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Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Great burden: Editorial on austerity measures adversely affecting women

 1.7 billion women were pushed below the poverty line as well as being foisted with more caregiving as they worked an additional 512 billion unpaid hours in 2020


Historically, austerity measures have been implemented in times of economic crisis. Arguably, they are necessary to maintain a country’s creditworthiness in the eyes of lenders. Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Italy and the United Kingdom have all opted for it during the recession of 2007-2009. But a new Oxfam report, The Assault of Austerity, shows how measures such as cutting public wage bills and social protection budgets — central to an austerity regime — create gaps that are passed on to households and adversely affect women. The findings have contemporary relevance. As the world navigates through the economic ravages of Covid-19, conflict and the climate crisis, four out of every five governments are now locked in austerity measures, slashing public services like health, education, and social protection rather than snipping wealth and windfall taxes. The consequences of the pursuit of austerity on women are telling. For instance, 1.7 billion women were pushed below the poverty line as well as being foisted with more caregiving as they worked an additional 512 billion unpaid hours in 2020. More than 10 million women fell out of the workforce globally since 2020 and lost $800 billion in income. In India, only 7% of men lost their jobs, compared to 47% of women. The ‘invisible’ costs included a striking rise in intimate partner violence — one in every 10 women is assaulted at home. Moreover, budget cuts during lockdowns forced 85% of countries to shut their emergency services for survivors of gender-based violence. Access to amenities was hampered too: women and girls are facing even more difficulty getting clean water — the lack of which already kills 800,000 of them each year — along with affordable food, given the sharp rises in costs.

Austerity is not inevitable; it is a choice. A progressive wealth tax on the rich can raise almost $1 trillion more than what governments are planning to save through cuts in 2023, according to Oxfam. The skewed sense of priorities is revealing: 2% of what governments spend on the military is enough to end interpersonal, gender-based violence in 132 countries. The absence of systemic data — or wilful blindness to it — on the economic violence being perpetrated upon women means that governments are making their decisions in the dark. Feminist budgeting and progressive taxation, where taxes are invested in universal social protection and public services, putting the specific needs of women at the heart of policymaking could make a world of difference.

Source: The Telegraph, 30/11/22

Monday, November 28, 2022

Quote of the Day November 28, 2022

 

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work - he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving”
Mahatma Gandhi
“ग्राहक हमारे लिए एक विशिष्ट अतिथि है। वह हम पर निर्भर नहीं है। हम ग्राहक पर निर्भर हैं। वह हमारे कार्य में व्यवधान नहीं है - बल्कि वह इसका उद्देश्य है। हम ग्राहक की सेवा कर कोई उपकार नहीं कर रहे। वह सेवा का मौका देकर हम पर उपकार कर रहा है।”
महात्मा गांधी

Kuki-Chin Bangladeshi Refugee Issue

 he on-going conflict between Bangladeshi security forces and the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) triggered an influx of refugees from the Kuki-Chin community to the Indian state of Mizoram.

Who is Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA)?

  • The Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) is the armed wing of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) – a separatist group that was established in 2008 to create a separate state in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Southern Bangladesh.
  • The KNF claims that all members of the Bawm, Pungkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Mro, and Khyang ethnic groups are part of the greater Kuki-Chin race.
  • Also known as the Bawm Party, this group is having close relationships with rebel groups in Northeast India and Myanmar.

About the current conflict in Bangladesh

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has launched an operation in October 2022 against the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) after it entered into an agreement with the newly formed militant outfit called the Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, which originated from the remote hilly terrains of Rangamati and Bandarban. Under this three-year agreement, KNF will provide shelter, training and other support to the militants in return for 3 lakh Bangladeshi Taka and food expenditure. While several of them have been arrested, 50 militants are currently being trained in the region.

Refugee Situation in Mizoram

This on-going military operation in the CHT has triggered the inflow of refugees in Mizoram. At least 200 Kuki-Chin refugees from Chittagong reached Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district.

The state cabinet had recently approved the setting up of temporary shelters and other basic amenities the Bangladeshi Kuki-Chin refugees. Some 35 lakh people of Kuki-Chin-Mizo communities live in Chittagong Hills Tracts. More refugees from this region are expected to reach Mizoram. They will be recognized as “officially displaced persons” in the state government records since there are no laws related to refugees in India. These refugees will be housed on the same lines as the shelters given to the refugees from Myanmar, who entered Mizoram after the 2021 coup. Mizoram, which shares a 318-km-long border with Bangladesh, currently hosts some 30,000 refugees from Myanmar.

Current Affairs-November 27, 2022

 

INDIA

– ISRO launches PSLV-C54 rocket carrying earth observation satellite OceanSat-3 & 8 nanosatellites

– President, PM attend Constitution Day Celebration in Supreme Court on Nov 26


Constitution Day celebrated on Nov 26 to mark adoption of the Constitution by Constituent Assembly in 1949

– Prasar Bharati hosting 59th ABU (Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union) General Assembly in New Delhi on Nov 25-30

– eGramSwaraj and Audit Online of Ministry of Panchayati Raj wins GOLD AWARD under the National Awards for e-Governance

– National Milk Day celebrated on Nov 26; birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien; “Father of White Revolution in India”

– National Gopal Ratna Award presented to farmers, cooperatives for boosting milk production in the country on National Milk Day

– Vikram Gokhale, veteran film and TV actor, dies in Pune at 77; won National Film Award for Best Actor for ‘Anumati’ (Marathi)

– Padma Shri, Khel Ratna Arjuna Awardee Deepa Malik becomes Ni-Kshay Mitra and national ambassador for TB Mukt Bharat Campaign

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– Road transport & highways sector has the maximum number of delayed projects at 243, followed by railways at 114: Govt.

WORLD

– NASA’s Orion spacecraft successfully enters orbit around the moon

SPORTS

– 81st Annual Madras-Colombo Rowing Regatta in Colombo: Madras Boat Club women lift Adyar trophy; Colombo Rowing Club men lift Deepam trophy

Current Affairs-November 28, 2022

 

INDIA

– Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum Project in Mumbai wins Award of Excellence at 2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

– ICMR recommends avoiding antibiotics for low-grade fever, issues guidelines


– India, Australia to conduct ‘Austra Hind 22’ military exercise in Rajasthan from Nov 28 to Dec 11

– Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inaugurates scheme in Rajgir, Nalanda district, under which flood waters will be treated for supply to households in the southern part of the state

– Ladakh-based innovator Sonam Wangchuk bags seventh Dr Paulos Mar Gregorios award given by the Sophia Society of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church

– Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be chief guest at Republic Day celebrations in January

– Special briefing for G20 envoys, invitee nations held at Swaraj Dweep in Andaman & Nicobar

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– IDBI Bank to continue to operate as an ‘Indian private sector bank’ after its strategic sale; govt.’s residual 15% stake post privatisation will be public shareholding

– FSSAI recognizes Yak as a ‘food animal’ to check declining population

WORLD

– Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang Mbasogo re-elected President; extends 43-year rule

– Nepal: Ruling Nepali Congress led by PM Sher Bahadur Deuba emerges as single largest party

SPORTS

– Paralympic medallist Lekhara receives Para Sports Person of Year award at the Turf 2022 and India Sports Awards of FICCI

Economic & Political Weekly: Table of Contents

 

Vol. 57, Issue No. 48, 26 Nov, 2022

Editorials

Comment

From the Editor's Desk

From 50 Years Ago

Commentary

Book Reviews

Special Articles

Postscript

Current Statistics

Letters

UN resolution should rally world behind Rohingya

 Since the overwhelming exodus of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh in 2017, the Rohingya problem has gained attention. To continue housing more than 1.1 million refugees in Bangladesh, however, is proving to be an incredibly challenging endeavor given the recent emergence of other national and international challenges.

A ray of light is provided, nonetheless, by the recent Rohingya resolution passed by the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee. The resolution was jointly introduced last week by members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU), who all agreed that it was urgent to confront Myanmar’s reprehensible treatment of the Rohingya people and other minorities. This is good news since, up until now, the international community has not taken sufficient action to relieve the pressure on Bangladesh and to prevent Myanmar from abdicating its responsibility to its citizens.

The resolution is simply the first of several that must be taken to make sure that the Myanmar government creates a secure environment for Rohingya refugees to return to; it does not, however, guarantee that the repatriation process for those refugees would be accelerated. It is crucial that the resolution be turned into rapid action because the UN and humanitarian aid groups both have vital roles to play in this situation.

The perpetrators of the crimes done against the Rohingya population can finally be brought to justice with the assistance of the international community. Making sure that the refugees can finally and safely return home requires that we approach this catastrophe with the urgency that it demands. While Bangladesh’s attempts to host the refugees demonstrate a level of generosity that the rest of the world has yet to show, it is time for the international community to take action to share the burden.

The human rights situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities in Myanmar was also raised in the resolution adopted by the third committee of the General Assembly. The Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations said in a statement that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU) jointly presented the proposal to the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

109 countries co-sponsored the resolution, the highest since 2017. In addition to finding the root cause of the Rohingya problem, the resolution calls on Myanmar to fully cooperate with all UN human rights bodies, including the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, to create an environment suitable for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Rakhine State.

The statement commended “Bangladesh’s continued cooperation with the ICC, IIMM, and other accountability mechanisms to ensure justice and accountability for human rights violations against the Rohingya.” This year’s resolution also called on UN member states to continue humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas in Bangladesh under the principle of ‘Responsibility and Burden Sharing’.

In addition, the important role of regional countries and organizations such as ASEAN in the development of Myanmar’s political and human rights situation has been highlighted. Special emphasis is placed on the speedy implementation of the five-point recommendations adopted unanimously by ASEAN. It is hoped that the international community will be more alert and aware of the Rohingya issue at the United Nations. It can be said that the task of repatriating Rohingyas will be relatively easy if such a proposal is unanimously accepted by the Security Council in the future.

The main question is whether the Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh will be able to return to their homeland. As long as this goal is not achieved, there will be no relief for Bangladesh. Despite being overpopulated and plagued by socio-economic problems, Bangladesh has given shelter to the displaced Rohingya fleeing from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds.

But this humanitarian step has become a burden for Bangladesh now. Rohingyas coming to the country has created a multidimensional crisis. The environment of Cox’s Bazar area has become polluted. Population density has increased. Rohingyas are involved in various criminal activities including drug smuggling and are worsening the law and order situation in the country. This situation is not only a threat to Bangladesh’s internal security but also to regional security.

In this reality, an acceptable solution to the Rohingya crisis has become very important. And this solution can be done only through the repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland. The international community should apply effective pressure on Myanmar so that the country agrees to take back its citizens. It is expected that the international community will play a stronger role in the Rohingya issue after the unanimously adopted resolution at the United Nations.

Rohingyas do not deserve any kind of support or aid in any form.These people like some disturbed countries in africa and Pakistan etc are crookest ,criminals pretendng to be very poor destitute dressed in shabby out-out or half naked just to chet public and continue with their hidden motive of wpreading Islam in the world.Just give them a finger and they will cut your hand,perhaps the arm itself.There has to be noconcern of world body for such menacious creatures wandering around in human form.The whole non-Islamic world has to be worried and concerned for such muslims migration backed with crafty underhanded device to diffuse Islam.Especially the West (European) countries are being befooled by them by sneaking into their countries.At home these people hate all other non-muslims but do not take shelter within own Islamic countries which are 57 in the world.UNO must act against such elements and those who mischievously brainwash them and give some financial support.The money the guys who push then into europe and other counteries is later shared by Islaic fanatics and Mullah.the circle goes on.Once these socalled migrants get earn some money they keep om supportin(sending money)to those Mullahs or mischievous muslims to continue with their dirty jobs.UNO must act and control the birth rate in all those poor countries.NO any kind of support in any form to such people.If atall help then the it must be like as said "Give them fishhing rod but not fish"and keep them away from healthy civilized society.

Source: The Statesman, 25/11/22