Daily Hindu Editorials

👉Reverence for Ambedkar requires fighting caste discrimination and safeguarding the Constitution👈 On April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted: “No government has, perhaps, given respect to Babasaheb the way our government has.” Stung by the criticism over his government’s alleged inaction in defending the Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, before the Supreme Court, Mr. Modi cited his reverence for Ambedkar as proof of his government’s commitment to the welfare of SCs and STs. Mr. Modi deserves the credit he claimed for fast-tracking the construction of the Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. The Congress was in power for two-thirds of those 25-odd years that the project took for completion, but it behaved as if it never wanted to finish it. 👉Widespread dissatisfaction However, Mr. Modi’s ‘credit’ amounts to nothing compared to the criticism that his government is facing as being anti-Dalit. Some Dalit leaders of t...

👉After more than a decade of discussions, there is no solution on what to feed children in anganwadis👈 Many children have died of malnutrition in India and yet Women and Child Development Ministers over the years haven’t decided what food to give children in anganwadis. This is worrying. How many more children must suffer from stunted growth before the Minister in charge of their welfare decides on whether to serve them hot-cooked nutritious meals or packaged/processed fortified mixes? And why does there have to be a choice between the two? Why can’t India incorporate both? Is it really that difficult to keep a close watch on the quality of food served to children between the ages of three and six as well as take-home ration for pregnant and lactating women? Apparently, it is. If you put together the years of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government and the Bharatiya Janata Party government, no solution is in sight after more than a decade of discussions. T...

💥BARC DEVELOPS CHEAPER, LIGHTWEIGHT BULLETPROOF JACKETS   ( DEFENCE) The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed a state-of-the-art bulletproof jacket for the Indian armed forces, which is not only cheaper but also much lighter. The jacket, christened Bhabha Kavach, will reduce the weight by nearly 50% (weighs just 6.6 kg in comparison to the 17-kg jackets in use) and will be able to withstand eight 7.62mm bullets fired from an AK-47 rifle from a distance of 5-10 metres. The jacket named after nuclear physicist Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, was developed at BARC’s Trombay centre in response to a request from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs. The jacket would also be produced more cost effectively as the cost of a Bhabha Kavach is Rs. 70,000, jackets of similar strength are available only in the range of Rs. 1.5 lakh Bhabha Kavach will be manufactured by Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, a defence public sector unit based in Hyderabad....

💥 Daily Word Bytes - 2  from editorial  - After the Castros 💥 cue (noun) – sign, indication, signal. Hindu Editorial usage :   Havana-watchers will look for cues of change or continuity in a country that once symbolised global anti-imperialist revolution anti-imperialist (adjective) – relating to opposing imperialism. imperialism (noun) – an action that involves a country (usually an empire or a kingdom) extending its power by the acquisition of territories. Hindu Editorial usage :   Havana-watchers will look for cues of change or continuity in a country that once symbolised global anti-imperialist revolution upsurge (noun) – sudden increase or rise. Hindu Editorial usage :   With Latin America’s socialist upsurge of the last decade in retreat and Cuba’s economy in anything but robust health retreat (noun) – withdrawal, draw back, flee/take flight. Hindu Editorial usage :   With Latin America’s socialist upsurge of the last decade in r...

💥 Daily Word Bytes - 1  from editorial  - Revisit AFSPA 💥 revocation (noun) – cancellation, abandonment, calling off/recall. Hindu Editorial usage :   Its revocation in some areas is welcome, but should it be on the statute books at all? statute book (noun) – law, regulation, rule (book). Hindu Editorial usage :   Its revocation in some areas is welcome, but should it be on the statute books at all? revoke (verb) – cancel, repeal, reverse/annul (a decree/law). Hindu Editorial usage :   The Centre’s decision to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Meghalaya insofar as (phrase) – to the extent/degree that. Hindu Editorial usage :     Arunachal Pradesh is welcome insofar as it signifies a willingness to reconsider the use of the special law as immunity (noun) – protection, exemption, release/liberty. Hindu Editorial usage :   which provides protection to the point of total immunity from prosecution for the security...

👉They are challenging the very essence of government and politics in Indian democracy👈 The recent riots in West Bengal and Bihar have got stuck in the gullet of Indian democracy. These riots are disturbing not only as new rituals of violence but as part of the more cynical narratives of electoral democracy. In fact, as acts of violence, they are depressing thrice over as events. First, as premeditated acts of brutality followed by a sterile weakness of governmental response. What is even more sinister is the narrative of legitimacy built in the aftermath of a riot to normalise them. Let’s try to understand the changing morphology of riots with West Bengal and Bihar as illustrations. 👉Ram Navami violence Between communal riots and the lynch mob, India has added a new dimension to its repertoire of violence. But unlike the lynch mob, which feeds on a hunt for an individual, the riot has a complexity we have not fully grasped. Partly this is because riots have changed struc...

👉Its revocation in some areas is welcome, but should it be on the statute books at all?👈 The Centre’s decision to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Meghalaya and reduce its ambit in Arunachal Pradesh is welcome insofar as it signifies a willingness to reconsider the use of the special law as and when the ground situation improves. The extent of ‘disturbed areas’ in Meghalaya was earlier limited to within 20 km of its border with Assam. The whole of Nagaland, most of Assam, and Manipur excluding the areas falling under seven Assembly constituencies in Imphal, continue to be under the law, which provides protection to the point of total immunity from prosecution for the security forces operating in the notified areas. In Arunachal, the areas under AFSPA have been reduced to the limits of eight police stations, instead of the previous 16, in three districts bordering Assam. It was only last month that the Act was extended for six months in Assam, even though the Union ...