The Hindu Editorial Analysis In English | Free PDF Download

Table of Contents

Untenable

M.J. Akbar, should have done the only right thing in the circumstances — resign.
Mr. Akbar’s basic theme: with elections round the corner, these charges are motivated.
“Lies do not have legs, but they do contain poison, which can be whipped into a frenzy. This is deeply distressing. I will be taking appropriate legal action, ” he added.

Resisting resistance

World’s largest veterinary drug-maker, Zoetis, was selling antibiotics as growth promoters to poultry farmers in India. • it had stopped the practice in the U.S.
USA banned it in 2017, we have not done it yet.
Technically: Zoetis was doing nothing wrong in India
Antibiotic-resistance does not respect political boundaries.
India: burden of infectious disease is among the world’s highest
2016 PLOS Medicine paper: 416/100,000 Indians die of infectious diseases each year.
58,000 newborns die in India each year due to sepsis from resistant bacteria.

Overuse of antibiotics by human beings
Overuse in the veterinary sector
Environmental antibiotic contamination due to pharmaceutical and hospital discharge

Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945: no over the counter sale
But its going on
India’s 2017 National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance: restricting antibiotic use as growth promoters.
No change
Also spoke about regulating antibiotics levels in discharge from pharmaceutical firms.
Hyderabad’s pharmaceutical industry has been pumping massive amounts of antibiotics into local lakes, rivers and sewers.

Helping the invisible hands of agriculture

Oct 15: National Women’s Farmer’s Day (Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas) in India.
2016: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare decided to take the lead in celebrating the event, duly recognising the multidimensional role of women at every stage in agriculture.
This year, the Ministry has proposed deliberations to discuss the challenges that women farmers face in crop cultivation, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
The aim is to work towards an action plan using better access to credit, skill development and entrepreneurial opportunities. Sowing Planting Drainage Irrigation Fertilizer Plant protection Harvesting Weeding Storage
Oxfam India: women are responsible for about 60-80% of food and 90% of dairy production, respectively.
Agriculture Census (2010-11): out of an estimated 118.7 million cultivators, 30.3% were females
Agricultural labourers: 42.6% of 144.3 million are female.
Operational holdings as per Agriculture Census (2015-16): 20.25 million/146 million
Feminisation of agriculture: rapid expansion, slow in proper implementation
Issue of land ownership: issue of formal loans
Research worldwide shows that women with access to secure land, formal credit and access to market have greater propensity in making investments in improving harvest, increasing productivity, and improving household food security and nutrition.
Food and Agriculture Organisation: 2.5% to 4% output can go up.
Gender-friendly tools
Encourage collective farming for silent workers of agricultural field.
National Food Security Mission, Sub-mission on Seed and Planting Material and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana must include womencentric strategies and dedicated expenditure.

Bonding with Africa, in partnership

$60 billion package for Africa
Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC): Chinese President Xi Jinping announced.
India’s contribution to Africa’s development is nonetheless significant.
If China and India are serious about the rise of Africa, the key is to co-link their development strategies on a continental scale.
Chinese Foreign Ministry: ‘China-India Plus One’ or ‘China-India Plus X’ model in engaging with Africa. Roads Power plants Railways Much more

The imperative of impact assessment

Legislation and policies in the country are often passed with inadequate scrutiny and assessment.
Unanticipated impact: we are blind about it
Time and effort it takes to undo makes the whole thing futile.
What is the function of law in a society?
The idea of legislative impact assessments is slowly getting traction around the world.
Countries like Kenya and Finland have mechanisms in place for the assessment of regulatory and legislative proposals as an essential part of their legislative process.

Important News

Life term for Maj. Gen., 6 others for encounter
An Army court in Assam has ordered the dismissal from service and life imprisonment of seven personnel, including a Major General, for killing five people in a fake encounter in eastern Assam’s Dangari 24 years ago.
Windmills are not so green for wildlife
They pose a threat to wildlife in forests through collisions and noise.
The noise levels near windmills go up to 85 decibels (dB), the equivalent of large trucks.
The drone of a turbine, which operates day and night, is above 70dB.
By comparison, noise in urban areas is 55 dB and even in industrial areas, is lower at 75dB.
Ambient noise in forests is less than 40 dB.
Special forces in India-U.S. exercise
The first India-U.S. tri-services exercise is likely to take place in 2019, and talks are on to include the special forces of the two countries in the drill, a senior U.S. defence official has said.
Victim of a crime should have a say in punishment: SC
The victim of a crime should have a say in the punishment of the criminal, the Supreme Court has said in a judgment.
A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur. S. Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta held that punishment should be “meaningful” to the victim also.
For this, “it is necessary to seriously consider giving a hearing to the victim while awarding the sentence to a convict”, the Bench said.
In criminal prosecution, the State takes the front seat while the victim becomes a prosecution witness. The crime is primarily considered a wrong against society and the punishment, a deterrent for prospective offenders.
With its order, the Supreme Court, has made it clear that the victim or her family — who has suffered the crime — should have an equal say in the punishment of the perpetrator.
“A victim impact statement or a victim impact assessment must be given due recognition so that an appropriate punishment is awarded to the convict,” Justice Lokur observed.
– Season’s shift A nomad of the Bakarwal community with his horse in the meadows of Doodhpathri, 50 km from Srinagar, on Sunday. For surviving the winter, the Gujjars and Bakarwals come down the upper reaches of the Valley.
Saudi vows retaliation if punished
Saudi Arabia warned on Sunday that it would retaliate against any sanctions imposed on it over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as the Riyadh stock market plunged on growing investor jitters.
From tech tycoons to media giants, a host of Western companies are now distancing themselves from the Gulf state, imperilling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s much-hyped economic reform drive.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened ally Saudi Arabia on Saturday with “severe punishment” if Mr. Khashoggi, who has been critical of Prince Mohammed, was killed inside its Istanbul mission.
18 Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban raids
Taliban raids on two military posts in western Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday, as militants step up attacks ahead of parliamentary elections.
Poll-related violence killed or wounded dozens of civilians on Saturday, a week before voters cast their ballots across the war-torn country.