Core Individual: Data Diligence; Dry Days
Opinion Watch
Core Individual
The Asian Age in its Editorial on the Uniform Civil Code has reasoned that the Indian Constitution protects the individuals (Article 14 & 15) even while there are impediments for them to exercise their rights due to social and religious reasons. The daily has urged upon the lawmakers to empower the individuals through the UCC and dismantle roadblocks for them in accessing judicial remedies.
The New Delhi-based daily also welcomed that the claims of Sushil Kumar Modi, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee dealing with UCC, that tribal, who are protected under Article 13, will get relaxations in the bill that is yet to be drafted, while underlying the pitfalls of “bulldozing agenda on the country”.
Politics is indeed the driving force for the current UCC discourse. Yet, existing discriminations in marriages, divorces, inheritance and adoption allow sanctity to medieval practices in all the reasons and they must be removed.
Data Diligence
The Tribune, while opining on the approval of the Union Cabinet to Data Protection Bill, has expressed relief that there will be no blanket exemption to the government agencies in using and processing the personal data. The daily also noted with satisfaction that there is heft provision of fine against using and processing data without consent.
The Chandigarh-daily grimly reminded the Co-Win data leak (denied by the government as an automated response) to stress the need for the digital safeguards. It also called for balance in protecting the individual data as well as need for lawful processing of data.
The record of enforceability of laws in India is abysmal. Newspapers have reported several instances of personal data being sold for a few bucks in lanes and bylanes all across the country. The individuals must exercise caution and arm themselves with digital literacy, for the government is often seen wanting in protecting the rights of citizens.
Dry Days
The Economic Times has said that the 146 reservoirs of the Central Water Commission are below 40 per cent capacity even while the Monsoon has covered the length and breadth of the country. The daily at the same time avoided being an alarmist, saying that there are 5000 reservoirs not monitored by the CWC besides factors such as soil moisture which play crucial in agriculture.
The business daily, however, grimly noted that major catchment areas of the Monsoon rains are in bad shape due to reasons such as overpopulation. It called for a mix of options, including aquifer recharge, restoring natural wetlands, enhancing soil moisture and small ponds.
Easiest way for course correction will be a nationwide anti-encroachment drive to free the land of the water bodies and that should first target the politicians, going down from the big to the small. Land grabbing by politicians and builders have choked cities such as Bengaluru where the people are now dying sitting in their cars as sudden waterlogging drown them.
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