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The great Indian abdication

India, at present, is going through a deep crisis in which the mission of deepening democracy, and protecting and advancing social freedoms is placed solely upon the judiciary.
Earlier this year, the government amended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to retrospectively legalise political donations from foreign companies and individuals since 1976. This move — with potentially catastrophic ramifications for Indian democracy — was pushed through without discussion in Parliament and hardly any debate in the public sphere.
The Prime Minister rarely attends parliamentary debates, affecting the sanctity of the forum.
1950s: Lok Sabha met for an average of 127 days
2017: met for a shocking 57
If 72 Bills were passed in a year in the first Lok Sabha, the number was 40 in the 15th Lok Sabha (2009-14).
The Budget session for this fiscal year saw a scarcely believable usage of 1% of its allotted time in the Lok Sabha.
Rafale fighter aircraft deal issue: institute a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee
Parliament, instead of representing the highest democratic ethos, panders to electoral majorities, leaving it incapable of challenging barbaric social/religious practices enforced by dominant interests. • That is why it took 70 years for Section 377 to be partially struck down.
But the task of democratising society cannot be left to the judiciary, an unelected body.
Judiciary does not exist in a vacuum: it is still a reflection of our society
Serious lack of diversity and representation
1993 Justice S.R. Pandian: less than 4% of judges were Dalits & Tribals. Less than 3% were women • Mammoth 3.3 crore pending cases
Should the valuable time of the judiciary be spent in entertaining and delivering verdicts on Public Interest Litigations (PILs)
The process of abolishing religious or secular hierarchies/injustices cannot become deeprooted if it is merely judicial or legal.
Politically-motivated lynchings targeting a community do not happen because of the absence of laws. They happen because of a wilful subversion of laws by the executive backed by mobs riding on electoral majorities.

#UsToo

India’s MeToo moment: Indian women have been speaking of their experiences and the trauma.
So far women from film & media industry are expressing their bad experiences.
Systemic pattern of abuse and silence.
It is important to identify the exact transgression in the various cases that are being outed, and to ensure that action is taken with due process.
No one can be deemed guilty only because he had been named and any punishment must be proportionate to the misdemeanour.

Not without her consent

Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar had been accused of sexual harassment by at least 10 women journalists.
At the heart of this change is the utter failure of due process.
In the case of the former TERI chairman, R.K. Pachauri, for instance, despite the victim filing a police complaint and compelling the organisation to initiate an inquiry, he not only continued in TERI for another year but was publicly supported by the board members.
The case of rape against the former Editor of Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal, is another example. In spite of being a “fast track” case, 5 years on, it has only seen a series of adjournments, with no sign of justice on the horizon.
A one-size-fits-all rule is not applicable.
Lastly, many people — especially men — have raised concerns regarding false accusations.
No movement is perfect, and all battles have collateral damage.
This makes it important that men, instead of beating their chests about potential victimhood, be active allies in making the due process a fair and functional one in which all victims — including those of false allegations — can seek justice.

An economics fix

50th economics Nobel prize: Jointly awarded.
Nobel committee: “brought us considerably closer to answering the important question of how we can achieve sustained and sustainable economic growth”
Both devoted their careers to the study externalities affect economic growth in a market economy.
Mr. Nordhaus: impact of economic growth on the climate and, in turn, the impact of climate change on economic growth.
Recommendation: impose carbon tax William D. Nordhaus Paul M. Romer “integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis” “integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis”
Mr. Romer, on the other hand, studied the importance of technology in achieving economic growth.
He has shown how economic forces govern the willingness of firms to produce new ideas and innovations, laying the foundations for a new model for development, known as endogenous growth theory.
Romer: collection of ideas sustains long-term economic growth
Decisions regarding the perfect carbon tax rate or the ideal subsidy allocation are likely to be determined by political considerations rather than simply pure economics.

Whither inclusiveness?

In the 1960s, hundreds of immigrants reached the United Kingdom from the West Indies, on the ship, the Windrush.
The Windrush problem provides a good reflection of a major issue — the attitude towards immigrants in the U.K.
The proportion of the population who are immigrants is in fact quite small — around 9% — but many people assume it is much greater, and therefore constitutes a threat

Important News

Nine killed as Titli batters AP, Odisha
Cyclone Titli turned into “a very severe cylconic storm” before making landfall
Thousands of people were shifted to relief camps

• ‘Save Ganga’ crusader Agarwal dead

G.D. Agarwal, 86, who was on a fast to save the Ganga, died following a heart attack on Thursday. • Formerly a professor in the civil engineering department at IIT-Kanpur who had adopted the name Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, the environmentalist was vocal on disallowing hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand along the Ganga.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June, he declared his intention to go on a fast as several of his demands had not been met.
No pressure to choose Reliance, says Dassault
M.J. Akbar case: Smriti Irani bats for women
U.S. sanctions Act no hurdle: Russian envoy
India and Russia’s defence deals won’t be affected by the United States’ threat of sanctions, and several more defence deals are expected to be completed after the S-400 Triumf missile deal concluded on Friday, Russian Ambassador Nikolai Kudashev said.
Antibiotics to grow farm animals raise superbug risk
Maldives court to hear Yameen’s plea
He should respect poll results: Oppn.
1 in 5 Indian children ‘wasted’, says GHI