Wednesday, August 07, 2019
The complexities of Naga identity
The Nagaland govt. will face many hurdles in its quest to compile a list of indigenous inhabitants
The Nagaland government’s move to compile a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) opens up possibilities in the context of the decision to link the register to the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system without a consensus on the definition of an ‘indigenous inhabitant’.
One such possibility is of RIIN pushing the negotiators engaged in the ongoing Naga peace talks to articulate new and hardened positions on the contentious issue of integration of contiguous Naga-inhabited areas.
Though the official notification on RIIN has not mentioned a cut-off date to compile the proposed register, the authorities in Nagaland have till date issued indigenous inhabitant certificates using December 1, 1963 as the cut-off date. Nagaland was inaugurated as India’s 16th State on this date following the ‘16-point agreement’ between the government of India and the Naga People’s Convention on July 26, 1960.
Opposition from NSCN (I-M)
The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), which has been engaged in peace talks with the government of India since 1997, has opposed the compilation of RIIN asserting that “all Nagas, wherever they are, are indigenous in their land by virtue of their common history”.
A statement issued by the ‘Ministry of Information and Publicity’ of the self-styled Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim reads: “The present move of the State government to implement [the] Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) is contradictory to the inherent rights of the Nagas. It is politically motivated to suit the interest of the groups advocating for the ‘16-Point Agreement’. The ‘Nagaland State’ does not and will not represent the national decision of the Naga people. It was formed purely to divide the Nagas.” The self-styled government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim is the parallel government run by the NSCN(I-M).
On June 29, the Nagaland government notified that RIIN “will be the master-list of all indigenous inhabitants” of the State. All those to be included will be issued “barcoded and numbered indigenous inhabitant certificates”. It added that all existing indigenous inhabitant certificates would become invalid once the process of compiling RIIN is completed and fresh certificates issued.
RIIN is different from Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) as exclusion or inclusion in RIIN is not going to determine the Indian citizenship of anyone in Nagaland.
Three conditions
Since 1977, a person, in order to be eligible to obtain a certificate of indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland, has to fulfil either of these three conditions: a) the person settled permanently in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963; b) his or her parents or legitimate guardians were paying house tax prior to this cut-off date; and c) the applicant, or his/her parents or legitimate guardians, acquired property and a patta (land certificate) prior to this cut-off date.
The compilation of RIIN also involves the complexities of deciding claims in respect of children of non-Naga fathers as well as non-Naga children adopted by Naga parents.
If the Nagaland government goes ahead with a compilation of RIIN with this cut-off date, then all Naga people who have migrated to the State from the neighbouring States of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India after this day will have to be excluded.
The NSCN(I-M) statement adds, “Nothing is conclusive on the Naga issue, until and unless a mutually agreed honourable political solution is signed between the two entities. Therefore, any attempt to dilute the final political settlement by justifying any past accord of treasons should be seriously viewed by all Nagas.”
This clearly indicates the opposition the Nagaland government may have to face if it goes ahead with the move to compile RIIN. The Centre and the NSCN (I-M), which is the largest among all armed Naga rebel groups, signed a Framework Agreement in 2015, the content of which has still not been made public, in turn leaving room for speculation on the contentious issue of integration of all contiguous Naga-inhabited areas of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
Unless otherwise clarified through an official notification, the proposed linking of RIIN with the ILP system may require large numbers of non-indigenous inhabitants of Dimapur district, more particularly the commercial hub (Dimapur town), to obtain an ILP to carry out day-to-day activities. Most of them migrated from other States and have been carrying out trade, business and other activities for decades. Migration also explains the higher density of population in Dimapur district (409 persons per sq. km) when compared to all the other districts in the State. The ILP is a travel document issued by the government of India to allow a ‘domestic tourist’ to enter Nagaland, and is valid for 30 days.
Streamlining ILP
The Supreme Court, on July 2, dismissed a Public Interest Litigation seeking a directive against the Nagaland government’s move to implement the ILP in the entire State including Dimapur district, which had so far been kept out of the purview of the ILP system.
A report prepared by the government, in collaboration with the UNDP in 2009, gave information on migration patterns in Nagaland. Titled ‘Rural-Urban Migration: A Thematic Report’, it said that in 2001, Assam was the State with the highest number of migrants to Nagaland (19,176 people), followed by Bihar (7,249 people) and Manipur (4,569 people). A large section of people (about 45% of them in the case of Assam, 59% in the case of Bihar and 25% in the case of Manipur) had migrated for better employment and business opportunities.
While the move to streamline the ILP system to curb the influx of “illegal migration” to Nagaland has been welcomed by civil society, public opinion is still divided on compiling RIIN without a consensus on the cut-off date.
As the Nagaland government has begun a consultation process on RIIN, it will be under pressure to de-link the work of streamlining the ILP mechanism from the proposed register and put it on hold till the ongoing peace process concludes and the final solution is worked out.
Besides this, the complexities that may arise in streamlining the ILP mechanism due to non-issuance of domicile certificates or permanent residence certificates to a large number of non-Naga, non-indigenous inhabitants could also make the task even more difficult for the Neiphiu Rio-led Nagaland government.
Sushanta Talukdar is Editor, nezine.com, a bilingual online magazine on the Northeast
Source: The Hindu, 24/07/2019
How to deal with depression among youth?
Close to 15 million individuals are battling with some form of mental health related illness in India. 10% of all children suffer from some form of mental health issue and more than 50% of these go untreated and many more undetected (Medindia, 2010)
There is no doubt that depression one of the most common mental health related illnesses. The past few years have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the prevalence of depression across various age groups and other demographic sections of the population, including children, pre-teens and adolescents as well.
Understanding Depression in the Youth
The manifestations of the symptoms of depression in children and adolescents can be very different from that observed in adults. As a characteristic of their developmental phase, they may end up keeping their emotional struggle to themselves. As a consequence, they may end up becoming irritable or angry, display a social withdrawal, have a consequent decline in academic performance, and indulge in aggressive or risk taking behavior,, along with an increase in somatic complaints like headaches and stomach aches.
Facts and Figures
The existing statistics indicate a growing prevalence of mental illnesses, especially amongst the children and adolescents. Close to 15 million individuals are battling with some form of mental health related illness in India. 10% of all children suffer from some form of mental health issue and more than 50% of these go untreated and many more undetected (Medindia, 2010). Specifically depression is found in people of all ages including children and adolescents with prevalence rates estimated to be 1% in the younger population (Kaplan and Saddock, 2007). According to the WHO, depression affects 121 million people worldwide (2011).
It is extremely common for pre-teens and teenagers to experience difficult emotions such as loneliness or extremely stressful situations which could have an adverse impact on their self-esteem and self-concept. Considering the physical and emotional changes that occur in the emerging years of adolescence, it is natural for these emotions and feelings to be experienced very intensely, thereby making such a population also susceptible to ramifications in terms of their mental health.
In addition, the lifestyle adopted by today’s youth is an additional factor to be kept in mind! Such unhealthy lifestyle choices as well as erratic routines further influences both their physical as well as mental health in the long-term, influencing their personal, social, academic as well as occupational functioning.
The following are some of the points which could be kept in mind when helping pre-teens and teens in dealing with depression:
1. Provide them with a strong system of social support. Such social support could include family, friends, peers, teachers, or even seniors. Building an effective support system is very important to help the pre-teens alleviate their emotional distress as well as improve their social and psychological well-being.
2. Be calm and supportive. As a parent or a guardian, as stressful as it might be, it is important for you not to get anxious or distressed. Be calm, and provide your support by
being there for the child. Provide support, be empathetic and a listening ear, genuinely. Give him or her a chance to express him/herself. Do not interrogate or form judgements.
3. Assess the risks. Especially in cases of severe depression, it is vital for the family, friends or caregivers to be on the alert for signs of suicidal ideation. All dangerous items that are potentially harmful including sharp objects, pills, and poisonous substances need to be removed from the reach of the teenager.
4. Encourage them to reach out for help. Do not discourage them to seek help. It is important to encourage the depressed person to seek the support of mental health experts to ensure adequate interventions and prevent adverse outcomes.
5. Remember that professional help is irreplaceable. Depression is a diagnosable and treatable illness. It is not caused due to a character weakness or laziness, which can be overcome by will-power, or can pass out over time. It is an illness with requires adequate and timely medical and psychological interventions. Professional help including psychiatric medications and psychological counselling is irreplaceable.
6. Let’s talk! We should not hesitate to initiate the conversation with the affected children, pre-teens or teenagers, as it is important to give a chance to express their feelings and release their pent-up emotions. It is the need of the hour to encourage widespread awareness about such issues, while maintaining a sensitivity as well as openness to talk about it.
(The author is is a Consultant Psychiatrist with Fortis Healthcare)
Source: Hindustan Times, 7/08/2019
All Moments are Precious
Source: Economic Times, 7/08/2019
Tuesday, August 06, 2019
Contributions to Indian Sociology: Table of Contents
Volume 53 Issue 2, June 2019
First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 249–271
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 272–298
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 299–327
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For a Sociology of India
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 328–340
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Book Reviews
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 341–343
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 344–346
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 346–348
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 348–351
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 351–353
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 354–357
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 357–360
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First Published May 23, 2019; pp. 360–362
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Let’s be water wise for a secure future
As per Niti Aayog, India is facing a water crisis, with around 50% population experiencing high to extreme water shortage. By next year, 21 Indian cities may run out of groundwater. Globally, India is ranked 120 among 122 countries in the world that are facing an acute water crisis.
A couple of months ago, when India cricket captain Virat Kohli’s household was fined by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram for washing cars with running water from a pipe, one of my friends could not believe that this was an offence liable for penalty. Her reaction was obviously based on the assumption that water is a free commodity or a gift of nature to be used willy-nilly by all.
Not anymore.
The alarm bells are ringing loud and clear. As per Niti Aayog, India is facing a water crisis, with around 50% population experiencing high to extreme water shortage. By next year, 21 Indian cities may run out of groundwater. And by 2030, if proactive water management steps are not undertaken, 40% of India would have no groundwater and no access to drinking water.
Globally, India is ranked 120 among 122 countries in the world that are facing an acute water crisis.
It’s not very difficult to understand why we have reached this situation. With average decline in rainfall in most regions of the country year-after-year and reckless extraction, groundwater has been falling drastically. Rivers, lakes and wells have been drying up. The fact that forests are being cut does not help either. Besides, there is no water management. India does not store even one-tenth of its annual rainfall, neither is there any focus on recycling grey water and rejuvenating water bodies. What is worrisome is the fact that there are growing inequalities in water availability—people in villages in Marathwada walk for several miles to get a bucket of water, while in cities some continue to pilfer and waste it.
Cut to Gurugram. The story is the same except that it is heightened manifold. Groundwater is falling drastically—by 1 to 3 metres every year—and faster than the Indian average due to rampant extraction for construction, industrial and residential use through illegal borewells. Groundwater table in the city has fallen from 15 feet in 1990 to 80 feet in 2010. Because of heavy concretisation, rainwater is neither absorbed nor does the run-off get accumulated in water bodies, which, too, are disappearing.
Buildings have been built on top of dried water bodies or else water bodies have been reduced to waste dumps and then encroached upon. Natural drains have been concretised. Storm water drains are clogged and their carrying capacity limited. The water supply infrastructure is faulty and has leakages leading to loss of substantial volume during distribution. There is next-to-negligible recycling of grey water. Overall, there is no focus on conservation, restoration, recharge or reuse.
Water efficiency alone can reduce water demand by a significant 25%.
At the residential level, putting waste RO water to use in gardening, not using pipes to clean cars or to water plants, opting for bucket bath instead of a shower bath, using water more judiciously in cleaning utensils, installing rainwater harvesting systems and maintaining them, not allowing water tanks to overflow and using water efficient fixtures and appliances are some of the measures to save water.
These solutions will now be reinforced with greater vigour by the centre and local municipalities. Nationally, the government has launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) to rejuvenate the water sector, much on the lines of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Covering water-stressed blocks in 255 districts across the country, the JSA focuses on a) rainwater harvesting, b) reuse of treated waste water, c) rejuvenation of water bodies, and plantation.
The National Urban Sanitation Policy 2008 mandates reuse of at least 20% treated waste water. Besides, each city must initiate action to revive at least one water body under JSA. Plantation near water bodies, public spaces, parks and on roadside to improve green cover needs to be undertaken. The focus will be on citizen’s participation and funds are being allocated by the Centre to the urban local bodies (ULBs)—in-charge of execution.
Gurugram has had a headstart in launching its water restoration programmed titled “Gurujal” under the aegis of JSA. A helpline number 18001801817 to register water-related complaints, suggestions and feedback has been launched. Data collection for all borewells in the city is underway. Teams have been formed to check illegal extraction of water and compliance of rainwater harvesting systems. Awareness drives with RWAs, schools, NGOs, panchayats, builders and corporates are also being planned.
Interestingly, in one of the manuals of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Garden Estate Colony of Gurugram features as a case study for best practices in rainwater and surface-run off harvesting. The colony has captured 46% of its rainwater harvesting potential and improved its water table by 1.7 metres. If Garden Estate can do it, other too can. All it takes is willingness.
In 2016, Gurugram’s water table reached a low that it was declared a dark zone. It’s high time we become water-wise. It will take effort from everyone to turn the tide.
(Shubhra Puri is the founder of Gurgaon First, a citizen initiative to promote sustainability in Gurugram through workshops and research books)
Source: Hindustan Times, 6/08/2019
Carry Your Own Cross
In this world, there is always a play of positive and negative. Some problems and challenges come, and solutions also follow them. The ancients would simply focus on keeping their energy high. If your energy is high and people come to you, their problems will get solved. What happens when people talk to you about their problems? You get steeped in their problems. You get carried away. So just try this. Let everybody come and complain 100 things to you, you simply keep your energy high, your sight inwards, your mind inwards as though nothing has happened. You will realise that there is freedom within you. Try this: anybody can complain about anything, let the world go topsy-turvy, but hold on to the idea, I am going to keep my energy high. You just take one such step and then see. Instead of turning the mind inwards when problems come, we chase the problem and get completely drawn in that direction, and then our energy goes down and we collapse. Many a times, in the name of compassion and sympathy, you get drowned. Your compassion does not really help in solving the problem. It may sound very shocking but in compassion, the problem multiplies and doesn’t get solved. Problems come so that a person can turn inwards and look inside, get into a state of dispassion and calmness. Instead, you give reasons and try to pacify the person. Pacifying a person in a problem is the worst thing. You should not pacify them. Let everybody carry their own cross. Bear their karma. If you are miserable or happy, it is your karma. So you change your karma.
Economic Times: 6/08/2019
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