Issue 32

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ISRO short on funds, says Chairman - Page 3

Volume 15 Issue 32

THE

An IIJNM Publication

MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016

No information, no reason: KIC -Page 4

State bailout for ‘dire’ BBMP

DAILY OBSERVER

Oindrila Sarkar The BBMP admitted today its dire financial conditionduring the presentation of the 2016-17 budget. The total proposed budget of Rs.8994.41 crore gives high priority to infrastructure and welfare.

The government has provided Rs.4222.73 crores in financial assistance to BBMP in the state budget for the year 2016-2017. The budget had a 46 per cent increase in government grants since last year.

M. Shivaraju, taxation and finance committee chairman, who presented the budget, said, “BBMP is under heavy financial burden and loan liability is also more...

Financial management of such a big area is a major challenge and it is evident that the BBMP has failed in managing the finances.”

The proposed budget reveals that the BBMP presently owes an amount of Rs.650 crore to different nationalized banks from whom money had been loaned for implementing different development projects.

BBMP now plans to take a loan from M/s HUDCO (Housing and Urban Devel-

opment Corporation Ltd.) to repay the loans to the banks.

HUDCO is a public sector undertaking and wholly owned by the Union government.

The focus this fiscal is on financial reforms as the cash strapped BBMP is trying to overcome both bad loans and public wrath for a steep increase in the property tax.

Property taxes on residential and commercial spaces has been increased by 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. The reason given for this rise is that the property tax was last increased 15 years ago.

Too many bank accounts

were hindering total financial control for which 632 receipts and payments current accounts will be closed down.

Replacing them would be 27 savings bank accounts in Canara Bank .

The LOC or Line of Credit arrangement of paying to contractors has been abolished in this budget.

RTGS- real time gross settlement has been introduced for the payment of bills and all cheque payments have been abolished.

The IFMS- Integrated financial management system software has been brought in to impose financial dis-

HCU students granted bail Payal Miyapur court in Hyderabad has granted bail to 27 students and two faculty members from Hyderabad Central University(HCU) who were arrested for allegedly throwing stones and staging violent protest outside the Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao’s residence.

The students and faculty were arrested on 24 March, the day Appa Rao had rejoined as a Vice Chancellor.

“This bail has given hope to us to fight all the cases that are charged on us including few cases about Rohit Vemula’s suicide,” said Kavya , Genral Secretary of Joint Action Committe for Social Justice(HCU).

She added, “We will see that these students are back

on campus by tomorrow and attend their regular classes.

“We fought the legal battle and got the bail today. This is our first victory. We will not let things work according to the VC,” said Ayub, a member of the Joint Action Committe for Social Justice.

“Students like Prashanth were targeted for no reason and were put behind bars,” he said.

“We will take this struggle forward for a casteless society that we all imagine together,” he added.

The bail has been granted under the condition that Rs 5000 per person is paid and all the 27 students should pay a surety of 1,35,00.

Also the students and faculty are required to report to the police station every Saturday.

Students protesting inside HCU campus (Credits: JAC, HCU)

cipline. A decision to move officers and staff en masse, from areas where they have been serving for more than three years has been taken.

This move, according to the Palike, will bring more efficiency and increase resources The BBMP expects to generate Rs.2400 crores as property tax and the hike will add another Rs.600 crores.

Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah had announced a grant of Rs.5000 crores under the theme of ‘Hoodikedaarara Nadige Karunadinedege.’

The BBMP will use this fund for various infrastruc-

ture works in Bengaluru like lake development, solid waste management, construction of storm water drains and various urban infrastructure projects.

There are almost 20,000 BBMP and contract pourakarmikas working in the BBMP limit solid waste management. A Rs.10-crore allocation for midday meal proposal means Rs.5000 per worker for free food. .

Improving the quality of verbal and spoken English among children in the BBMP schools is the focus this time to bring in competition with the private educational institutions.

Free bus passes are also to be provided to BBMP school students for commuting to school by BMTC buses under the Saarige-Shalege for which Rs.1 crore has been reserved.

The budget also addresses the garbage problem in the city. The management of 3500 tons of daily garbage is in itself a challenge.

There are provisions for the establishment of processing units generating electricity from garbage.

The compulsory processing of wet waste at home will be introduced in houses constructed in 60X40 feet and above sites.

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016

Is refusal to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ unpatriotic?

Victory to Mother India : A test of patriotism

Oindrila Sarkar

Patriotism is more than slogan shouting Maqsood Maniyar

Asaduddin Owaisi will not utter the words Bharat Mata ki Jai even if a knife was placed to his throat.

A day before, two Hyderabad based Islamic seminaries have issued a fatwa against muslims who would want to chant ‘Bharat mata ki jai.’

Even if some would like us to believe that chanting this cannot be a litmus test for patriotism, what exactly is the root of the problem?

Is not hailing victory to mother India the right, duty and responsibility of every son of the soil?

Then why have muslims revolted against expressing this sentiment which must come naturally to every Indian? Or do they not consider themselves Indians? This brings us back to the debate on patriotism.

The answer to this lies in the politics of muslim exceptionalism for political gain which has been central to both pre and post independnce politics.

Therein lies the cause for Owaisi demanding special treatment for the muslims by acting as their voice.

That was what Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Syed Ahmed Khan did

to the muslims which did them no good, only leading to their sentiments of alienation which

What is patriotism? To some it’s nation building, to others it’s love of the homeland expressed in terms of its culture and its history. Whatever the definition, one would imagine that it has to have a certain deeper meaning rather than just slogan shouting. What makes it worse is such superficial gestures being made mandatory.

In what has been a truly bizarre turn of events, AIMIM (All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen) MLA Waris Pathan has been suspended from the Maharashtra state assembly for refusing to chant ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ following a unanimous decision of the BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) legislators to do so.

It is worth noting that the controversy erupted when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat suggested that the slogan should be used to inculcate patriotism in the young and help ‘guard’ them against anti national elements.

AIMIM president, Asaddudin Owaisi, shot back saying that he would not chant the slogan as it

is against his religious beliefs. Islam believes in ‘tauheed’ or oneness of God and Owaisi said that chanting Bharat mata ki jai would amount to idolatry.

Pathan merely mirrored Owaisi’s views. Moreover, Pathan did say ‘Hindustan zindabad’ (long live India). BJP and the rest of the sangh parivar have reverted to making divisive, hyper nationalism their single point agenda.

Shiv Sena’s mouth piece ‘Samna’ has gone one step further and demanded revocation of citizenship of those who refuse to chant the hollow slogan.

The so called secular parties like congress and NCP have shamelessly backed the ultra nationalists. It may be that in the past, Owaisi and his party members have been less than savoury but imposing chanting of Bharat Mata ki jai is morally unjustifiable for a host of reasons.

There can be no denying that Bharat Mata is a Hindu deity, no different than say Lakshmi or Saraswati. Even the motifs are similar, a female goddess seated

Sajda (prostration) is done only in front of Allah and the chant ‘Victory to Mother India’ does not demand prostration or denote deification of any deity. It is no different a slogan than Jai Hind or Vande Mataram.

many keep complaining about.

These self proclaimed spokesmen of the community, which includes the seminaries, should help muslims to stop functioning as a bloc in national as well as local politics and embrace the faith of territorial nationalism.

In the backdrop of the furore on nationalism Sarsangchalak Mohanrao Bhagwat said, “People in this country have to be told to

chant Bharat mata ki Jai.’ All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) legislators in the Maharashtra Assembly showing solidarity with Owaisi refused to chant. Does that make them unpatriotic? It does.

Jawaharlal Nehru writes in the Discovery of India “When I went to public meetings, I was welcomed by chants of Bharat Mata ki Jai. I ask, who is Bharat Mata?

The people in front of me gaped at me in surprise...the hills, rivers, forests, agriculture here, income received from it and people living on this land... There is a common thread binding all of them together... Bharat Mata. To say ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ is to hail all these people... They are the sons of this Bharat Mata.”

Sajda (prostration) is done only in front of Allah and the chant ‘Victory to Mother India’ does not demand prostration or denote deification of any deity. It is no different a slogan than Jai Hind or Vande Mataram.

Right from the refusal to embrace family planning, the Uniform Civil Code, Article 370, muslim refusal to live under the rules of the constitution is a policy hurdle.

The government funds the madrassahs and gives stipends to imams and mullahs whereas shrines and temple revenues are appropriated by the government.

The refusal to let go of Muslim Personal Laws is the biggest block in bringing India’s muslim and non-muslim poulation within the ambit of a common set of civil laws.

Some are questioning the symbolism of the whole excercise .

Will it eradicate corruption or will patriotism do away with hunger?

Does the Constitution demand it? Searching for the validity of slogans in India’s praise in legal books is absurd to say the least.

The very idea of nationalism or pride in the nation sits on the love for the country or patriotism. It needs to bloom in the open .

Love and pride are emotions that some citizens of this country want their brethren to suppress.

Do they owe their loyalty to India or to their religion.

AIMIM leaders need to answer why they are insisting their co-religionists to conform to some pan-Islamic identity when they are supposed to wear their nationalism on their sleeves.

on a lion etc. More often than not, Bharat Mata is seen holding a saffron flag rather than the tricolour.

It is unwise, if not dangerous, to associate nationalistic symbolism with the religion of the majority.

Approximately 20 percent of India’s population is non Hindu.It would be grossly unfair to force them to shout this slogan.

of ‘Anand mat’, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s book. It is sung in the questionable context of Hindus (as seen by Chattophadhyay) using British colonialists to defeat India’s Muslim rulers. This brand of nationalism does exist and is dangerous.

True patriotism denotes helping to uplift marginalized groups and taking care of all Mother India’s children. Nation building should be prioritized, not slogan shouting. People who’ve lived in this country for centuries and served this land in innumerable ways need not give proof of their patriotism by shouting empty yet controversial slogans.

Slogans like Jai Hind and Hindustan zindabad never caused any controversy. It is also worth noting that ‘Saare jahan se accha’ was written by a Muslim poet and ‘Inquilab zindabad’ is also an Urdu slogan.

Both are popular patriotic slogans. Nationalism can have a destructive influence, tempering it with inclusive slogans is the least we can do.

True patriotism denotes helping to uplift marginalized groups and taking care of all Mother India’s children.

Nation building should be prioritized, not slogan shouting.

Vande Mataram ran into the same controversy for more or less the same reasons. The official ‘national song’ appears at the end

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016

3

No information, no reason: KIC Sanskriti Talwar Public offices gave no clear reason for 30 per cent of all rejected RTI requests in the state in 2013-14.

An officer defended this by saying the common man does not know all sections under which requests can be rejected.

The ninth annual report prepared by the state’s information commission revealed that various public information officers rejected a total of 1,517 RTI applications in the state.

The tenth annual report, for the year 2014-15, is yet to be produced by the information commission.

Various clauses under section 8(1) of the act were invoked to reject 1,060 applications, and the rest were listed as “rejected under other sections”.

The report did not mention under what “other” section the applications were rejected. Section 8(1) allows for rejection of requests on the basis of national interest and court orders among other reasons.

Sreelatha, under-secretary of Karnataka Information Commission (KIC), said: “There are some applications which don’t come under section 8. It is a common man’s application, he does not know what comes under which section.

There are some requests which we cannot group under any section so we mention them under ‘other sections’. We just give them a letter stating your application does not come under our purview.”

Vikram Simha, an RTI activist, said, “The applications are being rejected on the basis of minor errors of which the applicant is

ISRO short on funds, says Chairman

generally unaware. There is a significant increase in number of applications not being replied to properly.”

He added: “The KIC has become a snake without a tooth and the PIOs are its snake charmers

27 departments.

The maximum penalty of Rs.39,28,500 was imposed on the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj department.

According to the information provided by the departments, the total number of public offices in the state is 62,602 and public information officers is 80,805.

There are seven commissioners in the Karnataka Information Commission office, all of whom are male. Sreelatha said, “A need for a woman commissioner is always there. When ladies come here for appeals they ask for a woman commissioner.

“I’ve seen so many cases where a woman PIO is so disturbed that she just bursts into tears in the court hall itself, harassed by an applicant. She’d get thrashing from the higher authority, and gets crushed between the authorities and applicants.”

ACB a mere puppet in CM’s hand, claims Opposition Akshaya N.A

Parvathi Benu Funds granted by the Central government of India to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for carrying out research activities are not sufficient, according to A S Kiran Kumar, Chairman of ISRO. While addressing a gathering at Kristu Jayanthi College here in the city, he said, “In terms of bringing practical aspects to forefront, ISRO is one among the best in the world. But the Centralcentral government’s funding for the organisation is never sufficient.”

He added, “ISRO’s expenditure for the past few decades is lesser than NASA’s budget for a year.

Despite that India is able to accomplish successful missions by depending on its manpower.”

“Activities are more streamlined in west. In that case, you have to dictate everything to the technician. When a problem occurs, the technician reports it and someone else handles it,” he said.

“But in our case, engineers and scientists do even the assembly activity. So, they are familiar with everything and hence finding solutions is easy and quick,” he added. But he also said that this mechanism won’t last longer and the organization is looking forward to new approaches which would bring better solutions at a lower cost.

“We need to make sure that everything is streamlined in an operational era in the future. We’re looking forward to building space technology as an industry

Sreelatha, Under-secretary of KIC

who have removed tooth of the snake only to ensure that they don’t bite and transmit the poison (the information).”

According to Sreelatha, PIOs do not give data about rejected requests even to the KIC. She said that when giving data, PIOs usually remove the column asking for rejected requests, “because they don’t want everybody to know as to how many applications they’ve rejected.”

In the year 2013-14, a total of 4,94,491 requests were received, and 4,59,421 were disposed of.

The commission received 10,490 appeals and 2,970 complaints.

Of these, 6,239 appeals were disposed of.

The total includes the requests pending at the beginning of the year with the PIOs and cases received by KIC. During the year, the KIC imposed a total penalty of Rs.1,34,56,500 on the PIOs of

Mouli Shree

A.S.Kiran Kumar, Chairman of ISRO, Bangalore just like the aircraft and ship industry,” he said.

He added that 23 to 24 per cent of the ISRO staff is women. He also said that opportunities are always open in the organization.

“India is never in a race with any country. We’re addressing specific problems in our country. Also we’re concentrating on capacity building to launch more satellites,” he said. So far, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) had launched 34 satellites, which is less very less compared to the country’s needs, according to Kumar.

ISRO is now planning to launch Chandrayan 2, which is India’s second mission to the moon, by the end of 2017 or by early 2018.

“The spacecraft Chandrayan 2 will have a rover and a lander to facilitate soft landing on the moon’s surface unlike Chandrayan1, which had an uncontrolled landing and impacted the moon’s surface.” He added, “The new mission will facilitate more observation of the moon’s surface.” He also talked about ISRO’s future mission Aditya-1 which would observe the sun.

The city witnessed massive protests today when the opposition BJP and the JD(U) came out against the establishment of an Anti Corruption Bureau(ACB) by the incumbent Congress government in Karnataka.

With the Lokayukta becomming defunct after the lokpal Y Bhaskar Rao and his son Ashwin Rao getting caught in bribery and monetary embezzlement cases the institution was rocked by controversies all through the year.

On March 14, the ACB was set up by the Karnataka government with the aim to bring down corruption and provide more transparent and efficient government.

C.T. Ravi, former State Minister for Higher Education, said, “Chief Minister Siddaramiah has always supported Bhaskar Rao.” Yeddurappa, former Chief Minister for the state, said, “A case against corruption has been filed against Siddaramiah and that was the reason they (congress) do not want Lokayukta.”

Pralhad Joshi, BJP State President, said, “ACB should be removed before 1st april or we will protest all over the state.

The organisation (Lokayukta) was doing good and all of a sudden why would anyone remove it?” Ananth Kumar, Minister of

BJP and JDU protest against ACB in the city.

Chemicals and Fertilizers in PM’s cabinet said, “Lokayukta was firstly an independent body and many cases have been still under it.

97- year- old freedom fighter H.S Doreswamy said, “Your intentions are not very clear. If you are very sincere about removing corruption, have your Anti Corruption Bureau but don’t meddle with Lokayukta,” He was attending a protest organised by Janata Dal members in Town Hall, questioning the present government for destabilising the Lokayukta.

Trishul J Patel, a JDU member as well the son of former CM J.H Patel, said “The ACB has been set up by the government to protect corrupt politicians and ministers.

They want to put behind jail people who speak against the present government.”

Karnataka was the first state in India which brought about an independant corruption ombudsman to investigate the corrupt prctices and complaints against ministers and state officials. The

Karnataka Lokayukata Act(KLA) 1984 was enacted through which the institution of Lokayukta was brought about. The Lokayukta had its own police who would investigate complaints against public servants and ministers.

On Dec 2015, Bhaskar Rao resigned from his post of Lokayukta Justice amid allegations of bribery.

Lokayukta, the state anti-corruption independent body, had been investigating many controversies last year. The CCB took over the investigation in June 2015 after Bhaskar Rao’s son Ashwin .

The ACB is now a parallel anti corruption investigating body whose reins are directly held by the people it is supposed to investigate.It would report directly to the Chief Minister’s office. The Lokayukta police has also been dismissed with. ACB police stations would be set up in each district of the state to assist in their main functions.Almost 700 cases which were under the Lokayukta have now been transfered to the ACB.

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MONDAY, MARCH 28, 2016

CHHATTISGARH TIMELINE

A voice from Chhattisgarh echoes in the city

1980’s – Maoists from Andhra Pradesh started working in the Bastar district of the present day Chattisgarh.

Police’s Crime Branch for Chhattisgarh Police on charges of acting as a conduit for Maoists.

November 1, 2000 – Chattisgarh became an independent state separating itself from Madhya Pradesh, uniting the 16 Chattisgarhi speaking districts of Madhya Pradesh.

April, 2013- Indian Courts acquitted Soni Sori in six of the eight cases filed against her due to lack of evidence.

2003 – BJP comes to power in Chattisgarh for the first time.

12 April, 2006- Chattisgarh Special Public Security Act was passed by the state government. The Act made it “unlawful” to write about Maoists and threatened journalists.

2006 – An organisation named Salwa Judum was formed by the Congress Leader, Mahendra Karma in Dantewara district.

September 2009- Operation Green Hunt began in the Red- Corridor India (Naxalite-Maoist insurgency area).

July 5, 2011- The Supreme Court of India declared Salwa Judum unconstitutional and illegal.

October 4, 2011- Soni Sori was arrested by the Delhi

Regina Gurung

K

aladas Daharia, 45, is a resident of Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. He is a cultural artiste and a member of two trade unions. He joined Shankar GuhaNiyogi’s organization in 1990, a year before Niyogi’s assassination. Daharia has been actively fighting for the social rights within and outside Chhattisgarh. He travels to spread awareness on social and economic issues. Recent news about arrests of journalists and assault on activists in Chhattisgarh has raised concerns about freedom of speech in the Naxalite-affected state. With news coming in bits and pieces, state forces have come under scrutiny. While Dahariya is on a three day visit to Bangalore to participate in ‘Nirankusha,’ a free speech festival, he spoke to The Observer about the situation in Chhattisgarh.

What is the truth about Chhattisgarh?

The truth is the greedy government wants to suppress the tribals to get their mineral wealth. Only one side of the atrocities comes out in the media.

What kind of atrocities?

Atrocities like the beating and killing of tribals. The Legal Aid Group working in Jagdalpur for the rights of tribals was chased out from the area because if they stayed there, then those who torture tribals, rape them, beat them, and have encounters, would come to limelight.

Which areas in Chhattisgarh are prone to this kind of violence?

Bastar. The whole of Bastar faces these problems. In the entire Bastar area, there are 40,000 armed forces (CRPF) and the central government is planning to send three more battalions there. They are expected to come by next

month, since with falling of tree leaves, there will be empty fields which will make it easier to shoot the Naxalites from a distance.

The government has created a warzone. If an adivasi dies, the Naxalites will be blamed, with the next day’s headline reading in bold letters that Naxalites killed them. What about the people killed by the government? The media doesn’t report the side of the war where dozens of people are being killed by the government.

Tell us more about the atrocities committed by the government?

The war is corrupt. It is against the adivasis. The tribals might have different ways of fighting it, about which (their use of arms) I won’t comment, but somehow they are fighting it. They are fighting for their jal, jungle, zamin. (water, forest, land).

What about the banning of the mobilized militia Salwa

Judum?

647 villages were burnt

by SalwaJudum.

Salwa Judum was banned just for the sake of it. Instead of it, they started Samajik Ekta Manch.

The government has changed the name to Samajik Ekta Manch.

They are the ones who chased out the Legal Aid Group that I me nt i one d earlier.

Who is behind all this?

The Inspector General of Bastar, SRP Kalluri is from Samajik Ekta Manch. It is Samajik Ekta Manch (literally “platform for social unity”), just by name. It is just to kill.

They played a very important role in the attack made on Soni Sori.

He is determined to wipe out all the adivasis and their jungles from Bastar to give way for corporate houses and the multinational companies. This is the deal between the state and the central government. This is the background of whatever is happening there.

What do you have to say about the plight of journalists and activists there?

Whatever little bits of news we get from Bastar are also being restricted. Journalists are arrested on a daily basis, like Prabhat Singh and Santosh Yadav. Kamal Shukla, another journalist, is receiving threat calls for his activities on Facebook.

Himanshu Kumar has been chased out and they are threatening Soni Sori also.

She

was also tortured i n jail.

July, 2013- Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group (JagLAG) was established in the Bastar region to provide legal aid to the Adivasis.

2015- Two journalists, Somaru Nag and Santosh Yadav were arrested for reporting on Naxals and government.

February 7, 2016- Samajik Ekta Maanch gheraoed and protested the home of a journalist Malini Subramaniam in Jagdalpur area.

February 20, 2016- Soni Sori attacked with a chemical substance by unidentified people in Dantewada.

February 2016- The Jagdalpur Legal Aid Group pressurized to leave Bastar.

March 23, 2016- Prabhat Singh, a journalist fom Dantewada was arrested for sending a Whatsapp message.

Stones were inserted in her private parts and Ankit Garg, the Superintendent of Police, Bastar, who is guilty for this act was awarded. Soni Sori’s husband was killed. Her father was called to the police station and abused verbally. He was told that his daughter is a ‘bazaaru aurat’.

What are the consequences for those raising their voice?

Anybody standing for the adivasis is being branded as Naxalites and Maoists. People like us and organisations from Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg who raise their voices against the brutal police force is suppressed by the government.

They call us the “urban network” of the tribals. The only people safe in the region are the party members from BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal. Only those who spy for the government are safe.

Can you give an example of preferential treatment for those on the side of the government?

A church was burnt in a village near Raipur, a month back. It was clear that it was done by Bajrang Dal. It was reported in the papers, but no action was taken. The government controls everything. The politicians come out in the open and hold rallies.

Modiji is pre-

sented w i t h swords on stages, and nobody questions that.

But, if I carry even a small knife to the gathering where Modi accepts a sword, they will call me a terrorist.

Ask the common man of Chhattisgarh, they face a lot of problems. The workers cannot protest outside the gates, if they do it for long, they they get accused of having links with Naxalites. The

government makes efforts that no movement survives there.

Can you tell us your experience with the “government killings”?

In 1992, 17 people died in the railway tracks, in front of my eyes.

The bullet went above my shoulder and I escaped. The firing and killing was for the demand of a minimum wage.

24 years after the incident the case is still pending in Bilaspur High Court. The case has been pending since the time Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were one state.

The case was initially in Jabalpur High Court and now it’s shifted to Bilaspur. 4220 labourers’ cases are pending.

The Maoists are not killing us, it’s the government.

As an artist, do you receive threats?

Personally nobody threatens me, but they threaten the organization I work for. Since 1990, I am working for Shankar Guha Niyogi’s organisation. In 1991 Niyogiji was murdered by industrialists from Chhattisgarh.

They shot him at night when he was asleep. We are the remaining members who are preserving his organization. My trade union has unity and strength. They threaten us because we have support of the masses. We have 10,000 members throughout Chhattisgarh.

Is your family scared about the work that you do?

No. My wife runs a women’s organization. I have a son and daughter. I don’t have my own house. I stay in the house provided by the organization. My son studies in class 11 and self-finances his education. He works in a medical shop and pays his fee with the money he earns. He also goes to a guitar class but never asks me for money or clothes. I don’t have the means to buy either. I wear what others give me. This is my life.

Team Observer Editor: Raina Paul | News Editor: Tanay Sukumar | Chief Sub-Editor: Payal Gangishetty | Sub-Editors: Reema Mukherjee, Oindrilla Sarkar | Picture Editor: Regina Gurung| Layout Designer: Laxmi Narayani