aditya
19:32
📰 Mahatma Gandhi, the peacemaker
•Mahatma Gandhi was attentive of the fact that world peace is not possible without the spiritual growth of humanity. So far, the 22 years of the 21st century have not been peaceful. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine represents the biggest threat to peace in the world since the end of the Cold War. Many believe that humanity will never attain peace. But we all know that peace is the result of a long process of compassionate dialogue and tireless caring across cultural, religious, and political boundaries.
•Gandhi considered the problem of peace as an ethical, rather than political, issue. For him, the importance was to be on the side of the just. In a letter published in Harijan on December 9, 1939, he wrote: “The moral influence would be used on the side of peace... My nonviolence does recognise different species of violence — defensive and offensive. It is true that in the long run the difference is obliterated, but the initial merit persists. A nonviolent person is bound, when the occasion arises, to say which side is just. Thus, I wished success to the Abyssinians, the Spaniards, the Czechs, the Chinese, and the Poles, though in each case I wished that they could have offered nonviolent resistance… But who am I? I have no strength save what God gives me. I have no authority over my countrymen save the purely moral. If God holds me to be a pure instrument for the spread of nonviolence... He will... show me the way...”
A peace strategy
•This letter explains a great deal on Gandhi’s psychology as a moral leader at the time of war. It also shows clearly that he was a man of peace, who, beyond the violent values of his time, could struggle for nonviolence and dialogue among nations. Based on this assumption, it appears that the most appropriate way to interpret Gandhi’s approval of violence over cowardice is to consider him as a consistent thinker on peace. Hence, it would be wrong to say that there were gradual changes in his opinions on war and peace.
•If it is accepted that Gandhi always had a peace strategy even when he wrote on violence over cowardice, we can establish a continuity between his writings on war and peace in different stages of his struggle. Gandhi wrote: “I do believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence I would advise violence…But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment… But… forgiveness only when there is the power to punish…. A mouse hardly forgives a cat when it allows itself to be torn to pieces by her. I therefore appreciate the sentiment of those who cry out for the condign punishment of General Dyer and his ilk. They would tear him to pieces if they could. But I do not believe India to be a helpless creature. Only I want to use India’s and my strength for a better purpose.” This said, Gandhi never dissociated nonviolence from violence, either in reality, or as major concepts of his political philosophy. Therefore, we can understand his position, when he affirmed that an action “may wear the appearance of violence” and yet be “absolutely nonviolent in the highest sense.”
•Many famous critics of Gandhi’s nonviolence have pointed their fingers at the impotence of Gandhian nonviolence against totalitarian regimes. Hannah Arendt said, “If Gandhi’s enormously powerful and successful strategy of nonviolent resistance had met with a different enemy — Stalin’s Russia, Hitler’s Germany, even pre-war Japan, instead of England — the outcome would not have been decolonization, but massacre and submission.” However, unlike Arendt, Gandhi believed that in the absence of a concrete ethical foundation, the political could not function democratically and non-violently.
The task of the political
•Therefore, for Gandhi, the essential task of the political was to bring moral progress. While Hitler believed in eliminating morality from politics, for Gandhi, it was most important that the moral legitimacy of non-violence be a strategy of peacemaking. That is why Gandhi is impossible to classify in terms of conventional categories of peace studies and conflict resolution. Gandhi remains an original thinker in the matter of peace building and also an astute peace builder.
•From Gandhi’s perspective, nonviolence is an ontological truth that follows from the unity and interdependence of humanity and life. While violence damages and undermines all forms of life, nonviolence uplifts all. Gandhi, therefore, advocated an awareness of the essential unity of humanity, and that awareness required a critical self-examination and a move from egocentricity towards a ‘shared humanity’. This ‘shared humanity’ cannot exist today if it is not aware of its own shortcomings. It needs to strive to remove its own imperfections, in order to be able to foster a pluralistic peace. Needless to say, in an age of increasing ‘globalisation of selfishness’, there is an urgent need to read and practise the Gandhian social and political philosophy in order re-evaluate the concept of peace.
📰 Choose ‘safe surrender’ over infant abandonment
•Last month in Tamil Nadu, a two-year-old girl was found alone in a government bus. The crying toddler was handed over to the Dharmapuri police station which traced her mother with the help of CCTV footage. The mother said that after a quarrel with her husband she had tried to abandon their child in the bus.
•In another incident in July, a two-week-old boy was found abandoned in a closed tea stall in very inclement weather in New Town, 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. He was rescued by the Technocity police station after a person alerted the police. The boy was given immediate medical aid. However, his parents could not be located.
•Reports of newborn children being found abandoned in garbage piles, dustbins, in bushes by the roadside or places of religious worship are not uncommon in India. Data by the National Crime Records Bureau show that no less than 709 criminal cases of ‘exposure and abandonment of child under twelve years’ under Section 317 of the Indian Penal Code were registered in the year 2021. It is pertinent to note that no case is registered when a child is surrendered to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) constituted under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (or the JJ Act).
Abandonment versus surrender of a child
•The moot question is this: If the child’s biological parents or the guardian do not want to or are unfit to raise the child, why do they abandon the child especially when there are so many people in India willing to adopt children? Especially when this number is more than the number of children available legally free for adoption? According to the portal of the Central Adoption Resource Authority, there were 2,991 in-country adoptions and 414 inter-country adoptions in 2021-22. Similarly, according to the 118th report on Review of Guardianship and Adoption Laws, presented to the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 2022), as on December 16, 2021, there were 2,430 children declared legally free for adoption for 26,734 adoptive parents-in-waiting.
•An abandoned child means a child who is deserted by his biological or adoptive parents or guardians, while a surrendered child is relinquished on account of physical, emotional and social factors beyond their control. The JJ Act, which has an overriding effect on other laws in force, provides that no first information report shall be registered against any biological parent in the process of inquiry relating to an abandoned and surrendered child. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that all efforts are made to trace the parents or guardians of the child without initiating any criminal action.
•It is always advisable to surrender a child rather than abandon him if the conditions to retain the child are beyond the control of parents or guardian. Abandonment endangers the child’s life. Surrender before the CWC is a guarantee that the child will be taken care of till he or she attains majority or is adopted by a fit and willing parent.
•As most of the reasons for child abandonment are an unwanted pregnancy, breakdown of a relationship, lower socio-economic status, either or both parents being drug addicts or alcoholics, a child can be considered eligible for surrender and declared so after the prescribed process of inquiry and counselling. Further, the disclosure of the identity of such children is prohibited and all reports related to the child are to be treated confidential by the CWC. Hence, there is nothing the parents need to fear about. Also, the surrender of a child does not entail any criminal action.
A liberal interpretation
•The Supreme Court of India has just given a liberal interpretation to the law on termination of pregnancy when it comes to single and unmarried women. Section 3(2)(b) Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 was amended in 2021 and the words “married woman” replaced with “any woman” and “husband” with “partner”. However, the corresponding rule (Rule 3B of the MTP Rules, 2003), was not amended, leaving scope for different interpretations by the lower courts. In view of this, the Supreme Court, in X vs The Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Department and Another (2022), held, while hearing an appeal, that the parliamentary intent was clearly not to confine the beneficial provisions only to a situation involving a matrimonial relationship. The Court passed an interim order to allow an unmarried woman petitioner to abort her pregnancy of 24 weeks arising out of a failed live-in relationship, subject to the Medical Board’s recommendations. The Court said that there was no basis to deny unmarried women the right to medically terminate her pregnancy, when the same right was available to other categories of women (divorcees, widows, minors, disabled and mentally-ill women and survivors of sexual assault or rape). With the top court’s clarification and the amended law, it is anticipated that unmarried women will be free of mental trauma.
Awareness is the key
•One of the major reasons for the abandonment of children is a lack of awareness about the law on the surrender of unwanted children. Since it is believed that most cases of unwanted pregnancies are known to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), daais and anganwadi workers, who have a strong network in villages, educating and sensitising them may reduce incidents of abandonment. The staff of nursing homes should also be included in such a programme.
•Although, the surrender deed is to be executed before the CWC, a parent or guardian may approach any police officer, public servant, childline services, recognised non-governmental organisations, voluntary organisation, child welfare officer or probation officer, social worker or public-spirited person, nurse or doctor or management of a nursing home, hospital or maternity home when wanting to surrender a child. It shall be the duty of such an authority or officer to produce the child before the CWC within 24 hours. Non-reporting of abandonment within the prescribed time is a criminal offence. Therefore, wide publicity needs to be given to these provisions of the JJ Act so that no child is deserted, and parents, guardians and functionaries who are mandated to report any abandonment do not face a risk.
📰 Understanding the Durga Puja economy
Brisker Puja sales may not implicate a better economic climate in West Bengal
•There is added enthusiasm in the celebration of Kolkata’s Durga Puja after its inclusion as the 14th entry from India in UNESCO’s ‘Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ last December. But like most major festivals, Durga Puja is not just a cultural extravaganza; it is an economic lifeline for West Bengal.
•But do we have reasons to be rejuvenated? Durga Puja is a gigantic event and an opportunity for millions to earn their livelihood. People spend generously by shopping, eating out and travelling. Annual festivities like the Rio Carnival, Japan’s Hanami, Munich’s Oktoberfest and Pamplona’s San Fermín and New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festival are estimated to contribute 1.35%-2.25% of the GDP to the corresponding economies. What about Durga Puja?
The Durga Puja economy
•Unfortunately, there are scanty studies to estimate the Durga Puja economy due to its multidimensional character. Activities go on through the year and include a mind-boggling combination of festivity, artistry, culture, entertainment, shopping, and food and drink. This makes the Puja truly unique. A 2013 ASSOCHAM study estimated the size of the Durga Puja industry at ₹25,000 crore, around 3.7% of West Bengal’s GDP at that time. And it projected a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 35%, which was much higher than that of West Bengal’s GDP. Understandably, such a huge CAGR is unlikely to continue for long. Also, we had the pandemic ravaging the world in between. So, it is never easy to quantify today’s Puja economy.
•A recent British Council study focused on 10 creative industries and indicated that a ₹32,377 crore creative economy, accounting for 2.58% of the State GDP, was generated during the 2019 Durga Puja in West Bengal. But this may be a much-curtailed picture — the study itself points to several sectors such as the unorganised retail market that “will add to creative worth” significantly.
•In the past too, Durga Puja was affected by socio-economic-political shocks. When Bengal was ravaged by a terrible famine in 1943, the editorial of the Bengali Saradiya (Puja Special) Anandabazar wrote: “The mother who is Annapurna, the goddess of plenty and always full, she has in the guise of a beggar woman with a begging bowl in her hand has today come at your door.” A much-cited article titled ‘Economics of the Durga Puja’, published in the Economic Weekly (now Economic and Political Weekly) in October 1954, portrayed a Puja environment amid a distressed economic condition. There was a flood in northern West Bengal and a drought in the south, and workers and clerks of Kolkata staged demonstrations for a Puja bonus while they didn’t receive their September wages and salaries.
•In 2020-21, the idol-making industry was in the doldrums, the lighting industry faced a power cut, and the retail market experienced a pandemic lull. But now, the Durga Puja frenzy is back. With renewed enthusiasm, can West Bengal hope for a strong comeback riding on the festive season?
A K-shaped recovery curve
•In the Economic Weekly article, Puja sales were portrayed as one of the most reliable criteria for gauging the incomes of the people, although statisticians and economists might prefer other sophisticated indices. Today, a ‘K’-shaped post-pandemic economic recovery is envisaged by different experts. While millions are coping with either job loss or wage cuts, those who remained well-off during the pandemic but couldn’t spend handsomely during the last two Pujas due to pandemic restrictions might make that up considerably by their spending. And that might help people lying in the lower hand of ‘K’ as well. But overall, in an increasingly uneven world, brisker Puja sales may not implicate a better economic climate in Bengal. As the seven-decade-old Economic Weekly article warned, better Puja shopping one year compared to the previous year might, indeed, be a sad reflection of the poor income of the average Bengali. However, while a burst of discretionary spending for costly items is likely, there might be a boost in the informal economy as well, simply due to the fact that a large section of society, belonging to the lower hand of ‘K’, might want to avoid items of the formal sector that need GST, etc.. That’s the Puja magic, for the time being.
📰 Telangana scoops Swachh Survekshan Gramin, 2022 award
President speaks of plans to make all six lakh villages in India free of open defecation in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin
•Telangana was ranked first for the cleanliness of its villages in the Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG), 2022, which looked into the sanitation status of rural areas. After Telangana, Haryana was placed second followed by Tamil Nadu in the Large States category.
•The Swachh Survekshan Gramin, 2022 award ranks States and districts on the basis of their performance attained on Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) parameters and engagement of the rural community in improvement of their sanitation status. Among smaller States and Union Territories, Andaman and Nicobar secured the first position, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Sikkim.
•“Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin is a movement to bring in behavioural change in our populace. The use of toilets, the habit of washing hands with soap and having water supply through taps acted as a shield for the country during the pandemic,” said President Droupadi Murmu, while giving away the awards.
•Ms. Murmu noted that since the launch of SBM-G in 2014, over 11 crore toilets had been built and about 60 crore people had given up open defecation. The second phase of the mission, launched in 2020, aims to make all six lakh villages in India ‘Open Defecation Free Plus’, she said. “Having achieved success against open defecation, we now have to address more complex and technical problems like solid and liquid waste management,” she added.
📰 ‘NEP prescribes no language; States can choose’
States will have the freedom to choose the language of instruction in the democratic and decentralised process laid out in the National Education Policy, 2020, says the head of the high-powered Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, dismissing the assumption of imposition of languages
•The Education Ministry in November 2021 constituted a high-powered committee, the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, for the promotion of Indian languages, led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Sanskrit proponent Chamu Krishna Shastry. The committee is tasked with preparing an action plan for the growth of Indian languages as prescribed under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which requires the mother tongue to be the medium of instruction. He speaks on the road map being readied by the panel. Excerpts:
The committee will soon complete one year. How much ground have you covered so far?
•We are making a study of the current situation of languages in schools, higher education institutions and other domains of language use, such as jobs. We have found that there are 35 mother tongues as mediums of instruction, and as part of the three-language formula, 160 languages and mother tongues are taught (for example, Hindi is a mother tongue and a language, while Garhwali is a mother tongue but not a language). The first roadblock in implementing NEP is providing study material, and our focus for the first year is to prepare books in the languages of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution from Class 1 to the postgraduate level.
What will be the key focus areas for promoting Indian languages?
•Apart from textbooks, we need to prepare teachers to be bilingual. Then, there is a need to ensure employment, not just teaching jobs for language students. We have held discussions with the Chairman of the National Skill Development Corporation on incorporating languages as a qualification.
•However, there is resistance from certain non-Hindi States, which say the NEP, 2020 imposes Hindi.
•It is the first time in NEP that we are seeing a strong push for Indian languages. No language has been prescribed. States will decide, they have the freedom to choose. It will be a democratic, decentralised process. There is no imposition.
Under the NEP, the mother tongue will be the medium of instruction till Class 5 or preferably till Class 8. How will it be implemented, say, in Delhi, where there is a plurality of languages?
I will answer this question in a different way. Before English, was there ever any conflict over languages? Borders of the States kept expanding or contracting, and there were new kings, but was there a dispute over language?
•There are many commonalities in Indian languages — their phonology is similar, 50%-60% of the vocabulary is common, sentence structure is common, subject-object-verb pattern is common, there is a common literary source, and similar aspiration, as a result of which people were able to understand different languages.
Since the NEP says either mother tongue or regional language can be medium of instruction, does that mean Tamil will be the medium of instruction in Tamil Nadu as the dominant mother tongue?
•This is the image created about Tamil. Weavers in Sivakasi speak Saurashtri, the Gounder community in Coimbatore speaks Telugu. There are also Malayalam- and Kannada-speaking populations. The State’s population is six crore and 30-35% of them speak other languages. Even Tamil has 12 or 13 different dialects. But for some special reasons, Tamil Nadu has only promoted Tamil. Now they will face problems [in implementing NEP] for only learning Tamil. Tamil is also on the wane in the State. In 2010, there were 75% Tamil-medium students in Class 12, and in 2020, this figure is down to 55%. Tamil is [on the decline] because of their policy. They have to change mindset.
What plans do you have for promoting the Hindi and Sanskrit languages?
•Hindi needs to be promoted just like all other Indian languages. Nearly 50% of citizens speak Hindi, so that is an advantage. Where there is English medium, it should be replaced with Hindi. There should be a desire or intent to learn Hindi, which will unify the country.
•Sanskrit so far has been taught through either English or Hindi, and the big push in NEP is for teaching Sanskrit through Sanskrit.
📰 NRIs to benefit from UAE’s new policy on immigration
•Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), especially Keralites who constitute the largest share of the Gulf diaspora, are elated at the UAE’s new immigration policy, which comes into effect on Monday.
•The new visa rules are said to be highly beneficial to expatriates, investors and tourists travelling to this Gulf Cooperation Council nation. “The multiple-entry visit visa is sympathetic to NRI students pursuing their studies in India or other countries. Besides, the new immigration policy allows the expatriate community to bring their family members and friends to the UAE for a longer stay,” Rajesh Rudran, a legal consultant based in Abu Dhabi, said.
•The advanced visa system includes a 10-year expanded golden visa scheme, a five-year green residency and new entry permits, including one for job seekers. While the multi-entry tourist visa allows visitors to stay in the UAE for up to 90 days, the five-year green visa is favourable for skilled workers, freelancers and the self-employed.
•The job exploration visa for degree holders does not require a sponsor or host. It will be granted to those classified in the first, second or third skill level by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and to fresh graduates from the best 500 universities in the world. Parents can sponsor their male children till the age of 25, up from 18.
•The amendment in the golden visa allows more professionals in medicine, sciences and engineering, information technology, business and administration on salaries above 30,000 dirhams (approximately ₹6.7 lakh) a month to secure a 10-year visa. Additionally, they can also sponsor any number of domestic labourers.
