India this week
Arsh Arora, AIS Pushp Vihar, VII A
While we sit on our couch just breathing, a lot of things happen around us, and sometimes in our very own country. We bring you the ones worth mentioning.
Orange alert in Bihar
News: An orange alert had been issued in several regions of Bihar, including Patna, by Indian Meteorological Department due to heavy rainfall on October 3-4, 2019. The state is currently suffering from the aftermath of the torrential rains and the government has intensified rescue and relief operations, with water being pumped out of submerged localities.
Views: Bihar is one of India’s most flood-prone states, with floods occurring almost every year. Right now, the state is in knee deep water, making it difficult for people to go on about their lives normally. It is disheartening to read about the grim situation and all of us should come together and do everything we can to provide aid.
Svasti Sehgal, AIS PV, VII A
Ban on export of onions
News: The government has banned export of onions with ‘immediate effect’ to control soaring prices after extended monsoon downpours delayed harvests and supplies shrivelled. A stock limit of 100 quintals on retail traders and 500 quintals on wholesale traders has been imposed. To give relief to consumers, the government has built a central buffer of about 56,700 million tonnes through NAFED to supply onions throughout the country.
Views: This crucial step was very much required as the soaring prices of onions had touched the sky. The implementation of central buffer would help to stop the hoarding by traders and further selling of the same at unreasonable price, making it only difficult for consumers to buy the essential vegetable very much required in every Indian household.
Pranavi Mendiratta, AIS PV, VII C
Saudi Arabia to invest 100 billion USD
News: Saudi Arabia plans to invest 100 billion USD in India in areas like petrochemicals, infrastructure and mining, amongst others. Saudi Arabian oil company, a.k.a. Aramco, proposed investments in India’s energy sector to strengthen the bonds between the two countries. This key step would provide significant expansion of trade and business for Saudi Arabia as the country looks to decrease its dependency on oil.
Views: India, being a fast-growing economy, is sure to attract investments. The expansion of trade between the two countries will benefit India in a lot of ways as it will secure the energy need of the country if they arise, which I feel is very important in today’s time. Hopefully, this proposal will work out for the benefit of both the countries.
Charvi Mendiratta, AIS PV, XI E
Release of prisoners on Gandhi Jayanti
News: To commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, several prisoners were released from jails across India including 150 from Uttar Pradesh alone. Transgender convicts aged 55 and above, physically challenged prisoners with at least 70% disability, women convicts aged 55 and above, and men of 60 years or more who have completed half of their sentence were released under the special remission scheme. However, this remission was not granted to prisoners who were convicted for an offense with life imprisonment or death penalty. This marked the third phase of the scheme, where the previous two phases saw release the of 1,424 prisoners on October 2, 2018 and April 6, 2019.
Views: Mahatma Gandhi believed that ‘the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong’. I think that releasing the prisoners who had been honestly carrying out their sentence and that too without causing any harm is a noble act. This act of forgiveness would give them a chance to improve themselves and will surely help the prisoners to start new life with a fresh perspective. They, for once, would try to walk along the path of truth. The move is a perfect example of Gandhian values.
Aarav Sharma, AIS PV, IX B
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