Aadhaar: Gas chamber that kills the hungry
The death of poor tribal Kaleshwara Soren has proved the fact to the nation that Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar can never help the impoverished. Aadhaar is controlling the life of the poor of this country. Forget the other facilities, even to avail a kilo of rice, if it is mandatory to have Aadhaar, it is the heights of cruelty that prevails in a democratic nation. In some ways, this is the beginning of adivasi mass carnage.
45-year old Kaleshwara Soren of a village near Dumka ji in Jharkhand, died of hunger and malnutrition recently. This is the 17th hunger related death in that state since Santosh Kumari's death last year for similar reasons.
Kaleshwara wasn't ailing from any serious illness. According to his son, his father hadn't eaten two days prior to his death.
He had stopped working at the brick kiln where he was earning a living, owing to injury. Hunger and poverty has kept him away from education. His children migrated in search of work. They hadn't got even cold meal in Anganwadi, forget hot mid day meal as offered by the government. Job guarantee scheme such as MGNREGA didn't exist in his village. His family didn't have a job card. They didn't have any job opportunity to earn a living and remain alive. In this case, his only hope was public distribution of ration through Antyodaya scheme. That was his last resort. But even that came to a close in 2016 when he could not attach his Aadhaar number to ration card. Two more such hunger deaths has happened in Jharkhand owing to Aadhaar card. State government implemented paperless public distribution system. The objective behind this was to avoid fake and duplicate cases availing resources. Around this time many ration provisions got cancelled under Aadhaar based savings. This was the last shock for poor people like Kaleshwara Soren who lived in rural India, very distant from being beneficiaries of welfare measures launched for poor people.
The official process of 'seeding’ of connecting Aadhaar with ration cards was the reason for this. This process removes duplicates soon as the Aadhaar is linked to public distribution records of people. There are a lot of unresolved issues with this. Every information provided for Aadhar has to tally with the other records. If any one aspect among the provided details -- such as name, spouse's name, address, date of birth, parents name - has inaccuracies, the details are erased from digital format.
How many poor illiterate people of this country would remember such details that they do not use in daily life? This is exactly happened with Kaleshwara. The clever fakes live and the genuine poor are pushed to death.
As per the records of Jharkhand government, details of only 1.7 crore have been seeded among a total of 2.3 crore. What happened to the rest? This case can repeat itself anywhere in the country. Because our media is yet to understand that death can happen due to hunger. Duplicate ration data can be created from duplicate Aadhaar card. But it is impossible for a deserving and genuine poor man to get food without Aadhaar.
The black marketeers are usurping the food of genuine poor people. This is the uncomfortable truth. The government had recognized the fact that Kaleshwara was a poor man.
And if is the duty of government officials to ensure he gets an Aadhaar card if the process turns difficult. But the officers are destructively pleased to remove the names of those without Aadhaar than to ensure he or she gets an Aadhaar. This Aadhaar has turned into a gas chamber for Modi government to eradicate the poor and impoverished. Modi is trying hard to improve the country's image through announcements such as bullet trains, tallest statue, biggest park etc. Naturally so, the Adivasis are a major road block for his dream run. Hence it looks like the government has planned to eradicate them by making random documents and Id cards mandatory so that the poor can be wiped out totally.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
