Ministry facilitating diversion of forest land - Ritwik Dutta

Environment Ministry proposes to exempt landholding agencies from seeking permission for linear infrastructure projects. Presently, a landholding agency has to take approval under the Act, for use of forest land, acquired for non-forest purposes. 

Ritwik Dutta of LIFE said, "Allowing one time exemption for private residence in private forests will lead to fragmentation of forest areas, besides deforestation. This will open the Aravalli mountains to private real estate development." 

- Govt. proposes to tweak Forest Act and green laws

Times of India,   October 6, 2021 

Sikh terrain lost, in Hindoo - Moslem hype

Sikhs of Punjab - land of five rivers -, have had a tragic history to endure. 

State persecution by Moghuls, conquests of Persian Nader Shah and Afghan Ahmed Shah Abdali, followed by a brief period of sovereignty under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Then, British annexed Punjab, and partitioned it between the newly split India and Pakistan.  

Land of Sikhs erupted into one of the greatest human migrations of human history - in summer 1947. 

And today, Punjabis are eroding themselves with drug abuse, alcohol addiction, female infanticide, farmer suicides, low birth rates, international emigration and religious conversion.  

- Strange death of Punjab,      The Hindu 

Fukuoka Grand Prize 2021

P Sainath is the recipient of the Fukuoka Grand Prize 2021, "for investigating impoverished farming villages in India, listening to voices from the rural population."

 - WIRE 

daily life

"Democracy is not just an election. 

It is our daily life."

Tsai Ing-Wen

Thought for the day, Times of India, March 01, 2021

dysfunctional democracy

 If democracy is not merely holding of free and fair elections, India is no longer a democracy. 

It s now a state that is humorless,  clueless and lashes out periodically without common sense.

It cannot smile at it's own follies and charges at a funny person. 

And last month, it issued guidelines to restrict Indian universities from holding international conferences, on topics that relate to India's internal affairs. And any topic can be linked to internal affairs - politics, society, economics, security, natural and applied sciences.

Without trying to be funny, India is generating smirking laughter all around the world - with it's Chinese -like mania, for control.

After 70 years of political Independence, we are pitiless, humorless, clueless - as a society and  as administrators of ourselves. It is our fault.     

- Kanti Bajpai,        Absurdist Bubble,          Times of India       Feb.20,  2021  

judiciary losing credibility?

 Former Chief Justice of India, & Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi, souringly speaks of a failing Indian judiciary. 

And Gogoi himself is part of this problem. 

He hastily seated himself in the Rajya Sabha, barely months after demitting office. 

And worries about judicial independence being compromised. 

Editorial,     Times Of India,      Feb. 15, 2021

Kashmir elections

There was significant difference in voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir regions. 

Against a range of 64.21% to 72.71 % turnout in the Jammu region, Kashmir recorded 29.91% to 40.65%  turnout. 

One can see that, the elections have opened some democratic space in Kashmir - and the BJP has been seeking credit.  But much of this is due to  alliance parties. They chose participation over boycott, reviving and re-invigorating the political space.

- Rekha Chowdhary,    The Wire