Jharkhand Political Party Chief’s Son Marries An 11-Year-Old Girl And Lands In Trouble
BY THE INDIAN ENTERTAINER
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Jharkhand’s Political Party chief Tala Marandi has put himself and the party in an embarrassing situation after his son’s marriage. His son Munna Marandi was married to an 11-year-old girl. Jharkhand chief minister who was supposed to attend the marriage dropped out in the last minute to avoid any controversy. Now an FIR has been lodged against Munna Marandi for marrying the minor. The accused and his father have avoided questions over the issue and have refused to comment on the developments.
What is the state of child marriage in India?
1. The child marriage rates in India has drastically reduced from the sample surveys taken in 1998 and 2005. 2.Jharkhand has the highest child marriage rates prevalent in India at 14.1 %. 3. Many states have incentivized families for delaying child marriages up to the age of 18.
4. As of 2011 census, the child marriage rate prevalent in India is about 3.7%
Why is this marriage controversial?
There has been a renewed focus on the development of the girl child by the central government and the various states, for the ruling party chief to take the child marriage route is not only demeaning to the movement to save the girl child beside, the marriage is illegal according to the provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage act.
The Indian Entertainer appeals to the central government and state government to annul the marriage and take actions according to the law. That will renew the citizens faith in the government’s effort to eradicate child marriage.
Water ATMs Installed In Kolkata, Rural Areas Will Get It Too
BY THE INDIAN ENTERTAINER
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Kolkata now has a water ATM, a machine that will give one litre of pure drinking water at a cost of Rs 2. The coin-operated machine sells clean drinking water for two rupees which are way cheaper than what’s available in the markets right now. The water ATM is a government project and the rural focus given to this project is a unique aspect of it. Few other states have water ATMs but rural focus is found lagging in the other states. The water ATM has come as a huge relief to the citizens of Bengal given the blistering summer heat that is prevailing there. One water ATM has been installed at Ekdalia Park in South Kolkata.
One of the unique aspects of the German made water ATMs is the rural focus given to the project. A lot of people in rural areas are dependent on ponds and lakes for water drinking water which leads to water-borne diseases. Besides, West Bengal has a concentration of arsenic in its groundwater which is much higher than the international permissible standards. In lieu of this scenario, the water ATMs giving pure drinking water despite the presence of arsenic and fluoride should come as a huge relief to its citizens. Due to the low cost of pure water and the focus on rural areas , the water ATMs are expected to be received well.
The Indian Entertainer appreciates the government of West Bengal for its initiative to provide pure drinking water to rural areas. We request the government to extend this scheme to the far flung areas of Bengal until the last man and woman gets pure drinking water.
From 2017, Class XII Marks Will Get Less Weightage For Entrance To NITs
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From the next year, class XII board exam marks may carry less weightage than the currently prescribed 40 per cent for the National Institutes of Technology (NIT). The Central government has taken a decision to roll back its earlier decision of assigning 40 per cent weightage to class XII board examination marks and 60 per cent weightage to the candidate’s JEE (Main) performance for admissions in NIT.
The HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who is also the chairman of NIT Council, has decided that from 2017, NITs will not calculate ranks based on Board performance. They will follow the IIT rule of granting admission to candidates, who apart from qualifying JEE (Advanced) are either in the top 20 percentile of his or her school Board or has scored at least 75 per cent.
The earlier decision of giving weightage to Board performance was taken by the then UPA government under the former HRD Minister Kapil Sibal. He argued that with such decision, students will focus more on school education than only on coaching classes. But last three years report suggests that the number of tuition goers has increased to four per cent. That is why a decision has been taken to revert to the old structure.
Indian Entertainer hopes this decision brings relief to the students who suddenly get burdened after class 10th. Preparing both for competitive exams and board exams with same dedication is almost impossible for most of the students.
Elon Musk Says Tesla’s Model 3 Is Coming To India, Know About It
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The highly anticipated and widely followed product launches of the West generally belong to smartphones and gadgets. The hysteria and hype over the launch of, say a new iPhone, is unparalleled. But recently Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, took the stage in front of a cheering and bubbling crowd of journalists and customers to unveil an electric sedan vehicle dubbed Model 3. The cheers were for the man, who is highly respected worldwide for his futuristic vision of mankind, and for the ‘product’ itself: a sassy, all-electric, self-driving and affordable sedan car that promises to seduce the world away from fossil fuels.
Elon and Tesla:
For the uninitiated, Elon Musk is widely hailed as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time. He has founded and led path-breaking companies like Paypal, SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity. All of them have had an underlying theme of building products for the future, and a vision to sustain humanity in the universe. One of Musk’s most innovative companies has been Tesla Motors, named after the iconic inventor Nikola Tesla. The company has a stated goal to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport. It seeks to make electric cars go mainstream and completely replace the conventional gasoline cars which release toxic gases and lead to global warming. To that end, it has made compelling electric cars that are high on performance and style, in order to bring them at par with gasoline cars.
Excitingly, the recent models from Tesla Motors, the Model S, and Model X, have proved to be better than traditional cars, with features like self-drive capabilities, tablet display on the dashboard, ridiculously fast acceleration and ample of cargo space. Combined with the fact that they don’t run on costly fuel and can be charged for free at company’s own charging stations, Tesla Motors has really brought electric cars into focus that have been generally viewed as ugly, congested and less-efficient.
Model 3:
The Model 3 is the company’s latest and most affordable electric car. Priced at $35,000 (around Rs. 23 lakh), the Model 3 is at least two times cheaper than the next higher priced Model S. It is certainly the most important milestone in the company’s strategy as it aims to provide an eco-friendly mode of transportation to an ever-expanding middle-class. Some of the major features of Model 3 are:
1. A range of 215 miles (350 km) on a single charge, which Elon Musk expects to increase in further iterations of the car,
2. An eye-popping acceleration of 0-100km/h in 6 sec, which again is said to be the bare minimum the car will have,
3. Autopilot, with capabilities, to steer the wheel and change lanes automatically,
4. A 5-star rating in all safety categories, which is pretty much desired by everyone,
5. Room for five adults and ample of cargo space in both rear and ‘front’ trunk (possible because of absence of combustion engine in the front),
6. A full glass sunroof, which gives the feeling of openness and looks great, and
7. Powered by state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries that can charge on any standard voltage connector in any country.
Judging by the above specifications and the initial reviews pouring in from websites, the Model 3 does seem to have live up to its intended goal of making electric cars cool and mainstream. The price of the car is enticing enough for a middle-class user to buy it, especially in the US where electric cars are given subsidies by the government. As of now, Tesla Motors is taking preorders at a down-payment of $1,000, and not surprisingly, it has amassed orders worth $7.5 billion within 24 hours of going on sale.
Headed to India:
The Model 3 is also the first Tesla to be coming to India! Confirmed by Elon Musk himself on Twitter, the snazzy electric car, in all probability, is headed to India. This is a great news for Tesla fans and Elon fans, and also a welcome change in the Indian automobile landscape. The entry of Tesla Motors will force other companies to adopt similar technologies, and with financial support from the Indian government, electric cars can become very much conventional in India. This is something which is desperately needed here, given that Indian cities have continuously ranked as world’s most polluted cities, and have been forced to adopt drastic measures like Delhi’s odd-even.
Tesla Unveils Model 3
Indian Entertainer congratulates Tesla Motors and the man behind it, Elon Musk, for succeeding in making an electric car for the masses which can really change the global automotive scenario besides strengthening the fight against climate change given the fact automobile industry fuelled by fossil fuels contributes significantly to carbon emissions of the world.
Two-Wheeler Purchases Will Now Come With Helmets And Accessories In Kerala
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To ensure more people are wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers, Kerala’s Transport and Road Safety Commission has issued a directive that all riders across the state would get ISI-approved helmets free of cost at the time of delivery of the vehicles starting from April 1.
Not just helmets, other accessories like front and rear number plates, rear-view mirror, sari guard, crash guard and handle grip for pillion riders will also be provided during the time of delivery. The owners will not be charged for any of these accessories. The motorcycle manufacturers have been told that their right to operate in the state will be cancelled if such directive is not followed.
Such directive will be able to curb the number of accidents in the state involving bike riders. Last year, more than 20,000 cases of bike accidents were reported from Kerala, with the highest of 3,726 been reported from Thiruvananthapuram alone.
Indian Entertainer appreciates the initiative taken by Kerala to ensure people wear helmets while riding two-wheelers. We request other states to try to implement such rules, if it really works out to be a good decision.
Kolkata Flyover Collapse: A Timeline Of The Tragedy
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Vivekanand Bridge, which is near the busy Ganesh Talkies, collapsed at around 12.47PM on Thursday.
The flyover should have been completed three years ago and the completion of the project was reportedly delayed six times due to various reasons.
A flyover under construction in Kolkata collapsed on Thursday, trapping vehicles and street vendors in the debris. At least 14 people are feared killed and more than a 100 people are still stuck in the aftermath.
Residents apparently used their bare hands to rescue people pinned under a 100-metre long section of metal and cement that snapped off at one end and came crashing down in the teeming commercial district near Girish Park.
“The concrete had been laid last night at this part of the bridge,” resident Ramesh Kejriwal told Reuters. “I am lucky as I was planning to go downstairs to have juice. When I was thinking about it, I saw that the bridge had collapsed.”
Video footage aired on TV channels showed a street scene with two auto rickshaws and a crowd of people suddenly obliterated by a mass of falling concrete that narrowly missed cars crawling in a traffic jam.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose party is seeking re-election in the state of West Bengal next month, rushed to the scene. Here’s what she said:
“We will take every action to save lives of those trapped beneath the collapsed flyover. Rescue is our top priority,” she said.
Banerjee, 61, said those responsible for the disaster would not be spared.
Project hastened with an eye on elections
A newspaper report last November had stated that Banerjee wanted the flyover, already five years overdue, to be completed by February with a keen eye on the impending polls.
Project engineers had, meanwhile, expressed concerns over whether this would be possible, The Telegraph hadreported at the time.
This disaster can play a vital role in the West Bengal election, one of the five being held next month that will give an interim verdict on Narendra Modi’s nearly two years in power. Elections will be held in numerous states including Puducherry, West Bengal, and Assam.
Company washes hands off responsibility:
Indian company IVRCL was allegedly building the 2 km-long Vivekananda Road flyover, according to its web site.
IVRCL’s director of operations, AGK Murthy, said the company was not sure about what triggered the disaster.
“We did not use any inferior quality material and we will cooperate with the investigators,” Murthy told reporters in Hyderabad where the firm is based.
Casualties: A co-ordinated rescue operation was slow to get under way, with access for heavy lifting gear and ambulances restricted by buildings on either side of the flyover and heavy traffic. Police said that 78 of the injured had been taken to Kolkata’s Medical College Hospital after the disaster struck around noon.
“Most were bleeding profusely. The problem is that nobody is able to drive an ambulance to the spot,” said Akhilesh Chaturvedi, a senior police officer, to agencies.
Who is to be blamed? Eyewitness Ravindra Kumar Gupta, a grocer, said two buses carrying more than 100 passengers were trapped. Eight taxis and six auto rickshaws were partly visible in the wreckage as well.
“Every night, hundreds of labourers build the flyover and they would cook and sleep near the site by day,” said Gupta, who together with his friends, pulled out six bodies. “The government wanted to complete the flyover before the elections and the labourers were working on a tight deadline … Maybe the hasty construction led to the collapse.”
Rajnath Singh directs NDRF to send rescue personnel:
Responding to the Kolkata bridge tragedy, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday took to Twitter to offer his condolences to the kin of those who lost their lives in the mishap. He also asked the Director General of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to send sufficient rescue personnel to the accident spot.
“Deeply saddened to know that precious lives have been lost in the Kolkata accident. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased,” Singh said in a tweet.
Challenges faced during rescue ops:
Meanwhile, the NDRF teams are facing numerous problems with the rescue operations. Here’s a gist:
Crowded spaces:
According to reports, the area where the bridge collapsed is very congested, making it difficult for rescue operations to be conducted swiftly.”Our team is in contact with the West Bengal government. NDRF teams have been dispatched. We will send more NDRF teams and para-military forces if necessary,” said MoS Home Kiren Rijiju. “It was a very crowded place. It is very sad news. We will provide whatever support is needed,” he added.
Logistical challenges Several passenger vehicles, including a bus, were trapped under the debris, as operations were on to clear the rubble and rescue those trapped under. Huge cranes and other rescue vehicles were pressed into service to clear the debris and bring out the injured.
A PTI correspondent who was at the accident site saw a number of severely injured people lying in a pool of blood. A few were seen trapped under vehicles, concrete, and heavy steel girders.
A number of hawkers operate under the flyover which is also used for parking purposes.
Delayed rescue operations:Numerous eyewitnesses, who spoke to news channels, have criticised the rescue operations and delays involved. “There should be a very quick response. The rescue operation is very slow. It should be fast and should be done as quick as possible. After that, we can discuss what material was used,” an angry eyewitness was quoted as saying.
How will the incident affect Mamata Banerjee’s poll prospects?
Opposition parties slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on 31 March, holding her responsible for the collapse of the under-construction bridge.
Launching a blistering attack, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya held Mamata responsible for the incident. “We want an immediate action against those responsible,” he said.
CPI(M) leader Mohd Salim told India Today that the leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress were extorting money from the construction company. BJP leader Babul Surpiyo also slammed the TMC government for the tragic accident.
The Assembly polls in West Bengal are scheduled for April-May and the incident may affect the chances of the Mamata Banrejee-led Trinamool Congress government’s attempt to retain power in the state.
The Most Literate Village Of Asia Is From Uttar Pradesh
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Far from the stereotypical image we have of our Indian villages, the Dhorra Mafi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district has set a milestone that will shatter the cliches that villages are generally associated with. This village has regular electricity supply, 24×7 water supply, English medium schools and colleges. Dhorra Mafi holds a distinction of being the most literate village, not only in India, but the whole of Asia.
With a literacy rate of 75 percent, the place entered the ‘Limca Book of Records’ in 2002 and now it is going through the registration phase to enter the ‘Guinness World Records’. With a radius of approximately 3 kilometres, the village lie in close proximity to Aligarh Muslim University, for which according to the Pradhan of the village M Noorul Amin (a doctor by profession), Dhorra Mafi has always been in touch with the modern times. The place has a population of 20,000 and in spite of being self-sufficient with all necessary amenities, the village has not yet been included as a part of Aligarh city. A proposal has, however, been forwarded for consideration.
The others
While this village has earned its reputation as Asia’s most literate village, other villages of India have also set standards. Meghalaya’s small village Mawlynnong has earned the tag of ‘Asia’s cleanest village’ in 2003. Dharnai village of Bihar has become the first fully solar-powered village. Whereas Gujarat’s Punsari village is putting metros to shame with Wifi, CCTVs, AC classrooms and more.
Indian Entertainer is delighted on the progress the villages of India are making, yes, there is a lot of more work to be done before we could all rest. Until then, even as we strive and raise our voice to make our villages better, we have few examples as mentioned above to get inspired from.
In February, 2016, Malini Subramaniam, a contributor to the website scroll.in and Jag-dal, an all-women legal aid group were forced to leave the naxal-hit area in Chhattisgarh. In the past weeks, Hindi language journalists Prabhat Singh and Dipak Jaiswal were arrested. The former had circulated a comment against a senior police official in Chhattisgarh on a WhatsApp group. We witnessed the smearing of Soni Sori’s face with a corrosive material with the object of intimidating her and her peers. And now comes the turn of Bela Bhatia who, in an open letter to the Chhattisgarh state administration, details the way she has been harassed and her determination to stay in Bastar to serve the people.
Who is Bela Bhatia?
Bela Bhatia is a social scientist who completed her graduation in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Thereafter, she pursued PhD at the University of Cambride. Apart from her academic work what makes her stand out is the way she has been publishing fact-finding reports, being a part of many human rights and civisl rights initiatives all over India. She covered the Narmada Bachao Andolan and Bathani Tola massacare. She was also a part of the international Gulf Peace team after the first war on Iraq where she met Jean Dreze, an extraordinary economist and activist, whom she later married. After completing her PhD she also worked for Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi. As a result she studied the Telangana Naxal movement and Salwa Judum campaign of Bastar from close quarters. Thus, she is one of those researchers who believe that it is not merely sufficient to study a phenomenon but also to contribute meaningfully to solve a problem.
Walking her talk, Bela became a member of a team of experts constituted by the Planning commission for 11th five-year plan. The current National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was also a part of this team which was assigned the task of studying all areas suffering farmers’ distress in order to recommend corrective measures. The team unanimously reported in its finding that the country can be secure only if the fundamental rights of its citizens are protected.
Why is Bela Bhatia being intimidated?
“If somebody says you are a Naxal, does that make you one? Would you leave your place just because somebody wants you to?” This is the crux of the matter Bela has laid out in her open letter published in Catchnews.
On Saturday evening, a group of around 100 people with men, women and armed policemen in civilian clothes came to a hamlet on the outskirts of Jagdalpur area where Bela currently resides. The crowd interrogated her landlady as to why a “Naxalite terrorist”(aatankwaadi) had been given a room on rent. They told Bhatia’s landlady to “drive her out” (unko bhagaao). She has been labeled as a “Naxal stooge” and a “foreign stooge”, helping her husband to “break India”. It is to be noted that her husband was born in Belgium but later acquired Indian citizenship.
In November, 2015 and January, 2016, she had helped shed light on two instances of gang rapes and sexual assaults by security forces conducting anti-Maoist operations in remote villages, like Peddagalur village of Bijapur district. Three FIRs were lodged in two months and presented to the district collector. The accusations were followed by inquiry and investigations by Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS). Though no arrests have been made so far, the incidents can potentially hurt the interests of Chief Minister, Raman Singh. After all, this is the first time that security personnel have been booked under Criminal Law Amendment Act (2013).
For taking this daring step, Sori and Bhatia faced intimidation from the Samajik Ekta Manch who accused them of being Naxals, and of not raising issues of human rights abuses by Naxals. She had already been ousted from Parpa village when her landlord, a tailor for the CPRF, was boycotted.
Bela has been accused of fabricating the charges since she has been assisting the tribal groups with the legal processes, along with human rights activists. She admits that naxals are targeting innocent civilians which are to be clamped down upon. At the same time, her stand is that irrespective of the parties involved, it is unjust and criminal to assault women in the groups. “Democracy is not merely a system of governance. It is also a value system…. It means a society where everybody has freedom of speech,” she opines. She alleges that Samajik Ekta Manch wants a naxal-free Bastar but does not question the violence perpetrated on the Adivasis by the state administration.
She claims that she chose to study this topic because she wanted to understand what pushes citizens of a democratic nation to pick up arms against the state. The government has not been able to address the root cause behind the insurgency. Life for Adivasis is a daily struggle for survival in the hinterland where the benefits of democratic government do not percolate. Citing the 1967 rebellion of farmers in Siliguri, West-Bengal, she states that it was a fallout of centuries of poverty and exploitation – severe famine that year was the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back. Similarly, if the root cause of trouble for the Adivasis in Naxal-hit areas are not addressed then the problem will only be fuelled further.
Indian Entertainer community stands with Bela Bhatia in this hour of crisis. She is an epitome of simplicity and Gandhian principles who truly understands the meaning of democracy. It is undoubtedly correct that the state administration should nab and punish the Maoists who carry out nefarious activities, but to seal the area and intimidate journalists, legal-aid workers and social activists from the area is totally uncalled for. All those who help the innocents cannot be termed as Naxals, especially if there is evidence of what they have stated. Instead, the government would do well to study the report submitted by the committee constituted by the Planning Commission in its 11th five-year plan and execute the recommendations made so as to solve the root cause of all the trouble.
What happens in Bastar remains in Bastar. And anyone who makes any attempt to break this is broken, quite literally. Our collective silence and indifference to the suffering of the tribal population in Bastar is also a reason for what is happening there unchecked today. Here is one way to lend your support and stand in solidarity with the people residing there. Join the #OneMillionPostCardCampaign for #SoniSori #Bastar and send a post card to the chief minister of Chattisgarh.
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Tragedy In Tamil Nadu A couple of days back, a 19 year old teen lost his life to manual scavenging while trying to unblock a sewer line in Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. It was the second such incident in the state within a week. Before that, four people lost their life due to being asphyxiated in a similar task. The police have arrested three people in connection with the latter incident.
In both the incidents, it was reported that the workers had no safety gear on. However, it is contested by the municipality officials and they further claim that these deaths were due to accidents and not due to non-adherence to procedures.
Despite the passing of THE PROHIBITION OF EMPLOYMENT AS MANUAL SCAVENGERS AND THEIR REHABILITATION ACT, 2013, by the Indian Parliament more than two years back, the practice continues unabated in major cities across the country. It replaced an earlier act enacted in 1993, which had proved to be ineffective and had not seen a single conviction in 20 years.
The Key Provisions Of The New Act Included:
Prohibition of employment of people as manual scavengers, the manual cleaning of sewers and septic tanks without protective equipment and the construction of insanitary latrines.
Rehabilitation of manual scavengers as well as their families and providing for their alternative employment.
Mandatory conversion or demolition of insanitary latrines by the owner himself. If he fails to do so, the local authority will convert it and recover the cost from the owner.
Offences under it to be cognizable and non-bailable and may be tried summarily. Moreover, it provides for harsher punishments (upto 5 years for repeat offences) and higher penalties as compared to the previous act.
No person, local authority or any agency shall engage or employ, either directly or indirectly, any person for hazardous cleaning of a sewer or a septic tank. In fact, it will be their duty to use modern technology to clean sewers, septic tanks and other spaces within their control.
Fatal Employment
Take the case of Mumbai for example, which The Logical Indian also exemplified some months back. 30,000 people are employed as ‘conservancy workers’ by the Mumbai administration to unclog sewer lines with the use of their hands and some primitive tools. Due to the continuous exposure to poisonous gases, 20 sewer workers die each month and 80% die before they reach 60, a study by Tata institute of Social Sciences showed. The only thing they can do to safeguard themselves against these toxic gases is to lower a candle in the manhole to know if there is sufficient oxygen for them to enter it.
Appauling Numbers
The problem is far from being city-specific. The Socio-economic caste census released in 2015 shows that as many as 1, 80,657 households are engaged in this degrading work for a livelihood. Maharashtra (63,713) tops the list with the largest number of manual scavenger households, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura and Karnataka. A common feature is the denial of the existence of manual scavenging by the state and city administrations all across the country. The numbers are enormous, but have reduced when compared to the roughly 8 lakh people engaged in the activity as per the 1961 census. In 2014, Supreme Court noted that – “Of these (people employed as manual scavengers), over 95% are Dalits who are compelled to undertake this denigrating task under the garb of ‘traditional occupation’. The manual scavengers are considered as untouchables by other mainstream castes and are thrown into a vortex of severe social and economic exploitation”.
A Grim Situation For The Manual Scavengers
Despite the enactment of sever laws, to end it is not so easy. For instance, several women in villages who sought to leave manual scavenging told Human Rights Watch that local authorities failed to intervene when they faced threats from the households they served. As a punishment for leaving the job, they were denied access to community land and resources or threatened with eviction, sometimes even with the backing of village councils and other officials. Threats of violence are also a reality for people thinking of giving up the act. In cities, local government officials themselves employ people to work as manual scavengers. Those who carry out these jobs say they are resigned to their fate due to their lack of education. But a casteist society, an indifferent administration and political class also aid to the continuation of the dehumanization of the sewer workers.
A Welcome Step By The Ministry
Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot said in July 2015 that 2500 manual scavenger families, who clean human excreta with bare hands, had been identified so far. He added, “The government has given these families Rs. 40,000 aid money and is also given them skills training so that they can pursue alternative jobs. The Safai Karmachari Vitt Vikas Nigam is also extending credit to them so they can go for permanent jobs. We have started intervention work in Lucknow, Haridwar and Varanasi, and will be extending intervention to other States.”
The Indian Entertainer appreciated the work initiated by the honourable minister in this regard, but also disappointingly notes that the effort is too little and too slow. As a National Advisory Council resolution in 2010 noted – “Manual scavenging is the worst surviving symbol of untouchability”. Clearly, more needs to be done in this regard to remove this blot.
• ITBP(The Indo-Tibetan Border Police) is ready with its first female squad of 500 trained personnel to be deployed on Indo China border.
• The women, in the rank of constable, were inducted in border-guarding force after 44-weeks of training.
• Female squad will now be sent to frontier areas for final acclimatization before being deployed at ITBP posts.
• ITBP has a total of 1,661 women personnel in its various ranks and branches of work with the maximum number of 1,033 being in the constabulary ranks.
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The whole Free Basics controversy have brought different stake holders of the Internet at loggerheads. With TRAI recently castigating Facebook over Free Basics, TRAI has proved they are not someone who could be brushed aside by popularity. Recently Wikipedia has also distanced itself from Free Basics much to the delight of the proponents of Net Neutrality. We spoke to one of the staunchest critics of Free Basics, Mr Udaya Prakash, founder of a startup based in Bangalore. We asked him about Free Basics, the actions taken by TRAI and Wikipedia.
■ What is Free Basics & Net Neutrality?Free Basics intends to provide it is an open platform that gives Indian developers the opportunity to make their services and websites available free of cost to those who cannot afford internet access. Not all websites and apps that will be made available for free, which goes against the principle of Net Neutrality. Net Neutrality in simple terms would mean access to internet without discrimination.
■ How could Free Basics go wrong?The new users grow up thinking free basics is actually Internet. It would kill competition and breed monopoly as competitors will not be allowed. No new social network or messenger service can come up to challenge Facebook if free basics is widely adopted. As no competing services are allowed in the platform. There will be two internet lanes. One for the poor people, another the regular internet. The poor internet unlike the regular internet will be heavily regulated by Facebook and will not be neutral. There by defeating the fundamental law of the web, where every data is treated equally.
■ TRAI has cracked the whip on Reliance over Free Basics, your thoughts?TRAI took the commendable step for hearing out people’s opinions on Free Basics, its merits for continuation and enforcement. Facebook had tried to gather support for Free Basics by requesting its users to send a mail to TRAI showing support. However TRAI has rebuked the whole process as the email’s in support did not talk about differential pricing. It had wittily said the emails in support were not the answers to the question TRAI and critics of Free Basics had raised. TRAI had asked Reliance to suspend Free Basics operations and issue a compliance report for the same. It shows TRAI is actually listening to activists and condemning Zuckerberg is proof that TRAI doesn’t treat policy decisions as a popularity contest.
■ On Wikimedia distancing itself from Free BasicsWikipedia have distanced themselves from Free Basics which comes as a shot in the arm for the critics of Free Basics. Free Basics have found the going getting tough by everyday on establishing Free Basics in India. For Zuckerberg’s next billion users, China is not an option whilst India is a necessity. And for Free Basics to spread to other developing countries, how India reacts or rejects will be pivotal.
The Indian Entertainer commends the activists for raising their voice and also lauds TRAI for their consultative approach and the bold stance they have taken. The Indian Entertainer is firm on their stance against Free Basics and are certain about the catastrophic consequences of the same.
