Reports of migrant workers considering returning home from cities due to fresh lockdowns and curfews, and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’ warning over new disruptions, are ominous. Centre and states mustn’t forget harsh lessons learnt from the tragic 2020 exodus. India cannot afford a repeat, on migrant labour or the economy.
Petition to SC to appoint more women judges is what India needs to address structural sexism
The petition urging Supreme Court to appoint more women as judges couldn’t have come soon enough. Only eight of 247 judges in SC have been women since Independence. High Courts today have only 11 percent. This gross under representation can’t be just an oversight. Structural sexism must be addressed urgently.
Structural changes in Army Headquarters are welcome, but jointness among Services also needed
Structural changes brought in at the Army Headquarters is a welcome step as it breaks through the turf centrality style of working to being more aligned with quicker and decisive decision-making process. However, the need of the hour is jointness among the Services and this should be speeded up.
Criticise Moeen Ali for cricket. Spare sports the religious bigotry
Taslima Nasreen says her tweet on Moeen Ali was innocent sarcasm. We make no such pretense. We also sometimes get mad with him. For two cricketing reasons. One, why isn’t one so brilliant playing for us? And two, why does he keep getting Virat Kohli out? Suggestion: spare sport the bigotry.
Only one lady Judge joining the honourable apex court each decade is far, far below what it should be. On principle, one does not favour quotas or reservation, but the net should be cast much wider. For that matter, there should be many more Zia Modys as well. 2. On a lighter note, I can never win an argument with my daughter, who is a a Solicitor, or my wife, who isn’t.
States are pressing the panic button. Night curfews and weekend lockdowns cannot contain spread when seroprevalence is over 30%. These will, however, hurt the nascent, fragile recovery. Core sector figures are disappointing. Once the lockdowns are imposed, if the numbers ( of new cases ) do not improve dramatically, it will be a painful choice whether to further extend the lockdown or call it off. 2. Now the mandarins will tell us who needs to be vaccinated and for whom it is merely a status symbol.