EU AND INDIA'S LOK SABHA SPEAKER CONCERNED OVER CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION: DISCRIMINATION HAS CONSOLIDATED DALITS TO PLAY CASTE-BASED VOTING AND EMPOWERED THEM !

       The prevalence of consolidation of low caste men , on caste lines to protest against the caste based discrimination in different parts of the world, particularly in South Asia has raised hopes and aspirations for low caste Hindus .in  India. known as 'dalits'. And low caste men in India have started asserting and moving for bigger rights in India. Many important personalities including Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B R Ambedkar and a number of Indian right organisations had launched campaign to support dalits for being discriminated and living in India in apartheid conditions since pre-independence days. Dalits are not only beginning discriminated but taken in low stock by feudal mindset landlords, Upper caste men, and rich people!Two important factors of the recent past----the speech of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meera Kumar, also a former Indian Foreign Service( IFS) official and daughter of veteran dalit leader and former Deputy Prime Minister, Babu Jagjivan Ram, in the Cambridge University on "elections and the factors that influence voting" and a powerful resolution of  the Parliament of the European Union (EU) against caste based discrimination in South Asian countries like India, Nepal and Sri Lanka---have amply substantiated that caste-based politics is the need of hour to fight against discrimination and also get lever of power in the governance.

       Notwithstanding many measures, like reservation of seats in Parliament and state legislatures and in services as well as reservation in job to backward classes to them, enunciated in the Indian Constitution, since independence, have been initiated for equal rights to all Indian without any discrimination, discrimination of dalits continued in India. Since their assertions in caste-based politics and vote their caste men, in elections in India have started giving dividends to them in asserting their rights. In her speech in the Cambridge University Lecture recently, Meera Kumar has pointed out that  dalits' "preferences on the ballot, there was positive belief that consolidation on caste-lines was leading to empowerment of dalits as it gave them opportunity to assert themselves." Besides caste,she slammed the importance "that religion plays in elections" Reiterating that caste "decides a voter's preference in India ,she, however, said , in her speech, that now "it is high time the caste system was destroyed completely" Kumar further has said in her speech, "generally the deciding factor is the case, which is discussed in hushed tones behind closed door ......caste system has caused and is continuing to cause unimaginable harm to the society. It needs to be destroyed completely and not encouraged to tighten its grip in our electoral system."

       In a related major development, The EU's Parliament, which has recently discussed caste-based discrimination, has passed a resolution endorsing the views of the campaigners from South Asia about discrimination and decided to push the agenda in the ensuing at the trade talks between the EU and countries like India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, where discrimination are very rampant.  ( India's lowest caste, such as dalits, are often forced into dangerous work, despite a number of affirmative action initiatives) Speakers in the debate were critical of current EU commitments for tackling caste discrimination. The EU commissioner Cecilia Malmstorm told Parliament that the issue is "being tackled, MEPs disagreed". Alf Svensson, of the European People's Party group said, " I do not really agree that this is put on the agenda quite often." Michael Cashman, of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said " if we have all these EU instruments and 260 million people still suffer caste discrimination, we are failing."

       Jean Lambert, an MEP for the Green Party in the U K , who has been involved with campaigning on behalf of dalits for several years, says, "it will not be easy to move from a resolution to practical action. It is going to be tough to get anything into trade agreements....It is always a battle to get human rights in , especially some thing as specific as this, but certainty in some programmes in the affected countries we will already be looking at the impact on the most deprived, and that would include dalits." To move towards action, she says, " parliamentarians have to better understand caste issues so they can keep them in mind when they travel on business, trade and development trips. You would have to make sure that the people, who are going from the European Parliament are really briefed to ask about this. They need to know  what to  ask and who to ask, so awareness-raising is important; seeing it as a human right issue. We are all required to raise issues of human rights."

       ILO SURVEY:-In the meantime, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that overwhelming majority of bonded labour victims in South Asia are from lower castes, with forced and bonded labour particularly widespread in the agriculture, mining and garment production sectors. Surprisingly, some of these companies involved in these sectors supply [products to multinationals. Many countries of South Asia have launched awareness campaign against discrimination and atrocity against lower caste men. Caste system are very much common in south-east Asia, Campaigners estimate 260 million people around the world are affected. Caste divides people into social groupings; those in the lowest caste are regarded as unclean and are forced into unpleasant and dangerous work. They are put to live in slavery with landlords and feudal, Manjula Pradeedp of India Right Organisation-Navsarjan-point out ,"you are born as a sub-caste within dalits, given the caste identity and an occupation linked to that caste. If I belong to this caste, the first work that is forced upon me is cleaning human excrement with my hands and to carry it my heads. People are not able to get out of this slavery. India is seen as a large democracy,  but it would not address these people should do this work; it is mind-set."

       Campaigners from India have welcomed the EU initiatives, particularly discrimination against low-caste Hindus, known as dalits  at such high -level forum. Pradeep  says, " when we started the process of lobbying the European Parliament in 2007 we had to explain what (caste discrimination) was. Now, we do not have to say what it means to be dalit, so it is reward, but we stll have to do a lot of work." Confirming India's affirmative action programmes to support dalits, Pradeep says ,"some inbuilt prejudices are coming in the way of long-term methodology to tackle the situation.When we were listening to the statements of European Parliament, I thought about my own members of Parliament and I wonder if they are ready to speak on this issue. Very few are ready....they do not want to address it at a larger level, most often these issues related to caste have never been addressed at a national level in our country "

        Pradeep Says, "the EU result is in the positive direction and the result is beginning of recognition that caste-based discrimination can be tackled internationally as well as at domestic level. Non-recognition of dalits and their rights is a challenge to all of us. The Indian government has failed to protect the rights of people who have been living in a situation that is like apartheid . That process has happen in our country, ultimately, it has to happen on the ground. But when you do not get support from your own government, you need to address it internationally. It is not a local issue, it is global issue."

REFERENCES:- WEBSITES OF THE EU, THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES OF INDIA, THE ILO, THE  GOVT OF INDIA, THE PARLIAMENT, THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY

WOMEN OF THE WORLD, ESPECIALLY INDIA, MUST UNITE AND TAKE UP ARMS TO FIGHT INJUSTICES !

           

           One of the saddest aspects in the globe today is that nearly half of the population-female- are by and large have become subjects of rape, atrocity,torture,manhandling, cruelty, domestic violence,discrimination etc in almost all countries of the World  The countries of Asian continent, which are the most populous continent with 4.2 billion around 60 percent of world population, have surpassed in this nefarious activities beyond imagination ! Today the women are most in secured in the world. Out of total population on the earth-7.117  billion-, the proportion of sex ratio is approximately 1.01 male to 1 female as per global sex ratio count in 2012 , drawn by the United States Census Bureau (USCB). Almost all countries on the earth, are male dominated with little window of opportunity to the opposite sex. And the women are tolerating, almost silently, all the injustices, meted out to them !  Almost all print and electronic media through out the world are , today, flooded with incidents of rapes and other atrocities on women of the world. My two essays-Women of the Globe becoming Most vulnerable....written on July 20, 2012 and Women are Not Safe in India...., written on July 28, 2012 on my link-www.kksingh1.blogspot.com clearly reflect the such ills in the society. Now the appropriate time has come for women of the world to unite and take up arms to fight against injustices on them throughout the GLOBE !

         WOMEN IN INDIA:-Such inhuman practices are very much common in other cities, towns and villages in India, which is the second largest populous country in the world. Less said is better about developed countries in Europe, America etc. Various surveys and reports by United Nations and other agencies, published in The Guardian and other newspapers and magazines  have confirmed the incidents of atrocity on women in the globe. When incidents of such heinous crimes on women happen, much hypes are created but nothing tangible is done to stop such things. Persons, involved in inflicting such crimes on women, usually get away without any sever punishments ! Apart from that women in the world, particularly in India are isolated from the respective mainstreams by successive brands of political classes in the globe. At least in India, efforts of empowering women is not working despite clear cut provisions in our Constitution. Women are almost half of the population in India. Women of India are neglected lots in India since ancient days. They are not allowed to come out from the houses. All political classes are supporting 50 percent reservation to women in the "lever of power" for Parliament and state legislatures. Matter is hanging fire since many years, thanks to the lack of determination and guts power among political classes of all hues! Instead , women are target of atrocities in India openly if one considers reports of abuses on women by dominant and powerful males In India !

          "There is undoubtedly a cultural dimension to violence against women and at the very least the U N Study demonstrates that the legal frame work for dealing with sexual violence in many Asian states is barely fit for the purpose. But we do not solve that problems by exaggerating it to the point of absurdity or pretending that we can treat diverse populations with essentially nothing in common as upholding some kind of ubiquitous misogyny." Instead of giving equal or lever of power under much-publicised social justice, the male bastion of the world believe in looking women as sex symbols.In such inhuman games males including politicians, sadhu, sants , officials are involved  in many cases of sexual abuses in the name of blind faiths and belief.They are involved in criminal cases for raping and perpetuating other forms of atrocity on women at least in India today. Almost on daily basis, the crime of rapes are being committed in every parts of the country.Notwithstanding the rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi last year, and the subsequent death handed out to the four perpetrators, has prompted all manner of soul searching in India, women's rights have -finally- come the forefront in a country where the concept remains curiously alien to many of its inhabitants.

          25pc ADMITS RAPES:-Recent verdict in rape case in Delhi in India coincided with the release of U N -led study on sexual violence in Asia and Pacific. Although survey did not include India in its sample-survey, it did not fail to dissuade commentators from drawing a parallel between the findings and the Delhi case. The U N survey has shockingly revealed that 25 percent of the men surveyed admit to raping a partner or a stranger. Such report amply authenticates the unequivocal confirmation that the Asian women are the victims of a deep-rooted- cultural problem. The study, published in The Guardian,  covered a small, but diverse number of Asian countries-Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Pappua New Guinea. In each country, men were asked about their experiences both within and outside of relationship. In most cases, the samples were not nationality representative. In case of Papua New Guinea for instance, all of the  respondents were based on the island of Bougainvillea. as the samples were not nationally representatives, "it is impossible to use the figures to make any generalisations about the populations in these countries (for less the continent of Asia).-More importantly, out of all of the locations surveyed, the only territories in which positive responses to the questioned on rape were 25 percent or higher were Bougainvillea and the Indonesian province of Papua. In both instances the number "yes" responses from men were staggering: 43.8 percent for Papua and 59.1 percent in Bougainnville. both the areas have a recent history of conflict, which might explain the appalling prevalence of sexual violence indicated by the study. Indeed if the two samples had  not been included, the overall figure of men admitting to rape could have dropped to 18 percent. The Guardian essay says "In itself that is still a deeply worrying statistics, but the extent to which two isolated cases cam swing our perception of an entire continent should be enough to prompt a little cautions"

        Perhaps most troubling of all, though, is the nature of questions used which varied across different countries. In Bangala Desh, the first country included in the study, the questions related strictly to "forced sex". In all of the other countries, an additional question was asked which attempted to measure the prevalence of "coerced sex". The wording of these questions made no explicit mention of coercion, however, and simply asked: " have you had sexual intercourse with your partner when you knew she did not want to, but believed she should agree because she was  your wife\partner ?" But there are many defence of study-say China has a population of around 1.35 billion while Bougainville sits less that two lakh. It may well be the case that a quarter of the survey's respondents indicated they had raped someone during the course of their life but that is an entirely different thing from saying a quarter of the people in the surveyed countries have committed rape.

          Whatever may be report of UN Study, the Indian women are standing up to "abuse". A recent BBC  report says India has cases of atrocity on women in many ways. Women are beaten and tortured in India in case of not delivering male child apart from rampant rise in cases of  rapes. Situation is terrible for Indian Women. But one discernible facts have come surface that tortured women have mustered courage to approach police station in case of tortures, rapes etc unlike previously when they used to keep silence despite tortures after tortures. But cases of rapes are increasing in Delhi, the capital of India. Police have registered 1036 cases of rapes up to August 15, 2013. But the fate of such rape incidents in other cities and rural areas, which are flooded with such complaints of rape, are not assailable to the public. If one compares the incident  of rapes and subsequent convictions to the culprits in other countries , such rates are far below in India. The National Crime Records Bureau (NRBC) has said that conviction rates in rape cases are only 21.4 percent in s current year in comparison to much higher figures in the last year, says BBC report and adds during October 2013-BBC has organised "100 WOMEN SEASON", which will seek shine on life for women in their respective countries- theme "is risk, challenges and opportunity, the women face everyday in every country".

             Examples of crime and rapes on women are enormous in India ! According to India's NCRB, crimes against women have been on the rise in Indian cities in recent years. In 2012, Delhi accounted for ten percent of all crimes against women, in the 53 cities with more than a million people.. Mumbai followed with 6.4 percent, Bengaluru was third at 6.2 percent and Kolkata had 5.4 percent.

        URBAN PLANNING FAULTY IN INDIA:-According to New york Times report on sexual violence in India; urban planners and designers argue that apart from better policing, gender-sensitive city planning and design can help make India's cities safer for women. Pattern of crimes in a city, according to experts, vary according to its urban design. One of the most striking components of urban infrastructures in New Delhi is the Ring Road, a massive circular road that circles the city. It passes through several desolate areas of the city and has vast stretches without any traffic lights for miles. An Urban designer K T Ravindaran, who retired as the head of School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi , has said, " one of the most common places of rape in Delhi is a moving vehicle. They can just go on until the fuel runs out." The best -known instance of such a crime was the gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus in Delhi in December last year.Vehicular speeds in Indian  cities have increased in the past decades with the construction of multiple over passes and several major road ways that eliminated the need of traffic lights. These changes saw a parallel increase in motor-borne crimes from snatching, road rage and assault on women in moving vehicles. Ravindran said, " the speed of the city is critical. you can have fast-track lanes for public transport and cars because the city has to move. But it should have safe havens for pedestrians. That is primary condition for a city to become safe.

         Usually crimes and rapes on women in India are committed in "dark shadow" or in desolate areas in Indian cities and rural areas.. In most of the Indian cities, street lights are positioned to light roads, foot-paths or side-walks  of the roads remain in darkness.The emergence of gated neighbourhoods in India has also added to creation of empty, potentially dangerous spaces outside their confines., vulnerable to crimes. Gsutam Bhan, a senior consultant at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, has said, " When cities become fortified, they create non-space or residual space outside the walls of their gated colonies. Those spaces then belong to no one and creates empty landscapes that violence then fills." Yet urbanisation experts are aware that sensitive planning is not enough to prevent crime in a city.Amitabh Kundu, an Economics Progfessor in Jawahar Lal Nehru University in New Delhi, who specialises in urbanisation has said, " Creating exclusionary urban spaces tends to develop an atmosphere of deprivation and violence among the excluded." The perpetrators in Delhi gang rape case and the accused of a separate rape, that of a young phot-journalist in Mumbai, came from do called urban zines of exclusion-Ravidas camp slum in New Delhi and Dhobighat slum in south Mumbai.. Bhan further said, "gender-inclusive cities are not just sager for women, they are also more egalitarian for all citizens".

       Moreover,apart from class-based segregation, India also faces the challenges of segregation on the basis of religion, with minority religious groups mostly, living in gutto-like neighbourhoods. Both the 1984 attacks on Sikhs in New Delhi and the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat were characterised by widespread sexual violence against women from Sikh and Muslim minorities.Kundu has pointed out, " Exclusionary cities wherein upper and middle class people create boundaries around their localities and thereby create a degenerated periphery tend to be extremely violent in situations of breakdown of law and order or outbreak of group violence. We saw that in 1984 when the Sikh neighbourhoods were attacked in Delhi and in the attacks on Muslim areas in Gujarat in the 2002 riots."

          Thus, women of the world, especially India must unite and take up arms to fight injustices on them. Women must mobilise the women forces throughout the world to save their chastity !

      References: websites of  The UNO, The New York Times, The Guardian , The BBC, India Govt organisations and many more websites !

SUPREME COURT AND U.N PANEL CONCERNED OVER LAND GRABBING OF TRIBAL AND POOR IN INDIA FOR BUSINESS PURPOSES, VIOLATING LAWS : POSCO HALTED TO SET -UP STEEL PROJECT IN ODISHA BY U.N !

      IT HAS BECOME COMMON REFRAIN in the Globe that land must belong to tillers, labours, peasants ! But in India, it has different conceptions. Despite so many efforts since independence in India, Lands continue in the hands of landlords and rich people. Now gradually the lands are being shifted in the hands of new -type of landlords-corporates, industrialists, multi-nationals etc in the name of the economic development of the country, thanks to the faulty policy of the Indian government and its states ! Over 85 percent dalits, poor, backwards etc have not even an inch of lands to construct even a roof to cover themselves-what to speak of tilling the lands ! Much-hyped land reform measures are languishing in the last over 65 years because of 'vested interest and apathetic attitude' of the Indian and its state governments. After a long drawn controversy over the ticklish land acquisition procedures, the Union government had okayed an ACT- Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013 to address 'the injustices involved in the land acquisition' by replacing colonial rule Act-Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

        Notwithstanding the new Act, has brought some far-reaching changes in land acquisition process in the country, the new Act has included one of the strangest and finniest provisions in the new Act, providing to permit  to the government to acquire the land for the corporate sectors. The colonial Land Acquisition Act, 1894, although have many drawbacks including the lack of provision for consent of those whose land was proposed to be acquired, did not permit the government to acquire land for the corporate sectors, industrialists etc  in the name of so called economic development of India ! Since the liberalization of economy in 1980s, a big quantity of land had been acquired by the government for creating 'Special economic zones' in different parts of the country as well as acquisition of lands for industrialists, corporates, capitalists etc in forest and mines and mineral areas in almost all the states of the country, violating Forest Rights Act and related Environment laws. These  lands had been acquired on throw-away rate of acquisition and given to the corporates, industrialists, capitalists on premium prices . Ultimately poor ,dalits and tribal suffered, whose small lands in forest and plan areas, were  suffering.

          At least my few essays and topics on the subjects-TRIBAL AND POOR BEING UPROOTED IN INDIA TO BENEFIT MULTI-NATIONALS, CORPORATES-on FEB.22, 2013, LACK OF LAND REFORM, BANE of POVERTY AND HUNGER IN INDIA-NOV.16,2012, another on Bihar, LACK OF  LAND REFORM, BANE OF POVERTY IN BIHAR,DEc.04,2012 and GREAT LOOT OF FARM LAND AND FOREST LAND IN INDIA- July 19, 2011 on www.kksingh1.blogspot.com have thrown light on the subject and the governments' in apathetic and callous posture over the burning issues.

           The implication of the new land acquisition ACT will be known in time to come. But some of directives of the courts, particularly the Supreme Court and subsequent fall out in Niyamgiri forest areas in Odisha  in the wake of forcible acquisition of Adivasis' land and given to   a  British mining company Vedanta as well as the report of the UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION (UNO)'s independent human right experts, terming the forced eviction of the forested lands in Odisha and handing over to the South Korean steel giant-POSCO amid concerns that construction will displace large number people in the forested areas and disrupt the livelihoods of thousands more. have created piquant situation. The Supreme court, in a directive to Odisha government, had asked an independent panel , formed by the court itself, to visit major parts of Niyamgiri and call meetings of respective panchayat samitis-wheather they consented to give lands to Vedanta for mines and minerals production. Majority of panchayat samitis with overwhelming majority rejected the views of Odisha government and voted that they are not in favour of giving their lands to the Vedanta. Reports had been submitted to the Supreme Court recently and the SC will pass appropriate order on the issue soon.

        POSCO HALTED:-Similarly, special rapporteurs of the UNO intervened in land acquisition to the Posco' $ 12 bn project in Odisha after allegation of forced evictions. UN experts have called for an immediate halt of the Posco  steel project. Approval for the project-biggest single foreign investment in India-was permitted in 2011 after a six-year struggle between steel giant and environmental campaigners. However, Construction remained paralyzed and delayed because of a number of regulatory hurdles and public protests at plans to clear more than 600 hectares of mostly forested lands.Eight UN special rapporteurs have weighed in calling for the project to be suspended. The have said, " the construction of massive steel plant and port in Odisha, India by South Korean steel giant-Posco must not proceed as planned without ensuring adequate safeguards and guaranteering that the rights of thousands of people are respected." Although India has primary duty to protect the rights of those whose homes and livelihoods are threatened by the project, the experts further  said, " Posco has also responsibility to respect human rights and the Republic of Korea, where Posco is based, should also take measures to ensure that businesses based in its territory do not adversely impact human rights when operating abroad."

         The UN experts intervened after allegations of human rights abuse. "Forced evictions constitute gross violation of human rights," said the UN special rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, "and may only be carried out in exceptional circumstances and in manner consistent with human rights law, including after genuine consultation, without leaving people homeless or vulnerable to further human right violations."The UN special rapporteur on the right of food, Olivier De Schutter, warned that forcible removal of people from their ;lands could be tantamount to depriving them of their means of subsistence. "People who would be evicted for the Posco project have relied on their lands for generations in order to obtain adequate food and sustain themselves and their families," he said.
      Remarkably, in a development in July, the Posco, the world's fourth -largest steelmaker by output, dropped plan to build a $ 5.3 bn mill in the southern state-Karnataka- in India but said it would press ahead with the long-delayed and troubled Odisha project. On the website of, Posco India says it "has been highly sensitive to the humans of the local community" and strongly denies having abused rights. Posco has never infringed upon  human right of any individual in the course of project implementation. Its policy has been inclusive and protective", the company said. and added "Posoco has therefore, always urged the government of Odisha to first safeguard the human rights and livelihood of innocent villagers and rejects\deplores any unlawful violence against them." The Plant to be based in the port city of Paradip, was conceived in 2005 and is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs. Posco says the plant has annual production capacity of 12 million tons and will include iron ore mine development over 30 years (total 600 million tons) at mines in the Keojhar and Sundargarh districts of Odisha as well as development of related infrastructures.

      But things started moving otherwise ! Houses of tribal and their farmings, especially betel vine were razed to the ground by Posco and Vedanta with the help of armed forces, provided by Odisha government. Not only that, the union government had announced in the last week of February 2013, that major infrastructures projects will be exempt from obtaining consent for forest clearance from tribal communities living in the forest, a decision that undermines the importance of the country's Forest Right Act-thus a big blow to the land tribal rights in India. " This is serious breach or trust and a huge step back in ensuring the dignity and survival of traditional forest-dwelling people across the country. Forests are going to be cleared to make way for a particular kind of economic development; it would adversely impact, communities and environments," said Dr Swati Shresth of the Ashoka Trust for Research Ecology and the Environment. the 2006 Forest Right Act " is a landmark piece of legislation recognising the rights forest -dependent communities have over the landscape they have traditionally inhabited. It mandates that forest dwellers cannot be resettled unless their traditional rights have been recognised. It is seen as the single most important piece of legislation protecting and preserving the country's biodiversity and the rights of tribal groups. By no longer gaining the consent of communities, the government stands accused of effectively overturning key provisions of the Act. "All traditional forest -dependent communities can be impacted including those who might have procured rights under FRA and those who are still struggling for its implementation in their areas, " said Shresth.

        In 2009,, the union ministry of forest and environment (MoEF) made the consent of affected forest communities mandatory for all projects that would destroy forest. The move was in response to the attempt by British mining company Vedanta to clear swaths of forest in Odisha state belonging to the Dongria tribe. The government orders of February 1913 last effectively, surprisingly, revokes the 2009 order. The government, however, rejects claims that it is diluting rights in the name of streamlining big business, saying it will continue to enforce the provisions of the Act "where there is significant impact on the lives and livelihoods." The proposed changes will enable land grabbing and the violation of rights of traditional forest dwellers and sends a clear message that rights granted under the FRA are not inalienable but subjects to the whims of the government of the day," said Shresth and added that in a letter to the Prime Minsters office by the coalition of international forest rights movements "we believe that it is against the democratic principles to make centralised decisions about the extent of social impact worth considering while diverting forest over which individuals and\or village community may have inalienable forest rights vested through FRRA. Overriding of such process can lead to the danger of assuming that all rights can be mentioned and negotiated."Sanjay Basu Mullick of the All India Forum of Forest Movements has said, " The only objective is mining access. Mining companies need six road highways and optical fibre installations. Tribal communities do not want this, and do not want their precious forest replaced by these . The only beneficiaries of this amendment are the mining companies. This is about GDP and not about the rights of India's tribal communities.

     LAND LOOT:- Story of land grabbing or loot is not new in India. Looters of land is more government, which confiscates lands of small holding -owners, as well as big land-holders like landlords ! Throughout the country, lakhs of acres of land had been acquired by the government in the name of development. Also the governments are yet to implement land reform measures. Lakhs of acres of land of government lands, which are not traceable right now, are to be distributed to the landless for farming or for homes for homeless. But the net result remained big zero. Acquired lands by governments were diverted for some other purposes, violating the laws. Acquired lands changed many hands and the respective governments remained beneficiaries. It was provision in the Land and other related Acts that if the lands are not utilised for the purpose, it were acquired-in that case land must be returned to farmers. But respective governments of state and central never followed the provisions. The governments sold or resold lands to rich people after taking heavy premium money.

       IN BIHAR:-For examples-Bihar has plenty of surplus lands on papers to be distributed or distributed to landless but the facts are otherwise or diverse. All these lands have been grabbed by vested and rich class people inconveniences with the Bihar government in successive years. The Nitish Kumar government has surpassed all governments in making land scams a big business. Hundreds of acres of land of industrial estates in different districts have been sold in the last few years. In the process , big politicians, cine stars, businessmen , industrialists, media houses etc were given lands of industrial estates on through away price by Nitish Kumar government, violating laws, rules and set principles. In turn, many of the beneficiaries including film producer Prakash ha , after constructing shopping complex,  malls, multi-storey ed apartments etc had earned crores of rupees and left the venues, thanks to the laxity of the Nitish government. Various cases on these issues are pending in the Patna High Court and the Supreme Court. Both " Khash and AAM lands" were earmarked by the government but in both the cases, lands have been leased out to influential persons in the last several years on cheap "sallami" and at many places these types of lands had been encroached and unauthorisedly by landed classes and in many cases these lands are missing  from the Bihar government records.

           REFERENCES:- WEBSITES of The POSCO, The UNO, The India Government, The South Korea govt, The Guardian, The Odisha govt, The Supreme Court etc

GLOBAL WARMING CAUSING CONCERN BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE :ADVERSE AFFECT ON CHILDREN, BIRDS, REPTILES MAMMALS: FOOD SHORTAGE IMMINENT !

               A recent report of the United Nation's Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on global warming has created stir in the minds of people throughout the GLOBE ! Much controversy has been generated throughout the world ,subsequent to the release of the report of the IPCC recently The IPCC report underscores that there are still significant uncertainties around climate science, including the role of understudied oceans, which have been absorbing much of the excess heat generated by global warming; the effect of warming on the animals and plants that live on this planet, including us; and perhaps most importantly, the 'actual level of warming we will experience as emissions continue to pile up in the atmosphere".It will be not out of mention here that the report says that scientists are  certain that in term of percentage 95 pc  "humans are the dominant cause"of global warming since the 1950s. There are physical evidence behind climate change as on the ground, in the air, in the oceans, "global warming is unequivocal" Increase and pause in the warming over the past 15 years is too short to reflect long-trend trends. The continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all aspects of the climate system. Projected temperature increases under two scenarios and average rise in surface temperature by 2081-2100: Lowest Scenario-RCP 2.6 and highest scenario-RCP-8.5. Projection is based on assumption about how much green house gases might be released..

                     After a week of intense negotiations in the Swedish  capital on physical science of global warming, the IPCC released 36-page document, which is considered the most comprehensive statement on our understanding of the mechanics of a warming planet. It all started badly since the 1950s, and many of us observing changes in the climate system, which are "unprecedented over decades to millennia". Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth's surface and warmer than any period since 1850 and probably warmer than any time in the past 1400 years. My recent  essays- PLUNDERING OF NATURE BOUND TO HAVE ADVERSE EFFECT IN THE GLOBE:-SEPTEMBER 20, 2013; THREAT TO LIFE ON THE  EARTH VIS-A-VIS THE EARTH ITSELF THREATENED-JULY 06, 2013; UTTARAKHAND TRAGEDY DUE TO NATURE'S FURY-ULTIMATELY MAN-MADE TRAGEDY- JULY 03, 2013; DANGEROUS SIGNAL FOR NEPAL BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN HIMALAYAS: INDIA IS ALSO THREATENED  and much more on www.kksingh1.blogspot.com amply substantiated the danger signal in respect of global warming and its repercussions on the EARTH !

          PLANET UNDER THREAT:-While releasing the report UN'S IPCC , a co-chair,  Prof Thomas Stocker, said that climate change "challenges the two primary resources of humans and ecosystems, land and water, In short, it threatens our planet, our only home" Another co-chair of the IPCC working group one, who produced the report, Qin Dahe said, " our assessment of science finds that the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, the global mean sea level risen and that concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased." Rajendra Pachauri was of the opinion confidently the report would convince the public on the global climate change. The IPCC, which is offspring of two UN bodies-the World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme, has so far issued four strong-worded reports about the assessment of the climate condition on the Earth. These are commissioned by the governments of 195 countries of the world. The reports are critical in informing the climate policies adopted by these governments. The IPCC itself a small organisation, being run from Geneva, with only 12 full-time staff and all the scientists, who are involved  with IPCC for doing scientific study on climate change, do so on voluntary basis.

         It is almost man-made climate change. The scientific case for taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change remains clear, despite nagging doubts about the fact that global temperatures have risen more slowly in recent years despite continued increase in carbon emissions. More over the report has brought important facts to the fore by pointing out that exactly what and how much action should be taken and how politicians should balance tomorrow's threat of climate change against any number of present day challenges, is some thing that  would not be answered by another thick sheaf of scientific reports. Notably, IPCC report has formally endorsed a "carbon budget"-a red line for the amount of carbon dioxide created chiefly by burning fossils fuels and through deforestation, that can be emitted without warming increasing beyond an internationally agreed target of 3.6 F (2C). Think of it as a speed limit for the global economy-emit more than one trillion tons of carbon and we will likely to be in red. That should be worrying, given the fact that the are three trillion tons of carbon left on the ground as Bryan Walsh writes in the Time and adds, , "energy companies are developing new technologies like hydrofracking and directional drilling, that are enabling them to find fossil fuels that were  long considered uneconomical" An Oxford University researcher and one of the authors of the IPCC report Myles Allen.had spoken to New York Times, saying that limiting the warming to the agreed upon target is "technically doable, but at the moment we are not going in the right direction". Dr Allen said in an interview, "I do not think we will do it unless we bite the bullet and start talking about what we are going to do with extra carbon that we cannot affcord to dump into atmosphere."

              CARBON EMISSION:-Notably, The U N Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is doing some think remarkable to contain extra carbon. Optimistically, many governments are doing more about their carbon emissions: Europe has long been a leader and in the US the Environmental Protection Agency just announced a new draft regulations that would make it all but impossible to build new coal plants without expensive carbon-capture technology. China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, is beginning to realise  that it cannot simply keep burning carbon- heavy coal for ever- about more because of the local pollution it causes then out of fears of climate change. but truth is different, the globe countries are no where close to a path that would have the world essentially stop emitting carbon by about mid-century. No body , in realty, actually knows what exactly will happen if global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide exceed 450 parts per million. Higher emissions mean higher temperatures and greater climate risk. Lower emissions means less.But one thing that appears to be virtual certainty is that emissions, which are rising faster than ever, are likely to go well past 450. The United Nations still hews to the conceit that we must stabilise global emissions below 450 ppm by 2050. But the reality is that world is on track to blow  thresh-hold decade earlier.The IPCC report addresses  the warming "hiatus" as it has been called, raising a number of possible explanations-the ocean absorbing the warmth, changes in the solar cycle, volcanic eruptions that causes cooling-without pointing the finger at a single one. Although scientists keep working on those question and others, the ball is in the politicians' court now-as it has been for years. Which means, really,, that it is up to us !

          But the so called pause in the increase in temperatures in the period since 1998 has been downplayed in the report. Scientists have described that the period began with a very hot EI Nino year." Trends based on short records are very sensitive to the beginning and end dates do not in general reflect long-term climate trends," the report says. Thomas Stoker, added, I am afraid there is not a lot of public literature that allows us to delve deeper at the required depth of this emerging scientific question-for example, there are sufficient observations of the uptake of heat, particularly into deep ocean, that would be one of the possible mechanisms to explain this warming hiatus."

          CLIMATE SENSITIVITY:- The report, however, does alter a key figure from 2007 study. The temperature range given for doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere, called equilibrium climate sensitivity, was 2.OC to 4.5C in that report. In the latest document, the range has been changed to 1.5C to 4.5C. The scientists say this reflects improved understanding, better temperature records and new estimates for the factors driving up temperatures. In the summary of policy makers, the scientists say that sea level rise will proceed at a faster rate than "we have experienced over the past 40 years". Waters are expected to rise, the document says, by between 26cm (at a low end) and 82cm (at the high end, depending on greenhouse emissions path this century. Scientists further say ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for 90 percent of energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010. For the future, the report states that warming is projected to continue under all scenario. Model solutions indicate that global surface temperature change by the end of the 21st century is likely to exceed 1.5 degree Celsius, relative to 1980. Prof Sir Brian Hoskins , from Imperial College London told BBC news:" we are performing a very dangerous experiments with our planet and I do not want my grand children to suffer the consequences of that experiment."

         Twenty-five years of efforts to cap and reduce global emission have utterly failed. Two decades of heavy subsidies for renewable energy have not had any measurable success moving the needle on emissions or clean energy-thus we will be living on a hotter planet. How much hotter depends on what we do now ! The only countries in the world that have moved to zero-carbon energy at the rapid pace that would be required to keep emissions close to 450ppm are FRANCE AND SWEDEN. To some extent USA and UK in 1990s have also achieved significant emissions reduction by switching from coal to gas. In deed since 1950, natural gas and nuclear re vented 36 times more carbon emissions than wind , solar and geothermal combined. Nuclear avoided the creation of 28 billion tons of carbon dioxide, natural gas 26 billion and geothermal, wind and solar just 1.5 billion.. Surprisingly  many of the scientists , conservative writers on energy and the environment,including   Steve Hayward, formerly of American Enterprise Institute and Robert Bryce of Manhattan Institute are advocating nuclear energy even today despite many dangerous signals from the nuclear energy, mainly in Japan and other places of the world. Need of the hour for great powers like USA and China must step up efforts to develop safe natural gas and next generation nuclear technologies.

      WORSE CONSEQUENCES ON CHILDREN:-Under such situation of alarming rise in global temperature as well as dangerous implication on environment, children of the world will bear the immediate consequences in the impact of climate change. because of their increased risk of heath problems , malnutrition and migration, according to a new study. Food prices are likely to soar as a result of warming, undoing the progress made in combating world hunger.Climate change, almost caused by human actions and that it will lead to a global temperature rise likely to top 2C with related effects including the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap and glaciers, a rise in sea level by nearly one meter by the end of this century and more extreme rainfall in the parts of the globe. UNICEF argues children are most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. UNICEF UK  executive director David Bull says in anguish,  " we are hurtling towards a future where gains being made for the world's children are threatened and their health, well being, livelihood and survival are compromised.....despite being the least responsible for the causes...we need to listen to them." UNICEF points out children born last year will come of age in 2030 by which time the effect of climate change in the form of an increase in droughts, floods and storms are likely to be more in evidence in the ten most vulnerable countries including THE  INDIA, THE BANGLADESH, THE PHILLIP INES where there are 620 million children under 18. UNICEF estimates that 25 million more children will suffer malnourishment because of climate change, with a further 100 million suffering food insecurity where they and their families are on verge of running out. Children among the 150-200 million people estimated to have flee their homes because of climate change will suffer more than adults because of their relatives lack of resources and higher vulnerability to disease. In heat waves likely to grow more intense and frequent under climate change, babies and small children are more likely to die and suffer heatstroke because they find it difficult to regulate their body heat.

           ABNORMAL RISE IN FOOD PRICES:-Like wise a report of Oxfam says that global warming would cause rapid rise in food price, causing severe consequences in poor countries. Disputing the IPCC report, Oxfam listed recent examples of extreme weather condition that have caused food shortage and increased prices, quoting scientific estimates that these are likely to increase in number of warming countries. " Today one person in eight goes to bed hungry. Analysis suggest that the number of people at risk of hunger is projected to increase by 10-20 percent by 2050 as a result of climate change," the Oxfam study found. Tim Gore of Oxfam said, " we want a world in which everyone enjoys the right to affordable and nutritious food and we cannot allow climate change to throw us off course. Leaders listening to the latest findings from climate scientists this week must remember that a hot world is a hungry world. They must take urgent action to s;lash emissions and direct more resources to building a sustainable food system."

       SPECIES LIKE BIRDS,REPTILES, MAMMALS THREATENED:-Australia is expected to experience a 6C average temperature rise on its hottest days, resulting into deaths of reptiles, birds and mammal species as well as the renowned wetlands of Kakadu by the end of the century, the IPCC report says. IPCC figures show Australia will experience an average overall increase of 2C by 2065, with the figure slightly lower at the coast. Beyond that temperature is expected to rise another 3C-$c by 2100.The number of days that do not fall below 20c is projected to rise to 100 a year, with most of the warmer days in the north and on the east coast. Rainfall patterns are set to change, with annual precipitation, humidity and cloud cover predicted to decrease over most of the Australia but for  north of Australia and many agriculture areas, rainfall is predicted to get heavier. Soil moisture will decrease, mostly in the south of the country Australia will witness more and more deaths because of heatwaves. A 2C-4C rise in average temperatures will wipe out 21 to 36 percent of Australia's butterflies while the loss of nearly half of appropriate habitat of Queensland will spell doom for 7to 14 percent reptiles, 8 to 18 percent of frogs, one in ten birds and 10 to 15 percent of mammals.


REFERENCES: WEBSITES OF UNO's IPCC, THE BBC,THE NY TIMES, THE GUARDIAN, TIME WEEKLY, UNICEF

EMERGENCE OF NARENDRA MODI FOR PRIME MINISTERSHIP IS THREAT TO INDIA's SECULAR FABRIC ?

        Before I start writing on this ticklish issue, I think it proper to just refer the PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION, which says, " We , The People of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a "Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens: Justice.........................

         Is the emergence of the Hindu Right Leader and the Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Damodar Das Bhai as prime ministerial candidate of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), a threat to the secular fabric of India?  Much debate and discussions are taking place nationally and internationally over the issue. I am just putting the facts straight about the way, Narendra Modi is being projected as prime ministerial candidate of India, just seven months away of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 by the depleted National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by BJP as well as Modi's aggressive and militant postures in his speeches and interviews on the eve of elections. Narendra Modi, a controversial figure, represents an uncompromising stand of the BJP's Hindu Nationalist ideology.

         To begin with only because of such militant approach of Modi, various coalition partners, particularly JD(U)), led by Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has withdrawn as coalition partners of the NDA. Secondly, Modi, who is described as "HINDU HRIDYA SMARAT",, is said to be one of the most divisive politician in India's history. He is an unapologetic Hindu chauvinist, who has been accused of mass murder of Muslims in 2002 communal riot in Gujarat during his chief minister ship of the state. Modi is known for dividing the society on communal and  religious  lines. Thirdly , with his projection as prime ministerial nominee by the BJP and its father organisation-Rashtriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS), the entire country has been surcharged with communal  tension. Recent Hindu-Muslim riots, killing over 48 persons and injuring score of persons as well as 42,000 people were displaced as their villages were raided by rioters  is biggest examples of communal divide with the arrival of  Amit Sah in Uttar Pradesh as BJP general Secretary In charge of UP ,  the close protege of  Modi and accused in several criminal cases, registered by the CBI against him In Gujarat . And also Babri Masjid demolition like misdeeds, committed by the BJP supporters led by senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani in 1980, the Hindu Right Organisations including Vishwa Hindu Parishad , trying to make "chaurasi Kosi parikarma" in and around Ayodhaya to press for construction of "Ram Temple" on the disputed sites of masjid. Such move definitely created surcharged atmosphere in the entire Uttar Pradesh. Not only that, over a dozen states of central and western  India have come under the grip of communal tension. And the union home minister has issued alert to all states of the Indian union about the possibility of communal clashes in their respective zones,

        There are many more factors about Modi's decisive politics  Although Modi, who initiated anti-Muslim tirade in Gujarat initially, has tried to replace them with message of development based on a record in Gujarat that even worse critics acknowledge is impressive ! But critics do not lag behind that Modi and his party have been benefited from past violence between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat. It must be mentioned here that India is vast and populous country  in the globe and during election campaign in different parts of the country, the campaigns  result into violent because of hate speeches by certain fundamentalist leaders. Under the circumstances, the projection of Narendra Modi, who is considered fiery Hiundutava orator mix with anti-Muslim slurs, the forthcoming Lok Sabha election may be one of the deadliest election in the decades!

      According to the report; Hindus have 83 percent voters while Muslims have 13 percent and remaining four percents are other minority communities.Home ministry report has said that there  had been already 451 cases of sectarian violence this year, surpassing last year's total of 410. The union home ministry has warned that violence was likely to intensify as election approaches. During his speeches in the meetings in different parts of the country, Modi appears to be darling of youths, making the situation more hot up and surcharged .Modi never apologised for the 2002 riots, killing over two thousands Muslims  in Gujarat, now he has shifted his focus recently to development and in the process, Modi ha become chums of business classes  including corporates and multi-nationals. A recent report in the New York Times has quoted Talveen Singh, an author and commentator, in which she has made futile attempt to  compare Modi with the  first Prime minister of India Pundit Jawahar Lal Nehru and has said, " The reason why Modi needs a chance to lead is that he is the first politician since Nehru, who had articulated a clear economic vision"

        . Selecting of Narendra Modi as prime ministerial nominee, the BJP has also thought to implement its old Hindutva agenda vigorously as Modi represents uncompromising Hindu nationalist. But there are factors, which are troubling the BJP also like deepening of sectarian divisions. India is a home of world's second largest Muslim population Modi , who has questionable character during 2002 Gujarat riots,, is accused of doing nothing while Gujarat burned and at worst of having helped to orchestrate the violence. Modi is also known for his arrogance, authoritarian and dictatorial style. In a recent interview to Reuter, Modi did say "I am Hindu nationalist" not not Indian nationalist. Such version clearly reflects that Modi  has more love for Hindu India than as a nationalist of secular India , as enunciated .Can it be not be described a slur on the Preamble of the Indian Constitution by Modi ? Not only that when asked about the riots in Gujarat resulting into killings of hundreds of Muslims, Modi replied in strange connotation, apparently showing his deep-rooted aversion with Muslims. Modi told the interviewer of Reuter that his feelings of pain for the tragedy were similar to how he would feel if a puppy had been run over by a car in which he was merely a passenger. Shockingly in another interview to the Wall Street Journal last year Modi had strange justification over prevalent malnutrition in Gujarat. Modi  appeared out of his depth when he diagnosed his state's high malnutrition rates as being a result of the vegetarian diet and the state middle class being" beauty conscious than health conscious".

          Narendra Modi cannot be Atal Behari Vajpayee, whose years as prime minister from 1998 to 2004 were largely characterised by a consensual approach to governing. An opinion piece  in the New York Times, written by Krishan Pratap Singh has written, " Vajpayee was like Ronald Regan: a true  believer in the conservative cause, who packaged his ideological stridency into a narrative that depicted the BJP as a responsible party of governance, palatable to its core voters while allaying the fears of disparate coalition allies. But once Vajpayee left the scene, The BJP steadily drifted toward the far right.The promise of a Modi victory could prove to be mirage. Elections are still decided in rural India, where he is yet to give fully tested. Only L K Advani, the octogenarian -founder of the BJP and the Modi's mentor-turned rival, stands in his path ti leading the party. But Advani's failure as prime minister candidate in the 2009 elections, and the groundswells of rank-and-file support for Modi, may undermine his quest. YEt even if Modi is victorious, he would most likely lead an unwieldy coalition government involving decision making by consultation and consensus, a balancing act that is not his strong suit. With Indians begging for good governance, the BJP must decided whether to choose Modi's ideological path or to recalibrate to Vajpayee-like inclusiveness. On that question hinges   the outcome of elections-and the future of India But Modi's message may well prove difficult to resist: From snake charmers, we are now a nation of mouse charmers. Our youngsters are shaping the world with the click of a mouse."

       The son of a tea stall owner, Narendra Modi, 62, has spent most of his life in politics, joining the right-wing Hindu-nationalist Sangh Parivar organisation early on rising through its ranks by displaying impressive organising ablities. He moved to BJP in 1987 and was appointed chief minister of Gujsrat as a midterm replcement in 2001 without ever having fought an election. Like Gandhi-Nehru Gandhi family , Narendra Modi has no such tags. Apart from that , Modi had never been found in the company of his family members including his mother and deserted wife and brothers like Nehru-Gandhi family members , who are seen hobnobbing with each other in politics and other affairs in life. Modi is different metal  and is self-made successful politician so far.Of course he brought drastic change in the development pattern in Gujarat. His focus on pro-investment policies, cutting red tape, extensive infrastructure development, while using his personal charm to woo foreign and domestic investments, has been marked contrast to most other state governments.

        Today Narendra Modi has connected himself with the people of India, particularly youths and middle  classes especially in towns and cities. Where ever one goes, he finds one name  on every body's lip that is Narendra Modi !Huge crowds turn up to listen his speeches. Modi has succeeded in capturing cyber spaces and social media networks are full with Modi's supporters. Like V P Singh, who was once described  "Raja nahi fakir hai; desh kaa taqdir d hai." while dethroning the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi from power, Modi is also gravitating during election like him (V P Singh). But V P Singh, being a Jan Morcha chief that time, had stamina to unite all opposition to support the then Janata party , keeping their distinct identity. But following the path of V P Singh is different. VP had fought election on corruption plank that time. But Modi, although identifying with VP in removing the present UPA government on corruption plank like him (V P Singh), but Modi lacks acumen in uniting anti-congress parties on one front. Modi had of his own started claiming that BJP will win 272 plus seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Modi must take one thing in his mind that without identifying anti-congress parties, will not be possible to garner such huge seats. Different pats of India have different characteristics. Southern  and Eastern parts of the country invariably are not very enthusiastic with Modi  or with BJP like earlier Lok Sabha poll . Narendra Modi's magic may move in central, northers and western India. The central and northern India, known as "cow belt" may have ground swelling support for Modi and BJP but there are many road blocks in these areas also like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where regional straps like Nitish Kumar, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Ram Bilas Paswan (Bihar) and Mulayam Singh of Uttar Pradesh have tremendous support bases.

      Apart from that Muslims, who are fearful of Narendra Modi and BJP, are likely to vote in the next election in tactical manner throughout the country. Muslims are expected to vote throughout the country this time on the perception that parties' candidates, most suitable to defeat Narendra Modiu's candidates will get entire support of Muslims in the next elections as situation prevails today ! When one compares victory of NDA led by BJP in previous elections on the basis of strong alliance partners, the victory in the forthcoming election of Lok Sabha by Modi all alone will be a difficult task. Being desperate over such ticklish issues, Taking into account such political scenario , the desperate Narendra Modi , who was initially wanted to contest elections of all alone, and his BJP have started approaching Chandra Babu's TDP as well as Babulal Marandi's Jharkhand Vikas Party in Jharkhand and expelled BJP leader Yedurappa in Karnataka to bring them in NDA alliance -fold. The BJP leadership has also recently appealed to former leaders of the party, who have resigned or expelled  to rejoin the BJP.l Making the situation clear the gradual growing of the BJP in election and forming union governments under the leadership of Vajpayee  ,Veteran journalist Vidya Subrahmaniam, in her opinion piece in the Hindu,under headline "The BJP's ak;la chalo challenge" has written, " In 2013, the RSS is not just back, it has decreed and ensured that Modi's elevation takes place. This, itself is hard to reconcile with the image that is being crafted for Modi. His national projection is of modern and aspirational leader but he seems ti exist at the pleasure of a mentor seen as a polar opposite to these ideas. .....the man, who changed the things around for  the BJP was none other than L K advani through his Ayodhya's yatra and demolition of Babri Masjid till 1996 and subsequent Lok Sabha elections......and had taken back seat to keep alliance partners intact and paved way for middle-roader Vajpayee.........." and BJP succeeded in keeping NDA intact. Today NDA led by BJP is torn, having only two allies-the Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, both in ideological sync with the party..........the calculation obviously is that Modi's early projection will trigger an infectious voting frenzy, enabling him to single-handedly pull off a BJP victory. If this happens Narendra Miodi will be the first since V P singh to set off a personality-induced wave. But for all the adulation he commanded, Singh was nothing without the political support he got------his own Janata Dal was formed by merging the Jan Morcha with the Janata party and two factions of the Lok Dal------formed National Front........even supported by the BJP and left parties. So Singh's  illusory single handed victory was a product in fact of support at every stage from a conglomerate of non-Congress parties ...The truth is that there is no unified national vote today and for all the blusters of the RSS, the BJP will need allies and will seek allies.....seven months before the big fight, and notwithstanding the UPA's down-in-the-pit status, the political congregation is around the Congress alliance rather than the BJP alliance. If Modi's manages to win the election by himself or even by winning over new allies, he will have beaten the odds and rewritten India';s political history."

     What ever the outcome of the next Lok Sabha elections, the scenario in the country is presently vitiated by communal frenzies being encouraged by the Hindu Right organisations , led by Narendra Damodar Das Bhai to become prime minister of India  by any means?

PLUNDERING OF NATURE BOUND TO HAVE ADVERSE EFFECT IN THE GLOBE !

             

             AMID THE THREAT to the fate of the Planet  hangs in balance because of recurring changes in  'climate and weather' and also global warming as well as the over population on the earth  in over hundreds of  years, based on  the several researches by the scientists throughout the world,, a  new set of expert opinion has emerged, ruling out misunderstanding of the ecology of  human system and any threat to the,  Planet ! In a 'opinion essay', recently published in the New York Times, its author Erle C Ellis, an associate professor of Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a visiting associate professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, has written that many scientists believe that by transforming the earth's natural landscapes, "we are undermining the very life support system that sustain us." Like Bacteria in a petri dish, "our  exploding numbers are reaching the limits of a finite Planet with dire consequences". Disasters looms as human exceed the earth's carrying capacity.clearly, this could not be sustainable."This is non-sense. Even today,  I hear some of my scientist colleagues repeat these and similar claims---often unchallenged. And once , I too believed them. Yet these claims demonstrate a profound misunderstanding of ecology of human systems. The conditions that sustain huminity are not natural  and never had been. Since prehistory, human population have used technologies and engineered eco-systems to sustain populations well beyond the capabilities of unaltered "natural" ecosystems." Although I am not so qualified on such arguements, I have written an essay "Threat to Life on the Earth vis-a-vis the Earth is Itself Threatened" on July 06, deliberating the threat aspects , based on well researched subjects on the topics  on www.kksingh1.blogspot.com

           On the other hand,.Book Review from the London Review of Books, by Thomas Jones, under the headline, " How can we live with it ?" has different opinion on the topic ! Jones has quoted a boy,telling his family members that "global warming is a load of codswallop", trying to explain the difference between climate and weather.."Global warming, he insisted,is load of codswallop" A "Nature Geoscience, published a paper showing summer melting on the Antarctic Peninsula at a level unprecedented over the past thousand years.The codswallop brigade say that even if the climate is changing, it is not our fault. 'We human beings, Boring Johnson wrote, in the Telegraph in January, 'have become so blind with conceit and self-love that we genuinely believe that fate of the planet is in our hands'. On the one hand, then, the modest mayor of London. On the other, a former head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (as paraphrased by Brian Stone ):Only Newton's laws of motion may enjoy a wider scientific consensus than a human-enhanced greenhouse effect' effect. There is no consensus, however, either scientific or political, about the best ways to respond to the problem; in part because so many possible avenues of research are being explored, and it is still too early to say which, if any, have a reasonable chance of leading us out of the woods (or rather the desert or the flood plains).'

          According to Jones; the green house concept, was first visualized by Joseph Fourier in 1814 and was proved experimentally by John Tyndall in 1859. In the 19th century it could be seebn as unambiguously a good thing: if carbon-dioxide and other trace gases did not trap heat in the atmosphere, the earth would not be warm enough to support life as we know it. But there is now far more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been at any point in the last 800,000 years (we know thus because researchers have analysed air bubbles trapped in the ice in Green;land and Antartica; the deeper you go, the older the bubbles). The concentration has increased from nearly 320 parts per million ( high but not unprecedented) in 1960 to more than 390 ppm today, 30  percent higher than any previous peak, largely as a result of human activityNot even the most fervent climate change denier can argue with the fact that burning carbon dioxide levels were 280 ppm. Since 1850, more than 360 billion tonnes of fossil fuels have gone up in smoke. Average global temperatures have risen accordingly, for the last quarter century pretty much in line with the predictions made by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change  in its first assessment report in 1990. After every year since 1988, when the IPCC was established, has been  the hottest ever recorded. The most opitimistic projections, which governments are nominally committed to (that is to say, the signatories of the Copenhaagen Accord in 2009 greed it would be nice) is that average global temperature will rise no more than 2oC by the end of the century. Sea level has six cm since 1990.The IPCC;s fourth assessment report-2007- projected that it would rise between 18 and 59cc by 2100.

        More over, the aim of the United Nations Frame work Convention on Climate Change, negotiated at the the Earth Summit In Rio de Janeiro in 1992, had decided to stabilize greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Even after the elapse of 20 , nothing tangible has come out. And the emission of carbondioxide in huge scale is going on , endangering the man-kind. Of the world;s eight biggest national emitters of carbondioxide, which between them account for more than 66 percent of global emissions, only Germany (2.4 pc) has agreed to legally binding reduction in the second commitment period (2013-20),.Canada (1.7 pc ) has withdrawn from the [rotocol; the United States (16 pc) never ratified it; China (29pc), India 5.9pc); Russia (5.4 percent), Japan (3.7pc) and South Korea (1.8pc) are still signatories but do not have binding target. China, which is generating energy through coal firepower stations and burn much of the black stuff as the rest of the world put together, is doing such things to manufacture goods for export to the west. Thus China is pumping as much carbon dioxide into atmosphere as it was 30 yeers ago.There is thinking that if China stop burning coal, everything will be OK. China, however, is trying to switch into renewable energy (hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal ) as well as setting up an emission trading scheme like the one the EU had introduced in 2005.

        All these haphazard emissoon of carbondioxide are making the life miserably of people throughout the globe and the time is not so far off when the entire globe will be perished under toxic exercises; researchers have predicted. strange climate change and atmosphere have developed.. Devastating heatwave that swept Europe ten years ago when temperature of 100oF was recorded for the first time ever in UK,are expected throughout the globe and similarly cold -like situation will prevail in the globe. In the EU alone over 70000 citizens of 12 countries died from heat wave in the summer of 2003. Similar heat wave had been recorded in different countries of the globe and over two lakh people die every year in different countries of the world.LBR suggests that the outlook may not be so bad for American and British cities. But the news that there are ways for the global north and west to adapt and to tolerate global warming is hardly reassuring for, say, the 12 million residents of Dhaka, which face a much greater risk of flofding and has far less money to spend on defences. A paper published in Nastural Hazards last year comparing the vulnerablity of flodding nine cities found-unsurprisingly, but is is useful to have quantified-that Shanghai, Dhaka and Calcutta, now Kolkata were far more vulnerable than Rotterdam, Marseille and Osaka. The director of the Research Institute of Global Climate and Ecology at the Russian Academy of Science, has said that "it would be cheaper to resettle Bangaladeshis threatened by sea -level rise than to adhere to the kyoto protocol-and cheaper still to do neither. A recent report of UNICEF has also given warning signal about the impact of vulnerable climate change effect on children of the globe. Despite discussions in the Kyoto conclave on global changes and warming etc and subsequent commitments, global emissions are enormously higher than they were in 1990 and the climate change policy had achieved nothing

            While the entire globe is endangered with such alarming situation, Ellis is optimistic and says that earth would bear the burden of all these evil things in natural manner. He says, in his opinon piece in the New York Times, " The evidence from archaeology is clear. Our predecessors in the genus Homo used social hunting strategies and tools of stone and fire ti extract more sustenance from landscapes than would otherwise be possible. And of course,, Homo sapines went much  further, learning poor generations , once their preferred big games became rare or extinct, to make use of a far broader spectrum of species. They did this by extracting more nutrients from these species by cooking and grinding them by propgating the most useful species and by burning woodlands to enhance hunting and forging success. Even before the last ice age had ended, thousands years before agriculture, hunter-gatherer societies were well established across earth and depended increasingly on sophisticated technological strategies to sustain growing populations in landscapes long ago transformed by their ancestors. THe planet's carrying capacity for pre-historic human hunter-gatherers was probably no more that 100 million, But without their Paleolithic technologies and ways of life, the number would be far less-perhaps a few tens of millions. The rise of agriculture enabled even greater population growth requiring even more intensive land-use practices to gain more sustenance from the same old land. At their preak, those agriculture systems might have sustained as many as three billion people in poverty on near vegetarian diets.".

         Ellis, however, admits, and says, " there is no environmental reasons for people to go hungry now or in future. There is no need to use any more land to sustain huminity-increasing land productivity using existing  technologies can boost global supplies and even leave more land for nature-a goal that is both more popular and more possible than ever"

            Thus,  I feel strongly, that while the nature with the man-kind in sustaining all the menaces, the problem created by ambitious countries to play cruel jokes with nature, is certainly wipe out the globe and its people.

REFERENCES:-  New YORK TIMES ,London Book Review's  Books-namely Buy the Carbon Crunch: How We are Getting climate Change Wrong and How to Fix It, by Dieter Helm, BUY Earth Masters: The Dawn of the Age of Climate Engineering by Clive Hamilton, Buy the City and the Coming Climate:Climate Change in the Places We Live by Brian Stone.

USA, IN PURSUIT OF WORLD HEGEMONY, TRAPPING INDIA !

      THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in its pursuits, of fulfilling the dream of global hegemony, since the days, of President Roosevelt,has an unending story. A recent book-"Strategic Vision::America and the Crisis of Global Power"-, written by Zbigniew Brazezinski , published by Basic Books, has highlighted many interesting points of growing ambitions of the USA. The book is thought provoking.In the process of of its hegemony, America is browbeating other super powers like Russia , China and many of even European countries and is aiming to strengthening its position by "capturing more slots in Asia"  through its own"narrow self-interest". And India, which is developing fast in Asia, has become new target of USA to bring it in its fold ! In my opinion recent closeness of India government of Manmohan Singh to USA in several aspects is point to be noted ! Just I am subscribing below certain portion of the Brazezinski's book to substantiate my apprehension about India, being falling in the trap of USA !

         Brazezinski has written in the book about India, " Contemporary India is a complicated mixture of democratic self-governance, massive social injustices, economic dynamism and wide-spread political corruption. As a result, its political emergence as a force in the world affairs has lagged behind China. India was prominent in sharing leadership of the so called non-alingned nations, a collection of neutral but politically wavering states including Cuba and Yugoslavia, all allegedly opposed to the Cold War. Its brief military collision with China in 1962, which ended in India's defeat, was only practically redeemed by its military successes in the two wars with Pakistan in 1965  and 1971. By and large, the prevailing view of India up til relatively recently has been one of a country with strong moralistic opinions about world affairs but without commensurate influence.............."

        The book further adds, "..... India's political elite is motivated by an ambitious strategic vision focused on securing greater global influence and a conviction of its regional primacy. An  the gradual improvement in U.S-Indian relations during the first decade of the twenty-first century has further  enhanced India's global stature and gratified its ambitions. However, its simmering conflict with Pakistan, which includes a proxy contest with it for greater influence in Afghanistan, remains a serious diversion from its larger geopolitical aspirations. Therefor-the view held by its foreign policy elite- that India is not only rival to China but also already one of the world's super power lacks sober realism......."

          Brzezinski has also sharply commented on the domestic set-up as well as media;s hysterics on China ! He writes, ".......The Indian political system has yet to prove that it can function as the 'world's largest democracy'........That test will take place when its population becomes truly politically awakened and engaged. Given the country's very high-level of public illiteracy as well as the connection between privilege and wealth at the top of political establishment, India's current 'democratic' process is rather reminiscent of the British aristocratic 'democracy', prior to the appearance of trade unions, in the second half of the nineteenth century. The operational viability of the existing system will be truly tested when the heterogeneous public at large becomes both politically conscious and assertive. Ethnic, religious, and linguistic differences could then threaten India's internal cohesion.......In that potentially conflicted setting, the stability of Asia will depend in part on how America responds to two overlapping regional triangles centred around........."

         The author further writes in the book, " On India's side, the existing tensions and reciprocal national animosities are fuelled by the relatively inhibited hostility towards China expressed in India's uncensored media and in India's strategic discussions. Invariably, China is presented in them as a threat, most often territorial in nature and India's publications frequently make references in China's 1962 occupation by force of disputed borderline territories. China;s efforts to establish an economic and political presence in Myanmar and in Pakistan's Indian Ocean ports are presented to the public as strategic design to encircle India. The Chinese mass media, under official control, are more restrained in their pronouncements but patronise India as a not-so-serious rival, further inflaming negative Indian sentiments......'

          Brzezinski  further writes in the book, :" To a considerable extent, such Chinese feelings of aloofness towards India are derived from China's superior societal performance. Its GNP is considerably larger that India's and its population is considerably more literate as well as ethnically and linguistically more homogeneous. In any case, both sides are the strategic captives of their subjective feelings and of their geopolitical context. The Indians envy the Chinese economic and infraststructural transformation. The Chinese are contemptuous of India's relative backwardness (on the social level most dramatically illustrated by asymmetrical level of literacy of their respective populations) and lack of discipline. The Indians fear Chinese-Pakistani collusion, the Chinese feel vulnerable to India's potential capacity to interfere with Chinese access through the Indian Ocean to the Middle East and Africa.........

          "......America's role  in this rivalry should be cautious and detached. A prudent U S policy, especially in regard to an alliance with India, should not, however, be interpreted as indifference to India's potential role as an alternative to China's authoritarian political model......The unwise U S decision of 2011 to sell advanced weaponry to India, in contrast to the ongoing embargo on arms sale to China, while also enhancing India's nuclear programmes is already earning the United States the hostility of the Chinese by conveying the impression that America sees China as its enemy even before China itself had decided to be America's enemy."

           Apart from Asia, particularly India, USA has similar approaches towards other nations of the world, looking China , Russia and many other many countries Middle East and Arab world, dangerous potentials and not allowing the global hegemony of America ! Just I have mentioned the references in the book about India, falling in the grips of imperialist USA and it is upto people of India to decide !