It is important that the effort and energies of the forest department are devoted more towards the pressing challenges and threats to India's biodiversity rather than to arbitrarily and illegally acting against wildlife researchers. https://thewire.in/environment/of-red-carpets-and-green-tape 

 Across India, wildlife researchers today are being harassed by forest officers for not taking prior permission for photographing and conducting research on wildlife.

At a recent conference in Bengaluru – the Indian Wildlife Ecology Conference 2024 – one common concern among wildlife researchers was the bureaucratic red-tapeism (or more appropriately, ‘green-tapeism’) that leads to severe delays and restrictions in undertaking research on wildlife.

In a country where wildlife researchers are a rarity and funding for research miniscule, scared and traumatised researchers run pillar to post to secure research permits. For them, it is not the tiger that rules the jungle, but the ‘permit raj’ of the forest department, which is the law of the jungle.

by Ritwick Dutta and Tiasa Adhya

28/08/2024

At least 91 Indians have been forced to be fight alongside the Russian army on the frontlines, and so far, eight Indian nationals have been killed. Many families have been waiting agonisingly long for their loved ones to return home.

It all began with an online job scam and the dream of a better future in a foreign country. The victims told The Wire they were duped by YouTube job scamsters, with many pointing fingers at Faisal Khan, a Dubai-based YouTuber who runs the Baba Vlogs channel. They were allegedly convinced that they would work as non-combatant workers and helpers in the Russian army, far away from the frontlines. 

Hemil’s father, Ashwin, told The Wire that his son was seeking better work opportunities in India when he came across a YouTube channel, Baba Vlogs, that promised unemployed Indians like him a job as a helper in the Russian Army. Despite constant reassurances from the channel clarifying that the particular post didn’t demand deployment, it ultimately did lead to Hemil’s forced deployment and his tragic death in a Ukrainian drone strike.https://thewire.in/rights/dead-trapped-and-waiting-to-escape-meet-the-indians-forced-to-fight-russias-war-against-ukraineAshwin Mangukiya travelled to Russia again seeking compensation for the loss of his son. He stayed in Russia for nearly two weeks at his own expense. He denied any kind of help from the Indian Embassy in Russia and the Indian government. According to him, the Russian government promised a compensation of Rs 1.3 crore within three months

The issue of Indians fighting the Russian war as soldiers also assumes significant political relevance as in the BJP’s campaigning for the general elections, it also pushed a narrative of Prime Minister Modi single-handedly putting a halt to the war to ensure the rescue of trapped Indian students in Ukraine.

The people from the Indian subcontinent were forced to fight a war without their consent, using fraudulent means. While some people have lost their lives as their families mourn for the dead, others are still going through an antagonising wait for their loved ones to return. The bureaucratic hurdles, the thousands of kilometres, and the uncharted territory only aggravate this incomprehensible situation. .

by Vipul Kumar and Neel Madhav

26/08/2024

There was a pitch for an aspirational India, that got Modi to power.  We need to examine these ideas.  An Interview with Sanjeev Sanyal. with a Youtube "influencer"

  https://youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY   India's plan to reach a 10-trillion dollar economy. He shares his point of view on India's growth in the past decade and why India is lagging behind Germany.

What is India’s approach to become a 10 trillion dollar Economy? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=202s. What we have done different entry in past 20 years because of which this compounding is growing?

The understanding of the previous economic logic:  What was it like to do business in 90’s compared to today? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=1097s  Government thought they will tax rich and pass benefits to poor people?  What is Hindu rate of Growth? 31:37 Why has more exports Germany than India even after having less population?

35:10 What is trade oriented infrastructure ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=2110s   41:23 What is red Tapism? 42:00 How Germany Reached such Heights with Mittelstand companies?

Why is India’s MSME sector struggling for capital?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=3135s

56:00 Why is our education system So Incompetent ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=3360s

GST is consumer tax and not producer tax? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lgf2WHstBY&t=3925s

   https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/farmer-leaders-from-18-states-resolve-to-oppose-gm-crops/amp  Farmer leaders Kavita Kuruganti and KT Gangadhar said the present government should hold consultations with all stakeholders before finalising a national policy on GM crops. “In fact, we need is a biosafety policy, not a policy on GM crops. In 2009, public consultations were held by the then Congress government and the introduction of Bt brinjal crop was stalled,” they said. 

Read more …

No Major Problem With Sebi's Response to Hindenburg; Cannot Say Sebi Did a Bad Job:
Aug 24, 2024
"I have no major problem" with SEBI's handling of Hindenburg allegations; "I cannot say SEBI did a bad job": former SEBI Chairman, M. Damodaran, to Karan Thapar for The Wire. Speaking specifically to a question whether SEBI did a good job investigating the price ramping of Adani stock before Hindenburg, Mr. Damodaran said: “I cannot say SEBI did a bad job”. but says that this is on the basis of the information that he has before him....Issue revolved round disclosure and recusal. Both these were addressed by the SEBI statment..

Sagarika Ghose on X : HORRIFYING. A 21 old woman kills herself in UP’s Ambedkarnagar after the UP police allegedly refused to register a case of gang rape. Crimes against women are now a full scale national crisis. All of us must speak in ONE VOICE  in empathy and solidarity in every case irrespective of where the crime happens. No politics, no whataboutery, let’s make this a NATIONAL MISSION on women’s safety.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/woman-commits-suicide-after-si-denies-gang-rape-complaint/articleshow/112694764.cms 

Delhi has a new think-tank for Narendra Modi Studies. https://theprint.in/feature/around-town/dehi-has-a-new-think-tank-for-narendra-modi-studies-ex-amu-faculty-former-critic-is-head/1595700/   Debdutta Chakraborty 26 May, 2023..  Ex-AMU faculty,  Jasim Mohammad, a bitter critic of Modi earlier,  is head .He  wants to establish a centre in every district of India.

the Centre for Narendra Modi Studies. Housed in a massive three-storeyed building, the centre is months away from completion. The goal is to study PM Modi’s leadership, governance style, and international diplomacy.

<<"When I met him, I realised that he is above everything — religion or politics. What struck me most was that he was always talking about keeping every community together and building a harmonious nation. He is the first person after Gandhi whom people trust,” says Mohammad, who also claims to have translated the official PMO page into Urdu.>>

Here's a pretty recent graphic demonstration of the mighty endeavour to keep every community together and build a harmonious nation by this Narendra "Laode Ne Bhojyam" Modi -- the solitary one on this planet having an academic degree in Entire Political Science and who also specialise claims to have been sent by the Supreme Being bypassing the biological route in order to get His will executed: <https://youtu.be/uBx9bzDmjbo> 

The belief system, and some truths https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-belief-system-and-some-truths/article24300569.ece
July 01, 2018 Dipali Rastogi

From X: The truth about #IAS officers ! From a serving IAS officer herself  https://x.com/malpani/status/1825871141258322241?t=fTAYsmtx33jK_wHZQqcr_Q&s=08