Palakkad
01 August 2019
After five years of non-congress rule in India, situation as on 01.08.2019 is as follows:
Demonetization had brought down the employment ratio in the country, with over 3.5 million people losing jobs within a span of four months (by February 2017) after its declaration in November 2016. Note Ban is an utter failure and it has led to closure or paralysation of a majority of SME and MSME Industries.
The Goods & Services Tax (GST) was planned and designed by UPA with an aim to integrate India’s 29 states into one market with a uniform set of tax rates. It was implemented by the succeeding government but with lot of shortcomings. It faltered on its implementation with five tax slabs and a complex filing process which alienated small traders and businessmen. This is yet to be corrected.
This government was lucky as oil prices fell drastically soon after it came to power in 2014. The Government did not pass on the benefit of lower oil prices (as low as $30 a barrel in early 2016) to consumers. Instead, it raised excise duties to keep the price of petrol and diesel as high as it was during the UPA era. Except during Election days, the oil prices are being raised from time to time and always on par with price of Private players.
BSNL is under threat of closure and the jobs of 54,000 employees are at stake. Jio is expanding and easily accommodating all customers migrating from BSNL.
Domestic consumption is at an all-time low, it is dropping to multi-quarter lows with declining volumes of a range of products including automobiles, air travel and consumer goods. There are confirmed reports of around RS 55,000.00 plus crores worth of unsold vehicles that are lying with manufacturers.
Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines closed and employees were not paid for months; no Government intervention was seen to solve the crisis.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which was originally to be partnered with Rafael, now, does not even have funds to pay salary to employees. It may be sold and Reliance may be the winning bidder.
Indian Postal losses touch Rs 15,000 crore in FY19; replaces Air India from the position.
Based on the statement of Finance Minister last week in the Lok Sabha, the number of borrowers declared as wilful defaulters by nationalised banks increased by 12% in the last fiscal. State-run banks had 8,582 wilful defaulters as of the end of the year ended March against 7,535 a year earlier, the government said.
Since May 2014, the corporates have benefitted over the expense of the common man. As many as 21 Public sector banks and three private banks have collected more than Rs 12,000 crore as a penalty for not maintaining minimum balance from 2014 onwards. The banks have written off Rs 3.16 lakh crore of NPAs during last five years, mostly (82%)belonging to large corporates.
The jobs situation is grim and has worsened in 2017-18, the first year for which an official survey was done comparable to previous surveys. The National Sample Survey Organisation’s Periodic Labour Force Survey has found that unemployment rate in 2017-18 was 6.1%, a 45-year high.
In spite of objection by leaders of various political parties, the Government amended the Right to Information Act (RTI). While most of the information (under RTI) is sought from the government, why it should block information? Isn’t it like killing the spirit of RTI?
Mob lynching has become a routine day to day affair. There has been a sharp increase in targeted, pre-planned attacks on Dalits and members of the minority community. Innocent civilians are beaten up and killed.
With Govt in Central and majority of states, cow terrorism has become the rule of the day. Reports are coming from various parts of the country that innocent human lives are lost by mob lynching in the name of cows.
After Pulwama, many seasoned reporters made 24/7 speeches showing unequivocal allegiances and top class editors parroted unbelievable and exaggerated claims. However the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that between 2014 and 2018, there has been a 93% rise in the number of security personnel martyred in terrorist incidents in J&K. The last five years also saw an increase of 176% in the number of terrorist incidents in the state.
Eight former service Chiefs, the Veterans’, claimed that the army is being used for political gains. But the Government supported by paid media continued to celebrate the Indian security forces’ victories for political gains till last day of the parliament election.
In May 2017, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that despite its efforts to improve the income and security of farming community, over 12,000 farmers reportedly committed suicides every year since 2013. The condition of farmers and farm workers worsened after 2014. The fuel and fertilisers prices have skyrocketed, while their incomes and wages have decreased. Yes the farmer suicides rose sharply during the last five years, and there were protests all over India. The Government silenced them through a debate on patriotism and nationalism with the help of Print and Electronic media.
Many pillars of India’s democratic Institutions are either compromised or subverted. It started from the Supreme Court to the Central Bank, from EC to CBI, CVC to Premier educational institutions.
The above facts are disturbing trends to the common man, but not news for Indian Print and Electronic media. As an opposition leader lamented “The power of truth is being completely replaced with the truth of power and anybody who attempts to speak the truth and stand for it is being pushed aside”.
MVR Menon
Mobile: +91 9445333388 Email: mvrmenon@gmail.com
01 August 2019
After five years of non-congress rule in India, situation as on 01.08.2019 is as follows:
Demonetization had brought down the employment ratio in the country, with over 3.5 million people losing jobs within a span of four months (by February 2017) after its declaration in November 2016. Note Ban is an utter failure and it has led to closure or paralysation of a majority of SME and MSME Industries.
The Goods & Services Tax (GST) was planned and designed by UPA with an aim to integrate India’s 29 states into one market with a uniform set of tax rates. It was implemented by the succeeding government but with lot of shortcomings. It faltered on its implementation with five tax slabs and a complex filing process which alienated small traders and businessmen. This is yet to be corrected.
This government was lucky as oil prices fell drastically soon after it came to power in 2014. The Government did not pass on the benefit of lower oil prices (as low as $30 a barrel in early 2016) to consumers. Instead, it raised excise duties to keep the price of petrol and diesel as high as it was during the UPA era. Except during Election days, the oil prices are being raised from time to time and always on par with price of Private players.
BSNL is under threat of closure and the jobs of 54,000 employees are at stake. Jio is expanding and easily accommodating all customers migrating from BSNL.
Domestic consumption is at an all-time low, it is dropping to multi-quarter lows with declining volumes of a range of products including automobiles, air travel and consumer goods. There are confirmed reports of around RS 55,000.00 plus crores worth of unsold vehicles that are lying with manufacturers.
Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines closed and employees were not paid for months; no Government intervention was seen to solve the crisis.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which was originally to be partnered with Rafael, now, does not even have funds to pay salary to employees. It may be sold and Reliance may be the winning bidder.
Indian Postal losses touch Rs 15,000 crore in FY19; replaces Air India from the position.
Based on the statement of Finance Minister last week in the Lok Sabha, the number of borrowers declared as wilful defaulters by nationalised banks increased by 12% in the last fiscal. State-run banks had 8,582 wilful defaulters as of the end of the year ended March against 7,535 a year earlier, the government said.
Since May 2014, the corporates have benefitted over the expense of the common man. As many as 21 Public sector banks and three private banks have collected more than Rs 12,000 crore as a penalty for not maintaining minimum balance from 2014 onwards. The banks have written off Rs 3.16 lakh crore of NPAs during last five years, mostly (82%)belonging to large corporates.
The jobs situation is grim and has worsened in 2017-18, the first year for which an official survey was done comparable to previous surveys. The National Sample Survey Organisation’s Periodic Labour Force Survey has found that unemployment rate in 2017-18 was 6.1%, a 45-year high.
In spite of objection by leaders of various political parties, the Government amended the Right to Information Act (RTI). While most of the information (under RTI) is sought from the government, why it should block information? Isn’t it like killing the spirit of RTI?
Mob lynching has become a routine day to day affair. There has been a sharp increase in targeted, pre-planned attacks on Dalits and members of the minority community. Innocent civilians are beaten up and killed.
With Govt in Central and majority of states, cow terrorism has become the rule of the day. Reports are coming from various parts of the country that innocent human lives are lost by mob lynching in the name of cows.
After Pulwama, many seasoned reporters made 24/7 speeches showing unequivocal allegiances and top class editors parroted unbelievable and exaggerated claims. However the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that between 2014 and 2018, there has been a 93% rise in the number of security personnel martyred in terrorist incidents in J&K. The last five years also saw an increase of 176% in the number of terrorist incidents in the state.
Eight former service Chiefs, the Veterans’, claimed that the army is being used for political gains. But the Government supported by paid media continued to celebrate the Indian security forces’ victories for political gains till last day of the parliament election.
In May 2017, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that despite its efforts to improve the income and security of farming community, over 12,000 farmers reportedly committed suicides every year since 2013. The condition of farmers and farm workers worsened after 2014. The fuel and fertilisers prices have skyrocketed, while their incomes and wages have decreased. Yes the farmer suicides rose sharply during the last five years, and there were protests all over India. The Government silenced them through a debate on patriotism and nationalism with the help of Print and Electronic media.
Many pillars of India’s democratic Institutions are either compromised or subverted. It started from the Supreme Court to the Central Bank, from EC to CBI, CVC to Premier educational institutions.
The above facts are disturbing trends to the common man, but not news for Indian Print and Electronic media. As an opposition leader lamented “The power of truth is being completely replaced with the truth of power and anybody who attempts to speak the truth and stand for it is being pushed aside”.
- Some say selective raids on channels and news houses, boycotting them, and stopping Govt advertising are tactics used to silence the press. Is it true?
- Or is it, as unearthed in last May’s Sting operation by Cobrapost, that some 25 of India’s leading media organizations were willing to participate in propaganda for the ruling party in consideration of some favour?
- What happened to Indian media? Are they helping to usher in single party authoritarian rule in India?
- Where has its capacity and commitment to chase stories of consequences vanished, what reason? What purpose???
MVR Menon
Mobile: +91 9445333388 Email: mvrmenon@gmail.com
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