Deserved credit
California-based NRI Sati Grewal (81), currently in New Delhi, says that media has not done full justice to Sheila Dikshit (81) on her death recently. Talking to The Sunday Guardian, Grewal said, “The media missed the story related to the period before Sheila joined politics and began working for the Congress.” Recalling her pre-politics days, Grewal, who is originally from Ludhiana, said that in the mid-1970s the apparel export industry was an informal cottage industry. “A few of us who were itching to promote the industry, got together to form an association. Those were the days of the Licence Raj and things were not conducive to carry forward our efforts. We needed an intelligent and influential young personality to create understanding between us and the bureaucracy. We found that person in Sheila, who belonged to Punjab and was married to a powerful Congress family. We handed over the reins of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) to her,” says Grewal, who then headed the organisation. It took her no time to make AEPC a semi-government body. The day-to-day industry problems were solved by her and AEPC and the trade flourished. In five years, it became the top foreign exchange earner for India, employing lakhs of skilled and semi-skilled labourers. “There wasn’t a single metropolis in the world that did not carry Indian labels in their fashion stores,” says Grewal. “When she became Delhi CM, we approached her to establish a fashion institute, which was need of the day because we were depending on foreign experts for our factories. She provided land and funds to establish the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT),” says Grewal. “Sheila was the mother of the apparel export industry.”
‘Lynch The Defectors’
After the high drama in Karnataka, anti-defection movement “activists” on social media have given the call to “lynch the defectors who are being stolen from their parent parties by an opposition party to overthrow the Congress-ruled state governments”. “Today, it happened in Karnataka. Tomorrow, it may happen in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or elsewhere. All this horse trading will stop only when the people who elected these defectors rise and ‘recall’ these politicians and boycott them socially. Maybe, the lynching of some of these defectors will stop this dirty game.” Such WhatsApp messages have started doing the rounds, causing concern in political circles. The identity of those who have initiated such a sinister campaign is not known.
Helping hand
Helpline for lynch Victims
Some Muslim WhatsApp groups have launched a helpline number to assist Muslim and Dalit victims of “mob lynching”. “We will handle the matter at the police station level to ensure that the culprits are booked for such heinous crimes. We will also provide legal help. If, unfortunately, the victim dies in mob lynching, we will provide all help, including financial assistance, to his family,” say these groups.
Rape Convict’s photo for poll awareness
It shocked everyone when it was discovered that a Nirbhaya rape convict, Mukesh Singh’s photo appeared on the Election Commission’s poster in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district. Election Commission of India has sought a report from the State Election Commission (SEC), which has issued a show-cause notice to a tehsildar and recommended police case against the printing press and disciplinary action against an accountant. It seems for voter awareness, a random photo was taken from the internet, locally, but it was found to be Mukesh Singh’s.
dog politics
Dogs transferred in MP
The transfer of 46 police dogs and their handlers in Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh has become a political issue. “The mass transfer of canines that cannot even protest, and their handlers defies logic. What’s the fault of the animals that some of them have been sent 500 km away?” state BJP chief and Jabalpur MP Rakesh Singh wants to know. Congress spokesperson Abhay Dubey told The Sunday Guardian that loss of power had affected the BJP so much that “it has started politicking over the transfer of dogs. It’s common knowledge that when handlers are transferred, their canines also go with them.” Three sniffer dogs, one each from Chhindwara, Betul and Satna have been shifted to the Chief Minister’s house in Bhopal. Two dogs deployed there have been removed, as “they were getting old”.
shining india
Rising In Realm Of Innovation
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) GII launch in New Delhi on Wednesday recognised the great strides that Asia, and especially India, has made in the realm of Intellectual Property and Innovation. At the launch of the Global Innovation Index 2019, Israel was ranked among the top 10 countries for the first time. “We are proud to witness India’s rising status in the index as India’s partner in promoting innovation in fields such as water, agriculture, education, health and more,” said the WIPO Israel. Israel’s ambassador to India, Dr Ron Malka, spoke on “Asia: The future hub of Innovation” at the launch.