VOX POPULI
by
AAM ADMI
Issue No. : N 014
Issue Date: 9 Jan 2023
Contents:
1. Revising Indian History
2. Kashmir Is Not Normal
3. Having The Rupay Debit Card Widely Accepted
4. Supreme Court Judgment On Demonetisation Only About Following Due
Process & Legality Not On The Basic Premise Of The Measure
Revising Indian History : 8 Jan 2023
There have been calls from Prime Minister Modi and his henchman, Home Minister Amit Shah that Indian history as we see it in our books and records is distorted and this needs to be corrected. There is no doubt about the first part of this statement since most Indian history is projected prior to our Independence through British and/or foreign eyes. Thus it introduces a slant or bias which is favourable to the colonialists. Therefore this needs to be corrected. But the manner of doing this should be through an objective and impartial basis since in the process of re-writing our history we should not over-correct the bias and swing the other way. There is a great chance of this happening since the Saffron Brigade has almost all and sundry of its members coming out with incidents and stories that they claim to be history and insist upon its inclusion. They fail to realise that legend is not history. This was the deficiency of the bakhars maintained in the courts of our kings and emperors including that of the Mughal dynasty considered one of the line of royalty that ruled India somewhat like what we know it is today and for long. With the explosion of social media it is easy to perpetuate this wrong history and like they say if you keep repeating a lie a thousand times it becomes the truth. Thus it is best that a Board may be set up to revise Indian History which can take a correct view and project it in an appropriate manner.
Kashmir Is Not Normal : 6 Jan 2023
The Rajouri terror incident exposes the lie that everything is normal in Kashmir. However much the government tries it is not easy to restore normalcy in the State with the porous border that we have with Pakistan. Other than the terror incidents instigated from across the border we have the targeted killings of Hindus & Pandits that are a matter of concern. The Pandits who had moved back to Kashmir are wanting to flee which the State government is desperately trying to stop since it contradicts their official line that the Pandits are coming back and are living normally in the State. Some of the Pandits have moved from the Valley to Jammu fearing attacks and have asked that their jobs be given to them in Jammu which the government is refusing. In all this the State government recently had a festival to promote tourism to the State for which they had lit up the surrounding areas around Dal Lake. This when with the onset of winter the people of the Valley have 12 hour power cuts and low voltage problems. The local people are asking where does the government get the power when it cannot give it to domestic consumers and has also banned the use of electric heaters at home during the winter. Thus the Kashmir administration is pursuing the false narrative that everything is normal and in that process depriving the local people of essential necessities like electricity.
Having The Rupay Debit Card Widely Accepted : 5 Jan 2023
We have the Rupay Debit card which we find cannot be used with our own government agencies and websites. For renewing my Driving Licence the Goa government Transport Dept. told me that I should bring a Visa or MasterCard and that my Rupay Debit card is not acceptable. Finally I had to take a Visa card since the Transport Dept. has stopped accepting cash. This involved 2 visits to their office with consequent standing in queues etc. for a senior citizen like me which is a nuisance. Similarly, for linking your PAN Card with your Aadhar Card, the Income Tax Dept. website does not accept the Rupay Debit card or have our bank, Union Bank of India, a scheduled PSU Bank on the list of Banks that they accept though a number of private banks appear on the approved list. It is another matter that for linking your PAN Card with your Aadhar Card the newspapers said that you can do this free until 31 March 2023 and only after that there is a charge levied for the exercise, Rs. 500 until 31 March 2023 and Rs. 1000 after that. But the website asks for Rs. 1000 to be paid even now. As for the Rupay Debit card when we had to do some hotel bookings, the website booking.com also refused the card. Thus something has to be done so that the Rupay Debit card is accepted at all locations particularly government and commonly used websites. This is being advised since our FM Nirmala Sitharaman recently while abroad had plugged for the Rupay Debit card to be accepted internationally since it is an India origin card. But should she not see that it is used across the board in India particularly with government for the convenience of its users before she goes abroad with it.
Supreme Court Judgment On Demonetisation Only About Following Due Process & Legality Not On The Basic Premise Of The Measure : 3 Jan 2023
The Supreme Court in its judgment on Demonetisation cleared the mechanism of taking the decision by the government and whether due process was properly followed but it did not give a clearance on the necessity of Demonetisation and in the manner of its implementation. That Demonetisation was misconceived and not at all necessary has been brought out in many a forum. That the introduction of the Rs. 2,000 note created snafus at ATM's, was out of context with shopping practices resulting in many small shopkeepers refusing supply of goods when proferred this note and that instead of reducing black money it allowed more black money to be stored in the same space. These facts have now been implicitly proven since the Rs. 2,000 note is almost out of normal circulation. The government is not able to demonetise or withdraw this note since it would immediately attract attention to Demonetisation with accusations that no purpose was served by this measure. Apart from this the pain inflicted on common people during the withdrawal of the old currency notes and replacement with the new notes that led to many lives being lost even in the queues formed in front of banks to exchange the notes. Thereafter the disruption of businesses leading to the closure of many MSME's is a fact that cannot be denied. These aspects are not part of the legal scrutiny by the Supreme Court. Thus Demonetisation remains the most misconceived of policy decisions in independent India which had drastic ramifications on the people of this country from all walks of life without meeting even a single stated objective as set out by the incumbent government.
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If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to:
S Kamat
Mob: 0 7218698906
Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com
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