Mumbai woman held for forging passport details; wanted to hide secret Goa trip from family - Cities News
22 February 2021
21 February 2021
Modi vs Disha Ravi and Disha wins!
By T J S George| Published: 21st February 2021
What a mess our country is in? A college student, all of 22 years old, is picked up from her home and taken to Delhi without prescribed legal papers. Her crime? She used internet devices to support the farmers’ march. This girl, Disha Ravi, is not in politics. She belongs to no party. She is just a young girl with enough civic sense to be interested in environmental issues. Many young people are similarly concerned these days, and that is one of the strengths of India. It is astonishing that authorities should see this as a threat necessitating the jailing of students.
P Chidambaram made a pertinent comment on the matter when he said: “If a 22-year-old student of Mount Carmel College is a threat to India, then the foundations of India are broken. India is turning into a theatre of the absurd.” Shashi Tharoor put it pithily: “Activists are in jail while terror accused are on bail.”When popular support evaporates, rulers turn autocratic. This time-tested principle seems to be proving itself again in India. Foreign observers are noticing it and bringing it to the attention of the world. Sweden’s V-Dem Institute now lists India among the top ten countries most quickly becoming autocracies.
“It is on the verge of losing its status as a democracy due to severely shrinking space for the media, civil society and the opposition.” Time magazine raises the question: How long will Joe Biden pretend that Narendra Modi’s India is a democratically? “Hate speech is rife, peaceful dissent is criminalised, freedom of expression and association faces new constraints, and the jails are filling up with political prisoners and peaceful dissenters as a servile judiciary looks away.” The world can hardly believe what is overtaking India. In this evolving India, bizarre ideas find easy takers.
The latest brainwave attributed to Amit Shah is that there are plans to get the BJP active in Nepal and Sri Lanka. This was publicly stated by Tripura’s BJP Chief Minister Biplab Deb. He said Amit Shah assured the party that this would be accomplished. It is a mystery that Amit Shah does not want the BJP to take over Bangladesh and Thailand on one side and Afghanistan and Iran on the other. Doesn’t he want them also to prosper under the inspiring colors of the BJP?
The Prime Minister joined the chorus with a surprising remark — that previous governments had not named places after leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose, BR Ambedkar and Sardar Patel. Either Modi was arguing for the sake of argument, or he was betraying a surprising level of ignorance. There is hardly a town in India without a Netaji Road. Ambedkar statues outnumber statues of any other leader. Patel is not as popular as Bose or Ambedkar, but he too has many vidyalayas and chowks named after him. Modi weakened his own argument by ignoring these facts. He assumed, as is his wont, that the country would swallow whatever he says.
In fact, Modi’s new moves have strengthened the world’s view of him as a self-centred, autocratic leader who is doing India more harm than good. The world no doubt noticed the extent of protests that broke out in India when Disha Ravi was seized by the police. All but the BJP saw her arrest as a violation of basic citizenship rights. It struck them as part of an attempt to silence all opposition. Haryana’s extremist home minister Anil Vij went on record with the statement that all those with seeds of anti-nationalist thoughts “should be destroyed”. He would be the first in the list if anti-nationalism were to be properly defined.
The widespread protest that broke out against Disha Ravi’s arrest pointed to the gap between the people’s sentiments and the BJP sentiments. In Bengaluru, not only activists and farmers but also students and writers came out in large numbers to protest against the arrest. Many saw the arrest as a sign of the Modi Government feeling insecure and paranoid. The arrest proved counter-productive when Disha’s supporters launched a digital campaign #fingeronyourlips to show how the Government was gagging people. Modi is losing on all fronts. He will tighten his authoritarian grip. It is a game where eventually people will win, even if one generation has to bear the brunt of dictatorial rule. Modi vs People. What an anticlimax.
14 February 2021
If Adityanath becomes prime minister, what could India expect?
FEBRUARY 14, 2021BHASKAR LEAVE A COMMENT
Ramachandra Guha: If Adityanath becomes prime minister, what could India expect?
Ramachandra Guha: If Adityanath becomes prime minister, what could India expect?
He would most likely be Narendra Modi on steroids.
Adityanath at a press conference in 2017. | Sanjay Kanojia / AFP
Three subjects dominated the headlines in the calendar year, 2020. These were the threat posed by the pandemic, the perilous state of the economy, and the border conflict with China. The media in India, and Indians in general, are obsessed with politics, but in 2020, politics mostly took a back seat to health, economics, and defence.
Nonetheless, there was one major development in Indian politics last year, a development that might have profound – and disturbing – consequences for the future of our Republic. This was the emergence of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh as the coming man in India’s most important political party.Advertisement
At the end of 2019, it seemed that the Union home minister, Amit Shah, was the most likely person to succeed Narendra Modi as prime minister were the Bharatiya Janata Party to win a third general election in a row in 2024. Shah has been Modi’s fixer and enforcer for almost two decades. By piloting both the abrogation of Article 370 and the passing of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, he appeared to be positioning himself as his boss’s successor – apparently with the boss’s approval.
The demonstration effect
The conventional wisdom when 2020 began was that Amit Shah was in pole position to succeed Narendra Modi. A year later, that seems much less likely. Adityanath is the person to look out for and look up to in the party as the BJP’s senior-most leaders themselves recognise. Consider the alacrity with which Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BS Yediyurappa have rushed to mimic the UP chief minister in seeking to have laws against Hindu-Muslim marriages passed in their own states.
Chouhan and Yediyurappa were once a throwback to the Vajpayee years, seen as soft and accommodating compared to hardliners like Shah or Modi. Now, they have hitched their future to Adityanath’s wagon in the belief that political survival lies in abandoning uncertain moderation for outright bigotry.
When, back in 2012-’13, Narendra Modi made his prime ministerial ambitions known, he spoke of a “Gujarat Model”, which he wished to implement all over the country. Modi claimed that this Gujarat Model represented a progressive, outward-looking economic and social vision, although his critics pointed to a darker side to his record as chief minister with regard to the marginalisation of Muslims and the intolerance of dissent.Advertisement
Adityanath has not, so far, made similarly explicit claims on behalf of a “UP Model” that he shall take across India. However, on the basis of what he has done in his state thus far, we can get a fair sense of what it might represent.Amit Shah greets Narendra Modi. Credit: Sam Panthaky/AFP
There are, of course, notable similarities between Modi and Adityanath. Both are textbook examples of the authoritarian personality. Both seek to impose their will on all those around them, whether cabinet colleagues, the legislature, bureaucrats, scientific experts, the press, or the public at large. Both are also imbued with a certain megalomania – all credit for achievements, real and imaginary, must accrue to them alone.
Nonetheless, there are also important differences. Compared to Modi, Adityanath is openly and nakedly majoritarian. Modi will sometimes speak of being on the side of everyone regardless of religious affiliation (“Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”, Progress for All). He will occasionally seek a photo-op by travelling with Muslims in a Metro. Adityanath will have no part in such equivocation. In his words and through his actions, he makes it clear that he believes that Hindus are superior to Indians of other faiths, particularly to Muslims.
Silencing critics
As chief minister, Modi used the police and the instruments of the law to suppress and silence critics within Gujarat. Adityanath does that in his own state too, as manifested in his savage repression of the peaceful protests in Uttar Pradesh against the Citizenship Amendment Act.Advertisement
However, he goes even further than Modi did as chief minister, by using his police to attack critics anywhere in India. The spate of first information reports filed in Uttar Pradesh against journalists and satirists working in other states demonstrate that Adityanath is a more thoroughgoing authoritarian than Modi.
To be sure, it is the people of his own state who have borne the brunt of Adityanath’s policies of repression and coercion. Thus, as an essay in the excellent website, Article 14, noted, the choice of Adityanath as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh “marked a significant watershed moment in the advance of the BJP in the Indian republic, as it signaled an endorsement of a model of governance that openly and unapologetically targeted Muslim citizens and political dissidents as public enemies”.Narendra Modi greets Adityanath as he is sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister in March 2017. Credit: PIB
“From his first days in office,” the article continued, “the chief minister has not hesitated to use the instruments of governance to create and consolidate a state that draws on the concerns of vigilante groups and puts Hindus, especially the advantaged ‘upper’ castes, first, and uses the law and the police to target, punish, defame, imprison and in some cases even kill Muslims and dissenters…”
After providing an array of examples of extra-judicial killings and of the targeting of Muslims and activists by the State, the article concluded that “the Adityanath government has unleashed a model of vindictive, majoritarian and repressive governance that crosses boundaries even earlier BJP regimes have hesitated to violate”.Advertisement
Long before he became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath had founded a group called the Hindu Yuva Vahini, which describes itself as “a fierce cultural and social organization dedicated to Hindutva and nationalism”. Militant, organised, willing to use violence, this group has faced charges of “inciting riots, murder, and arson” and has been accused “of burning mosques, homes, buses and trains”.
The Vahini’s members are utterly loyal to their leader, always ready to follow his command. Adityanath is thus unique in being the only politician in the history of independent India to have founded and run a vigilante group for many years before he assumed office as chief minister of his state.
Byword for backwardness
When Modi became chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, the state already had a robust industrial base and a thriving entrepreneurial culture. Before Adityanath became chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, the state had neither. India’s most populous state was, in economic and social terms, a byword for backwardness, and Adityanath’s policies have done nothing to dispel that image.
This, in brief, is the personal and political record of the man being spoken of as a likely successor to Narendra Modi as the top leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party. If Adityanath does indeed lead his party’s campaign in the next general elections, what sort of “Achche Din” will he promise voters? Back in 2013-’14, Modi claimed he would bring young Indians jobs, prosperity, and security. Can the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini promise young Indians anything other than the satisfaction of harassing and persecuting people of other faiths?Advertisement
As prime minister, Modi has travelled all over the world, wooing the leaders of other countries (albeit with mixed success). If he ever becomes prime minister, Adityanath is unlikely to care at all about what the world thinks of him or his country. His chief focus will be on consolidating his power in India, especially over those Indians dissimilar to him in their political, philosophical, or spiritual beliefs.
Some months ago, in a column on the political styles of prime ministers past and present, I argued that in his instinct for centralisation and control, Narendra Modi was “Indira Gandhi on steroids”. Were Adityanath to ever become prime minister, he would most likely be Narendra Modi on steroids.
Seven years of the Gujarat Model implemented countrywide have deeply damaged the social and institutional fabric of the Republic. A single term of the UP Model might destroy it altogether.
Ramachandra Guha’s The Commonwealth of Cricket has just been published. His email address is ramachandraguha@yahoo.in
03 February 2021
farmers protest: Now Mia Khalifa, after RiRi and Greta, tweets in support of farmers; MEA slams 'sensationalist comments' by celebs - The Economic Times
24 January 2021
How to find hidden subscriptions and save money from your phone - The Washington Post
How to find hidden subscriptions and save money from your phone - The Washington Post
You’re spending more money online than you think. Here are 4 ways to save.
SAN FRANCISCO — First, we stopped paying for things. Gym memberships, movie tickets, Ubers, restaurant bills, fancy clothes.
But as the pandemic carried on and more of our lives switched from in person to over screens, we started racking up new costs. Streaming services, delivery apps, online fitness classes, virtual learning apps, the Zoom account that lets you talk longer than 40 minutes.
People in some parts of the United States have started using gyms and eating at restaurants again, or are using a combination of online and in-person services. But without physical bills or regular reminders, lingering subscriptions can be easily forgotten.
Those small digital charges add up. And in a struggling economy, finding even small ways to save money can be a huge help.
There are plenty of tools to help figure out where money is being lost, like budgeting apps Mint and subscription tracking apps like Truebill, which connects with your bank accounts and lets you pick how much to pay. Another option, Bobby, is free but requires more work to set up.
Truebill CEO Yahya Mokhtarzada said that the number of users has risen during the pandemic and that users’ spending habits have changed. He says services such as Kindle Unlimited became more popular than Barnes & Noble, more people paid for YouTube Premium than tickets to movies at Cinemark Theatres, and they spent more money on Uber Eats than Uber rides. The shift to automated payments has made it easier for companies to make money and harder for customers to keep track, he said.
“We used to pay everything in cash so you know where your money is going,” Mokhtarzada said. “Now you just have no visibility, and people aren’t exactly anxious to tell you they’re charging you every month.”
You can use apps, or you can take control yourself. As the New Year rolls in, it’s a good time to hop on your phone and make sure you’re not paying for anything you don’t need.
Schedule a subscription intervention
You probably don’t need all of your new subscriptions, but finding them isn’t always easy, and canceling some can be a chore.
There’s a high probability you are paying monthly fees for things you’ve already forgotten you signed up for, whether it’s a free trial of CBS All Access you got to binge “Star Trek: Picard” or a subscription to the Noggin kids’ app you agreed to in a moment of work-from-home panic. The longer a free trial, like Apple TV Plus’s free year with a new device, the easier it is to forget about.
They can seem small at the time, $5 or $10 here and there for a bit of entertainment, but add up fast. An average subscription to all of the nine big streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max, comes to around $900 a year, or $80 a month. Then there are streaming workout apps, games, kids’ apps, newsletters and news publications (which are great).
You can go through your credit card statement to see which companies are charging you, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Most reoccurring payments are automatic deductions charged every month or as a lump sum once a year. However a growing number of services bill through a third party, such as Amazon, Apple and Google, and can be bundled together as one charge, meaning they’re easier to miss on statements.
(The Washington Post is owned by Amazon chief executive and founder Jeff Bezos.)
Go to your settings on each app store and review what you’ve signed up for, including free trials that you forgot are coming to an end.
On an iOS device, go to settings, tap on your profile on top, then tap “subscriptions” to see what you are paying for through Apple. Make sure the option for renewal receipts is turned on so you get emails reminding you that you pay for these services. On an Android device, go to the Play Store, then tap the menu icon (the box with lines in the upper left corner) and look for “subscriptions.” And on the Amazon website, use the “accounts and lists” drop-down menu next to the search bar to click on “memberships and subscription.”
Keep track going forward by checking your statements regularly, keeping a list or spreadsheet of all your subscriptions as you start them, and by setting a calendar reminder to cancel a subscription or free trial when you’re done with it.
Share, negotiate or take a break from accounts
Keeping or canceling aren’t your only options for saving money on things like subscriptions.
A surprising number of payments are negotiable. The most well known are cable and cellphone service fees, which can usually be lowered with a phone call and a threat to switch to another company. Car insurance and credit card interest rates can also be haggled down. Mokhtarzada says the best time to bargain is after your initial contract is up: “There’s often retention offers that they have available, but they’re not going to reach out and tell you about them.”
But you can also try bargaining down less obvious payments, such as expensive software you use for work. Companies including Adobe have allowed some customers to pay less during the pandemic, when work slowed.
Another way to pay less is to share your subscriptions. In the proper, legal way, of course. Look into any family plans and read the fine print for how that company defines family. Does your mom need to live at the same address to share a streaming account or just actually be your mom? If having more people on a streaming account lowers the cost for everyone, it might be worth switching. Some companies, such as Spotify, allow you to pay 50 percent more to add up to five family members, or just $3 more if you want to have a two-person account. And if you’re absolutely going to keep using it for another year, many subscriptions offer discounted rates if you pay for an entire year upfront. (Set that calendar reminder for 11 months from now!)
If you’re on the fence about giving up an account forever, some companies will let you pause an account instead of canceling it. And services including Netflix make it easy to quit and come back without losing your watch history, or your spot in the middle of bingeing Bridgerton, and having to sign up all over again.
Comparison-shop on delivery apps
The boom in grocery and restaurant delivery during the pandemic means you have multiple options when it comes to paying someone to bring you a fresh or frozen burrito. The prices across apps can vary, even for the same restaurant or grocery store.
Before shopping for groceries, look at prices on apps such as Instacart or Amazon Fresh to see how they compare, calculating in any delivery fees. Also try the stores’ sites directly and see if they offer pickup or delivery. For restaurants, prices can also vary between apps, so open a few and check your favorite entrees before purchasing. If possible, see if the restaurant is taking orders directly. Even if the prices aren’t lower, the business will probably be able to keep a larger share of your payment when not using an app like Grubhub. Some companies, such as DoorDash, that offer subscriptions are basically prepaying a delivery fee. If you don’t order enough through a single app to make this a deal, skip it.
It’s also time to audit delivery memberships, starting with an Amazon Prime account if you, like more than half of U.S. households, have one. Amazon Prime costs $119 a year and includes benefits such as free two-day shipping and its Prime Video service, but it is no longer the only game in town. Non-Prime members can still get free, slower shipping on orders over $25.
Walmart has added its own similar service, called Walmart Plus, for $98 a year. If you use Prime for groceries from Whole Foods, there are alternatives for other stores, such as an Instacart membership. Many companies offer free, fast shipping for a minimum order, and if it’s just “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” you want, Prime Video can be paid for separately. (If you do hold on to Amazon Prime, don’t forget to Google a product before you buy it and see if it’s available for a lower price, even with shipping.)
Bring your cloud storage bills down to earth
Somewhere along the line you ran out of free iCloud or Google storage. Or maybe you signed up for multiple services and are paying for more space than you need. This is a two-step money saver that might also help streamline where all your important documents and photos live.
First, figure out how much storage you need. Audit your Amazon, Google, Apple, Dropbox and Microsoft storage (we’re talking personal files, not pro-level storage). They all have easy ways to see a visual breakdown of how much storage you are using and for what types of files. A photo or video collection is usually one of the biggest chunks of cloud storage. You could be surprised to find some unexpected space hogs, such as an automatic backup of all your text messages including photo attachments. Try backing up to a computer instead of the cloud, deleting past backups and clearing out old message attachments.
Prune where you can, then shop around for the best price for however much storage you’re using and reasonable upgrade options as you grow. Until recently, Google Photo’s unlimited storage for slightly compressed photos was the biggest steal, but now it’s only 15 GB for free, then $1.99 a month for 100 GB. Amazon still offers unlimited full-resolution photo storage for Prime members, with the caveat that you need to use its app to browse through them. Dropbox is up to 2 GB for free, then jumps to $9.99 a month for 2 TB. Apple’s iCloud storage offers up to 5 GB for free or 50 GB starting at $0.99 a month.
In theory, you could spread your files across a few services for free, but that might lead to forgetfulness and heartbreak down the road. For some people, the right cloud storage option is whatever’s tied into their phone. If it’s ease of use you’re looking for, Android users can stick with Google Drive and Apple users iCloud.
30 December 2020
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