Republic Day– A Silent Celebration

26th January, 1950 is a day from where India started its journey among the countries that had their own Constitution. It is the most important document as it became the basis for the growth of the country on defined patterns. For the growth & direction Indian Constitution provided to the country it is now also known as the supreme law of the country. Since 1950 onwards, this day has been celebrated all over India with enthusiasm. Various programs are held across the country and flag-hoisting ceremonies in educational & political circles are the prominent one. But it is becoming a trend nowadays in India that people just sit at home and watch the live telecast of the Prime Minister's speech from the Red Fort in Delhi. Since there are only few who go out to celebrate & attend the cultural programs hence it reflects lack of spirit in the present generation. This feeling of celebration is limited only till the time they watch TV.  After that it is just a routine day for all.

Interestingly, the celebration of Republic Day in India is becoming more like a silent celebration. One of the reasons for it is also that ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, various nationwide security alerts are issued. It has become a yearly affair as we see at many places police personnel in large numbers being deployed like the country is in an emergency situation. Such an environment on this particular day, gives a feeling of curtailment of rights. It appears so contrary to the day when rights itself were guaranteed by coming into being of Indian Constitution. With so much vigil, strictness etc people all over India don’t prefer to come out of their houses to take part in the celebrations.

Spirit of Republic Day celebrations are very low among the people in J&K also because markets carry a deserted look on such an important day. In addition to it, a tense atmosphere prevails in J&K that makes people preferring to sit back at home as they feel endangered in going out. This existing mindset in J&K people is somewhere killing the celebration charm of this day in J&K also. People in J&K with every passing year are forgetting the real pride we should have on this day. Tight security arrangements all over the state make movement of people very regulated and people feeling troubled to go out, resulting in them preferring to be at home. The day should be celebrated with open shops & bazaars giving a feel of festival but sadly the day causes restrictions on a person to move freely and independently. On the other hand in the valley, separatists give boycott calls & ask people to remain indoors leading to closure of shops and markets. The entire population of Kashmir in a way is also held hostage by these calls of separatists.

Such a way in which celebrations are done purely depicts that we are made to celebrate this day in a silent way. The young generation, especially youth of the state as well as country, talk about such restrictions with surprise. However, they are made to understand about this situation with many reasoning’s which convince the few. What does this situation imply? There may be many answers, but surely it is becoming just like any other regular day of the year. It is pertinent to mention here that this lack of interest in the Republic Day celebrations among the common citizens is somewhere a reflection that the citizens of India are truly not participating. Moreover, it won’t appear wrong to say that celebrations are just at official levels for the last six decades but haven’t reached every heart which beats in this country for the country.

Surge Of Drugs In Jammu

21st century was believed to be of the youth & for the youth. But as we have entered it, we now find that there is something more in it which has gained importance for the youth. At the present time, the thing which seems to be becoming part of the life of 21st century youth is DRUGS. The statement may seem superficial but it is the hidden truth of our society in Jammu. It is one such factor which is found to be common in all youth irrespective of the religion they belong to in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. There is no such religion in our state which can claim its youth to be DRUG FREE these days. It has now become a trend among youth of Jammu to use drugs. In addition to it, there is a gender race in Jammu as boys & girls compete with each other as far as drug consumption is concerned. This trend is so high that the youth in Jammu who are not into it are believed to be narrow minded or are treated like an outcast by his or her friends. 

The fact which supports this prevalence of drugs in Jammu is the everyday news we read in newspapers wherein we read about the seizure of drugs by police. Furthermore it has been found that the frequency of these seizures in Jammu is increasing in comparison to some last few years. Also during seizure of drugs it is seen that there are various new types of drugs which are circulated in Jammu to target the youth. From a simple intoxicating tablet to high level drugs like charas, ganja, & heroine we find all being provided to youth in Jammu. The working set-up of drug peddlers in Jammu is purely based on demand & supply method where a planned process is used for selling drugs to youth of Jammu. The drug market in Jammu is so deep rooted that it is very easily available in every dark & narrow lane of the town. There are some specific areas where youth of Jammu go to consume these drugs. Many cases have come to light where boys & girls belonging to prominent families of Jammu were caught moving in their private cars while consuming drugs. One segment of the youth in Jammu is those who are working on commission basis for selling these drugs. They have somewhere started acting like couriers who carry drugs & deliver at the required place. The main reason for this drug peddling by the local Jammu youth is the easy money making chance it gives to them. These figures of young people who are consuming drugs are supported by an equal number of young people who are selling it in Jammu purely for earning extra bucks.

There is a well operated and organized mafia which is supplying drugs particularly in Jammu. The mafia which is working to spread this poison has even defined the jurisdiction of these boys who act as their courier .The working style of the mafia which is selling all these drugs at times seems to show that they have a support of the social system. It cannot be believed when there is a tremendous surge of drugs & it has spread its tentacles to such a wide level without any agency getting to know about its prevalence. Though police machinery of state claim to take a number of steps to tackle the menace of drug use in the state, yet the persons involved in smuggling of drugs and psychotropic substances are able to do it at mass level. Interestingly, there has been an increase in the cases related to drug addiction mostly among school/college-going students which reflects the true side of this problem. Some drug de-addiction centers have been established at Srinagar, Jammu, Anantnag and Baramulla by the police department where counseling and treatment is given to the addicted persons but yet youth is neck deep into it. It is also believed that there are some men in uniform who at times close their eyes to this surge of drugs though it happens very much under their nose. The reason for doing this may be best known to them. However, they should know that these drugs could someday reach someone close to them who becomes a target of this drug mafia in Jammu.

We never ever found our civilizations to be drug free but we also never had the youth who were into it to such a deep level. Some of the reasons noticed for this surge of drugs in Jammu are peer pressure, freedom given by parents to their wards, social media and moreover the biggest of them is the anti social elements. There are many NGOs who are working against drugs in Jammu but seem that little could be achieved. The social forces who work to stop this spreading of drugs in society are far lesser than the forces working for the spread of drugs. Hence, with this it appears that evil may win this war of drugs. The intensity of this rising drug culture in Jammu is so fast that we may be left far behind if not acted upon at the earliest. We need to save the youth as they are not the children of one particular family or of any religion but they are the future of this country.

HSRP Losing Its Sheen

Ever since we have seen the rise of vehicles in our country, gradually a rise in involvement of vehicles in crime was also witnessed. Though every vehicle has an identity because of registration plates but yet vehicles were stolen or used in crime by changing these registration plates. In order to streamline this vehicle theft & involvement in crimes a plan for fitting vehicles with High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) was conceived in 1989 in India. But the implementation process for this scheme was delayed because of one or the other reason in the last some decades in India. The Supreme Court of India finally took notice of this repeated delays and the matter got updated in 2004 when the Supreme Court of India directed all states to comply with the High Security Registration (HSRP) number plate’s scheme. The resultant of this was that on June 1, 2005, the Indian government amended rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, wherein introduction of new tamper proof High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) number plates was made mandatory. As we know, changing things for the better in India is a tough job, same happened in case of High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) scheme. Though amendments were made, nothing was visible on ground for implementation of High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) number plates. So in order to further strengthen this process, the Supreme Court of India in April 2011 even summoned some states for contempt proceedings regarding non enforcement of the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) scheme.

In pursuance to the order passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, Jammu and Kashmir government also in June 2012 introduced High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) system in the state. Initially when High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) system was started in Jammu & Kashmir, as regards the new vehicles, the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) were being affixed in a very appropriate manner at the time of registration by making it mandatory to be affixed for getting the Registration Certificate (RC) released. But as time has passed the dust is getting deposited on this High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) system because of various reasons. One major factor which is considered the main reason for its worsening is the prevalent agent-employee nexus at Regional Transport Office (RTO), Jammu. This agent-employee nexus is not new & people have turned old in this system which is being run there. It is not something which is not known to the administration & political bosses who are running the govt. But yet it has been allowed to go on with a blind eye turned to it. The resultant of this is that the visibility of High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) is getting low again in Jammu as people are again fitting some fancy plates on new vehicles. In the beginning no one was allowed to get Registration Certificate (RC) but as the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) scheme has got old now the agent-employee nexus has taken over in its working too. Nowadays, the influential get their Registration Certificate (RC) released in connivance with agent-employee nexus at Regional Transport Office (RTO), Jammu.

However, as regards the old registered vehicles also a scheme was prepared by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Jammu to bring them too under High Security Registration Plate (HSRP). In furtherance of that, one series at a time of the vehicles were being taken up for the affixation of High Security Registration Plate (HSRP), in order to carry out the process to cover all the old registered vehicles. For that wide publicity through press releases by the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Jammu were given from time to time to make people aware of the vehicle number series that are being taken up for High Security Registration Plate (HSRP). For all people, High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) suggested itself as a highly secure number plate aimed to bring about a uniform pattern of registration plates along with serving the security purpose too. Although an initiative was taken to bring a change with the help & efforts of various stratum of society yet it seems that the process couldn’t be taken to its logical conclusion. Technically also if we look into High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) it shows that in no time it will be defunct as many safety features in these plates are too going unutilized because of non availability of gadgets to use these features. Need of the hour is that we should have a relook at the flaws prevalent for implementation of the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) in Jammu or else it will be too late to do what is required.

Sports In A Limbo

These days whatever players or so called budding sports talent of the state we see are mostly because of their personal craze which they develop for sports. There is a very serious and debatable issue for our state that it lacks the real approach and professionalism towards sports. When we think of sports, we take it as a pastime, for fitness or for leisure. People in Jammu and Kashmir believe there is no scope in sports as a career. We can clearly see in our surroundings people refraining their children from opting for sports as a career.  The sports scenario in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is lagging far behind to all other north Indian states. There are states like Punjab & Haryana where we see many Olympians, Asian & other international players. Nowadays when enormous talent from all the states is competing at international platforms and bringing laurels to their respective state, there’s barely a name from Jammu and Kashmir. This is perhaps because of the lack of proper infrastructure and coaching facilities that the sportsmen require to develop and compete at important platforms. The ailing services and facilities that are available from J&K Sports Council are not enough for the proper development of different sports in the state. Sports are trapped in politics in Jammu and Kashmir as we can see most of the Sports Associations in Jammu and Kashmir are headed by politicians or their affiliates. It could also be taken as one of the reasons why our state lags behind despite a huge talent of sportspersons. It is a matter of great concern that in Jammu and Kashmir State some people are selected in the team based on favoritism and bribes. Even though a huge amount is spent on training and grooming of players we have not been able to achieve a proportionate result. However a fundamental problem of this lies in the absence of sporting culture in India as here sports is considered a secondary activity.

We see that an average Indian child gets access to sport facilities only till the school age. The facilities probably will be there for one or two sports that are too shared by so many children and many do not have such facilities. Even those who have access to facilities cannot use them properly due to the load of education which is making our young generation overburdened. There are many reasons that trouble the sportspersons in our country. Of them all, one is of financial constraints as many sportspersons do not get a chance to travel to big sporting events held outside the country and the reason always is the lack of funds. This is the reason why only a limited number of sportsmen travel for foreign events. Such conditions also prevail in our state as not much funds are given for promotion of sports in Jammu and Kashmir. It is also witnessed that more officials than the number of sportspersons travel for foreign events and they enjoy free holidays along with their families. None of the sportspersons knows what all these officials do and what they help in during these events abroad.

Sports excellence does not come naturally to people based on their natural talents. There comes a time when little grooming is to be done in a professional way to the sportsmen. Interestingly no such facilities are visible in our state. In addition, only the rich could afford enrollment into such facilities outside the state because naturally talented people may not be rich enough to use the limited sports infrastructure. At the same time the rich people who enroll into the facilities may not excel due to the absence of natural instincts in them for such sports. Many people possessing natural abilities had to cut short their careers due to the inability to hire quality coaches and no sources to fund the same. Though several politicians and bureaucrats are associated with sports associations even in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, no one takes note of serious problems of sportsmen. All they care is power and some glamor which is attached to being into such associations. Very few of them would have tried to sort the problems faced by players in Jammu and Kashmir despite spending money on meetings for formulation of broad sports policy.

Despite its huge population India is always at bottom in the Olympics tally because of lack of the facilities provided in India. The dreams of sportspersons of winning medals for India are shattered as they are not provided with proper resources in India. Our country still lacks good coaches, proper infrastructure and other helpful schemes which the government can provide like those being done by many western nations. Indian sportsmen should be provided more financial and institutional support in order to compete at international events. Problem lies with the management of sports and not the sportsmen. I salute the spirit of Indian sportspersons, who till today have succeeded despite the odds prevailing in the country. They all are the pride of millions, but often the lives of our sportsperson do not bear the value their medals have. While their victories are cherished, lots of sportspersons are forgotten after the fan fare is over in the country. There is a serious need to restructure the sports and make it compatible with the education scenario of the country & in turn should be followed by all states too. This only in the end can help us to shape our talent to play the games as a representative of the whole nation.

Lessons From Bihar

2014 general elections in India witnessed the rise of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), which got a chance to rule this country on its own. The election campaign of BJP was entirely focussed on the developmental agenda. Employing high-tech media with large doses of innovative sloganeering that made people visualize what the real development would be at national level keeping in view the Gujarat model. The mandate finally packed the Congress and its associates to the pavilion and opened a new pitch for the BJP to turn its promises to concrete action at the ground.

As the past haunts the present, the slogans given by the BJP initially looked absurd to the people and its opponents. However, with the aggressive campaign before the desperately disillusioned country from the ruling Congress led UPA, turned around the mood of the people in trusting the Modi factor writing fortunes of BJP. Further, Modi led BJP very successfully exposed the corrupt rule of Congress and its allies of their being neck-deep into heaps of scams. It struck a chord with the people and assured them of getting rid of corruption from the country and to begin an era of progress.BJP worked tirelessly to present the developmental agenda in the BJP’s bouquet. 

Now came the year 2015 but the things were not the same now as they were in 2014. Somewhere the development took a backseat and issues like HINDU RASHTRA, HINDUTVA, BEEF BAN, INFLATION etc. took over the charge. Many MPs of BJP were into rhetoric which somewhere started hurting the basic ethos of Indians. Though voters were shocked and surprised because of the change of the mindset post 2014 elections yet they continued. The major blow of this all was witnessed in the recent result of Bihar elections. The political realignment as GRAND ALLIANCE, including JDU, RJD & Congress, emerged in Bihar and took on BJP unitedly. 

This alliance was also termed as alliance of convenience as it was suitable to all parties facing the question of their political survival. Controversies like beef ban with BJP leaders preaching Muslims in India not to eat beef and GRAND ALLIANCE reassuring on their free eating habits, the poll battle got polarized instead of its political trajectory. It’s quite surprising how parties were driving more into communal direction than political one. Bihar became a battleground where every party had its foot soldiers engaged in street fights. It is being said that the story of beef ban was the main reason which made minorities scared in Bihar and they voted in favor of the Grand Alliance. There came the issue of ‘reservation politics’ which further regimented those availing benefits of reservation & those who have been deprived off.

These provocations lead to another fear being developed in weaker sections of society. Famous story which got highlighted was of RSS Chief when he gave a call to relook the reservation in India during Bihar election season. In addition to it, BIHARI & BAHARI slogans were synonyms during the campaign and many feel that it also spoiled the show for BJP in Bihar.

 The politics in the state of Bihar somewhere appeared that every party created a favorable topic as it was suitable to its ideology. Till sometime back there were issues in the country which have been either based on regional lines or religious lines but Bihar politics appears to defeat both of these. The voter of Bihar has turned a bit smarter as they did what they felt was right without giving a hint of their mind. The reason for this is that many opinion polls showed that results were in favor of BJPs development agenda for the political purpose. It is not necessary that what has happened in Bihar may happen further in India but yes it has set a trend which may be followed. At the end, all politicians have a lesson to learn that it’s the voter who is the king maker in Indian democracy.

Tuition Ban

Education is considered as the most powerful weapon of human life to get success. A teacher is the person who shapes the future of humans by providing the best education to his/her students. All professions are equally important, but teaching is the profession which has led people on the way to progress and prosperity. No development would have been possible if there had been no teacher’s profession. Teachers are the agents of the future. More than any other profession teaching has the power to create a healthy, just and peaceful world. It is also measured as a profession with the greatest responsibility. In the Indian education system free education is provided up to higher secondary level and there has been a tremendous rise of government sector schools in the country. Unfortunately learning levels have not shown any such improvement in government schools. This all has made education today not as the transmission of knowledge but a very successful trade. It is also a result of students taking private tuitions & paying heavy fees for the growth of the tuition industry. In addition to it are those parents who find it difficult to teach kids at home and hence are willing to spend money on tuition. Herein we feel that the purpose of government spending so much on the education sector gets defeated.

All this over these years has led to the rise of tuition culture in the country. Tuition culture in India now seems inseparable from normal school life. One of the major setbacks caused by the tuition system in India is the decline in quality of education at government schools. This in turn makes parents and teachers rely more on tuition than schools. In many cases it is the school teacher who also gives private tuitions after school hours. It is not all the teachers but a small group who are in this line and are hollowing such a noble profession. They all seem to be led by greed and motivated by prospects of easy money that that tuition business offers them. They for their monetary gains have subordinated their school duties. These teachers have lowered the quality of education in the classroom to swell their private classrooms. They finish only part of the syllabus in the classroom and generate demands for their own tuition outside the classroom. 

The state of Jammu & Kashmir is also affected by the ongoing trend of tuition these days. Though the menace is not new but yet now the govt has risen from slumber to take some steps to control it. The Jammu & Kashmir govt. has recently imposed a blanket ban on private tuitions by teachers serving in the government schools. The practice of private tuitions hurt those students who aspire for learning through regular schooling, as the teacher’s concerned fail to devote their full energy to class. The poor are the real sufferers who go to govt schools in J&K but at the end reach to a private tuition centre to get the education. If we go to the other side of this problem then we find that the salary of a teacher is barely sufficient in J&K in today’s time where rising prices have hit the working class to the maximum. Teacher fraternity in J&K is forced to take to the streets every year to demand their rights. From their monthly salaries to arrears to entitled increments or any other entitlements , teachers need to take to the streets as the J & K government doesn’t seem to react until there is  a hue and cry. Some teachers in J&K also allege that they go into tuition business as they respond to the demands of students and parents. But we can say that it should not be about demand rather it should be about what is right and what is wrong. If such a practice is allowed to continue, there will be a serious deterioration in maintaining the standard of education in the government schools in J&K. If a teacher in J&K is interested in developing his private tuition for the sake of earning more money then surely there would be a total decline in govt schools in J&K. They need to concentrate on imparting education to the students in regular working hours in the schools which would also raise the standard of education in government schools. Ban on private tuition would help in reducing large scale commercialization of education in J&K. It will also bring relief to students who are forced to attend tuitions from school teachers in order to get good marks in practicals in govt. schools. Main reason to ban private tuitions is a social injustice under which the teachers work after school hours evading their genuine responsibility of giving their best in the classroom. If we really want to change the whole situation we have to change ourselves & if possible give time to your kids and help them in studies at home.

Govt. Schools v/s Private Schools

The life of a human has a stage wherein he or she goes to school for gaining education. The mode may seem common for education but the difference lies in the pattern of education i.e. government schools and private schools. No such system exists which talks about maintaining the difference in teaching system of government schools and private schools. Inspite of this a large variation can be seen in the personality of a government school student & private school student. Of late, this variation has increased in India after independence as it were government schools only which produced many like APJ Abdul Kalam who took country to these heights.  In last 60 years of independence the country has seen many alumni of government schools across India who shined like a star. The privatization of education was believed to become a fortunate thing but was never thought to happen at the cost of government schools. At present, education in the government schools is considered to be at its lowest in the form of deliverance. A common system of poor education standards exists across government schools in India and the state of J&K is also a part of it.

Giving free education, textbooks, meals and uniforms is not a charity but a right of any children going to a government school. On the other hand no such things are provided in a private school to children. Thing to be seen here is that those who are provided all this free of cost are not in a better position than the ones not getting it.  Education is a national goal of any welfare state but nowadays it seems to be achieved through private schools. It is a duty of our government to ensure education to every citizen of the country, as the government has planned to provide free and compulsory education up to 14 years of age. To fulfill its basic goals, the government appoints highly qualified people in the country as teachers through a long process of selection. But still teacher absenteeism, lethargy leaves, deficient supervision represent the government teachers.

The Government in J&K spends large sums of money on schools and gives respectable salaries to teachers, because of which it is perceived as a demanding profession. Among females in J&K, a teacher's job is in demand because of conveniences like job security, good salary, limited working hours & countless benefits like maternity leave, study leave, childcare leave, medical leave, without pay leave and 15 days casual leave. Though many amenities are provided for these teachers, still the government in J&K could not achieve the target of real education and produce effective results. The teacher fraternity of J&K government schools shifts the reason for their inefficiency to ‘lack of interest’ and ‘motivation of students’ coming to government schools. They also term them as ‘unreserved’ and ‘difficult to control’. Whereas, teachers in private schools in J&K who get 1/3rd of the salary provided to the government teachers, still give effective performance and results. 

This positive output in private schools here is also somewhere because of the flexibility of these schools to hire and fire teachers. One complaint against a teacher from the parents in a private school and the teacher gets a warning. On two to three complaints, the teacher is fired from the school. They have systematic supervision, like coordinators, block incharge, vice principal and principal who keep a regular check on the working pattern of teachers. All this keeps private teachers always on toes and working hard to show best results. While their counterparts in J&K government schools are always relaxed and live a life of leisure. Usually the day starts on reaching school with a hot cup of tea made either by the mid day meal cook or the student. At times after tea, the day may begin if the strength of the children is good. But if attendance is thin, then students from all the classes are merged and made to sit in one class, so that teachers can contribute to gossip. Furthermore, it is witnessed that even to save their time, teachers organize salesmen of suits, sarees, and bedsheets in school for shopping. Now seeing all this any working employee may get jealous of such life. Though infrastructure is one of the problems in J&K schools, teachers instead of giving excuses and living a leisurely life must expand their horizons. They should not let constraints bother them, instead they should remember how lucky they are to be in such a noble profession, where they get a chance to do well and serve society.

New Coalition, New Imbalance

The democracy in India is not new now but the system of democracy has undergone a lot of changes. Above all the political structure has gone through a lot of changes over the last 6 decades. The usual thing witnessed in India earlier was one- party government. But the time changed during the era of the 90's when the coalition government became a new norm in the Indian political system. People had many aspirations and so did the political parties in India. This demanding relationship has brought changes in the vote- giver and vote- seekers mindset. Hence the result was the onset of new parties, new candidates and new governments, particularly coalition governments .The coalition governments are now commonly witnessed also at state level in India. It is even said that the coalition governments in Indian states became a trend before than at the national level. Many combinations have been formed for coalition governments in the country, some truly representing a mere necessity to be in power. Such a combination but had a shorter life and died a death for political survival.

The state of J&K is also now akin to coalition governments. Interestingly, the state has seen a lot of combinations till today. The different regions of the J&K state brings with it different aspirations of the people in J&K .However, the year 2015 has brought in a coalition of PDP-BJP which has been defined itself by the present Chief Minister Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, leading the coalition government, as ‘North-Pole meeting South-Pole’. The PDP-BJP coalition government formed in the state of J&K was one of the biggest political developments of the J&K state ever. Also the state of J&K has gone through many political set ups and even witnessed turbulence because of political reasons. This time the PDP-BJP government formation has created a lot of buzz in India and even on foreign lands. The two parties are ideologically opposite to each other and even demanded votes against each other through out campaign for the assembly elections. PDP-BJP spent almost two months in attempts to bridge all differences. Such were the differences in their ideology that they have to govern the state on the basis of a common minimum programme (CMP) forgetting their core ideology.

After the onset of a new chapter in J&K’s political history the hopes were high in all the regions of J&K. It was projected to be a combination which will bridge all the regional gaps in the state. But now the working of the PDP-BJP government has started raising eyebrows over many issues. As the time is passing, new issues have been witnessed which crossroad with the CMP. The issue of AFSPA though meant to me not talked about much, as per CMP, was again raised after some militant attacks. Subsequent to it the people in the state have started to debate that coalition now appears to be more of a political necessity than social necessity. Similarly, the issue of return & resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits caused a debate between the coalition partners. Though the PDP-BJP support resettlement but on different patterns both suggesting as per their political needs. Every passing day comes with some problems for the ideology of PDP-BJP as well as for the CMP of the coalition. Another issue, which gained momentum against the government in J&K was the release of Hurriyat leader, Masrat Alam. There was hue and cry over his release in Jammu in BJP cadre whereas no such thing was witnessed in Kashmir. Moreover, the relief and rehabilitation of the September 2014 flood affected people and the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure also affected the coalition working for a while. On one side, PDP supports the Rs 44,000 crore relief and on the other, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh from BJP, stated in an interview that a Rs 3500 crore package from the Centre was enough. Of all the problems added, the latest one is the AIIMS issue which went on in the form of an agitation in Jammu against the BJP-PDP coalition government. This agitation seems to have affected purely the vote bank of BJP and appeared to have widened the Jammu-Kashmir regional gap again in masses.  

Many things were said in the beginning itself which shall come in, as hindrance for running the coalition government. Though it was like a prediction but yes, some things have appeared since the last few months. PDP-BJP appears to be walking on a tightrope creating mistrust and differences among the coalition partners on issues of the state. They cannot run the coalition, just to run the government and stay in power. With power has come responsibility which needs to be balanced in an effective & better way to rule the three regions. The leaders in power cannot stay on “power hungry mode” as it will take them to an end soon. 

JKCA On Political Pitch

The love of Indians for cricket is known world-over. Another aspect underneath this love is the love of Indian politicians for cricket too. However this love is not new, it ranges from the era of Jawahar Lal Nehru to times of Narendra Modi. The politicians irrespective of their political affiliations are into the pitch of Indian cricket. Somewhat this is also visible in Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association(JKCA) too as it has been under the command & guidance of Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Former Chief Minister of J&K. The JKCA has been looked after by Dr. Farooq Abdullah since 1980. Over these years many achievements were also made by players under JKCA. One such example was when spinner Parvez Rasool became the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India in a One-Day International. He also became the first cricketer from the state to get an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract when he signed up for the Pune Warriors & later appeared for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL. Other players from the state have also done well when Shubham Khajuria, was selected in the India U-19 squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. In addition to them, pacer Abid Nabi also got a chance to play at national level in many tournaments.

The cricket & controversies are not new; either they happen on field or off the field. People associated with cricket come from varied backgrounds & at times its reflection falls on cricket as well. JKCA has not remained untouched from the controversy & the times of turbulence started in April 2012. It was then the JKCA was struck by multi crore scam,  wherein it is alleged that embezzlement to the tune of Rs 113 crore has taken place. The matter is in court relating to the said scam. Now, recently JKCA was again in the news for wrong reasons. It brought insult to JKCA when it was taken over by a new group under the affiliation of new coalition govt by haphazardly conducting elections of JKCA. The manner in which it was taken over is said to be not less than a coup in JKCA. The attempt to take over JKCA has again shown the symptoms of love for the game by new politicians of the state. It all appears now to be a political match for control of JKCA. In May 2014, Dr. Farooq Abdullah was elected as JKCA President for a period of three years. But it is said that these hurriedly conducted elections were done to grab and retain control over this prestigious organization. Indeed a close confidante of Dr. Farooq Abdullah went to court and got this whole new election stayed. 

This whole episode of taking over by a new group of JKCA affairs has further added to the confusion. Both the groups now claim stake to JKCA & players in general are confused as to whom to go for any matter related to the game. Matter seems to be now more of political prestige than personal prestige, as one party wants to defeat the other in JKCA also. Whenever the govt. in J&K changed we witnessed changes in the administrative setup. But it is for the first time that a change of govt has caused its effect on sports bodies also. The debate and assertions from the public in India that no political persons should be appointed as head of any sports organization seem to have lost its effect in J&K also. 

Jammu Wailing Over AIIMS

The once held bastion of BJP was Jammu, however ever since it has entered into an alliance with the JKPDP; it is losing its grip over Jammu. Of all the problems added, the latest to BJP’s kitty is the AIIMS issue. The root of the problem lies in the Union Budget when Arun Jaitley announced the setting up of AIIMS in J&K and later the finance ministry clarified that it was meant for the Jammu region of J&K. This fact was further strengthened by Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS in the PMO and the BJP MP from Udhampur, when he delivered a speech of thanks for the setting up of AIIMS by the Central Govt. in Jammu. However, the twist came when after being sworn in as Chief Minister on March 1, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed released the Agenda for Alliance, which said that the Valley would get AIIMS, and Jammu an IIT and IIM.

Now this disclosure led to frustration and unrest in the minds of Jammu people which gave birth to the AIIMS Coordination Committee comprising of political, social, religious and trade organizations & led by President of Jammu Bar Association. The surprising fact for many was when local BJP and RSS leaders became members of the coordination committee spearheading the present agitation against the BJP-PDP coalition government. The AIIMS Coordination Committee has organized two complete shutdowns against the shifting of AIIMS to Valley, and has ever since then intensified its campaign over these days. The issue of setting up of an AIIMS in Kashmir has taken such a turn that now it threatens to polarize Jammu in the same way as was done in 2002 Amarnath agitation. The clear reason stated by the leaders of the Coordination Committee & residents of Jammu is that AIIMS was taken away to the Valley by the PDP whereas the PDP and its leaders insisted AIIMS came to the Valley with the Agenda for Alliance it signed with BJP. This revelation of PDP has left BJP red faced in Jammu as BJP knows that escalation of the matter could potentially erode its base in Jammu, which gave it the highest-ever 25 seats in the assembly polls. In order to cope up with building pressure, BJP has alleged that the people associated with the Coordination Committee are pursuing this all AIIMS controversy for their self interest & petty gains. Whereas the President of Jammu Bar Association who is leading the AIIMS Coordination Committee said that they have no objection to Kashmir getting an AIIMS, but Jammu shall get the one announced for it by the Centre during its Union Budget in Parliament. With every passing day the AIIMS Coordination Committee kept building up the pace & started mass contact programmes all over the Jammu region. A chain hunger strike was also started, which was suspended as the panic struck BJP in Jammu when a 72 hour band was called by AIIMS Coordination Committee and they approached the Coordination Committee. There Committee members had a detailed meeting with the Jammu and Kashmir BJP delegation headed by the Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh. After this step the bandh call was deferred till 20th July 2015 on the assurance of the Government that notification for setting up AIIMS in Jammu will be soon issued by Central Govt. 

The AIIMS controversy has come in handy for all political opponents mainly Congress and National Conference, who see a possibility to humiliate Mufti's PDP-BJP coalition government in the state. Several political parties like Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), state unit of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Kranti Dal, Bajrang Dal have also extended their support to the whole AIIMS issue. JKNPP even held a protest outside the Parliament in New Delhi over the AIIMS issue. This amalgamation of political forces has sent BJP on back foot in Jammu and forced BJP leaders to issue counter statements to maintain dominance. BJP leaders appear to be astonished and are instead advising people to ask Congress and NC leaders as to why they sabotaged the upgradation of GMC to AIIMS level, during the earlier BJP regime when the foundation stone  was laid by the then Health Minister Sushma Swaraj. 

The clock is ticking and till now no notification has been issued for AIIMS in Jammu, as was assured by BJP leaders to AIIMS Coordination Committee. The unrest has again started gaining momentum as the deadline approaches. AIIMS Coordination Committee leaders & supporters have made it clear that if BJP failed to keep their words, an intensified agitation will be launched after 20th July, 2015. Rumour mills are also working day & night, as some claim soon an end to alliance of PDP-BJP over AIIMS issue because some social groups in Kashmir have also started a debate over AIIMS issue. This has built a pressure on the PDP too which is being forced to stay rigid as far the rights of Kashmir are concerned. The anger is clearly visible in both regions as one region fights for and other against; the AIIMS controversy. This socio-political controversy is in a way affecting the social fabric too. The thing to be seen is whether social pressure yields the results or political beliefs wins the race.

India Beyond Maggi

India may soon become the land of controversies too. Every day we hear something from the political field or social field which creates a buzz in the country. The most recent of all which struck India was MAGGI - the noodle from Nestle sold in India. Its trouble started when the central food safety regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) found a batch of Maggi noodles to contain dangerous levels of lead. There is now debate on how this thing went unnoticed for years as Maggi is not a new product sold in India. India is the world's 5th largest instant noodles market with Maggi noodles having 60-65 per cent share of it. Generations of Indian people have heard of it or eaten it as Maggi is sold over three decades now. The panic that struck the noodle market forced companies like ITC to hand out notices to retailers, distributors and consumers stating that their brand of noodles ‘Sunfeast Yippee!’ is safe. After this controversy the FSSAI seems to have risen from slumber & now ordered testing of noodles, pasta and macaroni brands like Top Ramen, Foodles, Wai Wai and others. 

This controversy didn’t remain untouched from politics too and famous Baba Ramdev announced that he will be soon launching his own brand of noodles that will not be made with maida & will be safe. Baba Ramdev found a business opportunity out of it & went on to say that he would also launch his own brand of health drinks to compete with Complan, Bournvita and Horlicks. Such has been the impact of Maggi controversy that now a countrywide alert on adulteration of food commodities like milk, packaged drinking water and edible oils was issued recently by FSSAI. Furthermore questions are being raised about the role & working of FSSAI. Also how packaged food items are given license in India and why details of ingredients and composition as given by the manufacturers are taken as true while giving approvals. This whole episode has raised eyebrows on our laws on labeling too. As of today; the Indian safety authority does not have a law on nutritional fact labeling. 

The Indian consumer doesn’t know what they are buying and what kind of ingredients are there and what their nutritional value is. The punishment prescribed under this law is too soft as it ranges from a fine and/or jail. There is also the possibility of recalling a product till it meets the standards as is done after the Maggi controversy but that cannot be a solution to the whole problem. The Indian government has to see that consumers are not cheated as we can see there is contamination in most of our street food, which goes unregulated too. This non regulation is also visible when contaminated food is served in government schools sponsored mid day meals to children. So should we just stop at noodles or rather formulate laws which protect the consumers of this country. The Indian Government should examine milk, flour, vegetables and even drinking water & surely results may surprise many. 

There are plenty of gaps in the current system as far as the packaged food industry is concerned. In the haste of achieving MAKE IN INDIA the government should not forget that life is the most precious wealth of the country.

Leaderless Jammu

Self-determination of a person is the only way in which a person may acquire  leadership as a quality in himself or herself. This quality may be visible whether in ruling, thinking, imagining, innovation or religious influencing. It depicts the personality of a human being. Human personality is very complex and leadership skills may depend on experience, skill, responsibility, intelligence, power of organizing people and social interaction. Leadership is the method by which a leader directs, guides and influences the work of others in order to attain any goals so that both may obtain maximum satisfaction. A leader needs to be mentally strong and firm in decisions. We can also say that a person who can satisfy the basic psychological needs of his followers can also be an effective leader.

However, when we try to find all these qualities in the persons who call themselves to be the leader of Jammu, then we see that all of them fall short of the above mentioned criteria. There are many people who are ruling but still all of them fail to possess these abilities. There are some who have certain thinking ability in them but that thinking is used by them only for issues which revolve around them or are directly concerned to them. We also see some leaders in Jammu who have good imagination regarding certain issues which can bring positive change in Jammu’s political circle. But sadly, these imaginations remain to their thoughts only. Also many others here in Jammu seem to have innovative qualities but they are using that innovation only to make their presence felt in one way or other in every public function. Those leaders who have religious backing and show to be protectors of that particular religion have also now failed as they got the things they wanted, by showing their religious bent of mind.

There are also so called leaders in Jammu, who have a lot of experience and skill but they are utilizing all of it for their own personal benefits. Nobody wants to serve the masses because of which they have their identity. Responsibility towards the Jammu people is also lacking in all these leaders, as they have whenever the time demanded failed to be responsible on any sensitive issue which disturbed this part of the state. Power of organizing people for a genuine cause is somewhere forgotten by these leaders because they feel now it’s more important to have money power because it attracts the masses in large numbers towards them. Social interaction is forgotten by all, either he is the one who has won with a narrow margin or who has become Ministers. The reason for this is that their priorities change for a period of 6 years and they think that till next elections nobody can now dismantle their fort.

Jammu is in a sense truly leaderless because we see all those who are in power don’t want to now serve the society. They all have started directing, guiding and influencing only their workers who tell them how much of there will be kept in the work, if they get it done. A good leader should always be impartial towards all his followers, because the moment he becomes partial, he no longer remains a leader as he loses the confidence of others. Similar is the story of those Jammu leaders who are not in power. This class of leaders are just trying to adopt the means with which they may get the power and hopefully they will also start behaving in the way the present political rulers are ruling the state. It somewhere reflects the trend which has nowadays started in the political circles. All people in the political circles are now only power hungry and nobody wants to serve the society in true sense. They all are now unwilling to render social service to the people of Jammu. Somewhere a sense of selfishness has gained a lot of place in the lives of these so called leaders.It is not that Jammu is short of any political party. Infact, what is surprising is that all the parties have their bodies in Jammu, whether they are national parties or the regional parties ruling in any one particular region of J&K or representing any small area of the state. What is more interesting is that, all of these political parties claim to be the true party which works for Jammu’s cause. There this claim is irrespective of the number of seats they have from Jammu. There have been many social or political issues which arose till today in Jammu. However, these parties backed out of them because of one or the other reason by citing their political ideological differences. When one party backed out of one particular issue, the other got a chance to speak on that issue. Next time, some other issue arises and the party which tried to become the face of Jammu in the last problem, now kept silent. This in result gave a chance to some other party, which now did so much effort that it tried to ensure that people forget its past activities and try to  accept them as the true representative of Jammu people.

This has been the political scenario in Jammu for a long time. Here the problems are several but none is ready to work on it unless it gets them some political mileage. Time has changed and so should we. We should change our approach towards these leaders. Our effort should be to try to make this system change by first making these leaders realize that the true power lies in the hands of the people. We should ensure that the non performing leader should never get a chance to be the representative of the people again. We should try to see whether the people are in real getting the help they need from these leaders. All of us should understand that we don’t have to accept the person to be the leader of Jammu who is mostly visible in the media. How is his or her appearance in the media a judging factor for their performance? The true performance of the leaders working can be visible when they speak fearlessly on the issues relating to people and fight for their cause. These leaders need to work together for Jammu by forgetting their political ideologies. So the first step, to be adopted for achieving all this is to begin with the technique of motivating yourself. The future and security of Jammu lies in our own hands. We should see that we keep this thing always present in our hearts and minds. Never try to behave like cowards, who at the time of facing problems or troubles in their life try to blame others and in turn can never succeed in their life. All we need is an optimistic approach and the day is not far when we may see some true leaders who would somewhere try to change the whole political system in our state.

Polio Days Are Over

Poliomyelitis commonly known as polio is a highly infectious viral disease which mainly affects young children. The virus transmits through contaminated food & water and also multiplies in the intestine from where it can also invade the nervous system. Further when this virus infects the nerve cells it results into acute flaccid paralysis leading to absence of muscle tone in one or both limbs and tendon reflexes.  This disease is amongst one of the dreaded diseases which have been affecting our country for the last many decades. Polio mainly affects the children below the age of five years. But now it has almost been one complete year in India, without any polio cases caused by natural (wild) poliovirus. This is taken as a great milestone as far as polio eradication in the country is concerned. We may now feel a bit relieved as for many years our country has been fighting with this dreaded disease which was refusing to die down. The people in the medical world feel that India has achieved a big challenge which was looming on the healthy   lives of its citizens and especially children. India's success in its fight against polio has proved that it can also be eradicated from many other countries of the world too with the same dedication and response. It is also seen as a success road which may help humanity in achieving the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) started against this disease. From the largest number of cases in the world to zero has truly been a fascinating story of success for our country. India has to overcome many problems in order to achieve this milestone in the world. The battle against polio in India was started in the 1970s with the launch of the Expanded Immunization Programme. In 1985, a Universal Immunization Programme was also launched throughout the country in order to overcome the growing number of polio cases in India. It was then in 1995-96, when the National Pulse Polio Initiative (PPI) was started in the country in order to target and cover every child with the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) when two National Immunization Days one each in December and January were followed throughout the country.

The road to reach this milestone has not been so easy and would not have been achieved without the help of millions of frontline workers from the private health sector, members of Rotary International, volunteers, anganwadi workers besides the massive public health workforce.  As per the latest figures which are available, the Union Ministry of Health in India has spent more than Rs.12000 crore on PPI, which somewhere represents the true dedication on the part of the government to fight with this disease. In these PPI drives, teams of almost 24 lakh vaccinators spread over the country visit over 20 crore households to ensure that nearly 17.2 crore children, which are under the age of 5 years, are immunized with OPV. With these oral vaccines India appears to have achieved what was once thought a Herculean task, decisively breaking the circulation of wild polio viruses that paralyzed countless children in the country. Apart from blocking the polio virus from invading nerve cells and causing paralysis, the oral vaccine, by duplicating a natural infection, is said to raise immunity in the mucosal lining of the gut. That makes it more difficult for the virus to replicate there and spread through feces to others. But the oral vaccine has its drawbacks also. In rare cases, the live but attenuated viral strains in the vaccine can themselves cause polio. Besides it, these viruses can revert to virulence, resulting in what are known as vaccine – derived polioviruses (VPDV). In order for complete eradication of polio, incorporation of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which is administered as an injection, in the immunization programme  is needed. However it is believed that the transition will only be visible when IPV is used to immunize the children as it has already been done by wealthy nations. Since this debate of using the IPV also involves the cost factor involved in it because the IPV is more costly as compared to OPV. 

Though we have achieved a remarkable position , the journey is still long as we need to maintain a zero cases record for the next three years in order to totally eradicate polio. Only one third of the journey is completed till now and time needs us to stay on this track for next three years also. India needs to secure further progress from this stage and for this it needs to protect children through polio campaigns and through improved coverage to all areas especially rural India. In order to achieve the target, we need to see that continued vigilance is kept across the country to check any detection of polio cases. We should also be prepared and ready to deal with emergency cases in the near future.

The Rise Of Hoardings

A new trend has started in Jammu to which our city was ignorant for the last many years. It is the rising trend of hoardings which have been installed all across our city these days. There are so many types of hoardings that it can accommodate the requirements of all. You think of anything and you find a hoarding relating to it somewhere in Jammu. From real estate projects to consumer goods, from nappies to education institutes, we see all of these on one or the other hoardings. How can we forget political leaders when we talk of hoardings?  You also get to see hoardings put up by political parties wishing their leaders a happy birthday or congratulating them on some electoral win or welcoming them into the city or just about anything! We find many leaders these days shining under the halogen lamps installed on these hoardings.   There may be various purposes for which these hoardings are installed but one thing is common in them all. For all such hoardings, the favorite spot for installing it is decided by the foot fall of that particular area.  Favorite places of the Jammu like all the busy markets as well as localities where people are in abundance have now become the official hoarding spots for anyone who has anything to sell or to show.

 Initially, these sites where hoardings are installed are taken by any outdoor advertising agencies with the due permission from the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) after paying certain revenue to the JMC. These companies further, to earn from these sites give space to any business house or anyone who wants to showcase anything through these hoardings. In short, if you run a business, have a budget, no matter how small, for advertising, and believe in the effectiveness of hoardings, you won’t find it difficult to announce yourself in and around Jammu. The worst thing is that most of these hoardings which are erected near crucial points like dividing roads, intersections and prominent busy roads, situated near the both residential and commercial areas, pose a serious threat to commuters. These hoardings also become the reason for an accident as various instances like this have come into notice in Jammu. Basically these hoardings seek the attention of the general public and while driving or riding two wheeler, it becomes a cause of distraction and leads to accidents.

Of all these hoardings which are installed along the roads of Jammu many of them are illegally installed. There are all type of people who are violating the rules by putting up these illegal hoardings. The common example of this violation can be easily found among the political parties. The workers of these parties spend lakhs of rupees to highlight any political event like rallies, yatras etc. These supporters put up huge hoardings at every conceivable point in Jammu and favourite among them is Bikram Chowk, Gole Market, and Foot Bridge near Govt. College for Women in Gandhi Nagar. No action is taken against this segment of violators because they belong to the corridors of power. Officials of JMC seem to be under pressure from political parties and as a result they don’t take any action against the violators. Action should be taken against political parties whose hoardings violate the rules. Politicians however, argue that these hoardings do not bear the name of the person who put them up, so it gets difficult to prosecute the offender. But I think it’s high time and leaders should be made accountable for the acts of their party workers. Someone has to be made accountable for such activities of political parties. We cannot let them treat our city as their personal property.

However, it is not one odd case of illegal hoardings as many could be seen throughout the city. In the absence of any strict action, no one seems bothered about this rising illegal activity. As a result this illegal system of putting up hoarding is flourishing with every passing day in Jammu. The drives are done by JMC to remove illegal hoardings from different chowks   and areas in Jammu but it seems to be unfruitful. The JMC doesn’t have any data on how many hoardings are actually illegally erected at various places in Jammu. “We periodically take action against illegal hoardings,” is all the department says. There seems to be an implied understanding between the JMC and illegal outdoor advertisers in making the best of the prevailing situation. Whatever the reason, the fact is the commercialization of the hoarding business. JMC spends money and its resources every time it has to get these illegal hoardings removed as it has to deploy a vehicle and three-four employees in each area to bring them down.

Various measures are needed to be taken by the authorities in order to ensure that this rising trend doesn’t create nuisance in near future. Strict action on ground level has to be taken by imposing heavy fines on all the violators. As all earlier warnings seem to be of no use because illegal hoardings are clearly visible in Jammu. Political leaders must ask their party members to refrain from putting up any hoardings in the city. All these hoardings spoil the beauty of the Jammu city & political leaders must act rationally as they are responsible for the betterment and welfare of the city. These political parties use so much money and put up such hoardings in the Jammu city instead they should use all these funds for betterment of the society. It is extremely annoying at times to see so many hoardings all around us. While the numbers of products on display continue to grow each day, the hoardings also change rapidly but that does not mean that we should forget the ill effects it has been carrying with it.

Forced Parliamentary Adjournments

The people of India got an institution like Parliament which was created under Indian Constitution and it symbolizes a democratic set up in our country. The Parliament was considered by the makers of the constitution to become a platform where great minds will try in bringing social revolution in this tradition bound country. However today the situation has considerably changed from the time the makers of the constitution created this institution. Parliament which was a shining symbol of democracy is losing its shine by every day adjournment motions which disrupt the parliamentary functioning. The current session of the Parliament was also paralyzed for many days because of the clash of political ideologies on the issue of FDI in retail. Disruption of proceeding these days has become a habit for our parliamentarians as they resort to it every now and then. The saddest part is that every party involved in this disruption says that, “we don’t want to disrupt the parliament but want justice for the citizens of this country”. They forget what they say and what they do. The opposition in the Parliament has a role and a right to oppose any thing which they feel goes against the country. But things are different here as the parliamentarians forget about the country and start thinking about the effect of that particular issue on their party’s future. At times, this disruption in the working of the Parliament is not because of the opposition only but also because of the allies of the ruling party. The same was witnessed in the issue relating to the FDI in which many UPA allies were not taken into consensus and they later revolted by not supporting the FDI in India.

A member of Parliament before taking his seat in the House has to take an oath which requires him to solemnly state,” I will fully discharge the duty upon which I am about to enter”. The duty to perform also involves participation in the solemn work which the Constitution of India has entrusted to the Parliament. But we see that all of them have forgotten the oath they took as it is clearly witnessed with their actions. In this FDI debate nobody in the Parliament was trying to put in front what the ordinary citizen was feeling at that time. They all were busy presenting either their personal views or their political ideologies. This all seemed foolish as they are the representatives of the people and they should have tried to put things in the right direction by showing what the people of this country are feeling about FDI. The ruling government, on one side wanted to bring FDI in retail while the opposition just wanted to oppose FDI by adjourning the Parliament. This practice did not help any citizen of this country. If the opposition truly wanted to show concern on FDI they should have tried to sort it within the parliament by engaging the ruling government on this issue. As we all should not forget that a single day disruption of the House for a day costs the public exchequer Rs 1.57 crore. Where does this money come from? This all is the money of the taxpayers of this country and we cannot let this money be wasted just to satisfy their political ideologies.

Various views have been doing rounds in the country, some saying that FDI will harm India and some say it will favor the country. Frankly speaking, whatever the impact of FDI on the country’s economy should be debated. But we should not forget that such unfortunate actions on the part of the MPs in the parliament are also contributing to loss to the hard earned money of the taxpayers. Our politicians and ever ready debaters these days on TV channels are somewhere forgetting this aspect of loss caused to the economy.  A certain positive approach by collective efforts has to be devised to bring normalcy in the working pattern of the parliament. These forced parliamentary adjournments are also contributing to the violation of the parliamentary duties. The smooth functioning of the parliament is the responsibility of every individual MP who sits in the parliament and also of each party having presence in the house. Though it is not so difficult to devise a strategy to ensure peace in the parliament with more than 37 political parties, it can be easily achieved with some maturity, tact and wisdom. Hoping that in future the parliament functions smoothly and all the issues are discussed on the floor of the house with due respect of the oath taken.

Traffic Jams: A New Havoc

The days are over when tangas and city buses used to run in the Jammu city and when people used to reach schools, colleges and offices by walking. Today Jammu city is facing severe road traffic problems. Daily we are stuck in long traffic jams which are witnessed at various places of Jammu city. The trend like metros has started in Jammu where people leave for their destination in advance expecting traffic jams. The main reason for this is population, urbanization and increase in the number of two and four wheelers. Is the government serious about this problem? Is the concerned minister worried? No, says the answer because when their official cars move then all other vehicles are stopped  & they pass by easily without getting the taste of traffic jams and getting a feel that things are quite normal. They are requested to come out on the road without their official cars and police men around them and then taste the flavor of the traffic problem in Jammu these days which has started troubling every common man in Jammu. In spite of Govt’s efforts to address this problem by promising to enhance the public transport system, widening the roads, constructing flyovers, the progress would not be satisfactory. The reason for it is the vast time they take to implement their promises. The day a promise is made and the day that promise is implemented has so much gap that the problem gets enough time to spread more easily & rapidly. Hence inconveniences due to traffic jams are still wide, deep and largely visible.

Every other day automobile and car manufacturing giants unveil a new model of their bike or car in Jammu as done at the national level. As a result, with each passing day a new model adds to the number of vehicles present on the congested streets of Jammu. Earlier there was a time when ten thousand vehicles used to get registered at Jammu Regional Transport Office (RTO) every year but now that number has swollen to thirty thousand or more every year. As per latest statistics available in the last 10 years 7,19,221 new vehicles have been registered in the state. Though the revenue generation of the concerned department has been tremendous, are the authorities ready to tackle such a big no. of vehicles? Seems no, as the mess caused by the vehicles is growing every day. We cannot stop people from buying new vehicles but are there roads to accommodate such rising traffic in future? The high density of vehicles in Jammu is also responsible for the rise in the number of road accidents which are witnessed at times in Jammu city and mostly on highways where buses plunge into deep gorges. The area for parking vehicles, especially in Jammu is constantly shrinking as nothing much is done by the concerned authorities to deal with this rapidly growing vehicular population, instead boards are installed at all places not to park the vehicle causing difficulty for the people to understand where to keep the vehicle with which they have come out.

Traffic police department is using technology for controlling and monitoring the movement of vehicles at important and busy crossroads for which the department has taken the help of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) but of no use, as people without any fear are taking their cars and bikes to wrong sides and traffic policemen keep watching without any effort as they are also the sufferers of this rising traffic in Jammu. We have a limited number of traffic policemen and it becomes virtually impossible for the traffic department to check all vehicles. Then the biggest obstacle for the traffic police of Jammu city comes where vehicles are Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) or Multi-Utility Vehicles (MUV) which are driven by people belonging to different political parties with party flags in front of the vehicles. These are the vehicles whose occupants are free to move in the city the way they want. At times such cars are seen parked at wrong places and even in no parking zones. What is more surprising is that when such vehicles cause long traffic jams, police don't dare to take any action by towing away the vehicle as it is done with ordinary citizens very rapidly, instead they start acting as a guard to that vehicle.

Vehicle emissions are responsible for rising air pollution in Jammu. No government effort by the concerned department to safeguard the environment has been enforced at the local level. We don’t find anything which is a visible factor of that effort taken by the government. Exhaust from vehicles has made the air quality of Jammu so poor that we feel suffocated at times in traffic jams. The rising number of vehicles has also left the traffic policemen gasping for fresh air. They are badly affected and a majority of them would surely be suffering from some ear, nose or throat (ENT) problem or have problems of burning eyes, dizziness, lung infection etc. But who cares for them? Atleast not the government! Pollution under control certificates of vehicles are not checked on regular intervals. It can contribute a lot in saving the environment from air pollution but no effort for that also is taken by traffic police. In Jammu we just need to have a driving license and registration certificate with which the traffic police let you go. Driving by children under the age of 18, who obtain a driving license by greasing the palms of authorities or Regional Transport Office (RTO) agents after submitting forged documents of their age proof, is adding to the problem of traffic. It is commonly witnessed many times when children are found driving but no police men can challan them, as they have valid licenses. Drives should be launched to educate masses  to follow traffic rules strictly so that the problems of rising traffic can be regulated a bit .But sadly we don’t have that trend in Jammu as we just celebrate traffic week once in  a year in Jammu with many messages in that particular week. This allows people to forget all of it after some time. The awareness drives should be regular as people are very cautious only during traffic week. During it they ensure their documents are complete and they carry their helmet but rest of the year they are carefree. At times, if anyone who is heading for a hospital in case of an emergency gets stuck in a traffic jam then the patient can only look upto God for survival. We know that there are problems but then there are solutions too, and the state has to find answers for it sooner otherwise things may be out of control and we have to taste bitter results later on.

Plastic Bags Are Back

All of us are familiar with plastic bags but only some of us are familiar with deep rooted problems associated with plastic bags. Few days back, when all of us went out to shop for Diwali we found people carrying their shopping items in plastic bags. Whether it was a shop in our locality or a posh market of Jammu, all were filled with plastic bags during the festivity season. All things ranging from food items to clothes to shoes, there is hardly any item that we don’t carry in plastic bags. At our homes we have plastic bags with different styles, colors and shapes. We all never consider the dangers that are inherent in using them. If all of us are aware of these dangers then it is sure that we will prefer sticking to paper bags than plastic bags. Plastic bags cause a lot of environmental damage. A single plastic bag can take up to 1000 years to decay completely. Plastic bags stay in the environment for long and become the greatest destroyer of the environment. Plastic bags have also been found to be responsible for the death of many animals as we in Jammu very commonly witness, at times, cows eating plastic bags near the dump of garbage which later lead to suffocation encountered on eating them. Also accidental deaths of infants and young children have also been reported in many cities because of plastic bags as children often ended up blocking their mouths and nostrils with them. 

Plastic bags are increasing the pollution levels in Jammu to a great extent but nobody is concerned to show any kind of urgency on this matter. It feels that they all are waiting for the day, when they may arise out of shock caused by the dangers associated with plastic bags. Sadly their concern at that time would be of no use as the loss at that time may have become irreversible. The effort was taken on the part of the Hon’ble CM, Omar Abdullah to stop the prevalence of plastic bags by banning its use in the state. But as it is said that “power lies somewhere else and power is executed by someone else” seems to be appropriate in this case. Reason is that the young, energetic CM has tried to free our state from this menace but the executors of his order are not concerned as the plastic bags are easily, freely and frequently seen in Jammu. There was a time when the Hon’ble CM ordered this plan of action and plastic bags vanished from the markets. There were frequent protests by the manufacturers of plastic bags at that time but it seemed the CM was of strong will and nothing would be allowed to be done which will destroy the environment and society on whole. Also the municipality officers were very active by raiding the shops and especially small-time shopkeepers to extract fines from them in order to please their bosses to show that they were efficient enough. But as time passed the plastic bags resurfaced again in the market with the help and connivance of municipal officers. Now, the municipality adopted a different plan of action, this time they pleased their bosses as well the masses (especially shopkeepers).Before every raid, on the shops the advance news of the raid would somehow reach the shopkeepers and they would clear their shop with no evidence of plastic bags. The surprising part is that no such action was taken against any big shopkeeper. Either those shopkeepers were obeying the law or the municipal officers were obeying them. This all was the scenario in the early days when this issue was a burning issue in the society but now the state is struck with so many other issues that we have forgotten this problem. The shopkeepers provide plastic bags again with a smiling face as this smile was missing in the days the raids were conducted. At that time, they would not even give a single bag but now they ask us if we need a spare one for carrying the items. This big change has come in a very short time and the reason is the poor administrative machinery or careless attitude of officials or easy going employees. The Union Environment Ministry has banned manufacture and use of plastic bags less than 8 inches X 12 inches in size and 20 micron in width. The Ministry has also asked State Governments to register all plastics manufacturing units, so that these can be regulated. However, the implementation of the order has been tardy, evident from the large number of plastic bags spotted in every major town as well as cities and Jammu is not an exception to it.

Jammu is becoming increasingly contaminated by our unnecessary use of plastic bags. During the rainy season the drains of old Jammu city are completely blocked and drains overflow and become the breeding grounds of germs and bacteria that cause diseases.  We should try to use alternatives like paper bags, jute bags and cloth bags. Paper, Jute and Cloth bags are eco-friendly. Jute bags are found to be the most suitable substitute then paper and cloth, because it is cheaper then cloth and is also reusable. Though paper bags are cheaper than jute bags, they are less durable. Next time, when you go out just take a look around and maybe you see some plastic bag hanging on the branch of a tree. Plastic bags are also found in abundance on the beds of river Tawi, an auspicious river for all Hindus. When you see such things just ask some few questions. Are these plastic bags at the appropriate place? How did they get here? Where will these bags go? How can we contribute to stopping this menace? Just try to answer the last question and maybe a big change will be visible in society in days to come. Just spread the message of saying no to plastic bags and support the banning of plastic bags. With this you may contribute to the change you want to see .The serious effort now on our part is required to be taken in order to overcome this problem as it is clearly visible that the government has failed to curb this menace as till now results are not seen in Jammu as far as the banning of plastic bags is concerned.

Is Beggar Mafia Operating In Jammu?

A problem which Jammu has started facing these days is the problem of begging. It has spread in wide dimensions as beggars are visible in all parts of Jammu whether it’s the old city of Jammu or areas like Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Guru Nanak Nagar or Trikuta Nagar. No area these days is free from beggars. They are mostly visible at crowded places and markets of Jammu city and even outside the mandir, masjids & guruduwara’s. Their presence is quite effective even outside educational institutions and what is more surprising is that they are found in abundance in the campus of the University of Jammu. It is common to find beggars near rubbish dumps, road sides and even under flyovers of Jammu city. Every one of us sees various kinds of beggars as out of them some are blind, lame or crippled.  Child beggars also are very common in the city and these children are engaged in this profession from early childhood. There are also some people who are physically sound but they are begging as it enables them to earn their living easily.  People who are physically incapable of doing any work can easily win the sympathy of others. For them the only way of getting food is by begging. But the number of such beggars is not very great as compared to other kinds of beggars who, though being physically capable, still beg to earn their living. Another important thing about these beggars is that they all are outsiders and we hardly see any local begging on the roads of Jammu. This thing at times helps a person of criminal background as he can easily find refuge in the guise of such beggars. It is indeed very difficult to distinguish between such persons once they become part of beggars and find shelter in this profession.

In recent times, there has also been a rise of organized begging in India. Is it that organized begging has also spread its tentacles in Jammu? Under this, the begging is quite often carried out by organized gangs. Each beggar does begging in a certain territory and has a gang leader, who keeps a significant share of it. These beggar gangs operate mostly in tourist areas and for them this state has a lot of potential as it is one of the biggest tourist destinations of India. Under organized begging the abduction of children is common by the beggar mafia who later make these abducted children part of their gang by forcefully making them beg. The beggar mafia has today become a huge industry in India. Is this Industry now also generating its revenue from Jammu also? In such cases there is always found to be collusion between the lawmakers and lawbreakers and for this our state has to set up some accountability in the system to stop this menace from spreading. Most of the child victims of the beggar mafia are between two and eight years of age. After being abducted, the children are taught begging techniques in order to perform properly. Child beggars do not get to keep their earnings but rather they have to hand them over to the group controlling their area at the end of every day. There have also been cases which have come in limelight in which adults are also kidnapped and forced into begging. Often limbs of such people are amputated or they are disfigured with acid so as to make them look really in need of help. Sometimes blood vessels in the body are also stitched to block blood supply to parts of the body, bringing about gangrene in order to entice people to give money to beggars. This all is done with the help of medical professionals who charge money on every single case they work on.

How to stop the beggar mafia from spreading? For it a healthy public opinion against it should also be created. We need to make awareness on this issue and people should also be made aware about this mafia’s working and where our hard money goes, when we give it to a beggar. In order to tackle the rising problem of beggars in Jammu we should ensure that whenever we come across beggars we should see that if the beggar is a healthy person, we should never give any money or anything else to them. Also at times, beggars come across our cars in the areas like Gole Market, Apsara Road etc then we should just drive past them or pull up the windows of the car.  When some children come to us begging on the street it's better to give the children something to eat because if we give them money, they will hardly ever benefit from it as it may go in the hands of the beggar mafia. Is city police blind to the nuisance being created by beggars? Going by the number of beggars found in Jammu it seems they aren’t bothered. Or perhaps the beggars are so strong that cops ''don't like to mess with them'' or their so-called bosses. Police should install boards on almost every traffic crossing and busy markets asking residents to discourage begging as at times beggars cause inconvenience to the commuters. Police should round up beggars also as there could be some anti social elements who are escaping the hands of law and have taken this profession. Also efforts should be started for rehabilitation programmes of beggars. Police machinery should also use its intelligence inputs in order to ascertain whether the beggar mafia is operative in Jammu? As also our state is a sensitive and militancy prone state, any anti-social element may cause disturbance by doing any act in the guise of a beggar. Also inputs should be collected on the regular activities of these beggars in order to ensure they don’t involve in anti social works. They should also be tracked and any new beggar in the area should be interrogated in order to ensure he is not some criminal and is not involved in criminal activities in some other state. 

The J & K government needs to think for its beggar population. With the state aspiring to achieve higher standards in every field, measures are needed to curb the begging problem in Jammu. The solution lies in a comprehensive programme for solving this beggar problem. Steps should be taken at all levels. We hope that the J&K Government takes some very serious action in this regard. It is high time that we neglect this issue. Enquiry should be done to identify and prosecute if any beggar mafia network is operating in Jammu. NGOs should be promoted and encouraged to work for the welfare of the beggars. Financial assistance or any other required assistance should also be provided to them in order to continue their valuable work. Though the problem of begging is yet not gigantic in Jammu but may take a form of serious social evil if the Government doesn’t take steps for its removal. Government should try to take legal steps to curb the menace of the rising number of beggars in Jammu. All in all, the need of the hour is to make a sincere start towards this problem as once we take these steps the results will be visible by  reduction in the number of beggars in Jammu.