09 April 2018
News
EC to take a call on electoral bonds soon
Election commission of India previously opposed to the idea of electoral bonds. It stated it as a retrograde measure in the effort to make political funding transparent. The amendment to section 29C of RPA has made it no longer mandatory for the parties to report the details of donations received through the bonds. It is not clear how the details of bonds are shared with election commission.
Editorial
Broken Houses
The budget session ashamed democracy. Parliament failed to articulate interests of people. Legislative work is not finished. Speaker failed to use her discretionary power to suspend agitating MPs. Regional aspirations hijacked national assembly.
New systems and procedures need to be put in place to conduct a legislative business.
The fall of Lula
Lula raised from a small ice trade union leader to the president of Brazil. His workers party is most popular and he is the front runner to the office of president. Amongst these he was convicted by the court in corruption charges on a very little evidence. By imprisoning most popular leader on such a weak evidence at a time when the polarised country is ruled by unelected elite, judiciary have heightened divisions.
Smoke in the woods
1988 forest policy was a departure form the past. It recognised multiple roles of forests and prioritised environmental stability over revenue maximisation. It also acknowledged that needs of forest department communities must be the first charge on forest produce. It also emphasised people involvement in protecting and regenerating forests. In a nutshell, it has clearly understood the limitations of state managed forestry.
Joint forest management initiated in 1990’s failed to reach expectations on people involvement. Though thousands of forest communities are created but were not given autonomy. It also did not have a legislative backing.
- Forest rights act have provided for community ownership and gave it legal status. Once community forest rights are recognised, any diversion of land need permission of gram sabha.
- Supreme Court of India, to regulate fires diversions introduced a net present value charge on lans diverted. But, no role was given to local communities.
2018 Draft forest policy prioritises forest productivity through Public private partnerships. Forest development corporations are expected to be the vehicles. It has reduced community participation to synergy between Gram sabha and JFM committees. Challenges of this are
- Mono plantations are expected to grow at the cost of diversity.
- Forest Bureaucracy will gain significance over communities in protecting and nurturing forests.
Inclusion and right to dignity
Affirmative action policies, Dalit literary works, electoral politics are able to organise and mobilise Dalits. yet, caste based discrimination continues in social interactions. This Disrespect reinforces other injustices confront by the community in everyday life. It codifies inequalities, governs unequal access to opportunities and propels multiple atrocities. so, state institutions need to be sensitive to concerns of Dalits.
Tragedy of Irony
Press council of India needs to be a non partisan player. Its very composition reflects the same. It consists of chairman and 28 Members. Six editors, seven senior journalists, six media managers, one representative from a news agency, one nominee each from Bar council of India, UGC, Sahitya Akademi, three members of Lok sabha and two members of Rajya Sabha.
The present Chairman has rejected nominees from Journalist bodies citing technical reasons, there by undermining its basic structure.
Triple Talaq - A case to withdraw the triple talalq bill
- No person can be Jailed for a crime that is not a crime.As per supreme court judgement, Instant Triple talaq is no more legally valid.
- Pronouncement of Triple talaq shall not be considered as an emotional abuse under protection of women from domestic violence act. Inconsequential words can not be criminalised.
- It is violative of provisions of Art 21 of the constitution. Supreme Court of India in Maneka Gandhi case has clearly stated that Art 21 also has due process of law. It means a law has to be Just, fair, and reasonable.
Social Media
Social Media if it tries to use social graph as a profit centres it is bound to create ethical disasters.
Why Indian firms fail to innovate
- Internal inadequacies - lack of managerial capability, urge to have a quick success.
- Externalities beyond companies control - Ex - access to public data.
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