India’s security lies in strong nationalism

India’s national security has been weakened because an ill-conceived narrative has been built by elements in the political opposition, that the country was ruled by a ‘Hindu’ government, not a BJP government - denying the fact of the BJP has come to power through an established electoral process. Also, notwithstanding the principle of ‘one man one vote’, they projected a legitimate rule by the majority as a movement towards ‘majoritarianism’.

Ignoring the constitutional test that all citizens continued to have the same opportunities and protection of the law, the narrative further alleged that the minorities in the country - principally the largest one of Muslims - had been put in jeopardy by the present regime.

The concept that India represents ‘unity in diversity’ is being misinterpreted to claim that beyond ‘freedom of worship’ there was also freedom for ‘communities’ and ‘regions’ not to consider themselves as a part of the common nationhood denoted by democratic India.

In some or the other form, the subversive idea that India was a land of multiple ‘sub-nationalities’ is being still propagated.

Ranging from a deliberate dilution of the declaration by our Constitution that India was a Union of states and disregard of the express mention of the word ‘Nation’ in the Preamble, to the political stand of sections of the Opposition that in vital matters like saluting the national flag or standing up during the singing of the national anthem, minorities should be allowed an option, there is a constant denial of national unity of India. Diversity of customs, social practices and festivities is being presented as proof that India could never have a shared culture of national pride, common recognition of India’s friends and adversaries and a feeling of joint participation in the national effort for economic advancement and defence consolidation. The anti-India narrative is backed by a set of historians who marshalled ‘evidence’ to emphasise that India was never a nation in the past - forgetting that what is important is to build India of the present, into a strong nation for the benefit of all its citizens.

The internal security and stability of India are clearly threatened by external forces operating in collusion with elements inside, to whip up the issue of ill-treatment of the Muslim minority in India under the present regime and thus create a situation where communal militancy could be exploited for fomenting faith-based terrorism. They are doing this even though the average Muslim knew that schemes for the poor would benefit the community as well and realised that any case of public violence by extremist elements had to be blamed on the law & order failure of the concerned state administration - not on the Modi government at the Centre.

The majority-minority divide is being escalated out of political motives with the opposition making the calculation that since Hindus were in any case splintered because of caste, region and ideology, the consolidation of Muslim votes behind it would be electorally rewarding.

Those indulging in ‘Minority politics’ carry distorted notions of what would ‘please’ the Muslim minority - like question - ing the authenticity of the ‘surgical strike’ against Pakistan, alleging that the Modi government was pushing India towards becoming a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ even though they knew that the Constitution did not permit any denominational stamp being carried by the elected political executive and projecting CAA as a move against Indian Muslims whereas it was specifically meant only to accommodate non-Muslim subjects of ‘Islamic’ states around India facing violent suppression there.

All this propaganda could encourage Indian Muslims to identify themselves with Islamic regimes elsewhere and subscribe to the idea of Ummahwhich is a notion being promoted once again by Pakistan in its National Security Policy. Pakistan has declared India as its principal adversary and reaffirmed Pakistan’s right to ‘protect’ the interests of India’s Muslim minority.

For reasons of electoral gains, political lobbies in India aided by anti-India forces outside are even questioning the security strategy of the Modi government of having no talks with Pakistan until that country gave up the use of cross-border terrorism as an instrument of its state policy. India has to handle the serious situation that was being created by those players in our domestic politics who would not place national security above politics.

As India proceeds with comprehensive measures during its chairmanship of G20, to establish its place as a world power and put it in the lead of the Global South in general and South Asia in particular, certain international lobbies are also stepping up their campaign to show that India was a highly divided nation lacking in internal cohesion. They are even deprecating the democratic content of the Indian state. This has to be effectively countered with the help of Think 20, Women 20 and Civil 20 and through further activation of diplomacy and outreach.

Pakistan, backed by China, is raking up the issue of Kashmir and repeating the call for resumption of talks between India and Pakistan- with Shehbaj

Sharif, Pak Prime Minister pretending to project Pakistan as a neighbour that did

4 out of 5 glaciers may be lost by 2100: Study

Over 80 per cent, or 4 out of every 5 glaciers by number, could well disappear by the end of this century, if fossil fuel use continues unabated, according to a study.

The findings showed that the world could lose as much as 41 percent of its total glacier mass this century - or as little as 26 percent - depending on today’s climate change mitigation efforts.

Assistant Professor David Rounce of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, US, led an international effort to produce new projections of glacier mass loss through the century under different emissions scenarios, according to the study.

The projections were aggregated into global temperature change scenarios to support adaptation and mitigation discussions, such as those at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP 27), held in Egypt, the study said.

Even in a best-case, lowemissions scenario, where the increase in global mean temperature is limited to +1.5 degrees Celsius relative to pre-industrial levels, over 25 per cent of glacial mass will be gone and nearly 50 per cent of glaciers by number are projected to disappear, the study said.

A majority of these lost glaciers are small (less than one sq km) by glacial standards, but their loss can negatively impact local hydrology, tourism, glacier hazards, and cultural values, the study said. Rounce’s work provided better context for regional glacier modelling, and he hoped it will spur climate policymakers to lower temperature change goals beyond the 2.7 degree Celsius mark that pledges from COP-26, held in Glasgow, UK are projected to hit.

Smaller glacial regions like Central Europe and Western Canada and the US will be disproportionately affected by temperatures rising more than 2 degrees Celsius C. At a 3 degrees Celsius rise, glaciers in these regions almost disappear completely, the study said. Rounce noted that the way in which glaciers respond to changes in climate takes a long time.

He described the glaciers as extremely slow-moving rivers.

Cutting emissions today will not remove previously emitted greenhouse gasses, nor can it instantly halt the inertia they contribute to climate change, meaning

3 money rules women should follow in 2023

We as women need to acknowledge that having economic independence requires great financial planning, good research, time management, risk tolerance, and wise investments. We need to understand that there are differences between how men and women use, feel, and speak about money and as an empowered woman, you must know your money and know how to manage your financial independence.

Your financial health is dictated by the ability to follow habits, change your mindset around money and stick with your goals and money-related decisions in the short, medium, and long run.

Here are 3 sexy brilliant money tips outlined by Devina Kaur, author of Too Fat Too Loud Too Ambitious, you should think about adding in 2023 to step up your game, regain control of your finances and feel more comfortable with how much you’re saving, spending and investing.

Make money your new best friend: Talking about money is not easy but the more we remove the shame and stigma around taboo conversations the more power we have. Money is a topic that impacts almost every aspect of our lives in some way. It’s too important to ignore and sweep under the rug. Have those uncomfortable conversations with your friends, family, and colleagues just like you discuss sports, politics, and travel. Know that you deserve to be friends with money as it is only an energy exchange tool. So empower yourself, and get comfortable with knowing that you deserve to live an abundant, gracious, and full life. Financial empowerment could include different things for different women. For some it could include asking your boss for a yearly raise, for others, it could mean negotiating the interest rate on your loan. Understand your level of risk tolerance, ask for help, and use those skills that you learned in college to make money with your new best friend.

Know your money: To know your money, you need to know yourself. You need to know about your financial personality. There are 3 most common types of personalities:

Spenders: Love to have the latest and greatest of everything.

Savers: Savers are the exact opposite of spenders, they are mindful of how much things cost.

Shoppers: Much like spenders, shoppers can’t resist spending money.

Once you know which type you belong to, you can modify your money habits and you can start spending money more wisely. Spending wisely means understanding your everyday routine with short, mid, and long-term goals. Be aware of the source of your income and keep tabs on where you are using your money and how. Getting used to an accounting system to track your spending habits early on in life is always a good idea.

Planning: Start planning your monthly budget. Divide your financial goals into the short, medium, and long term. Short-term goals could include taking a trip with your friends or getting married. Mediumterm goals could include buying a home or a new vehicle. Long-term goals could include retiring by the age of 50. You are never too young or too wise to think about your future and how soon you can gain financial freedom. Study the market, know your investment style, and start investing money toward your future as soon as you receive your first paycheck. This could include a direct deposit into your retirement savings account. Do your research, learn, and watch from other successful people in your social circle. Speak to trusted mentors and professionals who can guide you toward better financial health and independence.

To think and plan around money can be a very heavy and stressful topic. It is very important to not judge yourself or others for any spending, investing, and saving habits. Always be realistic and honest with yourself, having a financial cushion or emergency fund might give you some assurance and comfort during those stressful moments. IANSlife not want another war with India, and desperately trying to earn some weightage with the US.

Unsurprisingly, Shehbaz Sharif kept silent on cross-border terrorism against India and advanced the familiar plea that Pakistan was itself a ‘victim’ of terror- possibly referring to the doings of TTP but clearly covering up for Pak ISI’s known collusion with Taliban, Al Qaeda and ISIS. The forums of G20 under India’s Presidency should find a way of getting the participating countries to condemn ‘extremism and radicalisation’ and while highlighting the importance of inter-faith harmony, persuade global Islamic organisations and their Indian counterparts to clearly reiterate that there was no place for Jehad for solving any disputes in today’s world. The role of Think 20 and Civil 20 in particular is going to be extremely important in this- they must receive guidance from the NSCS functioning under the National Security Advisor. D.C. Pathak (The writer is a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal) even a complete halt to emissions would still take between 30 and 100 years to be reflected in glacier mass loss rates, the study said.

Many processes govern how glaciers lose mass and Rounce’s study advances how models account for different types of glaciers, including tidewater and debris-covered glaciers, the study said.

Tidewater glaciers refer to glaciers that terminate in the ocean, which causes them to lose a lot of mass at this interface. Debris-covered glaciers refer to glaciers that are covered by sand, rocks, and boulders.

Prior work by Rounce has shown that the thickness and distribution of debris cover can have a positive or negative effect on glacial melt rates across an entire region, depending on the debris thickness.

In his newest work, he found that accounting for these processes had relatively little impact on the global glacier projections, but substantial differences in mass loss were found when analyzing individual glaciers.

The model is also calibrated with an unprecedented amount of data, including individual mass change observations for every glacier, which provide a more complete and detailed picture of glacier mass change, the study said. The use of supercomputers was essential to support the application of state-of-the-art calibration methods and the large ensembles of different emissions scenarios, the study said.

(PTI Feature)