Don’t Invest Public Money in high risk Adani Coal to PVC Plant https://forms.gle/2wmceUSkmecKF1QY7
On June 20, it was reported that Adani Enterprises had secured an in-principle agreement from a SBI led consortium of banks to fund its proposed Coal to PVC plant in Mundra. Such an investment of public money in a company whose financial viability has been deemed suspect is a violation of the trust that crores of people have reposed in these public sector banks

 At a time when Adani Enterprises is overleveraged and is under an ongoing investigation, the reported attempt by public sector banks to raise ₹ 14,500 crore and the remainder by private banks, is a severe undermining of public trust in custodians of public money. According to an assessment carried out last year by CreditSights, a credit assessment unit of the Fitch Group, which points to the group's high indebtedness, over-leveraged operations and debt-driven expansion into highly capital intensive projects in a wide range of new sectors. According to this report, “excessive debt and over-leveraging by the group could have a cascading negative effect on the credit quality of the bond issuing entities within the group and heightens contagion risk in case any entity falls into distress”.

It is important to note that coal based projects became the principal line item in India’s terrifying bad loans problem, contributing to more than ₹ 1.74 lakh crores in NPAs. This Coal to PVC project has the potential to join the long list.

The coal-based manufacturing of PVC is highly environmentally damaging, emitting three times more greenhouse gases than conventional plastic production, exacerbating both the plastic waste and climate crisis. The coal to PVC plant in question, with numerous flue gas and process vent stacks, releases harmful particulate matter leading to various health problems, including respiratory issues and heart diseases.

Suggest draft of letter to Parliamentarians: whereas census 2011 identified the percentage of disabled population to be 2.21 per cent, NFHS-5 has an estimate of 1 per cent only. The lack of data on 21+ disabilities in mainstream research reports and crime records by the govt is obvious.The lack of proper data leads to deprivation, with many being left out of various social security schemes amongst others.

introduce  a mandatory registration system for disabilities. Such mandatory registration should  be done  at the level of the rural/urban bodies; anganwadis; schools; community health centres, village sanitation & nutrition committees etc.

Read more …

UNDP’s 2023 poverty report shows India’s poverty reduction fastest, Africa improving but gap remains https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqq9LP5oMZA Jul 14, 2023 #cuttheclutter
Poverty reduction is a welcome global phenomenon but 110 cr around the world, 50% of them under the age of 18, still continue to live in abject poverty. In Episode 1271 of Cut The Clutter, Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta breaks down the findings of UNDP’s Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023.

https://niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2023-07/National-Multidimentional-Poverty-Index-2023-Final-17th-July.pdf 

Middle Class Trap | Why the Indian Middle Class will get Poorer with Time | GIGL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIvscl2CZxU  Jun 6, 2023

This is today's population of India- 142 crores (show Indian population in full number on the screen) and if we want to divide the population on the basis of income then we can divide it into 3 categories- upper class, middle class and lower class.

Now if we look at this pyramid the question arises whether this is the pure population and the real middle class – who and how much? Actually, generally speaking, most of us already consider ourselves to be middle class. And this is not with me, the research of the Center for Advanced Study of India is telling. According to this, about 50% of Indians believe that they are middle class.

Manipur's Internet Shutdown Infringes on Rights Under the Garb of Providing Security https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4v9u8GZ1Yg The Wire Jul 22, 2023
Manipur has been witnessing an internet shutdown since May 3, when violence erupted in the state. While the Manipur high court has ordered the partial restoration of internet services, it is unlikely to reach all members of the public. Apar Gupta, founder and director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, speaks to The Wire's Jahnavi sen on why he thinks shutting down the internet does not stem disinformation and instead works to limit truthful, useful information. He also analyses the shutdown orders and the high court and Supreme Court's response to the situation.

Ban serves the cause of national apathy more than violence. Critical role of internet nationally to counter violence..  Violence is likely to be more if there is no information. More disinformation spreads as fact checking is also disabled.. 

Tweet @apar1984
The internet wasn't shut down in Manipur for the security of the citizens. It was to maintain a national apathy. Do you care now? 

@larsandrune  Rumors and lies can and have been spread without the internet for ages but getting good live coverage, photos, videos and interviews have been hampered by cutting the internet in manipur.

@PleaseStopTheViolence
Why are they still not lifting the internet ban??? Everything is known to the people of India now. What's to hide information anymore???

@meerasingh2327 I see is this way. there are good people in the world. If wrong things are going or fake video is going other people can tell every one it is wrong. If Government shut the voice of people India will see a lot of dictatorship in country. Military could have solved this problem but Military was not called. Government has failed to solved the problem. The people with conscious will raise their voice always. I am from Canada  

A Political History of Technology in India: Midnight's machines https://youtu.be/fak4OnGoFPQ?t=163  Feb 28, 2020 In post-independent India, technology has emerged as a crucial sector for the country’s development. Arun Mohan Sukumar will trace the history of India’s technological evolution from Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi and unpack the various success and failures that have played a pivotal role in transforming India into a leading power.

Rajeev Gowda, Jahnavi Phalkey and Susmita Mohanty along with the author, Arun Mohan Sukumar in a discussion moderated by Anu Singh.

Book Review: This ‘Political History of Technology in India’ Couldn’t Resist Stereotypes  https://swarajyamag.com/magazine/book-review-this-political-history-of-technology-in-india-couldnt-resist-stereotypes by Aravindan Neelakandan - Monday, April 6, 2020..The author almost obsessively repeats the phrase 'the temples' of Nehru, which were the words Nehru had supposedly whispered to himself when he visited the Bhakra Nangal in 1956. ..

Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Nehru, when she was India’s Prime Minister, tried to make political capital out of the 'appropriate technology' movement that was becoming quite a fad in the Western counter-culture movement. By 1973, Schumacher had published his cult classic Small is Beautiful. ... Arun Sukumar states that 'Schumacher’s foolish romanticism produced exactly the narrative Indira’s government needed to cover up its failure to industrialise, and to keep the economy on a tight leash.'

Over all, one can see this book as a kind of new front opened to attack BJP’s pro- technology narrative with quite good selective scholarship. And like all anti-BJP academic work it packages its anti-BJP thrust with a good assessment of Nehru-Indira-Rajiv and P.V.N eras.

India's Semiconductor Failure  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isBYV6QWDIo   Sep 24, 2021 India is a semiconductor design powerhouse. Nearly every major semiconductor company has a presence in India, designing some of the most advanced chips in the world.

But once those designs are completed, they are sent to the United States, China, South Korea or Taiwan to fabricate. It begs the question. Why can't India fabricate any of the chips they lay out? In the 1980s, the Indian government attempted to follow China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, and Singapore in creating their own semiconductor manufacturing national champion. Things got off to a promising start, but then disaster struck. And the company - along with India's entire semiconductor manufacturing industry - hasn't recovered since.

What Exactly Happened with Vedanta - Foxconn Semicondutor Deal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le95IZXxLLg
 Jul 13, 2023

   Reasons why the deal developed problems. https://youtu.be/le95IZXxLLg?t=152 story behind the Vedanta-Foxconn Semiconductor deal. According to Bloomberg report, authorities are likely to inform the joint venture that it won’t receive incentives for building 28-nanometre chips. The venture has not been able to meet government requirements to receive funding as the project still lacks a technology partner and a manufacturing grade technology licence for construction of 28 nanometre chips. (https://www.outlookindia.com/business/government-to-reject-vedanta-foxconn-joint-venture-request-for-funding-report-news-290899)

Vedanta-Foxconn’s fab joint-venture talks with STMicro hit a bump STMicroelectronics wants to limit the scope of the technology transfer ... STMicroelectronics also has some reservations regarding its investment in the (Vedanta-Foxconn) combine. They want Vedanta to take the lead and invest more,” ( https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/devices/vedanta-foxconns-fab-joint-venture-talks-with-stmicro-hit-a-bump/99449084 )

As the opposition continues to target the Eknath Shinde government of letting the Vedanta-Foxconn deal slip from Maharashtra to Gujarat, https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/how-maharashtra-gujarat-offers-to-vedanta-foxconn-project-differed-anil-agarwal-eknath-shinde-101663234240811.html..

1. Gujarat offered a ₹28,000 crore capital subsidy to Vedanta-Foxconn for the semiconductor plant. On the other hand, the offer by Maharashtra government stood at ₹40,000 crore.

2. Gujarat offered 200 acres of land to both the companies at Dholera in Ahmedabad at 75 per cent of the going rate. Maharashtra offered 1,100 acres of land at Talegaon Phase IV in Pune district. Out of this, 400 acres were offered free of cost while the remaining 700 acres were offered at 75 per cent of the current rate.

 'No Impact On India's Semiconductor Goals', Says Govt As Vedanta-Foxconn Deal Ends
 https://news.abplive.com/technology/rajeev-chandrasekhar-vedanta-foxconn-plant-india-joint-venture-semiconductor-manufacturing-goals-1615029 Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said Foxconn's decision to withdraw from its Joint Venture (JV) with Vedanta has no impact on the country's semiconductor fabrication goals. 10 Jul 2023

As Foxconn-Vedanta deal snaps, a look at semiconductors & 'design giant' India’s 40-yr chip struggle  Jul 11, 2023  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBFx1nCjMIo  Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn has withdrawn from its $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with India’s Vedanta. While the Modi govt has said this won’t hurt India’s goals with respect to the cutting-edge chips, Foxconn has also reiterated its commitment to working with the country in the field

India’s Semiconductor Savior? Asianometry  May 16, 2022  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Z_uFwxPtk Recently, Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources announced that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn to manufacture semiconductors in India. 10 billion dollar incentive plan by Indian Govt. to promote semi-conductor manufacruing in india.. through upto 50% fiscal support..

Did Women Body Know About Manipur Viral Video? NCW Chief Says Officers Didn’t Respond to Complaints The Wire  Jul 22, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYGTDwf0n3o
एक चौंकाने वाले घटनाक्रम में यह पता चला है कि मणिपुर में हिंसा के दौरान बीते 4 मई को भीड़ द्वारा आदिवासी कुकी समुदाय की दो महिलाओं को नग्न अवस्था में घुमाने और उनके साथ सामूहिक बलात्कार करने की घटना की शिकायत राष्ट्रीय महिला आयोग यानी NCW से की गई थी.
न्यूज़लॉन्डी वेबसाइट की एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, महिला आयोग को इस मामले पर बीते 12 जून को ही एक शिकायत भेजी गई थी, लेकिन शिकायतकर्ताओं को महिला आयोग की ओर से कभी कोई प्रतिक्रिया नहीं मिली.
शिकायतकर्ताओं ने इस खौफनाक घटना का सामना करनी वाली महिलाओं से बात की और फिर एनसीडब्ल्यू की अध्यक्ष रेखा शर्मा को ईमेल किया. शिकायत में स्पष्ट रूप से कहा गया है कि 4 मई को थौबल जिले के एक गांव की दो महिलाओं को ‘निर्वस्त्र कर घुमाया गया, पीटा गया और फिर दंगाई मेईतेई भीड़ ने सार्वजनिक रूप से बलात्कार किया’.

अब इसके बाद कई सवाल खड़े हो रहे है की क्या सच मे महिला आयोग को पता था और उन्होंने इसका संज्ञान नहीं लिया?

यही सवाल जब महिला आयोग chairperson रेखा शर्मा से पूछा गया तब उन्होंने कहा की उन्हें महिलाओं के मुद्दों के संबंध में अन्य शिकायतें मिली हैं और इसके लिए वह मणिपुर में अधिकारियों के पास तीन बार पहुंची थीं, लेकिन उनसे कोई प्रतिक्रिया नहीं मिली। पुलिस अधिकारी और chief secretary को पत्र लिखने ई बात रेखा शर्मा ने की, जब पूछा गया कि उन अधिकारियों को सामान कर के इस मुद्दे का संज्ञान यो नहि लिया, तो महिला आयोग की अध्यक्ष ने कहा की वे ऐसा कर के अधिकारियों का काम और नहि बढ़ाना चाहति थी

Manipur Womens पर घटिया बात! शर्म करो Rubika Liyaquat! Kumkum Binwal Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxP1YlT1nkQ
 Jul 22, 2023 Anchor Rubika Liyaquat did a show on the viral video of Manipur women. On the panel of his show, a guest said that the body of a woman is seen in the room in North India and West India. It is different in Manipur. Writer Sujata condemned this show of Rubika Liyaquat. Kumkum Binwal Analysis.