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Bollywood actor Sonu Sood launches app to help non-resident workers of different states find employment

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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Sonu Sood launched an app on Wednesday to support non-resident workers of different states to find job opportunities during this pandemic. He made the headlines when he had helped several of them reach home amid the COVID pandemic. He has now come out with an app called Pravasi Rojgar, which will provide the right links to various job opportunities for these non-resident workers.

News18 reported that the 47-year-old actor had noticed how the conversations of these workers would often revolve around how they were looking for the right work opportunity amid the pandemic while he had been helping them get back home.

“Lot of thinking, planning, and preparation have gone into designing this initiative over the last few months, in order to ensure that it is holistic and builds on the work already being done in the country. Extensive consultations have been held with top organisations that are involved at the grassroots level in skilling and placing the youth below the poverty line, NGOs, philanthropic organisations, government functionaries, strategy consultants, technology startups and above all the returned migrants whom I have helped,” Sood said in a statement.

This initiative is to be conducted using community outreach programs in villages to find opportunities for them all over the country by tying up with over 500 reputed companies in fields like construction, apparel, logistics, etc. This app will also be offering specific job training programs like spoken English and will have a 24*7 helpline in major cities.

Muslims of Afganistan and Rohingyas converting To Christianity to take advantage of CAA

By
The Commune
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News has emerged that Muslims from Afghanistan and the Rohingyas are trying to take advantage and avail the benefits of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by opting to convert to Christianity, the Economic Times reported.

Security agencies have alerted the government of this new development. 25 cases of Muslims from Afghanistan converting to Christianity in order to take advantage of CAA have been flagged by the agencies.

Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar are also claiming their country of origin to be Bangladesh and converting to Christianity to avail the CAA provision.

Officials said the CAA can be exploited by those who are either rejected for asylum by UNHCR or are refugee Muslims who came to India before the cut-off date, the Economic Times reported.

The CAA which became law on January 10, 2020, gives Indian Citizenship to the persecuted religious minorities belonging to six non-Muslim communities, namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Religious minorities in Islamic states of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh face persecution on a daily basis owing to their religion. Houses are attacked, girls are abducted and forcibly converted and then married off to Muslim men.

Recently the Haqqani network which acts as a paramilitary Islamists force for the Pakistani army attacked Sikhs in Kabul and 25 people lost there lives.

Also, as the CAA is only applicable for persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

According to the chief of an Afghan church in Delhi, Adib Ahmed Maxwell, the number of Afghan Muslims willing to convert to Christianity following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has increased. Also, there is a looming threat of the Taliban taking over Afganistan in the future as the Americans have signed a peace deal with them ending nearly two-decade military presence.

Maxwell himself is said to have come to India at the age of 21. His parents follow Sunni Islam and live near Kabul in Afghanistan. “Most Afghans apply for asylum under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” he said.

It is said that many of them are converting to Christianity as it makes their migration to Canada and other European countries easier.

Like Maxwell, Afghan pastors have welcomed the CAA but feel that the government should have some safeguards to keep a check on those converting to Christianity from Islam.

As per data, around 1.5 to 1.6 lakh Afghan Muslims currently reside in the Delhi NCR region and roughly 40,000 Rohingya Muslims all over India and also in parts of Jammu.

Flipkart acquires complete stake in Walmart India to aid small businesses

By
Preetika Parashuraman
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Flipkart has decided to acquire Walmart India’s cash-and-carry business as it aims to expand its business-to-business vertical.

This step will consolidate Walmart’s complete retail portfolio under the e-commerce giant. 

It also stems from the country’s e-commerce war with Reliance Jio’s plans to take advantage of its telecom reach to propel online commerce.

The retailer will launch its Flipkart Wholesale unit next month, starting with fashion and grocery categories and is planning to compete directly with  Reliance JioMart, Udaan, Metro Cash & Carry, and Amazon’s B2B division.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Chief Executive Officer, Flipkart Group said that this move will extend their capabilities across technology, logistics, and finance to small businesses across the country. 

There is potential to strengthen our position to address the needs of small businesses uniquely, he added. 

Walmart India CEO Sameer Aggarwal will remain with the company for the transition, after which he will move to another role within Walmart. 

“In terms of legal structure, currently Walmart India is a separate entity within the Flipkart Group,” he added. 

Walmart India employees will transition to the Flipkart Group. The Best Price brand will continue to operate via its network of 28 stores and ecommerce operations.

Source: Business Today

Mike Pompeo: Time is right for India to end dependency on China

By
The Commune
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As the world is battling with the Wuhan virus and China’s grip over the global supply chain, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called on India to end its dependence on Chinese goods, reports Wion.

There is already growing tensions between Washington and Beijing and this comment was made by Pompeo when he was addressing a US-India virtual business summit.

During his address, Pompeo said the current situation is a great opportunity for New Delhi to attract global supply chains away from China and said, “India has a chance to attract global supply chains away from China and reduce its reliance on Chinese companies in areas like telecommunications, medical supplies, and others. India is in this position because it has earned the trust of many nations around the world, including the United States.”

US-China relations took a nosedive since Donald Trump was elected president and the coronavirus pandemic has turned out to be the tipping point not to mention the deteriorating political situation in Hong Kong.

On Wednesday (July 23) Washington ordered Beijing to shut its consulate in Houston.

Also, on Tuesday (July 22), the United States Justice Department indicted two Chinese nationals for hacking defence contractors, COVID-19 researchers and hundreds of other victims worldwide according to Aljazeera.

China and India also have long had a prickly relationship and it hit a low ebb following a border clash on June 15 that left 20 Indian soldiers dead as well as an unknown number of Chinese casualties.

Pompeo said, “The clashes were initiated by China’s armed forces and were another example of unacceptable behaviour from China’s ruling Communist Party.”

He also said he supports India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, saying the video-sharing app “presents serious security risks for the Indian people”.

In the same event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an open invitation to US companies to invest in his nation of 1.3 billion people, and this will help the economies both countries bounce back as the Coronavirus spreads.

Methane leak in Antarctica causes alarm

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
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Scientists have discovered active methane leaking from Antarctica’s seabed, which has caused widespread alarm. The events that possibly lead up to it are still not confirmed and research is going on to analyse how and why the leak happened. Scientists have hypothesized that this could probably be the result of warming up of oceans, as reported by Wion. 

This methane leak was first spotted in 2011 when deep-sea divers had noticed it, and was taken up for research by scientists in 2016.

Methane is one of the primary contributors to climate change and is a very harmful gas. It was found to have been stored under Antarctica seabed at a large quantity and has been termed as “incredibly concerning” by scientists. What is surprising is the fact that the Ross Sea, which houses Antarctica’s seabed, has not been found to be heating up enough so as to release the trapped methane.

Andrew Thurber one of the researchers in this project had told The Guardian that, in addition to the fact that there is a methane leak, the absence of any microorganisms down there is more alarming. He added that the microbes in question came from an unexpected strain. He added how it might take over 10 years for a community to fully adapt to consuming methane.

23 year old student files first climate change lawsuit against Australia Govt

By
Vaibavi Jayakumar
-

Australian Government finds itself facing its first lawsuit against climate change filed by a 23-year-old student. This has been a ‘hot’ issue in Australia since the bushfires of 2019 had wreaked havoc on the country’s ecosystem. This lawsuit has been filed alleging the government’s failure to disclose climate change-related risk to the investors in the country’s resources, as reported by Wion.

Kathleen O’Donnell, the plaintiff, in this case, has claimed in her litigation that investors in the country’s sovereign bonds should be made aware of the climate change risks, as it may be difficult for Australia to pay back its debts in any case.

This lawsuit has come in a scenario where there is already a looming call in the global arena for a green recovery amid the global pandemic. In the wake of this many large investment managers have pledged zero carbon emissions by 2050 across their country. Kathleen is alleging that the government has breached disclosure of these details and has sought the court’s order to restrain any more promotion of e-AGBs until there is complete disclosure.

A spokeswoman from the government’s side had told Reuters that the government was aware of the lawsuit.

Australia is the second-largest exporter of coal and is also the second-largest per capita carbon emitter, after the United States. Notably, it only contributes to 1.3 % of the world’s carbon emissions.

When police pelted stones and killed people for asking a wage rise of ₹30: Know about the Manjolai Massacre, TN’s Jallianwala Bagh

By
The Commune
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The plight of the tea estate plantation workers at the Manjolai Hills near Tirunelveli was nothing less than distressing. They were paid a meagre daily wage of ₹70 with backbreaking working conditions. The estate owners forced them to stay in sheds with poor facilities. They were denied the right to rear cattle or even raise a garden. Various protests were organized demand better wages and working conditions and many estate workers were arrested.

To protest against the administration’s apathy towards the inhumane conditions, a large number of tea estate workers from Manjolai congregated in Tirunelveli and marched towards the Collectorate on 23rd July 1999 to submit a memorandum demanding better wages and for the release of 652 workers arrested earlier for staging a demonstration on June 8, 1999. Around 5000 people reportedly participated in the procession. They had also obtained police permission for the protest. The procession was led by S. Balakrishnan of Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), President of Puthiya Tamizhagam Dr. Krishnaswamy, and a few leaders from the Communist parties (CPI and CPI-M). What followed was a massacre.

TN’s Jallianwala Bagh

The procession was stopped 50 metres away from the main gate of the collectorate by the police officers. The leaders had tried to negotiate with the police officers to let them submit the petition. But the Deputy Commissioner of Police Shylesh Kumar Yadav rejected their protest. Meanwhile, a section of the crowd tried to enter the premises through another entry point via the Tamirabarani river bank. Noticing this, the police unleashed violence on the protestors from all sides. Apart from lathi charging and shooting in the air, the police pelted stones and bricks on the crowd.

Like how the helpless crowd jumped into the well at Jallianwala Bagh when General Dyer opened fire, the panic stricken men and women ran and towards the river bank and jumped into the Tamirabarani river. The police too jumped into the water and gave severe blows. Some of the police attacked even those who were trying to rescue people from drowning while a few other policemen crossed the bank to continue their attack. Seventeen people lost their lives including two women and a 2 year old child.

DMK’s sins

The bodies of the victims were buried in a hurry under tight security on July 28.

Concerned about their fate in the next elections that was to be held in September and October 1999, the DMK government under M. Karunanidhi sought to placate the public anger by immediately appointing a single member commission under retired district judge K. Karthikeyan. Cases against the 652 workers who were kept in Tiruchirapalli Central Prison arrested were withdrawn and were released on July 28.

On the previous day (July 27), Karunanidhi in a statement blamed the workers for instigating violence. He belittled their demands saying that all problems have been solved except the demand related to “half a day’s wage”. The worker had demanded the withdrawal of 50% cut in their daily wages which the management had imposed over the past four years.

They had also demanded for the suspension of police officers and a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court. The DMK government appointed a retired Supreme Court judge S. Mohan to probe the incident. However, the demand for suspension of officers and a new post-mortem on the victims were rejected.

Families of those who died were given compensation in monetary terms while a few others were provided with jobs. However, last year the V Palani, the then CPM district secretary had told TOI that the victims got compensation and not justice.

Even today this incident evokes the tragic memories amongst the Manjolai tea estate workers.

 

India a rising defence, security partner of US: Mike Pompeo

By
The Commune
-

Speaking in the virtual keynote address to the annual ‘India Ideas Summit’ of the US India Business Council (USIBC), United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo described India as a few “trusted like-minded countries”.

Secretary Pompeo also called India an important partner and a key pillar of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and also mentioned about India being a “rising” US defence and security partner in the Indo-Pacific and globally and the US desiring a “new age of ambition” in its relationship with India.

Pompeo went on to add that in the history of US-India relationship there has never been greater cooperation and support for India’s security.

He further said, “We don’t just interact on a bilateral basis. We see each other for what we are great democracies, global powers and really good friends. India is one of the few trusted like-minded countries whose leaders I call on a regular basis for counsel and collaboration on issues that span continents,”.

Pompeo also said the US has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the next G7 meeting to be hosted by President Trump and said, “I’m confident that our relationship is only getting stronger. Let’s emerge from this current challenge more resilient and innovative than before. And let’s seize this moment to deepen cooperation between two of the world’s greatest democracies,”.

“We will advance the economic prosperity network. It is the group of countries and organisations that we consider natural partners with we share values like democracy, transparency and rule of law,” he further added.

The Group of Seven (G-7) consists of economically developed countries like Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

They are the largest IMF-advanced economies in the world.

When asked on the growing defence partnership and security, Pompeo said, “I’m confident that with our concerted efforts, we can protect our interests”. We’ve revived the so-called quad that comprised the US, India, Japan and Australia. India is also part of a group of like-minded nations that I’ve convened regularly to advance shared interests,”.

With China being assertive in the South China Sea and making regular incursion in the Indian Ocean, India has deepened its defence relationship with the US, Australia, Japan and France in the Indo-Pacific region.

On Monday (July 20), a US Navy carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz carried out a military joint naval exercise with a fleet of Indian warships off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Indian Navy’s warships INS Rana, INS Sahyadri, INS Shivalik, and INS Kamorta were involved in an intense naval exercise with the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in the Indian Ocean off Andaman in the “PASSEX” exercise.

The exercise conducted close to Malacca Strait is to show China that there are countries who can block the important sea lane, vital for the communist country, and could easily choke the movement of its ships.

Such exercises enhance interoperability between two of the worlds most advanced navies. Both the countries are conducting high-end exercises designed to maximize training and this also includes air defence elements.

Also, it has been reported that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had also sent Jaguar fighter jets to Andaman and Nicobar Island which is very close to the critical and one of the busiest shipping lane, the Strait of Malacca.

India’s Minister for External Affair Minster S. Jaishankar who is set to release his new book titled “The India Way: Strategies For An Uncertain World”, said, “Non-alignment was a term of a particular era and geopolitical landscape,” Jaishankar said during a discussion on a TV channel. “The era of great caution, the era of greater dependence on multilateralism…that era is to a certain extent behind us,”.

The de-escalation process in Ladakh is still far from over as China is using every tactic to gain advantage in this region to safeguard its China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Belts and Road Initiative (BRI).

The joint naval exercise with the US navy is a clear signal to China that it will face stiff resistance for its muscle flexing.

The US had already stated that it rejects most of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea as “completely unlawful” and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also said that the US will never allow China turn the South China Sea as its “maritime empire”.

Pompeo on July 21  came down heavily on China by saying that China cannot threaten countries and bully them in the Himalayas.

India and Russia likely sign defence logistics sharing pact allowing access to each other naval ports

By
The Commune
-

As India and the United States concluded a naval exercise in the Andaman and Nicobar in the Indian Ocean, India and Russia are likely to sign a defence logistics sharing agreement at the annual summit planned later this year, reports Economic Times.

After the agreement is signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement will simplify interoperability and will give support to India’s military platforms like warships and aircraft.

Right now the negotiations are ongoing and an agreement could be signed in the next edition of the annual summit when Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit India later this year.

By signing this agreement both nations warships will get access to mutual ports and exclusive economic zones to refuel and pick up supplies.

The Indian Navy operates several warships built by Russia and this pact will allow a smooth transit during exercises or refits and allow the Indian Air Force (IAF) to deploy aircraft for joint exercises.

Within the pact, there is also a proposal, wherein a certain number of troops could be deployed in each other’s country.

Russia has a shortage of warm weather ports and this pact could give Russia access to Indian ports like Mumbai and Vishakhapatnam for refuelling. For India, Russian airbases and ports including the ports in the Russian part of Arctic will help gain operational experience in a cold environment.

India has already signed similar logistics sharing pacts with the United States, France and Australia and is also finalising an agreement with Japan.

No, EVR was not conferred Socrates of ‘South-East’ Asia title by UNESCO: Maridhas exposes the truth behind the EVR’s UNESCO award and Periyar statues in TN

By
The Commune
-

After exposing the links between News 18 Tamil Nadu, Karuppar Koottam, DK, and the DMK, Maridhas in his latest video sheds light on the blatant lie peddled by the DK and DMK about E.V. Ramasamy Naicker (known by his followers as Periyar). He highlights two issues that warrants everybody’s attention – the so called ‘UNESCO award’ and the Periyar statues placed opposite to temples in Tamil Nadu

The truth behind UNESCO award

For long, it has been said, written and ingrained in the minds of people that EVR was conferred with the title of “Socrates of South-East Asia” by the UNESCO. This had found its place even in school textbooks of Tamil Nadu and was even asked as a question in annual examinations and Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exams.

However, this award has turned out to be a sham. An email response from the UNESCO office in Delhi has confirmed that no such award/title was given to E.V. Ramasamy Naicker.

Even in the award, there exists a conspicuous error. The title of the award says “Socrates of South-East Asia”. India does not fall under the South-East Asia grouping. The South-East nations include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. India comes under South Asia and not South-East Asia.

For more than 40 years, this lie has been peddled with several articles and research papers on EVR written based on this lie. None in the media or those belonging to the ‘intellectual’ circle who speak of facts has ever opened their mouths about this blatant lie peddled.

Then who gave the award to EVR? It was none other than late former DMK leader M. Karunanidhi in the presence of Dravida Kazhagam President K. Veeramani.

EVR statues outside temples

On 24th January 1973, the then DMK government under M. Karunanidhi had constituted the “Periyar Statue Committee” through a G.O. (G.O.Ms. No. 162)

Through this, the DMK government had appropriated several small pieces of land from different corporations and municipalities and had given it to the Dravida Kazhagam party. The DK then built statues on these lands situated just opposite to Hindu temples using public money given to them by the government.

This Maridhas says is not out of Karunanidhi’s adoration for Periyar. A couple of years before that, Karunanidhi even took jibes and criticized EVR. The Periyar Statue Committee was constituted for political purposes.

In 1972, Dr. M.G. Ramachandran quit the DMK to form his own party – All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). As a response to this, Karunanidhi in order to show that the DMK was a party driven by Dravidian ideology unlike the AIADMK that was helmed by a cinema star, formed the Periyar Statue Committee to prove his Dravidian credentials.

Hence, Maridhas mentions that Periyar statues built across Tamil Nadu in several places was built for political purposes, using public money given to a political party and that too in front of Hindu temples.

The pedestal of EVR’s statues is inscribed with the words “There is no God. God does not exist. He who created God is a fool”. This however, cannot be found in front of a mosque or church for reasons best known.

Towards the end of the video Maridhas urges the public to take the initiative once again to reach out to the Tamil Nadu mainstream news channels regarding the “Socrates of South-East Asia” award and ask them about when they will hold a debate on the matter. Along with this, he also urges to file an RTI (Right to Information) with the Tamil Nadu government to obtain information on the total area allocated for building EVR statues, the number of statues built so far, how many of them were built outside temples, mosques and churches, and the total money allocated for this purpose. He equated it with the statues built by Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh during her government which was struck down by the Supreme Court.

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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