Sivagiri mutt chief praises PM Modi for accepting all religions
Thiruvananthapuram: We can see the integrity, purity of ideals, spiritual depth and discipline of Mahatma Gandhi in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Sivagiri Mutt head Swami Satchidananda on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, the president of Sivagiri Mutt said that his comments came after he realised the personal charisma of Modi. He said, “Many created the impression that something negative would happen in the country when Modi became the Prime Minister. However, in the last 11 years, there is no evidence that Modi ever rejected or denounced any religion.” “He has always taken a stand, accepting other religions,” said Satchidananda. “Though Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were invited several times to take part in Sivagiri Mutt programmes, they haven’t attended. But Modi attended the programme to mark the centenary of the conversation between Sree Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi on his own in New Delhi on Tuesday,” he said. “When Sivagiri Mutt sent an email to PMO, Modi contacted the mutt and conveyed his willingness to participate in the event,” said Satchidananda. He said at the function that Modi was the only Prime Minister who described Sree Narayana Guru as the soul of the nation. He also described Modi as “a great son of India” whose devotion to Sivagiri and Sree Narayana Guru was quite evident. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Irrefutable from EC’s own data’: Congress doubles down on Maharashtra poll fraud charge; seeks footage
NEW DELHI: The Congress party has formally responded to the Election Commission (EC) with a detailed letter raising serious questions about the polling process. This comes days after former party president and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, flagged what he called “vote theft” in Maharashtra assembly polls. The letter highlighted concerns: a “huge increase in electors and voters” between the May 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the November 2024 Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra, and an “inexplicable upsurge in polling after 5pm on election day.” “It is irrefutable from EC’s own data that there were more new electors added between the Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections held in May and the Vidhan Sabha elections held in November, the same year, than there were in the prior five full years between 2019 assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” the letter reads. Calling for transparency, the Congress has demanded that the EC provide a “machine-readable, digital copy of the Maharashtra voter lists and video footage of the polling day of Maharashtra and Haryana within a week from the date of this letter.” It further added, “This has been a long-standing request that should be easy for the EC to comply with. The Congress party leadership will be happy to meet with the EC soon after we have received these. In that meeting, we will even present our analysis findings to you.” Earlier, in response to Rahul Gandhi’s opinion piece in a newspaper, the Election Commission had refuted the allegations and reaffirmed that all elections are conducted “strictly in accordance with laws passed by Parliament and established rules.” The poll body also underlined the scale of the electoral process, noting it involves thousands of personnel, including booth-level agents appointed by different political parties. “We presume that any issue regarding conduct of elections would have already been raised through election petitions filed in the competent court of law (high court) by the INC candidates,” the EC wrote to Rahul Gandhi, according to news agency PTI. “However, if you still have any issues, you are welcome to write to us and the Commission is also willing to meet you in person at a mutually convenient date and time to discuss all issues,” it added. Despite the poll body’s clarification, Rahul Gandhi reiterated his charge, insisting that the irregularities were not mere glitches but a systematic attempt at “vote theft,” and renewed his demand for the immediate release of the digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. Rahul Gandhi's X post Several allies of the Congress have also repeatedly voiced concerns over the conduct of the Maharashtra elections. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Dalits, Tribals Benefitted’: Cong Leader Udit Raj Defends Emergency, Says ‘Today’s Situation Worse’
Congress leader Udit Raj criticised BJP’s event marking 50 years of the Emergency, arguing that the current situation in the country is worse than during the Emergency era. He said the Emergency under Indira Gandhi was open, whereas today’s emergency is undeclared. congress leader Udit Raj defended certain aspects of the Emergency, pointing to welfare schemes that “benefited Dalits and Adivasis”. He claimed institutions like the judiciary were more independent at that time, and alleged that the Election Commission today functions under government control. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
CM hits back after Rahul accuses him of voter fraud
Nagpur: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged voter manipulation and electoral malpractice in CM Devendra Fadnavis’s constituency of South-West Nagpur, claiming a surge in voter numbers in the five months between the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2024. Fadnavis hit back, accusing Rahul of lying and pointing out a spike in voters was witnessed even in constituencies where Congress and its allies had won, reports Abhishek Choudhari. On X, Rahul wrote, “In Maharashtra CM’s own constituency, the voter list grew by 8% (29,219 voters) in just 5 months. Some booths saw a 20-50% surge. Booth level officers reported unknown individuals casting votes. Media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address.” He also hit out at the Election Commission of India (ECI). Rahul Gandhi and CM Devendra Fadnavis had a spat on X after the former again made allegations of electoral manipulation on Tuesday. Taking on the Election Commission of India over alleged inflated voter figures, Rahul, in a post on X, wrote, “And EC? Silent or complicit. These aren’t isolated glitches. This is vote theft. The cover-up is the confession. That’s why we demand immediate release of machine-readable digital voter rolls and CCTV footage.” Earlier this month, the Congress MP had alleged voter fraud across Maharashtra and cited the Kamptee constituency, which is represented by BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. BJP had responded by saying that due to rapid urbanization, the number of voters had risen in Kamptee. But with Rahul taking on Fadnavis, the fight got bigger. Fadnavis said the Congress neta was still reeling from last year’s assembly poll defeat and was hence making such statements. “Jhoot bole kauwa kaate,” Fadnavis wrote on X. “It’s clear that your pain of poll defeat is increasing everyday, but how long will you keep firing blanks?” After the sarcasm, Fadnavis got down to hard statistics, saying the surge in number of voters is a statewide phenomenon. “There are more than 25 constituencies in Maharashtra where voter numbers rose by over 8% between Lok Sabha and assembly elections, and Congress won in many of those places,” Fadnavis wrote. He named five constituencies where Congress and NCP (SP) candidates emerged victorious after an increase in the number of voters: West Nagpur, where the voter rolls rose by 7% (27,065 new voters) and Congress candidate Vikas Thakre won; North Nagpur, where a 7% increase (29,348) saw Congress’ Nitin Raut win; Vadgaon Sheri in Pune district, where voter numbers rose by 10% (50,911) and the NCP (SP)’s Bapu Pathare won; Malad West, where, with an 11% voter rise (38,625), Congress’ Aslam Shaikh won; and Mumbra, where there was a 9% increase (46,041) and Jitendra Awhad from Pawar Senior’s camp won. Fadnavis concluded by mocking Rahul, saying it would have been better if he had spoken with Congress MLAs whose constituencies witnessed a voter surge before polls. “At least it would have not resulted in display of miscommunication within Congress,” he stated. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harswardhan Sapkal on Tuesday demanded that Fadnavis resign on moral grounds, claiming that voter manipulation and suspicious voter roll expansion helped the BJP-led alliance return to power in the state despite a poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections. “With Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi raising the issue of electoral rigging repeatedly, more evidence is coming to light every day. This is not just voter list manipulation; it’s the theft of democracy,” he claimed. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Evening news wrap: Trump ‘really unhappy’ with Iran and Israel; Air India to resume Middle East and Europe flights and more
Today’s evening news wrap consists follow-ups on the Iran-Israel conflict and Maharashtra CM responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of “voter theft”. US president Donald Trump announced that he is “really unhappy with Israel and “not happy with Iran either” amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. Earlier today he had also declared a “complete and total ceasefire” where Iran had quickly disputed Trump’s claim. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, has accused of “vote theft” and significant voter list irregularities in Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s constituency, citing an eight per cent increase within five months. Trump really unhappy with Israel and Iran amid ongoing conflict US President Donald Trump issued a strong rebuke following reports that Israel resumed airstrikes shortly after a US-brokered ceasefire with Iran. Posting on Truth Social, he warned: “Israel. Do not drop those bombs. If you do it is a major violation”. Speaking to reporters Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with both sides saying, “I did not like that Israel ‘unloaded’ immediately after agreeing to ceasefire, and added “I am not happy with Iran either”. He emphasized restraint and urged Israel’s military to stand down, while reiterating that Iran must not be allowed to rebuild its nuclear program. Read more Rahul Gandhi alleges voter list manipulation in Devendra Fadnavis’ Constituency Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha has accused of significant voter irregularities in Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ constituency highlighting that the voter list grew by eight per cent in five months, which he termed as “vote theft”. “Media uncovered thousands of voters with n o verified address. And the EC? Silent -or complicit”, he said through a post on X. In response, CM Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the allegations and said that there are several assembly constituencies where voters went up eight percent and the candidates from Congress were elected. “Jhuth bole kauwa kaate koi kavwe se dariyo”, he posted on X. Read more Blackbox of crashed Air India plane not sent to abroad, assures civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu, the civil aviation minister refuted media reports that claimed that the blackbox of the crashed Ai plane in Ahmedabad was sent to abroad and confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AIIB) is analyzing it in India. Speaking on the sidelines of the helicopters and small aircraft summit 2025, jointly organised by FICCI and the Naidu assured that “….it is all a speculation”. Shortly after the incident the government announced the formation of high-level panel to investigate on the cause of the crash. Naidu reiterated that the investigation is ongoing under AAIB. Read more Air India to resume Middle East, Europe flights on Tuesday, US, and Canada to follow Air India had said on Tuesday that it would “progressively resume flights” to West Asia amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. Most Middle East operations are to restart from June 25. This decision comes hours after Iran and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire plan proposed by US president Donald Trump to bring an end to the 12 day conflict. Flights to and from Europe are being reinstated while services to the US East Coast and Canada will resume soon. “Air India will continue to avoid airspaces assessed as unsafe at any given time”, said the Air India spokesperson. Read more New US visa rule: Visa applicants to change this setting on FB, Instagram The US embassy in India has now declared that F, M, and J non-immigrant visa applicants now need to make their social media accounts public. This is to help US officials verify the identity and eligibility of visa applicants during the security screening process. This regulation is effective immediately. “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M or J non immigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media accounts to public to facilitate vetting necessary to establish their identity and admissibility to the United Stated under the US law”, said the post. Read more Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Vote theft’: Rahul Gandhi alleges voter list manipulation in Devendra Fadnavis’ constituency; Maharashtra CM hits back
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleged significant voter list irregularities in Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s constituency, citing an eight per cent increase within five months, which he termed as “vote theft”. Gandhi shared a news article on X, calling for the release of digital voter rolls and CCTV footage. He noted that Booth Level Officers reported unauthorised voting in Nagpur South West, where Fadnavis secured victory with a margin exceeding 38,000 votes. Additionally, media investigations revealed numerous voters without verified addresses. “In Maharashtra CM’s constituency, the voter list grew by 8% in just 5 months. Some booths saw a 20-50% surge,” Gandhi said on X. “BLOs reported unknown individuals casting votes. Media uncovered thousands of voters with no verified address,” the Rae Bareli MP added. “And the EC? Silent – or complicit. These aren’t isolated glitches. This is vote theft. The cover-up is the confession,” he alleged. CM Devendra Fadnavis hits back at Rahul Gandhi Fadnavis in his post on social media said there are several assembly constituencies where voters went up by 8% and candidates from the Congress were elected. Replying to Gandhi’s post on X, Fadnavis sai, “Jhuth bole kauwa kaate koi kavwe se dariyo” (The crow bites when you lie, Fear the black crow) He cited the examples of West Nagpur assembly constituency where voters went up by 7% (27065) and Congress candidate Vikas Thakare was elected, North Nagpur went up by 7% (29,348) and Congress ’ Nitin Raut won the election. Similarly in Pune district Wadgaon city voters went up by 10% (50,911) and NCP(SP) candidate Bapusaheb Pathare won. Fadnavis said that in Malad West it went up by 11% (38,625) and Congress’ Aslam Shaikh won. In Mumbra it went up by 9% (46,041) and NCP(SP) candidate Jitendra Awhad won. “Even if not with allied parties, it would have been better if you had spoken to your own party’s long-time associates like Aslam Shaikh, Vikas Thakre, and Nitin Raut before this tweet.At least the Congress wouldn’t have performed so poorly due to a lack of communication…” Fadnavis said in a post on X. All polls held as per law: EC tells Rahul Gandhi’s demands came on a day it emerged that the Election Commission has formally written to him on his allegations of rigging in the 2024 Maharashtra polls, saying all polls held by the poll panel strictly as per laws passed by Parliament and rules, and the entire exercise involves thousands of personnel, including booth-level agents appointed by political parties. In a letter emailed to him on June 12 in response to his article written in a leading daily, the EC has said the entire election process is conducted in a decentralised manner at the assembly constituency level, which involved more than 1,00,186 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 288 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 139 General Observers, 41 Police Observers, 71 Expenditure Observers and 288 Returning Officers (ROS) appointed by the Comrnission. “We presume that any issue regarding conduct of elections would have already been raised through election petitions filed in the competent court of law (high court) by the INC candidates,” it told the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. “However, if you still have any issues, you are welcome to write to us and the Commission is also willing to meet you in person at a mutually convenient date and time to discuss all issues,” the poll authority said. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
What is this… Rahul Gandhi had gone out to treat the disease, but the disease worsened in Gujarat, Congress’s shameful performance in the by-elections
Gujarat By polls Results: Rahul Gandhi’s hopes of strengthening the Congress in Gujarat have been jolted in the by-elections. By saving its Visavadar seat in the BJP’s stronghold, AAP gave a message of being combative, but could neither save its five seats in the past nor has it emerged stronger now. While BJP managed to win by a big margin in Kadi, Congress’s deposit was forfeited in Visavadar. Ahmedabad: Congress has suffered a major setback in the Gujarat assembly by-elections. While Congress could not give a tough fight in Kadi, the position of Congress became even weaker on the Visavadar seat. This time too, the deposit was not saved. Congress has suffered a severe setback on both the seats when Rahul Gandhi is busy finding good horses. In the 2022 assembly elections, Congress won only 17 seats out of the total 182 seats in the state. Congress has lost five of its MLAs in the last 30 months, during this period by-elections were held on a total of seven seats in the state but Congress could not win a single seat. In such a situation, the question arises that how will the mission of Rahul Gandhi to defeat BJP in 2027 succeed? AAP got a new ‘Sanjeevani’ Congress has got 5501 votes in Visavadar seat. In the last elections, it had got 16,963 votes. Similarly, the party’s candidate Ramesh Bhai Chavda has got 60290 votes on Kadi seat. He had to face defeat by a margin of 39452 votes. In the last election, the party’s candidate Praveen Parmar had got 78,858 votes. Then BJP had won this seat by 28,194 votes. After registering victory on the Visavadar seat, AAP’s state president Isudan Gadhvi made a big announcement. He said that this victory is of the people of Gujarat. It is of the farmers of Gujarat. This is the victory of the workers and the middle class. Gadhvi said that this is the victory of the warriors of Aam Aadmi Party. Aam Aadmi Party government is going to be formed in Gujarat in 2027. It is clear that AAP has got a new lease of life after the crushing defeat in the Delhi elections. Current situation after 2022 assembly elections? Congress 17(-5), 12 MLAs AAP 5(+-1), 05 MLAs BJP 156(+5) 161 MLAs If AAP was successful, why did Congress miss out? In the 2022 elections, AAP won only five seats with 14 percent votes. Before the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, when AAP MLA Bhupat Bhayani left the party and joined BJP, AAP had announced at that time. The party had said that those who betrayed the people of Visavadar will be avenged. To retain the Visavadar seat, AAP fielded the most popular and big leader in the state. Like AAP, five Congress MLAs also joined BJP, but Congress could not take revenge on even a single seat. All five MLAs won on the lotus symbol. Arjun Modhwadia is also included in these. By winning the Visavadar seat, AAP gave a message that the party is serious about Gujarat. There was a setback in the local body elections When elections were held for 68 municipalities in the state in February this year, Congress suffered a major setback in them. BJP had registered a big victory. Congress’s condition became weak in these elections. After this, Rahul Gandhi started the process of strengthening the organization in the state with ‘Nutan Gujarat-Nutan Congress’ (New Gujarat, New Congress) to defeat BJP in the 2027 elections. Under this, the organization creation campaign and convention was held in Ahmedabad. After a long exercise, the party has declared 40 district/city presidents of the state on June 21, two days ago, but the setback received in the by-elections has forced the party to think about how it will be able to fight BJP in 2027, because AAP has so far made a dent in its vote bank. Out of the five assembly seats in four states, Congress has definitely won the Nilambur seat in Kerala. In 2021, independents won there. Written by: Achalendra Katiyar Achalendra Katiyar has studied from Jamia Millia Islamia Delhi. After this, he worked in reputed national newspapers of Meerut, Kanpur and Delhi. Since June 2020, he has been active in understanding the politics and culture of Gujarat. Courtesy: Hindi News
‘Prime asset for India on global stage’: Tharoor praises PM Modi again; BJP uses his remark to target Rahul
NEW DELHI: Shashi Tharoor, whose frosty ties with the Congress leadership is now an open secret, has yet again taken a diametrically opposite stand from his party and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the global diplomatic outreach following “Operation Sindoor”. In an article published in The Hindu, Tharoor said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s energy, dynamism and willingness to engage remains a prime asset for India on the global stage but deserves greater backing.” “The diplomatic outreach following ‘Operation Sindoor’ was a moment of national resolve and effective communication. It affirmed that India, when united, can project its voice with clarity and conviction on international platforms,” the Congress leader wrote in the article. Tharoor had led one of the seven multi-party delegations to convey India’s stand following the Pahalgam terror attack and the military operation. Only last week, Tharoor had admitted to “differences of opinion with some in party leadership”. Ironically, Shashi Tharoor’s latest round of praise for PM Modi comes on a day the Congress made a notable electoral victory in Kerala wresting the Nilambur assembly seat from the LDF after nine years. Tharoor had stayed away from party’s campaign in Nilambur bypoll. While the Congress MP had said that he was not invited, the Congress maintained that his name was in the list of star campaigners for the bypoll. The Congress had dubbed the Nilambur bypolls as the semi-finals ahead of the assembly elections in the state next year. The win will give the party a boost as it goes all out to wrest power from the LDF after 10 years. Tharoor’s praise for the Prime Minister comes at a time when the Congress has been consistently attacking the Modi government over its foreign policy, alleging that Indian diplomacy is being “shattered” and the country stands “isolated” globally. Following the Pahalgam attack, Tharoor has made several comments on the India-Pakistan conflict and the diplomatic outreach that are at variance with the stand taken by the Congress party. Led by Rahul Gandhi, the Congress has been questioning the government over US President Donald Trump’s claims of mediating a ceasefire between the two countries. Tharoor has ‘exposed’ Rahul The BJP was quick once again to use Tharoor’s remarks to target the Congress as it has done several times in the past few months. The party took a swipe at the Congress over Tharoor’s article and said the Thiruvananthapuram MP has “exposed” Rahul Gandhi. BJP’s national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said on X, “Shashi Tharoor admits that PM Modi’s dynamism and global outreach are a strategic advantage for India.” The Prime Minister’s Office did its bit to return favourt to the Congress MP and shared Tharoor’s article on X and said, “Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister Dr. Shashi Tharoor writes- Lessons from Operation Sindoor’s global outreach.” Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https:/timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Two decades on, hunger still haunts Gujarat: Survey exposes stark gap behind poverty claims
A Niti Aayog report, released about two years ago, estimated that in Gujarat — which our powers-that-be have long considered a model state — 11.66% of people are “multidimensionally poor,” a term referring to an index that seeks to estimate “multiple and simultaneous deprivations” at the household level across three macro categories: health, education, and living standards. The report suggests that multidimensional poverty in Gujarat declined by around 7% over a period of five years, pointing out that in tribal-dominated districts, where poverty levels were particularly high, there has been a clear improvement: in Dahod from 54.93% to 38.27%, in Dangs from 57.33% to 26.61%, in Narmada from 37.11% to 22.62%, and in Panchmahal from 41.52% to 18.11%. Basing its estimates on the National Family Health Surveys of 2015–16 and 2019–21, the report claims the “most rapid reduction” in multidimensional poverty occurred in districts located in four states: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. While not directly disputing what the Government of India report highlights regarding Gujarat, a new survey carried out by a civil rights group in two tribal districts — Dahod and Panchmahal — and two non-tribal districts — Bhavnagar and Morbi — suggests that things aren’t as rosy as they are made out to be. A follow-up to a similar survey carried out in 2004, the new survey — conducted in 2025 by Anandi (Area Networking and Development Initiatives or ASAA) — reveals that, even after two decades, total food security continues to elude nearly 80% of the population in the surveyed areas. To quote Sejal A. Dand, a senior activist directly involved in both the 2004 and 2025 surveys, two decades ago, 10% of people were found to be “food secure,” and this percentage has gone up by just 2% over the years — to 12%. Releasing details of the 2025 survey, which was conducted with the help of senior academic Prof. Dipa Sinha, currently with Azim Premji University, another Anandi activist, Neeta Hardikar, told the Ahmedabad media that there is certainly a change: unlike in 2004, there is “no full day hunger” as found then, “but our survey suggests that a large number of households often don’t have access to food, especially in the tribal areas.” The survey results confirm this: in 2004, it was found that in the sample households of the tribal area of Panchmahal, a staggering 73.66% were food insecure for more than six months in a year. In contrast, the 2025 survey shows that 7.06% “live in hunger,” while a whopping 86.38% have “incomplete meal,” and only 6.56% have a “full meal.” Conditions are worse in Dahod district: here, 24.61% live in hunger, 58.78% have “incomplete meal,” and only 16.61% have a “full meal.” The 2025 results indicate that the situation is not much better in the non-tribal areas of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat where the survey was also conducted. In Malia (Morbi district), 9.10% “lived in hunger,” 75.51% had “incomplete meal,” while only 15.38% had a “full meal.” Similarly, in Shihor and Umrala of Bhavnagar district, 15.98% “lived in hunger”, 54.84% had “incomplete meal,” and just 14.13% had a “full meal.” The 2025 survey was undertaken specifically to assess how effectively the National Food Security Act, 2013 — which aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds of the country’s 1.4 billion people — has been implemented since it became operational in Gujarat about a decade ago. A total of 1,261 households were included in the survey, mostly belonging to marginalised communities, with a deliberate effort to include those facing social vulnerabilities such as single women, the disabled, and the elderly. “The results are therefore not representative of the state on average, but they give an indication of what is happening among some of the vulnerable communities in the state — these were the communities and families that the NFSA was expected to help,” a survey note underlines. It adds, “Over a third (34%) belonged to Adivasi communities and more than half (54%) to OBC communities. Most of the Adivasi respondents are from Dahod and Panchmahal, and the OBCs from Bhavnagar and Morbi. The remaining were SCs and OBCs, with only 21 respondents belonging to the ‘general’ category.” While 86% of the respondents reported having a smartphone in the household — the lowest in Dahod (77.3%) and highest in Morbi (93.1%) — only 43.7% had cultivable land. Most of the households in Bhavnagar and Morbi owned no cultivable land (over 80%), while in the tribal districts of Dahod and Panchmahal, most households were engaged in their own cultivation, although the land size was less than 2 bighas. Respondents were asked about the frequency of consumption of different foods for each season (summer, monsoon, winter) — cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, and flesh foods (chicken, meat, eggs) — to define what qualifies as a “full meal.” The “incomplete meal” category was used to identify households where not all members consume rice, dal, fruits, vegetables, milk, curd, meat, eggs, oil, etc., on a regular basis. These households rely mainly on carbohydrate-based food to satisfy hunger. The “living with hunger” category identified households whose meals are “donated, borrowed, and largely cereal-based, infrequent and inadequate.” The note observed: “In spite of the legislation, which covers 75% of rural households under the targeted public distribution system, the proportion of households which are not food secure is very high. Only around 12% of the households are able to entirely meet their food security needs in the sense of having a diverse diet regularly, including foods from different food groups.” By Rajiv Shah Courtesy : Counterview Note: This news is originally published on https:/counterview.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Global NGO slams India for media clampdown during conflict, downplays Pakistan
A global civil rights group, Civicus has taken strong exception to how critical commentaries during the “recent conflict” with Pakistan were censored in India, with journalists getting “targeted”. I have no quarrel with the Civicus view, as the facts mentioned in it are all true. However, what surprised me was that the global NGO was conspicuously silent on how the military-controlled Pakistan government is known to have propped up terrorists — which is actually the first trigger — while continuing to target mediapersons critical of the regime. After receiving the Civicus email, I decided to check whether it had a commentary on Pakistan as well. I did find a comprehensive commentary under the heading “Government criminalises activists, increases online controls and cracks down on protests by the opposition and ethnic groups”, but there is no update on how the authorities behaved during the conflict — even as rating India’s civic space as ‘repressed’ — the same as Pakistan’s. Let me first recount what Civicus has to say about India in the context of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. It starts off by offering background on how, in recent years, the government has “misused the draconian anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other laws to keep activists behind bars and fabricate cases against activists and journalists for undertaking their work.” It states, “The authorities have blocked access to foreign funding for NGOs and human rights defenders, using the restrictive Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Travel restrictions have been imposed on academics, journalists and human rights defenders by suspending their work visas, denying them entry to the country and cancelling their Overseas Citizen of India status.” Civicus quotes the Geneva-based United Nations-linked Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions’ (GANHRI) Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) report from March 2025, which recommended downgrading India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) from category ‘A’ to category ‘B’. “Among the concerns was the failure to address shrinking civic space and increased instances of targeting human rights defenders, journalists and perceived critics,” it notes. This is followed by how, in the aftermath of the dastardly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, followed by Operation Sindoor, “India blocked social media accounts and YouTube channels, while journalists and others were criminalised.” Thus, on 29 April 2025, the Indian government ordered the blocking of the YouTube channel 4PM News Network, citing national security and public order following its coverage of the anti-war movement. “The channel remains offline at the time of writing. The Editors Guild of India said that it was ‘deeply concerned’ by the government’s directive ‘without any disclosure of the specific reasons or evidence, and without following principles of natural justice’,” said Civicus. Then, Civicus noted how, in the same month, “police in Uttar Pradesh launched criminal investigations into political commentators and satirists Neha Singh Rathore and academic Madri Kakoti, for allegedly ‘inciting unrest and threatening national unity’ through their online posts about the attack.” It further stated, “The government also ordered the blocking of accounts of some international news organisations, as well as 16 YouTube news channels linked to Pakistan,” adding, “In May 2025, the authorities ordered the blocking of over 8,000 social media accounts on Twitter (X), including the Kashmir-based news outlets Free Press Kashmir, The Kashmiriyat, and Maktoob Media, which focuses on human rights and minorities.” Civicus continued, “The Ministry of Electronics and IT also temporarily blocked the Indian news website The Wire on 9 May 2025, apparently in retaliation for an article it published about India’s fighter jet procurement. The Wire reported that its site went dark without notice after posting a CNN-sourced story about Rafale jets, and though it was later unblocked, the outlet is now pursuing legal action against the government for this blatant infringement of press freedom.” Giving more details, Civicus said that in May 2025, the Nagpur police arrested Rejaz M. Sheeba Sydeek, a Kerala-based journalist, for posting a social media message criticising Operation Sindoor. On 16 May 2025, he was charged under various laws, including the UAPA. Similarly, journalist Hilal Mir, a Srinagar-based senior journalist who has worked with leading Indian and international news organisations, was placed under preventive detention from 7 to 13 May 2025 for allegedly “spreading anti-national content and promoting secessionist ideology online.” Then, said Civicus, there were academic arrests. In May 2025, Ali Khan Mahmudabad, an associate professor and head of the political science department at Ashoka University, was arrested for stating in a social media post that while there was praise for one of the armed forces spokespersons for media briefings on Operation Sindoor, there was silence around “victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing,” and the ruling party BJP’s “hate mongering.” Citing more examples of how civic space is narrowing in India, Civicus said that on 29 April 2025, eight students were arrested in Kochi while holding a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with victims of the Kashmir conflict and those killed in the Indo-Pakistani strikes. And on 10 May 2025, police blocked an anti-war rally in Thrissur organised by the People’s Anti-War Front. Eleven activists were arrested and taken into preventive custody. Then, Civicus noted that as of 1 June 2025, at least 81 individuals in Assam had been arrested and labelled “anti-national” for allegedly expressing sympathy toward Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. “This sweeping action — justified by the state government as a measure against ‘pro-terror sentiment’ — has drawn sharp condemnation from civil rights groups, journalists, and political commentators. Many have pointed out the dangerous precedent it sets for criminalising expression and dissent in an already fragile rights environment,” claimed Civicus. In sharp contrast to its commentary on India, the Civicus commentary on Pakistan, while also rating the country as “repressed”, gives no details of how the media curbs took place in Pakistan during the conflict. While it does say, based on 2024 facts, that Pakistan has seen “criminalisation of human rights defenders and journalists, crackdown on human rights movements and protests,” it offers no specifics in