Whither CSR Funds?
Observing that many Union, state and municipal governments are trying to put pressure on many enterprises in the country, to divert the CSR funds to their official and unofficial initiatives and projects, instead of their being routed through the civil society organisations, the following message is sent to many office-bearers of the federations of the enterprises in the country: Dear Sir/ Madam, When our Parliament passed a legislation on Corporate Social Responsibility, it wanted that the dynami…
To Hold or Not to Hold : Gram Panchayat Elections
O n the National Voters’ Day January 25, 2021 the Supreme Court has come out with its judgment in favour of the decisions taken by the State Election Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh regarding the conduct of Gram Panchayat elections, we would like to express our following observations. The incumbent State Election Commissioner deserves to be commended for tenaciously pursuing his mandate as a constitutional authority, without bowing before serious political pressures from the government of the day, like Mr. Seshan who has alrea…
Unfair to Blame the Urban Residents
Rao V.B.J. Chelikani About 46.5 per cent of the Hyderabadis have gone to the polling stations to vote in the GHMC elections on 1st December. The figure is understandable and even slightly higher than that of 2016. Nothing warrants us to expect more and be disappointed. Even among those 34 lakhs who voted, 80% are living in populous and low-income areas or 'bastis' and they have voted because the political parties have collectively spent some Rs 320 crores on them, along with promises to do other things. Others voted because of…
Love Thy Neighbour, Not the Government - Some Ways of Expressing Social Solidarity
As a lasting solution for any crisis, small or big, and for life after the crisis, we should absolutely organise one or several networks of mutual social protection by way of contributory insurance institutions Rao VBJ Chelikani We have to invent many more ways for people to express their innate sense of human compassion and social solidarity, directly and continuously which would promote more trust and faith in each other among those who are living together in a given community. Struggling together to obtain something or sharing something whi…
Should Governments Collect Donations in Addition to Taxes?
Soliciting funds from the public in an emergency betrays a government’s lack of planning and prevision for such events. It also reveals the fact that the taxes already collected have not been spent correctly. During the COVID-19 emergency, the political and departmental authorities are making appeals and collecting donations to face the crisis. If by ‘donation’ we mean an individual voluntarily giving away a part of his wealth to a needy person, in a disinterested manner, then, there is an issue with the manner in which governments are colle…
Greener Interiors for the Urban Resident: Campaign-2020
Thanks to the suffering we are facing on account of pollution, concern for safeguarding the environment is at its peak. Air pollution, including indoor air pollution, is perhaps as damaging as most other forms of pollution, especially to children and senior citizens apart from women who spend more time than men in the house. As we all know, the atmosphere sustains life in nature by providing oxygen for humans to breathe and carbon dioxide for plants to make food. Air clean and not so clean We the humans consume oxygen in the ai…
RWA Management During the Lockdown
By Rao VBJ Chelikani Society leaders at the 4th Tier of Governance should avoid the temptation to don the mantle of dictatorial control and rather choose expressions of ‘soft power’ by persuading and convincing people Are the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) becoming unpopular? Before we reflect upon it, we have to register certain facts and events that confirm the phenomenon of RWAs as the undisputed representatives of urban micro-communities. No authority can ignore them anymore. No order of the government or the co…
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