Thursday, July 30, 2015

Yakub Hanging - Are we a Confused Nation as Some Pretend to Think

Yakub Memon , a convict of 1993 Mumbai serial Blasts (important to note) was hanged to death today. The punishment was executed after a prolonged legal process which went through its full process of appeals and review petitions. I will not go into the merit of if he was guilty or not because highest court of land has answered that question.

I will only look at the utterances that happened before and after the event. It appears to me that on the name of Yakub people are trying to create various smoke screens and settle their own scores or further their own objectives.

Before the sentence was executed many attempted to say that this is being done to him as he is Muslim!  From where religion comes in this case? So should we believe, by this crude logic, that Nirbhaya Accused will not be punished because they are not Muslims? The statistics shows that from among the prisoners hanged for their crime in India from its independence; only about 8% were Muslims. If about 20 % population of India follows Islam, why is that percentage not tallying with % of convicts from that religion being hanged. And if this nation is biased against followers of Islam, the % of convicts following Islam should have been more than their % in Indian population.

Another argument was, that  he is being hanged in a hurry without giving him adequate opportunity. He was arrested in 1994. Are 21 years a short time? His trial went through full process of Special TADA court, which sentenced him to death in 2007, high court, supreme court and was followed with all kind of appeals and mercy petitions. Even the Death warrant was signed three months ago. Did we see any short cuts or shoddiness in the process? Then why this argument? In our country some people have Compulsive Obsessive Disorder (COD) of trying to court controversy to somehow stay in the limelight all times.

Yet one more argument was when we hanged him, why not hang Sadhvi Pragya and Col Purohit? Any sane person having basic knowledge of law knows that if a person is to be hanged, that person needs to be convicted first. Unfortunately some of our prime time anchors, some politicians dyed in parochial colours and some so called Civil Society (are they really civil?) don’t seem to have that basic knowledge. In case of Memon, he was convicted and exhausted all legal options. In case of Sadhvi Pragya and Col Purohit also if they are convicted and sentenced to death, they should be hanged. But do these people know simple fact that in 2008 Malegaon blast case they were charged sheeted in 2013 under MCOCA by NIA and the charge sheet was thrown out by Supreme Court in 2015. So when there is not even a basic charge sheet, just because few of our so called high fliers say so, can they be hanged!

Post execution of the sentence, the defence lawyer for Memon had the cheeks to call the today morning's judgement of Supreme Court a 'Tragic Error' by Supreme Court. So here is a lawyer who has the power and the wisdom to judge the Supreme Court of this Country. Shouldn't he be awarded a Padma Series award for excellence of his legal knowledge? I am sure with such caliber available in this country, we will be delivered many more instant judgements on the Judgements of the Supreme Court in days to come.

A shining gem came from a person who mostly appears sane in his views. Here is a man who was praised by the nation for his debating skills. Then came his statement that Parliament should be allowed to function and not disrupted. As correct his views may be but they went against the grain of the thought of the Queen of the Party. He was reprimanded very badly by her. He had to recover from this fall from grace. It looks that he choose this event to achieve this objective of coming back in favour of the boss of his party.

So here come great Gems from him. 'Cold Blooded Execution has never prevented terror attack' says this Vidwan. So for him, a legally awarded death sentence has become a Cold Blooded Execution? I had heard of cold blooded murder. I had also heard of cold blooded executions by ISIS. He calls execution (as in execution of a task) of legitimate death sentence to a guilty a ‘Cold blooded execution’ by Indian State! He thinks India is a Banana Republic? Such an insult to this great nation?

And then there is a man in this nation with chronic "Foot in Mouth Disease" who has been putting his foot in his mouth with a daily regularity and impunity. A trial of Yakub which lasted for 21 years is the urgency shown by this government in hanging Memon in terror case. Therefore, he demands that similar (laughing out Loud or LOL) urgency must be shown in all terror cases irrespective of religion. To quote him verbatim, “exemplary urgency and commitment” shown by the “government and judiciary” in Yakub Memon case will also be displayed in all cases of terror, irrespective of the religion of the accused”. I only wonder is there a cure for Mental bankruptcy?

I can only say that a smoke screen is being created either intentionally or collectively but unintentionally by some of the people, who have a habit to think sole claim to copy-right to intellect is only theirs, to pretend that they are right in having these putrid views and the nation is wrong. ARE WE REALLY AS CONFUSED AS THEY TRY TO MAKE US LOOK LIKE. Hope their false notions get right sooner than later.

“exemplary urgency and commitment” shown by the “government and judiciary” in Yakub Memon case will also be displayed in all cases of terror, irrespective of the religion of the accused. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/show-same-urgency-in-other-terror-cases-digvijaya-singh-on-yakub-memons-hanging/#sthash.KvrUSJp0.dpuf
“exemplary urgency and commitment” shown by the “government and judiciary” in Yakub Memon case will also be displayed in all cases of terror, irrespective of the religion of the accused. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/show-same-urgency-in-other-terror-cases-digvijaya-singh-on-yakub-memons-hanging/#sthash.KvrUSJp0.dpuf
“exemplary urgency and commitment” shown by the “government and judiciary” in Yakub Memon case will also be displayed in all cases of terror, irrespective of the religion of the accused. - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/show-same-urgency-in-other-terror-cases-digvijaya-singh-on-yakub-memons-hanging/#sthash.KvrUSJp0.dpuf



Thursday, July 9, 2015

Can We do this for People Around Us

Let me start with a disclaimer. Whatever I write is with a view to bring out a way in which we can help people secure their future around us and not to canvass about the schemes of the Union government about which I would talk in this post. I must admit though that in my personal opinion, I find them very good.

We, the people having good houses to live and reasonable (as per individual scale because what is reasonable income for me may not be reasonable for an industrialist) income every month are very fortunate people and fall in top few percent people in this country. We have capacity and knowledge to subscribe to various insurance schemes, pension schemes and also insurance cum pension schemes.

But we do have around us, many people who serve us dutifully and sincerely, Dhobis, Watchmen, Gardeners, Street vendors, delivery boys and such umpteen other people who neither have knowledge nor financial might to afford such schemes.

One thing is almost assured. All of them have a bank account, regular one or 'Jan Dhan Yojana' one. Also all of them are likely to have Aadhar card.

If we all advice two to three individuals (forgot the Kam wali in previous paragraph) to subscribe to the recently launched govt schemes for Accident insurance, Life Insurance and Pension, rather, get after them till they do so, we are going to do a great service to human beings around us without spending a paisa from our pocket.

Let us see the schemes (required because it is us who will have to provide information about these schemes to them).

In the Accident insurance scheme called Pradhan Mantri (and not named after an individual) Suraksha Beema Yojana (Prime Ministers Security Insurance Scheme) which has been launched recently, an individual authorizes his bank to auto debit Rs 12 per year to subscribe to this scheme. The person also gives name of a nominee. In the event of accident the person's nominee gets Rs Two Lakh on death. On disability due to accident there are differential rates of payment.

The biggest risk that Auto Drivers, Rickshaw Pullers, Cyclists, etc face is road accident and thus far they are cover less against accident and most are the sole bread earners for the family. Subscription of Rs 12 per year will give a Rs Two Lakh cover to the individual. Details of the scheme can be read on internet (including http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/government/pradhan-mantri-suraksha-bima-yojana-pmsby-an-accidental-insurance-scheme).

In yet another scheme launched on very same day called Prashan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Beema Yojana (a Life insurance scheme), a subscription of Rs 330 per year will get the insured person a life cover of RsTwo Lakh  in event of death under any eventuality. The process is similar and is completed with the help of individual's bankers. Some details can be read at http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/india/pradhan-mantri-jeevan-jyoti-bima-yojana-ensuring-your-future.

These two schemes costing Rs 342 per year would provide an insurance cover of Four lakh in case of death of insured or two lakh or part thereof in case of an accident resulting in disability. What better security a family can have. I would not like to get in to a debate on value of two lakh or four lakh today or ten years hence. Remember these persons are cover less at the moment and the assurance they have today is Rs ZERO (immortal figure which will have the same value after hundreds of years), in there case, some cover is better than none. In a thirty year span, an individual would have paid just Rs 9860 to acquire this cover.

Another important scheme is Atal Pension Yojana. The eligibility is age between 20 and 40 year. Presuming that a 30 year old person wants Rs 5000 PM pension after the age of 60, the person has to pay Rs 577 pm for 10 years that comes to just Rs 69240 in that period. He would have nearly recovered the invested money in first year of pension itself. some details are at http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/government/atal-pension-yojana-for-social-security-in-india.

Again I would not get in to debate of this amount would become double in seven or eight years if invested etc. If these people could invest and had that kind of spare money, they would have done so.

My objective of writing this blog is to bring to the notice of my friends and readers these schemes and request them to educate one or two people around them who are less fortunate than us. This will serve two purpose, one these people can avail them and provide some security to themselves and to the future of their families and second, we get to serve humanity without spending any money (just spend some talk and little time to talk).

As for me, I could motivate three or four people (partially, some took one scheme, some two and one odd all three) to subscribe to one or more schemes.