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‘Paid news’ and ‘paid social media’ in India: looking for legal attention

https://countercurrents.org/2021/06/paid-news-and-paid-social-media-in-india-looking-for-legal-attention/

Unfortunately, numerous types of paid news have evolved over the period, posing a threat to the nation, but still exist in our political system due to a nexus between capitalism and political parties. Creation of public opinion in favour of a political parity pre and post election phases by the media in lieu of monetary agreement, promotion of particular ideology, future business prospects etc have become a common trend in our system. Undoubtedly, paid news is being used as a weapon to cover up the truth so as to divert the people’s attention from the core basic necessities and services if policies are not delivered effectively.

Nowadays, the systems of ‘paid news’ are becoming more ruthless and shaping as a form of corruption, unethical and professional misconduct in which media outlets and the political parties coordinate and complement each other in lieu of monetary agreement and political image building. The evolutions of such trend of paid news happen to be more threatening to our democracy as people’s voting behaviour are rigged in favour of the existing government, despite of the policy lacuna, policy-paralysis and mal-administration. Most of the India’s leading media are now being guided in accordance with commercial interest of the companies instead of seeking truth. Many incidences have been associated with ‘paid news’ for the last a couple of decades, for instances, publishing pre-poll survey showing victorious to a political party on account of financial agreement, providing ample coverage to a political party campaigning, framing and highlighting any weakness of a political party etc. For the last decade, the electronic media will become themselves as an eye witness of ‘paid news’ if the title of the news-show, its contents, lists of guest speakers, allotted time for specific program etc. are seriously examined. Though, it would be very difficult to prove whether the particular news shown on a channel or the news published in the newspaper is paid or not. Till now, no success has been achieved in tightening the noose on paid news.

By Dr. Ahmed Raza

27/06/2021

The threat of large-scale famine

Disasters threaten human civilization https://countercurrents.org/2022/06/the-threat-of-large-scale-famine/

Among the greatest dangers to human civilization are nuclear war and catastrophic climate change, dangers which also threaten the biosphere. In addition to these two existential threats, humans also face the threat of an extremely large-scale famine, involving billions of people, rather than millions. The beginning of this famine, which could involve much of the world’s population by 2050, can already be seen.

Food prices have exploded because of the Ukraine war.

Because, in normal circumstances, both Ukraine and Russia are very large exporters of grain, the war in Ukraine has caused food prices to increase drastically in every part of the world. The United Nations is greatly concerned with the effect that this will have on poor countries.

Fossil fuel inputs to agriculture

Modern high-yield agriculture requires very large inputs of fossil fuels. In their book, “Food, Land, Population and the US Economy”. Researchers David Pimental and Mario Giampietro point out that in the United States, the growing and marketing of food requires roughly ten fossil fuels calories for every food calorie. By 2050, supplies of petroleum and natural gas will be exhausted, and in any case, the use of fossil fuels must stop very quickly if we are to have a chance of avoiding catastrophic climate change. Thus, high-yield modern agriculture will become impossible by the middle of the present century. This is particularly true of the Green Revolution grain varieties on which India is currently dependent.

Predictions of drought

Many weatwen and mid-western parts of the United States are already severely affected by drought, this situation is predicted to become worse because of increasing temperatures due to climate change. The same is true in many parts of the world, for example in eastern Africa, the Middle East, and some parts of southern Europe. The loss of agricultural output in these regions due to drought is a threat to food security.

Falling water tables

Falling water tables in China were the reason why China instituted its one-child policy. China has experienced many disastrous famines in the past. In the late 20th century, the Chinese government saw that water tables were falling at an alarming rate, and fearing another famine, they tried to halt their population growth by instituting a one-child policy.

In other parts of the world, water tables are also falling rapidly. For example, in the United States, the great Ogallala Aquifer is being overdrawn by a factor of eight. This enormous, shallow aquifer underlies portions of eight states.

Predictions of drought

Melting glaciers

Glaciers will soon cease to exist in many parts of the world, for example in the Himalayas and the Andes. Both India and China rely on Himalayan glaciers for their summer water supplies, and the loss of these glaciers will severely impact food security in both China and India. Similarly, a number of countries in South America rely on glaciers in the Andes.

Rising sea levels

The melting of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions is producing sea level rise at an accelerating rate. In the Antarctic, spreading cracks in the vast Thwates glacier make scientists worried that the glacier will shatter like a windscreen, and trigger the collapse of nearby glaciers. If this happens, sea levels could increase by a very large amount, threatening all coastal cities. Even if this disaster is avoided, sea level rise will drown many fertil rice-producing regions in countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam,

Population stabilization

If the global population is plotted as a function of time over a very long period, from neolithic times until the present, and if the use of fossil fuels is plotted on the same graph, the two curves are seen to rise suddenly and dramatically together. This raises several questions: Has the human population explosion been partially driven by the use of fossil fuels? Will the population of humans crash disastrously when fossil fuels are exhausted or prohibited?

In any case, as Malthus pointed out, no population can exceed its food supply.

John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist at the University of Copenhagen. He is noted for his books and research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. His 2003 book Information Theory and Evolution set forth the view that the phenomenon of life, including its origin, evolution, as well as human cultural evolution, has its background situated in the fields of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and information theory. Since 1990 he has been the Chairman of the Danish National Group of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Between 2004 and 2015 he also served as Chairman of the Danish Peace Academy. He founded the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes, and was for many years its Managing Editor. He also served as Technical Advisor to the World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe (19881997).
http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/aord/a220.htm. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To know more about his works visit this link. https://www.johnavery.info/

Post COVID 2nd Wave impact on Vulnerable Communities: Household Survey Anna Adhikar Abiyan

Is Poverty Coming Down?
Ulka Mahajan https://youtu.be/_4nXmmcQjZQ set the Keynote to the press Conference to present the preliminary result of the Hunger Watch II Survey along with the recommendations to ensure universal access to food and expanded entitlements.
Ulka asked people to examine how the notions of "ease of doing business" and "New India" has impacted the toiling people of this country

The Universe is Vulnerable People
Household Survey - Post 2nd COVID Wave of Vulnerable People https://youtu.be/Qw5AwICKk8Y Mukta tell us about the selection of already vulnerable people slected for the second wave of COVID as well as lockdown spelt disaster. The sample over 17 districts will be sufficient to tell us whether the stories of destitution we hear, are isolated case and whether the phenomemna calls for policy and administrative sensitivity, which go beyond macro-economic analysis that are being brandies about these days to justify and gloss over the essense of the social contract between State and Ctizens.. with special attention/disdain for the most vulnerable.

Social Findings
Post 2nd Wave Findings of Household Survey of Vulnerable people: Mukta Srivastava https://youtu.be/Tr_m83VH4Uk
the big concerns as per Hunger Watch II?
● Income shock:
● Outstanding Debt:
● Unpaid Rent:
● Poor food intake:
● Poor diet quality:
● Access to Government Programmes:

Government Schemes
Ulka Mahajan on Access to Government Schemes, and their Effectiveness post 2nd COVID Wave https://youtu.be/Qw5AwICKk8Y (4 mins)
Ulka Mahajan presented the Surveys assessment of the Access to Government Programmes. She said Some government schemes seem to have performed well. Safety nets like PDS have been a great relief for poor communities. 86% of the households received ration from PDS. Overall in the state 14% of the eligible households could not receive ration due to technical issues, cancellation of ration cards etc. Although about 90 % of eligible HH reported that they received ration under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) yet only 61% HH reported that they received ration under PMGKAY every month. In urban areas only 50% HH received ration under this scheme every month as compared to 70% in rural areas.

Summary & Demands
Nitin Kubal of Anna Adhikar Abhiyan , Maharashtra https://youtu.be/k9QLPTmvJ8M Summarised the Findings, and spelt out the minimum demands.
Important in time of emergency and distress that the State is does not make make matters worse for affected peopleby being legalistic about rules and procedures, as they have shown by cancelling a few ration cards, and not making arrangements for extra cash flow for basic development and food security programmes.

From the Ground

Utsa Khan https://youtu.be/RzO79PMSIO8 tells a story of a COVID widowed woman in a Chembur slum, who went into mental depression as she could only see destitution with her three kids. She didnt even get the ration nor water. We have to go house to house to understand and be able to do something about such situations. State should see what can be done for children orphaned due to COVID.. Since they cannot work and earn a living.. as minors,

Yasmin from Awaz e Miswan https://youtu.be/Vn_AqbdZt1k their organisation took up the areas of Kurgain and Mumbra for survey under the Anna Adhikari Abhiyan Survey. In the muslim areas, we have seen that people doing small business like rickshaw driver or people who would put up small boxes to sell on the roads, had been totally without work during the lockdown. And since most people ie 80% live in rented accommodation, did not have any income in order to pay their rents. Even the so called landlords who rented out part of their premises, became vulnerable.

Mukta Srivastava: https://youtu.be/tpHE6JU5wRE What statistics wont reveal.. Mukta deviates from the power point to tell us what we didnt realise.. that when push comes to shove, many middle class strugglers also join the struggle.. ! Result Bhimnagar Rag Pickers could not get good waste to pick..

Anna Adhikar Abhiyan Maharashtra , its associates and friends and Right to Food campaign launched a ‘Hunger Watch II’ in December –Jan 2022 to track the situation of hunger amongst vulnerable and marginalized communities in different parts of Maharashtra in the context of the COVID pandemic. The study was conducted in 17 districts of Maharashtra,

see NDTV Report on the Survey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo9BIAjs42o

एक तरफ प्रधानमंत्री देश में गरीबी कम होने के दावे कर रहे हैं वहीं महाराष्ट्र में हुए एक सर्वे में सामने आया है कि लॉकडाउन के दौरान बेरोजगारी बढ़ी और लोगों का वेतन कम हो गया.

जिससे गरीबी और अधिक बढ़ गयी.

View in marathi - https://epaper.loksatta.com/m5/3501304/loksatta-pune/09-06-2022#page/7/1 This article was published in Marathi newspaper 'Loksatta' on 09/06/2022

" "या भुकेचे करायचे काय?" - उल्का महाजन

Human Future in the Digital Era – Whence society? Whence humanity ?

Introduction https://countercurrents.org/2022/05/human-future-in-the-digital-era-whence-society-whence-humanity/

The current stage of human societies on Planet Earth has three defining characteristics. One: The extremely rapid penetration of science and technology into human societies, with concomittant changes in their social, economic and political structures. Two: An explosion in the totality of energy-use by industrialized and industrializing human societies, resulting in planet-level (climate) changes posing an existential threat to human and also other species. Three: The development of machines which are becoming more and more “human-like”.

The idea of “natural stupidity” is based upon the belief that machines doing something more quickly than humans is necessarily good. This has captured the minds of most leaders of societies worldwide, with the notable exception of Gandhiji. Such leaders are sold on science and technology (S&T), perhaps out of a respect based upon their inability to understand “scientific” knowledge because it is esoteric. This is partly due to our faulty education system and partly due to the jargon, hype and promises of science and technology, or due to sensing material or political benefit from the use of those technologies. This is reflected in the fact of the widely held belief that S&T can solve all sorts of problems including social problems, and justifying poorly planned introduction of S&T into all aspects of governance.

Power centralization by digitization

Data has been referred to as “the new oil” of the digital economy. Data is a prized commodity and strategic asset. The real-time value of data is when it is acquired, organized as a database, and interpreted as an asset, to enhance national strategic/political aims and objectives or business/commercial interests. Management of the asset can provide valuable, actionable information. Creation and management of a large database can only be done with huge financial, technical and infrastructural resources. Such resources are available only with large business corporations or governments, resulting in centralization of political power, and making data the “oxygen of the digital economy”.

Centralization of political and economic power through deep penetration of digitization would be self-reinforcing and self-perpetuating, determine the nature of transactions and relations within and between digitized societies, and widen existing class and economic gaps. Dissent and protest by under-privileged sections of society arising from asymmetry of power-and-authority within society, will be easily suppressed using digital techniques of surveillance-and-tracking (use of drones), crowd control (using drone-mounted “plasma guns”) and biometric (face-in-the-crowd) identification of leaders of agitations.

by S G Vombatkere

29/05/2022

Need a whistle blower protection law

Civil contractor who wrote to PM Modi on 40 per cent cut in projects booked for criminal breach of trust https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/may/15/civil-contractor-who-wrote-to-pm-modi-on-40-cut-in-projects-booked-for-criminal-breach-of-trust-2453904.html The technical assistant of village Vishnu Kumar Naik was supposed to supervise the quality of work, Mohan said in his complaint.

Yerriswami's Vijayalakshmi Enterprises was assigned to supply material for the solid waste disposal unit in Mustur village under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The technical assistant of village Vishnu Kumar Naik was supposed to supervise the quality of work, Mohan said in his complaint. However, sometime in between, Yerriswami allegedly made some payment to Naik through phonePe which, according to Mohan, was a criminal breach of trust.

(there is no whistle blower protection in India. The UPA was planning one in 2013, thanks to effort by the Advisory Council..)

Yerriswami had gone to the media on May 3 against the officials demanding money and told them that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi complaining against the officials for asking him to pay 40 per cent commission on the public works he had carried out.

According to him, he had supplied materials worth Rs 15 lakh and he had received Rs 4.8 lakh till date while the rest had not been paid.

On April 12, a civil contractor from Belagavi district - Santosh K Patil - allegedly died by suicide in a hotel in Udupi, accusing Eshwarappa of demanding 40 per cent commission on a civil work in his village last year.

Government speak on Sedition

KEEP THE SEDITION LAW IN ABEYANCE: SUPREME COURT RULES IN A HISTORIC ORDER 11 May 2022 https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/breaking-supreme-court-urges-centre-states-to-refrain-from-registering-firs-invoking-section-124a-ipc-198810

"We hope and expect Centre and State Governments will refrain from registering any FIR, continuing investigation, or taking coercive steps under Section 124 A IPC when it is under reconsideration. It will be appropriate not to use this provision of law till further re-examination is over".. The Court also held that those already booked under Section 124A IPC and are in jail can approach the concerned courts for bail. It has also been ruled that if any fresh case is registered appropriate parties are at liberty to approach courts for appropriate relief

On Sedition Law, Government's Big Climbdown In Supreme Court https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhJnlJ_rZg May 9, 2022

Two days after firmly defending the country's colonial-era sedition law and asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the pleas challenging it, the government on Monday did an about-face, saying it has decided to review the legislation. In a new affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the centre said, "In the spirit of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (75 years of Independence) and the vision of PM Narendra Modi, the Government of India has decided to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A, Sedition law."

Comment: SS: The sublime intention so very beautifully expressed is meant only to kill the current petition. For now, nothing more, nothing less."In view of this, the government “ respectfully submitted that this Hon’ble court may not invest time in examining the validity of Section 124A once again and be pleased to await the exercise of reconsideration to be undertaken by the Government of India before an appropriate forum where such reconsideration is constitutionally permitted"Ananthakrishnan G May 10, 2022 - https://indianexpress.com/article/india/will-reconsider-provisions-of-sedition-law-centre-tells-sc-7908127/

"To Buy Time": Trinamool's Mahua Moitra Shreds Centre's New Plan On Sedition Law https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3C3C7DnP8w May 9, 2022 Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, one of the petitioners who called for the colonial-era sedition law to be scrapped, told NDTV today that the government's sudden move to decide on a review of the law is "just a ploy to buy time". The matter, she said, deserves to be referred to a seven-judge bench.

Is It Time To Scrap Sedition Law? Top Judge & Advocates Opine | News Today with Rajdeep Sardesai https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgAF2pQgAl0 May 10, 2022
Former Judge Pradeep Nandrajog, Senior Advocate in Supreme Court Dushyant Dave, ASG Satya Pal Jain (https://youtu.be/FgAF2pQgAl0?t=496) and Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud over the brewing issue of scrapping of sedition law in India.

Does India Really Need Sedition Law? | Left, Right & Centre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7TNEdmTqX4 May 8, 2022

Ahead of the crucial hearing in Supreme Court on the petitions challenging the Sedition law, the Centre has defended the colonial-era law saying there is no need to scrap it. Is sedition law essential or is it now archaic? Is going against the dominant narrative seditious and do sedition laws have a place in modern democracy?

India’s Sedition Law: Will the repressive law survive? May 4, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl7JIAt0g90

On May 5 2022, the Supreme Court of India will be hearing multiple pleas challenging the validity of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code or sedition law. Will this contentious law finally be done away with? With the final hearing on the matter ready to take place tomorrow, that remains to be seen.

Covid-19: When will the profiteering of private hospitals be curbed?

https://countercurrents.org/2022/05/covid-19-when-will-the-profiteering-of-private-hospitals-be-curbed/

The first and second waves of the Covid pandemic in India saw health personnel in both government and private hospitals risking their lives to save patients, often working late hours day after day. For this, the Indian public will always remain indebted to them for their selfless service.

However, the stories of Covid patients being fleeced by private hospitals that are now emerging are enough to put all of humanity to shame.

“The pain caused by living is more than that of dying. Life has become harder in middle age than the end of life.” These were the sorrowful words shared by Sakharam Shinde, 62, a Covid patient who returned home from a private hospital last year.

A retired teacher of a government school in Kolhapur, Shinde had spent all his savings during hospitalisation. According to his family members he alleged that the bill that the hospital had given him in the name of treatment was not justified. The capital which he had saved for the future of his children and family, had to be given to the hospital. Within a few days after coming home he died due to weakness.

Many such tales of exorbitant hospital charges bankrupting and breaking the spirit of Covid patients are now emerging through complaints filed by non-government groups in Maharashtra with the state administration. The groups are actively participating in the audit process with the victims and in some places, district and tehsil level officers of the government are also playing an active role in public interest.

Have is a look at some of the cases of complaints against private hospitals charging exorbitant bills. Identities of the patients have been hidden to safeguard their interests.

Case One: “I am a professor in a private college. I was getting only half salary at the time of the Covi lockdown. It was becoming difficult to run a family with this incoe. So, at the same time we were doing other income generating work. In the second wave my close friend died. I too got Covi. At the beginning my treatment was done by the doctors of the village. But, later my condition became serious. My father, brother and friends had to struggle hard to get an oxygen bed for me. With no improvement in health, the cost increased. Family and friends together deposited Rs 5 lakh. It’s true, I got healed, but a mountain of debt hit me. I came to know that many people had complained about the private hospital overcharging. I also complained, but the hospital refused to return the money. Instead, I was called by two doctors, they told me that they saved my life and now I am withdrawing the money from their pockets. They created emotional pressure. I insisted on my complaint. Seeing this, they took the help of some goons. The goons first called me and then threatened me at home. At the same time, with the help of tehsil, district and state level organizations, I kept fighting my case with truth. In the end, the hospital had to return Rs 79,000.”

Case Two: “I am left alone with my child. My in-laws have already broken up with me. I live in the room next to my mother. I run a small grocery store. My brother helps in everything. I don’t go out alone. We tried very hard to save my husband from Covid. But, he died. I was left with the debt of hospitalisation.

Some good people helped us. We sent them the bill on WhatsApp. They said that the hospital has taken an additional Rs 12,000 from me. On their request, I went to the government office the next day with the bill. Government officials have issued notice to the private hospital. The hospital said they did not charge extra. Then those good people contacted the authorities and explained to them the rules and regulations of the government. They told the officials that the husband of this woman had died leaving behind a small child. I fought too. When the authorities again sent the notice, the hospital people returned Rs 12,000.

Case Three: “ Dadi (Grandma) was admitted first with Covid and then Tai (Aunt) also started having trouble. Both were in the hospital. Grandmother died. We were looking after Tai’s two young children. Tai’s condition was getting worse day by day. Changed three to four hospitals. I ran out of money to pay the bills. Nobody gave loan. The mortgaged fields were the only source of livelihood for the family. I also got Covid. We were at home in Shirur in Pune district and Tai was at Hadapsar hospital in Pune. We sold land and kept sending money over the phone. One day the phone rang. Tai had made us all orphans. Now Grandma, Tai and the land – all are gone.

I met many such people inside the hospital. Many people who could not save the lives of their loved ones in spite of all their efforts were scared and angry. They have become dependent, indebted. Someone came to the hospital with his mother, someone was sitting with his children. The wife, who had lost her husband, was telling the hospital people that she spent lakhs of rupees to save her husband’s life. Husband is no more. Now give me my money back.”

In May 2020, the Maharashtra government had issued a rate control order on 80 per cent of beds for treatment of Covid in private hospitals under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. In some districts, auditors were appointed by the District Collector and Municipal Commissioner for compliance. In the districts where there was public awareness about the rate control order, a demand was made to conduct an audit of the cost of Covid treatment before sending the patient home. Some hospitals charged money according to the order, while some collected huge bills in the name of various types of treatment. The common man endured all this, because it was his feeling that his patient should be saved. All these scams have left many families in debt and homeless. Farmers became agricultural labourers. In some districts, government officials expedited the audit work, but in others efforts were made to evade responsibility.

Who will stop private hospitals from duping patients in such a dire situation like the Covid pandemic period? Taking lessons from the experience, the government should at least bring such unregulated hospitals under control. A firm step should be taken to provide free and quality health care to the citizens.

Shirish Khare has been associated with rural journalism for a long time and has been continuously reporting on the economic, social and health impacts of rural life during the Corona pandemic.

Why we need feminist leadership for climate justice

https://countercurrents.org/2022/05/why-we-need-feminist-leadership-for-climate-justice/

It is increasingly clear that climate change is a social justice issue that can be resolved only if global inequalities are addressed. There is a well-documented wealth gap – reflecting historical injustices and unequal power relations – between the nations responsible for emissions and those forced to deal with their harsh effects, which range from flooding to droughts and wildfires.

For all too long, white men in the Global North – largely untouched by the catastrophic realities of climate change – have dominated the climate debate. Those in the Global South, particularly women and Indigenous communities, have been ignored. The result is emissions that are higher than ever and a lack of climate finance to support mitigation and adaptation actions, and loss and damage.

Meanwhile, business-as-usual ‘solutions’, such as carbon offsetting, seem to worsen rather than address global inequalities. Oil giant Shell, for example, plans to offset 120 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from its polluting activities with large-scale tree plantations that are likely to drive land grabs in the Global South.

As Kenyan environment and climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti said:

“If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis we need to start listening and feel the pain of those suffering the consequences already today.”

by Barbara van Paassen

06/05/2022

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