Recent directive of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) requiring Virtual Private Network (VPN) service providers to store user data for five years, is  yet another step to make India a full fledged surveillance state following all other internet based free flow of information having already been policed by the current fascist union government. Journalists, activists and others who use VPNs to hide their Internet footprint will now be in quandary to think whether to use such devices.

Union Government in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has raised concern over failure of the States/Union Territories (UTs) to adopt Model Prison Manual 2016 for improving jail administration and security of jails.

झारखंड में राजनीतिक हलचल तेज है। झारखंड स्थापना से अब तक 22 वर्षों में अनेक बार सत्ता का परिवर्तन हुआ है, आगे भी होगा। परंतु क्या झारखंडी जन अर्थात आदिवासी- मूलवासी की जीवन में कोई परिवर्तन हो सका है? नहीं। उसका सपना "अबुआ दिसुम- अबुआ राज" के खिलाफ सब कुछ हो रहा है। तब क्या झारखंडी जन पार्टियों / नेताओं को कोसने के बदले निम्न नीति- सूत्र पर चिंतन मंथन कर एक नया झारखंड, अपने सपनों के झारखंड को सच बनाने के सार्थक पहल में भागीदारी निभा सकेगा ?

India’s civilisational holy treatise, the Vedas mention Ayurveda as a system of medical knowledge having been transmitted from God to sages and from sages to human physicians. Originated in ancient India, it is a system of holistic and natural alternative medical care that ensures health of the healthy and cure for all types of illnesses to enable the patients to live healthy and long life. Healers in this system of medical care are known as Vaidya(s).

Police and Public Order are State subjects in keeping with the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India making the States and Union Territories primarily responsible for deployment of adequate infrastructural facilities, state-of-the-art technology gadgets, manpower and training of police to combat the menace of growing cyber crimes. However, the Central Government supplements the initiatives of the States/Union Territories (UTs) through advisories and schemes for the capacity building of their law enforcing agencies.

With a recent letter from Cabinet Secretary to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Railway Board in the Ministry of Railways asking him to intimate his office the monthly progress of privatization of Indian Railways, the process of its all round privatization has been fast tracked. This follows recommendations of a Panel on Rationalisation of Government Bodies and Proposal for the Ministry of Railways, headed by Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal in the Ministry of Finance.

Gulf between those who have ready access to computing devices and Internet, and those who do not have, is generally known as digital divide. There is a digital divide between rich and poor in terms of use of computers. Digital divide denies half the world’s citizens access to digital education, work and participation in modern life. Without Internet access, people in vulnerable situations are suffering throughout pandemic driven school and work closures.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is being celebrated all over the globe on March 8 every year. Theme of IWD-2022 is Break the Bias. Bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, makes it difficult for women to move ahead. It is not enough to recognize bias; action is required to level the playing field. Countries need to devise policies to end the bias so that women can prosper in different walks of life. There are statistics that show bias against women is extremely real. Governments are delivering; outcomes for women not so much.

People assumed that after the judgment in ADM Jabalpur case in mid 1970s, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) would be a great bulwark standing in support of liberties and rights of people, but increasingly in recent years especially since 2014 on issues of critical fundamental constitutional importance like the Kashmir issue, electoral bonds, Habeas Corpus, CAA, SCI has been refusing to hear such cases, kicking the can down the road presumably because the apex court senses the outcome could embarrass the government. It is worrying that SCI is ducking its duty on constitutional issues.

चारा घोटाला और ‘साजिश का एंगल’

{ यह आलेख वर्ष 2018 में लिखा था, जब लालू प्रसाद को तीसरी बार चारा घोटाले के एक मामले में सजा सुनायी गयी थी. अब पांचवीं बार सजा मिलने पर भी, तब मैंने जो मुद्दे उठाये थे, अब प्रासंगिक हैं. इसलिए इसमें किंचित संपादन के अलावा किसी बदलाव की जरूरत नहीं लगी.}