Meeting Urban Minister to enhance Plot Area

Election Manifesto for IITK AA Election 2016

डा. विजयानन्द शर्मा

Dr. Vijayanand Sharma

(MT / MME / 1978)

For Vice President, Alumni Association IITK

Service to IITK Students/Alumni

·        As an M.Tech. student at IITK I worked as a student member of the Senate Post Graduate Committee (SPGC) and was Chairman of the PG Students Academic Affairs Committee (PGSAAC). Cocurrently I worked as Chief Students’ Counsellor for PG students at the Institute Counselling Service.

·        Based on information collected through private communication, during visits to IITK campus and meeting all concerned and through RTI Act I helped IITK take corrective measures in matters of transparent management of Alumni donations, reduction in students’ suicide and accidental death of workers on work site in addition to impressing upon the IITK on the need of granting more autonomy to students in Hall management and cost control in Hall Mess and Canteens.

·        Since inception, I have been the moderator of the two Yahoo Groups: IIT Global Discussion Group and IIT Global Save IIT Forum.

Professional Service

·        Served as Secretary (2 years) and as President (8 years) of the Association of R&D Executives and Association of Steel Executives, Ranchi, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

·        Represented the SAIL Executives for over 10 years as Member, Vice-Chairman (2 years) and Chairman (2 years) of Steel Executives’ Federation of India/ SEFI (for Public Sector Steel Executives), a professional Body comprising of over 25000 Executives from all the SAIL Plants/ Units, MECON & RINL, Vizag.

·       As Member of the Co-ordination Committee of the Federation of the Executives’ Associations of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) I represented them in Pay and Perks revision negotiation with various ministries / departments of the Govt of India in 1989-1991.

Service to Society/Community

·    Science Popularization: Worked as Member (1982-85) and President (1985-1992) of Science & Technology for Society of Jharkhand, Ranchi. It later became Jharkhand Unit of Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha, Ranchi and remained its Founder President (1992 - 2000). It was succeeded by Jharkhand Vigyan Manch of which I continue to be the Chairman since the year 2000. Objectives of these organisations is Science Popularization and enhancement of creativity amongst students and rural and semi-urban population.

·       Right to Education: As Organisation Secretary of the All India Forum for Right To Education (AIFRTE) (2009-2012) I worked for improvement in the system of both School and Higher Education and introduction of Common School System to be operated under Neighbourhood Schooling mode (CSS-NS). For this a rally of over 10000 teachers and students from Ramlila Ground to Parliament Street was organized on 24^th Feb 2010. I took lead in organizing a demonstration on the various issues related to Higher Education in front of Shashtri Bhawan (HRD Ministry), New Delhi on 27^th July 2010.

·   As founder Convenor of the Editorial Board I organized the publication of education related quarterly newsletters तालीम की लड़ाई in Hindi and Reconstructing Education in English on behalf of AIFRTE

·     Welfare of Ex-SAIL Employees: Since 2002, as a founder President of SAIL Ex-Employees Association (SEEA) I work for the welfare of its members. As a founder Chairman of the Federation of Retired SAIL Employees (FORSE), with over a lakh of retirees spread around the country, I look after the welfare of the retirees such as financial assistance, emergency needs and pension as well as healthcare schemes through SAIL Plant Hospitals and Mediclaim Insurance Policy. I interact with various ministries of the Govt of India like Finance, Social Welfare, Health and Steel on regular basis for changes in Policy towards Senior Citizens and PSU Retirees. 

Academic Involvement

·   I am an adjunct faculty and subject specialist with the National Institute of Foundry & Forge Technology, Ranchi (NIFFT) and colleges of Ranchi and Birsa Agricultural Universities in the area of Environment, Waste & Water Management. 

Why VOTE for Me for Vice President, Alumni Association

I would like to bring my 40 years of leadership experience in corporate and community service sectors –as an individual and as a team man - to transform Alumni Association to better serve students, alumni and alma mater. I will work towards involving alumni:

ü in establishing relationship with prominent universities around the world where IITK alumni occupy key positions so that IITK faculty and students can be involved in cutting-edge research in the area of Science and Technology

ü in attracting top JEE rankers and improving student placement

ü in achieving better learning experience (ABLE) to physically disabled students

ü as visiting faculty and adding practical content to their education

ü in establishing innovation and incubation centers for developing products to meet societal needs

I will also strengthen Alumni Association office and its activities so that it can serve alumni in their hour of need and serve community in and around campus for overall improvement in their quality of lives. Fighting for social justice for the marginalized section of society is my passion.

Seeking your Vote & Support

e-mail: vnsharma@iitkalumni.org
Mob: 9431102680; 0651-2441524

 (Pic. of IITK days)

Ready to challenge the communal corporate culture

A Message from Pranoy Krishan <pranayxp@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Aug 2, 2015 at 10:18 PM

Ready to challenge the communal corporate culture

14^th National Conference of Jan Sanskriti Manch begins

Resolution passed in support of social activist Teesta Setalvad   

New Delhi : 1.08. 2015

“There is a tremendous contradiction between our society and our economy. The government says   that our country is one among the fast growing economies, but facts show that inequalities have increased. Commercialization has hastened since 1991 in our country. Among the world’s billionaires India stands at number 4, but 40 crore people are below poverty line. A majority of people in the country are marginalized. The situation of education, health, environment is terrible.” Professor Arun Kumar said in his key note  at the  inaugural session of the 14^thNational Conference of Jan Sanskriti Manch in Delhi.

Prof. Arun Kumar said that Indian scholarship and modernity is derived in nature from the West. We have not tried to search for answers to our peculiar problems. As a result, people who were in the margins have become more marginalized. After 1991, he said,  changes in the economy  have changed the nature of every institution. Earlier the responsibility of an individual was on the state and society but after the dominance of the market, each individual is left to themselves to solve their own troubles. The market looks at individuals only as economic beings and consumers.  Market has no moral concerns. It is advancing techniques while leaving behind society. The social transformation that should accompany technology is ignored by the market.

​ 

The chief guest at the inaugural session, poet-scientist Laltu said that stretching too far backwards in history to develop the Indian identity prevents an understanding of why a large section of our society remain on the margins of society. He said one has to look at the exploitative contradictions of Indian society that left dalits and women out of the cultural processes. 

Laltu said that cultural organizations must seriously consider the question of language and disappearance of people’s control over them.  He said that scientific traditions in the country have also suffered because people’s language of expressions built on local contexts have been wiped out. He argued that while rationality is important to introduce change, emotional associations also play an important role. 

Ali Jawed, General Secretary, of Progressive Writer’s Association said in his solidarity message that Hindutava Talibanisation is increasingly visible in our public sphere, but many organizations that claim to be secular have not acted enough to protest. He said that the struggle against fascist designs of the Sangh Parivar can be paved only through a socialist revolution.

Murli Manohar Prasad Singh, National General Secretary of Janwadi Lekhak Sangh, said that the country is in the grip of international finance capital, corporate houses and RSS. He said that though there were contradictions in our National movement, it was still anti-imperialist in nature. The communal fascists are murdering even these values. He said Jan Sanskriti Manch had shown how various spheres of science, philosophy, art and culture could be brought together in the work of an organization. This has also shown the way other cultural organizations must work.

Karamsheel Bharati, of Dalit Lekhak Sangh, said that the socio-economic survey has exposed the lie of this country being a super power in the making. No country can grow with this kind of poverty and marginalization of its people. He said that  the government cannot run away from the responsibility towards the poor of the country. India can only rise, if it rises against casteism and religious discrimination.

The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Manager Pandey who said Indian society is under five kinds of dominance-state, corporate, caste, religious and patriarchal dominance. They are unwilling to face any kind of disagreement and opposition. While they talk of democracy, these ruling forces have completely destroyed its presence wherever they could exercise their power. Prof. Pandey said we must undertake struggle against each of this dominance for freedom and equality to truly exist.

The inaugural session was conducted by Radhika Menon. Renowned painter, Ashok Bhowmik, welcomed the delegates and guests. A resolution was passed against the vindictive conspiracies being launched against social activist Teesta Setalvad, who has courageously fought for the legal rights of Gujarat 2002 riots. Hirawal, theatre troupe from Patna, presented musical compositions of poet Shamsher and Gorakh Pandey. A multi media performance on progressive writers, ‘Asman hilta hai jab hum gaate hain’ by Saman Habib and Sanjay Mutto, highlighted the composite culture of India’s progressive culture.

Paintings by artist Anupam Roy were displayed in the hall. Posters of people from progressive cultural traditions in the country were displayed outside the Nabarun Bhattacharya Hall (Hindi Bhawan). 

The delegate session of Jan Sanskriti Manch(JSM), also started on the same day. Addressing the session, Pranay Krishna, General Secretary JSM, appealed that delegates must become the spirit of peasant’s movement. Those who are working in villages must take on the task of village libraries. Ashok Bhowmik said that in 30 years JSM has felt that discussion and debate on various forms of cultural work must be undertaken so that they could become more effective. On the first day papers were read by Rajesh Kumar, Ashok Bhowmik, Manoj Kumar singh, Sanjay Kak, and Radhika Menon on Theatre, Art, Media, Cinema and Education. The sessions were conducted by Manoj Singh, Rakesh Diwakar, Himanshu Pandya. Discussants included Deepak Sinha, Jitender Kumar, Pankaj Srivastava, Ashok Chaudhary, Suresh Kantak, KK Pandey, Nirmal Nayan, Rajkumar, Sudhir Suman, Kasturi, Nakul Sahni, Mohammed Ghani, Surya Shankar Dash and DS Negi.

The delegate session was held at Gandhi Peace Foundation. The walls of the hall were decorated with the posters made by Sambhawna Kala Manch on poetry of Shamsher, Gorakh Pandey, Vijender Anil and others. Samkaleen Janmat put up a book stall.

On the second day, 1 August, sessions were slotted on people’s language, poetry, story, and identity discourse. Papers were presented by Balbhadra, Bajrang Bihari Tiwari, Shobha Singh, Kailash Vanvasi. Discussants included Brajesh Yadav, Pankaj Chaturvedi, Mrityunjay, Anupam Singh,  Yogendra Ahuja, Ramayan, Martand Praglap,  Sessions were conducted by Xavier Kunjoor, Ranjeet Verma, Ramnaresh Ram and Mritunjay.

The delegate session also selected a new national council and executive.  Rajendra Kumar, was elected President of JSM and Pranay Krishna continues as the General Secretary. The cultural activists and artists expressed  their commitment to work against the culture of loot, lies and divisive hatred  for a culture of resistance.

Dr AP Shukla's 80th Birth Day Celebration at IITK

Real terrorists are those who destroy natural resources for private profit - Stan Swamy

Real terrorists are those who destroy natural resources for private profit

-38 hills have disappeared in Jharkhand due to stone-mining-                        

Stan Swamy

Profile of Jharkhand:  Stone mining/quarrying                                                                 Duration: last 14 years                                                                           

Wealth made: Rs. 93,000 crores;                                                               

total revenue to state govt: Rs. 515 crores                                                                                                      

Stone-quarrying units (in 2014): 20,000                                                    

Wealth made during 2014: Rs. 20,000 crores;                                          

revenue to state govt: Rs. 81 crores

38  Hills in 5 Districts [Latehar, Gumla, Lohardaga, Koderma, Sahibganj] have disappeared;                                                                                     

stone-mafias in collaboration with govt officials and political leaders  are guilty;                                                                                                          

Govt’s Mines Dept, Forest Dept, District Administration, Pollution Control Board are failing to fulfill their responsibility;                                           

3000 mines are operating illegally in Sahibganj and Pakur districts              

[ all above data taken obtained from  Prabhat Khabar,23,24,25 April 2015]

The unfortunate victims are the rural poor, especially the Adivasi people in whose land most of these mines are illegally functioning.

Who will bell the cat? The Jharkhand High Court is taking suo-motu action and has asked the state govt to respond as to how 38 hills have vanished. [Prabhat Khabar 28 April 2015]

The General Public has the right to know:

 (1) who are the mines/stone crusher owners?  There are presently 20,000 mines/crushers in operation. The state govt must release the names of all the owners.  The High Court should demand that the govt submit the list in full;  

(2) if Govt’s Mines Dept, Forest Dept, District Administration, Pollution Control Board are all part of the game, those responsible for these depts should be brought to book;                                                                                                                                       

(3) the IAS officers occupying the position of Secretaries of these depts. should be asked to explain as to how they allowed this anomaly to go on for so many years;

(4) the state Cabinet Ministers of these portfolios need to answer why they did not stop this loot;                                                                                                                                

(5) the MLAs and MPs some of whom are known to own these mines/crushers should be asked to open their books and bank accounts.                                                     

(6) the Chief Ministers who ruled the state during these 14 years have a moral obligation to explain their inaction to stop this wholesale loot.

The damage caused by these mines/crushers is beyond description:                          

(1) deep mines have drawn the water from the neighbouring areas making the wells and ponds in the villages & fields to dry up;                                                                                             

(2) the dust from the crushers have polluted the rivers and rivulets to the point of their becoming unfit for human, animal consumption;                                                           

(3) the air pollution in the form of dust emanating from the crushers has led to serious respiratory illnesses to people, animals;                                                                    

(4) layers of dust covering the neighbouring fields, groves, vegetation is increasingly making the land barren and unfit for cultivation;                                                                     

(5) the powerful dynamite blasting in the mines shakes up the houses in nearby villages so people cannot even sleep peacefully.

The injustice done to the Indigenous Adivasi/Moolvasi farmers should be undone:  

(1) it is common knowledge that most of these stone mining is done in Adivasi land. The miners appoint dalals who cheat and/or threaten the poor Adivasi to agree to the mining/quarrying. Some paltry amount of money is given to the Adivasi farmer. He is made to put his signature/thumb impression on blank sheet of paper. He will never know what is going to be written above his signature.  He will never be able to recover his land. Even if he recovers it, it will be unfit for any cultivation since the land will have turned barren.                                                                                                     

(2) let it be borne in mind that this process of impoverishing the small/marginal Adivasi land-owner is a great injustice done to him and his community. This must be undone.                                                                                                                                            

(3) the looted money should be recovered from the illegal mine/quarry owner and an equitable share of it must be given to the Adivasi farmer. It’s a question of justice.

Adivasi youth have no other choice than join the militant forces: there is a limit up to which one can be squeezed. When all those bearing social responsibility in society have abandoned a particular section of society to be ravaged by unscrupulous, selfish elements, the only way out is militancy which revolts against the very  economic, social, political system. Rightly the SC observed “If tribals’ land is being sold illegally, then they (tribals) will turn into Naxalites…”     [ SC verdict on 25 March 2014 on a PIL on illegal transfer of tribal land] .. Consequently we have a scenario where over 6000 young Adivasis are languishing in the jails of Jharkhand. But sadly neither the Legislature nor the Executive nor the Judiciary seem particularly concerned about it. Right now about 150 prisoners in Ranchi jail who have served their full term of conviction are in an indefinite hunger strike demanding their immediate release. But no one seems concerned.

The Media (electronic & print) has also abandoned its journalistic ethics: it is common knowledge that most of the media is owned & controlled by corporate houses. We make an earnest appeal that at least as professional individuals they will obey the dictate of their conscience and bring out the truth even if it is unpalatable to the powers that be. Let them for a start bring out the list of names of the 20,000 illegal stone quarry owners.

Justice must be restored so peace can prevail.

April 2015

आप का साथ, आप के जज्बात चाहती एक चिट्ठी

'NO to development; YES to justice'

NO to the ‘Development’ that enriches a few and impoverishes most. . . YES to ‘Justice’ that preserves natural resources and                            shares them equitably

Stan Swamy

When all the trees have been cut down,
                                when all the animals have been hunted,                                

when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
(~ Indigenous People’s  Prophecy ~)

Every body is speaking of growth and development these days. The Lok Sabha election was won by the ruling party on ‘sab ka vikas’ slogan. The  more recent State election in Jharkhand was again fought on ‘development of Adivasis’ preaching. The electronic and print media have become the messengers of this ‘development’ magic. The proof of this is the rising Sensex & Nifty, several MoUs being signed by the Indian govt and national & international corporate houses, the promise of unbelievable amount of investments that are going to pour into the country. That the growth rate will be up to 6-7% shortly etc.                                                                     

But the contrary is the reality of the poorest of the poor. As the country is supposedly developing by leaps & bounds, poverty of the Adivasi, Dalit people is deepening by the day. Their land which is the only source of their sustenance is being forcibly snatched from them for a pittance. The rich minerals in their land is very much wanted but the Adivasi people are not wanted any more. In fact one can say that all the show-pieces of development such as mines, factories, dams, highways are built with the blood of the Adivasi people.

A  study done by the Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS) on "Hunger in Adivasi Areas of Rajasthan and Jharkhand" in 2005 [http://www.cefs-india.org/pressrelease.html]. Following disturbing facts come to light in Jharkhand State:

-          Adivasi population has dropped from around 60% in 1911 to 27.67% in 1991

-          Mostly dependent on agriculture: 76.8 per cent are agriculturists, 17.6 per cent daily wagers, 1.8 per cent MFP gatherers, 0.4 per cent handicapped & aged and 3.4 per cent belonged to other occupations.                                                               Housing: Only 0.4 per cent had pucca house, 3.2 per cent semipucca,89.8 per cent had mud-houses and 6.6 per cent were living under thatched roofs

-           Literacy: 61.2 per cent were illiterate, 3.8 per cent barely-literate, 8.6 per cent had received primary schooling, 13.2 per cent had middle schooling, 10.2 per cent had received education up to high school and 3 per cent of Jharkhand respondents had received college education.

-          Migration: 26.2 per cent of surveyed households said that at least one member from each family had migrated to some town or city in search of livelihood.

-          Chronic hunger: A staggering and shocking over 99 per cent were facing chronic hunger .Out of the total 1000 households asked as to whether they had eaten two square meals  on the previous day of the survey, only four respondents (0.4 per cent)  said that they had eaten two square meals on the previous day.

-          Displacement: After Independence, over 10 million Adivasis have been displaced in the country to make way for development projects such as dams, mining, industries, roads, protected areas etc. Though most of the dams  are located in Adivasi areas, only 19.9 per cent (1980-81) of Adivasi land holdings are irrigated as compared to 45.9 per cent of all holdings of the general population

-          Adivasis and Forests:

Adivasi people in India have been an integral part of the forests. But there is little being discussed at the international level about protecting the indigenous peoples of the forests. Coupled with this is the systematic approach of the state in India which presumes that control over forests and wildlife can be best attained by getting the adivasis out of the forests. The state supported vested interests feel that adivasis are an impediment to the free operations of the forest and mining mafia…

-          Loss of traditional livelihood systems: The core of this problem lies in the structural changes in Adivasi economy in the last five decades that have depleted and destroyed the traditional livelihoods and food system of these communities.

-          Disastrous impact of industrialization: Immediately after independence the Nehruvian development paradigm embarked on   building “temples of modern India”. The social and ecological costs of this development were largely borne by country’s Adivasi communities in terms of  physical displacement, destruction of sustenance base and gradual alienation from natural resources. It is these starving, hungry and poor Adivasis who were made to pay the “price of progress”.

-          Poverty and Unemployment

According to government estimates, around 23.22 lakh families in the rural areas of Jharkhand live below the poverty line, out of which 3.91 lakhs belong to SCs and 8.79 lakhs to STs. It is estimated that almost 61.57per cent of the families living in the rural areas are  below poverty line.

-          Poor Status of Health and Nutrition

The nutritional status of people in general and women and children in particular is very low in Jharkhand. According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS-II), during 1998-99, amongst the under-3 age group children, 54.3per cent were under-weight, 49 per cent were stunted and 25per cent were wasted.

-          Infant & Child Mortality

The incidence of anemia in adolescent girls was 72.5per cent, amongst pregnant women was 63.9per cent and among the lactating women it was almost 76 per cent.

-          Alienation of Adivasi land

Jharkhand’s agriculture is almost completely dependent on the monsoon; only 8 per cent of cultivable land is irrigated. Agricultural and forest lands are the sole sources of sustenance for the Adivasis.

-           Forced to migrate: Apart from the forced involuntary displacements caused by large projects, several lakhs of Jharkhandis have migrated to the tea plantations in Darjeeling and Assam. Several thousands, especially young women, are migrating to large cities and towns. A recent report says that about two lakh Adivasi young women from Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal are presently working as house-maids in middle-class homes. Employment opportunities in Jharkhand are nil. During the last five decades, it is estimated that as many as 40 to 45 lakh non-Tribals from neighbouring states have in-migrated into Jharkhand and have taken over the whole economy and greater part of job opportunities.

Undo the injustice done to indigenous people: acknowledge and implement their constitutional, legal and judicial rights and safeguards. Foremost among them are (1) the Vth Schedule of the Constitution, (2) the CNT/SPT Acts, (3) SC and the ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, (4) PESA Act 1996, (5) Forests Rights Act 2006, (6) Samata judgment 1997 of the Supreme Court, (7) ‘Owner of the land is also the owner of the sub-soil minerals 2013’ judgment of SC.

Our ultimate aim has to be to work towards a cosmic harmony to which justice and peace are closely interrelated. If you want to cultivate peace, protect cosmos.

February 2015