Medical Ethics Is Casualty in COVID Pandemic

The issue with ethics is that it is, by far, perceived as possessing an element of persuasion that is enforced by fear of social disassociation as opposed to law which is, in most quarters, mandated and ascertained by threat of penal action, material loss or professional banishment. 

The role of the medical professional, across continents, has been in sharp focus over the last two years owing to the COVID pandemic. And, actions as necessitated by situations extraordinary and urgent as forced by the pandemic could be mostly generalised as ‘Acts Done In Good Faith’ and, concurrently, implied and protected to some extent by law.

Amrut Mahotsav To Showcase India’s Azaadi Over A Year

India’s year-long celebration from 15 August 2021 to commemorate 75 years of Independence with a range of programmes and projects will showcase “development, governance, technology, reform, progress and policy,” over the years. The exercise is being initiated by the Prime Minister’s office and is most likely to be flagged off on August 15, 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Red Fort. To showcase India’s trajectory over the years, all Central ministries and departments have been asked to identify 10 projects that would be implemented and on the anvil are projects ranging from energy-efficient street lighting to Command and Control Centres in all 100 Smart Cities, Garbage-Free 2,022 Cities and the Skilling Programme for migrant workers. The projects lined up by the ministries would be completed by August 2022 and inaugurated by Modi during the celebratory year.

The Bias of Commercial Surrogacy Must Be Smashed

Perception, almost always, has a symbiotic relation with perspective. One shapes the other and only in a manner that one can. A person, whose perception is honed, over time and with experience, is perceived as one possessing an exhaustive perspective on the issue. That the perspective is subjective doesn’t matter in the least to a homogenous audience, with views similarly coloured, which conveniently considers it entirely objective. 

'Nationalism' for most, for others 'Hate', unifies Indians

Nationalism, as a concept, is subjective in form and substance. Never before in the history of free India has the concept of 'Nationalism' been of more relevance than today when factions are deeply divided both in loyalty and in the interpretation of some basic concepts like Freedom, Liberty and Secularism. The notion of nationalism that has percolated down history has been primarily in British India and deals with a sense of nationalism that had to be won over from the British to further a concept of ‘free’ India. Till India earned her freedom, 'Nationalists' were divided only on their choice of ‘ways’ to achieve freedom. The goal remained one - Freedom from the British Rule yet the paths varied from one of Gandhi's route of non-violence and the other, the way of Netaji – a violent uprising against the British. Yet, although the approaches differed, the goal remained the same. And then, India got her Independence from the British in 1947 and alongside Nationalism, as a concept, went through a transformation of sorts.

New CRZ Rules Ignore Coastal Concerns, May Trigger Disaster

The new Coastal Regulations Zone 2018 notifications threaten to wreak havoc across India's coasts, along the Western coast of India, particularly along the Konkan coastline, directly affecting Goa and Mumbai all set to succumb to the greed of a profit-driven real estate industry.

Once-bitten Biggies of Hindi Film Industry Remain Politically Correct

The Me-Too movement has gained momentum across India, yet in the Hindi film industry, despite legally-orchestrated and guarded comments from a few, there is a general hush. The hush has an on-the-face-of-it ‘legal’ yet a more real ‘commercial’ basis to it. The Tanushree Dutta episode has exposed the underbelly of self-righteous sections of the film industry.

MoEFCC Bends Norms for Better ‘ease of doing business’ Rankings

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on November 15th 2018 issued a notification easing the green norms for the building and construction sector wherein residential projects upto 1.5 lakh square metres (built-up area) will not require ‘prior environmental clearance’. Also, urban local bodies such as Municipalities will now have the power to grant building permission. The move has sent ripples of fear and anticipation among environmentalists and green activists across the nation.

Banks Deprive Seniors of Sops Assured by RBI

Banking, particularly with regards to services, brings the sector squarely within the ambit of the Consumer Protection Act. A customer, a consumer within the Act, could, for non-resolution of issues through processes laid down, approach a Consumer Forum for the ‘deficiency in service’ which, if and when proved, could force the bank to cough up damages.

Supreme Court upholds Constitutionality of Aadhaar

The historic judgement puts manufactured fears of privacy risks to rest and curtails powers of private entities to avail, use and retain data. The September 26th Supreme Court judgement on the Constitutionality of Aadhaar, following a 38-day hearing spread over four months, has fetched mixed reactions. Primarily, the Apex Court upheld Aadhaar’s Constitutionality and cleared the air saying that nothing in the Aadhaar Act violates the Right to Privacy of an individual. It (Aadhaar) served ‘a bigger public interest’, was ‘unique’, and that unique was ‘better than the best’.

Child Rights Laws In India Must Be Gender Neutral

Intriguingly, among all offences, it’s the crime of rape that fires public sentiment the most, eliciting an outrage that exceeds the seemingly worst felony of all – murder too. And, if that crime is perpetrated against a child, nothing can be graver than that.
Child rights, in India more than elsewhere, is unique in that the treatment of children and social perception is different from that of other nations.

Spirited Opposition to ‘Letter’ of Rural Bonds

When 60-year-old Jamunabai Vasawe from Manibeli village in Nandurbar, on the northern border of Maharashtra, was bitten by a snake at six pm, her family rushed her to the closest sub-centre only to find it shut and a primary health centre out of reach. A boat ambulance placed for emergency medical care for villagers in the remote tribal area, was delayed by two hours. And, by the time the tribal woman was administered anti-snake venom (ASV), her condition had worsened beyond repair. She was declared dead in a government hospital in Garudeshwar, Gujarat, around 11 pm.

Implementation, Viable Alternatives Need Political Will For Plastic Ban To Succeed

For a ban that arrived with a bang, it seems to be fading away even before it could take effect. The Maharashtra government has backtracked to allow groceries and general stores to continue to use plastic for packaging after shop-keepers associations complained to state environment minister Ramdas Kadam. Already, environmentalists are saying that the government will soon give in to the powerful plastic manufacturers’ lobby and brings in relaxations.

Elephanta Island Gets Powerful, Finally

The Elephanta island, or Gharapuri, to use its original name, is the site of the Elephanta caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and receives more than 20 lakh tourists every year. However, the three villages on the island, home to about 1,200 people, have not had electricity since independence. The villagers lived in darkness – a shame, and a mark of administrative and political apathy. Neither the media nor rights groups played up this fact.

Stunned By Law Mine, Goa Govt Treads Gingerly

In a breather for the mining industry, the Supreme Court on April 4 allowed the export of iron ore from loading points on river jetties in Goa while disposing a joint special leave application filed by Vedanta Resources and another local mining company. The bench of justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta maintained that the iron ore for which royalty has been paid to the state government and has been extracted on or before March 15 this year should be allowed to be transported.

Mumbai's Metro Battles Activists, Fears, Divine Fury

The storm is yet to die out over the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited's (MMRC) taking over 30 hectares of the famed Aarey colony, a green belt of Mumbai, when another application has come in from MMRC demanding another 12,000 sq metres of land. The colony in Goregaon, inaugurated in 1951, was the result of the vision of Dara Khurody, a dairy pioneer of India whose name is taken in the same breath as Father of the White Revolution, Verghese Kurien and Tribhuvandas K Patel.

Matheran Risks Slipping Off Track

“It’s a national shame,” rues Ali Akbar Peerbhoy, grandson of the founder of the Matheran hill railway, which plies the Matheran toy train. For today, the railway is struggling for survival. The red soil of the hill station, the horse rides, the silence of the forested hills are all under threat, along with the railway. A haphazard maze of crude roads and guesthouses has mushroomed on the pristine hill. Pushy touts and uncouth horse-ride vendors operate in flagrant violation of the law. The local authorities turn a blind eye to the ugly, skewed ‘development’.

New Censorship Dimensions

Films have always been closely associated with Freedom. But, Freedom comes with riders. One's freedom cannot hurt another. Also, the issue of curbs being ‘unequally distributed,” across media and hence violative of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution that guarantees Equality is of topical importance. Actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar’s Public Interest Litigation challenged the ‘pre-censorship’ of films and, in particular, the provisions of the law in question.

Denial, Willed In Life, Is Not Suicide

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the right of a person to make a ‘living will’ has underlined the inevitable. The petition, filed by registered society Common Cause, was about the right of a person to decide on the chain of events that would determine the future course of treatment should that person become incapable of making such a decision. In the unanimous judgment by a constitution bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra, the court upheld the values of liberty, dignity, autonomy and privacy.

Inability To Prove 'Public Good' Will Fetch Damages, Punishment

Allegations Based on Single Source
The headline of the article in question based on a single statement from Mr Guha Thakurta’s source and the circumstantial evidence used to support it simply didn’t seem to justify it. The article is broadly based on two arguments: Changes to customs duties over the years and Adani Power Limited’s false submissions before the Gujarat High Court, both of which seem based on errors.

Patriotism For One, Jingoism For Another

There is a distinct surge in jingoism and pseudo-patriotism in the air. While on the one hand there are those who would want to loudly proclaim their love for the nation, there are corresponding others who thrive in the chaos that ensues their lack of compliance with the wont.