01-07-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
NEWS
INDIA FACING TOUGH WATERS
Few years back, India was
addressed as a country having vast
potential to become one of the biggest
economies on the economic map of the
world. From the title of Third World
Country to Developing nation, Our
Prime Minister promised Trillion
Dollars Economy to the World.
Accordingly he travelled far and wide
to garner support from European, Gulf
and North American Countries.
The sole purpose of tours of Prime
Minister along with the CEOs of big
Corporates was to invite investments as
well as signing MoUs for finalising
business ties with the MNCs in those
countries. It seemed as if Mr Modi had
allotted foreign affairs portfolio to
PMO. Back in India , impression was
made that India should project its ambitious
development projects to the
Advanced Countries which was hitherto
not precisely explained by his predecessor
Dr Manmohan Singh. But as the
famous saying goes,” You can befool
some people for sometimes, but you
can not befool all the people for all the
times.” Consequently, Indian economy
crashed miserably during Corona
Pandemic which was already scrambled
due to thoughtless
Demonetisation, unprepared GST modules
and mistrust in banking sector due
to scams. This was the most crucial
period for the country to emerge
stronger at the face of recession, unemployment
and low response from
investors.
Misfortune never comes alone when
we recall Corona entry in India
declared in mid February in 2020.
Instant jumping to lockdowns without
consulting the medical fraternity on
Virus behaviour deteriorated the impact
of the steps put in use to handle pandemic
especially in densely populated
cities. Central Government lead by the
Ministers with non medical approach
issued directives un-matching to the
sympathetic approach towards low
strata of the society. GDP started drifting
backward as the production atmosphere
was hampered under the clamped
Curfew. This was the testing time for
the government to rise to the occasion
with proactive and long range planning
, collective wisdom of all economists
with expertise and supportive incentives
to maintain optimum demand levels
especially in the masses.
Due to the failure of the above said
mechanism, India has reached to the
bottom level of 117 out of the comity of
193 Nations as per the ranking by UNO
report on Social Development Goals
set under 17 goals. Even neighbouring
countries like Bhutan, Maldives, Sri
Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar Bangladesh
have secured better positions. These
K. S. Ratra
Kapurthala
goals were utmost essential for a
Sustainable Growth. The main factors
cited for low performance are inadequate
attention towards challenges to
starvation and food security. Apart
from this, gender inequality, basic
structural framework, heavy industries
and absence of research and development
were the indicators of development.
India’s position on
Environmental Issues is dismal too. It
reflects weather, air and water pollution,
sanitation, supply of drinking
water, Bio-diversity and Environment
management Services. India stands172
in environment health preservation.
Even Pakistan is on better footing on
this count.
First and foremost goal of
Sustainable Growth is to erase starvation
from this planet by concerted
efforts by countries of the world by
providing nutritious food to each Child.
Children deserve to have a balanced
physical growth and to control infant
mortality in every country. More than
49 crore people in India suffer from
food insecurity. This number gets
increased in each next year reflecting
indifference of the government in command.
Industrialization must get top
priority at policy making forums. It
provides long term employment,
ensures sustainable economic growth
and reduces dependency on agriculture.
But the cautionary point here is to protect
environment from its residual
wastes as well as leakage of lethal
gases. It is very dangerous trend to regularize
the working of those defaulting
units which ignore environment safety
issues and consequently resulting into
deaths of hundreds of workers and
damaging effects on thousands of
human lives as was done in LG polymer
project at Vishakhpatnam. Disaster
01-07-2021 to 15-07-2021
19
Risk Reduction report of United Nation
records 321 natural calamities killing
more than 80000 people and loss of
property or displacement of more than
100 crore of people during the last 20
years. Cyclonic storms caused more
damage in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and
Chhattisgarh states. Corona increased
additional problems limiting the management
actions. Lack of oxygen cylinders
and ventilator Learning points for
the present Central government in India
is to lend patient ears to these facts and
govern with transparency. Hiding the
facts is an illusion which creates doubts
and criticism of its organs at implementing
level. Free flow of information
wakes administration up timely for mid
term corrections. But misrepresentation
of facts , deliberate concealment of
vital information can create devastating
situation which is legally and ethically
unbecoming of a democratically elected
Government. Judiciary too must
redefine its role in fast delivery of justice
especially on the cases involving
corruption and twisting of facts at the
cost of human lives. Last but not the
least, third wave of Corona with variable
strains needs to be dealt jointly by
the Central as well as state governments
like a well knit-team. There is lot
of time already wasted-in politics during
Assembly elections. Revival of
sense of security and trust among the
masses has to be ensured.
UK, EU extend grace period for
chilled meats into N.Ireland
Gulshan Kumar murder:
Bombay HC upholds life-term
for killer, acquittal of Taurani
London : The UK and the European Union (EU) have agreed to
extend the grace period for another three months for chilled meat
products coming from Britain to Northern Ireland.
The temporary arrangement was announced just hours before
exemption on customs checks expired on Thursday, reports Xinhua
news agency.
The extension means that Northern Ireland consumers will be able
to buy chilled meat products from Britain, and allows for further discussions
to continue on a permanent solution, a statement from the
UK government said.
"We are pleased we have been able to agree a sensible extension
on chilled meats moving from Britain to Northern Ireland -- one that
does not require rules in the rest of the UK to align with future
changes in EU agrifood rules," the British Brexit minister, David
Frost, said. Frost called it "a positive first step", but both sides still
need to agree a permanent solution.
Recognising chilled meats issue is only one of a very large number
of problems with the way the Northern Ireland Protocol is currently
operating, Frost said solutions need to be found with the EU to
ensure it delivers on its original aims, to protect the Good Friday
Agreement, safeguard Northern Ireland's place in Britain, and protect
the the bloc's single market for goods.
Earlier on Wednesday, a high court in Belfast ruled the Northern
Ireland Protocol is lawful after a group of unionist politicians had
challenged the protocol in judicial review proceedings.
Northern Ireland is at the centre of the post-Brexit trade dispute
with the EU. As part of the Brexit deal, the Protocol stipulates
Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market and customs union
to avoid a hard border between the region and the Republic of
Ireland. However, this leads to a new "regulatory" border between
Britain and Northern Ireland, which exacerbates the conflict between
pro-Britain and pro-independence groups in Northern Ireland.
Protests and riots raged for days in April in Northern Ireland.
Mumbai : The Bombay
High Court on Thursday
upheld the life imprisonment
awarded to convict Abdul
Rauf alias Daud Merchant for
the sensational daylight murder
of music baron and T-
Series owner Gulshan Kumar
Dua near a temple here 24
years ago.
The court also confirmed
the acquittal of TIPS music
company co-founder Ramesh
Taurani, but set aside the
lower court's order acquitting
Merchant's brother, Abdul
Rashid Merchant, and sentenced
him to life imprisonment,
said the Merchant brothers'
lawyer Satish
Maneshinde.
A division bench comprising Justice
Sadhana Jadhav and Justice N.R. Borkar has
found the Merchant siblings guilty of murder,
conspiracy, common intentions, and
under the Arms Act.
"The appellant (Abdul Rauf) should not
be entitled to remission if any. He has criminal
antecedents and continued in similar
activities thereafter. In the interest of justice
and society at large, the appellant doesn't
deserve any leniency," the court observed.
The court further noted that soon after the
1997 incident, Abdul Rauf was absconding
till his arrest in 2001, and was later released
on furlough in 2009 and re-arrested in 2016.
The court's order came in the Maharashtra
government's appeal through state counsel
Prajakta Shinde against Taurani and Abdul
Rashid's acquittal, and Abdul Rauf's appeal
against his conviction and life sentence,
which was awarded in April 2002 by the then
Sessions Judge M.L. Tahilyani.
It may be recalled that on August 12,
1997, Delhi-based music baron Gulshan
Kumar was shot dead with 16 bullets fired at
him outside a temple in Juhu in suburban
Mumbai, triggering a massive upheaval in
Bollywood.
The prosecution contended that the killing
was an outcome of business rivalries
between Kumar and Taurani, and a rift
between Kumar and music director Nadeem
Saifi of the erstwhile Nadeem-Shravan duo,
and the plot was hatched in Dubai, in the
premises of Anees Ibrahim Kaskar, the
brother of mafia don Dawood Ibrahim
Kaskar. As part of the differences, Saifi
allegedly hired gangster Abu Salem of
Dawood Ibrahim gang to eliminate Kumar,
but sneaked away to London in June 1997
and has not returned since. His partner
Shravan Rathod died in April 2021.
The killing of Kumar, 40, who ignored
death threats against extortion by the mafia,
sent terror in Bollywood circles and culminated
in a series of mafia attacks on film personalities.
Soon after the sensational murder,
the Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet naming
26 accused, of which 15 were arrested
and the rest is absconding, while one
Mohammed Ali Shaikh had turned approver.
While on furlough in 2009, Abdul Rauf
had slipped away to Bangladesh and was
rearrested only after his deportation to India.
He is currently lodged in the Arthur Road
Central Jail here.