Saturday, March 6, 2021
Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of West Bengal Sitting MLAs
Friday, March 5, 2021
Analysis of Criminal Background, Financial, Education, Gender and other details of Puducherry Sitting MLAs
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
- MLAs with criminal cases: Out of 30 sitting MLAs analysed, 11 (37%) MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves.
- MLAs with serious criminal cases: 4 (13%) MLAs have declared serious criminal cases.
- MLAs with declared cases related to murder: 1 MLA has declared case related to murder (IPC section 302).
- MLAs with declared cases related to attempt to murder: 1 MLA has declared case related to attempt to murder (IPC section 307).
- Party wise sitting MLAs with criminal cases: 6 (40%) out of 15 MLAs from INC, 2 (29%) out of 7 MLAs from ALL INDIA N.R. CONGRESS, 1 (25%) out of 4 MLAs from AIADMK and 2 (67%) out of 3 MLA from DMK have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
- Party wise sitting MLAs with serious criminal cases: 3 (20%) out of 15 MLAs from INC and 1 (14%) out of 7 MLAs from ALL INDIA N.R. CONGRESS have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
India dropped from Freedom House’s list of 'free' countries
Impartiality and competence of EC questioned
In its latest report the US watchdog observes that the free world had shrunk as a result and that the country was being driven towards 'authoritarianism'
“A new report from the
independent watchdog group Freedom House is sobering. Authoritarianism and
nationalism are on the rise around the world. Governments are becoming less
transparent and have lost the trust of the people…,” US secretary of state
Antony Blinken said.
“India’s status
declined from free to partly free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu
nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and
discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown
on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and
protesters.”
Some of the specific
reasons for the change in scores on various counts that resulted in India
losing its “free” status include the frequent use of the sedition law and other
charges to deter free speech, the restrictions on foreign funding of NGOs and
the action against Amnesty which resulted in it shutting shop in India, “the
unusual appointment of a recently retired chief justice to the upper house of
Parliament”, and the “excessively harsh” lockdown that triggered the
displacement of millions.
the Modi
government and its state-level allies continued to crack down on critics in
2020, and “their response to Covid-19 included a ham-fisted lockdown that
resulted in the dangerous and unplanned displacement of millions of internal
migrant workers”.
It also took note of
the “corona jihad” narrative whereby “the ruling Hindu nationalist movement
also encouraged the scapegoating of Muslims, who were disproportionately blamed
for the spread of the virus and faced attacks by vigilante mobs”.
“Political rights and
civil liberties in the country have deteriorated since Narendra Modi became
Prime Minister in 2014, with increased pressure on human rights organisations,
rising intimidation of academics and journalists, and a spate of bigoted
attacks, including lynchings, aimed at Muslims. The decline only accelerated
after Modi’s reelection in 2019,” the report said.
“Last year, the
government intensified its crackdown on protesters opposed to a discriminatory
citizenship law and arrested dozens of journalists who aired criticism of the
official pandemic response. Judicial independence has also come under strain;
in one case, a judge was transferred immediately after reprimanding the police
for taking no action during riots in New Delhi that left over 50 people, mostly
Muslims, dead,” the report pointed out.
It took note of the law
curbing inter-faith marriages in Uttar Pradesh.
it placed on record
questions raised about the impartiality and competence of the Election
Commission of India.
“The Commission is
generally respected and had been thought to function without undue political
interference. In 2019, however, its impartiality and competence were called
into question. The panel’s decisions concerning the timing and phasing of
national elections, and allegations of selective enforcement of the Model Code
of Conduct, which regulates politicians’ campaign behaviour and techniques,
suggested bias toward the ruling BJP.”
The report flagged as a
cause of concern “the opaque financing of political parties, notably through
electoral bonds that allow donors to obscure their identities”.
The report noted that a
great deal of corruption cases go unreported and unpunished, and “the
authorities have been accused of selective, partisan enforcement”.
The delay in setting up
the Lokpal and Lokayuktas has been recorded, as also the diluting of the RTI
law by the Modi government.
The attacks on the
media have found mention, and the perception that the Prime Minister’s call to
the media to help prevent the spread of “pessimism, negativity, and rumour
mongering” was a warning not to criticise officials’ management of the pandemic.
“Academic freedom has
significantly weakened in recent years, as intimidation of professors,
students, and institutions over political and religious issues has
increased.... Academics face pressure not to discuss topics deemed sensitive by
the BJP government, particularly India’s relations with Pakistan and conditions
in Indian Kashmir,” the report said.
The above are some excerpts of the Report which was published in the Telegraph of 4.3.21
Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Kerala Election Watch
Dear Friends,
- MLAs with criminal cases: Out of 132 sitting MLAs analysed, 86(65%) MLAs have declared criminal cases against themselves.
- MLAs with serious criminal cases: 28(21%) MLAs have declared serious criminal cases.
- MLAs with declared cases related to murder: 2 MLAs have declared cases related to murder (IPC section 302).
- MLAs with declared cases related to attempt to murder: 6 MLAs have declared cases related to attempt to murder (IPC section 307).
- MLAs with declared cases related to Crime against Women: 1 MLA has declared cases related to Crime against Women (IPC section 354).
- Party wise sitting MLAs with criminal cases: 51(91%) out of 56 MLAs from CPI(M), 12(63%) out of 19 MLAs from CPI, 9(45%) out of 20 MLAs from INC, 5(28%) out of 18 MLAs from IUML and 4(67%) out of 6 MLAs from Independent have declared criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
- Party wise sitting MLAs with serious criminal cases: 18(32%) out of 56 MLAs from CPI(M), 3(16%) out of 19 MLAs from CPI, 2(11%) out of 18 MLAs from IUML and 5(25%) out of 20 MLAs from INC have declared serious criminal cases against themselves in their affidavits.
Friday, February 26, 2021
Unproven Claim of COVID-19 Cure with Ayurvedic Drug by Health Minister: PBT Files Complaint with U.P. Medical Council Seeking Cancellation of Dr. Harsh Vardhan’s Medical Registration for Violation of MCI Code of Ethics
Indian health minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, who is also a bona fide allopathic medical doctor was in the news across the country for openly and publicly endorsing a new Ayurvedic drug, Coronil, manufactured by Patanjali Research Institute, standing next to the well-know Yoga-guru Swami Ramdev, claiming that this is the first medicine that can even cure COVID-19 infection. The problem is – this fantastic claim is based on flimsy, unsubstantiated data and without authentic approval by the “gold-standard” USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). The Indian Medical Association (IMA), largest group of doctors of allopathic medicine, has also expressed their shock and severely criticized Dr. Vardhan for promoting unscientific Ayurvedic medicine for reasons that has nothing to do with the modern medical science.
Apart from being a registered medical practitioner, Dr. Vardhan is also a well-known, high-profile figure in Indian medicine being a top BJP leader and central minister of health. Innocent ordinary people and COVID-19 patients are likely to be misguided to purchase and take this new Ayurvedic drug with the false hope for a cure from COVID-19 when a doctor and central minister to the stature of Dr. Vardhan candidly endorses “Coronil”. The MCI Code of Ethics & Regulations, 2002 has provided categorical warnings for all registered doctors against endorsing any drugs that are not scientifically tested or authorized for use in modern allopathic medicine. Any public promotion of such dubious drugs by a doctor may be viewed as “unethical” for which a doctor’s medical license may be revoked temporarily or permanently. PBT lodged a formal complaint today with the U.P. Medical Council (where Dr. Vardhan did his MBBS and originally registered as a physician) seeking an immediate investigation and cancellation of Dr. Vardhan’s medical registration for unethical misconduct under Sections 1.1.1, 1.2.1, 6.1, 6.5 and 6.8(h) of MCI Code of Ethics & Regulations, 2002 (see PBT’s complaint to UPMC below).
U.P. Med. Council Complaint (Feb 23, 2021) Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Coronil got approval to treat cough and fever, but Patanjali sold it as ‘Covid cure’
New Delhi: Patanjali’s Coronil, which the company’s founder Baba Ramdev has touted as a cure for Covid-19, was approved for boosting immunity and treating cough and fever and not as a treatment for coronavirus, ThePrint has learnt.
The state licensing authority (SLA) of Uttarakhand, which falls under the Ministry of AYUSH, is now ready to shoot off a letter to the Haridwar-based Patanjali Ayurveda in connection with its bid to brand Coronil as a cure for Covid-19.
The company faces charges under two Acts, the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, if proved guilty of making a false claim, the SLA told ThePrint.
“We will be sending a letter to Patanjali by the end of the day today. We haven’t approved the product for Covid-19 but only to boost immunity and treat cough, fever,” Dr Y.S. Rawat, joint director, SLA, Uttarakhand, said over a call Wednesday.
Covid-19, which has triggered a pandemic around the world, currently has no proven cure.
“The company has to either prove how the drug could treat Covid-19 or else roll back the claim. Otherwise, we will suspend or cancel the licence given to Coronil,” he added.
Patanjali Ayurved spokesperson S.K. Tijarawala, however, told ThePrint that “everything is submitted well in order and as per the rules laid down by the government”.
How was the drug approved?
The company applied for drug approval through an application dated 10 June. “The company had submitted the documents, as per the protocol including the formulation sheet (explaining the formula used to manufacture the drug), testing protocol (to check the efficacy of the drug) and label claim (which mentions that for what conditions the drug will be sold),” Rawat said.
The department, he added, followed the standard procedure for drug approval, “where an expert committee considered the application and approved the drug on 12 June”.
“We had informed the company on the same day about the application clearance,” he said, adding that “the application was not complicated”.
“The drug is made of ashwagandha, giloy and tulsi. While the first ingredient is known for immunity-boosting properties, tulsi and giloy are given for treating cough and fever, respectively,” he added.
Sections under which Patanjali could be booked
The company could be charged under three sections of the two aforementioned Acts. According to Rawat, the firm is under the scanner for allegedly promoting the product with claims of “having magical properties” to cure Covid-19, labeling the product with misleading information, and advertising the products with misleading information.
“The letter, which we will dispatch in sometime, charges the company for breaking the rules under Section 161 and Rule 170 of Drugs and Cosmetics Act,” he said.
The charges, the officer said, pertained to “misleading consumers by printing wrong information on the label and… for inappropriate advertisements”.
“The company will also be booked under Drugs and Magic Remedies Act (if proved guilty) as the company claims to ‘cure’ Covid,” he added.
The SLA will also be responding to a letter received from the Union Ministry of AYUSH Tuesday, where the latter had sought a response on the categories under which the drug was approved.
“We will send the same letter to the ministry to showcase our action against the company.”
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Ahmedabad, Modi's City, Worse Record
At 115 deaths per million, Ahmedabad is much worse than Mumbai in second place with 80 deaths per million. Among the top metros, Bangalore seems to be doing the best with just one death per million. When it comes to CFR, Chennai’s 0.9 is the lowest among the nine mega cities. The data is as of Friday morning.
The comparison here is between the nine urban agglomerations — cities and their urban outgrowths, like Greater Mumbai or Greater Kolkata — in the country that has 5 million or more people living in them.
A low CFR is often seen as a result of extensive testing and hence detecting of a large number of positive cases. The higher the number of positive cases, the denominator, the smaller the CFR would be. Ahmedabad’s CFR of 6.9 has been explained by many as the result of inadequate testing. But the city’s deaths per million figure suggests shows there is more to the poor handling of Covid cases than just inadequate testing.
Even in absolute numbers, Ahmedabad which has recorded 953 deaths is second only to the Mumbai with 1,698 deaths. Delhi follows Mumbai with 650 deaths. Bangalore has recorded just 14 deaths so far and the least number of cases, just 428.
Though many cities have been trying to draw comfort from their recovery rates, epidemiologists have repeatedly pointed out that in an infection like Covid where over 90% of those infected are expected to recover, the share of those recovering can only rise steadily with the passage of time and hence recovery rates are a misleading measure for progress in the fight against the disease.
These nine urban agglomerations contribute over 1.3 lakh cases (nearly 60% of India’s total) and 4,299 deaths, over two-thirds of the country’s total. An urban agglomeration (UA) is continuous urban habitation that surrounds a city or the continuous geographical stretch of two or more cities which in many ways function as the same city.
Mumbai UA for instance is constituted by the Municipal Corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ulhasnagar and Mira Bhayandar. Similarly Kolkata UA spreads over the districts of Kolkata, North and South 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Howrah. Chennai UA has Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram while Hydarabad UA includes Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medak. Ahmedabad UA also includes Gandhinagar.
The 2020 population estimates for these UAs from the United Nation’s World Urbanisation Prospects was used to calculate the deaths per million. The census of India does not include Delhi’s satellite districts like Ghaziabad and Gurgaon in the Delhi UA and hence Delhi’s cases as well as population are only for Delhi state or the city of Delhi. Delhi’s 2020 population is taken from the census population projections for states.
The above is from TOI
