Sanjeev Sabhlok's blog

Thoughts on economics and liberty

18th January 2022

Article 32 as a gateway to the (now non-existent) Fundamental Rights

“soul of the Constitution and the very heart of it”

This article was considered by the Constituent Assembly on  9 December, 1948 [See this or this].  At that time it was Article 25 and became Article 32 in the final Constitution

Ambedkar said:

“Now, Sir, I am very glad that the majority of those who spoke on this article have realised the importance and the significance of this article. If I was asked to name any particular article in this Constitution as the most important–an article without which this Constitution would be a nullity–I could not refer to any other article except this one. It is the very soul of the Constitution and the very heart of it and I am glad that the House has realised its importance.”

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18th January 2022

Getting rid of socialism that’s found in India’s Preamble – further notes

I’ve been making notes on this topic for quite some time.

India’s 42nd amendment to the Constitution is ultra vires, illegal

Draft Writ Petition to the Supreme Court of India against compulsion for political parties to swear by the “principles of socialism”

Record of actions/ PILs against socialism in India’s preamble/ ROP Act

FURTHER NOTES

In the D.S. Nakara & Others vs Union Of India, 1982, the Supreme Court ruled that

the Preamble to the Constitution envisages the establishment of a socialist republic. The basic framework of socialism is to provide a decent standard of life to the working people and especially provide security from cradle to grave.

This too, in case it was not noted earlier: Petition against term “socialist” in Constitution rejected

[a few weeks ago Sanjiv Agarwal explained what actually happened in 2010. Basically the court forced the withdrawal of the application on the ground that only a political party would need to make such a petition. I’m of the view at this stage that such a petition by any party will fail since the court tends to make such a general and wishy-washy interpretation of the word socialism. Best at this stage to keep educating the people, and one day, when the people are ready, the court will also be ready.]

keywords

supreme court, socialism, preamble

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17th January 2022

2 July 2019: The BJP government confirms that fertilisers don’t cause cancer

This is about Oral Question 145 in the Lok Sabha on 2 July 2019 (copy on my server).

LOK SABHA 
STARRED QUESTION NO. 145
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  2ND JULY, 2019
 
RISE IN CANCER CASES

145.   SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृषि एंव किसान कल्यान मंत्री be pleased to state:

  • (a) whether the Government is aware that there has been an exponential rise in cancer cases in Punjab due to excessive fertilizer use leading to its patients travelling to Bikaner by an Indian Railways train which is commonly referred to as ‘Cancer Train’;
  • (b) if so, the corrective steps taken by the Government in this regard;
  • (c) whether the Union Government has held discussion with the State Government to tackle the issue and if so, the details of any policy intervention;
  • (d) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  reduce  the  fertilizer  subsidy  or  invest  in research which could nurture safer alternatives; and
  • (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

THE RESPONSE

(Source)

ANSWER
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृषि एंव किसान कल्यान मंत्री 
(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) to (e)   A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 145  DUE FOR REPLY ON 2ND JULY, 2019.

STATEMENT

(a) & (b)  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that according to the Cancer Registry of Punjab, the incidence of cancer cases was 100-110 for every 100,000 individuals which is almost equal to the national average. The State Government of Punjab has also reported that the consumption of fertilizer has no link with prevalence of cancer disease in Punjab.

The Central Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments to prevent and control cancer and to provide affordable and accessible care. National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) is being implemented for interventions up to the district level which includes awareness generation for Cancer prevention, screening, early detection and referral to an appropriate level institution for treatment. Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer facilities Scheme is being implemented to support setting up of State Cancer Institutes (SCI) and Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCC) in different parts of the country.

(c)  The Government is making efforts to promote judicious use of fertilizers with the cooperation of State Governments. Integrated Nutrient Management (INM) i.e. soil test based balanced and judicious use of  fertilizers (chemical,  bio-fertilizers,   organic manures like farm yard manure, compost, vermi-compost, green manure etc) is promoted to maintain soil health and its productivity through Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme. Educating farmers through demonstrations, melas, and trainings is an integral part of the scheme.

The Government is promoting organic farming under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) in a cluster mode. The farmer within a group can avail benefit to a maximum of 2 ha., and the limit of assistance is Rs.50, 000 per ha., out of which 62% i.e., Rs. 31,000 is given    as   incentives to    a farmer for  organic conversion,   organic inputs, on farm inputs, production infrastructure, etc., provided directly through DBT during the conversion period of 3 years. Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER) promotes organic farming in the States of North Eastern India.

Government of Punjab launched a campaign during Kharif 2018 and Rabi 2018-19 to motivate the farmers for judicious use of fertilizer. In this connection, advertisements were published in print & electronic media. Training camps were organized to motivate the farmer. This yielded fruitful results with consumption of urea being reduced by 0.90 lakh MT and
D.A.P by 0.47 lakh MT as compared to the previous year.

(d) & (e)   At present there is no proposal to reduce the fertilizer subsidy on urea.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is recommending a 4R’s approach i.e. right quantity, right time, right mode and right type of fertilizer for judicious use of chemical fertilizers and to reduce their use. In addition, split application, use of slow releasing fertilizers including neem coated urea and growing leguminous crops are also advocated. ICAR also imparts training, organizes front-line demonstrations etc to educate farmers on all these aspects.

ICAR through its Plan Scheme “Network Project on Organic Farming” (NPOF) undertakes research to grow crops using only organic fertilizers. The Council has also developed improved technology for preparation of various types of organic manures such as phosphor-compost, vermi-compost, bio-enriched compost, municipal solid waste compost, etc. from various organic wastes (bio gas slurry can also be used). Besides, the Council through its Plan Scheme “Network Project on Soil Biodiversity-Biofertilizers” has developed improved and efficient strains of biofertilizers specific to different crops and soil types. Liquid Biofertilizer technology with higher shelf-life has also been developed. Presently, the project is being implemented in 16 centres covering 14 States.

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15th January 2022

Gigi Foster’s Voices against lockdowns – (11) 15 January 2022

I had published the tenth newsletter here. The 11th newsletter from Gigi Foster, below. Gigi’s newsletters often document issues that are not covered by MSM. So if you can, please share this around. And DO BUY THE BOOK – “THE GREAT COVID PANIC” AND SHARE IT AROUND. AND REVIEW IT ON AMAZON.

===THE NEWSLETTER==

Dear all,

Things have been heating up fast, on both sides of this fight of our lives.  Australia’s incompetent, inhumane, hyper-politicised, multi-headed covidocracy has embarrassed the country on the world stage via its treatment of the world’s number one men’s tennis player. The reactions of the Australian public to this debacle have demonstrated some of the most benighted elements of Australian culture. The US Supreme Court has thrown out most of President Biden’s covid vaccine mandate (while allowing it to stand for healthcare work subsidised by the federal government), other legal victories have been emerging, and just today it became possible to cross into Queensland over state borders unencumbered by covid regulations. In what I hope are the death throes of the covid compliance ideology (though some outlets are more pessimistic), several world leaders have begun “othering” unvaccinated people in their speeches.

Cracks in the covid narrative have been gaining increasingly mainstream coverage, with accompanying anger and confusion, around the world. The covid resistance in Australia and worldwide has been gaining in numbers, courage, and determination. One by one, people who for myriad reasons have finally reached their breaking points have begun adding their individual voices to resistance groups communicating, collaborating, and fighting to hold our institutions to account for the immoral restrictions issued over the past two years. The realisation is dawning that a better future will not just drop from the sky, but must be dreamt of, argued for and built, by good people who are willing to pay the costs of these actions.

Although some setbacks have occurred in spite of courageous voices over the three months since I last wrote, I am increasingly hopeful that 2022 will bring the restoration of our basic pre-covid freedoms in Australia – the freedom for all people to show our faces in public, to celebrate, worship, and mourn together in groups of any number and in any proximity in or out of doors, to conduct our businesses, ply our trades, attend our schools, receive medical help, and travel where we like without first being required to submit to medical procedures of dubious social efficacy that may be seriously harmful to us personally, to protest peacefully against government policies with which we disagree – and all of this without the crippling uncertainty created by the spectre of new covid-excused directives that might be handed down at any moment by those in authority and impinge once again on our freedom. Recognising for themselves the bankruptcy of the justifications for so many actions taken, those in positions of power will slowly creep away, hopeful of escaping justice, but some will be held to account and the first stirrings of true reckonings of what has happened here will begin. Our social and economic resources will shift perceptibly from checking, enforcing, cowering, and punishing to caring, healing, learning, and working at what each of us does best. Such are my hopes for the new year.

Let me begin this missive with contributions from several internationally prominent personalities and courageous thinkers.

Some inspiring work by the Australian covid resistance:

Some recent interviews I’ve given:

A compilation of evidence about the negative benefits of restricting freedoms, by my beloved publisher The Brownstone Institute, which continues to print excellent articles about our time: https://brownstone.org/articles/more-than-400-studies-on-the-failure-of-compulsory-covid-interventions/

Mainstream Australian and international media channels giving voice to arguments for more sensible policy settings:

From the academy:

More resistance groups with which to join forces:

  • www.gaihh.org (for mental health professionals), which has just put out two videos described by their creators below:

MSM & The Magician’s Toolbox: has psychology has been used to manipulate the public’s levels of fear and compliance?  https://rumble.com/vrwd33-gaihh-c19-and-psychology-msm-and-the-magicians-toolbox.html

Psychology & BIG PHARMA: from 4 psychs who have worked in the industry: https://rumble.com/vrwdz1-gaihh-c19-and-psychology-psych-and-big-pharma-an-insiders-guide.html

All other GAIHH videos can be found at https://rumble.com/c/GAIHH

Evidence of what too much power and money do to people: https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2635.full

Some musings about effective protesting: https://comments.bmartin.cc/2021/12/30/on-covid-protesting/

Inspiring stories, groups (including some to join), and analysis from overseas:

A few other local pieces of note:

More new platforms and channels:

Resistance art to uplift and inspire you:

Finally, in 2022 our main task will be to coordinate effectively with one another as we seek to rebuild our society.  To that end, in addition to doing simple things like distributing homemade fliers around our neighbourhoods (see attached for one example, “Rochelle Print”, created by another resistance member), I would like to piggyback upon this newsletter to connect people.  Are you a local resistance group leader – in your occupation, your workplace, or your community – based in Australia?  Would you like me to advertise your activities, your general location, and a way for interested others to contact you in future missives of this newsletter?  If so, please let me know.  Also, if you are based in Sydney and interested in meeting up in person with like-minded others, please write and tell me this.  I will never share the Voices Against Lockdowns mailing list with anyone else, or use any email address on it for any purpose other than these newsletters without the holder’s explicit permission. As always, I welcome and will act promptly on any requests to be removed from this mailing list, to which I continue to send these missives as part of my educational outreach duties to the Australian taxpayers who fund my job.

We will get through this, speaking out and working together.

gigi

 

 

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