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“Be the change, stand tall against tobacco!”

News Mantra — Wed, 31 May 2023 10:55:49 +0000

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and public health representatives around the world celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This year’s theme is “We need food, not tobacco”.

By celebrating World No Tobacco Day today, we can work together to promote a tobacco-free world, protect public health and support people on their journey to quit tobacco. So, can we “Be the change, stand up against tobacco!”

Today, tobacco cultivation and production exacerbate food insecurity. The campaign for 2023 places emphasis on the need to increase awareness about alternative crop production among farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. Are the governments globally really serious about their attempts to substitute tobacco farming with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis? Or it is that increasing revenues from the tobacco industry with increased consumption and marketing support governments.

Tobacco Kills printed on tobacco products packaging is right. It kills due to the increasing uncertainty of nutritional crops as tobacco growing and production exacerbate food insecurity.

Globally, conflicts and wars, climatic shocks, and the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have further worsened the food crisis, and tobacco growing further adds to the woes of food scarcity.
Some facts: As per the WHO, about 3.5 million hectares of land are converted every year for tobacco cultivation. Secondly, tobacco growing affects the soil, leading to deforestation of 200 000 hectares a year. Worsening this further is the extensive usage of pesticides and fertilisers to grow tobacco, leading to soil degradation and desertification. And, with soil fertility almost depleted with the cultivation of tobacco, the land is of no use for other crops, doubling up the food insecurity.

The profits made from tobacco and its marketing are immense, but at the expense of the damage done to sustainable food production. Developing countries, high population density countries and low and middle income countries are the ones who suffer and must act quickly before it is too late. Countries where tobacco is grown often face negative economic consequences due to the negative health, environmental and social impacts of tobacco cultivation. So WHO together with governments should take immediate action to reduce global tobacco use and reclaim land for food crops.

With UNSDG Goal 2 ‘Zero Hunger”, this goal can truly be achieved, as the cultivating nations worldwide are the underdeveloped or developing countries, which are low-income regions. This year’s WNTD campaign “We need food, not tobacco” highlights the urgent need to strengthen legislation, develop appropriate policies and strategies, and create market conditions for tobacco farmers to switch to growing food crops that would provide them and their families with an alternative means of cultivation for a better life.

The UN has already highlighted the urgent need to pay immediate attention to the deteriorating food situation in vulnerable regions and to take action to alleviate the impact of acute food insecurity and prevent a humanitarian disaster. A record 349 million people in 79 countries are affected by acute food insecurity, many of them in low- and middle-income countries.

Suresh Rathod

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Free Power today, what about tomorrow?

News Mantra — Thu, 25 May 2023 10:27:09 +0000

Karnataka Elections 2023: The Congress had promised that upon coming to power, it would provide 200 units of free power to light the homes in the state. Now it has come to power and is all ready to light the houses of all Kannaḍigarus. The KERC cost per unit of electricity is ₹9.12 per unit means, the electricity of Rs 1824 will be free for the next five years till the Congress government is in power.

Well for the Indian electorate, electricity has always been important– in terms of access, reliability & cost. It is always one of the subjects to pull the electorate towards the party promising free power to come to POWER.

The freebies culture just ahead of elections was started by late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa. It was during her tenure that the freebie culture started with promises of free sarees, pressure cookers, television, and more. Nationwide political parties quickly adopted this, while free electricity units as a promise was started from Delhi, with Aam Aadmi Party founder Arvind Kejriwal promising free power (to certain units), free water, bus travel, and more to win the elections in 2015.

Now with several assembly elections scheduled this year, political parties are promising free power. But, we are oversubsidizing in most states, and doing it inefficiently. Offering free or subsidized electricity to ‘vote banks’ achieves the short-term goal of winning elections. In the long term, it erodes the financial viability of the electricity distribution sector. This is not a problem of DISCOM inefficiency but rather a problem of political expediency. Consumers in Delhi enjoy free electricity up to 200 units a month, which means several citizens get zero monthly bills. In Tamil Nadu, users get up to 100 units of free electricity consumption.

If an elected government wants to keep a poll promise of reduced or free electricity, it has to compensate the power distribution company for the difference. State governments either subsidize or take over the debt of Discoms. A case in point is the Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY) scheme when state governments floated bonds to retire the debt of #DISCOMS

But what really happens in the majority of the cases is that power distribution companies incur massive losses. Discoms owed a total of Rs 1,15,904 crore to power generation firms in January 2021, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power Procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of Generators).In January 2022, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 45 days of a grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 1,01,357 crore as against Rs 99,650 crore in the same month a year ago. The overdue amount stood at Rs 99,981 crore in December 2021. Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to gencos, the data showed.

The manifesto announcements favored political parties with accumulated losses of 30 DISCOMS spread across 9 states accounting for over 60% of power demand are estimated at Rs 700 billion, for 2022 shows data from Crisil. India boasts that 40% of its power capacity is now based on renewables. But competition between political parties in election pledges has resulted in more and more states providing free electricity to domestic consumers. This subsidizes rather than taxes carbon.

Political parties in a sheer desperate attempt to regain lost national relevance, are choosing to follow in the footsteps of the Aam Aadmi Party and pledged free units of free energy to secure public loyalty and obedience prior to the election. In the recent elections in Karnataka where Congress came to power, it promised 200 units of free energy through its statewide campaign to brighten every house with
light calling the scheme ‘Gruha Jyothi Yojane’.

Political competition in freebies has already made agricultural power free in most states. Domestic power is going the same way. This undercuts the government’s green commitments. #power #india
#karnatakaelections #freebies #elections #karnatakaelections2023.

SURESH RATHOD

MUMBAI

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महाराष्ट्र की राजनीतिक लड़ाई तू तू मैं मै पर आयी

Newsmantra — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 06:48:58 +0000

महाराष्ट्र की राजनीतिक लड़ाई तू तू मैं मै पर आई ..
संदीप सोनवलकर वरिष्ठ पत्रकार
गांव देहात या फिर शहरों में अक्सर ऐसा होता है कि पानी के नलके पर पानी भरने को लेकर लड़ाई होती है जिसमें कई बार संतुलन बिगड़ जाता है और बात तू तू मैं मैं पर उतर आती है. महाराष्ट्र की राजनीती भी इसी स्तर पर उतर आयी है जहां राजनीतिक मुददों पर लड़ने के बजाय तू नहीं जानता मैं कौन हूं या मेरे मुंह मत लगना जैसे मुहावरे अब इस्तेमाल होने लगे हैं.

हालांकि वरिष्ठ पत्रकार निरंजन परिहार कहते हैं ये सब पार्टियों के नेताओं के लिए फायदेमंद हैं क्योंकि लड़ाई अब असली बात पर नहीं बस जुबानी जंग पर आ गयी है और दूसरे पायदान के नेता आपस में लड़ रहे हैं इसलिए पहली पायदान के नेता बस मजे ले रहे हैं. लेकिन इस सबसे एक बड़ा नुकसान हो रहा है कि इस चक्कर में विकास और जमीनी काम दोनों पिछ़ड रहे हैं. हालांकि ये लड़ाई इसलिए भी इस स्तर पर आ गयी है क्योंकि अगले दो महीनों में महानगरपालिका यानि मनपा के चुनाव होने हैं तो जाहिर है लड़ाई भी उसी स्तर की हो जायेगी.
हालांकि जांच एजेंसियों में काम करने वाले एक वरिष्ठ अधिकारी के अनुसार पहले ही समीर वानखेड़े के प्रकरण के कारण जांच एजेंसियों की काफी बदनामी हो चुकी है और अब नेता जिस तरह से ईडी और सीबीआई को लेकर दावे और आरोप लगा रहे हैं उससे एजेंसियों के अफसर सहम गये है .

सबको लगता है कि अगर बहुत आगे गये तो राजनीतिक कीचड़ में उलझ सकते हैं. इस बीच दो बड़े घोटालों गुजरात के बैंक घोटाले और एनएससी की सीईओ का एक योगी बाबा से बात कर घोटाले करने के प्रकरण पीछे रह गये है. बाजार के जानकार एक शेयर ब्रोकर के हिसाब से एनएससी का मसला अगर सच में पूरा खुल जायेगा तो कई बड़े धनपति इसकी चपेट में आ सकते हैं. खासतौर पर उन बड़े ब्रोकर की भी जांच होनी चाहिये जिनको एनएसई की बिल्डिंग के पास जगह देकर फायदा दिया गया. एक सवाल ये भी छूट गया कि एनएसई में किसने चित्रा सुब्रमण्यम को सीईओ बनाया.
बहरहाल हम बात कर रहे थे राज्य की राजनीति की जिसमें शुरुआत हुयी नवाब मलिक और समीर वानखेड़े की लड़ाई से जिसमें फिलहाल वानखेड़े की मुश्किलें और बढ़ सकती है उनके खिलाफ विभागीय जांच भी शुरु हो गयी है. जाहिर है राजनीति में अफसरो को नहीं उतरना चाहिये क्योंकि उनकी अपनी सीमा होती है और नेता को हराना आसान नहीं .

इस बीच अब एक तरफ जहां शिवसेना के संजय राउत खुलकर किरीट सौमैया के खिलाफ उतर आये हैं वहीं केंद्रीय मंत्री नारायण राणे ने भी बिल्कुल नीचे उतरकर कह दिया कि ईडी और बाकी एजेंसियां अब ठाकरे परिवार के चारों सदस्यों के खिलाफ वारंट लेकर तैयार है मानों राणे को सब कुछ पहले से पता है .इससे पहले से ही निशाने पर आ रही केंद्रीय जांच एजेसिंयो के काम में मुश्किलें पैदा होगी और वो सही मामले को भी अंजाम तक नहीं पहुंचा पायेंगी.
सबसे खराब बात ये भी है कि केन्द्र में सरकार चला रही बीजेपी के शीर्ष नेता इस सब पर आंख मूंदे हुये हैं उनको इस छिछले पन की लड़ाई को रोकना चाहिये . राजनीति के चलते जब एक दूसरे के कपड़े फाड़ने की नौबत आ जाये तो समझ लेना चाहिये कि अब कहने को कुछ बचा नहीं है .
एक शेर कुछ इस तरह है ..
मेरा भी शीशे का घऱ
तेरा भी शीशे का घर
फिर मेरे तेरे हाथ में पत्थर क्यूं है
मैं भी सोचूं तू भी सोच

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Bird Flu Scare in Maharashtra

Newsmantra — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 06:25:34 +0000

Bird flu cases have been detected in Shahapur, following the death of around 100 birds at a poultry farm in Vehloli village in the tehsil recently.

Samples collected from the dead birds were sent to a Pune-based laboratory for testing and the results confirmed that they had died due to H5N1 avian influenza, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Thane Zilla Parishad, Dr Bhausaheb Dangde had earlier said.

In Shahapur village, poultry farming is the source of livelihood for most people. Officials have now ordered culling all broiler birds in a 1 kilometre radius.

Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments, these viruses have not acquired the ability of sustained transmission among humans, according to the WHO

According to the district administration over 800 chicken died last week in parts of Arnala and Vasai. Following this, samples of the dead chickens were sent to the central laboratory for examination. The outbreaks in poultry have seriously impacted livelihoods, the economy and international trade in affected countries.

Apart from antiviral treatment, the public health management includes personal protective measures like:

Regular hand washing with proper drying of the hands.

Good respiratory hygiene – covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, using tissues and disposing of them correctly.

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Heavy Rains Lash Tamil Nadu

Newsmantra — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 05:50:40 +0000

Heavy rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu, including capital city Chennai and Thoothukodi, since Thursday. Following the continuous rainfall, 24 districts administrations have announced leave to educational institutions.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘Orange’ alert for Chennai on Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, in Puducherry, all schools and colleges will be closed on Friday and Saturday due to heavy rains, Minister of Education A Namassivayam said in a statement.

In Thoothukodi, Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy temple was fully inundated and Ramanathapuram district, too, has been receiving heavy downpour.

Ramanathapuram District Collector held a meeting of officials of various departments and the situation of low-lying areas of the district including Paramakudi, and R.S. Mangalam are being constantly monitored by Revenue and Disaster management authorities.

Tourism officials of the district said that since the arrival of northeast monsoon and heavy rains, the flow of pilgrims to the temple town of Rameswaram has taken a beating.

Ramanathapuram district administration has opened a special control room and helpline numbers to the public for any assistance and public can contact helpline number 1077.

Rameswaram recorded 76.20mm rainfall, Pamban 42.10 mm, and Thangachimadam 30.50 mm rains.

Thunderstorms with heavy rains are likely to occur at isolated places over Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Tenkasi districts and thunderstorm with moderate rains is likely in Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, and Cuddalore on Friday.

The IMD had forcast a cyclonic circulation lies over the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday and rainfall in different parts of the southern states for the next five days. The cyclonic circulation lies over southwest and adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal, an IMD press release said.

“Under its influence, a Low Pressure Area is likely to form over southwest Bay of Bengal during next 24 hours. It is likely to move west north westwards towards Sri Lanka and south Tamil Nadu coast,” it added.

A cyclonic circulation persists over the central part of south Bay of Bengal, extending up to 5.8 km above mean sea level, the IMD said in its bulletin.

A low-pressure area is likely to develop over southwest Bay of Bengal over the next 24 hours under the influence of the cyclonic circulation. The weather system is likely to move west-northwest towards south Tamil Nadu coast and Sri Lanka, the IMD said in the bulletin.

Chennai and several parts of Tamil Nadu have been battered by heavy rainfall over the past week.

The weather agency has predicted thunderstorm with heavy rainfall at isolated places. Thunderstorm with moderate rain ,

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Vaccination Coverage exceeds 117.63 Cr

Newsmantra — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 05:15:18 +0000

With the administration of 71,92,154 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 117.63 Cr (1,17,63,73,499) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,21,69,135sessions.

The break-up of the cumulative figureas per the provisional report till 7 am today include:

HCWs	1^st Dose	1,03,82,453
HCWs	2^nd Dose	94,16,703
FLWs	1^st Dose	1,83,76,475
FLWs	2^nd Dose	1,63,40,031
Age Group 18-44 years	1^st Dose	44,47,84,652
Age Group 18-44 years	2^nd Dose	19,51,54,643
Age Group 45-59 years	1^st Dose	18,13,05,008
Age Group 45-59 years	2^nd Dose	11,22,23,224
Over 60 years	1^st Dose	11,35,48,772
Over 60 years	2^nd Dose	7,48,41,538
Total		1,17,63,73,499

The recovery of 12,202 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients (since the beginning of the pandemic) to 3,39,46,749.

Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.32%.

Sustained and collaborative efforts by the Centre and the States/UTs continue the trend of less than 50,000 Daily New Cases that is being reported for 149 consecutive days now.

7,579 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.

The Active Caseload presentlystands at 1,13,584. Active cases presently constitute 0.33% of the country’s total Positive Cases, which is lowest since March 2020.

The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded. The last 24 hours saw a total of

9,64,980tests being conducted. India has so far conducted over 63.34 Cr (63,34,89,239) cumulative tests.

While testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, Weekly Positivity Rate at 0.93% remains less than 2% for the last 60 days now. The Daily Positivity rate reported to be 0.79%. The daily Positivity rate has remained below2% for last 50 days and below 3% for 85 consecutive days now.

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The Significance of Urban Land Redevelopment in India

Newsmantra — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:24:36 +0000

The Significance of Urban Land Redevelopment in India

-Mr Ved Prakash Dudeja,VC,RLDA

The urban land redevelopment refers to the reorganization of the urban land from low-density residential use to high-density commercial development. It is usually accompanied by up-gradation of the existing infrastructure to support up-zoning. The objective of urban redevelopment is to restore economic viability through commercial activities. The subsequent redevelopment leads to the creation of amenities to enhance customer experience, aids in employment generation and boosts the local economy. It is also in line with the urban redevelopment plans for shaping the New India.

In the past few years, the government has undertaken several initiatives such as Smart Cities, Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to rejuvenate the urban landscape in India. The redevelopment adds another dimension to urbanization in India. The Union Budget 2021-22 also prioritizes infrastructure as the bedrock for economic revival in the post-pandemic world with the allocation of INR 102 trillion over five years for the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for various infrastructure projects across sectors such as roads, railways, ports, airports, urban, power, telecom, etc. This is an opportune moment for India to undertake redevelopment as it strives to enhance its attractiveness as a global hub amid clarion calls for Aatmanirbhar Bharat. It is also a step forward towards achieving the dream of a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024.

The first step in the process of urban land redevelopment is to identify suitable hotspots for redevelopment. The next step is to identify the objective of redevelopment and shortlist appropriate entities to undertake the process. Over the past few years, the PPP model has emerged as a viable development option, as it combines the strengths of both entities. An appropriate benchmarking model must be devised to inspire further redevelopment.

It is noteworthy that there are several challenges in the process. Redevelopment entails heavy investment. The Niti Aayog estimates that India requires investment worth INR 40-trillion until 2030 to revamp its infrastructure. The role of the private sector and the new-age funding instruments such as InvITs(infrastructure investment trust), TOT(toll-operate-transfer), securitization cannot be underestimated in meeting the financing gap. Sustainability is another aspect that deserves due consideration. Redevelopment should be based on an effective urban model that puts the needs of the disadvantaged majority at the forefront and hedges the urban environment responsive against ecological vulnerabilities. It should abide by all environmental norms and incorporate green features such as the use of solar energy, rainwater harvesting, space utilization for optimum sunlight, terrace gardens and much more. The active participation of all stakeholders through extensive engagement is also the key. Furthermore, any redevelopment should entail a bottom-up approach with the involvement of the people at the grassroots.

The redevelopment is indeed an important task of translating the urban development vision into reality. It results in better land use and augments the sources of revenue generation within existing cities and their peripheries. It also upgrades the region in tune with the requirements over time and enhances the region’s attractiveness in terms of industrial development and investment. Sustainable redevelopment in Tier 2 and 3 cities will bridge regional disparities, curb emigration and ease problems of congestion, pollution and urban sprawl. Some of its other benefits include a fillip to tourism and retail development and improvement in the quality of life of citizens. It is also in line with Sustainable Development Goals. Huge tracts of surplus land of Government Departments and PSUs like Railways, Ministry of Defence, BSNL, Air India etc., in all the major cities of the country offers a great opportunity to start a chain reaction of development of urban spaces required for the future needs of the country.

The burgeoning population and urbanization will put pressure on existing resources such as land, housing, water and electricity supply in cities. Redevelopment is a prudent way forward to address these issues and makes cities livable for the generations to come.

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महान धावक मिल्खा सिंह का निधन

Newsmantra — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:41:05 +0000

‘फ्लाइंग सिख’ के नाम से मशहूर भारत के महान धावक मिल्खा सिंह का कल देर रात निधन हो गया. 91 वर्षीय मिल्खा सिंह को कोरोना होने पर अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया था जहां गुरुवार को उनकी रिपोर्ट निगेटिव तो आ गई थी लेकिन कल उनकी हालत नाजुक हो गई और उन्होंने जिंदगी का साथ छोड़ दिया. मिल्खा सिंह भारत के खेल इतिहास के सबसे सफल एथलीट थे. देश के पहले प्रधानमंत्री जवाहर लाल नेहरु से लेकर पाकिस्तान के तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति फील्ड मार्शल अयूब खान तक सब मिल्खा के हुनर के मुरीद थे.

मिल्खा सिंह का जन्म 20 नवम्बर 1929 गोविंदपुरा (जो अब पाकिस्तान का हिस्सा हैं) में एक सिख परिवार में हुआ था. उनका बचपन बेहद कठिन दौर से गुजरा. भारत के विभाजन के बाद हुए दंगों में मिल्खा सिंह ने अपने मां-बाप और कई भाई-बहन को खो दिया. उनके अंदर दौड़ने को लेकर एक जुनून बचपन से ही था. वो अपने घर से स्कूल और स्कूल से घर की 10 किलोमीटर की दूरी दौड़ कर पूरी करते थे.

ऐसे मिला ‘फ्लाइंग सिख’ का खिताब

मिल्खा सिंह को मिले ‘फ्लाइंग सिख’ के खिताब की कहानी बेहद दिलचस्प है और इसका संबंध पाकिस्तान से जुड़ा हुआ है. 1960 के रोम ओलिंपिक में पदक से चूकने का मिल्खा सिंह के मन में खासा मलाल था. इसी साल उन्हें पाकिस्तान में आयोजित इंटरनेशनल एथलीट कम्पटिशन में हिस्सा लेने का न्योता मिला. मिल्खा के मन में लंबे समय से बंटवारे का दर्द था और वहां से जुड़ी यादों के चलते वो पाकिस्तान नहीं जाना चाहते थे. हालांकि बाद में तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री पंडित जवाहर लाल नेहरू के समझाने पर उन्होंने पाकिस्तान जाने का फैसला किया.

पाकिस्तान में उस समय एथलेटिक्स में अब्दुल खालिक का नाम बेहद मशहूर था. उन्हें वहां का सबसे तेज धावक माना जाता था. यहां मिल्खा सिंह का मुकाबला उन्हीं से था. अब्दुल खालिक के साथ हुई इस दौड़ में हालात मिल्खा के खिलाफ थे और पूरा स्टेडियम अपने हीरो का जोश बढ़ा रहा था लेकिन मिल्खा की रफ्तार के सामने खालिक टिक नहीं पाए. रेस के बाद पाकिस्तान के तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति फील्ड मार्शल अयूब खान ने मिल्खा सिंह को ‘फ्लाइंग सिख’ का नाम दिया औ

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Support needed from all sides for recovery RBI

Newsmantra — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:34:09 +0000

Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das has pitched for policy support from all sides — fiscal, monetary and sectoral — to nurture recovery of the economy hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The dent on economic activity due to the second wave of the pandemic during April-May necessitated continuation of monetary measures to support the process of economic recovery to make it durable, Das had said while participating in the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) earlier in the month.

“Overall, the second wave of COVID-19 has altered the near-term outlook, and policy support from all sides fiscal, monetary and sectoral is required to nurture recovery and expedite return to normalcy,” Das said, as per the minutes of the meeting released on Friday.

Going forward, the governor said the pace of vaccination and the speed with which the second wave can be brought under control will have considerable bearing on the evolving growth as well the inflation trajectory.

The Reserve Bank remains committed to undertake pro-active conventional and unconventional measures and to effectively channelling the systemic liquidity to alleviate stress of critical sectors which have borne the brunt of the second wave, he said.

Das, and the other five members of the MPC — Shashanka Bhide, Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R Varma, Mridul K Saggar and Michael Debabrata Patra — had voted for keeping the policy repo rate unchanged at 4.0 per cent.

RBI Deputy Governor Patra observed that unlike in the first wave, supply conditions have remained relatively resilient in the second wave, but aggregate demand barring net exports has been dented and needs counter-pandemic policy support.

Even the turnaround in net exports is fragile and heavily dependent on the strength of the vaccination propelled revival in external demand, which may be partially offset by the terms of trade loss on account of the rise in international commodity prices, particularly crude oil, he noted.

Patra further said the MPC has created the necessary conditions for supporting growth by maintaining the policy rate at its lowest level ever

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WhatsApp vs Indian government

Newsmantra — Fri, 28 May 2021 08:17:48 +0000

Twitter has finally responded to India’s new IT rules and said it would strive to comply with applicable law in India. Replying to a query, Twitter tells India Today Tech that it is particularly concerned about the requirement to make an individual (the compliance officer) criminally liable for content on the platform, the requirements for proactive monitoring, and the blanket authority to seek information about our customers.

Twitter goes on to add that this represents dangerous overreach that is inconsistent with open, democratic principles.

“Twitter is deeply committed to the people of India. Our service has proven vital for the public conversation and a source of support for people during the pandemic. To keep our service available, we will strive to comply with applicable law in India. But, just as we do around the world, we will continue to be strictly guided by principles of transparency, a commitment to empowering every voice on the service, and protecting freedom of expression and privacy under the rule of law,” a Twitter spokesperson said.

Twitter has also urged the Ministry of Electronics and IT to publish these Standard Operating Protocols on procedural aspects of compliance for public consultation.

On 25 February 2021, the Central Government enacted the InformationTechnology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which cast various obligations on internet intermediaries, and in particular, on social media platforms.

It was reported that social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were yet to comply with their obligations under the 2021 Rules. This gave rise to an apprehension among users of such websites that these websites could either stop operations or be banned in India for such non-compliance.

Internet intermediaries are entities which perform various functions including facilitation of exchange of information and online communication. For example, Facebook or Twitter are internet intermediaries.

A user registered on Facebook can share information with his connections without the same being edited by Facebook in any manner. This passive role adopted by Facebook is what in essence enables it to be classified as an intermediary.

Under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, intermediaries are granted protection from incurring any liability for third-party data available on their platform or hosted by them. This protection is essential as various intermediaries such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube do not monitor the content posted by third-party users on their platforms.

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