Political uncertainty and conflict ruling the valley from last three decades has not decreased the inflow of panhandlers across the tunnel irrespective of gender and age from hinterlands of other parts of country to our valley. Unfortunately, there seems to be no check on the movement of these mendicants even in the times of a pandemic
There were many groups which tried to put pressure on the government but those voices never metamorphosed into a majority. However, it has been seen that the same people have been on the frontlines now. As The Economist notes, “that government may have fallen short but civil society has stepped up”.
By dismissing the recall application, the apex court, in its supreme wisdom, has made it clear that citizens have every right to make banking institutions accountable, especially at a time when big loan defaulters lists and inspection reports are always kept confidential by banks. This order applies to Jammu & Kashmir Bank as well
So why pick out only Muslims to observe their festivals in a confined atmosphere? Even as the situation rightly demands restraint and restrictions, one wonders why the dictations are only directed towards Muslims. The answer to this might not be an easy one, but it really sets one wondering.
If we do not strengthen our coalition parties today, we might not find our way out of this regime’s excesses of power. We might see the same patterns and events repeating. History, after all, has a way of repeating itself.
There is a need for a smart lockdown rather than a complete lockdown after the infections are plateaued. Importantly, the administration has to come up with an exhaustive vaccination program on a war footing. That alone will make this lockdown worth bearing.
At present, four out of the ten districts of the Kashmir division have a lesser number of women getting vaccinated against men than that of the UT level of 41%. In the remaining six districts, each three of them have 42% and 43% of women among the vaccinated population.
In the current scenario, it becomes incumbent on our religious scholars and leaders to ponder over this question. It would be prudent on their part to sit together and constitute a central Zakat Fund for the whole of India, with branches in every state capital and sub-branches in every big city and town.
The most haunting and terrifying image for the world to see on their television screens is that of dozens of funeral pyres simultaneously burning in all our crematoriums and graveyards. We seem to have receded into the Dark Ages!
The policy makers should try to focus on a greater integration of a national mission and sub-missions on nutri-cereals with the flagship Poshan Abhiyaan. The focus on revival of millets should be complimented by the revival of consumption by producers. A collective, or cluster marketing approach, may help growers.
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