Trivandrum Retains Top Slot in Governance Ranking

Introduction

New Governance index ranking list is out with few surprises. In 2016, for which the list was compiled by February 2017, national capital slips two points to 9^th position while southern city of Thiruvananthapuram retaining the top position. This index was prepared after a survey of 21 major cities across the country, covering a total of 18 states. This exercise was part of the Annual Survey of India’s City-System (ASIS) that evaluated major Indian states for this purpose. In this blog post, we will see the salient features of this survey compilation and their importance in the modern context for the benefit of readers.

City Governance Index

A non-profit organization by the name Janagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy (JCCD) had undertaken a survey of Indian citizens from across the country to know about the governance in their respective states. As part of this exercise, a total of 21 major cities spread across 18 states across the country were covered.   As per the rules of this exercise, a city scores better if it is able to deliver a better quality of life to its citizens over the medium and longer periods of time. After Thiruvananthapuram, Pune occupied the second spot, followed by Kolkata at the third spot. In this survey, the Indian cities scored between 2.1 and 4.4 on a 10-point scale. The team that compiled the data set the cities such as London (9.3) and New York (9.8) as the benchmark cities for comparison purpose. These low scores imply that the Indian cities need to strengthen their City-Systems by updating their policies and quality of law being enforced to deliver a better quality of life for their citizens. This is a way to tell the politicians and officials what people in cities want or expect from them to do.

ASICS Report

This report is designed to help city dwellers point out issues in the urban governance in cities across the country. This enables the leaders in these cities to use these inputs to update the reform roadmap to make the city-based societies more liveable. The city-based societies are in modern civics termed as City-Systems. These are frameworks that channel the manpower and money for overall development. They consist of four distinct but inter-related parts, such as urban planning and design; urban capacities and resources; empowered and legitimate political representation and transparency, accountability and participation. Using these components, the governance can be made accountable to the people on daily basis.

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10 Reasons Why Shashikala Natarajan Should Not be Made CM

Introduction

The ruling party All India Anna Dravida Munnreta Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu has pushed itself into an unenviable situation after choosing V.K. Shashikala Natarajan as the successor of J. Jayalalithaa in the corridors of power in that state. After her elevation to the position of General Secretary of the party, there was a lot of discontent among its rank and file. But the response was muted and was slowly growing. The second-rung leaders of the party were hand-picked by V.K. Shashikala. Many of them became the Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly due to her. Hence, these leaders quickly threw their weights behind her and supported her to choose her as the Legislative leader of the party. They never thought that there would be so much of opposition against her elevation in the state politics. Now, there are reports that many leaders and members of the general public have come forward with allegations of her misconduct during the hospitalization of Amma or J. Jayalalithaa. In this blog post, let us see why people are rising in revolt against this poorly-conceived move by the party leaders who owe allegiance to her.

Reasons Against Her Coronation

1.            Senior leader P.H. Pandian has claimed that Jayalalithaa was pushed in a quarrel at her Poes Garden residence. He further added that the former Chief Minister was brought to the hospital, not in a good state. This needs to be investigated before her coronation.


2.           He further alleged that the former Chief Minister once suspected that she would be poisoned by those who were close to her. He alleged that this information he got directly from Amma.


3.           Many senior leaders who are Amma loyalists believe that there was a gross misconduct during the hospitalization of the former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. This thought got stronger after the British Doctor Richard Beale, who treated her in her final days, asserted that there was “no question of poisoning, nothing mysterious about her death… It was due to the cardiac arrest.”


4.           After choosing her as the next Chief Ministerial candidate on Sunday, February 5, 2017, there is an open revolt against her in the AIADMK party. After the explosive disclosure, the party has chosen to call its founding member P.H. Pandian as a betrayer who caused confusion among the rank and file.


5.           Since the Chief Minister-designate is entangled in legal issues due to many cases pending against her in different courts, the acting-Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao sought the legal opinion from legal luminaries about the ramifications involved in the event of the court convicting her.


6.           After the AIADMK party chose her as the legislative leader, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the apex court requesting it to stop her from holding the high office of the state till the cases pending against her were resolved at the earliest. The 61-year-old Shashikala Natarajan and the former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa got entangled in a case relating to disproportionate assets in the early 1990s. The trial court held them guilty. However, the Karnataka High Court gave them benefit of doubt and set them free in 2014. In 2015, the Karnataka government filed a review petition in the very same case against both of them in the honorable Supreme Court.


7.          Since 2015, the case is pending before the apex court. One of the judges on the legal panel that heard the parties involved in the case has told the petitioning party that he would be ready with a verdict in the second week of February 2017. Hence, the honorable apex court is expected to come with its verdict in next week.


8.           After the death of the former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, the mantle of running the AIADMK was handed over to O. Panneerselvam who is the senior-most leader of the party. For last two months, he did a commendable job as the state’s Chief Minister and handled many explosive issues, including that of Jallikettu, with care and intellectual acumen. Since this is the case, what is the need for changing the Chief Minister in two months?


9.           The central government is observing the development in this southern state politics with some concern. It is believed that the acting-Governor for Tamil Nadu has had a one-on-one with the union Home Minister Rajnath Singh about the brewing crisis in the state.


10.           The public unrest on the elevation of Shashikala is very much reflected on social media. There have been many hashtags and memes about the rise of a person who held the health information about the former Chief Minister away from the public that voted her to the corridors of power.

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Is AAP Political Tsunami in Making in Punjab?

Introduction

As one drives through the urban setup in the state of Punjab where the election has just got completed, one would see well-tarred roads, sufficient water supply, and well-built and electrified houses on either side, with some of them even putting the posh houses in Delhi’s Defence Colony into shame. Looking at these, one may wonder why one would question the incumbent Akali Dal government for its governance. Looking at all these urban parameters, a visitor would safely surmise that the current government would easily get its third term. Moment one steps into the countryside in that state, the situation seems to present itself differently with unmaintained roads, thatched-roof houses, water shortages etc. glaring before our eyes. This is the cause of the deceptive calm that one would encounter in the rural setup. Underneath this calm is the seething churn that would easily push the ruling political party Akali Dal into political oblivion in no time. This political undercurrent is expected to propel the hitherto unknown political party Aam Admi Party (AAP) into ascendance. In this blog post, we would be looking at the new political undercurrent that is sweeping the state for the benefit of readers who follow political dynamics.

Political Change

If the changes perceivable in the villages of Malwa - the southern part of Punjab - are anything to go by, one can expect the current two-party political order to get replaced by a three-party order with the coming of AAP in the state. This region is a politically very important region as it sends 63 legislators to the state assembly in every state election. In this region, the AAP’s clarion call “Kejriwal, Kejriwal, saara Punjab tere naal” is getting louder. In 2014 general election, AAP could win as many as 4 Lok Sabha seats, including that from Congress leader Amarinder Singh’s pocket borough Patiala. Truly, the AAP “lehar” or wave seems to have swept this region, leaving behind Indian National Congress (INC) that somehow seems to have lost the opportunity in this region in the distant second position.

Reason

People of this region (Malwa) have begun to see AAP as the party of change. They seem to think that they should go with the newer party rather than choosing one of the two parties that have held the sway in the two-party political order to look for change. For them, the “Badal Bedalo” or change Badal is the cry. After the reign of 10 years, the ruling Akali Dal seems to have got weighed down by the anti-incumbency factor. The youths of the region have become disillusioned with the Prakash Singh Badal government due to lack of jobs, security issues, and insufficient law and order. Even the blame for the drug menace lies at the Chief Minister’s feet as the idle and well-educated youth succumb to this habit in the villages. Basically, the well-educated youths expect the government jobs and move away from the tilling of land for agriculture work. Against this backdrop, AAP seems to have made efforts to connect with the youth to reach their parents, especially their mothers. This innovative approach has helped the women to break the tradition of following their men folks. AAP has also successfully highlighted the failure of Badal government to catch the culprits who tore the pages of Guru Granth Sahib in October 2015. This incident had culminated in the shooting in Bargari last year. Due to this reason, Akali Dal is faring far behind in the third position in the current political scenario, behind AAP and INC.

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Tale of Kalazis or Ship Workers from Calicut

Introduction

Kalazis have been part of the construction sector of Kerala for over a decade. They have come to rescue people who have got stuck with the movement of heavy objects in the construction and other sectors. When the hi-tech equipment fails completely, these people come with traditional equipment, such as pulley and steel ropes, to lift heavy objects to the required heights and safely place them on the pedestals intended for them. They have never failed in their missions. That is why their demand has been increasing with each passing day. They have travelled far and wide to help people move heavy objects. In this blog post, we will look at their work and ponder on how they accomplish seemingly difficult tasks so easily.

Who are Kalazis?

They are traditionally a group of people actively involved in the shipping sector. Their primary responsibility is to bring the ships meant for repair to the dockyard from and push them back to the sea. For this purpose, they use traditional equipment such as the pulley, steel ropes, metal platforms, etc. They also effect the movement of parts of the ship to the workshop for repair. These ship parts are then moved back to the ship with their help using traditional equipment. Apart from these, they undertake outside work on request. Till date, they have travelled to different places on request to move heavy objects. People from different fields have called them to move heavy objects when other methods, including hi-tech machinery, failed miserably. They have traveled far and wide on the invitation to take up different types of jobs. They always carried this traditional equipment with them. Their mental calculation, meticulous planning and the reliance on the strength of the team made sure that the work they undertake is accomplished without fail. They hail from places such as Beypore, Chaliyam, Kallayi and Farooq in Calicut district of North Kerala.

Kalazis At Work

Kalazis plan their work meticulously. After observing their place of work and looking at the objects at their disposal, they sit and decide what course of action they have to take. Planning is never a one-sided affair. The team members actively chip in with suggestions. The team leader analyses the suggestions and takes a call on what to do. Their planning always banks on the huge volume of experience they have in this field. They use metal platforms, pulleys, wooden stubs, steel or metal ropes, etc. The meticulous planning, team effort, and their stamina combine to produce a highly successful concoction at work. The team has successfully lifted vehicles, including the train bogies, at the accident sites and rescued people. They have lifted heavy objects in high-rise buildings where the cranes do not have access. They have even moved heavy machinery to the 682-meter tall clock tower in Mecca and did the repair work on a high-rise platform. They have also lifted an aeroplane that has skid out of runway at Calicut International Airport. Their expertise was utilised in moving heavy KSEB transformers up the hillock at Sabarimala in Central Kerala. They had traveled with equipment uphill for their installation near the Sabarimala Dharma Shastha Temple.

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10 Incredible Commoner-Indians who Got Padma Shri Awards

Introduction

Since the time India became independent, the central government has been honoring people who have made their mark in the society with their work. Thus, the Indian citizens were getting Padma Awards – Padma Vibushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri – for their contribution to the society. If we look at the list of people who got these awards, we get the impression that people related to arts, cinema or politics are eligible. This is because the central government at different points in time chose to only honor such people, leaving others to fend for themselves. Yet, good Samaritans kept their good work without expecting anything. Now, the central government under the leadership of Narendra Modi has adopted a different route. This time around, it has looked for commoners who have silently contributed to making the society a decent place to live in. In this blog post, we will look at such 10 people who have made changes to the society in whatever way they can. Photos courtesy Huffington Post.

Padma Shri Awards for Commoners

In a heartening development, the central government has given away fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri to many of the unsung heroes of the country, which is a departure from the often-followed way of choosing those in arts, science, and politics. These awardees have enriched the lives of those around them. They come from wide range of society, starting from fighting fires, farming in drought-like conditions, to preserving a dying art from oblivion with energy and perseverance.

1. Doctor Dadi: She is a 91-year-old doctor from Indore who has been offering health services free of cost to many people. To date, she has successfully treated over 1000 people in her locality. Her real name is Bakti Yadav.
   
   
   
   
   
2.  Shekhar Naik: He is the captain of a successful blind cricket team. He dedicated his life to promoting the game of cricket among the blinds.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Meenakshi Amma: She is fondly called as ‘granny with the sword’ or ‘Meenakshi Gurukkal’. This 76-year-old Kerala granny has been practicing and teaching Kalaripayattu for 60 years. She began practicing this martial arts form, which is the root for all the Chinese martial arts forms, at the tender age of 7 years.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Bipin Ganatra: This 59-year-old man from West Bengal has been volunteering for firefighting missions with trained fire brigade personnel for last 40 years. He chose to take up this profession as a mission after he lost his brother to an inferno.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Chintakindi Mallesham: This 41-year-old Telangana man has invented Lakshmi ASU machine that reduces the cost and time of weaving Pochampalli silk sarees. His invention helped many in the looms sector with over 60% adopting his machine to reduce the cost of function. He told the media persons that he invented this machine to help his mother to handle the workload.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Daripalli Ramaiah: He is another person from Telangana who has devoted his life to the cause of making India green. The 68-year-old plants seeds wherever he sees barren land. To date, he has planted over one crore trees.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Karimul Haque: This 52-year-old tea-garden worker has taken up a different job of rescuing people from accident sites. He does this round-the-clock. For this purpose, he has converted his bike into an ambulance. He took up this job as his mission after he saw his mother dying due to the non-availability of an ambulance.
   
   
   
   
   
8.  Genabhai Darghabhai Patel: This 52-year-old specially-abled farmer from Gujarat has transformed his drought-prone village in Banaskantha district into the largest producer of pomegranate in India through drip irrigation.
   
   
   
   
   
9.  Dr. Subrato Das: This 51-year-old physician from Gujarat has been hailed by many as ‘Highway Messiah’. He is one of the pioneers in bringing medical relief to accident victims on national highways. Through his Lifeline Foundation, he provides medical relief to accident victims on the national highway network that spans across the states of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Kerala, covering a distance of 4000 kilometers.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Girish Bharadwaj: This 66-year-old person from Karnataka has been hailed by many as ‘Sethu Bhandu’. This social worker has built over 100 eco-friendly and low-cost suspension bridges connecting many remote villages across India.
    
    
    
    
    

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Tale of Most Isolated Foula Island

Introduction

This is the most isolated and yet inhabited piece of land in the British Isles. It is even remoter than the Shetland Island which has a population of just 30 people. This island is closer to Norway than the capital city of Scotland Edinburg.  A visitor to this island would learn to become self-sufficient as it does not have many of the modern amenities. Yet people live there happily, making four times a week visits to the Scottish capital for buying many basic things for sustaining life. In this article, we would be seeing what these beautiful pieces of a land offer to the visitors and why people make a beeline there.

Weather Conditions in Foula Island

The weather in the Foula Island is beyond the manageable level. Hence, it is very difficult to get accustomed to the weather conditions over there. A visitor may get stuck there for no obvious reason. He might wake up at night to feel the fierce wind that blows at that time. The force of the wind is such that you may get the feeling of getting ripped apart. The wind also increases the cooling effect to such a level that the visitor might get frozen outside if he goes out without adequate safety measures.

Demography and Culture

This island has remained inhabited for past 5000 years. Hence, the island can boast of a legacy of culture and language. The people of the land spoke in a local language Nom. This population lived until the end of 19^th century. At present, the island is privately owned by the Holbourn family. Out of 30 members of the family, there is one kid who attends the school alone. There is no traffic, and hence no noise. The island is devoid of telephone or mobile towers. The households and other institutions on the island have land connections to stay connected with the outside world.

Facilities Available

The island is more connected than what it was about 8 years ago. This is mainly due to the efforts put in by the island inhabitants. Foula Island remains connected to the mainland by flight. The airplane takes the island inhabitants to the city four times a week for basic purchases. For this purpose, the islanders have constructed an airstrip. However, the island does not have basic facilities such as mobile network, connectivity, doctors, etc. Though the doctors are out there, there are primary clinics to attend to the immediate medical requirements. Though there is a telephone booth, the connection does not work in most instances. Since there is no provision for entertainment, the inhabitants most often live in solitude. The absence of the restaurants has made the people totally independent. The main industries that thrive on this island are crafting and small-scale farming.

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Women Safety and Self-defence Techniques

Introduction

The violence against the women has been increasing in India due to many factors. It is predominantly due to the over-exposure to porn in the cyber world and over-depiction of woman’s body in the movies. On account of the commodification of women and the hero-dependent women characters in the movies, the youngsters have come to believe that they can play with women as they are generally perceived to be weak. This has emboldened the boys to attack women in public place. Hence, the members of fairer sex should be extra vigilant about this thing and remain equipped to tame the situation to their advantage. In this blog, we will depict how a woman can safeguard herself when nobody comes forward to save their dignity.

Women Harassment in Public

We have seen in numerous cases the insensitive nature of the public when they witness the harassing of women by miscreants or antisocial elements. These social-inimical forces consider women as the object of sex. That is the reason they make advances when they see a woman walking alone in the empty by-lanes. In North India, the public molestation happens even in daylight and before a large public. So, do not expect any help from the people who are around. Everybody thinks about his or her own safety first. Only good Samaritans come forward with the help courageously. But such creatures have become rarer in the present world. Hence, women should practice some exercises for their own safety. If the situation warrants their action, they can easily use them to weaken the opponent in a fraction of a second.

Self Defense Classes

Women can undergo training in some of the martial arts classes at nearby places and equip them against such surprising attacks by these antisocial elements. Due to the efforts put in by the state governments, there are free martial arts classes for women and girls in their locality. They just need to inquire about that with the local authorities.  Others who don’t have access to such facilities can learn from the following images to defend themselves.

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