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Union Budget 2016-17 Highlights

By
HinduPost Desk
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Union Budget

The Union Budget 2016-17 was announced today, with a pronounced focus on agriculture and farming, rural areas, infrastructure sector, targeted subsidy delivery and skill development. Here is the full video of the budget speech in Lok Sabha –

Budget highlights for the fiscal year that begins 1 April are as below:

Focus on agriculture and farmers’ welfare

  • Farmers’ income to be doubled by 2022.
  • Rs. 9 lakh crore will be given as Agricultural credit in 2016-17.
  • 28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana. 89 irrigation projects, requiring Rs. 86,500 crore in next five years, to be fast tracked. 23 of these projects to be completed before 31st March, 2017.
  • Dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore.
  • Major programme for Sustainable Ground Water management proposed for multilateral funding at a cost of Rs. 6,000 crore.
  • 5 lakh farm ponds and dug wells in rain-fed areas and 10 lakh compost pits for production of organic manure will be taken up under MNREGA.
  • Soil Health Cards will be given to all 14 crore farm holdings by March, 2017.
  • 2,000 model retail outlets of fertilizer companies with soil and seed testing facilities, will be opened in the next three years.
  • Unified Agricultural Marketing e-Platform to be dedicated to the Nation on the Birthday of Dr. Ambedkar on 14th April, 2016.
  • FCI will undertake online procurement of food grains. This will bring transparency and convenience to farmers through prior registration and monitoring of procurement.
  • Pashudhan Sanjeevani, an animal wellness programme, will be undertaken. Nakul Swasthya Patras to be issued.

Rural Sector

  • Rs 2.87 lakh crore will be given as Grant in Aid to Gram Panchayats and Municpalities as per the recommendations of the 14th FC. This translates to – Rs. 81 lakh per gram panchayat and over Rs. 21 crore per Municipality.
  • Every Block in drought and rural distress areas will be taken up under Deen Dayal Antoyodaya Mission.
  • 300 Rurban Clusters will incubate growth Centres in Rural Area.
  • All villages will be electrified by 1st May, 2018.
  • A new Digital Literacy Mission scheme will be launched for rural India to cover around 6 crore households in the next three years.
  • Modernisation of Land Records through revamped National Land Records Programme.
  • Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Programme to be launched.

Targeted Delivery of Government subsidies and benefits to ensure that they reach the poor and the deserving.

  • New law for targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies etc. using Aadhar framework will be enacted.
  • DBT in fertilizer will be launched on pilot basis.
  • Of the total 5.35 lakh fair price shops in the country, 3 lakh shops to be automated by March,2017.

Social Sector

  • MUDRA – Loan target of 1,80,000 crore in 2016-17.
  • Massive Mission to provide LPG connection to poor households will be launched. 1.5 crore poor households will benefit in 2016-17. Scheme will continue for two more years to cover a total of 5 crore BPL households. LPG connection to be given in the name of woman member of the family.
  • New Health Protection scheme will be launched. Health cover up to Rs. 1 lakh per family and additional Rs. 30,000 for senior citizens to be provided.
  • 3000 stores under Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be opened in 2016- 17.
  • National Dialysis Services Programme will be launched. Tax exemptions given to certain parts of dialysis equipments.
  • A new Eco System for SC/ST entrepreneurs will be set up. SC/ST Hub to be set up in MSME Ministry.

Infrastructure

  • Rs. 2,18,000 crore will be spent on capital expenditure of roads and railways in 2016-17. This includes:
    • Rs. 27,000 crore PMGSY
    • 55,000 crore Road Transport and highway
    • 15,000 crore NHAI Bonds
    • 1,21,000 crore Railways—Plans to set up national investment infrastructure fund
  • Unserved and underserved airstrips to be revived by AAI and also in partnership with State Governments.
  • Road transport sector (passenger segment) to be opened up by removing permit system. This will benefit the poor and middle class, encourage new investment, promote start up entrepreneurs and create new jobs. This is a major reform measure.
  • To promote private participation in infrastructure projects, Public Utility (Resolution of Disputes) Bill will be introduced; and guidelines for renegotiation of PPP agreements will be issued, without compromising transparency.
  • Proposes tax-free infrastructure bonds for projects in roads, rail and irrigation projects.
  • Proposes five ultra mega power projects for 4,000 MW each.
  • Second unit of Kudankulam nuclear power station to be commissioned.
  • Ports in public sector will be encouraged to corporatise under Companies Act.

Skills

  • 1500 Multi Skill Training Institutes will be set up under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
  • National Board for Skill Development Certification will be set up in partnership with industry and academia.
  • Entrepreneurship education and training will be provided in 2200 colleges, 300 schools, 500 Govt. ITIs and 50 vocational training centres through massive open online courses.
  • To launch a national skills mission soon to enhance employability of rural youth

Education

  • 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened in remaining uncovered districts in next two years.
  • An enabling regulatory architecture will be provided to 10 public and 10 private institutions to emerge as world class teaching and research institutions.
  • Higher Education Financing Agency will be set up with an initial capital base of Rs. 1,000 crore.
  • Digital Depository will be set up for educational certificates, mark-sheets, awards etc.

Personal income tax

  • No revision of income tax brackets
  • Limit of deduction of health insurance premium increased to Rs 25,000 from Rs 15,000; limit increased to Rs 30,000 from Rs 20,000 for the elderly
  • People aged above 80 and not covered by health insurance to be allowed deduction of Rs 30,000 for medical expenses
  • Additional deduction of Rs 25,000 for the disabled
  • Limit on deduction for contributions to pension fund and new pension scheme increased to Rs 150,000 from Rs 100,000 rupees
  • Additional deduction of Rs 50,000 for contribution to new pension scheme under section 80CCD
  • Monthly transport allowance exemption doubled to Rs 1,600

Key Numbers

  • GDP growth seen at between 8% and 8.5% year-on-year
  • Fiscal deficit seen at 3.9% of GDP in 2015-16
  • Will meet the challenging fiscal target of 4.1 percent of GDP
  • Current account deficit (CAD) below 1.3% of GDP
  • Expects consumer inflation to remain close to 5% by March, opening room for more monetary policy easing
  • Revenue deficit seen at 2.8% of GDP
  • Non-tax revenue seen at 2.21 trillion rupees
  • Government targets disinvestment (stake sale) target for 2016-17 at Rs. 55,000 crore

Subsidies

  • Food subsidy seen at Rs 1.24 trillion.
  • Fertilizer subsidy seen at Rs 72,969 crore.
  • Fuel subsidy seen at Rs 30,000 crore.
  • Major subsidies estimated at Rs 2.27 trillion.

Market reforms

  • Propose to merge commodities regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) with Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi)
  • To bring a new bankruptcy code
  • Jaitley says will move to amend the RBI act this year, and provide for a monetary policy committee
  • To set up public debt management agency
  • Proposes to introduce a public contract resolution of disputes bill
  • To establish an autonomous bank board bureau to improve management of public sector banks

Policy reforms

  • To enact a comprehensive new law on black money
  • Propose to create a universal social security system for all Indians
  • To raise visa-on-arrival facility to 150 countries from 43
  • Allocates Rs 34,699 crore for rural employment guarantee scheme
  • Raises threshold for application of transfer pricing rules to Rs 20 crore from current Rs 5 crore

Taxation

  • To abolish wealth tax
  • Replaces wealth tax with additional 2% surcharge on super-rich
  • Proposes to cut corporate tax to 25% over next four years
  • Net gain from tax proposals seen at Rs 15,068 crore
  • Proposes modification of permanent establishment norms so that the mere presence of a fund manager in Bharat would not constitute a permanent establishment of the offshore fund, resulting in adverse tax consequences.
  • Proposes to rationalise capital gains tax regime for real-estate investment trusts (REITs)
  • Extends withholding tax concession on foreign debt purchases by two years
  • Expects to implement goods and services tax by April 2016
  • To reduce custom duty on 22 items
  • Basic custom duty on commercial vehicle doubled to 20%
  • Proposes to increase service tax rate and education cess to 14% from 12.36%
  • Plans to introduce direct tax regime that is internationally competitive on rates without exemptions
  • Exemptions for individual tax payers to continue
  • To enact tough penalties for tax evasion in new bill
  • Tax department to clarify indirect transfer of assets and dividend paid by foreign firms

Expenditure

  • Plan expenditure estimated at about Rs 4.65 trillion
  • Non-plan expenditure seen at about Rs 13.12 trillion rupees
  • Allocates Rs 2.46 trillion for defence spending
  • Allocates Rs 33,150 billion rupees for health sector
  • If revenue improves, hope to raise budgeted allocations for rural job scheme by Rs 5,000 crore 

Finance minister’s comments

  • “We inherited a sentiment of doom and gloom. The investment community had almost written us off. We have come a long way since then.”
  • “We have turned around the economy, dramatically restoring macroeconomic stability and creating the conditions for sustainable poverty elimination, job creation, durable double digit economic growth.”
  • “While being mindful of the challenges…this gives us reason to feel optimistic.”\
  • “Domestic and international investors are seeing us with renewed interest and hope.”
  • ”We are committed to subsidy rationalisation based on cutting leakages”

ममता बनर्जी ने पश्चिम बंगाल में इस्लामवादियों के लिए खुली छूट दी

By
HinduPost Desk
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0
Mamta Banerjee

मुस्लिम अतिवादी भीड़ें अब पश्चिम बंगाल में पूरी निडरता के साथ काम कर रही हैं। वे किसी से नहीं डरतीं, न पुलिस से,  न BSF (सीमा सुरक्षा बल )  से, भारत की राज्यशक्ति से तो बिलकुल भी नहीं डरतीं।  इस्लामवादी भीड़, जिसे तृणमूल कांग्रेस का पूरा समर्थन है,  के द्वारा बार-बार हमले और अपमान झेलती  पश्चिम बंगाल की पुलिस आज पूरी तरह से हतोत्साहित है ।  अपनी शक्ति का पाशविक प्रदर्शन करती एक मुस्लिम भीड़ ने ‘दो पुलिस जीपें जला दीं, पुलिसवालों पर हमला किया और बीरभूम के मयूरेश्वर इलाके के पुलिस स्टेशन में तोड़-फोड़ की और उसे घेर लिया, जिससे पुलिस अधिकारीयों को वहां से भागना पड़ा।’ उपरोक्त रिपोर्ट का ये कंपकपा देने वाला अंश है :

“एक अधिकारी ने बाद में कहा कि पुलिस को आला अधिकारियों से बल प्रयोग न करने के  ‘कड़े निर्देश’  थे, जिसके कारण कोई प्रतिरोध नहीं हुआ।  पिछले दो सालों में बीरभूम में पुलिस को कई बार हमलों का सामना करना पड़ा है, जिससे एक अधिकारी की २०१४ में मृत्यु भी हुई। जिला पुलिस सूत्रों के अनुसार पुलिस बल  ने अपना मनोबल खो दिया है जिसका कारण हमलावरों का राजनीतिक समर्थन और किसी कार्यवाही के प्रति प्रतिरोध है “

ये पश्चिम बंगाल राज्य पर पहला हमला नहीं था, ना ही ऐसा लगता है की यह आखिरी हमला होगा। बांग्लादेश के युद्ध अपराधियों के समर्थन में खुले आम रैलियों से लेकर, एक मुस्लिम इमाम पर प्रश्न करने को लेकर गाड़ियां जलाती और महिलाओं का यौन उत्पीडन करती उत्पाती भीड़ तक – ऐसा लगता है  कि कलकत्ता और पश्चिम बंगाल इस्लामवादी हिंसा के आदि हो रहे हैं ।  यह एक नयी वास्तविकता है।

यह “इंडिया फैक्ट्स रिपोर्ट ”  पश्चिम बंगाल के अभागे हिन्दुओं पर पिछले कुछ सालों में हुए हमलों  का विवरण देती हैं, जिसको रोकने में पुलिस या तो अनिक्षुक है या फिर सीधे-सीधे असहाय है । यह बंगाल के हिन्दुओं पर हो रही नियोजित रूप से हो रही  हिंसा और  धीमी गति से हो रही पूरी नस्ल को साफ़ करने का कुकृत्य है।

२००२ के दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण गुजरात दंगे, जो ५८ हिन्दू यात्रिओं , जिनमें ज्यादातर महिलायें और बच्चे थे जो साबरमती एक्सप्रेस में यात्रा कर रहे थे, उनकी बर्बरतापूर्वक जलाकर हत्या करने के बाद भड़के, उसकी राष्ट्रीय मीडिया ने बिना विराम के रिपोर्टिंग की। उस समय के गुजरात के मुख्यमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की कार्यवाही की मीडिया और न्यायालय ने दो दशकों तक बारीक जांच की – जो कि सही भी है। लेकिन फिर ममता बनर्जी को इसके अंश मात्र की भी जांच और सवालों से क्यों नहीं गुजरना पड़ा ?

इस बात के दस्तावेजी सबूत हैं कि तृणमूल के राज्य सभा सदस्य अहमद हसन इमरान की कैनिंग, दक्षिण २४ परगना जिले में २०१३ में हुए सांप्रदायिक हिंसा में प्रत्यक्ष हाथ था। इस तथ्य को जानने के बाद भी ममता बनर्जी ने अहमद हसन इमरान,  जो कि प्रतिबंधित संगठन SIMI के संस्थापकों में से एक है, को  राज्य सभा के लिए २०१४ में नामांकित किया। तृणमूल के सदस्यों ने दिन दहाड़े पुलिस अधिकारियों की गोली मारकर हत्या की है और अपने घर बम बनाने वाले आतंकवादियों को भी किराये पर दिया है।  प.बंगाल जैसा एक संवेदनशील सीमा से लगा राज्य आज इस्लामवादियों और जिहादियों के लिए उपजाऊ जमीन बन चुका है, जो पड़ोसी बांग्लादेश की सरकार गिराकर और बंगाल के एक भाग को हथियाकर एक वृहद – बांग्लादेश बनाना चाहते हैं।  इसके बावजूद ममता बनर्जी के साथ राष्ट्रीय मीडिया ऐसे बर्ताव कर रही है जैसा किसी अन्धप्रेमी माता पिता अपनी बिगडैल संतान के साथ करते हैं-कोई भी वो कठिन सवाल नहीं पूछ रहा है जो पश्चिम बंगाल के हिंदुओं का अस्तित्व बचने के लिए पूछे जाने चाहिए।

कुछ घटनाएं जैसे टुकटुकी मंडल अपहरण या मालदा के दंगे मीडिया की मुख्य धारा में केवल सोशल मीडिया के तीव्र दबाव के कारण ही सामने आये। इसपर भी कुछ समाचार पोर्टलों ने हिन्दुओं की पीड़ा को नकारने का प्रयत्न किया, या फिर उसे तोड़ मरोड़ कर पेश किया जिससे  हिंसा के पीछे इस्लामवादियों के हाथ होने की बात दबाई जा सके।

जब सिर्फ स्याही फेंकने जैसी घटनाओं को ‘बढ़ती असहिष्णुता’ की तरह चित्रित किया जा रहा है, तब हमें  बार-बार क़ानून व्यवस्था और BSF पर मुस्लिमों की भीड़ के द्वारा किये जाने वाले इन हमलों को क्या समझना चाहिए ?  या फिर हमें मुस्लिमों के लिए सहिष्णुता के अलग मापदंड अपनाने चाहिए जिस तरह से उनके लिए अलग दीवानी क़ानून (civil code) है ?  ये इस्लामिक असहिष्णुता ऐसे मुस्लिमों पर भी लागू होती है जो ये सोचते हैं कि वे तालिबानी विचारधारा के खिलाफ काम कर रहे हैं।  स्वयंभू  उदारवादी मुस्लिम जैसे कि जावेद अख्तर, आमिर खान और शाहरुख खान (जो कि पश्चिम बंगाल के ब्रांड एम्बेसडर हैं ) फिर क्यों नहीं अपनी जन सामान्य तक पहुँच और साख  का उपयोग पश्चिम बंगाल के बढ़ते इस्लामीकरण की भर्तस्ना करने में करते हैं ?

ऐसे समय में जब पश्चिमी मीडिया भी आखिरकार पश्चिम बंगाल में हो रहे हिंदुओं पर अत्याचार को रिपोर्ट कर रहा है, तब  बंगाली हिन्दुओं और उनकी आस्था पर होने वाले  बहुआयामी  हमलों  पर भारत के अन्दर  कोई  बहस क्यों नहीं हो रही है ? शर्मिला टैगोर जैसी बंगाली हस्ती, जिन्होंने दादरी घटना पर इतने प्रभावी शब्दों में अपनी बात रखी वो हिन्दुओं के इस लगातार जारी दमन और अपने गृह राज्य में क़ानून व्यवस्था के पूर्ण ध्वंस पर क्यों नहीं आवाज़ उठातीं? राष्ट्रपति प्रणव मुख़र्जी क्या इस विषय पर उस तरह बोलेंगे जैसा उन्होंने दादरी के समय सहिष्णुता की वकालत करते समय बोला था? अंत में, हम बंगाल में धरा ३५६ लगाने की चर्चा क्यों नहीं कर रहे जहां क़ानून का राज वास्तविकता में ख़त्म हो गया है ?

(वीरेंद्र सिंह द्वारा हिंदी अनुवाद)

Another Hindu Leader Shot Dead, this time for Opposing Cow Slaughter

By
HinduPost Desk
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4
Hindu Leader Shot Gau Rakshak Khalistan plotting

In yet another case of murder of a Hindu leader, Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Agra city unit vice-president Arun Kumar Mahaur, a Dalit, was on Thursday shot dead in broad daylight on the way back home after performing his daily prayers at a local temple. He was accosted by five assailants in a busy marketplace near his ancestral house in Mantola, one of whom pumped a bullet from a country-made gun into the back of his head from close range.

The victim’s brother named five persons — Shahrukh, Raja, Dilshad, Imtiyaz and Abid — as accused in the complaint filed at the Mantola police station. Mahaur’s brother Vinod Kumar, who was with the VHP man when he died, said Shahrukh and his associates attacked both of them without any provocation. “We were walking home from the temple, minding our own business when these people started hurling abuses and mocked my brother,” alleged Kumar. “Even before we could react, they pounced on us and while Shahrukh shot Arun in the head, his associates started beating me up.”

Police have registered a murder case against main accused Shahrukh and four others. As per latest reports Shahrukh, Raja, Imtiaz and Abid have been arrested, while Dilshad is still absconding.

 According to eyewitnesses, there was a brief altercation with the accused before Shahrukh whipped out a gun and sent a bullet crashing through Mahaur’s head. Local residents claimed that two days earlier Mahaur had got involved in a fight over the issue of cow slaughter and that Shahrukh had “openly threatened him”.
24 of the 29 states in Bharat have imposed restrictions and penalties of varying degrees on the slaughter of cows and other bovine cattle – Uttar Pradesh  has one of the strictest laws where the slaughter of cow and its progeny, including bulls and bullocks of all ages, is completely banned.

Rampant Murders of Hindu Leaders and Activists

This incident is just the latest in a spree of murders and attacks on Hindu leaders and activisits. Below is a partial list of cases that highlights the severity of the problem, and the ground really that those who are painted as ‘fascist’ and ‘intolerant’ are acutally victims of a targeted campaign to silence and eliminate Hindu voices.

16 Feb 2016: PV Sujith, an RSS and BJP activist, was hacked in his home in Kannur, Kerala. This was just one in a long list of murders of Hindu activists in Kerala.

12 Feb 2016: BJP Bihar Vice-President Visheshwar Ohja was shot dead in Bhojpur, and earlier that same morning, another BJP leader Kedarnath Singh was shot dead in Chhapra.

9 Oct 2015: Prashant Poojari was hacked to death in Moodbidri, Karnataka for opposing cow slaughter.

June 2014: 3 BJP leaders (Vijay Pandit, Omveer Singh Fauji, Rakesh Rastogi) killed in U.P. within a span of 10 days, and several more murderously attacked, including BJP MP from Fatehpur, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti.

July 2014: BJP workers assaulted in Triupra by CPM cadre

20 July 2013: BJP state general secretary ‘auditor’ V Ramesh, 54, was hacked to death in Salem, Tamil Nadu. This came after the brutal murder of Hindu Munnani functionary Vellaiappan in Vellore.

Tropical Cyclone Winston Rips Through Fiji

By
HinduPost Desk
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0
Cyclone Winston 1

Category 5 Super Cyclone Winston is the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall over Fiji on record. It has killed over 40 people as per latest reports. Hindu organizations, which have a significant presence in the island nation, have swung in to action and are involved in relief and rehabilitation work for the affected Fijians.

Below is an appeal issued by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Fiji along with Hindu Emergency Aid Relief Team (HEART) and Hindu Youth Fiji (HYF) –

“On behalf of VHP (Fiji), a registered charitable organization, we are urgently and very humbly soliciting your most valuable assistance for the Category 5 Super Cyclone Winston victims. Cyclone Winston that brought 325 km per hour wind speed on the night of Saturday, 20th February, 2016 has been the 2nd strongest cyclone to be recorded in world history.

Thousands of people are severely affected. Thousands are without a home, food and clean drinking water and they are living in emergency evacuation centres in most parts of the country. The extent of damage caused by the cyclone is catastrophic and unprecedented. Fiji has never seen a cyclone of this magnitude.

Cyclone Winston 2
Shree Sanatan Dharm Kanya Pathshala, Fiji

More than a hundred schools have been destroyed. Thousands homes are beyond any repair and it will take several months before people are able to stand up on their feet to live a normal life. Schools will be closed for months and will cause much disruption to studies. At present there is no guarantee if electricity power can be restored in the next 2 months time. Many parts of the country are without water supply. The unbearable sight of destruction resembles a war stricken zone.

I live in the township of Ba. One of the many towns severely affected with nearly 75% of the homes destroyed. While the entire country faced the brunt, Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki districts have been the most affected.

Cyclone Winston 3
Arya Samaj School, Ba, Fiji

I am the country President of VHP Fiji since 2009. Most of our volunteers and their families are also affected but we have a desire to stand up and support our community and our nation in these times of desperate need of help.

I refer you to the links below and you can search using hashtag #TCWinston.

My facebook page has been constantly updated with first-hand information: www.facebook.com/jaydayalfiji [page], www.facebook.com/jaydayal

http://fijivillage.com/news/Devastation-Report-TC-Winston-2k5sr9/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-22/ba-devastated-by-cyclone-winston:-hospital-chairman/7188638

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-02-22/cyclone-winston-death-toll-reaches-20-as-authorities-continue-to-assess-damage/1550642

We need funds in far excess of US$250,000 to reach out to at least a 2,000 families with urgent relief to the most affected people in the above 3 districts. Please be assured that VHP Fiji does not take any administration cost from donations. All donations received are passed to the needy.

Our bank details are as follows:

Beneficiary: Vishva Hindu Parishad (Fiji)
Bank: Bank of South Pacific
Account: 8468936
Branch #: 16
Swift: BOSPFJFJ

We desperately look forward to your earliest help.

Yours in dharma
Jay Dayal
President
VHP Fiji

“Jan Sewa Hi Prabhu Sewa”

We request Hindus across the globe to assist VHP Fiji to the best of their ability.

Smriti Irani exposes the political games over Rohith Vemula

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HinduPost Desk
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0
Smriti Irani In LS

In an impassioned speech in Lok Sabha packed with facts, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani gave a stunning reply to her political critics who have been trying to corner her over research scholar Rohith Vemula’s suicide and the recent events in JNU. Her speech laid bare the political charlatans who project themselves as the guardians of social justice and secularism in this country.

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Sonia’s RTE Forcing Closure of Private Schools, Hurting Students

By
HinduPost Desk
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7
Fix RTE NISA
NISA dharna against RTE

Ever since the Right to Education (RTE) Act was passed in 2009 by UPA-2 and enacted from 1 April 2010, it has unleashed draconian state regulation over private unaided & aided schools run by the majority (read Hindus) community and resulted in several private schools either shutting down, or on the verge of doing so.

Today, the National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA), an alliance of  budget private schools (BPS) from across the country (over 36,400 schools from 20 states catering to ~9.35 million children) held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi to protest this RTE driven school closure, and demanding autonomy for Budget Private Schools, ease of opening schools, learning outcome-based regulation and recognition of schools. They also appealed the HRD ministry to either fix RTE or repeal it altogether while formulating the new National Education Policy (NEP).

Anti RTE demonstration
NISA Demonstration against RTE

As per NISA, around 20,000 schools had either closed or were facing threat of closure due to RTE as of data gathered till 18 March 2014. The situation has worsened since then – reports says 10,000 schools were closed in 2015 and an equal number are likely to close this year as well, and 2 crore children are at risk. Salient clauses of the RTE Act, viz. reservation of 25 per cent of the total seats, prohibition of holding back and expulsion, no capitation fee and screening procedure for admission, pupil-teacher ratio, etc. amount to an administrative nightmare. So a legislation which was introduced in the guise of social justice is having exactly the opposite effect – it is making education more difficult to access for the poor and the ‘right’ to quality education remains just on paper.

Origins of RTE and Its Impact

The RTE Act was the brain-child of the infamous NAC (National Adivsory Council) led by Sonia Gandhi – it strategically exempted minority run schools (even Government aided) from the purview of the RTE Act. To understand the deleterious impact of RTE and the 93rd Constitutional Amednment passed in 2005 by UPA-1, we recommend reading this earlier piece which appeared on HinduPost.

Anti RTE protest
Protesters from NISA campaigning for school autonomy

This NISA article outlines the problems facing budget private schools due to RTE. RTE is nothing but the educational equivalent of the ‘license quota permit raj’ imposed by Indira Gandhi on the economy in 1970s that was finally lifted by PV Narsimha Rao in 1991. The article says –

“Budget private schools are which offers affordable education to children from slums and rural parts of the country. These schools are private schools which are unrecognized and have only the most basic facilities. According to section 19 of the RTE act, all private schools should meet certain norms to ensure recognition. These norms include all-weather building, one class room for each teacher at the least, separate toilet for boys and girls, clean drinking water, playground and library. It also specifies the dimension of class rooms, norms for hiring and terminating and salaries for staffs and teachers.

The Right to Education Act has failed in dealing with private unaided schools. Rather than going for collaboration with private schools, the government is taking arrogant measure which will result in the shutting down of such schools. This is the observation made by most of those who run such private schools which offers education to weaker and marginalized sections of the community.

Estimates put the number of Budget private schools in India in the range of 300,000 and if these numbers of private schools are forced to shut down, it will lead to a serious problem of mismatch between demand and supply in the education sector.”

Excessive regulation is the bane of many a sector in Bharat. And it is not surprising that increased involvement of bureaucracy feeds that other monster which afflicts our public life – corruption. The same article adds –

“The Government has introduced many regulation and licenses, which makes it impossible for private schools to function legitimately. In the case of Deepalaya, an organization which operates many schools for students from the slums in Delhi, the government has declined to grant recognition for the past 10 years. The reason they point out is that the school do not pay salary to its teachers as stipulated by the government.

Since budget private schools find it difficult to meet all the government requirements, it is quite hard for them to get recognized by the government. For instance, schools are required to have playgrounds and pay a salary of Rs. 20,000 or more. To maintain a playground and pay such a high salary will force the schools to increase their fee multifold, which the poor will not be able to afford. A reason why parents prefer to send their children to private schools is the absenteeism of the teachers in the government schools.

Rather than taking measures to close down private schools the government should realize their importance in the field of primary education and understand their situation. The government should take steps similar to what they have done in the case of our economy; de-license and de-centralize. The schools and other higher education institutions should be accountable to parents and not bureaucrats alone.”

School Vouchers: A Far Better Solution To Empower Poor Students

One of the fundamental provisions of RTE is a minimum 25% quota for economically weaker section (EWS) students that all private schools run by the majority (Hindus) have to provide. In theory, the concerned State Governments are supposed to reimburse the private schools for these EWS students. But the practical reality is that schools are reduced to haggling with  Government over the monthly reimbursement figure, or just kept waiting for years altogether. Not surprisingly, many Hindu educational entrepreneurs just give up in frustration and shut down their school.

A far better alternative, as suggested by NISA and others, would be a school voucher provided by Government to students; these vouchers can be cleared only for schools, and after they have been deposited in their or their parents’ bank account. This would enable students to get admission in schools of their choice and near their houses.

The present Government needs to look urgently at this burning issue which is severely impacting our youth, on whom rests the dream of a resurgent Bharat. RTE needs fundamental changes or should be scrapped altogether, and any new policy should be non-discriminatory in nature and apply equally to all communities.

Riot after Riot In UP: Now Muslims Clash With Hindu Dalits During Sant Ravidas Procession

By
HinduPost Desk
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9
Hindu Dalit Riot Muslim Mob
Muslim mob rioting in Lucknow, U.P. in 2012 (Source: PTI)

One person was killed and several others, including a police sub-inspector, were injured in a communal clash in rural part of Saharanpur district in western Uttar Pradesh on 19 Feb evening.

The incident occurred in Sarkadi Khumar village on Behta road under Kotwali Dehat area when a procession was being brought out by Hindus on the occasion of Sant Ravidas jayanti. It was interrupted when it reached a Muslim locality which resulted into stone pelting and firing.

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Did Congress Set Haryana on Fire?

By
Guest Author
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6
Sonia Burning Bharat Jihadis Congress Anti-Hindu

There is mounting evidence which shows that the Congress party and ex-CM Bhupinder Hooda is behind the violent Jat quota stir that has rocked Haryana. 

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The Warp and Weft of the JNU Plot

By
Ram Kumar Ohri
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2
Left Islamist Alliance

For the last fifteen years, the left-oriented academia of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have been actively promoting and propagating divisive politics  aimed at the balkanization of Bharat. 

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Hindu Priest Beheaded By Islamists in Bangladesh

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HinduPost Desk
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4
हिंदू पुजारी की हत्या

A Hindu priest was beheaded by Islamist terrorists in northern Bangladesh and two worshippers wounded, in the latest assault targeting Hindus in the Muslim-majority nation. Two assailants armed with pistols and cleavers attacked Jogeswar Roy, 45, the head priest of Sri Sri Sant Gourio Math, at his home in the temple on Sunday morning, officials said.

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