Agricultural Loans Worth Rs 59,000 Crore Went to 615 Accounts in one year

Answer by Govt to an RTI filed by 'The Wire' reveals that Agricultural Loans Worth Rs 59,000 Crore Went to 615 Accounts in one year. That makes a per capita loan of 95 crores to so called Agricultural Institutions at a concessional rate of Interest @4%. Some people asserted that this was unfair and the real beneficiary should always be the end farmers. They thought government was doing something wrong in allowing agriculture loans to big corporate. 

When I read further, I found that these big accounts which received loans are of big agri-business companies e.g. Reliance Fresh who do direct sourcing of farm products and then sell the products. It is easy to say that small farmers should also get easy loans but difficult to recover and get into loan waiver politics. But at the same time I think concessional loans to agri business companies would eventually help the end customers by keeping price down and hence keep food inflation down. So it is not that bad a thing in my opinion.

A cheap loan to anyone part of the whole food supply chain would in the end benefit the end customers by keeping the food prices and food inflation low. 

At the same time one can take note that 'The Wire' has leftist leaning. It was started by an ex-editor of 'The Hindu' (a left-leaning newspaper) and is widely believed to be anti-BJP and anti-Modi. 

महिलाओं की व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता का मुद्दा

यह बगावत का नहीं इंडिविजुअल फ्रीडम या व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता का मुद्दा है।.

जैसे जानवरों को देखें तो ग्रुप में रहते हैं ग्रुप में शिकार करते हैं, क्योंकि उनके लिए "सेफ्टी" या सुरक्षा सर्वोपरि है। मानव सभ्यता में शुरू में ऐसा ही था - पहले जान बचानी थी, व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता को कौन पूछे? पर जैसे जैसे मानव सभ्यता आगे डेवेलप हो रही है, व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता और निर्णय लेने की स्वतंत्रता उतनी जरुरी होती जा रही है।

न तो सारे देश एक हैं और न सारे समाज एक; पर धीरे धीरे मानव समाज को हर व्यक्ति (महिला या पुरुष) को व्यक्तिगत स्वतंत्रता देना ही होगा। आप बोल सकते हैं कि ऐसा होने पर परिवार टूटेंगे और पुराने संस्कार ज्यादा अच्छे थे - पर दुनिया की सोच किसी और ओर जा रही है।

हवा की कोई दिशा मोड़ पाया है कोई?

गो-तश्करों की पिटाई और गौरक्षकों का आतंक

हाल के दिनों में मीडिया में ऐसी खबरों को प्रमुखता से दिखाया जा रहा है जिसमे बेगुनाह मुसलमान व्यक्तियों को गोरक्षा के नाम पर पीटा जाता है।

मैं हिंसा का समर्थन नहीं करता पर हाल में देश में जो माहौल बना है उसे समझ जा सकता है। कानून तो ७० साल से था पर सच ये है कि गोतश्करों को रोकने में बिल्कुल नाकाम था। तो कुछ युवाओं ने कहा कि "अब बस" और लगे खुद ही तश्करों को पकड़ने और सजा देने। यही चीज जब फिल्मों में दिखाई जाती है, जब हीरो गुंडों को मारता है तो सब सीटी बजाते हैं और पसंद करते हैं। जब रेपिस्ट्स को बीच बाजार लटकाने की बात आती है तो अधिकांश लोग "कानून को हाथ में मत उठाना" ऐसा कहते नहीं दीखते। बस जब गोहत्या और गोतश्करों की बात आती है तो कानून याद आता है और हम देश के कानूनी रखवाले और आदर्श नागरिक बन जाते हैं। ऐसा क्यों?

मुद्दे की बात ये है कि अभी जो माहौल है उससे सालों से गोहिंसा और गोतश्करी करते आ रहे वर्ग विशेष में खलबली है। मीडिया जो एक तरह की बात को ज्यादा हाईलाइट करता है वो भी बात समझी जा सकती है। बस "गेहूं के साथ घुन पिसता है' की कहावत की तरह कुछ बेगुनाह लोगों को सतर्क रहना होगा।

यदि राज्यों की पुलिस अब देश के माहौल को देखते हुए गोतश्करों के खिलाफ खुद अच्छे से एक्शन लेती है तो ये गोरक्षकों द्वारा कानून हाथ में लेने की घटनाएँ अपनेआप रुक जाएँगी। पर बिकाऊ मीडिया को "बेगुनाह पीटा गया" दिखा-दिखा कर टी आर पी बटोरनी है; तो देखें क्या होता है।

Appreciating Dissent When it is Against Someone Else

Justice Chandrachud of the Supreme Court has made a remark which is apparently targeted at the ruling party in Government. He said, “Dissent is the safety valve. If you try to clam it shut, there will be a bigger build up of pressure. The Pressure Cooker is likely to burst and cause much larger damage." 

While the statement is very fine in isolation and without reference but when we look at it in the perspective of which it has been said, it takes a different meaning. The statement was apparently made in reference to the arrest of some communist leaders on the charges of plotting to kill India's popular Prime Minister. 

It is easy to say that dissent should be welcomed but it is easier said than done. We had seen how SC had handled its own dissenters - the 3 judges drama - by doing nothing.

It is nice to play with others' wounds, and when your own turn comes, then all the philosophy goes into steam. 

Judiciary these days is all the business of "preaching" a lot, while millions of cases remain pending and innocent people rotting in jails without verdict. The Supreme Court should focus on what is ailing the legal system of India and try to bring about positive changes. Merely serving sermons and playing "nice guy" by doing "nice talk" won't help much.

- Rahul

Hating Nehru and Teen Murti Complex Controversy

Some people are worried about growing lack of popularity of India's first Prime Minister - Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. They fail to realize that 'Nehru' is not just a surname or a name of a dead person. It is a brand; it is a notion; it is a sentiment; and it is a legacy. Just like people who would love to soak in it, there would be people who would love to loath it. We have to come to terms with this phenomenon. Your position on Nehru may be in intellectual one; but the moment 'Nehru' word is read by readers, it 'triggers' a host of chain reactions in them. Thereafter, they can't objectively discuss the subject, because the brand becomes the subject in itself. 

As a personal figure, for someone, Nehru may be pioneer of modern India. For a juvenile, he may be a good uncle who wears costly white suits. For a netizen, he may be root cause of lots of our burden. For someone else he may just be a chapter from the history book. All may look at his different aspects. It is futile to force everyone look at him through one's own glasses. 

Nehru became a matter of discussion because of recent decision by a museum to include in it artifacts about other Prime Ministers as well. The whole controversy was unnecessary. You can read here: 

Museum director Shakti Sinha told The Indian Express: “I would humbly like to say that the objections are a little misplaced. Even in the present set-up, less than 2% of the books, documents and other items in our repository are about Nehru. When we expand the repository to include other PMs, we will be adding to Nehru as well in the process. Nowhere are we obliterating Nehru, we will make it Nehru-plus.”

https://scroll.in/latest/892158/museum-for-all-pms-at-teen-murti-complex-will-not-hurt-nehrus-legacy-says-director

Is there something wrong in it? I don't think so. 

Some people are lost in their love for Nehru because of his book "The Discovery of India". I would advise such people to also look at others who 'discovered' India as well and in different tastes than Nehru did. E.g. what about Ravindranath Tagore and his literature? Premchand and his literature? Vivekananda? Devdutt Pattanaik. Arun Shourie. Gulzar. RK Laxman. It should not always be only about Nehru.

- Rahul