At last, the 'wall of shame' falls in Salem

from The Hindu - Home , written by R. Ilangovan
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/article2354460.ece

It was a symbol of discrimination against Dalits for nearly two decades

To the delight of Dalits and rights activists, the 'Untouchability wall of Salem,' which stood for nearly two decades as a symbol of discrimination on Gandhi Mahan Street at Raman Colony here, was pulled down on Saturday.

A team of 50 officials from the Revenue and Police departments and the Municipal Corporation, along with workers and earthmovers, trooped into the colony in Ward 42 and demolished the 60x10-foot stone wall in a swift 35-minute operation.

As the controversial structure fell, 200 families of Arunthathiyars, to whom it blocked access to the main road, burst into a celebration and thanked those who stood with them in their campaign against the "wall of shame."

Officials ensured that the entire wall was removed. "Its full length was constructed on 'eri poromboke land' and hence demolished," Revenue Divisional Officer S. Prasanna Ramasamy told The Hindu.

"We have been living on the edge of caste discrimination for long. Today, we feel elated and proud," said K. Palanisamy, a 62-year-old Dalit, who raised a banner of revolt when the wall was constructed some 20 years ago.

Mr. Palanisamy said that when he protested then, he was threatened. Fearing for his life, he was away from the colony for some time.

For B. Kamatchi, it was a day to be cherished. She said her school-going children would now have a safe access to the main road. "Till recently they had to take a roundabout way, which is not safe for girl children."

CPI(M) ward secretary C. Sivakumar said it was a rewarding end to the long-drawn struggle of the Dalits. "I thank The Hindu and organisations such as the Democratic Youth Federation of India for this. Otherwise, it would have been a long struggle with no reward."

Earlier, tension prevailed when a group of caste Hindus, living on the other side of the wall, protested against the demolition. They claimed that the wall had been preventing pigs from straying into their area and that it also helped to block sewage flow from the other side.

"We have invested our lifetime savings in houses that we built on the assurance that the wall would remain forever," said a woman resident.

However Salem tahsildhar T. Kumeresan convinced them, saying the wall was standing on poromboke land and the administration had to demolish it.

TornadoGuard

from xkcd.com
Ref : http://xkcd.com/937/

Calvin and Hobbes for August 11, 2011

from Calvin and Hobbes (Unofficial)
Ref : http://www.ucomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2011/08/11/

Japan remembers Hiroshima bombing

from The Hindu - Home , written by AP
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2330335.ece

The Japanese city of Hiroshima is commemorating the 66th anniversary of the bombing, as the nation fights a different kind of disaster from atomic technology -- a nuclear plant in a meltdown crisis after being hit by a tsunami.

The site of the world's first A-bomb attack observed a moment of silence at 8-15 a.m. Saturday (2315 GMT Friday) -- the time the bomb was dropped on Aug. 6, 1945, by the United States in the last stages of World War II. The bomb destroyed most of the city and killed as many as 140,000 people.

A second atomic bombing Aug. 9 in Nagasaki killed tens of thousands more and prompted the Japanese to surrender.

Japan has vowed never to make or possess nuclear weapons, but has long embraced nuclear power.

Maharashtra Assembly passes School Fees Regulation Bill

from The Hindu - Home , written by PTI
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article2319372.ece

Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wedenesday unanimously passed the school fees regulation bill, which aims to curb the commercialisation of education and profiteering by educational institutions.

The bill, approved by the 27-member joint legislative committee, was tabled last week, and passed unanimously on Wednesday.

The seemingly arbitrary fee hikes by private schools, and protests by parents prompted the government to come out with the bill.

The bill will come up for discussion in the Legislative Council tomorrow.

A view from outer space

from The Hindu - Home
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/article2313425.ece

NASA's missions have provided many a memorable image from outer space. Here are a few spellbinding pictures from some of its missions, as well as a few from here on earth.

India not settling oil dues to Iran under U.S. pressure: Karat

from The Hindu - Home , written by Special Correspondent
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2306233.ece

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday charged the Manmohan Singh government with succumbing to U.S. pressure by not clearing payments to Iran for crude. This could result in stoppage of supplies, he said.

"India has been getting 12 per cent of its crude oil imports from Iran. This amounts to around 4,00,000 barrels per day. These supplies may stop in August since India has not made payments for oil shipments for the past few months and around $5 billion (approx Rs.25,000 crore) are due to the Iranian oil companies. Iran has indicated that it may be forced to stop supplying oil if no arrangements for the payments are made.

Beyond U.N. sanctions

"How has such a situation come about?" CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat asked in an article in the latest edition of party organ People's Democracy.

The Indian government, he said, succumbed to U.S. pressure to curtail its trading and commercial links with Iran. In July last year, Washington imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Iran, aimed at scuttling its oil and gas industries. These went much beyond the June 2010 U.N. Security Council sanctions. The U.S., along with the European Union (EU), placed prohibitive restrictions on banking and foreign exchange transactions with Iranian banks and other financial institutions.

Payment mode

Mr. Karat said India was abiding by not just the UNSC sanctions but also the "illegal and unilateral" coercive measures imposed by the U.S. and the EU. Consequently, the Reserve Bank of India last December disallowed all trade-related payments to Iran through the Asian Clearing Union. This mechanism had been being used for a long time to make payments to Iran. Once this was stopped, the problem arose of how to make the payments.

Subsequently, the Iranian and Indian governments agreed that payments for oil imports could be made through an account with the German central bank, Bundesbank, which would transfer the money to the Hamburg-based European-Iranian Trade Bank that was not subject to sanctions.

However, after a few weeks, under pressure from the U.S. and Israel, the German government stopped these transactions. Since then, the Iranians had continued to supply oil but India had not made payments.

Saudi source

The UPA government, Mr. Karat said, was now engaged in finding out how to arrange for alternative sources of imports rather than ensuring that oil trade with Iran continued. The U.S. was asking India to source its oil from Saudi Arabia instead of Iran, which has been the second largest supplier of crude India after Saudi Arabia.

Nuclear deal

Mr. Karat said that ever since the India-U.S. nuclear deal was signed, traditional relations with Iran had been endangered. "The United States had made it clear that the nuclear deal entails acceptance of India making its foreign policy congruent to that of the United States."

Further, the Hyde Act, which allowed nuclear cooperation with India, clearly states the U.S. President should annually provide an assessment report to Congress on how India is cooperating with the U.S. to sanction and isolate Iran. The Left parties strongly opposed this infringement on national sovereignty and the abridgement of India's foreign policy to suit U.S. interests.

"India can get its crude oil requirements from other countries. But what cannot be retrieved by this craven and servile attitude to the United States is the country's self-respect and damage to national interests," Mr. Karat said.

Indians most depressed in the world: WHO study

from IBN Top Headlines , written by IBNLive.com editor@ibnonline.com
Ref : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indians-most-depressed-in-the-world-who-study/170804-19.html

Nearly 36 per cent of Indians suffer from Major Depressive Episode according to a WHO-sponsored study.

Migrant labourers: don't they deserve better?

from The Hindu - Home , written by Waseem Ahad
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article2296055.ece

They look like us, but only they do not live like us. It is their hard work that erects the massive structures and skyscrapers of this city, though they themselves have no permanent homes. They are the unnoticed power behind the new millennium that has given them the name "the Labour Industry."

Ravana, 40, hardly remembers where her family lived last time, seven months ago. She is the wife of a labourer and mother of two, living in a space of 10x10, covered by tin sheets, near the TV centre. The family cooks, eats and sleeps here. The room has no ventilation except for the main door. A tank in front of this room contains water used for drinking and bathing. 

Nomadic life

The family does not know how long this room will be their home. It depends on how long the work goes on at the Chief Secretariat construction site, where Ravana's husband earns Rs. 150 a day. When the work finishes they have to move to another place where her husband gets work. "There is no other way. We have to live with it," says Ravana.

The family members left Andhra Pradesh when their land turned unyielding and they found no work to feed themselves. They are among the three lakh migrant labourers who travelled from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal to work in Chennai, the country's fourth largest metropolitan.

The job is cut out: they should be ready before 8 a.m. so that a bus takes them to the construction site. In the scorching heat, they pull and push, lift the loads heavier than themselves. They never complain of strain or heat. It is just a matter of a course of sleep and then they will again be able to work. After all, this is their livelihood.

"If we do not work we will starve, so work is important," says Mooto Gagrai, a 19-year-old labourer from Jharkhand, who has come to Chennai with his friend after he found Rs. 40 too less in Jharkhand to work for a 10-hour-long shift. Here he is being paid Rs. 150 for the samework.

Underpaid

R. Geetha, Advisor, Unorganised Workers Federation, says "The amount these labourers is being paid is much less. It should be a minimum of Rs. 220 a day. But when the workers come from a distant place, they are not in a position to bargain and offer contractors an opportunity to exploit them."

The workers are thankful to their contractors who provide them with work and sometimes, meals three times a day and a shack to live. They do not know why they should not be thankful, perhaps their lot was much worse than this.

"These people do not even have a safe living place. There are routine incidents of rape and physical harassment against workers' wife and children," says Geeta. "The workers are being denied all the provisions of the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, 1996, that gives them benefits such as fixed working hours, wages for overtime, basic welfare amenities at site, temporary accommodation near site, safety and health care, education facilities for children and sanction of loans."

According to the State Construction Workers' Welfare Board, the total number of registered workers in the State till May 31 this year is 21,06,276 and Chennai alone has 35,202, which includes both migrants as well as locals. The board maintains that it can provide benefits only to those who are registered.

The officials say that migrant labourers keep changing their working places and so do not come for registrations, which is done through collaboration between the revenue and the police departments.

While Geeta argues that the registration procedure is so complicated that workers find it beyond their reach. Labour and Employment Department Under Secretary, however, says, "We are making policies to ensure that these people are provided all necessary facilities."

These labourers do not have dreams, nor do have ambition. For them, there is nothing to dream about. "Life is better here than the one back home," they feel.

(The writer can be reached at waseemmascom@gmail.com)

‘Tackle politicians-beneficiaries nexus and flawed policies to check corruption'

from The Hindu - Home , written by Staff Reporter
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article2281179.ece

Interventions like the Lokpal Bill will only treat the "symptoms", to weed out corruption it will require tackling the flawed policies and a nexus between the "ruling politicians and the beneficiaries", concurred a panel debating corruption and corporate loot on Wednesday.

Speaking at the public meeting against Corruption and Corporate Loot organised by the Centre for Policy Analysis here, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said two decades ago it was implied that liberalisation of the economy and freedom from the licence-raj will eradicate corruption, however the neo-liberalisation policies have opened the flood gates for high-level corruption.

High-level corruption

He said successive governments, led by the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance have been marked by a series of scams and corrupt deals, ranging from 2G spectrum allocation to the KG basin. "A common feature has been the involvement of big businesses with the political parties and bureaucrats. Corruption is bound to happen where the State is seen to serve the interest of the corporates or big businesses. Policies and regulatory bodies are being made for big businesses," he said.

Agreeing to the enactment of the Lokpal Bill, Mr. Karat said his party has been raising the demand for a Lokpal for years now and make a plea for covering all public servants, from the peon to the Prime Minister. "There is an equally strong case for starting with the high level of corruption, if the foundation is the head of neo-liberal regime, then we should strike at the source."

He said for accountability of the judiciary, a separate legislation needs to be discussed; there should also be electoral reforms. Mr. Karat also frowned upon the tendency to have ministers who have business interests.

"A political system that directly impinges on democracy is serious. All this money being made has gone directly into the political system," he said.

CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said the Lokpal Bill should be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament and after following the procedure should be enacted in the Winter Session. He however disapproved of Anna Hazare's call for going on fast on August 16.

"He has done well to bring it (Bill) in the public domain, but this decision to fast should not appear as if he is trying to interfere and press Parliament. That will complicate matters."

Mr. Bardhan said the PM too should be in the ambit of the Bill, but it should be seen that there is no deliberate insinuation made or ulterior motive in suggesting action against the PM. "I won't say that corruption exists only in Capitalist countries, it is also in socialist ones, but we need to go for the root cause of it."

Member of the Anna Hazare team and civil liberties lawyer Prashant Bhushan said though he believes that a majority of corporate houses would like to do business honestly, it has become impossible to do because of the "corrupt corporate-politician nexus".

Transfer of assets to private companies at throw away prices, handing over of gas, oil fields worth thousands of crore and the government not benefitting from the profits generated from these businesses are the hallmarks of corruption and corporate loot in the country he said.

He was critical of the opposition to the judiciary being open to scrutiny and said the Lokpal will have multiple layers of scrutiny.

Economist Jayati Ghosh said that corruption is the symptom and cause is the growth strategy where the state is seen as a deliverer of profits to the private companies.

"Private capital is not the only source of economic growth. We need better polices and a market based system is not going to deliver economic development," she argued.

Civil activist and member of the National Advisory Council Aruna Roy said laws are no longer made with the interest of the poor at the centre. She said corruption also stems from arbitrary imposition of laws and policies on people, the Special Economic Zone policy is one such example.

The process of making laws without the consent of the people needs to be addressed, she said, adding no single law can tackle corruption or abuse of power. "We cannot afford simplistic solutions and have to look at shades of opinion to defeat corruption."

Senior journalist Seema Mustafa lamented the corruption that has seeped into journalism and the impact that it has on media houses and the quality of news.

U.S. backs TAPI but avoids mention of IPI

from The Hindu - Home , written by Sandeep Dikshit
Ref : http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2277586.ece

Washington, Delhi want continued efforts at laying four-nation pipeline

The U.S. has lauded and backed the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline but made no mention of the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) 'peace' pipeline, which, according to WikiLeaks cables, has been stalled under American pressure though it will fulfil the same objectives as the four-nation project.

At a spin-off meeting during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's strategic dialogue with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here on Tuesday, India and the U.S. touched on the TAPI pipeline during discussions on energy security. At a meeting of the Energy Dialogue Steering Committee, one of the several Indo-U.S. panels handling specialised subjects, both sides reiterated the need for continued diplomatic efforts at laying the TAPI pipeline, "both for improved energy security in the subcontinent and the relatively clean energy natural gas that it would provide."

Same benefits

But the IPI pipeline, which would also provide energy security as well as a cleaner fossil fuel alternative, was not mentioned. After waiting for more than two years for New Delhi to come on board, Tehran and Islamabad have announced the start of work on the Iran-Pakistan stretch by year-end. Pakistan's Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Asim Hussain has been quoted as saying that 1,092 km of the pipeline on the Iranian side is already in place, and gas should start flowing after three years. Both countries have said India is welcome to join the project when it makes up its mind.

The WikiLeaks cables reveal how the U.S. looked askance at a brief stopover by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad here in 2008, with the then U.S. Ambassador, David Mulford, having told National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon that "Americans, particularly members of Congress, will view [Mr.] Ahmadinejad's visit as India providing a platform for an enemy of the U.S."

Mr. Menon responded, asking the U.S. not to tell India what it should do, especially in public. Iran presented a global problem, and the U.S. and India differed on how to fix the situation because of geography, he said, according to the U.S. diplomatic cables accessed by the WikiLeaks.

Anna hazare's fast against corruption-I Have a strong suspicion

from unity , written by indiamarchesahead
Ref : http://indiamarchesahead.blogspot.com/2011/04/anna-hazares-fast-against-corruption-i.html

I have a strong suspicion

Today almost all the print and electronic media cover the victory of the hunger strike undertaken by a social activist Anna Hazare with prominence since the cause for which he undertook indefinite fasting has been accomplished through a publication of the Gazette Notification by GOI. According to the notification issued by Government, a Joint Drafting Committee has been formed consisting of 10 members, five cabinet ministers and five civil society representatives that of course include Anna Hazare for enactment of Lok Pal Bill against corruption. For people who wish to eradicate corruption from the Society, this is truly good news and a welcome development.

Who are all the cabinet ministers in the Joint Drafting Committee? P Chidambaram, the Home Minister who is the most preferred person for the post of the Finance Minister by the USA as revealed by the Wiki Leaks. As Finance Minister he truly followed the diktats of the USA throwing the economy open to the multi nationals. The consecutive budgets presented by him are responsible for this great divide between the poor and the rich today. The neo liberal policy adopted by the UPA Government in which he was FM for 5 years is the root cause for this enormous corruption. His son Karthik Chidambaram has admitted that money was distributed during the 2009 Parliament elections in Sivaganga constituency where Chidambaram stood and narrowly won as revealed by Wiki Leaks. Another cabinet minister is Pranab Mukerjee who is the present Finance Minister and in order to prove that he is no less loyal than Chidambaram or Montek Singh Aluwalia to the USA, has introduced the Banking Laws Amendments bill and Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority bill in the recently concluded Lok Sabha session. These, in essence will throw open lakhs of crores of rupees of ordinary people to the loot and plunder of Multi National Companies. The third person is Law Minister Veerappa Moily who is the convener of this committee. He is the person who is responsible for appointment of P J Thomas, a scam tainted person as CVC. He is also responsible for not booking Hasan Ali who has evaded Income Tax of several thousands of crores of rupees, effectively even after several indictments from the Supreme Court. Another cabinet minister in the committee is Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal who has hidden the full pumpkin in food saying that there was absolutely no loss to the Government exchequer due to sale of 2G spectrum in the First Come First Served basis. His lie has been nailed by CBI within a few days of his interview to the press in this regard, through arrest of Raja former Telecom Minister and charge sheet holding him and others responsible for the loss of around Rs.30000 crores to start with.

It is understood that "these ministers will bring a bill to eradicate corruption in public life through time bound trial and punishment which includes hanging" – who will believe this?

Who is this Anna Hazare? Except browsing his brief biography and learning that he is recipient of several awards including Padma Bushan and an award from USA, he has led this kind of hunger strike in a couple of times in the past, I do not know anything about him. I have not even heard about him before 5^th April 2011. I believe that this would be the case with the most of the serious political observers. He is joined by others, some of whom have some public integrity. Why this fast is undertaken now? Why such a big publicity over this? What is the motive of this "Anti corruption people's movement? What is the general feeling of those who support this movement and celebrate victory today? They all say almost in one voice that "all the political parties are corrupt?" That is why this movement is called people's movement according to them without the involvement of any political party. Anna Hazare has gone on record to say that he has not sought the help of any political party. Here lies the hidden agenda, I feel.

Today huge scams like 2G spectrum involving 1, 76,000 crores loss to the Government coffer, ISRO with 2 lakhs crores loss, Common Wealth Games, Adarsh Housing wherein the ruling Congress Party and its allies like DMK, Congress (Sharad Pawar) etc. are involved, come to the surface. Further Wiki Leaks has revealed that huge sum of money has been given away by the ruling Congress Party to purchase votes to retain the Government in 2008 when the Left Parties withdrew support to the UPA I Government on the principle of their stout opposition to the Indo Nuclear deal with USA. The scam of iron ore by Reddy Brothers (in one estimate amounting to 38000 crores of rupees) and Land allotment scam in Karnataka indulged by the BJP has also come to the fore.

Whether it is the scams that have come to the surface now or the tape conversation with Neera Radia or the scams like Hawala that have been revealed in the past, there has not been a single index finger against any of the leaders of the Left Parties like CPI(M) or CPI. So there is a clear distinction between the Parties which support the neo liberal economic policy which is the fundamental reason for scams like these and whose leaders themselves are directly or indirectly involved in scams and Left Parties which are opposed to this neo liberal economic policy and whose leaders have impeccable qualities in public life.

Now this crusade against corruption led by Anna Hazare is portrayed as one against all the Political Parties without distinguishing the right wing Political Parties which stand for continuation of the present economic policy which has resulted these scams and the Left Parties which stand against the present economic policy and whose leaders are with high order of honesty and integrity in public life. This is done when the Assembly elections to the five States including the ones led by Left Parties in West Bengal and Kerala are underway. An attempt is subtly but consciously made to blur the distinction between the Left Parties and Right wing Parties during this time, perhaps to deny the mileage these Left Parties enjoy over the other Parties due to the hard work and utmost sacrifice of the leaders of the Left Parties. This is not a good sign.

The general public and the right thinking intellectuals should raise a demand that in whole exercise against the corruption, the rightful place of the Left Parties should be ensured.

03/16/11 PHD comic: 'Cheapest way'

from PHD Comics
Ref : http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1425

Piled Higher & Deeper by Jorge Cham		www.phdcomics.com
title: "Cheapest way" - originally published 3/16/2011 For the latest news in PHD Comics, CLICK HERE!

Milk

from xkcd.com
Ref : http://xkcd.com/858/

Calvin and Hobbes for January 31, 2011

from Calvin and Hobbes (Unofficial)
Ref : http://www.ucomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2011/01/31/