My Encounters with Swami Agnivesh
It is very saddening news that Swami Agnivesh is no more amongst us. Swamiji enriched our understanding of Hindu Vedic religion in particular and all religions in general. He remained a critic of all religions and advocated for spirituality. Religion that amounted merely following rituals of worship and life cycle was “fatalism” to him. Swamiji […]
Heart patients can catch COVID infection faster
By: Dr.SS Sibia The COVID pandemic has hit the nation ferociously, with continuous health crisis day-by-day, new study reveals that patients with pre-existing heart conditions are highly vulnerable to catch the infection. While various precautions are being taken by the Government to gradually unlock, it is advised for such patients to take additional precautionary measures. […]
New Mining Policy in J&K: Interests of locals are paramount, not revenue
It is the responsibility of the government to acknowledge and respond to the concerns raised by the locals vis-à-vis the new mining policy and make sure that the policy does not undermine their interests
The Special Status enjoyed by the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir would not allow the non-local contractors to participate in the “open-auctioning’, which is now “e-auctioning”, of leasing and renting of mineral blocks in the region. However, the revocation of Article 370, that marked the end of the J&K’s Special Status, paved the way […]
Period Leave – Justified or Not?
By: DR. S. N. BASU There is a lot of discussion as to whether women should be given “Period leave” or not. In reaching a decision fraught with varying and often diametrically opposite views – one must first analyse as to what is the aim of a decision in favour of period leave. Are these […]
Moving beyond assumptions and towards ending militancy through political processes
New Delhi’s ‘anti-militancy policy’ with regard to Jammu and Kashmir is based on the hypothesis that ‘persistent militarized intervention’ is the only means of defeating what it calls ‘Pakistan-sponsored’ or ‘cross-border terrorism’. This policy commands that anyone holding a gun in Kashmir is a ‘legitimate target’ for the counterinsurgency force, and therefore needs to be eliminated right away.
It has happened on several occasions during the last 3-4 years or so that a particular district in Jammu and Kashmir was declared militancy-free by the security agencies, and after a few days of this announcement, a militancy-related incident takes place in that particular district and the security agencies are back to square one. The […]
Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister knew of the positive vibes for the UAE
By: Sheela Bhatt “India-UAE relationship aap review karke to dekho,” (Review India’s relationship with UAE and see). Soon after coming to power in 2014 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made these remarks while chairing a high-level meeting with diplomats from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and national security experts. He advised his team to look […]
Ensure youth participation in political and governance processes
By: Shariq Maqbool Dar The people of all age groups serve their country in different ways. The kids go to school, while the young and middle-aged people perform jobs that are important for the smooth functioning of the country. They run schools, hospitals, factories, government offices, farms and so on and so forth. And in […]
Women leaders, are they better for the world?
In the on-going Covid crisis, the response by global women leaders has been more robust, pragmatic and effective as compared to men leaders.
The recent Covid pandemic has shown that the countries that were led by women leaders at the national level have better coped with the crisis. These countries also suffered half as many deaths as were averaged by countries led by men. The success of Germany’s Angela Merkel, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, Taiwan’s […]
Artificial fruit ripening – threat to health and economy
By: Showkat Ahmad Dar Fruits are a good source of vitamins and minerals, and play an essential role in preventing vitamin C and vitamin A deficiencies. People who eat fruits as part of an overall healthy diet generally have a reduced risk of chronic diseases. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends five servings of fruits […]
Illicit Cigarettes and Jammu and Kashmir
By: Dr Mir Abrar One in five, or 20.8%, of J&K’s people smoke, against the national average of 10.7%, according to the Global Tobacco Survey 2016-17. The state ranks the sixth highest among Indian states by smoking habits, behind Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram in ascending order, as per this survey. Kashmiris annually […]
