Shimla Water Crisis: Conserve And Recycle

Its almost end of the hottest month of the year (June) in Shimla. Thankfully, capital of Himachal Pradesh this summer has remained, by and large, bereft of acute drinking water supply woes. 

Shimla has been facing the drinking water supply crisis in summer since long. Remember the unprecedented water crisis of June 2018, when queen of hills  literally ran out of drinking water for over eight days, The crisis was so acute that hoteliers had put up notices requesting visitors “we are in water crisis, don’t come to Shimla.” Protests broke out across the town and people even marched to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s official residence "Oakover' at midnight to apprise him of their plight. 

During  2018 peak summer, the water availability in Shimla  had dipped to 18 million litres per day (MLD) against the requirement of 44 MLD. Until last summer, the average water availability in summer used to be around  19 to 20 MLD as against average requirement of 40 to 44 MLD. The leakages and pilferage from pipelines added to the crisis. A study done by WAPCOS Ltd, a government agency set up to assess drinking water supply and demand position in 2017-18, had found that around 47 percent of drinking water pumped for supply to the town was going to waste due to leakages and pilferage. 

And then 25 percent leakages in distribution meant that over 70 per cent of water was being wasted. There were other mismanagement issues, like water being supplied to influentials, unauthorised buildings and establishments including hoteliers and illegal colonies. Some hoteliers had more than one connection. Finally, tourists visiting  Shimla  during the summer added to the water woes of Shimalites. Approximately, some 20,000 to 25,000 tourists come to Shimla every year. 

But no more this year. Water availability and supply data shows that total availability of water from eight main sources — Gumma water supply, Old Gumma scheme, Nauti khad, Giri river, Churat pumping station, Seyoug supply scheme, Chaid and Koti-Brandi — was at a record high in June. As per available record around 50 to 55 MLD of water was being pumped through the main supply system. Its more than the average requirement of the capital city. As such, there was no water rationing this summer. 

Undoubtedly, Jairam Thakur has done better of all and worked on war footing to end the drinking water crisis in state capital town, But will this work in long run as present measure is a "Band Aid" (environment expert Sunita Narain quote). Being an expanding urban city, Shimla population is projected to be more than 4 lakh in next ten years and the average water requirement is also likely to be doubled. The town oldest Gumma water supply scheme from Nauti Khad was originally designed for the requirements of nearly 25,000 population.  Gumma water scheme can't sustain for long. It has to be sourced from Sutlej. Giri has installed capacity of 20 MLD. only half of the capacity is being pumped in. Gumaa water scheme run into problem during summer as local farmers also tap the water of Nauti Khad for growing cash crops. 

So, one of the prerequisites of demand and supply management is to ensure there is no mismatch. Apart from augmenting supply, the wastage due to leakages and pilferage and ill-distribution is altogether stopped. The ultimate solution to Shimla drinking water crisis lies in conservation and recycling of waste water. Much of waster water can be recycled. For example, water used for bathing, washing can be recycled to flushing. Rainy water storage in all govt and non government buildings should be nade mandatory.  There is a need to save every drop of water. Its not only authorities, citizens have also bigger role to play. We must remember, if we don't conserve and recycle the available water, next war is going to be fought for water.      

(Chander Sharma)

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Ban Lavish Weddings

The costly 200 Crore Weddings Of South Africa-based controversial Gupta family in  Uttarakhand has once again underlines the need to curb "the show off" at expensive Indian weddings.  

The wedding celebrations of Guptas'  two sons took place in Auli between 18 to 22  June. Almost all the hotels and resorts were booked. Flowers were imported from Switzerland for the high-profile marriages.

Several chief ministers, Bollywood actors like Katrina Kaif, yoga guru Baba Ramdev attended the wedding. Ramdev also conducted a two-hour yoga session at the wedding. Choppers were hired to ferry the guests.

In the aftermath, now Auli municipal corporation in Uttarakhand's is facing the challenging task of cleaning up the waste left by the wedding celebrations. 

Its not only rich men, Indian politicians  have never shied away from such extravaganza.In 2011 Congress minister Kanwar Singh spent over 250 crore on his son wedding and the minister’s son received a Bell 429 helicopter as a wedding gift from his in-laws, who happen to be Haryana ex-MLA. The wedding was attended by 15000 guests.The groom’s tika was done with 2.5 crore while the families’ tika with 1 crore.

And most of us remember Karnataka BJP leader and ex-minister Gali Janardhan Reddy of the BJP throwing a mind-boggling Rs 500-crore wedding for his daughter at the time of demonetization. While stood in long queues at the banks for cash, king Reddy threw  away currency notes on lavish sets and jewelery.

Tragically, weddings in India are seen as "show off" of your status and fulifilment of an important social duty.Even on contemporary modern India, ask any middle-class family about their dreams? They will instantaneously say: “to build a house” and “children’s marriage”. There is a strong belief that if you fulfill this social duty, you will get Nirvana. 

No matter, a person will have to float a loan and bear the brunt of "Sahukaar" (lenders) high interest rest of his life. And the high profile weddings serve as social reminder to Indian hapless middle-class father. If not hypocrisy, it is the peer societal pressure which makes many of us to indulge in 'out of pocket' show off weddings. In this ultrasonic internet age, a law is needed to curb this  wedding "hypocrisy".    
In a country where one fifth of the population struggle to earn for two-time meal, such an hypocritical status symbol has to be curbed by all means.

Am genuine attempt was made by MP Ranjeet Ranjan in 2016, by moving  the Marriages (Compulsory Registration and Prevention of Wasteful Expenditure) private bill in parliament.The  bill proposed to limit the number of guests and dishes served to avoid waste, and also put a "tax" on the most extravagant newlyweds.Those who spend over 500,000 rupees ($7,500; £6,000) was to give 10% of the overall cost to poorer brides to help them pay for their weddings.

The Bill also proposed that "if any family intends to spend more than Rs 5 lakh towards expenditure on marriage, such family shall declare the amount proposed to be spent in advance to the appropriate government and contribute 10 per cent of such amount in a welfare fund which shall be established by the appropriate government to assist the poor and Below Poverty Line families for the marriage of their daughters".

Another bill was introduced in 2017 in the Lok Sabha by Gopal Chinayya Shetty of the BJP, Earlier, in 2011, Akhilesh Das Gupta also introduced a bill to curb extravagant weddings in the Rajya Sabha.

As many as  ten  such bills were introduced in the Parliament in the last 35 years. Five of these bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha and the remaining five in the Rajya Sabha.   Seven of them have lapsed. The three are still shown as pending on the Lok Sabha website. Let us hope prime minister Modi's "New India" vision has some place for curbing " lavish wedding".

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The Plight Of A Common Man In India

Its a curse to be a commoner in India. The ill-fated undistinguished hapless man lacking class or rank distinction or special attributes is treated even worse than an animal.There are non-government organisations (NGOs like PETA, BJP leader  Maneka Gandhi and many more) championing genuine animals'plight but no one speaks from hearts for common man. 

He is looked down upon by elite and super rich, treated as pawn in their hands, meant to serve their vested interests. Remembered once in  five years for vote by hungry netas and then dumped till another election. At public places, he is made to stand in long queues and  to wait for hours. During a crisis  like demonetization, he has to become an unsung martyr, sacrificing his life for "political" cause, And this guy is so innocent, he votes for those who are responsible for his sufferings.

The much celebrated proverb "Govt of the people, by the people and for the people" is a hollow slogan and lost the relevance in the highly orchestrated democratic set-up where only rich and resourceful can participate and win elections. Poor can't even independently exercise his franchise.Leave aside, elections, isn't it a pity that a new born died on the stairs of a govt hospital in Bareilly after being shunted between two Wings. The doctor on duty at the men's wing of the Bareilly hospital refused to examine the newborn and referred her to the women's wing in the same complex. 

But there, the parents were told that there is a shortage of beds. They were told to go back to the men's wing. In the process, the baby was lost. The lips sympathies can not bring back the baby to grief stricken parents, But who cares for commoner. Now see what would have happened in this hospital, if  the same incident  had struck a distinguished, class or ranked family. Heaven would have fallen, and all top doctors would have bee-lined to treat the baby. This discriminatory treatment doesn't hurt common man, but undermines and uproot the system. India's history is replete with such instances.

While the nation is deeply aggrieved at the sorry state of affairs in Acute Encephalitis hit Bihar. the local "netas" are busy i playing politics.  As many as 139 children have died till date. Unconfirmed reports claim that the number has crossed 150. Hundreds of children are admitted to hospitals. mostly at Muzaffarpur for treatment of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) which is characterized by sudden onset of high fever and convulsions.

The high number of deaths  has been blamed on hypoglycemia or sudden drop in blood sugar levels. Experts attribute this to malnutrition and consumption of unripe litchi on an empty stomach and failure to administer glucose within four hours of the onset of fever and other symptoms. Its a grave crisis and govt should have moved on war footing. But our netas continue to dump common  citizens. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar refused to take queries from journalists when they tried to seek his reaction on the outbreak. Worse, minister Prem Kumar sprinkled salt on victimized families' wounds on Friday saying that a conspiracy was hatched to defame the state. 

Tragically, a nation’s destiny is, to great extent, shaped by the body of polity despite the fact that  all societies across the globe believe that ‘politics is dirty’. The common refrain is that a good or gentle  man, should never join politics. This sentiment runs in India deep where average citizen  still believes in the thumb-rule of distancing himself from pure political activity. This is one of the reasons, why common man is still not a forceful voice. 

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Distressed Farmer And Increasing Subsidies

India And United States have one commonalty, Both spend colossal amount on farm subsidies and other incentives. As such, farmers In India should be the happiest one. But ground realities are quite different. Despite enjoying a slew of incentives including tax exemption; subsidies on fertilizes, energy and water for irrigation; low-interest loans; cheap crop insurance; high tariffs to block food imports; and price supports for more than 20 crops. and loan wavers, Indian farmers are a distressed lot and many of then end their life by committing suicide.

As many as, 45 farmers commit suicide each day in India, according to e National Crime Records Bureau . Moreover, out of the total deaths, around 15 per cent suicide victims are women farmers. This grim situation calls for immediate remedial measures. Farmers are the backbone of the economy and , no country can progress if farming community remains economically stressed.

Prime minister, Modi has promised to double farm incomes by 2022. Before, parliament elections, he announced a fresh bonanza for farmers.-raising support prices for the coming harvest, PM also vowed to pay growers 150% of the cost of their inputs, guaranteeing a healthy profit. Let us hope, PM fresh initiatives come to the rescue of distressed farmers.

India is not only the country sustaining massive farm-support plans, United Sates is even far ahead in this regard. US federal government spends more than $26 billion a year on subsidies for farm businesses.

In US new deal era, the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The Government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant on part of their land. There are nearly 2.16 million farms in the United States as against 118.7 million farmers in India. . However, the number of farm in the U.S. decreased to 2,029,200 in In 2018.

This is because federal govt encourage farmers not to grow crops and pay for their loss. The agricultural price support programs ensure that farmers could always sell their crops for enough to support themselves. The price support program meant that farmers had to incur the expense of plowing their fields, fertilizing, irrigating, spraying, and harvesting them, and then selling their crops to the government, which stored them in silos until they either rotted or were consumed by rodents. So. It is much cheaper just to pay farmers not to grow the crops in the first place. Through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), farmers receive rental payments in exchange for not farming their land – and these contracts can last 10 to 15 years.Last year, US taxpayers had to even fork out over $1.8 billion to pay farmers not to farm their land.

Undoubtedly. paying people not to do work looks be politically awkward. So the government coined the program as an environmental one rather than an income maintenance scheme. As described to the public, it was compensation to farmers for retiring acreage to reduce fertilizer and pesticide runoff into the nation’s water supply.

So far so good. after WTO ( World Trade Organization) came into being in nineties, massive farm-support plans in the United States and India are troubling most of the European countries as farmers here have been raising their voice for farm subsidies like U.S. And India.

Members of World Trade Organization submitted questions to the WTO's quarterly agriculture committee meeting showed on Monday over how US And India farm support plans could double farm income ?

The European Union has asked India to explain how PM Modi proposed to spend 25 trillion rupees ($357.5 billion) on agriculture and rural development, doubling farmers' incomes by 2022 as part of a 100 trillion-rupee, five-year infrastructure splurge.

The WTO has strict rules about the size and nature of payments, and member governments keep a close watch for any competitors who might be cheating. Their questions -- 62 pages for the June 25-26 meeting -- can range from requests for clarification to outright allegations of illegal handouts.

U.S. President Donald Trump made boosting farm incomes a priority. Trump is trying to offset domestic damage from a tariff war with China; PM Modi faces a slowdown in India's agriculture-dominated economy

The United States also questioned India's 5% export subsidy for non-Basmati rice and its growing state buying of wheat at rising prices, despite back-to-back record harvests. The United States and Australia also wanted details of India's new "transport and marketing assistance" for agriculture, which Australia said was an export subsidy that should be phased out.

The United States is also facing enquirers from Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, New Zealand and Ukraine about Trump's $16 billion "market facilitation package".All these anxieties raise questions over farm subsidies. More subsidies can hamper free trade.

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Meek Submission Doesn't Suit Virat Kohli

The 'war" like World Cup clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday saw some interesting twists. And Indian skipper Virat Kohli  walking out of filed eve before umpire decision is one of these. Kohli was well on course for a big knock ans India for a massive score.

 But then, there was a sudden twist. In a bat and ball duel between  Kohli and Pak's left-arm fast bowler Amir.  Indian skipper tried to hook his bouncer but in the process edged the Kohli willow  to wicket keeper gloves. Kohli walked off the field on his own. though Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed didn't appeal and umpire didn't give him out.

Later, the replays also revealed that there wasn't an edge at all. The UltraEdge presented a clearer picture. There was a sound spike, which Kohli later indicated in the dressing room as a mere click from the handle of his bat. It was the 48th over when Kohli was dismissed.  His departure in the crucial death overs slowed down the final onslaught as Vijay Shankar and Kedar Jadhav could guide India to 336. Had Kohli remained on the crease, India would have finished 350 plus. 

We may appreciate Virat Kohli sportsmanship but it wasn't a good decision at a crucial moment. In a high-octane match like this one, every member of the team is expected to do his best. In normal course, Kohli should have waited for the umpire decision. The umpire didn't react as there was no appeal from Pakistan side. In cricket, players are not expected to be guided by the emotions. Kohli is known for his "aggression"  and he does better in his style. Submitting mutely to a war like clash doesn't fir his larger than life size image. 

Fans are overwhelmed to see Kohli breaking Sachin Tendulkar's record to become the fastest player to reach 11,000 ODI runs. Kohli reached the milestone in 222 innings to become the new holder of the record after Tendulkar had achieved the milestone in 276 innings.  

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The Similarity Between Me And Trump

Most of the time, we make glaring typo mistakes and often, a few of them escape our attention. We can drive some comfort to know that typos mistakes are very common and even more frequent in US, the mother of American English. 

Today, I was amused to find that US president could not spell even"Wales", a country part of England. which he visited recently. Trump spelled "wales" as "Whales". 

Once he misspelled  border as broader. He twitted," Big danger. Nancy and Chuck must approve Boarder Security and the Wall!”

And  misspelled 'smoking' as "smocking, " Democrats can’t find a Smocking Gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia after James Comey’s testimony". 

People were amused on Trump’s misspelling of the idiom “get off scot-free”, when he  wrote, "his wife and father-in-law (who has the money?) off Scott Free. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.
.
Hollywood  actor Chris Evans reacted furiously  After Trump misspelled “counsel” as "Councel"

Read Trump tweet." .. Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel, only with my approval, for purposes of transparency".

In May 2018, Trump stunned American when misspelled "role: as "Roll" by twitting “Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.”

Earlier he used a term  ‘covfefe' that was not understood by even Emglish teachers. He wrote,  “Stop trying to make covfefe happen” to “Hold my covfefe” to “Ask your doctor if covfefe is right for you” to “#covfefe: when you get tricked into emailing the nuclear password to that Nigerian prince.”) When the president tweeted again, at 6:09 a.m. on May 31, 2017, it was to say this: “Who can figure out the true meaning of ‘covfefe’ ??? Enjoy!”

In 2016 Trump misspelled "lose" as "loose"Ted Cruz is totally unelectable, if he even gets to run (born in Canada). Will loose big to Hillary. Polls show I beat Hillary easily! WIN!

Once he misspelled  unprecendeted as "unpresidented”. In December 2016, Trump tweeted: “China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters – rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act.”

And latest version of Trump's erratic spelling habits on Twitter was spouted again Thursday when he wrote about having recently met with the "Prince of Whales." Its Wales, not "Whales" ( Giant fish), currently the venue of ICC World Cup.

The "learned" president of U.S., whose mother language is English could not even spell "honored *American) or "honoured (Common). He twitted  “I am honered to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States.”

But then not only Trump there are others who are as careless in spelling. 

Guests to  2018 State of the Union address received an invitation with one (seemingly) obvious error: It was written as the State of the “Uniom.”

✔
@lbarronlopez
 Republicans may have to recall all State of the Union tickets because they say "Uniom" not "Union," per two Dem aides.

The Department of Education’s W.E.B. Du Bois flub

The Department of Education caught a lot of flack on Twitter for misspelling the name of NAACP co-founder and activist W.E.B. Du Bois — as “DeBois” — while quoting him.

U.S. Department of Education
✔
@usedgov
 Education must not simply teach work - it must teach life. – W.E.B. DeBois

So guys, don't be ashamed or sorryful if yo happen to misspelle but it will reflect your poor brousing habit. Whenver, there is a doubt, its better to consult Google dictionary Technology has enriched us with fast and convenient tools. Use it. 

(Chander Sharma)

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Semblance of Of Fascist And Authoritarian Rule

“Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don't discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it's stupid ”, Journalist, Novelist Anna Quindlen had warned number of times.

But such sane voice go over head of the power-drunk rulers. A few unfortunate incident in India biggest state- Uttar Pradesh- ruled by saffron party, the custodian of Indian ethos, are most disturbing. A journalist was arrested for tweeting objectionable material against Yogi Adityanath. The scribe Prashant Kanojia had shared a video on Twitter and Facebook in which a woman is seen talking to reporters outside CM house claiming that she had sent an marriage proposal to Yogi.

And that was enough provocation and police immediately booked the scribe under IPC and IT acts. However, he was later released by the country top court. In latest development a journalist on Shamli district of UP was punched, slapped and urinated in mouth a group of policemen. The incident has been video recorded. His only fault was that he was covering the derailment of a train in Shamli district.

Sadly, the incident happened just after the Supreme Court ruled that "liberty of citizens is sacrosanct and non-negotiable". These two incidents just underlines the authoritarian thinking of our rulers and police actions can, in no way, be justified in a democratic set up where Citizens have many inherent constitutional rights. Right to personal liberty is one of many Does posting an video of an simple reporting act provide enough grounds and call for invoking penal actions? And how is that covering an train accident is seen as an act of offence. If such is the thinking of our rulers, then country is surely heading towards authoritarian streak.

The perception is growing stronger that ever since Narendra Modi became prime minister in 2014, India has grown deeply divided along ideological and religious lines. Under saffron party dispensation at center and states, religious minorities and dissenters have been become target of saffron outfits.There is also an impression that party top leaders have largely remained silent about violence against such groups.On the contrary, they have even gone too far as to laud such acts.

In August 2015, Malleshappa Kalburgi, an Indian scholar who criticized Hindu idolatry, was murdered by Hindu right-wing groups. His death was later celebrated on Twitter by activists from Bajrang Dal, another right-wing Hindu group whose members are strong supporters of saffron part. On same year, a 50-year-old Muslim man, Mohammad Akhlaq, was killed by a mob for allegedly committing the “sin” of eating beef. In 2017, a prominent critic of Hindu groups, journalist Gauri Lankesh was slained. In all of these cases, the PM Modi didn't react, neither condolence or condemnation. Worse is the saffron party leaders and activists routinely label protesters as “anti-national.”

The latest incidents only add to the list of "fascist" incidents. What is worrisome is that in Kanojia case, no one from fraternity came forward to his aid. Here, I wish to remind a latest similar case in Russia. The Kremlin has dropped all charges against an investigative reporter Ivan Golunov accused of drug dealing after a massive public outcry over the case. Drug dealing is more serious a crime then so called "offensive" post. .In a rare public show of support, Russian newspapers rallied around Ivan Golunov and after a massive public outcry over the case, govt had to buckle/

Indian democratic ethos are strong enough to withstand and fascist or authoritarian onslaught. All we need is to vociferously champion the genuine causes.

(Chander Sharma)

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Kathua Rape Case: Full Justice Not Delivered

The life sentence to "rapists" of the 8-year nomadic Kashmir girl by a trial court  doesn't meet the requirement of the law as enacted by the Modi govt. Last year, Indian parliament had  passed a stringent legislation prescribing death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years. In the aftermath of rape and murder of  Kathua girl, the government had promulgated an ordinance on April 21, 2018. As the new law prescribes harshest punishment to the heinous and inhuman crime of child rape, the life sentence to four accused and letting one prime accused free for want of evidence is not only inadequate but runs contrary to the spirit of amended law. 

The gravity of the crime in Kathua rape case is no less than other such cases. Infact, Khatua rape case assumes more seriousness because of regional hiatus and the dirty politics played after the crime was committed. All efforts were made to protect the "rapists" and even state machinery was used to prevent the justice to the victim family. The chargesheet filed in the court made it clear that it was a carefully planned strategy to out the minority nomadic community from Kathua. It was the darkest day in Indian history and blot on its cultural ethos tat even local leaders including  ministers came forward to shield accused.  Travesty of the justice was that  even lawyers prevented  crime branch officials to file a charge sheet in the case. Finally, Supreme Court had to intervene and case was transferred to  Pathankot, a neighboring city in Punjab. 

Capital punishment have been awarded to rapists even before the amended law was enacted. In Nirbhaya rape-murder case that shook the nation's conscious, death sentence were awarded to the accused and upheld by the Supreme Court. The apex court even rejected   rejected the claims of  not being present at the crime scene. In Kathua rape case, court has acquitted one prime accused on the alibi that he was not present at the crime scene. This doesn't conform to the spirit of top court ruling. Its often  a clever ploy to hide the presence at crime scene  by forging documents.

There have been fast-track justice in recent child rape cases  and the Indore case is the fastest. In May 2018, a fast-track court in Indore awarded death sentence to rapist of a three-month old girl. Another trial court in Madhya Pradesh's Satna  awarded a death sentence to a school teacher  for raping a four-year-old girl. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to enact a law in December 2017, providing  death penalty for rapists of girls below 12 years of age. Later, many states followed the suit. 

In 2013, a local court in Mumbai  had awarded death penalty to a man  for raping and killing a five-year-old girl . The verdict was delivered within six months of the crime.
However, trial delays make the death sentence ineffective, In the last 14 years, out of 371 prisoners on the death row, only 4 have been executed and out of these only one was rapist. 

The long wait and legal wranglings sprinkle salt on victims and their families' wounds. In Nirbhaya rape case distraught  mother pressed for a speedy execution of the death sentence. “There have been times when my faith in law and justice is restored but as the court hearings get deferred by I feel extremely hopeless,” Nirbhaya’s mother had told a newspaper.

She had to suffer more pain  after Supreme Court reserved its order on the plea of two of the four condemned convicts seeking a review of its 2017 verdict upholding the death penalty.

The new law on sexual abuse of children  will be useful only when instant and speedy justice is delivered  and rapists are sent to gallows at he earliest . 





  

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Why Aren't Our Cop As Smart As Army Men ?

Have you ever noticed why cops are bodily and physically not as smarter as army men. If you look at the visual images of police men on duty, you will find most of them are pot-belled, their body language looking lazy and sluggish. But you will always find army men fit and slim. Like expressive human face  conveying countless emotions without saying a word, body language also reveals the human ability to deal with a particular situation. A slim body will, definitely, react more smartly and attentively then a pot bellied man.

Civil Police (it has armed wing as well) in India or for that matter  anywhere in the world is the custodian of maintaining law and order and providing security to citizens, whereas army protects citizens from external aggression. All over the world, internal security and law and order get added attention as law and order and citizen's security is a minute-to-minute and day-to-day problem. External aggression is not as frequent as day-to-day law problems. The point is, why not  police force should be as smart, well-trained and well-equipped as army? In fact, internal security system has to be more foolproof and responsive. Unfortunately, in India more attention is paid to protecting rulers and influential than the ordinary citizens.This mindset hasn't helped the internal security issue  getting high priority

Worse, the image of police in India is that of a corrupt and lethargic force, solely commanded by and meant for ruling class. Not only poor but even higher people are often afraid of approaching the police for help. On the contrary, army men are held in high esteem and people adore them. This marked difference in perception calls for immediate corrective measures. It is difficult but not impossible. 

As a first step, it should be mandatory for cops to shed weight. We often hear news of different states asking pot bellied cops to reduce weight but next day it is forgotten. Authorities should be serious and there has to be some deterrent in place.                    

There is also a feeling that the ingenious method of ‘cadre management’ of assured promotions for cops has led to complacency. It was recently revealed that out of the total 400 IPS officers in UP, more than half are of the level of DIG and above, with as many as twenty DG rank. In a small state like Himachal, there are five DGP rank officer,  9 IGs and 8 DIGs.  This high ratio of the officers (demanding more subordinate staff) can't help a disciplined force. It only results in leaving a few officers to field when the chips are down. Its a time tested fact that soldiers can fight battle, if they are led from the front. The data of the past decade points out steep rise in crime statistics . As per the data of the National Crime Resource Bureau, cognizable crimes saw drastic increase of 63% and cognizable crimes an increase of 73%.frame

It is high level of competition and regular training that  bring the best out of a person. Promotion should be a motivator to strive for excellence, not complacency. Experience, undoubtedly, is useful, but it can't be the sole determinant of performance. ‘We don't choose a surgeon on ‘seniority’ for complicated surgery'.

To ensure a army like smartness, a pot bellied, betel chewing cop doesn't fit into khaki uniform. He has to change. 

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Poor Umpiring In World Cup 2019

The poor umpiring in 2019 ICC World Cup has somewhat affected the credibility of this prestigious tournament. The credibility of the game has already been dented by "match fixing" incidents. 

The poor umpiring is going to further erode the credibility of glamorous and money minting game of cricket. and "fixing" can't be ruled out in umpiring . Like cricketers, umpires are also human beings and susceptible to lure of money. After all, its the money, not charity, on contemporary world of sports. So, there are high chances of fixing in umpiring as well. 

Yesterday, the "atrocious" umpiring between in match between Australia and West Indies has left much to be desired. The super hitter Chris Gayle was given out on a no a free hit.Earlier, he was given out twice by the umpire and both the time decision was reversed by third umpire after DRS. Finally, standing umpire Gaffaney missed a Mitchell Starc no-ball delivery before the left-arm quick dismissed Gayle for 21. 

Had the umpire called a no-ball, the next delivery could have been a free hit and Gayle could not have been dismissed. He finally become the victim of poor umpiring, Not only Gayle, West Indies skipper Jason Holder also had to suffer from a similar umpiring howler. He was also given out twice but survived after DRS as third umpire ruled him not out on both the occasions. The poor umpiring cost the West Indies match as it failed to 289 and suffered a 15-run loss to Australia. Had the Gayle and Holder still on the crease for a few more overs, West Indies could have chased the 289 easily. There were bitterest reactions on social media describing it as Chris Gaffaney finally getting  the wicket of Gayle for Australia.

Such  strong reactions call for a review of the manual Umpiring. The decision of third umpire as viewed by all on screen and live looks  absolutely fair and much more acceptable. Then why not to go for a much more human judgement error free umpiring?  In this high tec era, nothing is impossible. Cricket is a gentleman game and let it be like that. Gentleman game shouldn't be allowed to be ruined by "fixing".       

Umpiring in cricket is most important part of the game and losing a match because of poor umpiring is worst part of it. A cricket umpire is not to be confused with the referee who usually presides only over international matches and makes no decisions affecting the outcome of the game. Cricket is a bat-and-ball game and whosoever bats, bowls and field smartly wins the match. But then, umpire has his own role to influence the outcome. Any bad decision as was yesterday at Trent Bride could tilt the match and hit the credibility of the game.   

(Chander Sharma)

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Power Pangs In BJP, Gloomy Congress

Growing larger than life size is a forbidden and unwritten law in contemporary politics and anybody who dares to defy this law is immediately cut to size. 

Indian political history is replete with hundreds of leaders who tried to grew more than their size but were pulled the rug from under their's feet. From the time of Nehru-Indira to "saint" Modi, this unwritten law is religiously honored. One should feel pity for BJP tall leader Rajnath Singh and Congress maverick cricketer turned leader Navjot Singh Sidhu for discarding the rule and now being cut to the size.  

There cannot be too many strong personalities leading a ruling  party . From Xi Jinping Of China, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, all follow this dictum. Surely, Prime Minister Modi also knew it very well.

So after the emergence of Modi as the supreme commander, cutting leaders like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Sawaraj down to the size was a natural corollary. It is said power doesn't come without luck. Party long time ideologue (from ABVP) and troubleshooter Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj deteriorating health proved blessing in disguise to Anit Shah, Now only, younger seniors like Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari were left in the field  after party bigwigs like LK Advani, MM Joshi, Shanta Kumar were long time back made submit to strategically worked out age bar rule.        

Now Amit Shah has grown larger than Rajnath  Singh and all others. He has vastly succeeded as organisational head and nothing succeeds like success. In the new dispensation, prime minister Modi's  Man Friday Amit Shah is the real 'Bhamashah. 

So far so good. As the Modi-Shah duo leads the country, a new chapter is going to be scripted in political history. In Modi-Shah double,there is hardly any space for other leader including Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari. The configuration of the power dispensation clearly  shows that  Amit Shah is going to be the chief  architect of PM Modi's 'New India'political and economic arenas. For the country's fast growth, it will be too fruitful but at the same time there is a danger that "absolute power" lead to authoritarian rule. This is the real danger.

For Congress, there is hardly any hope of rejuvenation. The morale of the party is at the lowest eb and infighting at its peak. The " leadership void" has left party in an orphanage mode. State leaders are ferociously  indulging in "Cat and Dog" fight and its free for all. In Punjab, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has emerged as all powerful and Navjot Sidhu has paid the price for growing larger in size, If h wants to remain "fit and steady" in politics, he must follow the unwritten rules.   

   

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