Torture in India, a Short note

As per the NHRC report, from 2001-10, India witnessed more than 14,000 custodial deaths. Though we have constitutional rights and provisions in IPC and Crpc, the custodial deaths and tortures are continuously happening. the recent fair example is alleged ryan school bus conductor torture case.  In this grim circumstances, a strong Law to deter the custodial deaths and torture is required as per the UNCAT( UN Convention Against the Torture), to which india is already signed. 

Provisions against the custodial torture in Indian Constitution:-

a. Article 20:- Protection w.r.t. conviction for offences:-

• No ex-post facto law
• No Double Jeopardy
• No Self Incrimination

b. Article:- 21:- Right to life and liberty:- No person Shall be deprived of his life and liberty except procedure established by law.

c. Article 22:- Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases:- 

1. Right to know the cause of arrest and right to defended by attorney.
2. Right to be produced before the magistrate within 24 hr period and right against unlawful detention without proper magistrate approval.
3. Preventive Detention:- Not more than three months.

Laws against the torture:-

- Protection of human rights act, 1993

- IPC and Crpc

Supreme court order against the torture:-

In Bachhan singh vs State of punjab, SC categorically said that No person shall be subjected to torture or cruelty.

International Covenants:-

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
2. International Convention on civil and political rights
3. United Nations Convention against the Torture. 

Though we have aforesaid provisions in our law system, torture and custodial deaths are continued unabated due to the lack of Proper law to prevent and criminalise the custodial torture and deaths. Due to this vacuum, many individuals, for whom india is seeking extradition, are continuously escaping the extradition by showing these vacuum in the law. For examples:- Vijay Mallya and Lalit Modi. 

Thats why, Having the proper law against the torture is pragmatic, moral constitutional and imperative for the country like india, which is loosing more than 14,000 individuals in a decade in the form of custodial deaths. 

Food Loss,Wastgae, its implications on india and solutions

Food Loss: 

At the production Stage:

• Due to farming mechanism and equipments employed on farms.
• Due to the inefficient usage of pesticide, insecticide e.t.c.,
• Due to floods, droughts or other disasters.

At Distribution Stage:

• Due to inefficient transport and supply chain mechanisms.
• Due to lack of infrastructure.

At Storage Stage:

- Due to lack of Storage facility. for example, A recent study by the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, revealed that only 10% of food is covered by cold storage facilities in India

At the Marketing Stage:

• Due to low prices and inefficient marketing mechanisms, perishable food have to wait outside for long period of time, which lead to the perishing of food and that lead to the food loss.

Food Wastage:-

It occurs Normal wastage of the food due to the excessive supply.

Reasons:-

• Some of the rich is perceiving it as the affluence and status symbols.
• Lack of effective mechanism or laws in reducing the food loss, penal provisions , in creating the supply chains between source of the food loss, civil societies or NGOs.

Implications on India and the world whole:-

• According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), “One third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year.”
• According to one estimate, 21 million tonnes of wheat are wasted in India every year.
• Socio, Economic and Environmental implications of food loss or wastage:-

Social Implications:-

1. India ranked 100th among 119 countries in the Global Hunger Index for 2017. About 20 crore people go to bed hungry and 7,000 people die of hunger every day. 
2. Food loss or wastage is creating the social inequality.

Economic Implications:-

1. Concentration of food resources in some hands and their wastage is inflationary in nature for the poor and low income individuals.
2. Wastage of Resources that is 

      (i) Using high level of inputs in quantity

      (ii)  25% of fresh water is being wasted 

      (iii) nearly 300 million barrels of oil used to produce food is ultimately wasted.

      (iv)Wastage results in national economic loss. To put a monetary value to the loss in terms of wastage, India loses ₹58,000 crore every year, to quote The CSR Journal.

Environmental Implications:-

1. The increasing wastage also results in land degradation by about 45%, mainly due to deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, and excessive groundwater extraction. 
2. The energy spent over wasted food results in 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide production every year. Decay also leads to harmful emission of other gases in the atmosphere; for instance, decaying of rice produces methane. Food waste emissions have a major impact on climate change and result in greater carbon footprint.

Laws to encourage donation:-

Many countries have legislation providing for global best practices, such as the 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act in the U.S., which was intended to encourage donation of food and grocery products that meet quality and labelling standards by protecting the donor and the recipient agency against liability, except in the case of gross negligence and/or intentional misconduct. France has taken a lead by becoming the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from destroying unsold food, forcing them instead to donate it to charities or food banks or send it to the farmers to be used as fertilisers in crop production.

In India, there are many civil society, private sector and community initiatives aimed at distributing food among the poor. The government is also committed to securing availability of food grains for two-thirds of the 1.3 billion population, under the National Food Security Act, 2013. While securing food for all or feeding them through such initiatives is important, addressing wastage of food in all forms is equally critical to complete the cycle of food sufficiency and food sustainability. There are initiatives such as India Food Banking Network (IFBN), which is promoting the concept of collaborative consumption with support from the private sector and civil society organisations. Such initiatives, creating networks and channels of distribution between those who have surplus food and those who are in need of them, are necessary.

The government needs to do more and should play a larger facilitating role. The Prime Minister’s call to the nation needs to be followed up with further interventions. There is an urgent need to understand the complexity of the problem and then to devise a national-level strategy to combat it so that surplus of food can be turned into an advantage instead of resulting in wastage. Hunger and food wastage are two sides of the coin. The cycle of hunger cannot be broken without channelising the wasted food to help the needy. Without stopping wastage of food, we cannot do justice to millions of hungry people, our economy and the planet.

Little Information Regarding the State of Manipur

Physiography:- 

Physiography of manipur can be classified into following ways:-

• Mountainous region
• Valley region
• Lakes and rivers

Mountainous Region:- 

In the north Manipur is surrounded by Naga hills and Patkai bum hills, in south it is surrounded by mizo hills. These hills are majorly resided by Naga Tribes and kuki tribes.

Valley region:-

Nearly 10-20% of land area comes under the valley region. This is land between mountainous region. Nearly, 60% of the Manipuri Population lives in the valley region. Among them, proportion of the Meitei people is greater than others.

Floating landmasses in Loktak Lake

Lakes and Rivers:-

In the middle of the Manipur there is Loktak Lake, which consists of the phumdi, Floating land masses. Large Land masses are called phumshong. Keibul Lamjao is the only floating national park in the world and it is in the midst of loktak lake. This national park is home to the endangered brown-antlered deer/ Sangai. 

Total 7 rivers are passing through the state of manipur. Among them, important one is barak river, which tributary to the meghna river.

Culture & History:-

About the Religion:-

Manipur has parallel history along with india. Before the advent of the vaishnavism into the manipur, Sanamahism was the religion practiced in the manipur. Some believes that it is practiced from 33CE.

Shri sankaradeva, A staunch vaishnavaite introduced the vaishnavism in manipur state.

William Pettigrew, an english man brought the christianity to the state  during the times of colonialism and now, this is one of the flourishing religion in the state of manipur.

Dance forms:-

Manipuri is one of the eight classical dances of India. Though expressions and themes of the dance exists since ancient times, Modern form is greatly influenced by the vaishnavism. It is particularly known for its Hindu Vaishnavism themes, and exquisite performances of love-inspired dance drama of Radha-Krishna called Raslila. rajarshi bhagyachandra introduced the raslila into the manipur. However, the dance is also performed to themes related to Shaivism, Shaktism and regional deities such as Umang Lai during Lai Haraoba. 

Regal History:-

The history of Manipur is obscure; Royal dynasty records such as the Cheitharol Kumbaba were composed after Manipur became a Hindu Kingdom and are mostly based on myths.

The Kingdom of Kangleipak was established by King Loiyumba in 1110 who ruled between 1074 and 1121. He consolidated the kingdom by incorporating most of the principalities in the surrounding hills and is credited with having enacted a kind of written constitution for his state.^[2] After subjugating all the villages within their valley Kangleipak kings grew in power and began a policy of expansion beyond their territory. In 1443 King Ningthoukhomba raided Akla, an area ruled by Shan people, initiating a policy of Manipuri claims to the neighbouring Kabaw Valley. The zenith of the Kangleipak State was reached under the rule of King Khagemba (1597–1652).

One of the last photos of S.C.Bose at Moirang,Manipur

the kingdom of kangleipak exists independent until british interfering into the burma. During the burmese expedition, manipur became the protectorate state in 1824. After the crushing the rebellion in anglo-manipur war in 1891, Manipur directly comes directly under the administration of the Britain.

Manipur has the rich history in modern india and the world history. During World War II, Moirang was the headquarters of Azad Hind Fauz. Colonel Shaukat Malik of the Indian National Army, (INA) hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil on 14 April 1944, in Moirang with the help of Manipuris like Shri Mairembam Koireng Singh and others who were members of the INA. The INA Museum at Moirang displays some wartime relics and photographs.

In 1947, Manipur became the integral part of the India and became the union territory in 1956 and received full statehood in 1972.

Sports:-

Manipur has the credit of giving the Modern Polo to the world. Modern form of the POLO is played by the royal family in the back yard of the kangla Royal Fort. 

Regarding the Kangla Forts:-

Mystical Dragons in the Kangla fort

Kangla Royal Fort has the rich history. After loss of the anglo-manipur war, British took the control of kangla fort. Later, Assam rifles occupied after the independence. In the year of 2004, Assam Rifles vacated the Kangla Fort after the severe protests of the naked mothers of Manipur and death of Manorama, who is believed to be militant. Since then, Kangla Fort became famous tourist destination and symbol of manipur history and culture.



Current Events:-

• Protests in-favour of the Inner Line Permit, which exists in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, nagaland and Mizoram.
• Protest of the Naga People against the division of the existing districts.
  
  

What is depression?

Definition:-

Depression is a mood or emotional state that is marked by feelings of low self-worth or guilt and a reduced ability to enjoy life.

It's natural to feel down sometimes, but if that low mood lingers day after day, it could signal depression. Major depression is an episode of sadness or apathy along with other symptoms that lasts at least two consecutive weeks and is severe enough to interrupt daily activities. Depression is not a sign of weakness or a negative personality. It is a major public health problem and a treatable medical condition.

Symptoms:-

1. primary symptoms of depression are a sad mood and/or loss of interest in life. Activities that were once pleasurable lose their appeal. Patients may also be haunted by a sense of guilt or worthlessness, lack of hope, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide.

2. primary symptoms of depression are a sad mood and/or loss of interest in life. Activities that were once pleasurable lose their appeal. Patients may also be haunted by a sense of guilt or worthlessness, lack of hope, and recurring thoughts of death or suicide.

3. Depression is sometimes linked to physical symptoms. These include:

• Fatigue and decreased energy

• Insomnia, especially early-morning waking

• Excessive sleep

• Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment

Depression can make other health problems feel worse, particularly chronic pain. Key brain chemicals influence both mood and pain. Treating depression has been shown to improve co-existing illnesses.

4.  Changes in appetite or weight are another hallmark of depression. Some patients develop increased appetite, while others lose their appetite altogether. Depressed people may experience serious weight loss or weight gain.

5.  the physical and emotional turmoil brought on by depression can derail careers, hobbies, and relationships. People with depression often find it difficult to concentrate and make decisions. They turn away from previously enjoyable activities, including sex. In severe cases, depression can become life-threatening.

6.  People who are depressed are more likely to attempt suicide. Warning signs include talking about death or suicide, threatening to hurt people, or engaging in aggressive or risky behaviour. Anyone who appears suicidal should be taken very seriously. 

Causes of depression:-

a prominent theory says that altered brain structure and chemical function is cause behind the depression. Brain circuits that regulate mood may work less efficiently during depression. Drugs that treat depression are believed to improve communication between nerve cells, making them run more normally. Experts also think that while stress -- such as losing a loved one -- can trigger depression, one must first be biologically prone to develop the disorder. Other triggers could include certain medications, alcohol or substance abuse, hormonal changes, or even the season.

If your mood matches the season -- sunny in the summer, gloomy in the winter -- you may have a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The onset of SAD usually occurs in the late fall and early winter, as the daylight hours grow shorter. Experts say SAD affects from 3% to 20% of all people, depending upon where they live.

Treatment for Depression:-

1. Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change thoughts and behaviors that contribute to depression. Interpersonal therapy identifies how your relationships impact your mood. Psychodynamic psychotherapy helps people understand how their behaviour and mood are affected by unresolved issues and unconscious feelings. Some patients find a few months of therapy are all they need, while others continue long term.

2. Antidepressants affect the levels of brain chemicals, such as serotonin and norepinephrine. There are many options. Give antidepressants a few weeks of use to take effect. Good follow-up with your doctor is important to evaluate their effectiveness and make dosage adjustments. If the first medication tried doesn't help, there's a good chance another will. The combination of talk therapy and medication appears particularly effective.

3. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can help patients with treatment-resistant depression that does not improve with medication. VNS is like a pacemaker for the brain. The surgically implanted device sends electrical pulses to the brain through the vagus nerve in the neck. These pulses are believed to ease depression by affecting mood areas of the brain.

4. Another option for patients with treatment-resistant or severe melancholic depression is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This treatment uses electric charges to create a controlled seizure. Patients are not conscious for the procedure. ECT helps 80% to 90% of patients who receive it, giving new hope to those who don't improve with medication.

5. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation:-
   
   A newer option for people with stubborn depression is repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This treatment aims electromagnetic pulses at the skull. It stimulates a tiny electrical current in a part of the brain linked to depression. rTMS does not cause a seizure and appears to have few side effects. But doctors are still fine-tuning this treatment.

How to escape depression naturally?:-

1. Choose something you enjoy and aim for atleast 20 to 30 minutes four or five times a week.
2. Physical Exercise.
3. A playful puppy or wise-mouthed parrot is no substitute for medication or talk therapy. But researchers say pets can ease the symptoms of mild to moderate depression in many people. Pets provide unconditional love, relieve loneliness, and give patients a sense of purpose. Studies have found pet owners have less trouble sleeping and better overall health.
4. Because loneliness goes hand-in-hand with depression, developing a social support network can be an important part of treatment. This may include joining a support group, finding an online support community, or making a genuine effort to see friends and family more often. Even joining a book club or taking classes at your gym can help you connect with people on a regular basis.

Blogger’s own experience:- 

Depression is curable with the hope in yourself only. The present world has been created for our enjoyment(caution:- which doesn’t mean to hurt others). Diversification of our natural inclinations and creation of new and good habits will definitely create some hope in our thought process, which itself make us run for beautiful life, which we always sought after. Sitting idle and thinking about the same process would create the pain in the long run. Start anything in small pieces and bit-by-bit increase you capacity. Even a longest river in the world, Nile starts from the lake victoria.  Be Strong.

Salient Features of the new Rs.2000 note.

Features of the new Rs. 2000 note of India:-

The base colour of this note is magenta. And, with the dimensions of 66 mm × 166 mm, it is smaller than earlier banknotes of various denominations. This gives the new note a trendy and international feel. In addition, the smaller size results in (a) savings on the printing costs and (b) increase in the printing capacity.

Salient features on the Front of the Rs.2000 Banknote

1. See-through register, with denominational numeral 2000, can be seen when you hold the note against the light.

2. Latent image, with denominational numeral 2000, seen when you hold the note at 45 degree angle at the eye level.

3. Denominational numeral 2000 in Devnagari script.

4. As usual, there is a Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi in the centre.

5. Micro letters ‘RBI’ and ‘2000’.

6. Colour-shift windowed security thread with inscriptions ‘भारत’, RBI and 2000. Colour of the thread changes from green to blue when you tilt the note.

7. Guarantee Clause, Governor’s signature with Promise Clause and RBI emblem towards right.

8. Watermarks of Mahatma Gandhi portrait and electrotype (2000).

9. Number panel, with numerals growing from small to big size, is printed on the top left side and bottom right side.

10. Denominational numeral with Rupee Symbol ₹2000, in colour changing ink (green to blue).

11. The Ashoka Pillar emblem on the right side of the note.

12. Small horizontal rectangle with ₹2000 in raised print, above the Ashoka Pillar emblem.

13. Seven angular bleed lines, both on the left and right side, in raised print.

Salient features on the Reverse of the Rs.2000 Banknote

14. You will find '2016' as the Year of Printing on the reverse of the note.

15. Swachh Bharat logo with slogan, at the bottom left.

16. The language panel is towards the centre.

17. Also on the reverse is the Motif of Mangalyaan, depicting India’s first venture into the interplanetary space.

Following features help the visually impaired to identify the denomination of the banknote:

- Intaglio or raised printing of Mahatma Gandhi portrait and the Ashoka Pillar emblem

- Horizontal rectangle with '2000' in raised print on the right side

- Seven angular bleed lines, both on the left and right side, in raised print

Recently, BSF has seized Rs 2.97 lakhs worth of the money in new Rs.2000 notes. BSF said 13 out of the total 17 security features are compromised.

so, One has to look at these features very carefully to differentiate real with fake one.

Pros and Cons of Chir Pine in uttarakhand

Chir Pine( Pinus roxburghii) is the for the fist introduced by Britishers in the areas of uttarakhand and himachal Pradesh due to its quality wood which is used for constructing houses in the hills and in furniture-making.

The Forest Survey of India has found that chir has now taken over 16% of the total 71% forest area of Uttarakhand. Due to its enormous occupation of the territory, Chir Pine is causing the problems for the bio-diversity and other environmental related problems. 

(Note:-At present, There are only three states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in the country which produce Pine resin, the rest is imported from China and Indonesia.)

Pros:-

• Resin of the chir is used in varnishes, adhesives, dyeing, chemical industries and medicines.
• Due to its commercial and medical values, Resin of chir is being auctioned nationwide by Govt of Utterakhand, which is receiving annual income of Rs. 90 crore out of that auction.
• Villagers growing chirpine are being benefitted due to its annual returns.
• It is drought-tolerant and survives with less water.
• Leaves of the chir pine are being used as mats for animals, which are being affected by severe winter in the utterakhand. 
• Its trunk can be used as timber.

Cons:-

Cones of the Pine

• Chir pine is not edible for the both humans and wildlife. Epecially, wild life animals are suffering from the hunger due to vast presence of the chirpines, which spreads 16% of total forests of the utterakhand. 
• Due to its large presence, Chir pines are becoming the hurdle in maintaining the bio-diversity. Broad leafs in utterakhand, which is witnessing the vagaries of the climate, is much needed due to it ability to face the floods and in controlling the soil erosion but due to high presence of the chir pine is not allowing the broad lead presence.
• Resin of the chir is highly inflammable.
• Chir easily catches the fire. Thats what reason for the growing levels of the forest fires in recent years.
• Due to forest fires, damaged forest soil is not capable of preventing the either run-off or soil erosion, which automatically increases the devastating floods.
• the needles of Pine trees are acidic in nature which even turn the soil acidic, prohibiting any other green growth in the forest. Thats why Chir Pine doesnt allow any growth of plants or grass.
• The pine resin, exposed to the air, would easily harden and crystallise but it can be softened for use by heating. Thats why, many mafia people are setting afire for their commercial purposes.

To solve the problem, Govt shall takes steps to reduce the number of Chir Pines and move towards increasing the diversity of the region by reintroducing the local varieties, which are useful for feeding the hunger of wild-life, which reduces the man-animal conflict, for reducing the soil-erosion, forest fires and for increasing the flood-resistance in ecologically sensitive area.