Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Horror in school' that was published in Newsband

Horror in school

The extremely tragic incident of a child having been found murdered in a prominent Gurgaon school has proved that there is need of safety and security for children within schools. Many schools advertise their “world-class facilities” with hi-tech systems, air-conditioned classrooms, Olympic-sized swimming pools, an International Baccalaureate (IB) courses etc. But what about security for children?

A few months ago a child died in another prominent south Delhi school by falling from a second floor corridor. And now a child has been murdered in a bathroom within the school. Teachers and school authorities are responsible for the well being of the child. In any school, children should always be within shouting distance of a responsible adult. A parent has the right to know that the child will be safe with those that the child spends time with in the school.

A bus conductor was accused of murdering the eight-year-old boy of Ryan International School in Bhondsi.  He is in police custody. The father of the child suspects some past connection which led to the murder because there was no reason for the conductor to kill his son. Police needs to check the CCTV footages of past few days also.

The probe suggests the murder was committed on the spur of the moment. But the murder took place within 10 minutes which means the conductor was already prepared to kill the student. As soon as the kid entered the toilet, the accused attacked him.

However, Education minister refused to derecognise Ryan International School, and pointed to security loopholes that led to child’s murder.

The questions that arise are: If the conductor has no criminal history then how did he plan the murder? What instigated him to kill the child? Why did he take a knife with him only on that day?”

The school is not coming forward and accepting negligence at their part. They should accept their mistake and speak up. They should own up the blunder and take measures to ensure safety and security of other students.

Protesters, demanded a CBI probe into the murder and set afire a liquor outlet close to the institution. Police resorted to lathi charge to control protesters near Ryan International School in Gurgaon on Sunday. A three-member committee was formed to probe whether any negligence or security lapses could have led to the murder. The committee found several loopholes in the school’s security protocol. The committee comprised the district education officer, block education officer, and an official of district Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan. The committee has found that toilets were shared by students and 40 bus drivers and conductors, no security for students near toilets, porous school boundary, no checking system on entry while the coverage of CCTV cameras is not comprehensive.

Action against school is being initiated under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. More sections may be added after the report is received. The state education department promised to release strict guidelines for private schools regarding security and safety of students. In fact, safety of the students would be responsibility of the schools from time of picking them up to dropping them home. Even the Parents handed memo to admin, demand security guidelines for schools. The parents sought surprise inspection of schools and action against the Ryan authorities

 “The schools should provide the card pick-up facility for parents or attendants who come to collect the children after school. The district administration will also conduct monthly meeting with all school principals and parents’ representatives to address all issues,” said sub divisional magistrate SDM (north) Bharat Bhushan Gogia.

He further said “Grievance cells will be formed in each and every school to enable all issues related to students and school to be resolved within 48 hours. A group will also be formed where all principals and parents’ representatives will be able to discuss problems.”

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Effects of demonetisation' that was published in Newsband

Effects of demonetisation

The RBI Annual Report disclosed the amount of demonetised currency that returned to the system as on June 30. It's now official — 99 per cent of the extinguished currency or ₹15.29 lakh crore out of ₹15.44 lakh crore has returned to the banking system.

The Economic Survey (Volume II) 2016-17 says “the growth of taxpayers post-demonetisation was significantly greater than in the previous year. The addition amounted to about 5.4 lakh taxpayers or 1 per cent of all individual taxpayers in just a few months. The addition to the reported taxable income (of these new payers) was about ₹10,600 crore”. the RBI points out “that currency demand appears to have attained a new normal (currently around 87 per cent of the pre-demonetisation peak)”. With GST, tax compliance can be expected to rise sharply,

The demonetisation pave the way for proper information of valuations in assessing the impact of money and its value. But some are of the opinion that actually, no Demonetization happened, it was "withdrawal from circulation" of Rs1000 and Rs500 notes. Black or white, all genuine currency notes were allowed to be deposited in banks. Need to declare source or accounting the deposits were all part of normal procedure. Media and analysts are messing up diverse issues. Economic Survey contributed to the chaotic confusion by telling stories about possible huge "gain" from Demonetization using fictitious figures not supported by data. In the process, RBI got a bad name.

NDA’s half-hearted attempt to corner black money, through its two amnesty schemes, got tepid response from the tax evaders. The amount of income declared under the first scheme and the second scheme were around Rs 65kcr and Rs 10kcr, respectively. According to experts, the aggregate amount declared under the two schemes is ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Multi-pronged action is necessary to tackle the vice of black money. As for generation of fresh black money, it depends on how easy not to pay income-tax and other taxes. Evasion of taxes is the principal reason, giving rise to the generation of black money.

According to some businessmen, black money is necessary to bribe various government officials, including law enforcement agencies and Purchase Managers of customers, if the product is in the buyers’ market (per contra, Sales Mangers, if the product is in the sellers’ market), and that a businessman worth his salt wouldn’t use ‘white money’ for these purposes; also for the reason that ‘bribe’ is not a tax-deductible expenditure. In other words, it is not possible to run business in India, profitably, without bribing officials and for ensuring protection from undesirable elements of our society, etc. India/Bharat is not at all ‘swatch’ in this regard.

The Centre should take care to ensure that the sudden rise in searches and seizures since demonetisation does not turn into a witch-hunt. It is said that prior to the search operations, the targeted tax evader would receive an anonymous telephone call, warning him of the impending raid and giving him ample time to shift the hidden wealth elsewhere, with the result that nothing material would be detected and seized during the search operation. The anonymous caller would collect his share later on, as mutually agreed.

Technology is available not only to central bankers but also the counterfeiters. We need to issue new series of notes much, much faster. Every five to seven years we should necessarily bring in new series of notes to be ahead of the counterfeiters. If so, can we expect frequent demonetization(s)?

Video: Story of a Rockstar

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Brave Journalist brutally silenced' that was published in Newsband

Brave Journalist brutally silenced

The brutal murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru has shocked the country.  The manner in which she was brutally murdered raises extremely worrying questions. It was clearly a professional hit-job, a pre-meditated assassination.

Lankesh was the publisher and editor of the Kannada weekly Gauri Lankesh Patrike. She supported Naxalites, Dalits and Farmers, and opposed Hindutva groups.

These brutal attacks have the power to potentially scare off others — activists, journalists, complainants — from sniffing around too much. Defenceless individuals have to pay such high costs to bring the powerful to book.

Lankesh’s murderers must be expeditiously traced and punished — another unsolved crime will only embolden the criminals. These Kind of Incidents would never put Journalists Down. Instead it will create a Strong Aspiration to reveal the Scams and Dacoities. Because in India, the rejection for releasing a movie is smaller than releasing a Book. They are Unsung Heroes who put Societal Problems in a Clear Picture.

The police and other intelligence agencies, including RAW should engage in finding out the culprits. Hope the Karnataka police investigate the case professionally without any prejudice and without being carried away by the political warmongering. The powers in state or centre, should not try to misdirect the course of investigation and try to gain some political mileage. It is a clear case of murder punishable under the law in force. That's all and that is the only fact to be taken into consideration if the governments are really interested in rule of law and peaceful society.

A murder is always barbaric and condemnable but biased outcry has probability to deflect the path of investigation. The group raising fingers in a particular direction is not helping to bring the culprit to book. It is expected the responsible should abide by the ethics.

Karnataka has witnessed a spate of political murders in the last four years. The rhetoric is so familiar that it drowns sense. If left wing intellectuals are mowed down, it is linked to RSS. If it is RSS members who are killed, it is linked to some

Muslims. Police are committing suicides without explanation. The sad fact is that there is no wisdom about these deaths after an initial hue and cry. It is time Karnataka Police are given a free hand and given a fair chance to finish this probe at the earliest and convictions actually happen. Media should not be used to name phantom killers depending on personal biases

One cannot deny the fact that the voice of a brave journalist has been brutally silenced.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Waste Management in India' that was published in Newsband

Waste Management in India

The incident that occurred at Delhi’s Ghazipur area is a stark reminder that India’s neglected waste management crisis can have deadly consequences. Cities and towns are not complying with Solid Waste Management Rules. Scientific processing can make the 62 million tonnes of waste generated annually in the country a potential resource.

The Swachh Bharat programme of the Centre should put more pressure on State and municipal authorities than on individuals to move closer to scientific management by the deadline of April 2018. Organic waste that could help green cities and feed small and affordable household biogas plants is simply being thrown away. India is doing little to prevent plastic bags from drifting into suburban garbage mountains, rivers, lakes and the sea.

The Central Pollution Control Board should put out periodic assessments of the preparedness of urban local bodies in the run-up to the deadline. It is only when waste is segregated at source (as much as possible) the task of deriving value out of it and treating it becomes economical and much easier.

In US, source segregation is done by each house as they are supplied with separate bins. On appointed days, the bins are placed before each one's house and the trash collected. After which it is not known what is done. Why India can't copy this?

The problem of Waste management, as in all other Government initiated schemes, is one of scientific planning and working from Bottom-up. But this is never the case, and instead, schemes are brought up on spur-of-the-moment burst of imagination, without any thoughts on the What/Why/How/When etc.

Dinesh Kamath's news 'Navi Mumbai hosts 2nd season of Mumbai International Fitness Concert' that was published in Newsband

Navi Mumbai hosts 2nd season of Mumbai International Fitness Concert

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: On 8th September 2017, Bliss Fitness in association with Bokwa Education Specialist Trainer Neha Monga organized the second edition of the biggest fitness concert of Navi Mumbai featuring the official launch of a new international fitness program PEPP Bootcamp in India with the creators Kim Vuong and Brittany Lauren Gaylord and Bokwa masterclass with International Master Bokwa Education Specialist Aline Vogel all the way from United States.

The event started off with a fun Zumba® session with the Bliss fitness team which was thoroughly enjoyed by all the participants. Next up was a power packed Bokwa® masterclass with Aline Vogel which had hundreds of people moving in sync to simple Bokwa steps on popular music, instantly falling in love with this group fitness program. Finally, PEPP bootcamp with Kim Vuong and Brittany Lauren Gaylord set the stage on fire making participants use resistance weights to push their stamina to the limit. The participants were also given free stretch bands (also known as booty bands) and were introduced to the all-new PEPP Booty Band Workout, to help tighten and tone up that booty!

It’s been proven that to maximize fat loss you need to incorporate resistance weights to your workout. The PEPP Bootcamp is a new fun and effective training style that incorporates both resistance and cardio helping the participants sculpt muscles and burn body fat within the same workout. Resistance and cardiovascular exercises are incorporated into each workout in a structured way to give the participants the best results in the shortest amount of time. Exercises are suitable for all fitness levels and the instructors are taught how they can be modified for high or low impact.

The hosts, Bliss Fitness, is a professionally run Fitness Company since March 2013, having multiple branches across Navi Mumbai dedicated to the cause of Health and Fitness. They offer different international fitness programs like Bokwa®, Zumba®, Labooca®, Pilates, Piloxing®, Yoga, Cross Fit, Resistance and Weight Training, Flexibility and Endurance Training, Aerobics etc. Bliss Fitness will also be the first fitness center in Mumbai to offer PEPP Bootcamp classes in all of their centers across Navi Mumbai

These programs focus not only on weight loss but also on building overall well-being to ensure a healthy body and a healthy Mind. Bliss Fitness aims to make their clients workout in the most fun way by including a lot of variety and latest fitness trends & workouts so that they look forward to their workout sessions. Bliss has centers running in different locations in Navi Mumbai including CBD Belapur, Kharghar and Kamothe with hundreds of happy and fit members.

Bliss Fitness considers it a privilege to invite Kim, Brittany and Aline to Navi Mumbai so that everyone can experience the magic of PEPP Bootcamp with the creators themselves. They plan on hosting more of such international events for the people of Navi Mumbai in future.

Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Indo-China relations shows signs of improving' that was published in Newsband

Indo-China relations shows signs of improving

India and China put up a united front at the BRICS summit, and proposed a revival of the Panchsheel principles of peaceful cooperation. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping showed excellent coordination. The long Doklam military stand-off was resolved just a week ago. India and China are looking for new mechanisms to strengthen the border defence agreements. China’s nod to the inclusion of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed among the terrorist groups threatening regional stability is appreciated.

China had had its revolution and India its independence just about the same time, late 1940s, but China has outpaced India. It is time for India to re-calibrate its relationship with China and deepen its economic dealings with her to accelerate her won development and banish unsavory poverty. While China, based on her Confucian philosophy, bides its own time, India must seize on the BRICS-restored atmosphere of India-China Bhai Bhai and build on it. It would require some fundamental re-evaluation of our foreign policy priorities.

Both countries have their strategic goal and both will try to achieve it. There might be more tense moments between India and China in the future. If mutual trust between two can avoid any flare up, similar to that of Doklam, where a single bullet fired could have escalated to full war, it will be a great achievement.

India and China, the disputed neighbours for long time, must find out a solution to resolve their concerns. Proper dialogue should be initiated after Doklam Standoff. China should heed India's concern of threat imposed by terrorism generated on Pakistan soil. Both the countries are the leaders of East Asia region. China along with India have moral responsibility to maintain the peace in region and weigh down their might on terrorism which is not just a regional threat but a global threat.

Cordial relationship with our neighbors is sine qua non for our country's stability, progress and prosperity. So, any patriot would love to achieve and maintain friendly relations with the neighboring nations. We hope our PM succeeds in this mission.

However, it was a commendable job on Indo China relationship. We must keep the momentum going in a positive manner. As far as Pakistan is concerned, so far it’s only words and very little action. Whether it’s multilateral or bilateral we had enough of it. Indian government must flex its diplomatic muscles to impose sanctions on the rogue state. Lastly, BRICS should not be another SAARC. It has to do much more on the grounds to live up to the huge expectations of the developing world and deliver tangible outcomes.

India should use this opportunity to clear other border disputes with China. For example the dispute in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim so as to focus on extra export of goods. The reference to Pakistan-based terror groups and the absence of the controversial BRI project in the joint statement are definitely significant diplomatic achievements by us. China realized that it was alone in ploughing the Pakistani terrorism furrow and the BRICS meet need not end as a failure because of that. It has learnt that its power play had limitations vis-a-vis India. Both Doklam and the BRI meet in Beijing in May which India boycotted, taught the lessons to China. China is also hanging by a thin thread in the Masood Azhar case in the UNSC as well as India's admission to NSG. India's resolute stand backed by the rest of the nations, one hopes, would significantly shape the Chinese behaviour for the better. The optimism expressed for India-China relationship depends on China's actions in the months ahead. But, India can never afford to lower vigil because it is a well known fact that the Chinese yearn for hegemonic power with everyone else as its tributaries.