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FASTag is mandatory from February 15, 2021: Here is all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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FASTag is mandatory from February 15, 2021: Here is all you need to know

From February 15, 2021, FASTag has become compulsory for all vehicles across the country. If you have not yet bought FASTag and understood how it works, it is high time you learn everything about it. FASTag is a government-initiated program that works like a prepaid system for toll plazas on national highways. Over 20 major banks are permitted to issue FASTag that can be used to facilitate a payment collection system at toll plazas.

Initially started in 2014 between Ahmedabad and Mumbai, the government has made FASTag mandatory for all new vehicles sold in India in 2017. From February 15, 2021, all 600+ toll plazas of NHAI and over 100 state highway toll plazas will collect payments primarily using FASTag. In case any vehicle does not have FASTag, it will be allowed to pass the toll plaza only after paying toll charges in double.

How does it work?

FASTag uses Radio Frequency Identification technology or RFID to allow users to pay toll fees directly from their savings or prepaid accounts. Indian Highway Management Company Limited, a subsidiary of National Highway Authority of India, operates the technology. The RFID induced sticker is affixed on the windscreen of the vehicle. FASTag is directly connected to your prepaid wallet which you can link to your Savings or Current account.

When RFID interacts with the FASTag system at the toll plaza, the payment gets deducted from your wallet automatically making it an entirely cashless transaction. The toll plaza records all the information from the FASTag when the vehicle passed through it, eliminating the need of halt during the trip.

Why is FASTag important?

Transport Corporation of India (TCI) and IIM Kolkata researched the time vehicles spend on toll plazas. They found that every year India loses around USD 6.6 billion due to transportation delays. To rectify the issue, the government introduced the Electronic Toll Collection system. A National Highways Programme was announced to reconstruct the toll collection system for better efficiency of the National Highway Grid.

Benefits of FASTag

The main aim of FASTag system is to ensure ideal traffic flow and reduce congestion at the toll plazas. Apart from smoother vehicular movement, there are several other benefits of FASTag.

For regular commuters who use highways frequently will spend lesser time searching for change at toll plazas.

As it is entirely contactless, it ensures hygiene and safety.

Due to the least human intervention, it makes the payment process efficient and effective.

It helps in reducing carbon footprint as it reduces the time spent by vehicles on toll plazas.

FASTag is mandatory even if you don’t take the vehicle on highways

The government is aiming to make FASTag a one-stop-solution for all utilities including parking lots etc. FASTag will be mandatory to get third-party insurance from April 1, 2021. Any vehicle can legally run on Indian roads only if the owner has opted for minimum insurance cover, also known as third-party insurance. If you enter a FASTag lane without FASTag, you will have to pay double the fees. The same rule will apply if you do not have a sufficient balance in your prepaid wallet.

How to get FASTag?

You can buy FASTag from any one of the authorized banks, including SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Paytm and several others. You can also buy FASTag from toll plazas. You will need some documents to buy FASTag:

  • Registration Certificate of the vehicle
  • Passport photo of the owner of the vehicle
  • KYC documents based on the category of the vehicle, i.e. personal or corporate
  • PAN Card/Voter ID/Passport
  • Aadhar Card

How to recharge FASTag?

You can recharge your FASTag using different modes of payments including Credit Card, Debit Card, Netbanking, NEFT and others.

What if FASTag gets damaged?

In case FASTag gets damaged, you can get a replacement from the issuer.

What if someone sells the car?

If you sell your car to someone else, inform the issuer about the transfer.

Though the system is robust and works perfectly, if there is any complaint regarding incorrect deduction or it does not work despite having balance in the prepaid account, please contact the issuer. The agency will review the complaint and act accordingly.

Disha Ravi and Nikita Jacob took part in an online meeting with Khalistani Mo Dhaliwal of PJF to create unrest on January 26

OpIndia Staff
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Disha Ravi and Nikita Jacob took part in an online meeting with Khalistani Mo Dhaliwal of PJF to create unrest on January 26

After the arrest of alleged ‘climate activist’ Disha Ravi on the back of the ‘Toolkit’ tweeted by Greta Thunberg, which detailed a co-ordinated global plan against India during the farmer protests, more information is now tumbling out that points towards an active coordination between Khalistanis and the so-called activists who were involved in writing and distributing the ‘Toolkit’.

As per the reports, two activists Disha Ravi and Nikita Jacob took part in an online meeting with Poetic Justice Foundation’s Mo Dhaliwal, who had earlier declared that he is a ‘proud Khalistani’, to discuss and plan a Twitter storm ahead of India’s Republic Day, which saw a massive insurrection attempt and widespread violence by so-called farmers in Delhi. In the Zoom meeting, the group had formulated a plan to post messages, graphics and videos ahead of Republic Day to spread their propaganda against India in the background of farmer protests.

Zee News reported that during the meeting in which Mo Dhaliwal was one of the attendees, it was planned how they could agitate the farmers and spread violence on the Republic Day. Mo Dhaliwal had said that they have to make the issue visible on the international platform. To ensure they succeed in their plan, they decided to contact celebrities, including Greta Thunberg, Rihanna and others.

It has been alleged that Disha Ravi was the one who contacted Greta Thunberg and shared the toolkit with her. Earlier, reports have suggested that it was Disha who asked Greta to remove the ‘toolkit’ that exposed the nexus. Greta removed her tweet and later posted another file claimed the previous file was outdated.

Disha Ravi was sent in 5-days police remand

Disha Ravi was arrested on February 13 by the Cyber Cell division of Delhi Police from her home in Bengaluru. According to the police, she was the key conspirator in creating and distributing the Greta ‘Toolkit’. The police informed that the objective was to spread ‘disaffection against the Indian State.’ Reportedly, it was Disha who had originally shared the Toolkit document with the Swedish ‘aandolanjivi’ Greta Thunberg.

After the arrest of Disha Ravi, Mo Dhaliwal of Pro-Khalistani organization Poetic Justice Foundation posted a tweet supporting her. He claimed that Disha was arrested for supporting farmers. He shared the ‘edited’ toolkit and claimed her arrest was linked to that document. However, the case against Disha Ravi, Nikita Jacob and other was not based on the edited document but on the original ‘toolkit’ that had multiple layers of linked documents proving that the nexus was working against India for a long time.

Mo Dhaliwal’s tweet against Disha Ravi’s arrest (Source: Twitter)

Police had visited Jacob’s house

Four days ago, Delhi Police had visited Nikita Jacob’s house and examined her electronic gadgets. Since then, Jacob has been absconding, and police could not locate her whereabouts. A non-bailable warrant has been issued against Nikita Jacob on February 15, 2021. Another alleged activist Shantanu was also named in the case, and a non-bailable warrant has been issued against him as well.

Mo Dhaliwal had admitted his organization had meetings

In a statement after Greta Toolkit exposed the nexus, Mo Dhaliwal’s Poetic Justice Foundation had issued a statement in which Dhaliwal admitted that he had meetings with ‘like-minded’ people and brainstormed ‘ideas’ to come up with the plan to use farmer protests for his own benefit. In the statement, he made outrageous claims such as the sexual assault on activist Nodeep Kaur in police custody and used discontinuation of Amentsy India’s chapter for his agenda. This claim was summarily debunked by Nodeep Kaur and her police statement itself.

Dhaliwal admitted he had meetings with like-minded people (Source: PJF statement)

In reality, Amnesty India was under ED’s scanner for receiving foreign aid without FCRA registration. Its accounts were frozen for illegal financial activities, but the organization tried to whitewash its wrongdoings by blaming the Indian government.

Pro-Khalistani Mo Dhaliwal was also seen propagating Khalistan movement in a video. In that video, Dhaliwal claimed that farmer protests are just the beginning of the struggle. He said, “The reason Khalistani people are so passionate about this (anti-farm law agitation) is that we are seeing the truth that they predicted in the 1970s. They (Khalistanis) wanted an independent land so that we did not have to live through this movement. I request to all of the young people here – Don’t close your eyes, hearts and minds to each other.”

Support from opposition and Pakistan for Greta ‘Toolkit’ conspirators

Several leaders of the opposition and liberals including Shashi Tharoor, P. Chidambaram, Arvind Kejriwal and several others have come forward in support of activist Disha Ravi. Above all, the support has also poured in from Pakistan as PTI Pakistan has raised voice in support of Ravi.

With Test matches consistently ending within 2 or 3 days of actual play, is it time to strip Lord’s status as a Test venue?

Sandeep Singh
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With Test matches consistently ending within 2 or 3 days of actual play, is it time to strip Lord’s status as a Test venue?

Before we begin, have a look at the number of overs bowled in the last 5 Test matches played at Lord’s

England vs Australia – 290.1 (Draw thanks to the weather)
England vs Ireland – 175.3 (England won)
England vs India – 170.3 (England won)
England vs Pakistan- 267.2 (Pakistan won)
England vs West Indies – 203.3 (England won)

With 90 overs per day, that means matches at Lords are lasting 2 or 3 days at most, with these consistently poor pitches, is it time to strip Lord’s status as a Test centre? 

If every pitch was like this, then there would be no point in playing the longer format.

Yes, you expect it to seam and swing in England, but not like this; the game should at least stretch into the 4th day, if not the 5th, else why are we playing 5 day matches?

I am taking nothing away from seamer’s performance on such pitches; we can look back at batsmen who made 100s on these pitches and appreciate just how remarkable it was.

However, you should not have a pitch which is producing an unplayable delivery darting around corners every second ball.

I understand we want contrasting pitches and conditions around the world and do not want Test cricket to be formulaic; each country needs to have its own identity but we also want Test matches to last 5 days.

There are countries, including India, who produce turning tracks to suit their spinners, but at least the game goes into the 4th day there, like it is happening in Chennai right now.

The ideal scenario is a pitch which offers something for the quick bowlers to start with, flattens out and then spins later in the match, but not one where batsmen have no chance against the ball moving all over the place at 150 Kph for days.

I understand that groundsmen do get it wrong sometimes and this is not a personal accusation against any team or individual, but to be consistently wrong for years?.

Some people may also think it is a case of sour grapes because India lost at Lords very easily last time around but my opinion has nothing to do with that. I will criticise “2 days Test pitches” in India just as harshly.

When you see something that is not right or in the game’s interest then you have to speak up, it is important for Tests to have the potential to go on for five days, there is so much at stake.

There is a responsibility to preserve Test cricket as it is finding itself under threat from other sources.

It may be that the best side does win this match and series. However Lord’s pitch is not suitable for Test cricket and I would strongly take issue with anyone who says that it is.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has to be strong enough to take action if Test pitches are not of a suitable quality.

That applies in India, Australia or anywhere in the world.

With the finals of the World Test Championship – which is supposed to be the whole reason for Test cricket these days – taking place at Lord’s in the summer, the ICC should seriously think about the suitability of Lord’s as the venue.

Just as they have with slow over-rates, there should be a penalty system in place, and consistently poor pitches, like at Lord’s, should result in them losing their status as a Test venue.

*Of course you will never read such an article from a “serious” cricket journalist, you will only read this- this.

‘Stunted adulthood’: The Caravan attacks Sachin Tendulkar’s middle class origins, insinuates he is mentally unfit to humiliate him over unity comment

OpIndia Staff
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‘Stunted adulthood’: The Caravan attacks Sachin Tendulkar’s middle class origins, insinuates he is mentally unfit to humiliate him over unity comment

Far-Left media outlet The Caravan on Saturday published a wild hate-piece against Sachin Tendulkar because the cricket legend urged the country to remain united in the face of a global campaign against India. The column, penned by one Vaibhav Vats, makes extremely objectionable comments against the middle class as well.

Regarding the tweet posted by Sachin Tendulkar to promote unity in the face of adversity, Vats says, “What accounts, then, for this anomaly from someone unusually careful in his utterances? The answer lies in Tendulkar’s conservative upbringing as well as his psychological make-up, which can be described as a state of stunted adulthood.”

The Caravan columnist blamed Tendulkar’s “lower middle class” upbringing for the comment. His diatribe against him did not stop there.

Vats continued, “The ordinary Maharashtrian Mumbaikar of Tendulkar’s background often emanates an excessively deferential attitude towards the powerful and the moneyed of India’s financial capital, a dynamic ever-present in Tendulkar’s relationship with the Ambanis.”

The Caravan columnist appears to loathe the Indian middle class because like most ordinary people, they do not have the taste for continuous revolutions. Vats says, “Tendulkar became the epitome of values prized in the conventional, hierarchal and self-congratulatory milieu of the middle class, showing no eagerness to challenge the many prejudices of society and state. His notion of ethics remained limited purely to the realm of his own personal conduct.”

“Before the stark fault lines of our present time, it was harder to see what appears now with increasing clarity, that Tendulkar also shares the worst traits of the Indian middle-class: its indifference to the general good, its lack of commitment to the values of human rights and democracy, and its intellectual vacuousness,” he added.

He also quotes one Rahul Bhattacharya describing the legend as a “man-child superstar”. The column is replete with criticism of Sachin Tendulkar over his humble beginnings. At one point, he says, “Tendulkar seems peculiarly unable to transcend the limitations of his social background.” At another, Vats remarks, “His personality has not grown commensurate with his public stature, animated by no larger ideas about the society and the world that he inhabits.”

The Caravan columnist is not the only one in the liberal establishment with such petulant hatred towards the middle class. Earlier, ‘journalist’ Rohini Singh was spotted voicing similar hatred. The primary reason for the hatred is the fact that Rich Liberals are traditionally a revolutionary force while the middle class is a stabilizing one.

Thus, Rich Liberals hate the middle class since the latter is perceived to be an impediment in the way of their lofty revolutions.

The New York Times is at it again! How their Editorial Director tried to cast aspersions on India’s Coronavirus vaccine drive and diplomacy

Dibakar Dutta
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The New York Times is at it again! How their Editorial Director tried to cast aspersions on India’s Coronavirus vaccine drive and diplomacy

On Saturday, Shreeya Sinha, the Editorial Director of the New York Times (NYT), took to Twitter to cast aspersions about India’s Coronavirus vaccination drive and the political diplomacy of the Indian government.

While replying to the tweet of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) correspondent Eric Bellman, who praised India’s vaccination diplomacy, she claimed that her 65-year-old parents in India could not get vaccinated. “Meanwhile my parents over 65 in India can’t get a vaccine. What’s the value of human life for its own citizens vs political diplomacy?” Sinha asked.

Screengrab of the tweet by Shreeya Sinha

However, on being questioned about the logical fallacy in her tweet by a Twitter user (@Dhaval343), the Editorial Director of the New York Times quickly deleted her tweet.

Shreeya Sinha deletes her tweet

A day earlier, Sinha had shared an article by the New York Times titled, “The Newest Diplomatic Currency: Covid-19 vaccines”. The article claimed, “For now, the Indian government has room to donate abroad, even after months when cases soared and the economy was hobbled, and even as it has vaccinated just a tiny percent of its 1.3 billion people. Part of the reason for a lack of backlash: the Serum Institute is producing at a faster rate than India’s inoculation program can currently handle, leaving extras for donations and exports.”

Using the article as the foundation for her argument, the journalist said, “My parents are examples of this: Indians waiting for the vaccine while the government sends them abroad for diplomatic currency.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Shreeya Sinha

The logical fallacy in the claims of the New York Times journalist

The New York Times journalist Shreeya Sinha tried to insinuate that the government is deliberately not vaccinating a section of its citizens to gain a diplomatic edge in the world, essentially claiming that the Indian government is giving away vaccines to the world while not using those vaccines for its own people. However, nothing can be further from the truth. It must be mentioned that the Serum Institute of India (SII), which has been producing the Covishield vaccine (developed by Oxford- AstraZeneca) had initially produced supplied 50 million doses to the Indian government.

Dr Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director (SII) had earlier said, “Serum has a stock of another 50-60 million doses. It is also producing at a monthly average of 50-60 million which will go up to 100 million a month by April.” When the immunisation programme kickstarted on January 16 this year, the SII had supplied 11 million doses to vaccinate 6.3 million healthcare workers.

Although the Serum Insitute of India can produce vaccines at a faster rate than they can be administered to individuals, the existing infrastructure cannot handle the immunisation of every individual at once. The Indian government, therefore, chose a phase-by-phase approach to vaccinate the large population in the country. In the first phase, the government decided to vaccinate only the health professionals. In the second phase, the frontline workers were administered the vaccine.

The government prioritised the vaccines for healthcare and frontline workers, as they are at the highest risk of contracting the deadly virus. The Modi government had announced that in the third phase, starting in March, the elderly individuals above the age of 50 will be inoculated. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, “After completing the two phases, the third phase is expected to begin at any time in March. In this phase, every citizen above the age of 50 will get vaccinated. The process will begin in any week of March. It’s difficult to give an exact date, but it will begin in any time of the month — third or fourth week of March.”

So far, a whopping 82.85 lac people have been administered the vaccine. The expansion of India’s inoculation programme saw the government place order for additional 10 million doses of Covisheild from Serum Institute in India and 4.5 million doses from Bharat Biotech. The Modi government plans on vaccinating 300 million (30 crores) people by August this year. Due to the extra production of vaccines by SII that the government cannot put to use for its own citizens immediately, it has decided to help other countries by exporting the extra vaccine doses.

India has successfully lept forward on the diplomatic front by supplying vaccine doses to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco and other countries. This vaccine diplomacy has not only helped save countless lives of people in other countries but has helped India emerge as a true global leader. As such, India’s decision to not vaccinate the senior citizens right away and export vaccines instead to different countries was not a matter of choice, as claimed by the New York Times’ Editorial Director.

Is April the expiry date of Covishield vaccines?

Earlier, a Congress troll named Saket Gokhale had tried to cast aspersions about the was the expiry date of Covisheild vaccines. Gokhale had suggested that the vaccines would be useless after April. Mia Mala, who is associated with the Bhekisisa Health Journalism Centre, informed that SII had only 6 months worth of data to work with and as the expiry date specified the month of April. It can now be extended, given that the data is now available for more than 6 months.

“We have data for 6 months, but many vaccines last for longer, they stay stable for a year. But because the Covid vaccines are so new, we don’t have data for 12 months because they haven’t existed for 12 months. So even though it may say expiry date of April, that April expiry date could be postponed to May because we now have data that this vaccine says stable for longer than 6 months,” Mia remarked. Her comments came at the backdrop of South Africa’s decision to put the Covisheild vaccines on hold.

The South African Health Ministry officials have now reached out to SII to inquire if expiry dates could be extended. Assuming that the vaccines expire in April as Gokhale suggested, SII has the capability to produce millions of new vaccine doses.

Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case: After Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, Pakistan comes to Disha Ravi’s defence

OpIndia Staff
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Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case: After Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal, Pakistan comes to Disha Ravi’s defence

Days after ‘climate activist’ Disha Ravi was arrested in the Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ controversy, support has poured in for her from the usual anti-Modi camp. On Monday morning, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter to claim that Ravi’s arrest was ‘unprecedented attack on democracy’.

The ‘climate change’ activist has been opposing the farm laws which aim to improve the environment.

Echoing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s thoughts was former Congress President and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi.

Sharing snippet of Disha Ravi’s arrest, senior Congress leader said that the government is ‘scared’ and not the people of India.

Rahul Gandhi’s sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, too, shared a couplet demanding release for Disha Ravi.

Seeing their support, Pakistan also came out in support of Disha Ravi.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party took Disha Ravi’s arrest to attack India. Imran Khan’s party said that under PM Modi’s regime, India is silencing voices of everyone against them. Parroting India’s opposition’s stand, Pakistan claimed that ‘using’ cricketers and Bollywood celebrities to ‘build narrative’ was ‘shameful’ but now ‘they’ have taken Disha Ravi in custody over the toolkit case.

To put things in perspective, the ‘toolkit’ shared by ‘climate activist’ Greta Thunberg chalked out an elaborate plan on how to defame India on a global scale. It gave point by point timeline on how to tweet while tagging whom and get international media attention on the protests. The ‘toolkit’ was accidentally released by Greta, just one week after the Red Fort riots on Republic Day.

‘China has bought the silence of Muslim countries using their money’: An Uyghur activist speaks out against the silence of the global community

Guest Author
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‘China has bought the silence of Muslim countries using their money’: An Uyghur activist speaks out against the silence of the global community

The Xinjiang autonomous region in China is facing the worst kind of cultural and ethnic genocide. There is a long history of dissonance between the indigenous ethnic Uyghur and Chinese authorities. The Chinese government refuses to categorize Uyghurs as an indigenous population and describe Uyghurs as a regional minority.

One among China’s fifty-five ethnic minorities, Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating from central and eastern Asia. China is facing criticism and worldwide condemnation over its unkind and harsh treatment towards the Uyghur Muslims. A Uyghur-Kazakh citizen, Gulbahar Jelilova reported that she was ruthlessly beaten and raped while in custody. Stew Chao, a journalist working with Aljazeera reported that Abduveli Ayup-prominent Uighur writer, activist and Uyghur language defender was put in a detention centre and later brutally tortured.

There is also ample evidence that suggests China is systematically targeting Uyghur Muslims through a state-planned birth control process. Zumrat Dawut and Kalbinur Sidik who survived from Chinese detention camps narrated that Uyghur women who conceive more than three children are forcefully sterilized. Women survivors from these camps narrated that they were beaten, raped, and given mystery injections.

A ground study from Concentration camp survivors suggests that Chinese authorities have adopted brutal methods to stop new Uyghur births. Forced pregnancy checks, medications that stop menstruation, forced abortions, sterilizations, IUDs (Intrauterine contraceptive devices), and mystery injections are given to Uyghur women by Chinese officials to stop new births. 

Person to person outreach suggested that people who were imprisoned and kept in so-called education camps experienced the worst kind of brutalities. People are mercilessly beaten, tortured, and interrogated. Authorities beat them ruthlessly, torture them with electric shocks, and pull-off their nails. They are accused of crimes they never committed.

Muslims in Xingang are not only facing physical carnages but are downgraded and lowered psychologically as well. Uyghur Muslim minorities confined in camps were forced to criticize their faith and basic Islamic values. They are forced to recite communist party propaganda and criticize Islam as part of the indoctrination process.

Chinese authorities claim that these camps have benefited millions of workers through educational and vocational training. However, according to testimony from survivors, these so-called education camps are the worst places so far as human rights violations are concerned. Uyghur Muslims are detained unlawfully for inconsequential matters like publishing a story ten years ago or learning the Quran and its interpretations long ago. Some survivors from detention camps revealed that they were detained because of travelling abroad and some detained just on the charges of learning Uyghur history.

Political analysts believe that the situation in Xinjiang is gruesome and the response from the global community is sneaky. Countries around the world didn’t want to affect their ties with economically durable China. However, as a positive development, recently, MPs in the United Kingdom spoke out against human rights violations in Xinjiang and urged British officials and athletes to respond by not taking part in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

From the last few years, Chinese atrocities and human rights violations have seen an upsurge. A strong international response is required to push back China’s attack on human dignity. President Joe Biden reaffirmed its agenda to counter China on human rights abuses and levelled a series of attacks on China’s alleged human rights abuses during his first phone call as president with Xi Jinping. The statement has come as a hope for the Uyghur movement.

Uyghur movement has received western attention and support from western governments that have internationalized the issue. Support from different communities, organizations, and individuals have improved the movement. They have support all over the world, of course at the expense of the life of Uighurs. Since 1949 china is using the policy of racial discrimination, mass killing, and jailing in the pretext of national security. ETIM is used by CCP as an excuse and justification for their oppressive policies, especially the Nazi-style concentration camps in Xinjiang. China is the country that politicizes its investment and mutual cooperation to get its political goals fulfilled.  

It seems China has bought the silence of many countries, most of them Muslims and underdeveloped dictator countries, by using Chinese money. Even the US sees its economic interest over human rights to some extent. Countries need to open their diplomatic gates so that the Chinese state urgently evolves a political architecture that will allow the Uyghurs to maintain their identity and peacefully co-exist with the Hans.

However, world communities really should not oppose secular movements for the reassertion of basic political, individual, and religious rights- especially if such movements are peaceful. China needs to rethink its policies and bring about political changes that are accommodative towards its minority nationalities.

The Uyghur movement seems to have lost its momentum through the Chinese repression and strike hard campaign but at the same time, international campaigns for Uyghur rights and possible independence have become increasingly vocal and well organized. The Uyghur community survives among the diaspora, that spread across central Asia and Europe. They can influence different policies in different parliaments of the world towards their interest.

Individual supporters, activists need financial help to stop China. The Xinxiang independence movement that seeks independence of Xinxiang Uyghur Autonomous The region needs proper guidance and international support. OIC members are being cowed by China’s power and are accused of abetting China’s Uyghur genocide. It is very clear that China has an economic chokehold on the Muslim world and is really fearful of paying even lip service to the Uyghur cause.

(This article has been written by Dr. Burhan Uluyol (Uyghur), also known as Burhan’s saiti is an associate professor at the Istanbul Sabahattin Zain University and an Uyghur activist.  He is an author of four books and 60 journal publications. He is named for top 1% reviewer in years 2018 and 2019 by Publons (WoS)).

CM Yogi launches ‘Abhyudaya’ scheme to provide free coaching for competitive exams, over 4 lakh students register in 4 days

OpIndia Staff
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CM Yogi launches ‘Abhyudaya’ scheme to provide free coaching for competitive exams, over 4 lakh students register in 4 days

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated the ‘Abhyudhaya’ scheme today which aims at starting free-of-cost coaching centres in the state. The scheme is meant to provide assistance to students who are unable to prepare for competitive examinations due to financial constraints. Initially, coaching centres will be set up at the divisional level followed by district level in the second phase.

Students selected through entrance examinations

As per the government, 50192 students have been selected in the first phase of the scheme out of over 4 lakh 84 thousand students who had registered in just four days. The Chief Minister will interact with these students during the launch of the scheme today. An offline exam was held on Saturday for the students who had registered for offline classes.

The entrance examination for National Defence Academy (NDA)/Combined Defence Services (CDS) coaching course was held between 12 pm and 1 pm, for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)/Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) tutorials, the entrance exam was held between 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm, the entrance exam for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) coaching was held between 3 pm and 4 pm while for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) coaching the entrance exam was held between 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm on Saturday 13 February. Over 50 thousand students were selected based on the entrance exam out of the total number of students who had registered.

Students to receive counselling from senior IAS, IPS, PCS officers

The coaching classes will be held absolutely free-of-cost in both online and offline modes. The Uttar Pradesh Academy of Administration and Management will provide the entire study material including the question bank, etc. for the students on its website. The coaching classes will commence from Basant Panchami that is from February 16. The students will also receive counselling by senior IAS, IPS and PCS officers. In case of examinations like the NDA and the CDS, Principals of Sainik Schools will impart training to students. The government will also organise doubt solving sessions to help candidates in selecting the best field for them through discussions with experts who will be guest lecturers.

CM Yogi had announced the launch of the scheme on January 24, which is the statehood day of Uttar Pradesh.

The absurdity of ‘climate activists’ like Disha and Greta opposing farm laws, here is how they are harming the climate

Nirwa Mehta
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The absurdity of ‘climate activists’ like Disha and Greta opposing farm laws, here is how they are harming the climate

‘Climate activists’ like Greta Thunberg and Disha Ravi are prime examples of what happens when you base your activism on Instagram posts of idiots who work for fluff websites which publish stuff like ‘What doughnut are you” quizzes.

On Saturday night, Ravi was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru over her involvement in the ‘toolkit’ shared by Greta on Twitter earlier this month with regard to the farmer protest. Delhi Police, in a statement, said that Disha Ravi also collaborated with Khalistani outfit named Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF). The police informed that the objective was to spread ‘disaffection against the Indian State.’ Reportedly, it was Disha who had originally shared the Toolkit document with the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Ravi, after being arrested, was produced before a Delhi court where she claimed that her ‘toolkit’ for Greta was for the ‘farmers’ because ‘we need to eat’. Chiming in her thoughts was Canadian ‘Poet’ Rupi Kaur, who is otherwise mocked by the ‘liberals’ for her lame ‘poems’, if they can be even called that. Here is the latest nugget of a joke from these ‘toolkit’ protestors.

Voicing her solidarity with Ravi, Kaur claimed that the ‘farmer protest’ is a ‘climate justice movement’.

Take a moment to revel in the absurdity of saying that supporting this farmer protest is fighting the climate change. Let me explain why, if you are a climate change activist, you should actually be asking these farmers to stop their protest against new farm laws and contribute to save the environment.

Here is a quick low-down about the three new farm laws

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers’ (Empowerment & Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Service Act, 2020 were passed in September 2020 by the Central government. These three laws were passed with an intention to bring about a transformative shift in agricultural sustainability and climate resilience.

These laws will not only help create new markets for the farmers but also help them in better production planning leading to crop diversification. This will help them move on to crops which are water-intensive to crops that suit Indian climate better.

New farm laws and environment

The new farm laws, along with providing better price to the farmers, also help the environment.

Ground water level and stubble burning

Did you know that Punjab tops India in depleting ground reserves level. You know farmers of which states have been protesting against these very laws which are to help improve ground reserves level? Yes. Punjab.

Do you know what else Punjab farmers top the country in? Stubble burning. Since past few years, the stubble burning has become an annual ritual for the farmers in Punjab and Haryana. As per some estimates, they burn about 35 million tons of crop waste from their paddy fields after harvesting as a low-cost straw-disposal practice to reduce the turnaround time between harvesting and sowing for the second (winter) crop.

Crop mix and pesticide-free organic food

The new laws will help making farming environmentally sustainable. Example: millets are in great demand globally as healthy superfood. Millets also require lesser water and hence, can be grown in areas where water availability is less. Better market linkage will also ensure the farmers get better price for their produce. Further, with increasing demand of premium organic food, farmers can be encouraged to produce crops which are free of pesticides, which is even better for environment.

Similarly, in places where water-intensive crops are grown, newer technologies can help farmers make optimum utilisation of water over large land areas, thereby arresting wastage of water.

Private players and environmentally sustainable farming

Further, the new law, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 has removed the regulation on supply of foods such as potatoes, pulses, onions, cereals, except in extraordinary circumstances like famine or war or natural calamity of grave nature. This way, when private players come into the storage and cold chain facilities, these farmers will tend to get better price for their produce. This will also reduce spoilage of perishable items. Further reduction in transportation will reduce greenhouse gas emission, protecting the ozone layer.

Another way private players could contribute to environmentally sustainable farming is through contract farming. Corporates which are engaged in contract farming focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability. Companies will focus on better pesticide management to ensure that the lower residue is in line with the global Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) standards. The corporates, with their access to better research and development facilities, can also work towards improving and introducing drought-resistant variants.

Once markets open up, modern infrastructure facilities like cold storage, value chain management can be introduced with not only helps in reducing spoilage of perishable items but also lowers wastage due to floods, unseasonal rains and other environmental conditions.

The Punjab farmers are protesting against these steps taken to save our environment.

India is one of the signatories to the 21st Conference of the Parties 21 (CoP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015 which has the main objective of limiting global warming to below 2 degree, preferably 1.5 degree Celsius. These new laws are a step in that direction.

However, the ‘climate activists’ supporting this criminal destruction of environment is so ironic and Rupi Kaur should write a couple of poems on it.

Communal agenda in farmer protests? Jat leader criticises Hinduism, says he will become a Sikh in April

OpIndia Staff
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Communal agenda in farmer protests? Jat leader criticises Hinduism, says he will become a Sikh in April

Hawa Singh Sangwan, a prominent Jat leader from Bahadurgarh, Haryana, had announced last week that he will convert to Sikhism along with 250-300 people from the Jat community on April 21, the birthday of Dhannamal. He claimed that Hinduism is ‘not a religion’, and everyone should adopt Sikhism. Sangwan is known for his role in agitations for Jat reservation in Haryana and other states.

Sangwan, who visited Tikri border to support agitating farmers, said that the central government is not accepting demands of the farmers. He said that the government is trying to impose the laws, but the farmers will not retreat.

Sangwan also demanded that the cases filed against so-called farmers who rioted on January 26 should be withdrawn. He said that the farmers need a new plan as the government is not accepting their demands. He further claimed that if the government does not agree to repeal the laws, he will take 250-300 Jat to Amritsar on April 21 and convert to Sikhism.

Who is Hawa Singh Sangwan

73-years-old Hawa Singh Sangwan is one of the prominent Jat leaders and an ex-CRPF officer. Hailing from Bahadurgarh, Jhajjar district, Haryana, Sangwan has been actively demanding reservation for Jat community. He played a vital role in ‘rail roko’ agitation in April 2011 demanding reservation for Jat community in Haryana. in 1990, Sangwan was posted in Ayodhya for four months. Sangwan had claimed several times that When Lal Krishna Advani’s Rath Yatra reached Ayodhya, he was at the site and had tried to save the disputed structure.

Sangwan was arrested for derogatory social media posts earlier

In July 2020, Hawa Singh Sangwan was arrested by the Gurugram police for hurting sentiments of the Ahir community. As per the reports, Sangwan had made derogatory remarks against Freedom Fighter Rao Tula Ram and Ahir community on social media. After the uproar, he deleted the post and issued an apology. However, an FIR under Section 153A, 505 (2) of IPC was registered against him at Cyber Crime police station after which he was detained, and his laptop was seized.

Anti-Hindu statement by leaders amid farmer protests

As the so-called farmer protests failed to get widespread public support except that from a few politically connected leaders from Punjab and Haryana, the so-called ‘farmer leaders’ have been trying to give communal and caste colours to the protests. Recently, SAD leader Harsimrat Badal, with her remarks in Lok Sabha, had tried to make it Hindu vs Sikh issue, the same trope that had been used by pro-Khalistani elements. While talking about hoisting flags with holy Sikh Symbol on Red Fort on January 26, 2021, she tried to justify the act by turning the issue into Hind-Sikh rivalry.

In December 2020, a complaint was registered against Rakesh Tikait for anti-Brahmin remarks. Reports have stated that Tikait has been trying to mobilise Jat support in Uttar Pradesh under the garb of the farmer protests

In his provocative statement, Tikait had claimed that even though farmers donate in temples, no one had come to support them.

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