Women's Day: Indian girls face future while battling effects of COVID-19

While it’s a day meant to celebrate womanhood, one needs to also ponder over measures needed to protect the rights of a girl child. On International Women’s Day, let  me bring your attention to a report that captures data-driven evidence pointing to the impact on COVID-19 on girls. 

The NGO Save the Children conceptualised the report titled “WINGS 2022 .World of India's Girls: Spotlight on Adolescent Girls amid COVID 19”. Right from access to education, health, nutrition and risk of child marriage, the impact of the pandemic on adolescent girls are aplenty. 

The study was conducted in February 2021 covering the East, West, North and South of India with Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Telangana as the key states. Based on a structured questionnaire survey administered among 1,092 mothers of adolescent girls (aged between 10 to 18 years), along with another taking into account adolescent girls (1092 in number) from

the same household (daughters of the respondent mother), several key findings were highlighted. 

81 percent suffered from food insufficiency (as reported by mother respondents) during the initial lockdown period. 78 percent reported that their adolescent daughters faced difficulties in accessing sanitary napkins. 68 per cent reported that they did not have access to health and nutrition services during lockdown.

School closures disrupted the lives of over 320 million children enrolled at the primary and secondary level, and that amounts to 86 percent. While 33 percent girls attended online classes during the lockdown, 73 percent clearly indicated that the pandemic had adversely impacted their daughter's learning. According to mothers, 42 percent were not contacted by school staff during the pandemic period. And 23 percent of girls did not have access to any type of learning materials at home during the pandemic.

Adding to this, there is lack of awareness about the issue of child marriage. 14 per cent mothers felt that the pandemic has increased the risk of early marriage among girls. 10 percent of mothers believe that the appropriate age of marriage is below 18 years.

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51 percent girls reported that they were watching TV more as compared to pre-pandemic days.This was followed by household chores (43 percent), use of mobile phones (39 percent), and playing board games (33 percent).

51 percent of Indian girls drop out of school by the age of 15; 7.9 percent of women aged 15-19

years are already mothers or pregnant; 26.8 percent of women aged 20-24 years were married before the age of 18 years; 22.5 percent of married adolescent girls and women have experienced spousal violence. 29 percent women (aged 18-49) married or with a partner have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their husband or partners.

According to Save the Children’s study, 79 per cent of street children do not have legal documents, 70 percent are involved in child labor, and every third child has faced violence. One out of four children sleep hungry at least once a week, 63 percent

cannot read or write, and 37 percent sleep on pavements.  

The study also looked into the health and nutrition services received by adolescent girls during the lockdown. 68 percent in the four states did not access or receive any services.More than 90 percent girls in Delhi did not receive any services followed by Bihar (77 percent) and Maharashtra (64 percent) And Telangana (40 percent). 

The study reveals that 88 percent of the girls who had dropped out of school belonged to families that had a family income less than Rs. 10,000 per month. 78 percent of households suffered a loss of income after the onset of the pandemic, 56 percent of households struggled to pay for food, and around 53 percent of the poor households expressed the need for cash or cash vouchers.

It’s time we make this place a better one for every woman, every girl and every mother. Happy Women’s Day!

What does fugitive diamantaire #NiravModi’s extradition mean to #India?

 

Nirav Modi is that diamond merchant who is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering. He is facing two sets of criminal proceedings - a CBI case and an ED case - relating to an estimated $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. He is currently lodged in London’s Wandsworth Prison.

On August 9, a London High Court judge granted Modi permission to appeal against his extradition to India on grounds of mental health and human rights. All other grounds raised by the defence were dismissed.

What happens next?

If Modi wins that appeal, he cannot be extradited to India. However, the Indian government can knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. If Modi loses, he can be extradited to India. However, Modi can knock on the doors of the Supreme Court within 14 days of the High Court verdict. Remember, that in both these circumstances, an appeal to the Supreme Court can only be made if the High Court certifies that the case involves a point of law of general public importance.

After exhausting all these avenues, Nirav Modi could still head to the European Court of Human Rights. It’s a long way to go until this extradition case finds a closure.

What does Nirav Modi’s extradition mean to India?

From Vijay Mallya to Mehul Choksi, India has consistently failed in extraditing offenders raising questions on diplomatic ties and legal framework.

Revelation of the bank fraud had caused massive uproar in the country by which time, Nirav Modi was absconding. 

The Government of India’s extradition request was initiated in July 2018. Unlike Mallya, who is on bail, Nirav Modi, after being arrested on 19th March, 2019, has remained in custody right through the extradition proceedings.

Despite an extradition treaty signed in 1992, India has so far been successful in extraditing only one person. Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was wanted in a case linked to the 2002 Gujarat riots, was extradited in October 2016. 

Like Nirav Modi, Raymond Varley, who was earlier accused of sexually abusing children in Goa, had appealed against his extradition citing mental illness. 

The government has been severely criticised for failing to prevent Modi and Mallya from fleeing. The extradition of this fugitive diamantaire would surely make India sparkle finer than Kohinoor diamond.

COVID Crisis in Bengaluru: Philanthropic arms extend to help Karnataka govt

 

As the number of COVID cases in Bengaluru are set to touch a whopping 10 lakh mark, one of Bengaluru’s leading NGOs Bal Utsav has proposed the setting up of COVID Care Centres across the city. The founders of the organisation Ramesh Balasundaram and Binu Verma are waiting for approvals from the Karnataka Government to kick start the initiative with at least four such centres, each housing 100 beds.

Meanwhile, OLA Foundation has partnered with Give India to provide oxygen concentrators to those in need in Bengaluru. The organisation has kickstarted the service with 500 concentrators.

The Karnataka government has been grappling with shortage of beds, oxygen and vaccines. “If you look at the existing infrastructure, caseload and shortage of beds, there are 1.2 crore people in Bengaluru and only 12,000 available beds. That’s a skewed ratio. And we wanted to do something responsible,” said Ramesh.

The minimum cost per suggested Bharat COVID Centre is Rs 3 crore. “We are waiting for commitment of resources. We have signed up with hospitals too. Once the paperwork is ready, it will take around 2 weeks for the centre to function,” said Ramesh. Bal Utsav is looking forward to work closely with the government, while stressing on the fact that they are not financially dependent on the government.

 According to reports, there is a requirement of around 1239.17 tonnes of oxygen in the state as COVID cases rise exponentially. OLA driver, through the app, will collect the concentrator depending on the nearest available one and deliver it to the consumer. The patient can return the device once he or she recovers. The patient will have to pay a refundable amount of Rs 5,000.

“This strategy is effective so that those in home isolation with low oxygen saturation levels can rest assured that they will have access to a concentrator. This is the need of the hour. I thank OLA and Give India. By doing this, dependency on hospital will reduce,” said deputy CM Ashwath Narayan.

With corporates, individuals and NGOs coming forward, Ramesh and Binu want to make their project an open-source solution where other corporates and individuals can get together and adopt this proposal.

It’s time the public and private entities of Karnataka get together to fight the existing COVID crisis in Bengaluru. Let’s stop putting the onus on government alone.

Operation Kamal, CAA: BJP’s CT Ravi talks about party’s game plan in Tamil Nadu

Reports point to BJP’s Operation Kamala having played a pivotal role in Congress’s downfall in Puducherry. However, the party had to tweak its strategy a bit when it came to its close neighbour Tamil Nadu. The state is witnessing its first election without the two stalwarts J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. The new kid on the political block is Kamal Haasan. With actor, politician and MNM chief jumping into the political fray, BJP set in motion ‘Operation Kamal’. National General Secretary of the party CT Ravi, in an exclusive interviews, elaborated on the party’s action plan in Tamil Nadu.

“Kamal may have his star power. But one needs to instil confidence in people, when it comes to taking on a political avatar. Forget his party, even he won’t win in his own constituency,” said Ravi, who is busy playing cameo in Tamil Nadu election campaign, while Kamal is busy with his electoral debut.

The BJP has aligned with the ruling AIADMK and is set to contest in 20 constituencies of the 234. Ravi is confident of 50% victory, which he hopes will pave the way for the saffron party to make inroads into the Dravidian land. “We will win at least 10. If the trend is in our favour, we would be able to bag even 12,” he said.

Unfortunately for him, reports suggest that the trend is in favour of the DMK. “Even in 2016, many surveys predicted a DMK win, but the result proved otherwise,” said Ravi, adding that there was no anti-AIADMK sentiment either. Let’s not forget, the DMK is banking on its victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, hoping that history would repeat itself in the assembly election as well.

What worked in DMK’s favour in 2019 were the minority votes. They form around 12% of the total population. With BJP shunning away the minority votes, AIADMK could perhaps lose its fair share. “We have allies like the PMK and you are forgetting their vote bank, which is sizeable in number too,” countered Ravi.

Talking of size, everything need not be on the plus side. Some issues like the CAA are just left aside for now. While the AIADMK has promised not to implement CAA in the state if voted to power, the BJP has distanced itself terming it a “Dravidian party decision”. This gives a sense of palpable tension brewing between the two key alliance partners. “There is no tension. These are baseless rumours. We are united. And our focus is on winning the election together,” he said.

Along with ideology, BJP is fighting a perception battle too in the state. Being disliked for its religious nationalism, as well as Hindi imposition, is PM Modi luring Tamil votes by quoting verses of legendary poets from the state in various speeches? “We have been given the tag of being pro-Brahmin and pro-North India. Did that make a difference? No! PM Modi’s wave has permeated through the remote corners of Tamil Nadu. He has quoted verses of Kannada poet Basavanna too. Our ancient scriptures find their way in relevant speeches,” said Ravi, denying party’s attempts to lure Tamil votes.

Will the AIADMK shake like a leaf with AMMK aiming to bring a wind of change? “Sasikala has said that she is stepping aside from politics and that she owes her allegiance to late TN CM Jayalalithaa’s party - AIADMK,” said Ravi perhaps implying that the root of the problem has been fixed.

The question now is whether the lotus will manage to bloom with the help of the two leaves, all the while ensuring the sun has set. And when it does, CT Ravi and his party leadership must work on Operation CAA keeping AIADMK’s stand in mind.

#PoliticsPrettySimple: Did BJP have a hand in Congress’ downfall in #Puducherry?

 

Puducherry near Tamil Nadu plunged into political crisis after two exits on February 21. The numbers of the ruling party in the union territory dropped to 12 and 14 is the magic number to retain power. Congress’ V Narayanasamy resigned after losing the trust vote in the assembly, while blaming the BJP, NR Congress and former Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi of conspiring against him.

According to political sources, the political script of Puducherry was ready 24 months ago, much before then Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Sounderarajan took over as the Governor of Telangana. Dissidence in neighbouring Puducherry was just about raising its ugly head. 

There comes BJP’s playbook, said Mohan Kumaramangalam, working president of the Congress in Tamil Nadu. “Look at this! We saw an overnight transfer of Kiran Bedi with Tamilisai taking over as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. We saw her active posts on Tamil Nadu-Puducherry politics, while she was in Telangana. It’s possible that she played a role in plotting against our party,” he said.

Some Congress members in Puducherry, choosing to remain anonymous, said that Narayanasamy failed in fulfilling his promise to accommodate some of the key leaders into the Cabinet. Whether or not BJP sensed this and decided to capitalise on it, the DMK seems to have foreseen the beginning of Congress’ deposition.

“We knew this would happen and we decided to play tough with our ally while we sat on the negotiating table before the election slated for April-May this year. We knew the Congress’ bargaining power would be diminished,” said A Saravanan, DMK spokesperson. 

When Congress came to power in Puducherry in 2016, A Namasivayam was portrayed as the chief ministerial candidate, but Narayanaswamy was placed on the throne in the last minute. It took Namasivayam four years and four months to quit and join the BJP.

Sources say that BJP started with Namasivayam’s shift to finish off Congress. Kiran Bedi’s attempts at throwing a spanner in the works by not meeting Narayanasamy eye-to-eye on many government schemes and projects seamlessly paved the way for dissenters to jump the fence.

Puducherry has been Congress’ stronghold and the Dravidian parties are waiting to grasp this territory. While the DMK is playing hard, the AIADMK and the BJP have forged an alliance with the opposition party NR Congress. The Centre, according to sources, has ensured the party at the helm of affairs loses its opportunity to swing the election in its favour by twisting the arm of the poll machinery.

When Rahul Gandhi visited Puducherry last week, one among the crowd stood up to complain against the government. Narayanasamy covered it up with wrong translation claiming she was praising the government. He was heavily trolled.

The BJP says that party stands vindicated with their consistent charge against the Congress’ governance in Puducherry. “Congress-DMK alliance was a disaster right from the beginning of this term. The alliance and the government collapsed on its own weight. BJP has zero role in in this fiasco. The Congress-DMK government had wasted the entire term without delivering welfare or development to the people of Puducherry. We stand vindicated with our constant charge that the fallen government has never delivered efficient governance to the state in their entire term,” said BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao.

Has BJP’s operation Kamala defeated the Congress in Puducherry hands down? Will the citizens of this union territory try their hand at letting the saffron allies take over the next term? May will have the answer.

#PoliticsPrettySimple: After #DishRavi’s arrest, familiarise yourself with what’s in the #toolkit

 

What’s this Toolkit case? Why is everyone talking about the arrest of a Bengaluru girl Disha Ravi?

Why is the Opposition slamming Centre claiming India won’t be silenced?

It all started on Feb 3 when Swedish Climate activist Greta Thunberg extended her support to the protesting farmers in India.

She also tweeted a toolkit, which was a document that mentioned two accounts including Fridays For Future, an international movement for raising awareness on climate change.

According to media reports, the document also contained links to a website run by volunteers abroad.

The tweet was deleted and Greta posted an updated toolkit.

Now, what is a toolkit?

It is a document that familiarises people to a pressing situation calling for action through social media. In this case, an analysis of the farmers’ plight, who to tag, hashtags to be used like #StandWithFarmers, etc.

What were the Indian celebs up to?

With international celebs like Rihanna and Greta speaking about Farmers Protests, many Indian celebs from Akshay Kumar to Sachin Tendulkar, spoke about how India must stand united and fight against propaganda, emphasising that external forces must only remain spectators. This however, didn’t go down well with Sachin’s fans in Punjab, who protested claiming the cricketer wasn’t standing for farmers.

Here’s the Delhi Police’s version:

The Delhi Police filed an FIR against the creators of the first toolkit that appeared on social media. They said the action plan in the toolkit predates and provides copycat execution of the Jan 26 violence.

In a covert operation, they arrested Disha Ravi, a key member of Fridays for Future, in Bengaluru on Feb 14. They accused her of being the key conspirator in the document’s dissemination. She is also alleged to be one of the editors of the toolkit.

They have also identified Nikita Jacob and Shantanu as part of the gang that allegedly held a meeting with Poetic Justice Khalistani Foundation.

The opposition leaders and many environmentalists have risen against the Centre’s action of “unprecedented attack on democracy”. Protests are being held too.

Where is Disha Ravi?

The court has granted 5-day custody of Disha to the police.

The question now is whether there was any involvement of a seditious act.

#PoliticsPrettySimple: With a whiff of Sasikala, AIADMK’s two-leaves tremble

 

Why is everyone talking about Sasikala, AIADMK and Tamil Nadu? What’s with politics and election you wonder?

Let me simplify it for you… It’s a simple revenge story of Tamil cinema. Sasikala nominated Edappadi Palaniswamy, the current CM to take over the mantle, before she left for Bengaluru prison. She was convicted in a decade-long Disproportionate Assets case. AIADMK was split into two factions, thanks to O Pannerselvam, who had opposed Sasikala. Palaniswami known as EPS didn’t want to let go of his position. Pannerselvam, known as OPS, didn’t have the wherewithal to float his own party. Thus, OPS and EPS found it best to shake hands and remain friends with Sasikala out of the way.

Like all convicts seeking revenge, Sasikala bid her time in jail. And when she was finally released from jail, she decided to quarantine herself at a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru as she had tested positive for COVID and was asymptomatic. Her comeback in Chennai has to be a well-thought-out plan anyway, like a typical Rajinikanth entry in films.

However, the teaser too has to make an impact, right? Late Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s confidant headed to the resort in a vehicle that waved an AIADMK flag, sending jitters through the spines of OPS and EPS. 

It worsened when Sasikala gathered supporters at the resort who worshipped her at the gate, and embraced Karnataka AIADMK president Yuvaraj into her fold.

The ruling party in Tamil Nadu immediately suspended Yuvaraj.

Here comes the flashback.

Prior to Sasikala’s release from prison, AIADMK and BJP decided to continue their alliance during the upcoming election and EPS insisted that he be made the CM at any cost. BJP had to relent. As news of Sasikala’s release gathered steam, BJP’s Amit Shah suggested that Sasikala’s camp and EPS-OPS camp must join hands to keep opposition DMK at bay during the election. This angered Palaniswami, who walked out in a huff. After all, he didn’t want to be Sasikala’s pawn. 

Let’s also not forget that Sasikala last visited Jayalalithaa Memorial in Chennai before heading to Bengaluru prison.

Cut to present. 

Sasikala is all set to visit Chennai with a grand procession planned on February 8. Plans to hire a helicopter to shower flowers are underway. And the first stop would obviously be the place where this drama first unfolded.

Panneerselvam doesn’t want to lose his telepathic connection with Jayalalithaa at the memorial where he launched his banner of revolt against Sasikala. Thus, OPS and EPS devised an excuse to shut the memorial citing ‘work under progress’.

We have the two gangs ready to battle for Jaya’s legacy. The clash of titans is on. Now that Rajinikanth is out of the political picture, will DMK’s Stalin end up having the last laugh in Tamil Nadu?