India’s ‘Alternative To Hong Kong’ Proceeds In Lush Nicobar Island, As Govt Ignores Pleas Of Local Tribals
Over the past 17 years, and most recently in 2022, hunter-gatherers, fisherfolk & farmers of a Nicobarese tribe—inhabiting a rainforest-draped island of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago for about 50,000 years—have pleaded with the union government to return them to their ancestral land. But with a Rs 72,000-crore plan to build a giant port, international airport, power plant and tourism facilities by cutting about a million trees in 130 sq km of rainforest, the government has erected a wall of silence to their requests to return home.
#AndamanNicobarIslands #nicobarese #GreatNicobar #TribalRights #ForestRights #deforestation #andamans #RainForests #environment #EcoDestruction #CivilRights #displacement #UnionGovt #india
#andamannicobarislands #nicobarese #greatnicobar #TribalRights #forestrights #deforestation #andamans #rainforests #environment #ecodestruction #civilrights #displacement #uniongovt #india
Is India Still a Democracy? Political Prisoners Tell Their Stories
During the three-year-long trial against Professor GN Saibaba and the other men, which ran from 2014 to 2017, the prosecution produced no real evidence. Of 23 witnesses presented before the court by the prosecution, 22 were police officers. The only civilian witness retracted his confession after claiming it resulted from torture. While Saibaba’s health deteriorated in prison, Rahi, the social activist and journalist, alleged that he, Mishra, Narote, and Mahesh Tirki were tortured in custody by investigating officer Suhas Bawache.
https://time.com/6305728/voices-of-political-prisoners-from-authoritarian-india/
#PoliticalPrisoners #GNSaibaba #activism #dissent #HumanRights #TribalRights #adivasis #UAPA #DraconianLaws #environment #EcoDestruction #authoritarianism #PressFreedom #FalseCases #torture #StateViolence #UnionGovt #india #books #bookstodon #SuchitraVijayan #FrancescaRecchia
#politicalprisoners #gnsaibaba #activism #dissent #humanrights #TribalRights #adivasis #uapa #draconianlaws #environment #ecodestruction #authoritarianism #pressfreedom #falsecases #torture #stateviolence #uniongovt #india #books #bookstodon #suchitravijayan #francescarecchia
Daman, Run By A Modi Aide, Latest To Deal With Trauma Of Forced Eviction
Appointed by the union government, the administrator of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Praful Patel, ordered two demolition drives over in Daman in 2023 to remove houses deemed to be ‘illegal encroachments’ on government land, latest in a spate of demolitions in BJP-run or controlled state and union territories. Some said they had lived there for generations and paid taxes for decades. Some homes were built under the PM’s flagship housing programme. Officials said most were ‘immigrants’ living in rented homes.
#daman #demolitions #bulldozers #displacement #PMAY #PrafulPatel #UnionGovt #BJP #india
#Daman #demolitions #Bulldozers #displacement #pmay #prafulpatel #uniongovt #BJP #india
Book review: A scathing indictment of what was done by an administration to a people unprepared for a pandemic
A review of Harsh Mander's 'Burning Pyres, Mass Graves and a State That Failed Its People: India’s Covid Tragedy'. As he journals the length and breadth of India, one cannot help but give Mr Mander credit for the number and range of real-life anecdotes he has attempted to document here.
#BookReview #HarshMander #covid19 #CovidMismanagenent #CovidDeathToll #CovidLockdown #MigrantLabourers #UnionGovt #BJP #india #books #nonfiction #bookstodon #health #healthcare
#bookreview #harshmander #COVID19 #covidmismanagenent #coviddeathtoll #CovidLockdown #migrantlabourers #uniongovt #BJP #india #books #nonfiction #bookstodon #health #healthcare
The reality of scholarship schemes for religious minorities in India
What is the status of educational empowerment schemes for religious minorities? Why did the government scrap some of these programmes? How will it widen the gap between minorities and the rest of the population?
#minorities #scholarship #education #marginalisation #hindutva #UnionGovt #BJP #india
#minorities #Scholarship #education #marginalisation #hindutva #uniongovt #BJP #india
Hours after it published report on PM Modi, South African news site alleges cyber attack from India
The news site Daily Maverick reported that Modi refused to leave the plane till the South African deputy president came to receive him. A spokesperson has denied this.
#SouthAfrica #BRICS #NarendraModi #CyrilRamaphosa #DailyMaverick #media #DDOS #cybercrime #BJP #UnionGovt #india
#southafrica #brics #narendramodi #CyrilRamaphosa #dailymaverick #media #ddos #cybercrime #BJP #uniongovt #india
Gaon Savera’s social media handles blocked after ‘correspondence’ from Indian government
The website’s editor linked it to their coverage of the farmer protests in Punjab.
#GaonSavera #media #SocialMedia #FarmersProtests #punjab #facebook #meta #twitter #x #ITAct2000 #PressFreedom #journalism #censorship #UnionGovt #india
#gaonsavera #media #socialmedia #FarmersProtests #punjab #facebook #meta #twitter #x #itact2000 #pressfreedom #journalism #censorship #uniongovt #india
Years of data goes missing from Union government’s RTI portal
Hundreds of RTI applications and their responses from Union public authorities have disappeared from the RTIOnline website; the site has processed 58.3 lakh applications since 2013.
#RTI #RTIOnline #DOPT #NIC #RightToInformation #UnionGovt #transparency #governance #BJP #india
#rti #rtionline #dopt #nic #RighttoInformation #uniongovt #transparency #governance #BJP #india
The blocking of ‘The Kashmir Walla’ underscores India’s draconian censorship of the internet
The government’s powers to censor online content have been further boosted by a Karnataka High Court order and a new data protection law.
#kashmir #TheKashmirWalla #PressFreedom #censorship #ITAct2000 #ITRules2009 #meity #DPDPBill #journalism #KarnatakaHC #BJP #DraconianLaws #UnionGovt #india
#kashmir #thekashmirwalla #pressfreedom #censorship #itact2000 #itrules2009 #meity #dpdpbill #journalism #karnatakahc #BJP #draconianlaws #uniongovt #india
Troubling bills
The Data Protection Board is problematic because all its members will be appointed by the Union government (Clause 19(2)), putting its independence in doubt, writes Sevanti Ninan.
#PersonalData #privacy #DataProtection #UnionGovt #PressFreedom #journalism #media #india
#personaldata #privacy #dataprotection #uniongovt #pressfreedom #journalism #media #india
Supreme Court judgment delivered four decades ago counters President’s rule in J&K
The minuscule verdict, containing just one paragraph, was produced by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade before a five-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud hearing the challenge to the repeal of Article 370 from the Indian Constitution.
#kashmir #article370 #constitution #article370abrogation #SupremeCourt #article356 #LegislativeAssembly #PresidentsRule #UnionGovt #BJP #SatyaPalMalik #governors #india
#kashmir #article370 #constitution #article370abrogation #supremecourt #article356 #legislativeassembly #presidentsrule #uniongovt #BJP #satyapalmalik #governors #india
Delhi Police Arrive at Venue Hosting Event Critical of G20 Summit, 'Stop People From Entering'
Among those who were scheduled to speak at the 'We20' workshops today are Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, food sovereignty advocate Vandana Shiva, and Janata Dal (United) MP Aneel Hegde.
#delhi #g20 #DelhiPolice #we20 #ClimateChange #environment #biodiversity #HumanRights #MedhaPatkar #VandanaShiva #JairamRamesh #dissent #activism #UnionGovt #BJP #censorship #india
https://thewire.in/government/we20-summit-g20-delhi-police-jairam-ramesh
#delhi #g20 #delhipolice #we20 #ClimateChange #environment #biodiversity #humanrights #medhapatkar #vandanashiva #jairamramesh #dissent #activism #uniongovt #BJP #censorship #india
Election Commissioners' Appointment Bill: Farewell to Free and Fair Elections?
Bringing the Election Commission under the control of the political executive is repugnant to the concept of an independent election commission enshrined in the constitution.
#ElectionCommissionersBill #CEC #ECI #ElectionCommissioners #CJI #elections #transparency #ElectoralFraud #UnionGovt #BJP #elections2024 #india
#electioncommissionersbill #cec #eci #electioncommissioners #cji #elections #transparency #electoralfraud #uniongovt #BJP #elections2024 #india
Now, drones to monitor MGNREGA worksites
Union government SOP permits drone usage for investigating corruption complaints or other violations at MGNREGA worksites; States will not get additional funds for drones.
#MGNREGA #labour #drones #surveillance #labor #UnionGovt #india
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/drones-to-monitor-mgnrega-worksites/article67205578.ece
#MGNREGA #labour #drones #surveillance #labor #uniongovt #india
Bibek Debroy article for new Constitution: PM panel says not our view
Debroy quoted a study to show that the lifespan of written constitutions is just 17 years. Terming the present Constitution of India as a colonial legacy, he wrote, “Our current Constitution is largely based on the Government of India Act of 1935. In that sense, it is also a colonial legacy.”
#BibekDebroy #BJP #constitution #hindutva #EACPM #UnionGovt #NarendraModi #india
#bibekdebroy #BJP #constitution #hindutva #eacpm #uniongovt #narendramodi #india
The new IPC has a Hindi name. But legal experts point out that it is illegal
Three new criminal law bills, which have Hindi titles, have been flagged by the DMK for imposing Hindi on the entire country.
#IPC #IndianPenalCode #BharatiyaNyayaSanhita #hindi #sanskrit #HindiImposition #article348 #constitution #UnionGovt #TamilNadu #DMK #india
#ipc #indianpenalcode #bharatiyanyayasanhita #hindi #sanskrit #hindiimposition #article348 #constitution #uniongovt #tamilnadu #DMK #india
PMJAY scheme: Nearly Rs 7 crore paid for treatment of ‘dead’ patients, shows CAG report
At least 3,446 patients who had previously been declared dead were treated under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana, the auditor said.
#PMJAY #HealthInsurance #healthcare #CAG #NHA #BJP #WelfareSchemes #UnionGovt #india
#pmjay #healthinsurance #healthcare #cag #nha #BJP #welfareschemes #uniongovt #india
Economics Dept Says Ashoka Governing Body ‘Interference’ Forcing Scholars to ‘Operate in Environment of Fear’
Department wants Sabyasachi Das reappointed, sets deadline of August 23; English and Creative Writing Departments also release a statement in solidarity with the economics department, stipulating the same demands.
#AshokaUniversity #SabyasachiDas #research #2019elections #ElectoralFraud #dissent #academia #education #BJP #universities #democracy #UnionGovt #india
#AshokaUniversity #sabyasachidas #research #2019elections #electoralfraud #dissent #academia #education #BJP #universities #democracy #uniongovt #india
Interview: Prof Ganesh Devy on attempts to distort history and his battle to preserve it
Eminent linguist and historian Prof. Ganesh Devy spoke to The Federal during his recent visit to Chennai for a discussion on the book, 'Indians: histories of a civilisation'.
In this freewheeling chat, the historian talks about this book of which he is one of the editors; he also touches upon the central government's attempts at rewriting history and on the imposition of Hindi. Placing Tamil language's heritage in the global context, Prof Devy argues why the BJP government's approach towards language is dangerous and needs to be countered.
#interview #GaneshDevy #GNDevy #history #language #propaganda #misinformation #BJP #UnionGovt #hindutva #hindi #HindiImposition #tamil #books #bookstodon #histodon #linguistics #india
#interview #GaneshDevy #gndevy #history #language #propaganda #misinformation #BJP #uniongovt #hindutva #hindi #hindiimposition #tamil #books #bookstodon #Histodon #linguistics #india
70% government litigation frivolous; we read about litigation policy only in newspapers: Supreme Court
A Bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra remarked that 70 per cent of government litigation was frivolous and promises about a litigation policy being formulated.
#litigation #SupremeCourt #law #UnionGovt #StateGovts #courts #india
#litigation #supremecourt #law #uniongovt #stategovts #courts #india