Ramblings of a 70-year old: government

Showing posts with label government. Show all posts

Thursday, November 3, 2022

India imposed a ban on single use plastics but results are not showing even after three months

The ban on single use plastics imposed by India includes items like plates, cups, cutlery, straws, packaging films and cigarette packets. However, these are still in rampant circulation across the country and worsening pollution levels. Ravi Agarwal is the director of environmental NGO Toxics Link. He told a media outlet - "Though the central government has issued the ban, the implementation lies with the respective state governments and their state pollution control boards. The state's actions are not up to the mark; there seems to be lack of effective implementation strategy from the states to enforce the ban fully.” India uses about 14 million tons of plastic every year. The government has not issued any advisory on banning the use of SUPs. Neither are there any penalties. Therefore, SUP products continue to be available as usual. Why is India's single-use plastic ban failing? An official of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that in spite of the ban, the use of SUP items, specifically thin carry-bags, continues unabated in the low-end section of the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that his government would be actively working towards a crackdown on plastic in its second term in power. However, plastic waste generated across the country daily is 26,000 tons. Out of this, more than 10,000 tons remain uncollected. One drawback is an organized plastic waste management system. In its absence, there is widespread littering and plastics end up in rivers, oceans and landfills. These pose threats to the lives of wildlife species. A senior official of CPCB says - "… we have directed strict enforcement of the ban, with a focus on street vendors, vegetable markets and local markets, along with checks at borders and inspection of concerned industries." It is necessary to improve waste segregation… and ramp up the infrastructure for recycling.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Assets and properties of 19 TMC leaders including some ministers under scanner

After the revelation of reported assets of Partha Chatterjee, his removal from the cabinet as minister and jail sentence, the assets and properties of some more TMC leaders are under scanner of the authorities. There are 19 of the leaders and seven of them are ministers in the cabinet. They are Firhad Hakim, Bratya Basu; Jyotipriyo Mullick, Maloy Ghatak, Arup Roy, Javed Ahmed Khan; and Seuli Saha. There are two more leaders who are now deceased – they are Subrata Mukherjee and Sadhan Pandey. Details are at this link. HC directs ED to be party in PIL on assets of 19 TMC leaders, ministers. This is based on a PIL filed by an individual in 2017. It raised questions about the “spectacular growth in assets of 19 Trinamool legislators, parliamentarians and ministers of the state government.” The information is based on the affidavits the leaders had filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) when they filed their nominations for various elections. These revealed the growth of their assets over the years.

It is interesting to note that some of these names have links to the major Durga Pujas like Firhad Hakim (Chetla Agrani) and Subrata Mukherjee (Ekdalia Evergreen). Another TMC leader Partho Chatterjee, who had links to another high profile puja, is in trouble. It is the Naktala Udayan puja. These festivals involve huge sums of money and might have tempted some leaders to become careless. The financial position of those in high places should be more transparent. They should be careful when entrusted with funds associated with cultural programs like the Durga puja. It does not look nice when they pray to God for the welfare of their people while dipping their hands into the cash box.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Pomp and glamour in Durga Puja in Bengal

Durga Puja holds a pride of place in Bengal. It is an occasion when the whole of Bengal comes together to enjoy a few days of unbridled fun. There are hundreds of Pujas and organizers spend hours to come up with new and innovative ideas to capture the imagination of the public and increase footfalls. There have been decorations where the bulk of material used defy imagination. In the past, some have gone in for bamboos, others relied on sea shells, others on coconut while others selected discarded parts of motor vehicles. The design of the pandals relied on well-known buildings including temples, churches, castles and other such unique structures. It seems the brains behind the pujas begin work much in advance. In fact, the planning stage takes off soon after immersion of the idols. Incidentally, the scale of the festivities expanded about a decade earlier. It coincided with a new government taking over. Youngsters are usually the prime movers who breathe life into festivals. In this case, also, they emerged on the scene to change the concept of celebrations. They had the support of people who matter. Thus, the new age Durga Puja came into existence where there was no dearth of funds and the imagination of the organizers could take wings. This festival earned the UN Cultural Heritage status in 2021.

The organizers rightly deserve this recognition because it is a combined effort of not only Bengalis but also all those who contribute. They come from all walks of life and work towards a common goal – success of the programs. These begin from carrying the idols from Kumartuli to the lorries for moving to the pandals till the immersion of the idols in the Hoogly River. Then there are the dance programs mostly of housing societies. The participants include Bengalis and non-Bengalis. When the time comes for community lunch, a common feature, everyone sits together – irrespective of religious faith.