L The second day of the two-day long 15^th Annual National Conference, organized by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and the Uttar Pradesh Election Watch (UPEW) at DDU State Institute of Rural Development on the 2^nd and 3^rd March 2019, was successfully concluded.

The first session of the day focused on “Information & Communication Technology (ICT) for Better Governance”, chaired by Maj. Gen. Anil Verma (Retd), Head-ADR and National Election Watch. The panel members included Mr. Jaskirat Singh, Trustee – ADR/NEW and Founder – CRAMAT, Mr. Chandrakant Naidu, Chief Editor at NewsNest, Ms. Shelley Thakral, Head of Programs, Facebook and Mr. Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu, Founder Factly.in and ADR State Coordinator – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The issues raised during the discussion by some of the panelists focused on technology as a force multiplier for improving the lives of people, by helping them perform better and faster as well as on its role in promoting good governance. At the same time, the issue of misuse of ICT by spreading fake news was also discussed. The panel agreed that simplification of government process, reduction of human intervention, improving transparency and timely delivery of services are some of the goals of ICT.

Mr. Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu said ICT works better in absence of human intervention in instances like online ticketing while it fails where human intervention is needed as in case of online grievance redressal.

Ms. Shelley Thakral asserted that sharing the right information is key. She added that a bottom-up approach is needed for ensuring that ICT is used for better governance.

The discussion concluded with panel members collectively advocating the need for digital literacy by educating masses about how to use information technology.

The second and the final session of the day was a discussion on “Role of Youth & Voter Awareness: In preparation for General Elections 2019” chaired by Dr. Vipul Mudgal, Director of Common Cause and Trustee ADR.

Shri Lakku Venkateshwarlu, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Heera Lal, IAS, District Magistrate & Collector, Banda and Mohd Zeeshan, Founder of YES Foundation, Lucknow were some of the panel members.

Strengthening democracy through awareness among voters especially the youth, increasing voter participation and responsible and ethical voting were some of the issues raised by the panel members and audience during the discussion.

Speaking on the efforts to improve the voter turnout in Banda, Shri Heera Lal spoke about fixing a target of 90 per cent voter turnout in the upcoming elections in Banda, including reaching out to disabled voters. He talked about using cultural programs as a means to reach out to voters.

Concluding the discussion, Shri Lakku Venkateshwarlu said that politicians are driven by vested and sectarian interests and are not committed to public cause.

Speaking on the Resolutions and ‘Next Steps for National Election Watch (NEW)’, Prof. Trilochan Sastry (Founder member & Trustee – ADR/NEW) recommended that in order to prevent electoral malpractices, an example needs to be set by suspending elections in five such constituencies where Model Code of Conduct is violated.

The two-day national conference concluded with Maj. Gen Anil Verma (Retd) thanking all the panelists, participants, DDU State Institute of Rural Development, and ADR team for making the event a success.

Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday spoke to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and told him to act against terror groups, days after expressing “deep concern” over tensions between India and Pakistan prompted by the recent Pulwama attack.

A Downing Street Spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan today. She welcomed his commitment to reducing tensions with India, and the return of Wing Commander Abhinandan”.

May and Imran discussed the need to address the causes of the conflict, the spokesperson said, and added: “The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups, in support of global efforts to combat terrorism.”

India has blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The group is banned in the United Kingdom since 2001.

The House of Commons held an extended debate last week on Jammu and Kashmir, while May called for “urgent restraint” and de-escalation of hostilities between the two countries.

May said on Wednesday: “We are in regular contact with both countries urging dialogue and diplomatic solutions to ensure regional stability. We are working closely with international partners, including through the UN Security Council, to de-escalate tensions and are monitoring developments closely and considering implications for British nationals.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded: “We strongly support rapid dialogue between India and Pakistan in order to reduce the tension and deal with the root causes of the conflict before more lives are lost.”

Agencies

Nasheman News : The IAF air strike in Pakistan remained at the centre of political slugfest on Sunday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Opposition for questioning the counter-terror operation while the Congress hit back by accusing the BJP of playing politics over national security.

The Indian Air Force on February 26 conducted an air strike in Pakistan’s Balakot targeting a training camp of the Jaish-e Mohammad, the militant group which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF troopers.

Addressing a government event at Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi – the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Modi lashed out at the Congress for “putting personal interest over national interest”. 

Hitting back to the Congress over the Rafale deal, Modi held it responsible for hindering the IAF from getting the state-of-art fighter jets from France. 

“Every one, from the Supreme Court to the CAG, have called the deal transparent, but some people continue to spread misinformation,” said Modi, who has been repeatedly targeted by Gandhi over the Rafale deal. 

Earlier, addressing a rally in Patna, Modi accused the Opposition of demoralising the security forces by asking for proof of the IAF air strike.

Referring to 21 opposition parties collectively accusing the BJP of “blatantly politicising” the sacrifices of the armed forces, Modi said that by making such statements, they were playing into the hands of India’s enemies. 

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also came out all guns blazing against the opposition parties, saying their statements were an instrument in Pakistan’s hands to discredit India.

“At a meeting of 21 opposition parties, a resolution was passed accusing the Prime Minister of politicising the Pulwama and Balakot incidents. The government had twice taken the opposition leaders into confidence. No evidence of politicisation was given.

“I hope the Opposition revisits its position and does not let down the nation,” he said in a blog post, adding that the “inappropriate statements gave a handle to the enemy.” 

The Congress hit back at Modi with party spokesperson Manish Tewari questioning why several major terror attacks happened under his regime. He also asserted that the Congress or the Opposition did not question the IAF operation. 

Pointing to Union Minister S.S. Ahluwalia’s remarks that the air strike was meant to “warn the terrorists and not kill them”, Tewari said it was Modi himself and the BJP who were playing with interests of the nation. 

“You have the Prime Minister saying that if Rafale would have been there, things would have been different. Then you have a Union Minister and a close confidante of Modi, S.S Ahluwalia, who says the air strike was meant to warn, not kill the terrorists.

“What do the statements mean? Who is actually playing with national interests and dampening the morale of the armed forces? It’s not the Opposition, which has conducted itself extremely honourably,” Tewari told the media here. 

“It is the BJP government, starting from the Prime Minister and down to their Union
Ministers, which is raising questions and playing politics over the air strike,” he added.

Nasheman News : India and Bangladesh on Sunday began a two-week-long joint military exercise in Tangail, Bangladesh, to hone their tactical and technical skills to counter insurgency and terrorism.

“The eighth edition of the exercise “Sampriti” started at the Bongobondhu Cantonment, Tangail, Bangladesh, with an impressive opening ceremony on March 3. The participating contingents stood side by side and gave a ceremonial salute to the national flags of both the countries to the strains of ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. 

The Bangladesh contingent was represented by the 36 East Bengal Battalion, while the Indian side was represented by the 9th Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles.

“The aim of the exercise is to increase mutual cooperation, bonhomie and camaraderie between the two armies through inter-operability and joint tactical exercises,” read the government statement. 

A company group from the Bangladesh Army and an equal number from the Indian Army are taking part in the exercise that will see them hone tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism and aid the civil authorities in disaster management in an United Nations peace keeping scenario, involving combined deployment at a battalion level. 

The exercise, which was started in 2009 with a platoon level engagement, graduated to the company level in 2015.