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मुबारक मंडी की कहानी, जम्मू प्रति सौतेले व्यवहार का प्रतीक

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2019 का वर्ष भारत किए एकता और अखंडता के इतिहास में एक विशेष महत्त्व रखता है। धरा 370 को संशोधित कर एवं जम्मू - कश्मीर और लद्दाख को दो केंद्र शासित राज्यों का दर्जा देकर केंद्र सरकार ने इतिहास की एक बहुत बड़ी गलती को सुधारने की दिशा में पहला ठोस प्रयास किया। दशकों के अंधकार के पश्चात जब एक आशा की किरण दिखती है, तो संभवतः प्रताड़ित जनमानस के मन में असंख्य भाव जागते हैं, अपेक्षाएं जागती हैं। ऐसा ही कुछ जम्मू के लोगों के साथ भी हुआ, जो अंधकारमय तूफ़ान में आशा की किरण की प्रतीक्षा में खड़े रहे। जम्मू प्रजा परिषद् का आंदोलन हो या अमरनाथ संघर्ष समिति, हर अवसर पर जम्मू के लोगों ने "भारत माता की जय!" का उद्घोष करा और भारत की अखंडता के लिए बलिदान दिए। अलगाववादी सोच वाले चरमपंथी नेताओं के दबदबे के विरूद्ध सदैव खड़े रहे, और विचारधाराओं के टकराव में बराबर की टक्कर देते रहे। कितने कुठाराघात के बावजूद जम्मू के जनमानस ने भारत, उसके संविधान और उसके न्याय तंत्र में अपना अटूट विश्वास नहीं छोड़ा - तब भी जब उन्हें कश्मीर घाटी के अलगाववादी नेताओं के साथ जोड़कर देखा गया। किन्तु ३७० के संशोधन पश्चात् जम्मू

Some Thoughts on Delhi's Administrative Chaos

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Map of Delhi-NCR (source: NCR Planning Board) The problem of Delhi in Independent India has perhaps been a puzzle since its inception.  Until 1901, Delhi was one of the five administrative units of Punjab province, comprising the five districts of Karnal, Ambala, Rohtak, Hissar and Gurgaon . However, as Delhi became the capital of British India in 1911, these districts were reconfigured and placed under its own local government as a separate province. Later, some areas of Meerut District (Shahdara) of the then United Provinces (today's Uttar Pradesh) was merged into Delhi. Eventually, the British government classified as a Chief Commissioner's Province under the Government of India Act, 1919 and 1935, equivalent to a present-day Union Territory.  Post independence, Delhi was a Category C state at the time of Independence, with Chaudhary Brahm Prakash being its first Chief Minister. A Nairobi returnee, the man had despite being a Congressman faced significant problems with Anand

Much Ado About Nothing – Of the Wire, The Grey Lady and the Pegasus Deceit

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Often times, we have publication houses, journalists and supposed investigators who are so off the mark that they refuse to recognize the truth. Post-truth, pre-truth, anything but the truth – this facile attitude adopted by a handful few is not damaging the ones it is supposed to target. Rather, it is eroding the confidence and trust that people would pose in them, and their abilities. L’affaire Pegasus is turning out to be much of the same. Every few months, some ‘sensational’ discovery turns up that reveal ‘a grave threat’ to the ‘foundations of democracy’, of ‘free speech’ and ‘treasonous behaviour’ that damages reputation of a government. The latest is this interview done by The Wire that seeks to raise eyebrows. Yet, the mountain made out of a non-existent molehill continues to remain invisible to most people, perplexed by the brouhaha created for no reason. The liberal Bible also known as New York Times, whose pulpit worthy gospels posing as news deserve praise for hollow

Some Thoughts on the Peculiar Nature of Punjab’s Power Sector Problems

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Akali Dal-BSP 'Pankhi' Protest Against Power Cuts in Punjab (courtesy: The Tribune ) It is election season in Punjab, and as usual, the power cuts stretching for hours in a day are becoming a source of much-heated debate among political parties. From claims of most expensive power to faulty agreements signed by previous governments and some innovative methods of protest, everything is up for grabs. However, lost in the din are several peculiarities and problems of the state’s ailing power sector that are not being resolved in the right manner. Peculiar Demand Curve Punjab has an extremely varied demand curve through the year. Power demand of the state in the summers is exactly double the winter’s power demand. As Bhupinder Singh and Malkit Singh pointed out in 2017: One of the reasons for the low utilisation of state plants is the peculiar load curve of Punjab, which varies from 5000-6000 MW in the winter to 10000-11500 MW in the summer. The state plants come into operation on

Just Who are the Real Anti-Science People in India? The Government, or the Media?

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The Circus Called Indian Media (courtesy: Mint) The latest advisory of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on treating COVID-19 gains praise from a wide spectrum of the medical and scientific community for its evidence-based approach towards COVID management . Also, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on record to laud India’s scientific community for their invaluable contribution to the nation’s fight against the COVID pandemic. However, given the utterly deplorable and false propaganda of a section of India’s liberal community, it is time to ask a few tough questions of the eminent liberals of our country who think they know more than scientists. Modi Government’s Multiple Steps in Sync with Science That the oh so liberal liberati of India was bereft of any cranial abilities was well known. What has been on demonstration for more than a year and a half however account for nothing less than plagiarism. The word plagiarism is used because the model templates that their

The Indian Middle Class' Disaffection with the Modi Government

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Courtesy: Times of India Yes, you read it right. There is disaffection in the Indian middle class right now with the Narendra Modi government. This is not about tier I wine sipping elite intellectuals. This is about the great Indian middle class that has suffered immensely due to the COVID lockdown. This is the great Indian middle class of tier II, tier III and tier IV, living across India, many of whose children were working in tier I cities but lost their jobs and came back to sit idle at home. This is the great Indian middle class that forms a significant skilled migrant set that is increasingly getting  frustrated at the lack of job opportunities in the job market. This is the great Indian middle class that pays taxes across all hues but does not count as a significant voter base any more for the BJP. There is this sentiment among several well wishers turned haters that the BJP rose on the backs of the Indian middle class only to trample its spine and move forward to ensure that it

Will 2024 Witness the Rise of the Urban India?

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One of the important takeaways that just does not seem to get registered from the West Bengal assembly elections is the middle class voters particularly the urban middle class literally deserting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It may seem a strange trend; however, it is not a one off incident. Rather, this seems to be a trend that no has been noticing for a while, especially in the assembly elections across various states. Over the years, the BJP actually shifted its vote base from the urban centres to the rural centres. What started in 2004 solidified into significant electoral successes in 2014 and 2019. However, there is a lot to worry about for a party that should be wiser to the change taking place. India’s middle class is not necessarily middle class by world standards . Let us make no mistake about it. Most of the middle class still makes what would be considered sub-par wages as per World Bank definitions. However, what differentiates them is the fact that purchasing power w

Evolving Beyond the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Politics of Rahul Gandhi

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  Wayanad Member of Parliament (MP) and one of the most important faces of the Congress Party, Mr. Rahul Gandhi, has failed to create a dent on India’s political scene, despite much going for him. People continue to undermine his credibility despite three terms in Parliament now. While many outsiders have chosen to fish in troubled waters often, it is important for us to reflect and contemplate just why his politics fails to resonate with the people. Much of the answer unfortunately seems to resonate with a famous book called Alice in Wonderland, written nearly two centuries ago by the famed mathematician Lewis Caroll.   Terrible Politics over COVID, Talking in Echo Chambers Rahul Gandhi’s disconnect is unmistakable. His politics over COVID however has been marred by nothing less than chaos and bizarre behaviour. Continued contradictions seem to mark his approach – from asking for lockdown to asking for its quick reopening; from raising questions on PM-CARES to raising questions