From 'vikalang' To 'Divyang': A Pleasant Change Of Terms

I spotted this notice at the ticket booking counter of the Ghatkopar station recently. Apparently similar notices have been put up at many other stations.

For those who are wondering what the highlighted word (in the picture above) is: it's 'Divyang'. 'Divyang' means someone who has a blessed (divya) limb or body part (ang). In this case, it is used to imply "someone with special needs".

Why did I like this notice enough to click a picture? Simple: because the earlier notice, which this one replaced, stated 'vikalang', a somewhat unpalatable term for people who are constantly fighting to overcome hardships caused by a less-than-perfectly-functioning limb. The idea to replace 'vikalang' with 'Divyang' came from the #PM, and will gradually be implemented everywhere. I had been wondering about why #NaMo and #AmitabhBachchan were using 'Divyang' in their talks and tweets for some time; now I know. This is indeed a nice gesture. Impressed.

P.S.: small complaint - can "orthopedically handicapped" also be replaced everywhere with "people with special needs"? That would be great (and of course, an upgrade of facilities to go with it, not just a change in phraseology).

A Roadmap For The Government – What It Should Do To Provide 24X7 Power To Entire India By 2019

“We forget just how painfully dim the world was before electricity. A candle, a good candle, provides barely a hundredth of the illumination of a single 100-watt light bulb.” – Bill Bryson

In 1974, a Hindi film that was tellingly titled Roti Kapada Aur Makaan, literally meaning ‘Food, Clothing, and a Dwelling of One’s Own’, found strong resonance with the masses. It advocated the idea – albeit in a simplistic manner – that in a successful socialism, those were the three preconditions of the people that the government must fulfill as the first step to ‘good governance’.

One can say with a certain amount of confidence that if the filmmaker were to make the film today, he would, in all likelihood, include a fourth element in his titular list of necessities: Electricity.

In mid-2014, shortly after “the election that changed India”, the newly-elected central government declared its intention of providing affordable, reliable, and round-the-clock power supply to all by 2019 under the Power for All scheme.

However, this was easier said than done, mostly because despite India being a global leader in power production, more than a third of all Indian households is as yet without access to electricity. The twin problems of shortage of supply and intervallic supply that still plague a number of states – for example, Maharashtra and Karnataka – are not restricted to domestic consumption alone: commercial and industrial consumers are equal sufferers.

Although India is capable of producing over 250 gigawatt of electricity annually, the peak demand that the power sector is able to meet is only about 50-55% of this. The prime reason behind this is that our coal and gas power plants, which are forced to operate below their optimal capacity due to various factors, such as fuel supply constraints and transmission constraints, among others, are unable to meet the power sector’s demands.

Obstacles there are aplenty in the way of development, in the form of some fundamental problems that our power sector has been grappling with for long. To begin with, there is a vast disconnect between producers and distributors. The existing transmission infrastructure is not robust enough to transfer excess power between states, making it difficult for non-power-producing states to buy low-priced power. The gap between cost of delivery of power and the consumers’ ability to pay for it is yet to be bridged. Domestic production of coal needs to be increased by approximately 50%. Theft of coal during delivery is a serious issue that has been plaguing the power sector and the manufacturing industry for a long time.

Despite these obstacles, the union government in its two-and-a-half years has shown a laudable sense of commitment towards its declared objective of bringing about a transformative change in India’s power outreach and consumption scenario. For starters, over 7,500 villages – out of a targeted 18,000+ – have been electrified under the Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY). India has added over 2,300 MW to its wind power generation capacity. The drive for clean energy has received a boost with India getting over $1 billion in international investment in clean energy, while adding nearly 2 GW of solar power in the first half of the current financial year. At the behest of the central government, state-run enterprises have pledged to invest over Rs. 55,000 crores for improving grid connectivity. But there is still a long way to go.

If the Ministry of Power wants to successfully complete its mission of bringing about the change in the power scenario it has often spoken of, here are some recommendations for it to mull over:

• Boost the country’s capacity for generating and storing power (generation capacity needs to be increased by at least 50%) and pare the losses incurred during the transmission and distribution phases.
• Allow the power-distributing agencies to contract long-term power supply in their respective supply areas and ensure the recovery of debt-ridden distributors so they can set up tariffs that reflect the real cost of power.
• Establish a renewable energy management system capable of monitoring and managing generation of renewable energy on a real-time basis, especially in those states where the gulf between demand and supply – for both domestic and industrial consumption – is wider than the average difference. Renewable energy must be driven as the life-force of the future of the power scenario. As Jill Stein has put it so remarkably, “We can, and must, shift to an economy in which 100% of our electricity is generated renewably.”
• Adopt and implement energy efficiency measures to moderate the peak demand and consumption in the power-starved states, such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, to name a few.
• Increase the supply of coal and gas to the power sector and ensure there is no break in their transportation to the power generation plants.
• Coal being a limited resource, set up alternate sources of electricity generation – gas-based, hydro-based, solar-based, and wind-based – to meet the projected demand.
• Improve the infrastructure for power transmission to meet the ever-increasing energy needs of the country. Presently, India’s transmission capacity is woefully short of the generation capacity and market requirements. Various factors constrain the flow of excess energy from power-surplus areas of one state to power-deficit areas of another, thereby impacting the manufacturing sector and other areas of requirement greatly.
• Scale up the country’s distribution networks so they can withstand the extra load required to ensure electrification of the un-electrified households and bump up the coal-carrying capacity of Indian Railways by at least 50%.

The funding requirement is massive. However, it is expected that appropriate mobilization of investments through both public and private sectors will help to attain the desired goals.

Can The PM Really Prevent Black Money-holders From Laundering Via Jan Dhan Accounts?

(Another of those posts that deserve to be detailed out in the form of a longer article.)

In a recent speech, PM Narendra Modi thus addressed all the Jan Dhan account-holders in the country: "If someone has forced you to deposit his or her black money in your account, then do not return it. Inform me instead and I will ensure that the person is suitably punished and you are protected." (Gist)

Truly commendable. However, it would be interesting to know if the PM, despite his best intentions, has the proper infrastructure in place to carry out this promise.

A Jan Dhan account-holder invariably belongs to the lower strata of society, one who is not Internet-conversant and far removed from social media platforms such as Twitter, where it has become quite easy to reach out to ministers of late, even the PM. Such a person would be almost entirely dependent on the representatives of law in his immediate environment. Despite its efficiency at many levels, it cannot be disputed that our country's police is also among the most corrupt among its brethren globally. Can the PM promise that a complainant will not be betrayed by the lawman he approaches for action?

Here are some articles related to this:

• http://indiaarising.com/pm-modi-fantastic-message-jan-dhan-account-holders-will-love/

• http://www.thefrustratedindian.com/2016/12/will-find-way-to-let-poor-retain-jan-dhan-deposits-modi-second-lead/

Rest In Peace, Amma

"It is very strange and saddening to see that when such acts are perpetrated against minorities, all political leaders rush to issue statements of condemnation. But when persons belonging to the majority are subjected to similar perpetration of heinous crimes, not a single political leader has so far issued a statement condemning this barbaric crime. Such acts of senseless violence should be condemned no matter who is responsible for them and no matter who the victims are. It is not as though a crime is a crime only if it is committed against the minorities and not so if it is committed against the majority community. This should be viewed as a crime committed against humanity. It is not only the minorities who enjoy rights under the Constitution. The majority has rights too."

~~~ J. Jayalalithaa (1948-2016) speaking on the Godhra incident...and very boldly reminding everyone that it was the Sabarmati Express Massacre that led to Godhra – the only prominent non-BJP leader to do so.

Respect for this, Amma. And also for the compassionate side of yours described in this article. Rest in peace.

http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/iron-lady-soft-heart-when-jayalalithaa-showed-me-she-cared-53958

Why The Indian Media's Wolf-crying Tactics Aren't Working Anymore

(This is too brief a piece; someday I would like to expand upon this.)

Portraying itself as "the innocent sheep trying to run from the hounds of fascism" is no longer working for India's mainstream media. The diatribes against Narendra Modi and Donald Trump didn't work, despite a carefully-constructed narrative urging the people to bring down the media-annointed "wicked wazirs of right-wing hate-mongering", hence this "oh-how-intolerant-of-you-to-suppress-us" wail.

Wake up and smell the coffee, wolf-criers. The veneer of educated intellectualism has been stripped off your faces; your elitist snobbery and refusal to call out the grave injustices inflicted upon the long-suffering public have been exposed. So stop taking sides and start reporting things as they are. You will find that only flustered, angered politicians and criminals, unnerved by your courage and honesty, are blaming you and not the people. Put an end to dictating a country's --- and indeed, the individual's --- right to form its own political discourse, discard your slavish adherence to the diktats of those you consider your (political) masters, and you will find yourself sleeping the sleep of the righteous.

Some Thoughts On The 96th Anniversary Of The Jallian Wala Bagh Massacre

Exactly 96 years ago, on 13th April 1919, British Brigadier General Reginald E.H. Dyer ordered his troops to fire at will on a peaceful gathering at Jallian Wala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab, causing more than 1,500 casualties. Over 1,650 rounds were fired and men, women, and even children were brutally massacred, making the incident the most barbaric civilian massacre in modern history.

On April 13, the traditional festival of Baisakhi, thousands of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims gathered at the Jallian Wala Bagh, a public garden near the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar. An hour after the meeting began as per schedule at 4:30 pm, Dyer arrived with a group of 65 Gurkha and 25 Baluchi soldiers. 50 of them were armed with rifles. Dyer had also brought two armoured cars with machine guns. The vehicles were left outside as they were unable to enter the garden through the narrow entrance. The garden was surrounded on all sides by houses and buildings and had few a narrow entrances, most of them permanently locked. The main entrance was relatively wider but was guarded by the troops backed by the armoured vehicles.

Without warning the crowd to disperse, Dyer blocked the main exits. He explained later about this act: "…was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience." Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting towards the densest sections of the crowd (including women and children). Firing continued for about 10 minutes. Ceasefire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after 1,650 rounds were spent. The official (then) GoI sources estimated that the fatalities were 379, with 1,100 wounded. The number estimated by Indian National Congress was more than 1,500, with approximately 1,000 getting killed.

And what happened to Dyer? He was removed from duty and forced to retire. But when he returned to Britain, he was presented with £26,000 raised on his behalf by the Morning Post newspaper, a women’s organization presented him with the 'Sword of Punjab', and a large number of influential Britishers, including Rudyard Kipling, thought he had done the right thing. He became a celebrated hero in Britain among people with connections to the British Raj.

In Dyer's own words:

• It is only to an enlightened people that free speech and a free press can be extended. The Indian people want no such enlightenment.
• There should be an eleventh commandment in India: "Thou shalt not agitate."
• The time will come to India when a strong hand will be exerted against malice and 'perversion' of good order.
• Gandhi will not lead India to capable self-government. The British Raj must continue, firm and unshaken in its administration of justice to all men.

The massacre caused a re-evaluation of the Army's role in which the new policy became minimum force and the Army was retrained and developed suitable tactics such as crowd control. Historians consider the episode as a decisive step towards the end of British rule in India.

Heil BBC

Dear BBC,

Thank you very much for having interviewed Mukesh Singh, the rapist awaiting appeal on his death sentence. Thank you for being concerned about “India’s Daughter”. Let’s for a moment set aside Leslee Udwin’s competency as a journalist; having read her report, I have second thoughts about her level of common sense itself. She had come to India expecting an 8-feet tall, one-eyed monster with blood dripping from his fangs, and is surprised to see that Mukesh Singh is a "normal common bus driver"!

Then, she is appalled at the lack of remorse demonstrated by him. She is appalled that the value systems held by Mukesh (which she generalizes to be held by all Indian men, by quoting some other bigots---people with poor English language skills and a vested interest of saving the accused to further their career prospects as well) consider women to be unequal and that woman is responsible for getting raped, and so on.

Dear Leslee, this is where the monstrosity lies, not in Mukesh's appearance, but in the value systems that he held and adhered to.

However, having watched the video as well, I have to thank you for the commendable effort made.

We Indians didn't know that rape was a crime. I guess that was why the whole of Delhi and Indian social media protested (rioted) against the crime immediately after it was committed. Maybe that’s why the culprits are behind bars, awarded the death sentence, awaiting appeal.

May I please request your capable journalistic effort in the following scenarios as well?

1. Please do a documentary on "UK’s Daughters". With a 2010 rape statistic of 28.8/100,000 population and ranking 6th in this crime (far exceeding India’s 1.8/100,000 and ranking of 54), I guess England also has a lot of daughters who have been raped. Their rapists also should get an opportunity to voice their views, right? Maybe you should do separate ones for penile penetration and penetration with other objects or body parts. That’s how your legal system compartmentalizes rape and sexual assault, right? While you’re at it, please don’t forget to call England the “rape capital of Europe”. I'm sure you’ll find equally graphic descriptions of crime in action within England itself.
2. Speaking of ranking, why not do one on “South Africa’s Daughters”? They rank 1st with 132.4/100,000 population. Please call it “the rape capital of the world”.
3. Maybe you should do a similar one on your colonial cousins across the Atlantic and Pacific. “America’s Daughters” and “Australia’s Daughters”. They rank 12th and 8th respectively. You should also do a comparison against yourself with these. It seems the successors of all the criminals and convicts that your ancestors exiled to these countries have reformed their younger generations to do better than you in treating women with respect. Or it’s because of the high rate of immigration from South Asian and Latin American countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Mexico (ranked 21st).

As my friend Ayan Chaudhuri puts it, if we are to see the report released by the Office of National Statistics for 2013 for England and Wales (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_360216.pdf), then the data for 2013 shows a total of 19,124 rapes (Page 13). Given that the population of England & Wales is 57 million people (http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/compendiums/compendium-of-uk-statistics/population-and-migration/index.html) [53.9m + 3.1m = 57m for E&W only, not UK as a whole], that translates into a figure of 33.55 rapes per 100,000 population for England and Wales. So the figures given above are quite in line (in fact the latest figure as calculated above is actually higher, since the figures quoted are for 2010). Is the Office of National Statistics is as unreliable as Wikipedia?

These statistics do not prove anything about the general mindset (as the West loves to claim for India's case), because if they did, what is to be made of the mindset in the UK? The crimes are very serious and both societies need to solve them urgently with every resource at their command, but the holier-than-thou attitude of the West needs to be dropped first.

Would you DARE to do any of the suggestions that I put forth? No, right? I guessed as much.