Struggling Faces

In the previous article, we discussed the basic facts related to electoral bonds. This article is about the loopholes in the Electoral Bond Scheme , controversies and the way forward . A Short Data Analysis of Electoral Bonds : According to Association for Democratic Reforms, 92% of total Electoral Bonds were purchased by corporates in the period March 2018-January 2021 .Keep in mind that 2019 was a general election (Loksabha)  year.  BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party ) alone got 60.17% of total donation through Electoral Bonds between 2017-18 and 2018-19.. This amount is almost Rs.1660.89 Crore. In the year 2018-19, BJP got Rs.1450 Cr. while Indian National Congress got Rs.383 Cr. In the period of 7 years, 2012-2019, donations from corporations increased by a whopping 974%. The ruling party is the highest beneficiary of this scheme. Now the point is whether all politicians get a level playing field or not. Answer is NO.  Here is Why Electoral Bonds Do Not Create a Level Play...

  सब  चंगा   सी ... 15 लाख  का  झांसा  दे  कर   लोग  चुनकर  आगए, सरकार बस अब नाम की रही   सब कुछ बेच कर खा गए जीडीपी  में आयी गिरावट जॉब गयी लाखो लोगो की ये ख़ुशी से झूम रहे है कहते है सब चंगा सी अर्बन नक्सल , टुकड़े टुकड़े  , बड़बड़ा है इनका शब्दकोश   धारा १४४ लगाते अगर बढे है असंतोष ? नोटेबंदी  करके  ये कहते  , 50 दिन  तो  रुको  सही , काला धन  अगर  आया  नहीं   तो  जला  देना  मुझे  यही .. १००  लोग  मर  गए  खड़े  खड़े  पर कहते  है   सब  चंगा  सी .... 8 बजे  आकर ये  कहते  , लॉकडाउन  अब  लग  जाएगा , एक  पल  भी  सोचा  नहीं , गरी...

  Electoral Bonds And Facts Associated With Them Recently Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) , which is also the ruling party of Jharkhand , became the first party to declare the name of a donor who made a contribution through electoral bonds. This article is about the basic facts related to electoral bonds which were introduced in India in 2017 and allowed to issue from 2018. The electoral bond scheme was framed by the central government by exercising powers under RBI Act, 1934.  What is an Electoral Bond ? In simple terms , it is a non refundable bond which does not carry the name of buyer or payee and is issued by SBI (only SBI is authorized to issue the bond) . This bond is a financial instrument through which a company, a person , a firm, any agency , (all should be citizens of India or incorporated or established in India) etc can donate funds to any political party.  What is the validity of these bonds? And What happens to the bond if not issued within validity? This ...

  (This article is an extension of my last article)      In my last article , I wrote about the effects of masculinity on men and that its 'nurture' not 'nature'  that is shaping the overall idea of masculinity. This article is about the way Indian masculinity penetrates into the society and its role in love , relationships, and the counter revolution which is challenging this toxic masculinity.      Recently in Delhi, a man poisoned his wife and her family with thallium which is a poisonous substance. In this incident 4 people died and his wife is critical. In an investigation it was found that the man took revenge from his in-laws as they were allegedly humiliating and taunting him as he was not doing any job. His manly ego got hurt and this crime happened. In an another recent incident in Telangana , a man slit throat after having an argument with her. These incidents are not just about controlling anger .      Pampering as so...

 This post is a part of #JaatiNahiAdhikaar, a campaign by Youth Ki Awaaz  The Indian media is going through a difficult phase today. It has been divided into two parts. One comprises those who openly support the government and one which is against the government. A section of Indian society is lost in this resistance. Their problems never become a part of the national debate or there are much fewer debates. This section is the Dalit Bahujan and Adivasi people of India.  The national media hesitates to speak on casteism. And especially when there is a problem like manual scavenging, there is never any open and detailed discussion.  We all know that there are very few reporters, journalists and editors in the mainstream who belong to the SC/ST community. NewsLaundry and Oxfam India did a research study to find out the representation of SC/STs in mainstream media.  The report states that 89% of leadership positions in English TV news channels belong to the general...

" A woman simply is, but a man must become. Masculinity is risky and elusive . It is achieved by a revolt from a woman, and it is confirmed only by other men . Manhood coerced into sensitivity is no manhood at all." - Camille Paglia This quote sums up the notion of masculinity which our society possesses. A lot has been written and spoken on gender , sex , feminism but masculinity hasn't got much attention . These topics should be discussed not just in the literature festivals but on the dinner table and also in the college campus. This article is about the notion of masculinity in our Indian society and its effects on both men and women. Every culture has a different notion of masculinity but I'm concerned with the Indian notion in this article.  My 11 years niece laughed at me when she saw me cleaning utensils and asked me "why am I doing the woman's job ?" Don't be surprised by this question. We have raised our kids in this manner . We have taugh...

This post is a part of  #JaatiNahiAdhikaar , a campaign by Youth Ki Awaaz  The constitution-makers of India addressed the historical oppression of the oppressed communities due to the caste system by adopting various welfare policies. The motto of these policies was to make India a social democracy where everyone will be treated equally irrespective of the caste they belonged to. But unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to happen. “Is this the India that the Constitution makers envisioned?” Representational image. For the majority of Dalits and Bahujans, education is the only exit strategy to jump up the oppression forced upon them by the caste system which always kept them at the lowest possible rungs of the social hierarchy. But the education system too is not free from the caste discrimination which leads to  ragging and bullying  of ‘quota’ students by the other fellow so-called upper castes students and even the professors/teachers. Eventually, they are slowly exclu...

This post is a part of  #JaatiNahiAdhikaar , a campaign by Youth Ki Awaaz  “My identity is of a Hindutva Wadi (one who follows Hindutva ideology), but  I say  build toilets before you build temples .” These are the words of our   Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But even after 6 years of his government, India is witnessing deaths due to manual scavenging. Recently, the central government launched an app called “Swachhata Abhiyan” developed to Identify and Geotag the data of Insanitary Latrines and Manual Scavengers.  The government is also planning to procure machines like  ‘Bandicoot’  for cleaning the manholes. But ar e these efforts really enough to systematically end the practice of manual scavenging?  The sanitation workers just demand a life with dignity where they are not isolated and are given respect by a society that has humiliated and suppressed them for centuries.  Representational image. It is worth noting that the go...