EAS Sarma says "the abrupt and somewhat inexplicable exit of Shri Goel fraises the following questions:

1.Did Shri Goel express his dissent on the way the political executive has been trying to interfere with the electoral process in several ways vitiating its sanctity?
2.Did Shri Goel express doubts about the efficacy of the use of EVMs?
3.Did he express his concern at the way the political executive has pressured the SBI not to disclose the details of the EBS?
4.Was there any proposal from Shri Goel to freeze the residual amounts received by the political parties under the EBS to prevent their use in the ensuing elections?
5.Did Shrii Goel propose that BJP's nominees from the Boards of BEL, ECIL and SBI be withdrawn to maintain the sanctity the electoral process?
6.Did Shri Goel express his dissent on any other matter that would have displeased the political executive?
7.Did the highest within the political executive force Shri Goel to tender his resignation to clear the way for the ruling party's machinations?

One Election Commissioner has recently retired and the political executive is trying to select a candidate of its choice to succeed him. Meanwhile, I find that Shri Arun Goel, the third Election Commissioner has tendered his resignation prematurely, though his term is due to expire only in 2027. Shri Goel's resignation appears to have been accepted by the government in an undue hurry on the 9th of March, 2024 and the same was notified by the Ministry of Law & Justice yesterday..."

Earlier Letter & its references: https://countercurrents.org/2024/03/letter-to-president-of-india-non-transparency-of-funding-through-electoral-bonds-appointment-of-political-nominees-on-the-boards-of-sbi-bel-ecil-and-violating-norms-of-appointment-of-election-comm/ "attempts on the part of the political executive to deviate from the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court on appointment of Election Commissioners, the contentious Electoral Bonds scheme (EBS) and its planting BJP nominees on the Boards of Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), Electronics Corporation India Ltd (ECIL) and the SBI evidently to interfere at every stage of the electoral process in one way or the other, which in my view vitiates the sanctity of elections"

https://countercurrents.org/2023/11/appointment-of-chief-information-commissioner-prima-facie-violation-of-section-123-of-the-rti-act/

https://thewire.in/government/take-expert-opinion-on-evms-safety-implement-safeguards-e-a-s-sarma-to-election-commission

https://countercurrents.org/2023/03/election-commission-of-india-must-question-the-presence-political-nominees-on-bels-and-ecils-boards/

https://thewire.in/politics/fcra-reviving-lapsed-law-amending-retrospectively-trumps-ethical-legal-barriers

https://countercurrents.org/2024/03/the-eci-should-not-only-freeze-all-amounts-received-by-political-parties-through-the-electoral-bonds-scheme-but-also-force-the-sbi-to-disclose-the-details-immediately-failing-which-the-commission-sho/

https://countercurrents.org/2024/03/tapping-into-the-right-analysis-of-the-bolsonarists-and-their-right-wing-protest/ 

Social movement research has generally excluded right wing movements as a subject of its research, as Nelson Pichardo has highlighted in his critique of the ‘New’ Social Movement (NSM) paradigm and its theorists, who have been ideologically biased towards movements originating from the ‘left’ (Pichardo 1997). Recently, however, there has been some significant exploration of contemporary right-wing movements. This essay will look at the typologies of right-wing movements created by some of the scholars focusing on this area of study, and attempt to apply mainstream social movement theory to the case study of a right-wing protest in Brazil in 2023, when supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Three Powers Plaza in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.

A major chunk of the scholarship on right wing movements have been geared towards American politics and contexts, although some work has been focused on India and Latin America. This paper has taken into account the discussion on movements in the United States, such as the Ku Klux Klan or the anti-abortion March for Life movement, but attempted to situate it in a more global context.

by Anika Vijapur

07/03/2024

https://www.livemint.com/politics/policy/the-bengaluru-water-crisis-and-how-the-karnataka-govt-is-tackling-it-11709690520985.html 

The water level in the Cauvery River has substantially dropped since there has not been enough rain in the region. The weakened southwest monsoon rainfalls have resulted in groundwater levels going down and decreased water reserves in the Cauvery River basin reservoirs, according to a report by Reuters . This has affected irrigation and led to a drinking water crisis in areas of the capital city of Karnataka. The crisis is also being attributed to rapid urbanisation and poor infrastructure.

In September 2023, the state had declared a drought in 195 taluks, including parts of Bengaluru. The number went up to 216 of the 236 taluks in Karnataka later. This includes Mandya and Mysuru districts, from where Bengaluru sources water.

by Gulam Jeelani

06/03/2024

 बंगलुरु एयरपोर्ट से ही निताशा को बैरंग लौटना पड़ा लंदन Article19 India Feb 26, 2024   कर्नाटक सरकार की मेहमान थीं निताशा कौल। पूछ लीजिए खिलाफ बोलने का अंजाम। मोदी की धज्जी उड़ाती रहती हैं।https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQYXeWcticA

'Orders from Delhi': London-based writer Nitasha Kaul detained at Bengaluru airport, deported; Cong hits out at Modi govt https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/toi-original/orders-from-delhi-london-based-writer-nitasha-kaul-detained-at-bengaluru-airport-deported-cong-hits-out-at-modi-govt/videoshow/108010616.cms  Feb 26, 2024  She was scheduled to attend a Congress-led Karnataka government's two-day international conference on the Constitution. Kaul expressed shock, stating that all her documents, including her UK passport and OCI, were valid and current. Immigration officials provided no explanation other than "orders from Delhi" for her denial of entry. 

How the UN is Holding Back the Sahara Desert Andrew Millison Feb 19, 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCli0gyNwL0  Permaculture instructor Andrew Millison journeys with the UN World Food Programme to the Northern border of Senegal to see an innovative land recovery project within the Great Green Wall of Africa that is harvesting rainwater, increasing food security, and rehabilitating the ecosystem.

WFP Resilience Building:
https://www.wfp.org/resilience-building

https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/ UN decade on Restoration

https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/types-ecosystem-restoration/urban-areas

Vandana Shiva | False Claims Of The Green Revolution, Then And Now Real Organic Project
Feb 13, 2024 #GreenRevolution #OrganicFood #Soil
 Vandana Shiva shares her knowledge around the Green Revolution, a transformative and chemical-dependent set of agricultural practices and policies that promised to deliver food security to populations around the world. But has it delivered on those promises? And how do its outcomes compare to organic agriculture?

 Vandana Shiva I Why are farmers in India dying? I GREAT MINDS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAjk-oiEeo Aug 30, 2023 India has the tenth most amount of farmland in the world. Yet, CNN reported in 2022 that more than 30 Indian farmers take their lives every day. This alarming statistic is what led Vandana Shiva, a once-promising nuclear physicist, to dive into the food sovereignty movement. Vandana Shiva attributes this tragedy to the Green Revolution and the introduction of GMO seeds, both of which aimed to increase food production. To protect food sovereignty, she stresses the importance of seed preservation and small-scale ecological agriculture.

In this lecture, Vandana Shiva explains how industrialized agriculture threatens farmers’ livelihoods and how genetically modified organisms destroy the ecosystem. She also introduces various activities of the Navdanya farm, which she runs herself. Additionally, she discusses the concept of ecofeminism, a movement she initiated to counter industrialized agriculture and powerful capitalist forces.

For Vandana Shiva, food is more than just sustenance; it is the source of life, intrinsically connected to nature and the lives of farmers. Shiva’s lecture will lead you to reflect on the significance of agriculture and food in our lives,

SBI's stand on electoral bonds confounds employee unions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1eZZ5kyvqw  Mar 6, 2024  State Bank of India has sought an extra four months from the Supreme Court of India to provide information about Electoral Bonds, and who paid how much money to which political party.

However, this stand of the SBI has irked some employee unions, who feel that the bank is unnecessarily getting dragged into politics. They have urged the bank to quickly provide the data sought by the Supreme Court.

 What Next in the SBI Electoral Bonds Tangle? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwZWv800IxA   | State Bank of India | Supreme Court | The AIDEM
Mar 6, 2024 #TheAIDEM
As the State Bank of India’s request for an extension till June 30 to comply with the Supreme Court order to divulge the details of the Electoral Bond contributions is pending before Apex Court, the intrigue surrounding the scheme has risen to new levels. Initial public reactions evidently suggest that the premium public sector bank has further eroded its credibility. The requested extension goes against the very spirit of the February 15 landmark judgement of the Supreme Court, which struck down the Electoral Bond scheme as 'unconstitutional' and 'arbitrary'. The developments have certainly deepened the shadows of doubt that have come to engulf the Indian democratic process as a whole in recent times.

Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, Managing Editor of The AIDEM and Thomas Franco, former General Secretary of the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) and founder of "People First" discuss the structural and political implications of the SBI manoeuvre in an interaction with Anand Haridas, senior journalist and multimedia professional.

“I Don’t Believe SBI’s Explanation on Electoral Bonds; it’s Absolutely Ridiculous”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-qdDu1N3i8  Former SC Judge The Wire   Mar 5, 2024 The Interview with Karan Thapar  Justice Deepak Gupta also revealed that he was part of a bench which in 2019 had told the SBI to collate and keep the relevant details of the electoral bond scheme i.e. to maintain rec  immediate response to the State Bank of India’s petition requesting more than three and a half months extra time till the 30th of June to make public electoral bond details, one of the Supreme Court’s most respected former judges has said “I don’t believe the SBI’s explanation”. Justice Deepak Gupta also revealed that he was part of a bench which in 2019 had told the SBI to collate and keep the relevant details of the electoral bond scheme i.e. to maintain records and he does not accept that they now need three and a half months extra time (over and above the initial three weeks granted to them) to make the information available to the Election Commission. At one point in the interview he said the SBI’s position was “absolutely ridiculous”. Justice Gupta also said “this explanation is not really worth much”.

किसके चंदे का राज़ छिपाया जा रहा है? SBI ने SC से माँगा समय | Electoral bonds: SBI asks SC for time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_jyeCQ5hQ&t=92s Ravish Kumar Official  Mar 5, 2024 क्या 6 मार्च को भारतीय स्टेट बैंक इलेक्टोरल बॉन्ड के बारे में चुनाव आयोग को जानकारी नहीं देगा? आख़िर क्यों उसे चार महीने का समय चाहिए? सहज बुद्धि से सोचें तो यही लगता है कि ऐसा इसलिए किया जा रहा है ताकि लोकसभा का पूरा चुनाव निकल जाए और जनता को पता ही नहीं चले कि 16,000 करोड़ का चंदा इस बॉन्ड के माध्यम से किसने किस किस को दिया। इस बात में अब कोई संदेह नहीं रहा कि यह चंदा नहीं था, फ़्रॉड था। घोटाला था। क्या फ़्रॉड के मामले में सुप्रीम कोर्ट के आदेश का यही पालन हो रहा है कि एक मामूली सी सूचि बनाने के लिए देश के सबसे बड़े बैंक को चार महीने का समय चाहिए? आदेश तो साफ़ था कि 6 मार्च तक भारतीय स्टेट बैंक को सारे दस्तावेज़ चुनाव आयोग को देने हैं और 15 मार्च तक चुनाव आयोग को उसे अपनी वेबसाइट पर प्रकाशित करना है। देखते रहिए, कब तक आपको यह जानकारी मिल पाती है।

Electoral Bonds case: State Bank of India excuses are laughable - Thomas FrancoThe News Minute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47iXqk4p2Fk A day before its deadline to furnish details of Electoral Bonds (EBs) after they were struck down, the State Bank of India (SBI) told the Supreme Court on March 5 that it needs extra time till June 30, nearly four months in addition to the three weeks already granted to it, to compile the data. SBI told the SC that it had kept only physical copies of the details of donors, which it will now have to match with the details of EBs stored digitally. Since 22,217 EBs were issued since April 12, 2019 – the date of an earlier interim SC judgement starting from which the court has now sought details – the SBI has claimed that this would be a time-consuming process needing months. TNM’s Senior News Editor Shabbir Ahmed speaks to Thomas Franco, former general secretary of the All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC) to the SBI’s excuses.

https://www.cenfa.org/sbi-in-the-news-for-wrong-reasons-once-again/

State Bank of India was in the news recently because of the downgrading of its ratings by Goldman Sachs. Before that, the economic research wing was questioned by economists for defending the Government by saying poverty and unemployment have reduced drastically.

Before that, it was on the news for granting a fresh loan of Rs.34000 crores to the Adani group.

But its recent appeal to the Supreme Court to provide time till June 30th to provide the list of purchasers of electoral bonds and parties which encashed them has brought a very bad image for SBI. In the digital era, the bank which is a pioneer in technology saying that it can’t reconcile the transactions and provide the list after 18 days of the Supreme Court order is unacceptable.

In a letter to the Director (Budget) Dept of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance dated 25/06/2018 SBI has stated that it has spent Rs.60,43,005/- for IT system development for Electoral Bonds...

In an RTI reply to Shri. Sanjeev B. Ezhava, dated 22.11.23, the SBI has provided details of electoral bonds for 6 years in just 6 days. Now, why does it require months?..

It is surprising that a company ‘Future Gaming’ has donated Rs.100 crores to a trust named “Prudent Electoral Trust” a trust approved by CBDT under the Electoral Trust Scheme 2013 (letter enclosed below). Is this trust playing the role of a broker between political parties, the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and companies that are doing illegal transactions? The answer will be there in the list. Supreme Court must ask SBI to provide the list immediately.