Defaulter Bailouts and Broken Trust: RBI’s Views Swing like a Pendulum
Moneylife News Bites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iPOSa1Dq60 Jun 22, 2023
When it comes to bank loan defaults, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) views seem to swing from one extreme to another, like a pendulum

https://www.moneylife.in/article/defaulter-bailouts-and-broken-trust-rbis-views-swing-like-a-pendulum/71152.html

On 20th June, the Bombay High Court granted interim relief to a bunch of petitioners, including one by the defunct Jet Airways’ founder, on the issue of declaring their loan a fraud without a hearing.

At the next hearing, the court may be told that the pendulum has swung to the other end with RBI’s controversial “Framework for Compromise Settlements and Technical Write-offs” issued on 8th June. This permits bank boards to undertake ‘compromise settlements’ or and ‘technical write-offs’ of money due from ‘wilful defaulters’ and fraud accounts. In a further act of benevolence, banks can lend again to the same defaulters after a mere 12-month cooling period!..

Instead fixing of the bankruptcy law (Bankruptcy Law Changes: Without Extensive Public Consultation, a Hurried Amendment Will Be Full of New Loopholes and Issues), the RBI circular may open the door to bigger collusion, allowing bank boards to decide on ‘compromise settlements’ and bypass the bankruptcy process altogether.

In sharp contrast to the kindness towards crooks, is the government’s attitude to middle-class investors who depend on statutory regulators doing their job, and strictly regulated intermediaries, such as rating agencies, auditors and consultants, being honest about fulfilling their fiduciary duties. Lakhs of middle-class Indians, mainly in private employment, had their retirement nest egg invested in AAA rated bonds of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) and Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL), the SREI group or the Anil Ambani’s companies.

मोदी के भाषण का बहिष्कार यह 140 करोड़ लोगों का अपमान है lhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AivR0t9l7pw  Narendra Modi visits America l Protest l
Rashtra Maharashtra Jun 22, 2023 

Jammu Anand on Mahrashtra politics and Ajit Pawars speech on 24 years of NCP  https://youtu.be/AivR0t9l7pw?t=393

"In Loving Memory: Honoring the Life and Legacy of Prof Imtiaz Ahmad, Chairperson of Intercultural Resources

It is with great sorrow that we learned of the passing of our chairperson, Prof. Imtiaz Ahmad on 19th June 2023. Apart from being well-known as a renowned sociologist, author and former professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Prof. Imtiaz was also one of the founding members of Intercultural Resources (ICR) along with late Smitu Kothari and late Prof Roy Burman (founding Chairperson). In 2012 when Prof Roy Burman passed away, Prof Imtiaz Ahmad became the chairperson of ICR till to-date. It is with a heavy heart that we extend our deepest condolences during this time of profound loss.

Prof. Ahmad's departure leaves a significant void not only within the academic community but also at Intercultural Resources which has now lost a great mind, an exemplified visionary with great leadership qualities. To us he was always a beacon of wisdom, a man with great kindness, and compassion.

Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed has immensely contributed to the growth and development of Intercultural Resources and has been our guiding force all these years. Apart from his leadership qualities, he will always be remembered by us as a great father-figure who guided us in all matters. His remarkable contributions to ICR will always be remembered with deep admiration and gratitude. During this time of grief, let us remember his extraordinary legacy and honour his pursuit of knowledge and unwavering commitment to social justice. May his memories continue to resonate in our lives for years to come, as we strive forward with the vision of Intercultural Resources.

With heartfelt condolences,

Intercultural Resources Team

Law Commission of India Consultation Paper on Reform of Family Law
31 August 2018  https://archive.pib.gov.in/documents/rlink/2018/aug/p201883101.pdf

Opposition is wrong in resisting UCC. It’s poor politics, runs against Constitution spirit Yogendra Yadav 21.6.2023 https://theprint.in/opinion/opposition-is-wrong-in-resisting-ucc-its-poor-politics-runs-against-constitution-spirit/1635438/
The whole point of reviving this proposal is to push the opposition into a photo-op with the conservative leadership. And the opposition is stepping into this trap.

It is a mark of our times that secular politics retreats from whatever ground the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP illegitimately encroach upon—Hinduism, traditions, nationalism, and now the UCC. If this retreat must be halted, secular politics must reclaim the principled and progressive position on the UCC. It must assert that the UCC has nothing to do with customs and practices of any one religion; it is about asserting the uniform primacy of constitutional principles of equality between and within religious communities and uniformly ensuring gender justice. It must realise that opposing the idea of a UCC is poor politics

How India’s financial capital shrunk protest sites, turned down protesters’ volume https://questionofcities.org/how-indias-financial-capital-shrunk-protest-sites-and-turned-down-protesters-volume/
Bombay, later Mumbai, has seen huge historical protests. Its protest sites were many – Chowpatty, Hutatma Chowk, Kala Ghoda, Gowalia Tank Maidan (now August Kranti Maidan), Jambori Maidan, Azad Maidan, Dadar station. All of them witnessed massive demonstrations and protests over the years including the landmark railway union strike and textile mill workers’ strike in the 1970-80s. In the post-liberalised Mumbai, democratic spaces for protests have been shut down or simply shrunk, as in Azad Maidan.

“This interaction between the public and protestors was the life-blood of these protests. They knew that the roads would be blocked and they would have to wait for some time on the road, but that is how democracy functions…The nature and cause of the protests underlined the choice of space,” points out Dr Mamta Mantri her book Cities and Protests: Perspectives in Spatial Criticism

The world’s largest democracy is collapsing before our eyes https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/6/21/23683842/india-democracy-narendra-modi-us-biden-china By Zack Beauchamp
The prime minister’s anti-democratic behavior has accelerated over time. In the past year alone, Modi’s government has:

Expelled the leader of the opposition party, Rahul Gandhi, from parliament after he was sentenced to two years of prison for allegedly defaming the prime minister with a joke.
Taken over one of the few remaining independent television stations through a crooked billionaire ally.
Created an official panel empowered to take down social media posts critical of the government.
Sent tax officials to raid the BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai, a move widely seen as retaliation for a documentary critical of Modi.

Being in power has become self-reinforcing for Modi. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has used its electoral dominance to silence critics and stack the electoral deck against his opponents, making the upcoming 2024 parliamentary election a significant uphill climb for other parties. That vote is shaping up to be critical for India’s democratic future.

No choice but...: Musk on Dorsey's charge against Indian govt  https://www.rediff.com/news/report/no-choice-but-musk-on-dorseys-charge-against-indian-govt/20230621.htm  June 21, 2023
Twitter chief Elon Musk on Wednesday said the social media platform has no choice but to follow the local laws in any given country or risk being shut down.

Musk's comments came in response to questions regarding Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's allegations that the Indian government had threatened the social networking platform with raids if it did not take down critical content during the farmers' protests against the three farm laws.

Printable Solar Panels The Future Is Here: Solar Ink https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2014/09/printable-solar-panels The majority of solar panels today are made from silicon. The Australian scientists though, are using organic semiconductor polymers, which are then broken down to create ink. The resulting ink has the ability to capture light and convert it into electricity. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8IxZ7ojLsI Dec 5, 2021
These ultra-thin solar panels can be printed like newspapers

This Breakthrough Solar Tech is CHEAP & Printed Using Ink! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6-fZ0YkRHQ

  Jun 9, 2022 Ink Printed Solar Panels