Opinion – Bhartiyanews24x7

21Nov

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Clearing the air on Delhi’s pollution crisis

A bird flies through a thick layer of smog in New Delhi on November 20, 2024. | Photo Credit: AP Since 1984, when M.C. Mehta filed a public interest litigation petition, there has been a flurry of activity to combat air pollution beginning in October and then a long lull. A lot has been achieved, but the growing economy and population have outpaced these measures. This is not unique to Delhi. Los Angeles established its air pollution control programme in 1947 and currently remains among the worst in the U.S., both for PM 2.5 and ozone. The lesson is that urban toxicity is a ‘wicked problem’ where the problem itself is debated and requires long-term measures.The National Green Tribunal (NGT) began the process o...

21Nov

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Opinion

Letters to The Editor — November 21, 2024

Language, LIC site issueThe ‘temporary’ issue with the use of Hindi in the online portal of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) , with the option to select English as the language being displayed in Hindi, has drawn significant criticism, particularly from India’s non-Hindi speaking regions, and rightly so (Tamil Nadu, “LIC reduced to a propaganda tool for Hindi imposition: Tamil Nadu CM”, November 20). It is a matter of concern that a major public sector unit should present an explanation of it being a ‘technical glitch’. Even if it indeed was a technical problem, the fact that Hindi was set as the default language raises questions, especially considering the availability of other language options. This will exacerbate linguistic divisions within India rather than fostering ...

21Nov

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Opinion

Turning tide: On the export rebound

From a reasonably healthy show at the onset of this financial year, India’s goods exports had stumbled sharply in the second quarter, shrinking an average 5.8% over the first two months and rising a mere 0.5% in September. With half the year gone by, exports were up just 1%. In this backdrop, the 17.25% surge in merchandise shipments to overseas markets through October is a positive surprise, with the year’s second-highest tally of $39.2 billion. Trade mandarins have attributed the uptick to stronger demand for the Christmas season in developed markets. If this festive demand holds, at least the next couple of months should see healthy numbers. With services exports rising 14.6% by September, official hopes of cumulative exports through 2024-25 crossing a record $800 billion may yet be att...

20Nov

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Opinion

How India could counter the CBAM

EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is meant to ensure that imported products bear a carbon emission cost comparable to the cost imposed on goods produced within the EU. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Protectionism is a threat to the collaboration required between the developed and developing world in addressing climate issues. Innovative protectionist ideas, such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU-CBAM), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the EU Deforestation Regulation, have led to concerns in developing nations. India has criticised the EU-CBAM, in particular, as being “arbitrary”.A ‘discriminatory’ tool The CBAM is meant to ensure t...

20Nov

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Opinion

A snapshot of distress migration in Odisha

An ongoing research, supported by the FAO and International Organization for Migration, show that the recurrent nature of heatwaves in Ganjam and cyclones in Kendrapada severely affect agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu An estimated 1.75 million people moved from Odisha to other States in 2023, many of them driven by distress and desperation. Last month, the Odisha government set up a special task force to look into distress migration, which is defined by the World Bank as involuntary movement due to poverty or disasters. The task force aims to provide recommendations and targeted intervention measures, including infrastructure improvement and department-specific sch...

20Nov

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Opinion

Corrections and Clarifications — November 20, 2024

The blurb that accompanied the report, “Kremlin slams Biden’s decision to let Kyiv strike deeper in Russia” (World page, November 19, 2024) incorrectly mentioned NATO as MATO. Published - November 20, 2024 12:32 am IST Read Comments Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit ...

20Nov

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Opinion

Letters to The Editor — November 20, 2024

Yunus interviewMuhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government in Bangladesh, has accused former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of being politically active while she is in India (November 19). By giving asylum to someone like Ms. Hasina, India may now be wearing an albatross around its neck. The allegation is serious and may turn out to be the root cause of animosity with a friendly nation. Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai Manipur’s cry for peace New Delhi must prioritise Manipur’s conflict resolution through citizen-centric dialogues, truth commissions and community engagement. Addressing decades-old ethnic divisions, land rights disputes and socioeconomic disparities is vital to help the return to a peaceful coexistence. Niveditha Sreedeep, Madayipar...

20Nov

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Opinion

Prison tag: On a viable means of decongesting prisons

The suggestion for the introduction of electronic tracking of prisoners granted parole or furlough may merit consideration as a viable means of decongesting prisons. The idea of having a pilot programme to make undertrials who pose low or moderate risk wear devices that will track and restrict their movements has been mooted in a research report of the Supreme Court of India’s Centre for Research and Planning. This is not the first time the use of electronic tracking has been considered, though. The Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023, contains a provision that says “prisoners may be granted prison leave on the condition of their willingness to wear electronic tracking devices” so that their movement and activities may be monitored. It speaks of cancelling the leave in case o...

20Nov

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Opinion

A thousand days of Ukrainian resilience

A 1,000 days ago, on February 24, 2022, world history changed dramatically. Russia launched its full-scale military aggression aimed at destroying Ukrainian statehood, culture and nation. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, united the nation and international community to fight the evil. Thus, Ukraine persevered and is still fighting for justice and peace.In February 2022, many in the West were convinced that Ukraine would not be able to withstand the Russian onslaught. But the armed forces of Ukraine defended Kyiv, expelled the occupiers from the north of Ukraine, and liberated the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. National unity was a key factor in successful resistance to Russian neo-colonial ambitions. Russia’s efforts at conquest were stopped thanks to the joint efforts of U...

20Nov

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Opinion

A consistent response: On air pollution responses in Delhi

Every year, the first instance of the air quality index (AQI) vaulting to hazardous levels in Delhi is a bugle for pandemonium. On Monday (November 18, 2024), official measurements reported an average AQI of 488, with some private stations reporting over a 1,000. While all these stations do not follow a consistent reporting framework, what is unambiguous is that despite all the analysis of the causes of pollution in the national capital, the political response and the crores invested in measurement and improvising technology fixes, the system is unable to contain episodes of ‘severe’ pollution or when the AQI crosses 400. Official data suggest that since 2016, there have only been two years when the number of ‘severe’ days was in the single digits. The number of ‘poor’ days (AQI over 200) ...

20Nov

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Opinion

A community on the margins, its hidden scars

Sex workers suffer from a range of mental health conditions | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Heeramandi, a Netflix series by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, delves into the lives of courtesans in pre-Independence India, bringing to the forefront the untold stories of sex workers. Set in Lahore’s historic red light district, it paints a vivid picture of the complex interplay between societal pressures, personal ambitions, and the pursuit of dignity and freedom. While capturing the resilience and agency of these women, who navigate the harsh realities of their profession under British colonial rule, it also subtly highlights the mental health challenges they face — which are still painfully relevant.Globally, sex ...

19Nov

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Opinion

Manipur as a case for imposing Article 356

The state of Manipur reflects a classic case of the failure of the constitutional machinery, necessitating invocation of Article 356 by the President of India. The President need not wait for the report from the Governor because, under this Article, the President can act if, “otherwise”, satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of that State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. In Manipur, the unprecedented and horrific violence that erupted in May 2023, continues unabated.B.R. Ambedkar, defining this extraordinary provision to the Constituent Assembly, on August 3, 1949 said, “I think I can well begin by reminding the House that it has been agreed by the House, where we were considering the general principles of the Constitution,...

19Nov

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Opinion

No ‘X factor’ — reconciling freedom and accountability

‘There is an organic relationship between a vibrant democracy and a credible information ecology’ | Photo Credit: REUTERS It is important to understand that the freedom of speech is not a laissez-faire act where anything goes, but a democratically enabling idea that shuns censorship and the curbing of ideas being debated in the public sphere. Recently, the British media outlet, The Guardian, took a decision to stop posting on the social media platform X( formerly Twitter), from its official handles. The British legacy media organisation issued a statement that needs to be read carefully. It read: “This is something we have been considering for a while given the often-disturbing content promoted or found on...

19Nov

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Opinion

End logjam for EPFO pensioners

Image for representation. | Photo Credit: The Hindu A recent official announcement about the successful pilot run of the new Centralised Pension Payments System (CPPS) under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995, comes at a time when lakhs of members of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and pensioners have been waiting to hear about their applications for pension on higher wages.Some questions remain The launch of the CPPS is undoubtedly a relief to new pensioners. They will not be required to open an account in specified banks just to receive their monthly entitlement. Under the new system that will come into force from January 1 across the country, pensioners can collect their pension from a...

19Nov

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Opinion

A sign of policy paralysis in Maharashtra

Image for representation | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Politics in Maharashtra is at a crossroads where the reformist agenda of electoral politics has been taken over by monetary manipulations through the state apparatus. Though monetary considerations for votes are not new in politics, they were not structurally embedded in the state policy. Distribution of cash was a purely political phenomenon. The freebie culture routed through the state has diluted the policy process. In earlier decades, when caste issues predominantly dominated electoral politics, certain political parties even criticised reservations — a policy of affirmative action — as a freebie. Distribution of freebies was considered a...

19Nov

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Opinion

Corrections and Clarifications — November 19, 2024

“The river Godavari has the longest rail-cum-road bridge”, and not “bride”, as mentioned in the heading (Opinion page, November 18, 2024, ‘From The Archives, Fifty Years Ago – November 18, 1974’). Published - November 19, 2024 12:32 am ISTSource link

19Nov

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Opinion

Twin negligence: The Hindu Editorial on the Jhansi hospital fire

The fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi district, Uttar Pradesh, where 10 newborns died on November 15 night, underscores the fatal intersection of severely neglected sectors in government budgeting and planning — health care and fire safety. There was an eerily similar incident in May this year, in a hospital in east Delhi. The neonatal care unit in Jhansi was operating at almost three times its capacity — there were 49 babies for incubators meant only for 18. Hospital staff have said that this number sometimes goes up to 60. This must not surprise given that in 2021, the doctor-patient ratio in U.P. was 1: 2,158. A point to be noted is that India’s doctor-patient ratio for 2024 is 1:836, which is well within the World Health Organi...

19Nov

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Opinion

Letters to The Editor — November 19, 2024

The state of ManipurEver since May 2023, Manipur has been burning. The State government has been unable to gain control perhaps due to the complex issues involved. It is surprising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has still not visited the State. Meanwhile, the Union government should do everything within its power to defuse the situation. Confidence-building measures among the affected people should be carried out. Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh In the many months since Manipur has been roiled by ethnic conflict, the State government’s actions have been restricted to ‘empty rhetoric, blaming outsiders, imposing Internet bans and issuing vague promises of dialogue’. The Centre’s moves to bring the warring communities to the negotiating table too have not inspir...

19Nov

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Opinion

This time for Africa: The Hindu Editorial on India, Africa and the Global South

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nigeria, and his ongoing tours to Brazil, for the G-20, and Guyana, are important not only for ties with each of these countries but also significant as a statement on India’s commitment to the Global South. In the Abuja visit, the first after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 2007 visit, where the two countries declared a Strategic Partnership, Mr. Modi and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reaffirmed ties in areas including defence cooperation. Mr. Modi identified terrorism, separatism, piracy and drug trafficking as challenges for the two countries to work together on. Receiving Nigeria’s ‘the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’, Mr. Modi, the second foreign dignitary to receive the distinction, dedicated the award to the people of In...

18Nov

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Opinion

Hemant Soren has mortgaged the whole of Jharkhand to the corrupt, says Marandi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand Babulal Marandi said the present CM Hemant Soren has betrayed the people of the State by failing to keep the promises he made. In an interview ahead of a poll campaign from Kodaibank village, Mr. Marandi accused Mr. Soren of corrupt practices and pandering to middlemen. Excerpts: How do you see the Hemant Soren government of the last five years? Hemant Soren has cheated the people of Jharkhand and also looted the resources of the State by getting involved in corruption. He did not fulfil a single promise made ahead of the last Assembly election. He had promised to give financial assistance of ₹72,000 annually, he had promised gold coins for women on the occasion of marriage, he had promised to p...

18Nov

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Opinion

Two cheers for the top court’s ‘bulldozer’ judgment

Last week, the Supreme Court of India handed down a judgment dealing with what has come to be known as “bulldozer raj”. For the last three years, in many parts of India, municipal authorities had taken to demolishing people’s homes if they were accused of an offence, especially in the wake of communal tensions or large-scale protests. These demolitions were often, although not always, communally targeted, and in their wake, politicians were seen to publicly celebrate and endorse this form of state-sponsored “vigilante justice”. In its judgment, the Court came down heavily on this practice, noting that it violated the basic principles of the rule of law, the separation of powers, and turned the executive into judge, jury, and executioner. The Court declared that no person’s home could be de...

18Nov

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Opinion

The ‘new’ Justitia and reimagining justice

The new statue | Photo Credit: PTI The addition of the open-eyed Justitia in the Supreme Court of India has led to public debate. The ‘new’ six-foot white statue is a sari-clad ornamented goddess-like figure without a blindfold, holding scales in her right hand and a copy of the Constitution of India in her left hand. It signified, said then Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, who commissioned the statue in October 2024, that “Law is not blind; it sees everyone equally”. This is, historically speaking, puzzling since the Bombay High Court has an open-eyed Justitia statue along with a Statue of Mercy — the open-eyed justice is as much part of colonial iconography as the blindfolded figure of justice.E...

18Nov

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Opinion

A devastating blow to global climate efforts

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump . | Photo Credit: Reuters With the Republicans firmly in control of the U.S. government, a seismic shift in American climate policy is imminent, threatening to unravel years of slow but hard-earned progress in addressing the climate crisis.With president-elect Donald Trump referring to climate change as a “hoax”, the most devastating effect will be a diplomatic retreat in global negotiations, along with a possible withdrawal from the Paris Agreement (PA). U.S. climate negotiators will likely explain inaction with references to “domestic political constraints”, which American environmental advocates, frustrated by limited options, may also use as a shield while exhorting other m...

18Nov

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Opinion

Bihar’s political shadow over Jharkhand

Congress leader Pappu Yadav during a public meeting in support of RJD candidate Sanjay Yadav ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly elections, in Godda district. | Photo Credit: PTI Jharkhand gained statehood 24 years ago; yet, its electoral landscape continues to be influenced by Bihar’s political legacy.This year’s election offers a lens to assess Jharkhand’s political path amid Bihar’s enduring caste-driven, alliance-centric politics. Although ‘Jharkhand abua (Jharkhand is ours)’ was once an assertion of a distinct identity, Bihar-origin parties, such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP (RV), and Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), view Jharkhand as fertile ground. Through seat-shari...

18Nov

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Opinion

Growing epidemic: The Hindu Editorial on diabetes and India

From around 200 million in 1990, the number of people with diabetes has quadrupled globally to over 800 million in 2022 while the global diabetes prevalence in adults rose from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022, as in data released in The Lancet on November 13. At 212 million, India has the highest number of people with diabetes as against China’s prevalence of 148 million. India also topped the list of countries with 133 million people over the age of 30 years with untreated diabetes as against 78 million in China. One reason for the steep increase in the number of those with diabetes was the methodology used for pooling and analysing the data — being on medication for diabetes, or having a fasting plasma glucose of 7·0 mmol/L or more, or an HbA1c of 6·5% or more. Unlike earlier studies tha...