 2019 winners,redink 2019 — Image Courtesy : MumbaiPressClub Twitter

As a messenger of news, a Journalist’s role is neither easy nor comfortable. Defining the parameters of the profession, world-renowned Bangladeshi Photojournalist Shahidul Alam, speaking as the guest of honour at the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism at the Jamshed Bhaba Hall on Friday night, said, “Journalists belong on the edge, a dangerous place to be. You get burnt if you go too deep, but you cease to be relevant if you move back too far.”

Illustrating what he meant by the ‘edge’, Alam said that it is a constantly changing position based on ever-changing circumstances; and the journalist’s job is to keep redefining where the ‘edge’ lies.

He also highlighted that the profession was always under pressure from inducements and threats by those in power, and the challenge of journalism was to find a way around it. Giving an example of the Bangladesh Press that had been waging a battle for changes in media laws, Shahidul Alam said the situation changed after the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed decided to present Rs 20 crore to the Dacca Press Club. “Slowly the agitation died away, and then finally we saw a huge banner hanging from the Press Club’s walls with Sheikh Hasina’s full-size image on it.”

Magsaysay Award-winning social reformer Prakash Baba Amte, also speaking as the guest of honour at the event, emphasized the role of the news media to bring to the public eye social initiatives like his work of the Lok Biradari Prakalp in tribal-dominated Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. He said he and his wife Mandakini had worked for the health and education of one of the most backward tribes in India, the Madia Gonds. “We realized we have a lot to learn from them. We never lock our homes. There is no concept of theft among them, even though they very often have nothing to eat. There are also no sexual crimes, and we never hear of rapes,” Amte said.

At the glittering ceremony in the newly built, chandeliered hall, as many as 32 journalists from all over the country received their RedInk Awards for categories ranging from Political writing and environment to the newly- introduced category ‘The Arts’. Chairman of the NCPA, Mr. K N Suntook, in a message to journalists, emphasized the importance of ‘Arts’ to civil society and urged editors to dedicate more space for writing on the subject.

Award recipients included Rachna Khaira of The Tribune who bagged the prestigious ‘Journalist of the Year’ Award for her far-reaching expose on the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of Indian (UIDAI). The coveted Lifetime Achievement Award this year went to – Dinu Ranadive, 94, who retired from the Maharashtra Times, and Photojournalist Sebastian D’Souza, who served as Photo Editor of Mumbai Mirror.

In a short message by Dinu Randive, when he came on stage on a wheelchair, the veteran gave an example of how good journalism can have a transforming role.

When covering the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the 1970s, Ranadive said that he once came across a weeping Dalit man who said his child had died and he could not bury the boy because the Dalit cremation ground was full of water, and he did not want him to catch a cold! Those days the BMC had separate burial grounds for upper caste children and Dalit kids. Moved by the tragedy, he wrote a series of articles on the discriminatory practice. The Maharashtra Legislature which was in session then took cognizance of these reports and abolished segregation of burial grounds on caste basis.

In his introduction to the awards, Gurbir Singh, President of the Mumbai Press Club, said two major issues were haunting news media today: One, identification with jingoistic and one-sided campaigns of various political parties or government by many sections of the press had made it lose its credibility among the masses; and two, the level of intolerance and hate being generated against an independent media had led to many journalists being arrested and assaulted. This had made the functioning of a free press more difficult by the day.

The Chairman of the Mumbai Press Club, Dharmendra Jore, and Secretary Lata Mishra also spoke. Office Bearers and Members of the Managing Committee participated in congratulating the winners of the various categories on stage. The RedInk Awards have been instituted by the Mumbai Press Club since 2010.

An interesting feature of the evening was a panel discussing the topic: “Journalism is dead, long live journalism!”

Speaking about the media’s credibility crisis, Barkha Dutt said that today, anything deviation from the dominant narrative is punished. “While some of us have the privilege of not being arrested for merely speaking our mind, journalism is structurally dying. Journalists have been left craving for ministerial access, news reporting has been put on the backburner,” she asserted.

Echoing Barkha Dutt’s sentiment, Editor of Mumbai Mirror Meenal Baghel said, “There is inherent laziness in reporting today. We have forgotten the art of storytelling and how to stitch a news report. The need of the hour is good story-telling for the reader.”

Kishore Chandra Wangkhemcha, a Manipuri journalist who was arrested last year under the stringent National Security Act for his criticism of the government, shared his story of the time he spent behind bars. “I thought it was my duty to bring out the truth. Once I was jailed under the NSA Act, nobody from civil society came forward to defend my case,” he said.

Abhishek Sharma, Resident Editor of NDTV India, who moderated the discussion, said stories don’t hold much merit if they don’t make people uncomfortable.

The Awards Ceremony also treated the hundreds of journalists and media persons to a soothing session of music in the form of 4 scores by NCPA’s Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), and it had the guests tapping their feet to the finale – a classical rendering of the Bollywood number ‘Jay Ho’!

The RedInk Awards were presented in association with lead partner Star India, along with Award Partners Zee Entertainment, Aditya Birla Group, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Indiabulls Housing Finance, Diageo India, Jaslok Hospital, Global Health Strategies, IIFL and the National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA). The Hindu and Facebook were the print and digital partners.

The RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism were set up 9 years ago to encourage good quality reporting and analysis, fair play and high ethical standards in Indian journalism. It stands as a reminder of the larger purpose of journalism, and its responsibility to society. It is the only set of awards for individual journalists instituted by a professional body in India and is considered valuable as it bestows peer recognition.

Winners of Mumbai Press Club Redink Awards – 2019

Business & Economy

Print/Digital: Alia Allana, Fountain Ink

TV/Video: Archana Shukla, CNBC TV/VIDEO 18

Environment

Print/Digita: Adrija Bose, News 18.Com

TV/Video: Shikha, India Today

Sports

Print/Digital: Mihir Satyen Vasavda, The Indian Express

TV/Video: Smitha Ramachandran Nair, Scroll.in

Human Rights

Print/Digital: Rahul Kotiyal, Newslaundry

TV/ Video: Tridip Kanti Mandal, The Quint

Politics

Print/Digital: Sagar, The Caravan, Delhi Press

TV/ Video: Arfa Khanum, The Wire

TV/ Video: Sreenivasan Jain, NDTV/VIDEO 24X7

Big Picture

Winner: Ajay Kumar, The Times Of India

Runner-up: R S Gopakumar, Malayala Manorama

Runner-up: Josekutty Panackal, Malayala Manorama

Science & Innovation

Print/Digital: Lhendup Gyatso Bhutia, Open Media Magazine

Lifestyle & Entertainment

Print/Digital: R Rajeshwaran, The News Minute

Print/Digital: Bibek Bhattacharya, Mint

TV/ Video: Vatsala Singh, The Quint

Women Empowerment & Gender Equality

Print/Digital: Jyoti Shinoli, People’s Archive Of Rural India

TV/ Video: Sonali Jain, Firstpost

Crime

Print/Digital: Santosh Singh, The Indian Express

TV/ Video: Arun Kumar K, Asianet News Network

The Arts

Print/Digital: Vaishna Roy, The Hindu

TV/ Video: Faiyaz Ahmad, The Wire

Health & Wellness

Print/Digital: Ritu Sarin, Kaunain Sheriff M & Jay Mazoomdaar, The Indian Express

TV/ Video: Anil K Emmanuel, Manorama News Channel

Mumbai Star Reporter: Ranjeet Jadhav, Mid-Day

Journalist of the year: Rachna Khaira, The Tribune

Lifetime Achievement: Sebastian D’souza, Former Photo Editor, Mumbai Mirror & Dinu Randive, former Maharashtra Times journalist.

Groundwater level in 16% talukas, mandals, and blocks in ‘over-exploited’ category

By

Web Team

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June 30, 2019

Groundwater level in 16 per cent of the taluka, mandal, block-level units in the country fall under the “over-exploited” category, while 4 per cent falls under the “critical” category, government data shows.

Groundwater level of the 6,584 block, mandal, tehsil level units assessed by the Central Groundwater Board reveal that 4,520 units fall under the “safe category”, according to the data shared by the government in Lok Sabha last week.

As many as 1,034 units have been categorised as “over-exploited”, the data states.

Nearly 681 blocks, mandal, taluka level units in the country, constituting 10 per cent of the total figure, fall under the “semi-critical” category, while 253 fall under the “critical” category. Nearly 1 per cent of the blocks, mandals, and talukas had saline water.

The figure is based on the government’s 2013 assessment.

“As per the 2013 assessment, out of total 6,584 assessment units (blocks, talukas, mandals, watersheds, firkas) in the country, 1,034 units in 17 states and Union territories have been categorised as over-exploited where groundwater extraction is more than the net groundwater availability and there is a significant long-term decline in water levels.

“Two hundred and fifty-three units have been categorised as critical, 681 units as semi-critical and 4,520 units as safe,” the minister of state in the Jal Shakti Ministry shared the information in Parliament last week.

The overexploitation of the groundwater was highest in the states of Punjab (76 per cent) and Rajasthan (66 per cent), followed by Delhi (56 per cent) and Haryana (54 per cent).

There was no over-exploitation of groundwater reported in the states of West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Tripura, Odisha, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Goa.

Groundwater levels in all the block, taluka, mandal level units from 12 states and Union territories Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli were reported to be in the safe category.

The propagandist of Union Carbide finally joins hands with Jihadists and criminals

By

Web Team

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June 30, 2019

When in 1986, the Bhopal disaster caused by the Union Carbide killed 3,787 and affected government disagreeing 5 lakhs Indians, a man lacking minimal moral ethics joined hands with the perpetrators of a heinous crime and finally has emerged as the paid agent of Jihadist criminal and most possibly Pakistani spy agency ISI.

So-called British journalist David Bergman, in September 1986 during his younghood at the age of 21, was arrested in violation of India’s Foreigners Act and National Security Act and was accused of working for Union Carbide.

After many years, it has been proved that Bergman is not only a man of moral decay but someone who can become a propagandist in favour of jihadist, more precisely Islamic State (ISIS). He is the husband of Barrister Sara Hossain, granddaughter of an anti-Indian Pakistani lawyer.

Being living in Britain, David Bergman, although portrays himself to be a journalist, in reality, does not have any job. Decades back, the only job he had was with a British TV program production company named Twenty Twenty. However, during these long years, he does not have any affiliation with any western newspapers, although he has served with a Bangladeshi newspaper named the New Age, which is known for its anti-Indian and pro-Islamist editorial policies.

In Dhaka, the New Age is known as a second-tier daily newspaper with pro-Pakistan and pro-Jihadist bias, possibly because of this particular reason the New Age has found their best ally in David Bergman.

The founder of the New Age, Enayatuallah Khan was a diehard pro-China and anti-India journalist.

During his days in the New Age, David Bergman dedicatedly confronted Bangladesh’s relentless effort in trying the war criminals. Bergman did not leave any stone upturned in defaming the international criminal court (ICC), which has handed down the death penalty to several prominent war criminals, including tough ranking leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.

The ICC had to convict David Bergman for his dubious role as well as foul bids of making the trial process controversial.

Although Bergman lives a comfortable life in Sadiq Khan’s London, no-one knows where he is getting the expenditures from. It is anticipated that he is under the payroll of the Pakistani spy agency ISI.

Bergman, being rejected by the British media, has set up an account with BlogSpot-a notorious place of propaganda, against the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. He even does not spare the Bangladeshi agencies which are fighting against radical Islam and terrorism.

Recently David Bergman was hired by a man named Md. Shahid Uddin Khan, a fugitive criminal facing red notice issued by Interpol. According to media reports, Md. Shahid Uddin Khan is the founder of Islamic State(ISIS) as well as a business associate of Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company. Bergman is publishing propaganda materials in his blog portraying Shahid Uddin Khan as an angel and victim of Sheikh Hasina government.

It may be mentioned here that on May 25, 2019, the front-ranking British newspaper The Sunday Times had exposed Shahid Uddin Khan through a report titled ‘Tory donor charged with arms dealing and funding terrorism’. Subsequently, Khan’s activities were exposed by Indian, Bangladeshi, and International media.

In 2009, Shahid Uddin Khan entered Britain with his wife Farjana Anjum and daughters and had invested millions of dirty money under visa tier-1. He has also been funding Islamic State and jihadist activities.

Sri lanka blasts — The blasts hit several high-end hotels and one church in the capital, while two additional churches were targeted outside Colombo in Sri Lanka.

According to newspaper reports, prior to the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, Khan sent thousands of dollars to his jihadist counterpart from Dubai. He has also been actively plotting terrorist attacks inside Bangladesh and India. That possibly makes Khan the best ally of David Bergman because both of them want the destruction of India and re-establish Pakistan’s influence on Bangladesh.

By Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa

(The author is the Editor of The Eastern Herald. Follow him on twitter @MANooriBajwa)

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.

Teach them young

By

Jayanthy Subramaniam

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June 30, 2019

Biologically, the first seven years of childhood are crucial, as a major part of brain development takes place. Natural play, both indoors and outdoors helps both generations explore the self. It is greatly felt that whatever you teach forever in his life. There is no doubt about your children at a young age will last it. Both parents’ self-awareness helps children. Moreover, there’s no substitute for time spent with your child. So, put the gadgets away and give your child your complete attention. Children are observers and they grow into young adults who replicate your behaviour.

For example, if you teach your children about playing a game of chess or carrom board at a young age, he tends to learn the finer points faster. To help them in their later part, we have online sights to look for how to play chess and learn the various moves that will help him out while playing at the highest level. Likewise, if you teach the names of cricketers or the names of scientist they will quick to learn and remember what the particular scientist did for the human cause etc., will be in his mind forever.

Use story or picture books as a way to teach young kids about both self-awareness and social awareness. For instance, various publishers have several beautiful books like Kali and the Rat Snake or Ismat’s Eid that help children learn to empathise with others and see things from others’ perspectives. Parents can ask their kids questions as they read and engage in discussions. For example, you might ask, “How do you think the character feels in this situation?” or “What would you do in this situation?” Also, use TV programmes this way. In this way, you can fine tune your children to learn and follow the methods in a proper way.

I remember my olden days when English poems were taught in the morning session, I used to pick up the words and learn the poems in the lunch hour. That is how I learned, “Old McDonald had a farm” poem, which I still remember and recite for my grandson, who is in LKG now. It is time to teach children from the regular happenings and that will be remembered in a better way rather than making them bookworm all the time.

By inculcating good habits, we can turn the children go for good moves in life and lead a peaceful living making them realise the realities in life and try to insist them to become God-fearing for a better future.

Use the ‘traffic light’ tool. Help a young child understand that when he’s feeling calm and happy, he’s in the ‘green zone’. When something is making him a little upset, he’s in the ‘orange zone’. And when he’s feeling angry or out of control, he’s moved into the ‘red zone’. Help children identify what kinds of things trigger them or make them angry, and how they can bring themselves back to the green zone. Having these discussions can help children manage their own emotions and find ways to restore their own sense of calm.

Play with them their favourite games and make them get involved rather than making them furious. Allow them to recover from their school chores and come back to the peace of mind to their homework or finish their arts and crafts work by evening.

In a digital world that draws them away from reality, parents need to help their kids be socially intuitive. There lies the real way of teaching the basics and at the same time make them involved in daily affairs.

Engage in conversations with your children, any opportunity you get, but especially if they’re going through a rough patch. Engage in a conversation to help develop their emotional quotient (EQ). However, first, just listen. Make the children self-dependent and help the children self-aware of certain aspects of life. Teach them from a young age and the efforts you put in the early stages will definitely fruits when the child grow up in life and when they attain their teens you can really feel the difference in the best way possible.

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

Letters to the Editor: 30 June, 2019

By

Web Team

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June 30, 2019

Will Health Minister look into looting of patients?

Adequate facilities are not available in hospitals located in the rural areas; therefore, patients are advised in case of some ailments or those injured in accidents, to be taken to main hospitals in cities.

The number of government hospitals is high in cities like Mumbai and many patients from rural areas come to the city. Doctors from these hospitals advice to get different tests done but a very few can be done in these hospitals and patients are advised to get remaining tests done at other private testing labs.

The naive patient, with the hope of getting treatment in time, goes for conducting such tests to the centres though they are unable to afford. Many testing labs are located around the government hospitals and are run profitably with the connivance of doctors from government hospitals, having vested interests. Will the State Health Minister look into the issue of looting of patients?

Jagan Ghanekar

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

Is ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ doable?

By

Rajesh Choudhary

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June 28, 2019

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘One Nation, One Poll’ idea, the Union government is working on a plan to launch the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme for people.

The biggest beneficiary of this will be those migrant labourers who move to other States to seek better job opportunities. The scheme will ensure their food security and they can access the Public Distribution System from any PDS shop across the country. This will definitely benefit millions of migrant labourers in Mumbai.

However, there are many challenges and obstacles in the way of ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme which question its feasibility in the country. There are 29 states and 7 union territories in India and every state has its own rules for Public Distribution System (PDS). If ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ is implemented, it will further boost corruption in an already corrupted Public Distribution System.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution will implement ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme. Under the Integrated Management of PDS (IMPDS), people can avail their share of food grain from any district across the country. It is notable that IMPDS is already operational in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Tripura. So, migrant labourers of Maharashtra have no more benefits in the state. Means, at present migrant labourers from Marathwada, Vidarbha and other regions of Maharashtra are enjoying this in Mumbai and other metros of the state.

On being asked about ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme, senior Congress leader PL Punia told Afternoon Voice, “All these terms coined by the Modi government have become jumla — ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’, ‘One Nation, One Poll’, ‘One Nation, One Leader’. They have no practical knowledge. Suppose that a labourer migrates to any city leaving his family at a village, how will he receive his ration in the city and his family’s ration at the village? Similarly, different states have different PDS rates. Rice is just one rupee per kilo in Chhattisgarh while it is Rs 3 per kilo in other states. How will the centre tackle all these? The feasibility of this scheme is under question.”

It is worth mentioning that ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ will increase the woes of the common man and, the middlemen and corrupt PDS shop owners will exploit them. Even Aadhaar cards have been insufficient to check irregularities in the PDS. Many ration shop owners under the PDS allegedly replace the Aadhaar number of beneficiaries with people known to them and thousands of fake Aadhaar cards are used to withdraw food grains of ration. According to experts, any revelation of pilferage of ration is the tip of the iceberg. How this is happening when the government claims to have connected the Aadhaar numbers of genuine beneficiaries with the Public Distribution System.

An official of the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Protection Department said, “We have no detailed information about ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme. Only the officer who attended the meeting in New Delhi can give any information.”

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan chaired a meeting on ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme recently. Food secretaries and other officials of state governments, Food Corporation of India (FCI), Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) and State Warehousing Corporations (SWCs) attended this meeting in the national capital Delhi.

As per the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the scheme is aimed at providing freedom to beneficiaries. They will not be tied to one PDS shop and it will reduce their dependence on shop owners and curtail corruption. The biggest beneficiaries will be migrant workers who move to other states to seek better job opportunities. In the meeting, the other states assured that they would implement IMPDS as early as possible.

Social activist Mayank Gandhi asserted, “It will be a very good scheme. With the help of ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’, migrant labourers of another state can avail medical facility Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana because ration card is compulsory for this scheme.”

Ram Vilas Paswan said, “The target is to complete the formalities of the scheme in one year. The availability of PoS (Point of Sale) machines needs to be ensured at all PDS shops to implement the scheme. PoS machines are available at all PDS shops in various states, like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, but 100 per cent availability is required to provide the benefit across the country. Around 78 per cent of Fair Price, Shops has so far been automated by installing electronic PoS devices.”

He further said that information technology should be used right from the time of purchase of food grains until distribution to increase the overall efficiency of the PDS and curb corruption. Under the Public Distribution System, there are 81 crore beneficiaries. Every year, 612 lakh tonnes of food grains are stored in warehouses of FCI, CWC, SWCs and private godowns for distribution.

BJP spokesperson Prof. Suhas Farande said, “One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme will be beneficial for migrants from Maharashtra to other states. They will immediately get ration at their new abode. Also, this scheme will check double or multiple ration cards of a person.”

Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Nawab Malik said, “This scheme should be welcomed as migrant labourers will be benefited by it. But the government should concentrate on issuing ration cards to those who are eligible and they have not any ration card. As far as corruption in the PDS is concerned, only Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan can reply how it will check irregularities.”

One Nation is fine but One Ration Card should solve the purpose

By

Vaidehi Taman

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June 28, 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) dubbed as One Nation, One Card. The indigenously-developed card will enable users to pay for multiple kinds of charges including transport, metro services, toll tax, parking charges, retail shopping as well as to withdraw money across the country. In short, it is a one-stop card for multiple utilities. One Nation, One Card will make our life easier by serving as the single card for all types of payments.

This One Nation, One Ration Card is to ensure no poor person is deprived of getting subsidised food grains under food security scheme when he shifts from one place to another in India. Wherever one might migrate within the nation, the card will give them all the facilities. This will also remove the chance of anyone holding more than one ration card to avail benefits from different states.

Migrant labourers will be the biggest beneficiaries of this initiative, as they will have food security. This will also provide freedom to the beneficiaries, as they will not be tied to any one PDS shop. It may curtail the occurrences of corruption.

In order to achieve this target, the food ministry will create a central depository of all ration cards, which will help in eliminating duplication. Moreover, the card will have all your biometrics that would be linked to the Aadhaar card. So, the duplication of documents and misuse can be controlled.

Just like Aadhaar Card, which can be used as ID card everywhere, One Nation, One Card can be used as “payment” card everywhere. I mean to say now, you don’t have to carry different cards for the payments of different things. You can easily purchase metro tickets if you have One Nation, One Card. This card is a solution to all your payment problems. Earlier, a shopping card issued in one city was not working in other cities. But One Nation, One Card works in all over India. RuPay powers this card. Automatic Fare Collection Gate (SWAGAT) and Open Loop Automatic Fair Collection System (SWEEKAR) under the Make In India project has developed this card. 25 banks are issuing the card across the country. This will take some time to get fully implemented. For its operation, the public needs to be aware of its benefits, usage, and procedures of getting it from their particular bank.

The One Nation, One Card is India’s first indigenously developed payment ecosystem. The One Nation, One Card can be compared to a RuPay debit/credit card issued by your bank. Along with a swipe-to-pay option, the transport ecosystem card will also be contactless, allowing quick payment options like your metro smart card. You can use the card on public transport systems like buses, metros and suburban railways and also while shopping. It can also be used to pay for parking and in toll booths. You need to contact your bank to be issued a One Nation, One Card.

NCMC has partnered with 25 banks for this initiative. The list includes SBI and the Punjab National Bank. In addition to this, the Paytm payments bank can also be used to issue the card. In some cases, travel cards issued in a particular city did not function in a different city or state. This newly launched card will eliminate this issue and will be usable across the country. Along with cashback offers on certain merchant outlets, the RuPay One Nation, One Card will also be accepted at Discover and Diners Club International merchants and ATMs. The automatic fare collection system has been installed in a few stations of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the first level trials have been marked as successful. This technology only existed in a few developed countries of the world but we too have joined that club who have this interoperable, scalable, dual interface, open loop payment card for the payment system. We can say that this card is an advanced version of the metro smart card that people use for travelling through the metro.

Nevertheless, with this National Common Mobility Card, they can travel through various means of transport and can use it at various payment terminals. The transactions with this card are secured with EMV Technology. EMV is one of the globally available and adopted technologies for safeguarding transactions against fraud. EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. It is basically a global standard for debit and credit cards (chip-based cards) that ensures the security of payments at various PoS terminals. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), known as One Nation One Card, is a RuPay based card launched by the NDA Govt. on March 4, 2019. NCMC is definitely a good initiative and helps in hassle-free travel for people across India.

Ration Card is one of the most essential documents that every Indian is supposed to have. In India, there are two types of ration cards APL (Above Poverty Line) and BPL (Below Poverty Line). BPL ration card, however, is much sought after because of the benefits attached to it. Hope this one ration card has some provisions for both such categories or else with this new initiative, new corruption may hamper the intent of this scheme.

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Don’t know who’s responsible for defeat, but had offered to quit as MP Cong chief: Kamal Nath

By

Web Team

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June 28, 2019

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said he had offered to resign from the post of state Congress president after the party’s debacle in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

His remarks come in the backdrop of reports that Congress president Rahul Gandhi had expressed disappointment that none of the party leaders, holding top posts, took responsibility for the party’s poll rout after the Gandhi scion decided to resign last month.

Rahul has been adamant on stepping down as the Congress chief.

Nath said that he takes responsibility for the party’s poor performance in Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress bagged just one out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats.

“I take responsibility for the party’s defeat in Lok Sabha elections in the state. Rahul Gandhi is right.

“I do not know who is responsible for the defeat but I had offered to quit the party post,” Nath told reporters on the sidelines of a function here late Thursday night.

“I personally believe that I am responsible for the party’s defeat. I do not know who else in responsible, he added.

A senior Congress leader said Nath had offered his resignation as state party president after the Lok Sabha poll results.

“Nath had said he takes moral responsibility for the party’s defeat in the state,” he added.

Nath was appointed Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief in April 2018, while he took over as chief minister of the state in December last year.

Nath had offered to resign from the post of MPCC president after the Congress wrested power from the BJP after a gap of 15 years and he became chief minister.

However, he was asked by the Congress high command to continue in the party post.

Rising demand for Bharat Ratna to Dalai Lama

By

Web Team

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June 28, 2019

It’s been 60 years now since Tibetans inside and outside continue their struggle against the Communist regime of China for their legitimate rights over language, tradition, and culture. On March 10, 1959, thousands of Tibetans came to the streets protesting against the Chinese occupation and their picturesque capital city of Lhasa became the epicenter of the anti-Chinese movement.

Tibetans barricaded the Potala Palace, the iconic centre of Tibetan Buddhism, where their supreme leader the 14th Dalai Lama used to live and soon the uprising gained momentum. The protesters demanded the Hun Chinese to leave their land but they were responded with harsh and repressive measures from the People’s Liberation Army of the Beijing administration.

Facing the situation that went increasingly unsafe for the Dalai Lama, the revered Buddhist monk with thousands of his followers left for India and finally crossed the eastern border through Arunachal Pradesh (formerly North-East Frontier Agency) in the middle of April 1959. The Chinese invasion over the Himalayan region was earlier completed in 1951 following the Communist party took over Beijing in 1949.

The then Indian Premier Jawaharlal Nehru welcomed the Dalai Lama along with over 90,000 Tibetan exiles offering political asylum and allowed everyone to stay in Dharamshala township of Himachal Pradesh in northeast India with all dignity and supports. Now they run an exile administration in Dharamshala where lawmakers are being elected for the presidential form of government.

Indian people as a whole maintain high regards to the Dalai Lama, who lives in McLeodganj of Dharamshala and it began with an all India convention on Tibet held in Calcutta (now Kolkata) soon after the Tibetan leader’s arrival in the country. Under the leadership of legendary socialist Jayprakash Narayan the 30-31 May 1959 convention expressed unconditional support, solidarity, and friendship to the Tibetan people.

Today His Holiness is only the spiritual head for Tibetan people as he had relinquished political power in 2011. However, the Nobel laureate continues pursuing non-violent struggles for his people and hoping for a dignified return to his seat in Lhasa. His Holiness also carries the heartbreaking memory of Tibetan people’s anti-China uprising as Beijing captured their land in 1950 and wiping out of over 6,000 Buddhist monasteries, temples, shrines along with mass killings.

Now, the octogenarian Buddhist monk, widely known for his preaching of love, compassion, and peace, no longer demands a free Tibet out of China. In a recent interaction with this author in Dharamshala, the grand spiritual leader commented that he now does not mind seeing Tibet under the Chinese territory.

“But Tibetans must get the constitutional rights to safeguard and practice their language, tradition, and culture. Beijing administration should go for constitutional amendments for providing genuine autonomy to the Tibetan people,” commented the Dalai Lama with firmness in his face.

Need not to mention that the Beijing administration, which assumes the spiritual leader as a separatist agitator, had already rejected the demand for genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people as the Communist rulers perceived it another form of independent Tibet. They argued that Tibet cannot be allowed to have independent executive, legislative and judicial entities for the sack of high-level autonomy.

The 6th All India Tibet Support Groups’ Conference held on June 15-16 in the CTA headquarters accomplished the Dalai Lama as a holy ambassador of Indian culture enriched with non-violence, compassion and religious harmony to the world. And because of his immense contributions in creating goodwill for India in the last six decades, the Indian supporters proposed for the country’s highest civilian honour ‘Bharat Ratna’ to His Holiness.

A diligent crusader for non-violence, peace, and harmony in today’s world, the Dalai Lama was born in 1935 at Taktser of China. Initially named as Lhamo Thondup, a peasant family son was proclaimed as the 14th Dalai Lama in his early ages. His name was changed to Tenzin Gyatso and soon spiritual education began for him. A firm believer in Gandhian philosophy of non-violence, Dalai Lama has authored over 50 books on different issues.

“We have honoured non-Indian laureates like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa (naturalised citizen) with Bharat Ratna. So there would be no wrong if New Delhi listens to numerous voices of India and decides to recognize the Dalai Lama as a jewel (Ratna) of Bharat as he has already received over hundreds of international awards,” added Khrimey.

The Dharamshala declaration, read out in front of over 200 delegates from 21 provinces of India, also called upon New Delhi to prevail over the People’s Republic of China in Beijing for a constructive negotiation with the representatives of CTA for a sustainable solution to Tibet issues. It also appealed to the international community to support the CTA in its relentless quest for dignity, justice, and peace to millions of Tibetans (inside and outside Tibet).

The declaration strongly condemned the Chinese government for its systemic violations of human rights under illegal occupation over Tibet that results in an increasing number of self-immolations by freedom endorsing hapless Tibetans. Additionally, it expressed concern over the militarisation of the Tibetan region that threatens the peace across Indian sub-continent and insisted on complete freedom of language and culture pursued by the Tibetans.

Various speakers in the meeting also expressed grave concern over unrelenting exploitations of natural resources inside Tibet which are termed as the third pole (after north and south pole) having a huge source of fresh water outside Arctic and Antarctic. They apprehended that the disturbances over Tibetan plateau might cause severe ecological implications to various neighbouring countries like India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, etc. Dr. Anand Kumar of India Tibet Friendship Society, Indresh Kumar of Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch, Ajai Singh of India Tibet Friendship Association, Dr. Abanti Bhattacharya from Delhi University, Prof Ramu Manivannam from Madras University, etc. were unanimous in their views discordant India’s border with China was once used to be a friendly boundary with Tibet. They also termed Beijing’s political and military advances as a threat to India’s national security.

Delivering his keynote address, CTA President Dr. Sangay reiterated his gratitude to India and its people for generous support to the Tibetan authority saying that no other country has done (or could do) more than India and none could be more helpful for Tibet than the generous people of India. He proclaimed that the regenerate Tibetan language and culture would continue portraying the ancient Indian wisdom to the world for years to come.

Tibetans are expected to get back their dues sooner or later, but popular urges surfaced among Indians that the Dalai Lama should get the opportunity to return to his seat in Potala with dignity and prides during his lifetime. Moreover, the north-eastern people would prefer His Holiness to take return journey to Lhasa through the same route through the Arunachal border as he had chosen sixty years back. The author is a journalist and political commentator based in northeast India.

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.