Jan Satyagrah has won

More than 50 thousand protesters (members of Jan satyagrah movement) were marching towards New Delhi demanding their rights; they were stopped at Agra(nearby Delhi) and their demands were agreed upon.  Jan satyagrah protesters had started from Orissa, they were marching through Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Andra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These people were from rural India  they were agricultural laborers, landless farmers and those who had lost their lands. All they had needed a small strip of land to make their homes and little land to farm. They have nothing and they are fighting for rights over their 'Jal Jamin and Jungle' (water land and forests)
This movement had started in 2007 with 25 thousand persons. It was called Ektha Parishad and it was started at Gwalior  Madya Pradesh. Later it was called Jan Sandh in 2008. And now it has started again as Jan Satyagrah, now it has succeeded at last. If it was not resolved now, it would have become a very big issue since it got media's attention, and political class would be held responsible for not caring for its people.
Ten of the demands made by the Jan Satyagrah were agreed upon and a pact was signed.The Union Minister (for Rural Development) has promised them that 10 cents of land would be given to every landless farmer for making a homestead. Firstly, within six months, land policy would be made (drafted).Accurate land records could be made as early as possible. Now we have the technology to make this. Computerization of land records is highly valuable now. Existing land of SC and ST would be protected too.
Many tribal people had lost rights over their land completely. This was because government wanted to please the investors and acquired  lands of the poor people for huge projects. People were promised jobs and investors were invited.Rights of the people were always overlooked, jobs were never given.Government must be responsible for its people's welfare first.People should have their share of land and its resources, before allocating to industrialists. Secondly fast track tribunal courts must be made so that pending cases on disputes over property rights. Eleven lakh cases are still pending in courts for over five decades.Legal aid would be given to needy.
What 'kind of land' should be acquired should be decided upon; because extremely fertile land is taken away for projects and this is a big waste.Even when law had allocated land to tribal population, they were denied rights.Implementation is flawed.
Common laws should be made for whole of India. If it is left to the states, then there is possibility that different policies would be made and that would not benefit the farming people.Some states give bigger concessions to  investors and overlook the rights of the people.Some states have a political angle and want to use land policy to suit their electoral requirements.Will promises be kept? Or will they be just 'misses'. They were happy that they were able to express their problems and they are sure that their needs will be met.
Thus the demands of the land protesters were at last heard. And this renews our faith in our country--we are going towards a better future....  

Ecological Crisis is here

It is not economic crisis or political crisis that threatens India's future, it is ecological crisis that is leading us to disaster. There is water scarcity, and different states are fighting over water rights. When the Supreme Court has given orders to release water from dam(in Karnataka) to an adjacent state(Tamil Nadu) which has no rivers and water problem, it is not carried out. On Monday, water was stopped against orders. States claim to be little republics on their own as if the Indian Union means nothing to them.
The rivers are the real life lines of India. Human settlements formed where there was supply of water--on river banks. The population of the settlement indicated the supply of water in the lakes or rivers nearby. Wells were dug and small villages or hamlets grew around them. The steady flow of water sustained the people there. And people took only the water which they needed and thus kept the flow of the river in a steady speed. But with greater industrialisation, we could no longer be content; and we reduced the flow of the river--stagnating it in dams, storing for agriculture and used it for generating electricity. Drainage system of mainland India cannot sustain a large population.Water from the perennial rivers and streams cannot supply water for all year round. Now rivers are reduced to sewage drains. Water Pollution Control Board was established in 1974, it can do nothing to control pollution for it has no power. River cleaning projects are given crores and crores of Rupees but no river has been cleaned and restored. Many rivers have completely dried up(like Tamiraparani) and have disappeared altogether. Along with the river, the legends--essence of our culture, also disappears. Rivers are encroached upon. Sand is mined and taken away for construction activities.
 Water policies do not matter anymore, it is people's will that is a hurdle to progress. Nobody allows water to be given to a neighbouring state which has dried up rivers.Competitive rights are unsustainable; people are going against the law of the land to evade sharing water rights. There is need to change the mindsets of the engineers--we should store the water in the ground water table itself and take it when needed. Dams and en catchments do not work out on the long run.Projects for generating electricity do not turn out well as they were planned to be They produce 20% of the capacity they were meant to produce. When the flow is gone, then how will electricity be produced? Yamuna's 22 km(which is 2% of it total length) stretch accounts for 70% of pollution in it. What regulatory measure can take to stop this pollution?Sewage treatment plants do not work, as there are no regulatory bodies to control and regulate its activities. To save rivers, we have to keep it flowing. So we do not have living rivers(only legends of rivers last).We live in the land of dying rivers where desertification has begun. Originally we had 14 major rivers, 44 medium size rivers and 55 minor rivers--we were once a country full of rivers. Our civilisation took root in their banks.Now where will we go without water in our rivers?

Saving-Our Land our Water and Biodiversity

Contaminated land can be restored of its fertility. And water in rivers and streams can be purified. Riparian zones can be made on river banks and soil can be conserved. Riparian zone is the area between the land and the river ---25 feet to 100 feet on either banks. If plants which act as filters are grown here,they can improve the water quality and de-nitrify nitrates and phosphorous from the pesticides and fertilizers from the adjoining fields. Even the ground water can be purified. The de-nitrification can turn the contaminants into biomass which would increase the fertility of the soil.When shallow ground water moves through the riparian buffer zone micro organisms change nitrate into gaseous nitrogen. Thus poorly aerated soil under anaerobic conditions develop micro organisms which turn nitrous oxide into nitrogen gas.This is de nitrification process taking place at the level of roots--interaction between environment at ground below and the vegetation above. This magic of riparian buffer takes place at a quite narrow zone, but goes on the whole year around constantly revitalising the soil. as the vegetation removes nitrogen and phosphorous,the nutrients are absorbed into herbaceous plants and thus recycled constantly.The buffer zone protects the river thus reduces sedimentation. Possibility of floods and landslides is reduced, we must give the river space to swell as per rainfall or snow melt.We have to just plant the native vegetation and a  new biome comes into being. Riparian zone allows water to soak into ground in filtered form, recharging the ground water table while cleansing the water. New ecological cycle would be formed with an aquatic food web evolving side by side. Fish stocks can be restored and fodder for livestock can be farmed. Indian scientists have found that a wild weed named parthenium can increase bio-mass several folds, other grasses like Carex or Juncus can be planted.All chemicals in soil can be removed by different plant species, and soil restored of its fertility.Chemicals in water and air can be thus be turned into bio-mass.We can reclaim land contaminated by chemicals from factories,we can clean the polluted water too. Mine reclamation can be done.Ground water can also be purified of pesticides and fertilizer residues.There is one limit and that is that nuclear waste cannot be removed from the soil, water or air. So if people are protesting that no nuclear plant should be made near their homes, there is a valid reason for that--we are poisoning our own land and water. Just like a fish out of water, we have to live panting without a clean environment(air and water). And that means death to us and fishes.....

 

Protests and people's questions

Protests are now going on every where, there are more than 50 thousand farmers marching towards New Delhi because they have no livelihoods; there are those who are standing at seasides on the ocean  protesting against nuclear power plant at Kudankullam; there are those who are protesting against rising cost of living; there are those who are asking the central government why they do not have any allocation for development in their state. Some want river water to be shared and the Supreme Court has given orders to do so. But others protest that water should not be given when the order has already been executed. Now what?All are raising questions. Some want answers from government on why prices are high? Others like the economic reforms as it would bring in money from foreign countries; non-resident Indians are eager to invest in India, their homeland. Protesters want job in their state from projects in their own state(Noida,UP) Some want explanation on why the son-in-law of the Nation's leader has accumulated immense wealth. Speculations are many. This is one of the rare times that the newspaper reporters have lot to write about. 

Economic reforms as political capital

At once many many economic reforms have been made at a very high speed, Foreign direct Investment has been raised to 49% in Pension bill,there will be a regulatory authority of the government.Foreign Direct Investment in insurance sectors has been made 49%, from 26%. A bill has been made to amend the Forwards Contracts(Regulation) Act to strengthen future markets. This is an agreement to buy and sell goods (food stuffs or metals) on a future date but the price would be set at the present.More amendments were made like that one on Companies Bill which is meant to overhaul corporate governance norms. This amendment would make directors more accountable and give shareholders more power.The strategy is that, if these reforms are opposed, then the government can say we tried to bring reforms but he opposition did not help us.These are the same reforms that the present ruling government had opposed when it was in the opposition. We are now bombarded by reforms. With election coming, they have to prove that they are not under the syndrome "policy paralysis" Reforms are  a form of capital that it is investing upon to get good election results.
While all these reforms are taking place, there is constant exposures or scams.They cause disillusionment among the people. Where is country heading towards? People do not know what to agree with or what to disagree with. Now women have united themselves to lower the prices of gas(cooking gas and diesel) Can the government do that now, with the economy in a bad condition?
 

How do Indians make a living?

The Indian government does not provide employment to the masses of people living in India. The livelihood of the average people depends on simple needs of life. The average Indian (who has not inherited large properties) buys and sells vegetables. If he makes a little more money than his immediate needs, he buys a pushcart and sells more varieties of vegetables in bigger towns. He will try hard and earn little more by selling in more neighbourhoods. If he makes a little profit, he may rent a little room and convert it into a shop selling grains pulses, tea and soaps. Some Indians start a little tailoring unit; hiring a few persons, they make garments and market them. Some make leather goods like shoes or bags in a small factory. Some buy recycled plastics and mould new marketable items like chairs or shelves, on a small scale basis. With these small profits which they make,they can buy few food stuffs with  which they live. If large industries invade India, and if large retail shops offer items at lower rates, then these small businessmen will have no way of making a living.
With the state of the simple persons in India being so delicate, greater thought must go into making policy decisions in bringing in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) which would encourage the growth of chain stores.
Lifestyle of consumerism has not hit India yet. People live life in a simple manner. Coming of large chain stores and advertising new lifestyles will bring in consumerism in a big way. This will alter our culture and way of life. What will the change in culture do to India? Do we want that change? These implications are never thought of. Capitalism and Western lifestyles are here and we cannot walk away from them. We continue being Indian and have already changed our economic outlooks. If this continues, what would future be like?

National Holiday

Mahatma Gandhi was born 143 years ago today, and he taught us how to fight for independence from foreign rule. He is the Father of our Nation.All schools and colleges observed a National Holiday, youth are aware of his values. His life, his principles and quotes from his writings are remembered by all. Even today his ideals are relevant.He is still our role model, he wanted to reform society but he was selfless and did not seek power. His values of simplicity, compassion and love for humanity are timeless.Good Indian families teach their children hard work patience, silent protest, love for ones country and its people. Unfortunately, many of us start worshipping his idol and forget his teachings. Many of the misled do not give hardworking people dignity which they deserve; instead, we give respect only to the wealthy. We are in perpetual crisis because we live on values of falsehood and pursue materialism.Our country has grown very very big since Gandhi's times. We live in an age of web networks, which is very very big too;we should become more knowledgeable. We have hope that the young people of India will remember his values and bring about a more just society in the future.