“I discovered a long time ago that if I helped people get what they wanted, I would always get what I wanted and I would never have to worry.”
Anthony Robbins
“मुझे काफी समय पहले ही पता लग गया था कि यदि मैं लोगों की उनकी चाहतों को पूरा करने में सहायता करता हूं तो मुझे हमेशा वह सब मिल जाएगा जो मैं चाहता था और मुझे कभी भी चिंता नहीं करनी पड़ेगी।”
एंथनी राबिन्स
Nai Chetana Campaign was launched by the Central Government on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25).
The Nai Chetana Campaign is being implemented by the state governments in collaboration with the civil society organizations (CSOs). It is being organized at all levels, including the state, district, block engaging with the community institutions and extended communities. As part of this campaign, all concerned stakeholders will come together to create a concerted effort in acknowledging, identifying and addressing violence-related issues. Knowledge workshops, leadership training, seminars on sexual violence and other such events will be conducted as part of this month-long campaign.
– Maternal Mortality Ratio declines from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20
– Maternal Mortality Ratio is the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 1,00,000 live births during the same period
BJP received Rs 614.53 crore as contributions in 2021-22, Congress: Rs 95.46 crore: Election Commission
– Manipur Sangai Festival 2022 organised by state govt. from Nov 21 to 30
– Assam to provide Rs 10000 annually to female post-graduate students in 10 monthly instalments
– India-US joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ being held in Uttarakhand, 100 kms from China LAC (Line of Actual Control)
– India’s GDP grows 6.3% in second quarter of 2022-23
– Growth in eight core industries slows down to 0.1% in October
– India-Australia Economic Cooperation & Trade Agreement to come into force from Dec 29
– Kirit Parikh panel suggests floor and ceiling price for gas from old fields
– RBI authorises Tamilnad Mercantile Bank to undertake government business
– Toyota Kirloskar Vice Chairman Vikram S Kirloskar dies in Bengaluru at 64
– Remittance flows to India to rise 12% to reach $100 billion in 2022: World Bank
– China: Former President Jiang Zemin (1993-2003) dies at 96
– Chinese astronauts meet colleagues at under-construction space station; makes country’s first
– Bakery item French baguette given “intangible cultural heritage status” by UNESCO
– Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare observed on November 30
– Stéphanie Frappart of France becomes first female referee in FIFA Men’s World Cup, in Costa Rica v/s Germany match on Dec 1
– 3rd & final India-NZ ODI at Hagley Oval, Christchurch called off due to rain; NZ win series 1-0
Divorce law in India remains a site of daily tragedy
Mr X and Ms Y fell in love and got married. They moved abroad and had three children. Unfortunately, things went awry and X filed for divorce in India, claiming an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. He contended that Y had inflicted physical and mental cruelty on him. Y vehemently opposed the divorce and countered that X had been an irresponsible husband and had been in an extra-marital affair. They had been living apart for five years by this time.
Any responsive and modern family law regime should, in such circumstances, consider divorce a given and focus its energies on ensuring equitable economic consequences for the spouses and maximising the welfare of the children. But when faced with such a matrix in a recent case, the Kerala High Court denied divorce and concluded that none of the ‘fault’ grounds for seeking it was met. Moreover, the husband had seemingly indulged in an “unholy alliance” by having an extra-marital affair and, thus could not “benefit” from it.
This is the tragedy of divorce law in India, where courts condemn couples to perpetual unhappiness. Currently, Hindu, Christian and secular marriage laws only recognise divorce on fault grounds. A successful divorce requires proving that the other spouse committed a legal fault. While legislative amendments have introduced mutual consent divorce, laws still do not recognise a unilateral divorce based on the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage. Recently, a Constitution Bench concluded hearings on whether it should grant a unilateral divorce, and, if so, when and under what factual circumstances should such divorces be granted? It was argued that if the Indian Constitution recognised an individual’s right to marry, there had to be a corresponding right to exit the marriage as well. These arguments build on the court’s jurisprudence on the right to privacy and the decriminalisation of homosexuality, where it emphasised the autonomy of individuals to make intimate decisions. But apart from constitutional arguments, there are reasons rooted in family law and policy which strongly advocate for a no fault, unilateral divorce regime in India.
Requiring parties to prove fault unnecessarily prolongs marital dispute and relies excessively on judicial discretion. While judges routinely exercise discretion, in family law, this needs fact-intensive queries in high-conflict, interpersonal disputes where establishing bright lines is almost impossible. Moreover, it incentivises the spouses to become adversarial and, rather than promoting long term relationships, only fosters discord. It also diverts judicial time and energy in the pointless pursuit of establishing fault rather than concentrating on spousal economic dependency and the welfare of children. For the sake of argument, even if one assumes a governmental interest in preserving marriage and promoting rapprochement between spouses, the current fault-based divorce regime serves no such purpose. Alternative policy instruments like mandatory pre-divorce mediation or a cooling-off period before unilateral divorce are more useful.
In family law, the excessive focus on fault has diverted policy attention from significant reform questions, such as the need to legally value the spouses’ contributions to marriage while determining post-divorce economic support or ensuring fair parental access in bringing up children. Further, debates that reduce family law reforms to a zero-sum choice between a Uniform Civil Code and patriarchal and religious identity-based personal law also shift focus from more concrete legal and policy conundrums in family law.
Consequently, divorce law in India remains a site of daily tragedy. While the Supreme Court has reserved its judgment on its powers to grant a divorce upon their retrievable breakdown of marriage, a judicial resolution of the issue may only serve a limited purpose. Most litigants simply do not have the wherewithal to go up to the Supreme Court to resolve their marital disputes. Lawmakers must give family law policy the serious attention it deserves.
Akshat Agarwal is a doctoral candidate at Yale Law School. Views are personal
Source: The Telegraph. 1/12/22
On September 15, the government of Manipur issued an order that requires prior approval to publish books on the state. Listing certain topics that are under scrutiny, a committee will examine the manuscripts. The topics include works on the history, culture, tradition and geography of Manipur. The order stated that “any publication of a book in violation” of the order “shall be liable to be punished under the relevant law”. The order came in the wake of a book that the government considers “may either distort facts or disturb the peaceful co-existence amongst the various communities in the State”.
The regulation is a direct offshoot of the recent controversy surrounding a book that argues that only 700 square miles of the valley of the state was merged with the Indian Union in the merger agreement and not even a single inch of the hill areas was covered under it. Another order on November 9 declares every copy of the book titled The Complexity Called Manipur: Roots, Perceptions & Reality authored by Sushil Kumar Sharma as “forfeited to the Government”.
However, there is a larger malaise that has long existed in the hills. In the last decade, several vigilante groups in the valley have been actively engaged in spewing venomous claims about indigenous minority groups as “refugees”. The state government is complicit in this by allowing these hate groups to continue their activities despite several objections raised by community-based organisations. The unending hate campaign has unsettled many in the hills and they finally found teeth in the contents of the book. It provided them with the counter-argument to strike back at the toxic hegemony and clamour that the hill areas are not parts of the territory of Manipur
Two years earlier, on August 10, 2020, the N Biren Singh government issued an office memorandum enforcing the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1965, to all government college teachers and other staff working under the state higher education department. This order requires approval to “be taken before publishing or making statements regarding any government policy or programme in the media”, and failure to do so will invite disciplinary action. Before this order was issued, the relationship between the ruling coalition partners, BJP and NPP, soured, leading to a public spat between leaders. The political environment worsened when leaders began switching parties between the Congress and BJP before election for the lone Rajya Sabha member from the state. The manner in which the BJP won the floor test and evaded the anti-defection law became a matter of public concern and discussion. This was debated in local television channels where teachers from government colleges were often invited. It was this that triggered the N Biren Singh government to issue the aforementioned order.
A vibrant liberal democracy requires a corresponding civil society and a knowledge system free of government interference. Freedom to publish and participate in debates in the media is an essential part of the freedom of speech and expression. Any censorship on academic publication and restrictions of free speech is an affront to the Constitution. It implies that the dominant perspective acceptable to the government will prevail and alternative perspectives will be derided.
The enforcement of CCS rules on teachers, particularly those in higher educational institutions, is an impairment to their profession. Under the rules, a teacher may no longer have the freedom to train students in critical thinking and analysis. A political scientist can no longer freely discuss politics. An economist can be punished for discussing the economic policy of the government. The strictures on “publication or making statement” imply that the academic activities of writing opinions in newspapers and magazines, or participating in a discussion or debate in television shows, will involve bureaucratic scrutiny, hassle and red tape. Writing an editorial for a journal can become a violation of service rules. In short, teachers can be criminalised for the very activity that they are expected to perform.
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasises the development of cognitive skills such as critical thinking. For this, the quality of engagement of teachers is considered to be the most important factor. Therefore, “the criticality of faculty in achieving the goals of higher education” and “the criticality of research” is considered to be essential for the progress of the country.
In the last few years, not only were the CCS rules imposed on teachers, there were relentless attempts to stifle dissent in the state. Several academic and political activists were incarcerated for expressing their views against the policies and programmes of the state. A teacher of Manipuri was served a show cause notice by Manipur University on September 28 for criticising the state government’s “legalisation of liquor”. The imposition of CCS rules is also in contradiction to the UGC regulations on ‘Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education’ of 2018. The regulations clearly stated that teachers in universities and colleges should be able to “express free and frank opinion by participation at professional meetings, seminars, conferences etc, towards the contribution of knowledge”. They are required to “work to improve education in the community and strengthen the community’s moral and intellectual life” and “be aware of social problems and take part in such activities as would be conducive to the progress of society and hence the country as a whole”.
Academic disagreements need academic debate and engagement, not government censorship and intimidation. The clampdown on free speech and the imposition of regulation on publication is not only an impairment to academic freedom, it is inimical to democracy.
Written by Thongkholal Haokip
The writer is assistant professor, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, JNU
Source: The Indian Express, 29/11/22
Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, erupted after 38 years on Sunday (November 27), spewing ash and debris, and covering the night sky of Hawaii’s Big Island in an incandescent red hue.
Aerial images showed molten lava flowing out of the volcano, whose name translates to “long mountain” in the native Hawaiian language. Mitch Roth, mayor of Hawaii County, was quoted as saying by NPR that the eruption does not appear to be threatening any downslope communities.
We take a closer look at the science behind volcanoes, and some of the largest eruptions in recorded history.
The deeper one goes under the surface of the Earth towards its core, the hotter it gets. The geothermal gradient, the amount that the Earth’s temperature increases with depth, indicates heat flowing from the Earth’s warm interior to its surface. At a certain depth, the heat is such that it melts rocks and creates what geologists call ‘magma’. Magma is lighter than solid rock and hence it rises, collecting in magma chambers. Chambers which have the potential to cause volcanic eruptions are found at a relatively shallow depth, between six to ten km under the surface. As magma builds up in these chambers, it forces its way up through cracks and fissures in Earth’s crust. This is what we call a volcanic eruption. The magma that surfaces on the Earth’s crust is referred to as lava
While the typical image of a volcano is that of a fountain of lava spouting high in the air from the mouth of the volcano, eruptions vary in intensity and explosiveness, depending on the composition of the magma.
In simple terms, runny magma makes for less explosive volcanic eruptions that typically are less dangerous. Since the magma is runny, gasses are able to escape, leading to a steady but relatively gentle flow of lava out of the mouth of the volcano. The eruption at Mauna Loa is of this kind. Since the lava flows out at a slow pace, people typically have enough time to move out of the way. Geologists are also able to predict the flow of the lava depending on the incline and exact consistency it has.
If magma is thick and sticky, it makes it harder for gasses to escape on a consistent basis. This leads to a build-up of pressure until a breaking point is reached. At this time, the gasses escape violently, all at once, causing an explosion. Lava blasts into the air, breaking apart into pieces called tephra. These can be extremely dangerous, ranging from the size of tiny particles to massive boulders.
This sort of eruption can be deadly: as thick clouds of tephra race down the side of the volcano, they destroy everything in their path. Ash erupted into the sky falls back to Earth like powdery snow. If thick enough, blankets of ash can suffocate plants, animals, and humans. Further, when the hot volcanic materials mix with nearby sources of water, they can create mudflows that have been known to bury entire communities alive. Mount Vesuvius, which obliterated the city of Pompeii, is an example of an explosive volcano.
The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a scale used to measure the explosivity of a volcano. It has a range of 1 to 8 with a higher VEI indicating more explosivity. While the VEI of the current eruption at Mauna Loa is not known yet, the previous eruption in 1984 was deemed to have a VEI of 0. The highest VEI ever recorded in Mauna Loa has been 2 (in 1854 and 1868)
Any volcano that has erupted within the Holocene period (in the last 11,650 years) is considered to be “active” by scientists. “Dormant” volcanoes are those active volcanoes which are not in the process of erupting currently, but have the potential to do so in the future. Mauna Loa was a dormant volcano for the last 38 years. “Extinct” volcanoes are ones which scientists predict will never face any further volcanic activity. Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK, is an extinct volcano.
Krakatoa, Indonesia
One of the most catastrophic volcanic eruptions ever occurred in Krakatoa in 1883 (VEI 6). The volcano released huge plumes of steam and ash. The explosions were so brutal, they were heard 3,100km away in Perth, Western Australia. According to the Dutch colonial authorities, Krakatoa’s eruption and the consequent tsunamis caused 36,417 deaths, though modern estimates peg the number to be much higher.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted (VEI 5), in one of the deadliest eruptions in European history, killing as many as 16,000 and destroying the town of Pompeii. According to scientists, the explosion released 100,000 times the thermal energy that was released with the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It is said to have instantly boiled the blood of all those who were too close to it. The explosion was described by Greek writer Pliny the Younger, who was present nearby, as being “sometimes bright and sometimes dark and spotted… more or less impregnated with earth and cinders.”
Mount Fuji, Japan
A defining image of Japan, Mount Fuji towers over the countryside with its snow-capped peaks and barren surface. It last erupted in 1707-1708 (VEI 5) and had a devastating effect on the local population. The tephra release led to significant agricultural decline, leading to widespread starvation in the Edo (now Tokyo) area. Although this eruption itself did not directly kill a lot of people, its subsequent impact proved deadly.
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Sometimes referred to as E15, it is one of the many volcanic features of Iceland. In 2010, a relatively small eruption (VEI 4) managed to bring air traffic in Europe to a complete standstill. 20 countries closed their airspace, impacting approximately 10 million travellers.
Kīlauea, Hawaii
Adjacent to the Mauna Loa, this is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. It has been erupting intermittently since recorded history, with its eruption lasting from 1983 to 2018 being the longest continuous eruption ever recorded. It is a major tourist attraction, with the earliest hotel built at the edge of the volcano in the 1840s.
Mount St Helens, USA
Located in Washington State, Mount St. Helens was a major eruption that occurred on May 18, 1980 (VEI 5), and it remains the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history. It started after an earthquake hit the region, killing 57 and causing property damage over $1 billion. It remains an active volcano and one that is considered to be amongst the riskiest by scientists.
Source: The Indian Express, 30/11/22
“It is one of the severest tests of friendship to tell your friend his faults.”
Henry Ward Beecher
“अपने मित्र को उसके दोषों को बताना मित्रता की सबसे कठोर परीक्षा होती है।”
हैनरी वार्ड बीचर