Crimes against women: A disturbing kind of violence is on the rise

Gang rapes, hackings and disrespecting the dignity of the dead were not what the people of this country were known for

The incidents of the last few days have shaken the country’s sensitive people to the core. Out of habit, we can choose to blame the rulers for this. But this will be running away from reality. The primary responsibility of preventing such incidents also rests with our society.

The first incident is from Pataudi in Haryana. A woman and her grieving daughter were returning from a hospital with the body of her deceased husband. On the way home two tyres of the ambulance got punctured. As soon as the vehicle stopped, goons emerged from the fields nearby. On gunpoint, they demanded that the mother and the daughter part with all their money and jewellery. The mother and her daughter kept pleading with them to let them go, but the goons didn’t relent. The police’s preliminary probe revealed that the goons themselves had littered the road with iron nails to puncture the tyres of vehicles passing through that deserted stretch.

This is a country where people used to stop in their tracks when they saw a funeral procession. Leave aside crossing the path of the procession, they began praying for the departed souls and their loved ones. I’ve seen a number of friends do this in my childhood. These included Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Today, if those who rob people taking their loved ones on their final journey call themselves Indians, we should feel like getting angry with ourselves rather than take umbrage over their misdemeanours.

Similarly, a video that recently went viral compelled me to gnash my teeth in anger. A few louts had surrounded two young women in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district. One of them was filming them and the others were harassing the girls. Didn’t they have mothers and sisters at home, the agonised girls were asking these louts. We had witnessed such scenes only in Bollywood movies, but it was real and scary. Ironically, a campaign was launched on social media saying that all the perpetrators belonged to a particular religion. Since when did criminals become religious? Did they also conduct a caste and religion postmortem of those convicted for the December 16 gang rape in Delhi?

A day before the video went viral, the news about the Jevar incident near Greater Noida was making newspaper headlines. Even that is heart-rending. A few people from Jevar were compelled to venture out late at night since they were tending to a lady relative who had been hospitalised. On the way, goons robbed them and dragged the women from the family into the fields and gang raped them. A male relative who resisted was shot dead. A similar incident had taken place in Uttar Pradesh a few months ago. At that time, there were attempts to politicise the incident. Similar attempts are again being made. The truth is that in times when a father watches his daughter being raped, a daughter sees it happening with her mother with the son’s body lying next to them, only blaming governments won’t suffice. The monsters who carry out such crimes are all around us. We have to identify these monsters. The more you ignore them, the more emboldened will they get.

Here we should examine another point. At a time when there is talk about building a world-class highway, there is no attempt to ensure adequate security. Although ensuring law and order is the government’s job, why can’t those who revel in the spike in property prices after the construction of national highways come to the police’s assistance? Why do they remain helpless bystanders?

It isn’t that the malaise is limited to the Hindi heartland. You may recall that two years ago, people attacked a prison in Nagaland’s Dimapur to kill a rape accused. Similarly, S Swathi, a Chennai-based technocrat, was hacked to death in a public place. Clearly, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Kamakhya to Dwarka, there is a rise in such shameful acts of violence.

If we look at it, since Independence, we have discarded the model of village security. We may want to revisit our administrative history and social values. During the British Raj, a watchman was enough to keep all mischief at bay. Today we have home guards and watchmen apart from the police, along with the Department of Civil Defence. But these are misused to further selfish agendas and political gains.

I would urge those shedding tears on social media or at street-side tea stalls to discard their hollow, outspoken ways and roll up their sleeves, because the victims of such unfortunate incidents are people like us.

Shashi Shekhar is editor-in-chief Hindustan

Source: Hindustan Times, 4-06-2017

Fetch Your Breath Up

SENSEI SANDEEP DESAI





Men of wisdom fetch their breath up from deep inside and below while others breathe with their voice box alone.Great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela often relied on mind-cleansing meditation combined with deep breathing to restore their flagging energy and create inner peace whenever stress built up in their lives.Normally , we tend to breathe with just the top half of our lungs, leaving the bottom half unused and full of stale, impure air, preventing the fullest absorption of oxygen. The stale air resulting from the poor use of lung capacity virtually affects every organ in the body . We take tens of thousands of breaths per day; yet, it is quite possible that we may spend our whole lifetime without ever pondering about whether we can improve the quality of breathing. Considering our breathing becomes more and more shallow and ineffective from birth onwards, this is a matter of utmost concern.
Those engaged in teaching disciplines such as singing, playing a wind instrument, athletics, yoga and martial arts are required first to become attuned with their breathing to mark growth in their chosen fields. In order to record progress in any type of spiritual discipline, it is immensely important that all parts of the body receive sufficient oxygen, especially the brain. The natural motions resulting from deep breathing help to open up the chakras through which chi -alternatively called prana or ki -enters the body .

India to Ratify 2 ILO Conventions on Child Labour

The conventions set minimum age for work and specify action to end worst forms of child labour

The labour ministry is likely to soon ratify two key international conventions on child labour, marking an important step towards total eradication of child labour from the country. The move follows amendment to the Child Labour Act, which now completely prohibits children below 14 years of age from any kind of work.A senior labour ministry official told ET that the ministry will shortly take up the pending child labour related conventions to the International Labour Organization (ILO) for ratification after getting it approved at the upcoming 48th Indian Labour Conference.
“The ratification of conventions 138 and 182 will make it legally binding to comply with the provisions of the conventions,“ the official said, requesting not to be identified.
According to the 2001 census, there were 12.6 million child workers between the ages of five and 14 in India. In 2011, this number fell to 4.35 million. The National Sample Survey Office's survey of 2009-10 put the number at 4.98 million.
The Union cabinet has already approved ratification of the two conventions to address concerns related to child labour. While Convention No. 138 sets minimum age for admission to employment, the Worst Form of Child Labour Convention (No. 182) concerns prohibition and stipulates immediate action for elimination of the worst form of child labour.
So far, Convention 138 has been ratified by 169 countries and Convention 182 has been ratified by 180 countries. Hence, by ratifying these two core conventions, India will join majority of the countries that have adopted the legislation to prohibit and place severe restrictions on the employment and work of children.
India has so far ratified 45 conventions of the ILO, of which 42 are in force. Out of these four are fundamental or core conventions. Complete elimination of all forms of child labour is also crucial for the attainment of United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The government has taken up a multi-pronged strategy, including both stringent legislative and project-based approach, to address the concerns related to child labour.
The amendment to the Child Labour Act proposes complete prohibition of employment of children up to the age of 14 years while banning employment of children between 15-18 years in hazardous works, in sync with the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
Besides, the amended law provides for a fine of `60,000 to an employer who hires children below the age of 14 years or an imprisonment of up to two years. Even the parents are liable to be fined `5,000 and imprisonment of six months to one year if they force children below 14 years into labour for the second time after they are rescued.

Source: Economic Times, 5-06-20167

HCL Foundation awards education scholarships worth Rs. 15 Lakh

New Delhi: HCL Foundation, the CSR wing of HCL Technologies, awarded scholarships to 25 talented scholars in NCR this Saturday at the My Scholar Kick Off Meet organized at the HCL Campus in Sector 126. A total of Rs.15 lakh was awarded as scholarship amount. The event was attended by representative from HCL Foundation, parents and family members of the scholars and the 25 HCL employees who have taken up the challenging task of mentoring these scholars to achieve their dreams.
Mr. Raj Vikram Singh, SDM, HCL Infra was the Special Guest for the event and handed out the scholarship cheques to the scholars.
HCL Foundation’s My Scholar Program under the Power of One initiative is an inclusive step towards ensuring sustainable career development for students from weaker economic backgrounds. At present, the program reaches out to 77 such young and talented scholars pan India who have been shortlisted after a rigorous screening process. These children are currently enrolled in class 10 or above and are all high achievers in their respective fields of study. While some aspire to become future engineers, doctors, chefs and entrepreneurs, some wish to serve the nation by becoming academicians, air force pilots and administrators.
“The financial component of the scholarship is completely supported by HCL Foundation through the Power of One contribution under which almost 40,000 employees of HCL contribute Re. 1 daily from their payroll towards social causes. Besides the financial support, the scholarship also has a mentoring component under which every scholar has been matched with an HCL employee who will mentor these scholars.” added Simi Suri, Lead Operations, HCL Foundation India. The scholars and mentors have been matched on the basis of their skills sets and areas of interest. The mentors will be a support system to the scholars and provide guidance, motivation and emotional support.
“Holding the scholarship cheque feels surreal. I am waiting to go and tell all my friends about this achievement. I also got to meet the ‘bhaiya’ who will be my mentor. He is very nice and friendly. I feel motivated to study hard and get the scholarship again next year” said Ankit, a scholarship recipient.
At the event, a session was also organized for the parents and family members of these scholars where they were oriented about the scholarship and mentoring program. The parents also got an opportunity to interact with the HCL Foundation team and clarify their doubts and concerns about the program.
“I am very happy that my child has received this scholarship. I am a single mother and I work very hard to support my daughter’s education. She wants to become a banker and I don’t have the knowledge and resources to guide her. I am very grateful to HCL for the scholarship and the mentoring support that they will provide her. I am sure she will work hard and achieve her dreams” said Lata Saini, a scholar’s mother. Another parent added, “I thank all the HCL employees who have contributed towards this scholarship and I am happy that they will also help my child in setting goals and getting details about different academic programs that would help him become a successful engineer
The mentoring process will be guided by HCL Foundation in collaboration with Sattva who will provide career guidance support and conduct intense life skill sessions for the scholars. Regular mentorship workshops will also be organized for the employees who will mentor these scholars.
Next year, the My Scholar Program will reach out to 150 scholars through HCL scholarships and connect another 200 scholars with Government Scholarships.

Source: Indiaeducationdiary, 1-06-2017

What is 'debt monetisation' in Economics?

A term that refers to the purchase of government bonds by the central bank to finance the spending needs of the government. Since the central bank creates fresh money to purchase these bonds in the open market, debt monetisation leads to an increase in total money supply. This, in turn, can lead to higher prices in the economy, which the central bank can counter by selling the bonds that it owns out in the open market. Such bond sales help in sucking excess money out of the economy, thus helping in the control of rising prices.

UPSC 2016 results declared: Have realised my dream, says topper Nandini KR

Nandini KR of Karnataka’s Kolar who topped the Union Public Service Commission’s civil services examination for 2016, is a civil engineering graduate from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore.

Nandini KR of Karnataka’s Kolar who topped the Union Public Service Commission’s civil services examination for 2016, is a civil engineering graduate from MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore.

“This is a very happy moment for me, I have realised my dream,” Nandini told news agency ANI.

In her last attempt, she had made the grade for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

“It is like a dream come true. I always wanted to be an IAS officer,” she told PTI from the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics in Faridabad, where she is undergoing probation.

“I put in a lot of effort. After getting selected in the IRS in 2014, I had taken the exam again in 2015 but could not crack it. I took the test again and topped it. It is a wonderful experience,” she said.Nandini is from the Other Backward Class (OBC) category. In the 2015, Delhi girl and scheduled castes category candidate Tina Dabi had topped the exam.

The government in a statement said Nandini had qualified with Kannada literature as her optional subject.

Nandini is currently undergoing training at the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics in Faridabad.

Anmol Sher Singh Bedi bagged the 2nd position and following him on the list are Gopalkrishna Ronanki, Saumya Pandey, Abhilash Mishra and Kothamasu Dinesh Kumar.

Kashmir’s Bilal Mohiuddin Bhat secured 10th position in the exam. In his last attempt he was selected for the Indian Forest Service.

“Words can hardly describe my feelings. I feel on top of the world today. I believed in this quote -- Try, try, try again. I have been trying from 2010,” Bhat told PTI.

This was his last chance to get into the civil services as he would have crossed the cut-off age of 32 years in November. Bhat, who is from Handwara in the Valley, completed his schooling and college from Srinagar before studying veterinary sciences in Jammu.

The UPSC has recommended a total of 1,099 candidates for appointment to civil services.

As many as 180 successful candidates will be appointed in the IAS, 45 in the IFS, 150 in the IPS and 834 in other central group A and B services.

Source: Hindustan Times, 1-06-2017

World Bank report concludes Modi’s demonetisation had more pluses than minuses

If India’s economy is substantially whitened, demonetisation will be remembered as the act that began the process

Shock therapy can work, even in India, but not without leaving some burn marks. The World Bank’s latest India Development Update attempts to make another assessment of the impact of the Narendra Modi government’s demonetisation experiment. It does not shy away from saying that demonetisation caused considerable distress among informal sector workers in general. But its general conclusion is that ‘notebandi’ had many more pluses than minuses and its negative fallout was limited. Part of the reason for this, however, was simple luck: A normal monsoon helped cushion the rural economy.

The report interestingly looks at the velocity of M1 money supply, a way to measure the number of transactions in cash, bank accounts and normal places people keep their money. The velocity fell from 5.7 to 5.6 between the last quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017. This would be expected but the fall was remarkably small, indicating that a national inclination for jugaad found ways around the lack of physical banknotes. The bank predicts a sharp rebound in velocity in the coming quarters.

The report repeats what other studies have shown, that India’s GDP growth rate dipped but only marginally during the demonetisation period. It estimates GDP growth rate was at 7.3% in the first half of the fiscal year and dropped a mere one-third of one percentage point in the second half. However, like everyone else who has come out with such a figure, the bank admits it has no clear means to calculate the impact on the informal sector. But certain parts of the formal economy proved quite resilient: Air travel by the urban middle class was wholly untouched by ‘notebandi’.

There are clues to the degree of turmoil in the informal sector. Demand for jobs in the formal sector by February, for example, matched the entire demand of 2016. This is a clear sign of how many jobs were lost during demonetisation. However, this also underlines a key advantage of demonetisation, at least if it is merged with a widespread digitisation of financial transactions: It is helping push India out of the shadow of its black economy.

Formalisation of the economy has numerous gains: It means better wages and conditions for workers, greater revenue for government, less corruption and more transparency, and higher productivity and investment levels overall. There are many who speak in favour of the informal sector. But the poor man’s economy has a crucial flaw. Because of its static productivity and technology levels it keeps its inhabitants in poverty. If India’s economy is substantially whitened, demonetisation will be remembered as the act that began the process.

Source: Hindustan Times, 1-06-2017