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Clicking Selfie an increasing modern social phenomenon

July 9, 2019

The selfie has become a huge part of modern life. It has transformed the simple self-portrait into something more immediate and has grown in cultural importance – it’s been linked to identity, self-exploration, and narcissism. Millions of people across the world every day hold up their cameras to snap selfies to share with their friends. The number of people who die each year taking a selfie is on the rise.

Psychiatrists say that there is a rise in the number of selfie cases. Doctors have also been warning that taking too many selfies could result in “Selfies,” which they describe as a mental disorder. Recently, the American Psychiatric Association actually confirmed that taking selfies is a mental disorder, going as far as to term the condition “selfies”. The APA has defines it as: “the obsessive-compulsive desire to take photos of one’s self and post them on social media as a way to make up for the lack of self-esteem and to fill a gap in intimacy.” Selfies are of two types – group and individual. The individual selfie-addiction is a matter of concern. Alarmed by the trend, Mumbai has already declared 16 no-selfie zones across the city and the authorities warn people against taking unnecessary snaps. The Mumbai police have also declared selfies off-limits in areas perceived as risky — particularly along the coastline in spots with no railings or barrier risk.

Clicking selfie is a magnified way of seeing oneself in the mirror. Today teenagers are more concerned about how they look and how others perceive them. Generally, individual selfie-clickers are seeking identity and meaning in the world. Despite clear signs denoting the selfie-free zones in most of the risky points in metros, people still continue clicking away, and often going to the edges or standing on ledges to get the most thrilling shots. One must remember that live your own life – don’t live before the eyes of others.

The most likely cause of death was falling from a great height, with people going to extreme lengths to take a selfie on cliffs or the top of buildings to impress followers on social media. In India, there are more selfie deaths related to trains. Height-related selfie deaths were the most common, closely followed by both water-related and a combination height/water-related incidents. The lesson to be learned here is quite obviously to avoid taking selfies on the edge of sea cliffs if you want to stay alive.

While it is usually a lot of fun, it can feed a young person’s obsession with their self-image. Selfies may also lead us to reveal more about ourselves than we intended. People often take selfies to show off certain activities or places, but rarely consider how much personal information they are sharing, and who they are sharing it with. Some mental health professionals believe that taking selfies can become an obsession, especially for people who suffer from body image disorders. Sometimes people try to tweak their looks by downloading mobile applications for getting the perfect selfie result.

People suffering from selfie-mania could also consider taking pictures of their work achievements rather than just focusing on their physical appearance. Taking selfies is a lot of fun. However, it is important to not obsess over appearances. This can lead to overlooking other things that really matter. By taking selfies, some people are only looking for the attention and the approval of others. It’s really important to remind young people that comparing themselves to others on social media are unhelpful, as they’re comparing themselves to something impossible and unattainable – nobody looks fantastic all the time and everyone has bad days.

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

Now, Aadhaar card is voluntary Identity Proof

Web Team

July 9, 2019

Parliament on Monday passed an amendment bill. Thus, Aadhaar card has become voluntary Identity Proof. It means that people can use Aadhaar as voluntary proof of identity to open bank accounts and get a mobile phone connection. Recently, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has allowed applicants to use Aadhaar to file Income Tax return.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, by a voice vote. It was already passed by Lok Sabha on July 4. The Bill also provides for Rs 1 crore penalty and a jail term for private entities violating provisions on Aadhaar data. The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on June 24. After approval of the parliament to this bill, Aadhaar is not mandatory to open bank accounts and get new mobile connections now. The amendments provide for use of Aadhaar number for KYC authentication on voluntary basis under the Telegraph Act, 1885, and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Additionally, the Bill also seeks to give a child an option to exit from the biometric ID programme on attaining 18 years of age.

It is worth mentioning that earlier, the government had made Aadhaar mandatory for opening bank accounts, getting a mobile phone connection and for many government services. But last year, the Supreme Court in its historic verdict ordered that Aadhaar number will not be required for obtaining SIM cards and opening bank accounts. However, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and said that it empowers the marginalised sections of the society. After the decision of the Supreme Court, the government was bound to amend the Aadhaar Act.

The move is aimed at making Aadhaar people-friendly. It also paves the way for use of alternative virtual identity number to conceal actual Aadhaar number of an individual. The bill also proposes deletion of section 57 of the Aadhaar Act relating to use of the biometric identifier by private entities. It will also prevent denial of services for refusing to or being unable to, undergo authentication. Besides this, the proposed amendments provide for the establishment of the Unique Identification Authority of India Fund and confer enhanced regulator-like power on the UIDAI.

Supreme Court’s verdict on Aadhaar

On 26 September, 2018, a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justices A K Sikri, AM Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan passed the landmark verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and said that it empowers the marginalised sections of the society. However, the ruling came with certain caveats with the top court mandating that the 12-digit Aadhaar number will not be required for obtaining SIM cards and opening bank accounts. The apex court also said that Aadhaar will not be mandatory for school admissions, UGC, NEET and CBSE examinations. But the linkage of Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards with Aadhaar remains compulsory.

The need to link your bank account with your Aaadhar number has been done away with. The Supreme Court struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act. Hence private companies can no longer ask for a consumer’s Aadhaar details. Similarly, users no longer need to produce their Aadhaar number for procuring SIM cards.

According to the Supreme Court verdict, the 12-digit unique identification number need not be produced at the time of school admissions or enrollment in exams of NEET, CBSE and UGC. PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number issued to assessees by the Income Tax Department and is mandatory for filing income tax returns. The court also asserted that Aadhaar card will not be provided to illegal migrants. The Supreme Court asked the central government to introduce a strong data protection law as soon as possible.

The judgement was passed with a 4:1 majority with Justice D Y Chandrachud’s having a dissenting view. He stated that Aadhaar may possibly lead to profiling of voters. Justice AK Sikri read out the verdict and stated that Aadhaar empowers the marginalised section of the society and gives them an identity. He said, “Aadhaar is also different from other ID proofs as it can’t be duplicated. It is better to be unique than being the best and Aadhaar is unique.”

The Court further said that minimal demographic and biometric data of citizens are collected by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for Aadhaar enrolment and the Aadhaar number given to a person is unique and can’t be provided to any other person. The bench had reserved the judgement in the matter on May 10, 2018 after a long-standing hearing that went on for nearly 38 days, spanning over four months.

It is remarkable that the challenges against Aadhaar had started even before the law came into existence in 2016. At least 31 petitions, including one by former High Court judge KS Puttaswamy, had been filed in the matter. During the course of the hearing the Supreme Court, on March 13, 2018 had indefinitely extended the deadline for linking Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile phone numbers.

The counsel for the petitioners, Shyam Divan, had raised concerns over the ‘integrity of the process, integrity of the information and pervasive violation of fundamental rights. He had told the Supreme Court that Aadhaar may cause the death of citizens’ civil rights. While the government and the UIDAI have defended the scheme on every instance by stating that it ensures benefits are distributed among the population in a proper manner and also deters siphoning of funds.

PAN card and Aadhaar card interchangeable for filing tax returns

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech announced on July 5 that taxpayers can now file Income Tax returns using Aadhaar Card also. The FM has made PAN card (Permanent Account Number) and Aadhaar card interchangeable for filing tax returns. She said, “More than 120 crore Indians now have Aadhaar card, therefore for ease of taxpayers I propose to make PAN and Aadhaar interchangeable and allow those who don’t have PAN to file returns by simply quoting Aadhaar number and use it wherever they require to use PAN.” People will be able to use Aadhaar cards instead of PAN cards to conduct financial transactions, for instance, mutual fund investments, buying gold, an

Focus and rework can bring Congress to life

Vaidehi Taman

July 8, 2019

Since Congress lost it badly in the Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi‘s call for accountability has impressed many of his leaders; one by one, all young and potential leaders have given their resignations. The irony is that Congress is having a dearth of a credible leader. People have lost their faith in them. In a fresh spree of resignations, senior Congress leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Milind Deora resigned from their posts. The resignations come as a blow in the middle of the Karnataka crisis and at a time when the party leadership is coping with the resignation of its President Rahul Gandhi, owning up responsibility for the Lok Sabha election debatable.

Scindia was the General Secretary in charge of western Uttar Pradesh, while Deora was heading the Mumbai Congress. Deora said that he was looking forward to playing a role at the national level to help stabilise the party. He recommended the establishment of a provisional collective leadership, comprising three senior leaders, to oversee the party’s city unit till the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which are due later this year.

Congress is suffering within and outside too. The BJP supporters have not stopped their attacks on Gandhi family and Rahul even after he resigned from his post. No one really knows why so much hatred for him. He is never been involved in corruption cases, never been involved in anything wrong. Opposition’s massive media mechanism has circulated millions of article and named him Pappu because he is the last man left in the Nehru Gandhi legacy.

Ruining Rahul Gandhi’s image is the last option BJP has. I wish Rahul Gandhi could have handled the situation more wisely and more than that, the Congress leaders need to understand the plight of the party and by standing firm by the side of their leaders. Anyways, BJP almost achieved what they wanted. Now coming back to the crises in Congress, no one knows when this ongoing resignation saga will end and some constructive decisions can be taken.

Indians are divided into two groups, one with Congress psyche and the other with the non-Congress psyche. Those with the Congress psyche do not see anything wrong in sticking with the Nehru family, sink or sail, whom they believe to be the deliverers and strength of National Congress. They adore the family and believe that as long as an heir from the family is present, there is no reason to indulge in politicking for the highest post. The rest will be content with other responsible posts in states and centre.

It is not just Rahul’s credentials that are important, the party can support him with capable leaders as supporters till he gains better experience and becomes better than them. They don’t question ‘Why Rahul? Well! Still understanding the sentiments of larger people, Rahul has decided to step down; Congress leaders should make the best use of the opportunity and bring the party to some elevation.

Unfortunately, they are not able to demonstrate their capability to come up with leaders who can be acceptable to entire India so far with possible exceptions of Vajpayee and to some extent Narendra Modi. Minus Modi, BJP may not be able to come up with another name for the 2019 elections. It is stuck up with Modi. TDP is stuck up with Naidu. TRS is stuck up with KCR. BSP is stuck up with Mayawati. SP is stuck up with father and son Yadavs. AAP is stuck up with Kejriwal. Trinamool is stuck up with Mamata. Almost every Indian political party is stuck with one person and one individual. There is no substitute in projection or authority or name or representation.

Like Gandhi’s and Nehru’s, each party is going to go in docks once their prominent faces go back seat. After Atal Ji’s retirement from politics, BJP took 20 years to come back to power. They had to create anger against Congress by various means. The unrest was created in India against UPA-2. The forces like Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, Ravi Shankar and all came on the roads to attack INC and family, because of all this background work; Modi was projected as the ‘Vikas Purush’ and Gujarat model.

The campaign was launched when people were looking for an option, a choice. Modi’s staunch Hindutva agenda, the Gujarat model, and social media campaigning made him a model and brand. With huge efforts and resources, BJP won with successful margin but BJP too have the same question, who if not Modi?

Without Modi, BJP has no parallel power, just like Congress without Gandhi. It’s BJP’s second term and people have already reached to saturation; once they too are done serving for long, the voters will search for a new option and changes.

If you remember, since independence, this is the fourth time that BJP-NDA has come to power and Congress-UPA has ruled the Indian politics most of the time. The regional parties have their own strength and weaknesses and they get an alternate chance to power. In spite of Modi being the Prime Minister, many states are ruled by Congress.

The time has come and political equations need to be set with some substitutes in minds. Congress has good young leaders and Rahul Gandhi has really matured with time, but he and his party must focus and rework. Eliminating Congress in India won’t be as easy as Modi and BJP declare it. India has only two national parties and if not one, the other gets to power. Let’s see how Congress is going to deal this stressful time and how BJP bakes their bread on disputes in opposition.

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

Unsafe Mumbai: Steep rise in rape cases

Suraj Chandran

July 8, 2019

The shocking rape incident of a 12-year-old girl by an 18-year-old boy last week at Diamond 1 building Royal palms, Goregaon, raises serious questions about the safety of women in Mumbai. After committing the rape, the accused had thrown the victim from 12th floor of the building which is just about 500 metres from singer and anchor Vanndana Vaadera‘s residence. Vanndana’s house help’s employer had seen the boy throwing the victim’s body. The boy was apprehended by the police. Vaadera said that since it is Mumbai, such news get suppressed. If the incident had occurred in Delhi, it would have hit headlines in the media.

Social activist Abhijeet Rane said, “Parents of both girl and boy are to be blamed for this incident. They must monitor their activities. Parent’s responsibility increases as they should be aware about whom their children are meeting and how many times.”

“Parents must provide counseling to their children. Allegations were made against the boy for pushing the girl from the 12th floor. Since the boy and girl were good friends, their friendship turned into love. Even the boy was young and immature. This incident could have been averted if both the children’s parents had given proper attention to their wards,” he added.

The watchman of the society was heard saying “Woh ladki hi aisi thi (The girl was like that)” and blamed the girl for the incident. If a 12-year old girl is seen speaking with boy then she is considered as a loose character. Vanndana said that if such is the scenario then she would have been considered as the worst character amongst all women/girls/ and ladies as 90 per cent of her friends are male. She expressed concern about such crimes occurring in posh localities of Mumbai but no media coverage is being given.

Anjali Sinha, a Mumbai resident told the newspaper, “While Delhi is in news everyday with instances of crime against women and children, we felt Mumbai is one safe city for girls. However, the spine-chilling incidents are a reality-check and the government must take a strong step against the accused. The financial capital should not become another national capital where every girl will be frightened to step out of her house alone.”

Crimes against women have already seen an enormous increase in the city in five financial years starting 2013-2014, according to a white paper released by non-profit organisation Praja. Cases of rape increased by 83 per cent and those of molestation by 95 per cent from 2013-2014 to 2017-2018, the white paper stated. The data was compiled from replies given to queries under RTI. The biggest increase in rape cases was in South Mumbai (172 per cent) while molestation cases rose the highest in North Mumbai (186 per cent) during the five years period.

The posh areas of South Mumbai which includes Worli, Byculla, Colaba and Malabar Hill saw the biggest rise in rape cases (172 per cent) from 2013-2014 to 2017-18. Whereas North Mumbai comprising Dahisar, Borivali and Malad (W) witnessed the biggest increase in cases of molestation (186 per cent) during the same period. Cases of child sexual abuse under the POCSO Act rose by 19 per cent between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Advocate Majeed Memon stated, “Rape incidents are increasing in Mumbai due to the ineffectiveness of police and the failure of the criminal laws. The offenders are being encouraged because the legal system is very slow. These factors are responsible for the increase in crime against women.”

Memon further added, “Registered cases must be fast-tracked and the investigation should wind up within two to four weeks. The trial should wind up in three months.”

According to the activists, the rise in number of rape and molestation incidents could be due to the result of more women coming forward to register complaints. Mumbai police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singhe said that the increase in registration of cases showed the police were being seen as people-friendly. For addressing the rise in rape cases, Praja has recommended that gaps in sanctioned and available strengths of the police force be filled as well as the slots for permanent public prosecutors besides training and sensitisation of cops and an awareness campaign on child sexual abuse.

Congress-JD(S) coalition crisis worsens in Karnataka

Web Team

July 8, 2019

The coalition crisis of Karnataka has further worsened on Monday as Independent MLA and minister Nagesh quit his post and said that he was ready to support the BJP. After this, all Congress ministers submitted their resignation to the party chief to appease the rebel MLAs. These MLAs are in Mumbai and they refused to take back their resignations. The ruling coalition has 118 MLAs in the 224 member assembly and it faces the risk of losing its majority if the resignations are accepted.

Former CM Siddaramaiah appealed to the rebel MLAs to reconsider their decision. He said, “On behalf of the Congress party I request all those who have resigned to reconsider their decision and strengthen our government. Our ministers have voluntarily resigned to help save the government. We will try to accommodate those MLAs who have resigned and interested to be the ministers. We will reshuffle the cabinet keeping regional aspirations and social obligations in mind.”

The development came after Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy met rebel Congress MLA Ramalinga Reddy amid the ongoing crisis in the state. Total 13 Congress-JD(S) MLAs have resigned from their post. This situation is being seen as warning for the 13-month-old alliance government.

In the meantime, one BSP MLA N Mahesh has also threatened to join the league of MLAs, who have tendered their resignation demanding ministerial berths. N Mahesh said that he is willing to offer issue-based support to BJP.

On the other hand, a day after the resignation of MLAs, leaders of both the Congress-JDS held day-long discussions about the next course of action to save the government. Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara has called a meeting of Congress ministers over breakfast to stabilise the government. He said no leadership change was discussed yet but talks were on with disgruntled MLAs to tell them about priorities.

Meanwhile, CM HD Kumaraswamy returned from the USA on Sunday. He participated in a series of meetings with coalition leaders. There were reports of a change of guard as an option to save the government by making veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge the Chief Minister. But Kharge ruled it out. He termed it false and flimsy news and it was being spread through the media just to divide the party.

BJP state unit chief BS Yeddyurappa said that the party was watching the developments and that they were not sanyasis to rule out the possibility of forming the government. Ruling out the possibility of any mid-term polls, he said that it has been just 13 months after the assembly election. We will not allow election to happen. He said, “Let the Congress-JDS give good administration. If they can’t, we are there with strength of 105 MLAs…we will not meet the Governor or go to Delhi for now. We are watching the developments.”

Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP had been trying to destabilise since last one year and this is their sixth attempt. They will surely fail again and will have to face the wrath of the public. They are unable to digest the fact that our coalition govt is trying to ensure social justice & regional balance.

“BJP is misusing the central govt and its agencies to threaten our MLAs. It is not just by BJP Karnataka leaders but also by dictators Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. They are nothing but the traitors of this vibrant country,” the former Karnataka CM says.

Blaming BJP for the resignations of Congress-JD(S) MLAs, Siddaramaiah said, “BJP had not got any mandate from the people even if percentage of votes are considered. Independents and BSP MLAs had supported our coalition govt. We have numbers to prove majority but BJP Karnataka is continuously trying to topple our govt.”

Denying the allegations of the Congress, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We are committed to maintaining dignity of parliamentary democracy. Trend of submitting resignations was started by Rahul Gandhi in Congress,it wasn’t started by us. He himself asked people to submit resignations,even senior leaders are submitting their resignations. Defence Minister said in the Lok Sabha, “Our party has nothing to do with what is happening in Karnataka. Our party has never indulged in horse trading.”

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised the issue in Parliament accusing the BJP of orchestrating the political crisis in the state. Addressing the media over the current crisis in the state, K C Venugopal said, “We do agree a situation has arised. Some have grievances, of course. In a democracy, we cannot accommodate everyone. Yesterday and today we had detailed discussion. Today we met all ministers. The ministers themselves voluntarily resigned and entrusted party to reshuffle.”

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan expressed confidence that the at least 6-7 of the 10 MLAs camping in Mumbai are going to come back. All Congress ministers have tendered their resignations in view of the crisis that has shaken the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in the state. The resignations come as an attempt to salvage the situation and accommodate the rebel MLAs within the cabinet.

BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje demanded the resignation of the chief minister. She said outside BS Yeddyurappa’s residence in Bengaluru that Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy should resign immediately. He has lost the majority. Congress MLAs have already resigned. He should make way for another govt. She said, “We welcome Independent MLA Nagesh (who resigned as minister). We will accept anybody into our party who is from non-political dispensation. We’re not in touch with any rebels of the Congress and JD(S), as long as they are with their parties.”

A disciplined, growth-oriented budget

Web Team

July 8, 2019

This is the second budget of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the first of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She is the first woman Finance Minister who has presented the budget. Indira Gandhi had presented the budget in 1970, but at that time, she was in charge of the Prime Minister.

Becoming a $5 trillion economy

In the budget speech, the Finance Minister said that India could achieve the goal of making a $5 trillion economy. For this, the infrastructure needs to be strengthened. According to the speed at which the Indian economy is moving forward, the Indian economy may be $3 trillion economies in the current financial year. According to the Finance Minister, five years ago, the size of the Indian economy was $1,850 billion, which has now increased to $2,700 billion. In the budget speech, Sitharaman stressed on controlling the fiscal deficit, accelerating economic growth, and employment generation.

Efforts to strengthen the economy

It is worth mentioning that in the Economic Survey released on July 4, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase in 2019. According to Sitharaman, India can become the fifth largest economy in the world by leaving behind the UK in the current financial year. In spite of the decline in FDI in the world during the last three years, FDI in India has increased by 6 per cent in the fiscal year 2018-19. Recently, there has been an increase in direct tax. It has increased from Rs 6.8 lakh crore to Rs 11.37 lakh crore. It is believed that the ongoing reform process in the country is expected to further accelerate the investment. At present, the insurance sector is facing a shortage of heavy capital. Therefore, the matter of allowing 100 per cent FDI in insurance intermediary area has been stated in the budget.

To reinforce the infrastructure

In order to reinforce the infrastructure, the Modi government has set a target of constructing 210 km Metro line in the year 2019. To make the environment clean, the government will encourage the construction of electric vehicles. In the second phase of Bharatmala, the state government will be helped to lay the road network in states. The aim of the government is to bridge the gap between the rural and urban areas by implementing a scheme like Sagarmala. In the budget speech, the Finance Minister also said that cargo service will be started from Varanasi to Haldia by 2020 on River Ganges.

Welfare initiatives

To overcome the problem of water and LPG, the Finance Minister has announced the formation of a national grid. The goal of the government is to implement “every house tap, every house water” scheme by 2024. Through this scheme, every household is aimed for water, because still a large population in the country is deprived of drinking clean water.

In order to strengthen the lower class of the society financially, the government will further strengthen the process of lending to the businessmen in 59 minutes, so that small businessmen can become economically self-sufficient. Currently, retail businessmen are undergoing mental vulnerabilities. Often their business gets derailed. Therefore, the government wants them to provide pension facilities. Therefore, Prime Minister Karmayogi Mandhan Pension Benefit Scheme will be launched for the three crore retailers who have done business worth less than Rs 1.5 crore. The process of providing accommodation to all will also be expedited and it will be provided to all eligible beneficiaries by the year 2022.

Proposal to provide electricity to all

Proposal for providing affordable power to all the states through a country level grid is placed in the budget. Under this, every state can get 24 hours power at a reasonable cost. The proposal to rationalize the electricity tariff has also been kept in the budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the budget speech that by 2022, electricity, cooking gas, and the house will be provided to all.

To support the rural economy

Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 1.25 lakh kms of the road will be upgraded to the cost of Rs 80,250 crores. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Yojana scheme, there is a target to build 1.95 crore houses. In addition, LPG, toilets, and electricity will be provided to all. This budget has also been arranged for women’s upliftment. For making women self-reliant, they will be given a loan of Rs 1 lakh under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana. The Government will encourage mass awareness campaign to promote startup, under which special TV programs will be started.

Improvement in education

With the efforts of the government, three high educational institutes in the country have come under 200 major institutions of the world. In order to increase the quality of education in India, the specific amount has been allotted for research in the budget, which is three times more than the previous year’s budget. Rs 400 crores will be given to the higher education institutions to provide quality education to all. The government will come out with a new education policy to make education better and meaningful. Under the Prime Minister Rural Digital Literacy Campaign, every Panchayat has been targeted to provide Internet facility to local bodies. This work will be expedited under the Universal Service Obligation Fund.

Tax provision

Now, those who earn Rs 2-3 crores will have to pay 3 per cent additional tax, while those earning more than Rs 5 crore are at 4 per cent. There is no change in tax structure for those earning up to Rs 2 crore. The bank will have to give 2 per cent TDS for withdrawal of cash beyond Rs 1 crore in a year.

Relief to the common people

For up to Rs 45 lakhs loans which will run 15 years will be entitled to exemption in tax up to Rs 3.5 lakhs in context of housing loan interest. In order to encourage the defaulters to return the loan, will be given a rebate of tax of up to Rs 1.5 lakh to honest borrowers.

Arrangement of Capital

The government will focus on the disinvestment of government companies to raise capital. The target is of raising more than Rs 1 lakh crore through disinvestment in the current financial year. By the help of strict measures, the pace of recovery has accelerated. Non-performing assets (NPAs) decreased by Rs 1 lakh crore. The banks have recovered Rs 4 lakh crore in the last four years. Banks will be merged to strengthen the banking sector. In the future, only eight big government banks will be in the country.

Initiatives to strengthen railways

In order to strengthen the infrastructure in the Railways, an investment of Rs 50 lakh crore will be needed from 2018 to 2030. Railways will work on the PPP model to facilitate speedy improvement in the railway.

It can be said that the first budget of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was made keeping in mind the common people. In this budget, more tax was imposed on rich people, while the old tax structure has been kept in place to provide relief to the middle class. Taxes have also been increased on the items of use of rich people, such as cigarettes, gold, gutkha, bidi, etc.

By Satish Singh

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

Amartya Sen criticised for saying ‘Jai Sri Ram’ not associated with Bengali Culture

Web Team

July 8, 2019

Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen has hit the headlines for his comment on ‘Jai Sri Ram‘ slogan. He said that unlike ‘Maa Durga‘, the ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogan is not associated with Bengali culture and it is used as a pretext to assault people. He is being criticised for this remark. The BJP has alleged that Amartya Sen is hardly a neutral observer, since his old ties with the Congress and with Jean Dreze, who was involved with UPA’s policymaking by being a founding member of the NAC, are well-documented.

While speaking at a programme in the Jadavpur University in Kolkata Amartya Sen said, “It is ‘Maa Durga’ who is omnipresent in the lives of Bengalis. Jai Sri Ram slogan is not associated with the Bengali culture. Even Ram Navami is gaining popularity nowadays and he had never heard of it before.

He further said, “I asked my four-year-old grandchild ‘who is your favourite deity?’ She replied that it is Maa Durga. Maa Durga is so much more omnipresent in our lives. What I feel is slogans like Jai Sri Ram are used as pretexts to assault people.”

Amartya Sen expressed concern over religious discrimination and said that one cannot negate the political link behind it. As per the position of the people of various religions in the Indian Constitution, there should not be any discrimination. He felt that the current perception is highly driven by caste discrimination and differentiation on religious grounds.

He said if the society reaches a position where a person is being forced to utter something and being assaulted for not abiding, everyone needs to think over the urgent needs of the hour and change the perceptions accordingly.

It is remarkable that last month, a man in Coochbehar district of West Bengal was assaulted for not uttering ‘Jai Sri Ram’. The incident of Tufanganj came to the fore after a video clip was circulated on social media. In the video, a man was being made to do sit-ups holding his ears and forced to say ‘Jai Sri Ram’. The man followed helplessly. Several cases of scuffle between Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party workers over chanting of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ have also been reported in the state.

On the other hand, Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy has criticised Amartya Sen over his remarks that the ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogan is being used nowadays to assault people across the country and is not associated with Bengali culture. He asked, “Are Ramrajatala and Serampore in West Bengal or somewhere else? Don’t we say Ram-Ram when we are scared of ghosts? He won a Nobel Prize in economics, he should stick to his subject,” Roy was quoted by a news agency as saying in Kolkata.

Ramrajatala is one of the oldest parts of the city of Howrah. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The name of the area comes from the presence of a temple dedicated to Lord Rama and three months long worship is undertaken by the people of the locality every year at the temple. This tradition of worship of Lord Rama has continued for about 3 centuries. Ayodhyaram Choudhury, the zamindar started Rama puja first time in this area. Similarly, Serampore (also called Srirampur) is a city of Hooghly district. There was a very famous ‘Ram-Seeta’ temple. So, it is wrong to say that Ram is not associated with Bengali culture. Such comment should be avoided.

Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh also hit back at Amartya Sen. He said that probably Amartya Sen does not know Bengal. Speaking at a BJP membership drive event, Dilip Ghosh countered Sen and said the Nobel laureate was unaware that people were being assaulted or even killed in the state for chanting the slogan. He said, “In Bengal, if someone says Jai Sri Ram he is being murdered. India is progressing with a new image, while Bengal is walking backwards. There is no democracy here. People do not have the right to speak their mind. Big intellectuals are seeing terror in the chant of Jai Sri Ram. They are saying people are lynched for not chanting Jai Sri Ram.” The BJP state unit president said that Sen was unaware of the ground realities in the state. He stayed abroad and he should stay there. “Jai Sri Ram is chanted in every village, now entire Bengal says it. At the same time, the BJP accused goons of the TMC of assaulting a party supporter in Nadia district allegedly for saying Jai Sri Ram.

According to the BJP, Amartya Sen is an eminent economist and should not play into the hands of a discredited and corrupt regime and become its spokesperson. He should have an independent view and recognise the immense long-term interests of India’s poor — they will be the biggest beneficiaries of a truly investment-led growth-oriented government led by an honest and decisive leader. A leader like Narendra Modi. The party asked, “Is Sen opposed to good governance and growth that the Gujarat model is synonymous with? Is he opposed to zero tolerance for corruption, empowerment over entitlement, minimum government and maximum governance, skill development, training teachers and attracting entrepreneurs?”

Meanwhile, leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress extended their support to Sen. Senior party leader Purnendu Bose said, “We stand by what Amarya Sen has said.” State Urban Development minister Firhad Hakim said that Ghosh was new to Bengal politics. He is not aware of Bengal’s culture. If tomorrow Dilip Ghosh says Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore did not know Bengal, or that Mother Teresa did not know Kolkata, will the people believe him?

Union budget was lacklustre

S. Krishna Kumar

July 8, 2019

Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden Union Budget presented on July,5 2019, was just an extension of what Piyush Goel presented in February, 2019. By and large, the budget was a lacklustre and an effortless one. Of course, as always, like any Union Budget, “The Modi Budget” focuses and thrusts more on the progress and development of farmers, rural, youth and women and, then targeting provision of water, electricity and housing for all and a huge provision too for infrastructure.

I wish not to go into complete details or at the macro level, but wish to just highlight key points which affect the common man or the middle class.

No change in IT slabs. Exemption upto Rs.5 L with a rider of applicable tax above Rs.2.50L (& above Rs.3.00 L for senior citizens ) still stays but not good.

The super rich have been heavily taxed by imposition of 3-7% levy on income above Rs.2 – Rs.5 crores. I feel they would only be tempted to evade taxes and create black money.

High value cash withdrawal (over Rs.1 crore) to be taxed @1%

Positive sign that “Startups” are to be encouraged with tax incentives and no IT scrutiny. Angel Tax norms are relaxed.

New National Education Policy for higher education to be framed. Higher education norms to be reformed. A welcome measure.

What is important is how the lives of farmers, rural population and the youth will improve for better. What are the provisions for generating jobs and employment which the government is lacking in, as of today?

E.D on fuel items has been hiked and the prices of petrol, diesel to go up by Rs.2 per litre, which will have a cascading effect on all.

By and large the ‘Modi Government‘ has set a vision for the Indian economy to become a 3 trillion dollar economy in the current year. This is good for global recognition and India to be seen as a ‘ super power’ in the making.

The PM and the FM have set a clear road map for the growth of the nation, if seen at a macro level provisions and measures to be taken.

But….what I am so annoyed at and anguish about is that the “AGRICULTURAL INCOME” has still not been brought into the income tax net. Many politicians and others under the guise of being “agriculturists /farmers” have been evading Income Tax for decades- even if they earn crores! No FM has ever dared to bring the agri-income for Income tax. In fact today one can see many rich farmers leading a lavish lifestyle (most of them political leaders and so on…) and yet not paying the income tax as they say it’s “agricultural income”! So, what is the use taxing the “super rich” when “the so called agriculturists who are super rich” evade taxes?

The government must grab and attach all the properties of corrupt people and defaulters of loans and recover all the monies due.

Let the Hon’ble Finance Minister recover all those unaccounted wealth, assets and cash from the most corrupt people; she can certainly get huge revenue to wipe off the deficit in the budget. She need not even think of imposing and taxing the common man anymore. May be she can even do away with the Income tax on the salaried. It’s now or never.

All said and done, the life and standard of the common man or the Aam Aadmi, will remain the same and certainly not improve. At least take a consolation that life is still easy and certainly not worse. So, as of now forget “Achche Dhin” but wait for “Bahut Achche Dhin!”

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

Letters to the Editor: 08 July, 2019

Web Team

July 8, 2019

Budget was poorly-planned

I expected much more from the Union Budget 2019 but it did not happen. Modi’s promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every Indian citizen should have been fulfilled. But neither he nor the Finance Minister did it. The common man is being fooled everytime and taken for a ride every year when the budget is presented in the Lok Sabha. Pension for pensioners also did not increase. The budget was poorly-planned and was not to my satisfaction. I expected much more from the budget than this.

Jubel D’Cruz

Mumbai musings on a monsoon day

Intermittent rains and high tide mark the week end mayhem of Mumbai metro. High tide caused deaths in the coastal place and it is becoming highly risky to go near the sea. People risk their lives and there is no value for human life. Mumbai is not prepared for the monsoon season till now and BMC is lagging behind. We should first form disaster management cell and it should work 24×7 to face any impending danger. We are familiar with July 26, 2005 deluge and we should make all arrangements to face any calamity in the wake of heavy monsoon rains. Despite all rain readiness, we face pain of rain as some low lying areas give away and the passerby is pull down into the flush of water and it is very difficult to recover the body also in such a ticklish situation. It is a herculean task to bring back the city normal and it is high time we keep ourselves fully equipped with rain readiness measures in operation.

Nickhil Mani

Scientific importance of ‘Shraaddha-rites’

Tomoka Mushiga, a Japanese lady did PhD at Allahabad University on ‘Shraaddha’ rites performed as per Hindu Dharma. She stayed at Gaya (Bihar) for 20 months for the same before submitting her thesis on ‘Shraaddha-karma’. It is noteworthy that through studying the subject, she has proved that ‘Shraaddha’-rites performed as per Hindu Dharma are scientific. There is lot of importance to ‘Shraaddha’ rites under Hindu Dharma; which are however, not given importance by Hindus. Many people from other countries visit places like Gaya (Bihar) and Trimbakeshwar (Nashik) etc. where such rites are usually performed and they perform ‘Shraaddha’ for post-death spiritual progress of their ancestor’s souls. Some of them do not believe in it and claim that there is no scientific base for such rites. In the present case, however, one lady has studied these rites at scientific level, submitted thesis at international level and spread, worldwide, importance of performing these rituals by proving their scientific base. People from other countries thoroughly study issues taken up by them, before taking further step. Therefore, they come to India from other countries and perform such rites. Many of them are Christians but they perform rites as per Hindu Dharma. These people must have told their friends, relatives etc. about their experiences after performing such rites at these places in India, which is worth noticing. People from other countries are performing such rites while few citizens are stuck with their doubts. They should try to study scientific importance of these rituals to know underlying science.

Shakuntala Baddi

New Andhra govt to raze government building

It refers to new Andhra government led by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy deciding to raze government-building Praja Vedika built by earlier TDP regime at public-cost of rupees ten crores, because the building was constructed illegally. Better would be not to waste public-money already spent on constructing Praja Vedika. Rather it would be more appropriate that directions would have been given to strictly enforce bylaws and rules in future on all constructions made at public-cost.

It is quite usual that politicians including ministers make costly infrastructural changes in allotted government-accommodations at public-cost because of their personal ideologies based on astrology and numerology. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his capacity as caretaker Prime Minister supersonically got changed bungalow-number from 8 to 6A at Krishna Menon Marg (New Delhi) allotted to him as post-retirement government-bungalow. Such changes based on personal ideologies must not be allowed.

Madhu Agrawal

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

Political crisis looms over Karnataka

Rajesh Choudhary

July 7, 2019

Karnataka is once again witnessing a political drama. After resignation of eight Congress and three JDS MLAs, the HD Kumaraswamy government is in deep crisis. Now, the state government is reduced to minority as it has support of only 105 MLAs. The opposition party BJP has also strength of 105 MLAs in state assembly. The rebel MLAs arrived in Mumbai and they are staying in hotel Sofitel in Bandra-Kurla Complex following their resignation. The senior leaders of both the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) are making their last efforts to save the coalition government in the state. After meeting rebel MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi in Mumbai, Congress leader Mahendra Singhi said that all is .well. Congress leader DK Shivakumar also met former PM and JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda at the latter’s residence. The Karnataka Congress has called a legislative party meeting on July

BJP Bengaluru spokesperson Dr. Vaman Acharya told Afternoon Voice, “Six months ago, we have done some efforts to form the government. Media and Siddaramaiah are repeating the same story. We have nothing to do with the current crisis of the Congress-JD(S) government. This government is not going to last long, and it will fall. Only then, we will see what to do. So, in that context, we are doing nothing on their part. However, if the government collapses and they continue to fight among themselves, we will not keep quiet.”

“We will definitely claim to form government. We are already the single largest party with 105 MLAs. After fall, defection and resignation, we will be naturally majority. So, as a majority party we will claim power, not before that. All those who have resigned were never in our contact. However, after resigning, they sought some help. Our party workers arranged hotel and other facilities in Mumbai. Five more Congress MLAs will resign on Monday. Hence, this government has to collapse,” he added.

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also claimed that the coalition government would survive. On political situation in Karnataka, he tweeted, “This clearly shows that BJP is behind all these defections. It is Operation Kamala…Everything is fine. Don’t worry. Govt will survive, there is no threat to the govt.” Siddaramaiah said, “I am in touch with 5-6 MLAs. I can’t reveal all details. Everybody is loyal to the party. It is not the question of a person being loyal to me. Everybody is expected to be loyal to the party.” Meanwhile, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy returned to Bengaluru on Sunday from his private visit to the USA.

Congress leader B Shivanna said, “Nothing will happen. All rebels are strong supporters of Siddaramaiah. He will bring them back. They are demanding to make Siddaramaiah the CM once again. It is very difficult for the BJP to form government in the state.”

It is remarkable that 11 Congress-JD(S) MLAs Mahesh Kumathalli, B C Patil, Ramesh Jarkiholi, Shivaram Hebbar, H. Vishwanath, Gopalaiah, Byrathi Basavaraj, Narayana Gowda, Munirathna, S.T. Somashekar and Pratap Gowda Patil resigned on Saturday. Political drama began in the morning with H Vishwanath, former JD(S) President, leading legislatures reached Karnataka assembly Speaker’s office in the Vidhana Soudha to submit their resignation to the secretary of the Speaker’s Office since the Speaker was not present at the moment.

Janata Dal (Secular) MLA from Mandya, M Srinivasa said, “HD Kumaraswamy government will certainly survive. All those who have resigned will come back soon. There is no threat to the coalition government in Karnataka.”

The Congress accused the BJP of horse trading and destablising the state government. On the other hand, the BJP blamed the Congress party for the current political crisis. Karnataka unit BJP chief and leader of the Opposition BS Yeddyurappa denied all allegations. Union Minister and BJP leader Pralhad Joshi tweeted, “Congress party as a whole is trying to throw out HD Kumaraswamy. It’s Congress party’s game plan to oust HD Deve Gowda and family. Siddaramaiah is responsible, also some senior Congress leaders are involved in it.”

Pratap Gowda Patil, Congress MLA, is in Mumbai right now. He said, “I’ve resigned. I’ll now join BJP and will fight elections on a BJP ticket. No one can convince me.” Ramalinga Reddy said, “I’ve given it (resignation). I didn’t want to give it as I’m with Congress for the past 46 years. For my growth party is also responsible. It’s an inevitable situation now. I’m in the Congress party even today, I’ve only resigned as an MLA.”

Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that it will be clear that how many will violate the whip in assembly on July 12. Today many MLAs are saying their work wasn’t done. He said, “Many have worked hard for the party. We will try to convince them. We don’t know how successful we will be. Wherever a non BJP govt is there BJP starts targeting them. Regional parties are being targeted. MLAs are poached.”

BJP leader G V L Narasimha Rao, said on the developments in Karnataka, “People of Karnataka are sick of this coalition. We have been noticing the developments. They finally realised that chaos had been created in the state. Not just BJP but even the people of Karnataka will heave a sigh of relief.

Both the JD(S) and the Congress have been plagued by dissension over allocation of ministerial berths and distribution of Lok Sabha seats. The cracks became deeper after the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

The JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka plunged into a crisis on Saturday, with 11 MLAs of the alliance submitting their resignation to the Speaker. Eight MLAs of the Congress and three of the JD(S) reached Speaker Ramesh Kumar’s office to put in their papers on Saturday, and later met Governor Vajubhai Vala at the Raj Bhavan. The JD(S)-Congress coalition’s total strength, including those who have put in their papers, is 118 (Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP-1 and Independents-2), besides the Speaker. Prior to this, on July 1, two Congress MLAs in Karnataka tendered their resignations. Therefore, the strength of the assembly is reduced to 211 right now. In current situation, magic number to prove majority on the floor of the assembly is 106. Both the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) combine have 105 MLAs each.

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