Editorial
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| | Return of H1N1 virus | | The centre and the state governments must urgently frame a national policy for influenza immunisation | | | Absence of a national policy to be formulated by the NDA-government for influenza immunisation is a matter of serious concern and there has been inordinate delay in doing so as thousands of deaths have been reported this year. So far this year, 12,500 people have been infected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus, of which 600 have died. This means that the influenza has returned to India with a deadly punch particularly in the western states of the country during the past two years. According to official data, Maharashtra alone has reported 284 deaths, which by itself is much more than the total mortality figure of 265 in the country as a result of H1N1 in 2016. Even in the first three months of 2017, the number of cases and deaths were fairly high, at over 6,000 and 160, respectively. The ... |  | |
| | | Indo-Afghan trade corridor | | Within South East Asia, India needs to carry more weight and look forward to connectivity plans with Afghanistan | | | More than two months after the India-Afghanistan air corridor was inaugurated with high expectations, reports emerging about shortage of cargo planes are a matter of serious concern. It is also worrisome that the first and foremost interest of India in securing trade links with Afghanistan for which the latter was more interested has been hit due to obstructing behaviour of neighbouring country Pakistan. Such developments should be foreseen in view of the fact that India needs to take up this issue and many others which have a bone of contention between India and Pakistan during the past seven decades. In fact, Pakistan factor should be kept in consideration for maintaining surface transport communication connectivity with Afghanistan through Pakistan as part of the bigger plan on allowin... | | |
| | | Softening of words not actions | | PM's I-Day address with respect to Kashmir is ambiguous, hollow and usual histrionics | | | Prime minister Narendra Modi's Kashmir remarks, spoken from the ramparts of Red Fort on India's independence day, signal a softening of words. However, they are meaningless as long there is no action and the vast gap between the words and the ground reality exists in the Valley. The severely choking atmosphere of Kashmir with continuum of repressive military methods used not only to fight insurgency but also to oppress and suppress an entire population mock at the face of Modi's jargon of "Kashmiris don't need bullets and abuses but our embrace". The reality is that civilians continue to be targeted on a daily basis with bullets and pellets and officially there is a shocking defence of such ruthless methods used for taming an entire population. For nearly three decades since militancy beg... | | |
| | | India at 70 | | Need to honestly assess the achievements and failures; also the fresh threats of altering the very idea of India | | | As India completes 70 years of independence, there is need to not just celebrate the freedom that came after pain-staking years of struggles and sacrifices of many freedom fighters, but also do an honest introspection of how the country has fared during the last decades. Those who fought for the independence of the country built the freedom struggle on certain values and principles of liberty, equality, secularism and democracy and these values ultimately form the core of the Indian constitution. The framing of this democratic and secular constitution and its continuance is one of the major successes and achievements of the country. Many other achievements include the great strides taken by the country in the field of science and technology, the growing economy, which makes it a force to ... | | |
| | MARGINALIA | | Remember partition to learn lessons and move on | | | By Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal | |
| | Seventy years after the world's bloodiest and most bitter partitions, India and Pakistan continue to live in acrimony as politicians on both sides continue to perpetuate hostility and animosity by stoking the hatred of 1947. Ever since 1947, India and Pakistan have nurtured a deep-rooted mutual animosity. They have fought three wars, one resulting in the second partition and creation of Bangladesh. During the limited Kargil war they came close to a nuclear exchange. Besides several other bilateral disputes the two countries are involved in, the lingering Kashmir dispute with both sides staking their claim to the state and controlling parts of the territory remains the major bone of contention. Kashmir has become the nuclear flash-point and India-Pakistan dispute has the potential of becom... | | |
| | | Food security in India | | The recent Supreme Court directive should lead to better access under the Food Security Act for Indian population | | | The recent Supreme Court direction to the central government to ensure that all the states in the country implement some of the key aspects of the Food Security Act of 2013 so that people have access to better food stuffs and nutrition. The directive has come in the wake of reports and complaints from Non-Government Organisations (NGO) and some social activists that majority of the states have failed to implement the provisions of the progressive law. In fact, some of the states have not been able to ensure that people have access to subsidised food and have also failed to ensure security for the people under the Public Distribution System (PDS) network. It is a depressing reality that several state governments have not met the key requirements in the legislation which empower the common ... | | |
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