The Observer
An IIJNM publication
Migrant workers staying in Bengaluru find it hard to survive in dismal living conditions | P 3
Vol. 21, Issue 26
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Are forced to pay interest at 20% a month By Tina Freese
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Will CUET help? Karnataka students divided
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arnataka students hold mixed views on the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), made mandatory by the UGC for students to seek admission to undergraduate courses in 45 central universities, reports Chhavi Vohra. Some students say the move will be beneficial as they won’t have to face high cut-offs in order to seek admission. It’ll also act as a relief from mugging textbook information. Others say CBSE students will benefit more from the CUET and students from other boards, like ICSE and state boards, will be at a disadvantage comparitively. CUET, a computer-based test, will be conducted in the first week of July based on the NCERT syllabus for class 12. ►Full story on page 2
Most sex workers aren’t able to get loans from banks because they lack permanent address | Courtesy: Pexels to take loans from private individuals. “I had to pay my youngest child’s college fees. We always live with a financial crunch. We don’t have any savings. It was a matter of survival for us. I had to take loans from private sources even though the interest rate on it was very high.”
Ratna (name changed), 38, a mother of three, had a similar story to tell. “The lockdown was a shock to me. My children are very young; they cannot help me financially. I am the sole breadwinner of the family. To afford a one-time meal was becoming difficult for me. I borrowed money
from a man who lends to people like us. I am still paying off the installments of that loan.” Many sex workers couldn’t pay their house rents and other bills, forcing them to take loans. Chetna (name changed) was almost thrown out of her house as she couldn’t pay the rent. “I did not know what to do, so I opted for a loan of Rs 20,000 to make ends meet.” Interest rates are as high as 18-20 per cent a month. Laxmi informed The Observer she has to pay 18 per cent interest on the money she borrowed. “The interest rates are high, but there is no other way. We can’t avail of loans from banks. What choice do we have?” Most sex workers in Bengaluru aren’t able to get loans from banks because they lack of a permanent address and a permanent source of income. “Which bank will provide us loans? We don’t have any permanent income or residential address,” Laxmi shared. ►Continued on page 2
Heavy rain shows the red signal to construction of Yellow line
Residents and vendors facing difficulties
Epaper: https://issu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in
News Briefs
Blasts near Kabul school injure kids Explosions near Abdul Rahim Shaheed High School and inside an education centre have injured many children. Many more casualties are feared, according to Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran and the city’s Emergency Hospital. Till now, no one has claimed the responsibility for the explosive attack.
Stock market crashes for 2nd day running
The stock market crashed for a second consecutive day on Tuesday. The BSE Sensex fell 703 points, whereas the NSE Nifty closed at 16,958. HDFC fell 3.55 per cent, HDFC Bank 2.73 per cent and Infosys 1.28 per cent. Reliance gained 4 per cent followed by ICICI Bank, SBI and Bajaj Finance.
Religious marches in UP need permission
Amidst the ongoing communal violence going on in various parts of the nation, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has ordered that no religious processions should be taken out without permission. Permission will be granted to only those religious processions which are traditional. The use of loudspeakers should not cause inconvenience to anyone
Semiconductor meet in B’luru on April 29
Semicon India 2022 will be inaugurated in Bengaluru by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29. The theme of the event is ‘Design and Manufacture in India, for the World: Making India a Semiconductor Nation’.
Vaidyanathan is new CEO of P&G India
By Saumyangi Yadav
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he construction of the Yellow line of Namma Metro has slowed down again in the past few days due to heavy rain and waterlogging. Ravi S., who works as a welder on a contract basis for BMRCL, informed The Observer: “The construction had been going at a good pace for the past 4-5 months, but it has slowed down in the past few days due to rain.… I think here (near Bommanahalli), the construction work of metro will take two more years to be completed.”
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Congress party protests against BJP over PSI scam, accuses it of taking bribes from mutts | P 4
Sex workers find it difficult to repay high-interest loans
ex workers in Bengaluru are struggling to repay loans they took during the pandemic. High interest rates and few clients have made it difficult for them, they say. Every business was adversely affected when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in March 2020. Sex workers were the worst hit section of society. Laxmi (name changed), 60, who has been in the sex trade industry for more than three decades, says the lockdown days were the worst she has seen. “I have seen difficult days in my life. My husband abandoned me with four kids to feed, but I managed. (But) the lockdown months were the worst days of my life.” To make ends meet, they had
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The roads are littered with piles of cement, rubble and construction material | Credit: Saumyangi Yadav At the time of going to press, the BMRCL PRO had not responded to The Observer’s request for his reaction. The construction of the Yellow metro line began in the year
2016. Earlier, the Metro elevated corridor had a 2022-end deadline. However, it seems unlikely that the construction work will be completed by year end. ►Continued on page 2
Procter & Gamble, world’s largest consumer goods company has appointed LV Vaidyanathan as CEO of its India operations effective from July 1, 2022. He will succeed Madhusudan Gopalan, who will be the senior vice-president at the global level.
Gunfight in Kolkata injures two people
A rivalry over construction work in Bansdroni in Kolkata led to the injury of two people, the police said. Biswanath Singh alias Bachchu fired at Malay Dutta, a businessman in Brahmapur.
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The Observer Tuesday, April 19, 2022
CITY
Students in Karnataka have mixed opinion on CUET
Many say UGC mandate will bring relief By Chhavi Vohra
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ension is written on the faces of students sitting in front of computer screens with MCQs. The pressure of scoring good grades is clearly visible as they look at the clock at regular intervals. Their parents stand outside, waiting for them to narrate how it went. Such is the scene at every exam centre during entrance exams. The results of these examinations help to decide whether one is admitted into a college or not. On March 28, 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) made it mandatory for all the 45 Central universities to admit students to undergraduate programmes from 2022-23 based on scores obtained in the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA). This does away with marks obtained in class 12 board exams. Karnataka students have mixed views on the UGC deci-
Across the City
World Blockchain Conclave, Bengaluru, April 21, 2022 April 22, 2022 International Conference on Innovative Mechanisms for Industry Applications, Reva Institute of Technology and Management, Bengaluru, April 21, 2022 - April 22, 2022 Jasleen Royal Music Show, Live Music Show, UB City, Bengaluru, April 23, 2022
Quiz
1. The UNGA elects a President and how many Vice Presidents at the start of its regular session? 2. The treaty which ushered in NATO, was signed by the member nations at? 3. Thomas Cup is associated with? 4. Vitamin B12 is most useful for combating? 5. The velocity of sound in air is? 6. The term steeplechase is associated with which of the following sports? 7. The total number of Judges of the International Court of Justice is? 8. Trans World Airlines is an International Airline of? 9. To which country did the first Secretary-General of the UN belong? 10. What was War of the Roses? ►Answers on page 3
Many teachers believe that CUET will add to the stress and pressure of students preparing for their class 12 board exams Courtesy: Pexels sion. Some say CUET will be beneficial for students, while others argue everybody should have been consulted before making the important decision. Amisha Patel, a student, informed The Observer: “I think CUET will be beneficial as most students today want to get admitted to Delhi University. However, the high cut-offs are unfair. Through this exam, students belonging to the general category won’t have to score 90 per cent or above to seek admission.” Another student, Raghav Chandra, has similar views.
“Board exams are based on how much one can memorize. They don’t really test a student’s knowledge or true potential. In CBSE exams, one has to scan the entire NCERT textbook. CUET will be a much-awaited relief.” But some students seemed skeptical of CUET. Raunak Sharma, a student said: “I think CBSE students will benefit more from this move. But what about other students who don’t read NCERT books? What about other boards like ICSE or the state boards? Everybody should have been consulted.”
Traffic has increased but sales unaffected by construction work
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►Continued from page 1 anthosh, a fruit vendor, has a stall near Central Silk Board Junction in Bommanahalli. Because of the construction work of metro and rain, he has been facing difficulty. The traffic problem has increased due to the construction work and the roads being blocked, Santhosh added. “After rain, it is very hard for people to walk on this road.” But the construction work hasn’t affected the vendors’ and owner’s sales over the years. The work had only picked up pace in December 2021, after being halted during the pandemic, according to a report published in The New Indian Express. Residents of HSR Layout have also been affected by the construction of the Yellow line. Sahil Choudhary, an IT employee who lives in HSR Layout Sector 1, shared: “Around BTM Layout where the Metro construction is going on, it takes at least 30 minutes on a 15-minute route. The roads are very congested and everyone drives at a speed of 10 kmph.” Traffic and congestion are not
Commuters face traffic and congestion | Credit: Saumyangi Yadav the only issues that people living near these areas are facing. The construction of the Yellow line began under Phase-II of Namma Metro. The line will connect R.V. Road with Bommasandra and will be fully elevated with 16 stations. saumyangi.y@iijnm.org
Teachers believe that CUET will add to the stress and pressure of students preparing for their class 12 board exams. Sabiya Imtiyaz, a teacher, said: “I don’t think CUET is beneficial for students applying for a Under Graduate (UG) course. It’ll only cause more stress. The pandemic has disrupted the education system and impacted both students as well as their parents. The UGC should keep the present scenario in mind before recommending any changes.” CUET examination is a computer-based test that will be conducted by NTA in the first week of July based on the NCERT syllabus for class 12. All admissions to undergraduate courses at Central universities funded by UGC will mandatorily be based on CUET scores from 2022-23. Other universities are free to use CUET scores for their admissions. Technical courses already using Joint Entrance Examinations are exempted, but skill-based professional courses like Music, Art, Theatre and Fine Arts can use a combination of CUET scores along with an interview or practical test. @chhavi.v@iijnm.org ►Read the full report on www.theweeklyobserver.in
Citizen’s Voice
Communal violence is a distraction trick The rise in communal violence in different parts of the country proves how people, instead of looking at real issues, pay attention to unnecessary things. The clashes in places like Jahangirpuri, Kurnool and Khargone during festive times have led to tension between many communities. It’s now high time that we stopped clashes for comunal reasons and celebrated festivals without any turmoil and with unity. We need to understand that there are more crucial an d impprtant issues in the nation that need to be addressed: Unemployment, rising fuel prices and poverty are few of them. Arshiya Agarwal
Covid cases up, we must wear masks
India is again seeing an increase in Covid cases, with a recent survey in Delhi showing that Covid spread increased by 500 per cent in the past 15 days. China’s Shanghai reported its first death since the lockdown. But recently, Maharashtra, Delhi and Telangana left the decision of wearing masks to citizens. Peiople in authority and ciizens should understand that Covid is still around and we should remain cautious and follow Covid rules and wear masks at public places. Anushka Sharma
Govt does not pay attention: Activists G ►Continued from page 1 eeta M, the programme manager of Sadhana Mahila Sangha, a NGO that works for sex workers and their children, said: “We worked relentlessly during the pandemic to help sex workers out. We gave them dry ration kits, lent them interest-free money to pay rents. Even now, we try to provide them funds, but there is only so much we can do. There is a need for a government scheme specifically for sex workers.” Sangeeta, an activist who works with an NGO that provides financial help to sex workers and education to their children, said: “The issue is that the government never pays any attention to the welfare of sex workers in the state. Many sex workers were driven out of their homes, (and) their children out of schools. The pandemic was the worst for them.” Sex work is not illegal in India. But related activities such as pimping, running a brothel and soliciting are illegal in India. The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, says anyone who is caught forcing any woman/girl to offer sex for money, or any person who rents out his premises knowing that it will
FACTS ABOUT SEX WORK IN INDIA
►There are about 24 million sex workers living in India ►The industry has a turnover of $8 billion in the country ►Widowed and divorced women constitute 40 per cent of the sex workers in Karnataka ►The British first made sex work illegal in India in 1923 *Source: Journal of Anthropological Survey of India
be used as a brothel, they will be arrested and charged with a criminal offence. Sex work was first made illegal by the British in 1926 as they judged sex and the notion of a good woman by victorian standards. According to a report by The News Minute, sex workers in Bengaluru suffered a lot in the first and second waves of Covid19. Some couldn’t afford even a single meal a day. The Supreme Court of India, on seeing the condition of sex workers in India, ordered the state governments to provide food to them. tina.f@iijnm.org
THE LONG STORY
Migrant workers in Bengaluru live in challenging conditions Their children have no access to education
By Anwesha Singh
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igrant workers in Hebbal, Bengaluru, live in tin sheds and tents made of plastic. The area resembles a dumpyard. One part is filled with garbage, and glass and plastic bottles. Children can be seen picking rags from the garbage, while women do their daily household chores. The Observer interviewed people living there. As it approached a woman who was busy washing clothes, she said: “I am Shahnaaz. I am from Kolkata, and have been living here for 10 years.” Asked about her life in the city, she said:“What do you think by seeing the conditions here — the condition of our place, the condition of our
two daughters who are 13 and 15 years old live in Begusarai in Bihar. As a labourer, he earns around Rs 15,000 a month out of which he sends some money for his daughters’ schooling. “I miss my children, but neither have enough money to fund their education here nor good living conditions. Just look at our place! We don’t have proper water or sanitation facilities. It is better they live in the village,” he further said. “Once they attain the age, we will marry them off,” he shared. He spoke about dismal working conditions in the city. “Many times, I have to do overtime to meet our family’s requirements. We cannot afford to buy big houses and vehicles, but at least we want to eat enough and not go to bed with an empty stomach.” Zehrul Sheikh, a carpenter, came to Bengaluru from Kolkata eight years ago. He has two children, who live with his wife in Kolkata, West Bengal. “I have been working as a
The living conditions of migrant workers in Kumbalgodu is much better than of those living in Hebbal. homes? We are trying to meet our ends and make sure our children get a better life than what we are living in today.” Shahnaaz’s husband works at construction sites in the city while she does domestic work in two houses. Asked about the working condition of her husband, she said: “It is fine. One good thing is, he is regularly paid by the contractor, but he doesn’t get holidays. If he takes holidays, his pay is cut.” She refused to share how much they earn. That one-room tent she lives in also serves as a kitchen. She washes clothes and utensils outside the house. Her two children, 15 and 18 years old, live back in the village with their grandparents. She sends them some money every month. Dharmendra Yadav, a migrant worker from Bihar, came to Bengaluru in search of better opportunities. He has lived here with his wife for five years. Their
carpenter for eight years and earn between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000. Since the outbreak of Covid, earning has become more difficult for me due to lack of proper work.” Asked if he would like to go back to his village for work, he said: “There is nothing in my village. I at least earn some money here and send it to my family after keeping some for myself. Living in this place is not easy. We don’t have basic facilities. The area stinks most of the time. But this is our life and I am now used to it.”
The living conditions in Hebbal are unhygenic and unsafe. Huge piles of garbage are lying near their tents | Pictures by Anwesha Singh has been good until now. I have not faced any problems. Since my daughter is young, I do not have much expenses,” she shared. Her husband works in Assam and comes to Bengaluru sometimes. “Living with my daughter far away from my home is not easy, but you have to do it to live a good life and provide your children with good things. Presently, I don’t need to send money; my husband earns there. Moreover, all the money I earn is spent on food, clothing, rent, etc. I don’t have any savings. The money is spent on fulfilling everyday requirements.” she further added. She has to take her daughter with her to work as she lives alone with noone to help her. Hailing from Kolkata, Sudeep Biswas is a migrant worker and has been in Bengaluru for the past 14 years. He lives in Kumbalgodu with his wife and threeyear-old son. He also lives in a tin shed, but their living conditions are far better than those of the migrant workers in Hebbal. “I came here for work and work as a labourer at a construction site. I earn Rs 7,000-8,000 more than I did in Kolkata. However, my earning is not fixed. It depends on how much I work, but
it is enough for my family here. The contractor takes care of our food. I cannot say that living conditions are the best, but they are OK and livable. People like us cannot expect more.” Biswas’ wife and child came here recently. Before his marriage, it was easy for him to manage his expenses, but after getting married and having a child, the expenses have increased. “Once my child attains the age of four, I will send my wife and child back to the village. He will go to school there. Also, the place where we live is not suitable for women. Look here, no one’s wife or daughter lives here.” The migrant workers and labourers face several issues regarding their working and living conditions in the city. Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav had said that over 27 crore workers from the unorganized sector in the city got registered on the e-Shram portal in past six months. He highlighted the work done by the government for the workers in recent times in the unorganized sector, a report in The Print said. anwesha.s@iijnm.org
This Day, That Year
Paul Revere, a renowned silversmith, engraver and a patriot in the American Revolution on 18 April 1775, went on the famous midnight ride to warn Boston area residents of an attack by the British troops. This happened just before the battles of Lexington and Concord which kick started the American Revolution. This incident is seen as an act of bravery by the Americans and is dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1861 poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”. In the poem long fellow has glorified how a silversmith acted with such bravery.
Quote
Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. ―Edgar Allan Poe
Weather
Max. temperature: 32°C Min. temperature: 21°C Humidity: 49% UV Index: Low Wind: 2 km/hr Precipitation: 7%
Twiteratti Talk
@ShatrughanSinha The woes and troubles of people just don’t seem to end. The escalation in fuel prices have been a very hard hitting topic for sometime now. Once again the prices were increased causing massive damage to the people. This deatiled video by renowed journalist, Magasaysay award. @rssurjewala Modiji speaks of “nepotism” always! Will Modiji purge “nepotism” in cricket? OR No, because it is BJP leaders and sons, starting with Home Min,. Amit Shah.
Quiz Answers
Contrasting scenario Unlike the workers of Hebbal, Assam’s Meherjaan Begum, who lives in Kumbalgodu, is satisfied with her life. She has been in Bengaluru for the past three months and works at a poultry farm. “I live here with my oneyear-old daughter. My husband is at home in Assam. My owner
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On the contrary the migrant workers live in a bad conditions in shelters made of tin shedss and plastic tents.
1.Twenty one 2.Washington 3.Badminton 4.Anaemia 5.343 m/sec 6.Horse Racing 7.15 8.United States of America 9.Norway 10.Civil war in England
The Observer Tuesday, April 19, 2022
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BJP got blessings, from mutts, now takes bribes from them: Congress
CITY
The Observer Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Period talk among differently abled women kept at bay
Conversation around periods should be more frequent especially between mothers and daughters writes Archana Raj
BJP is corrupt, the KPCC General Secretary said at a protest staged in Congress bhavan on Tuesday. | Credit: Chhavi Vohra By Chhavi Vohra
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PCC general secretary S. Manohar on April 25 accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of corruption and asked him to disclose the amount of bribe collected in the 30 per cent and 40 per cent scams under the government. Participating in , a protest against BJP at Congress Bhavan, he said: “The same government that got blessings from mutts before coming to power is now asking a 30 per cent commission from the mutts for grants to be passed.” He called the BJP government in Karnataka dead and said it was time it went. The police sub-inspector examination scam should bring the end to the regime of this government. The protest saw a group of 25 Congress workers sitting in front of the Gandhi statue at Congress Bhavan, chanting “BJP should go down, corruption-filled BJP should go down”. They held colourful placards that said: “In the illegal appointment under the PSI scam, home minister, are you a part?” and “Having taken money from mutts, the BJP government has cheated them”. Another set of placards said: “BJP government should be immediately dismissed, corruption in even releasing funds for mutts and many religious centres”.
Two men in the front row donned don masks that were resembling Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Araga Jnanendra. K.P Naveen Chandra, KPCC Coordinator, said: “One reason behind today’s protest is the PSI scam in which the home minister is involved. Another reason is that the government is demanding a 30 per cent commission from mutts to pass grants for them. In the Santosh Patil case, they asked for a 44 per cent commission which made him to take the drastic step of suicide.” The BJP government has been collecting as much money as possible by taking commissions, he alleged. Regarding the alleged PSI scam, J. Puktaraju, a Congress activist, said: “In the subinspector exam, those who scored 90-100 marks haven’t got jobs but those with 20 marks got jobs by paying money. BJP leader Divya Hagaragi is responsible for the scam; her husband Rajesh Hagaragi has been arrested in connection with the scam.” The CID is currently probing the PSI exam scam. Divya Hagaragi, the BJP women’s wing leader wanted in the case, is untraceable. She is the President of the Jnana Jyothi English Medium School, one of the exam centres where irregularities were reported. chhavi.v@iijnm.org
Team Observer
Editor: Anwesha Singh Reporters: Anwesha Singh, Tina Freese, Chhavi Vohra, Saumyangi Yadav Copy-editors: Swarali Bodas, Tina Freese, Chhavi Vohra, Saumyangi Yadav, Simran Sharma Page Layout: Chhavi Vohra, Saumyangi Yadav, Tina Freese, Anwesha Singh, Swarali Bodas Photo Editor: Tina Freese, Swarali Bodas, Anwesha Singh, Chhavi Vohra Supplement: Archana Raj
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he issue of ever-increasing challenges among differently-abled women and girls is still a hardly discussed topic. The data and knowledge of disabilities and its prevalence in India are very little. There are different kinds of disabilities; among them is whether they are mentally challenged to realize about menstruation and to take care of it. More than 2.1 percent of the population of India is disabled, of the 65.46 crores of female citizens, 1.18 crore are disabled women. Shalini Khanna Sodhi, Founder Director NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability studies said, if abled-bodied women find menstruation a challenge, the question about those who are deaf, mute, mentally and physically challenged are uncertain. There is still hesitation when it comes to addressing this issue about mensturation. They are not made aware to talk about it as it emanates from weakness and imbalances especially when parents are not expecting too much out of the girl. Dr. Amrita Rao, a gynecologist said, there is a challenge because they themselves are not able to take the care and they have to be dependent on health care workers in case when they have issues to bring them to a doctor or hospital. The physically challenged can be trained to use tampons which might help because they are mostly sedentary, leading to other risks of ulcers, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, risks of colon cancer etc. They are not very mobile, therefore they can be trained to use a menstrual cup or tampons. She added that it is not desirable to have a general mode of interaction with three different groups of challenged communities –the medium of communication for each differentlyabled must be uniquely addressed as problems are molded differently according to communication, product usage and infrastructure. She stated that usually the parents or caregivers take charge of their challenged children and prefer to get hysterectomy done. Hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus. Out of fear of vulnerability and sexual abuse this an alternative many parent decides for their children. Moreover because of the thought that after this procedure the challenged children do not have to go through menstruation every month. Hysterectomy is a major surgery with attended
complication, but with a well-equipped place by an experienced surgeon there shouldn’t be any complication, she added. “I personally feel more than ethical, on the humanitarian gesture only if done faithfully it can be a procedure that can be considered with consent.” An alternative to major procedures can be to use medication that can reduce menstruation; a pro-long regime of oral contraceptive pills, a regime that gives three menstrual periods a year and another option that is available is to take medication to reduce the frequency of menstruation. Archana Ramachandran, secretary of Cheshire Homes India Bangalore unit said, we take care of 35 differently-abled people and provide them with primary and secondary health care facilities, with proper shelter, education and vocational training. The severely disabled have a lot of difficulty to approach to good bathroom such inadequate disabled- friendly bathrooms are a concern. She added that, even if we can take care of only the 35 children, there are around 5.9 lakh disabled children of them 9.3 lakh of female children in rural areas with multiple disabilities where access to even basic amenities and lack of education leading them to confined spaces at their homes are to be looked upon. Health around menstruation must be addressed; more mothers need to be taught more girls need to be taught to talk about it. ”I wish there could be camps done in rural areas on gynecology. There are so many camps built on different aspects but when it comes to gynec camps, there are none.” Even for the girls staying in institutions it’s a challenge to find the right gynecologists, medical health is not cheap and easy in our country. For the people who are living here as a blind, she won’t even realize what’s happening to her body due to insufficient knowledge and education. There are bodies through the government who intervene but no real guidelines are yet put up for the health of challenged women and children, Shalini said. Government should have gynecologists on panels and on helpline for disabled women, hormonal health and mensuration health should more talked about on panels, which is already backward for ordinary women “But coming to disabled women, who is really speaking about health to the women of our country is my biggest question now,” she adds archana.r@iijnm.org