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Paradoxical indeed, the person, the American president, Barrack Obama who was conferred with Nobel prize for peace has been primarily responsible for wrecking fragile peace prevailing in the Muslim countries and West Asia. His hatred for Syria and its ruler Assad has been so acute that he is dismayed with the fall of Aleppo to the Syrian government. This is a rude shock to him as he nursed to end his tenure with a victory in Syria.

India has recorded increasing custodial deaths during the last three and a half years ending October 2016. According to official information available in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), a total of 1578 people died in custody across the country during 2013-14, followed by 1589 in 2014-15, 1666 in 2015-16 and 936 in the first seven months ending October 2016 in the current financial year 2016-17. Of the total number of deaths in 2013-14, 54 persons, who died in custody, were women and one minor (between 1-17 years), followed by 62 women and two minor in 2014-15, 62 women in 2015-16, and 44 women and one minor till October 2016. Custody is of two types, police custody and judicial custody.

Demonetisation which the prime minister had claimed would help root out black money and curb corruption has become a demon which has already started devouring the popularity of the Modi government and BJP. This is indicated by what happened during the Parliament’s just concluded winter session. The faulty implementation of demonetisation has united, at least for the present, the otherwise divided opposition which took on the Modi government.

It is said that history will judge P.V. Narasimha Rao more kindly than his contemporaries. More than his comment about how a decision can mean not taking a decision, or sleeping through the afternoon when the Babri masjid was demolished, what he will be remembered for is as an initiator of the epoch-making economic reforms although the nitty-gritty were handled by his finance minister, Manmohan Singh between 1991 and 1996.

Neighbouring countries to India’s East and Northeast have been impacted in different ways by New Delhi’s demonetisation drive. Short term consequences range between a virtual breakdown in trade and transactions between India and Nepal, to a tacit accommodative arrangement in Bhutan that might aid the laundering of the scrapped Indian currency.

The government may disagree, the nation is witnessing a state of undeclared financial emergency that has, apart from demonetising high-value legal tenders controlling over 65 per cent of the money supply with the public in normal times, nearly prevented people from withdrawing their own savings with banks as per needs. The small trade has come to a near standstill situation for want of regular supplies of cash. Construction and other daily contract workers have mostly lost their jobs. The sad state of affairs will continue until the cash situation improves. The economic growth rate has suddenly nosedived. The situation is being constantly monitored by the government and the Reserve Bank without much visible improvement. The digital commerce may have increased to some extent, but it concerns only a small section of the society, encompassing the rich and the middle class. Ironically, the operators of India’s trillion-dollar-plus parallel economy, a key target of demonetisation, seems to be the least perturbed. Nor are those, who consumed nearly half-a-trillion dollar worth imported gold over the last 10 years.

Is it the end of the political road for former chief minister and senior Congress leader in Kerala, Oommen Chandy? That is the question uppermost in the minds of not only Chandy’s supporters but also his detractors.

The Modi-inflicted demonetisation of higher value notes totalling 86 per cent of money in circulation on Novemer 8, continues to take its toll in terms of deprivation of cash for poorer millions and small traders with issues of livelihood and business thrown out of gear. The disruptive effects are also spreading to major segments of the economy.

Is disrupting parliament, session after session, justified? By no means, this undemocratic practice can be justified. Like other sessions, the winter session too was none-starter. When the BJP was in opposition it started the obnoxious practice of disruption of proceeding and described it as legitimate way of protest. Now the Congress and other parties are in opposition; they are disrupting proceedings in same manner as the BJP had done when in opposition.

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has the knack of launching unique programmes. The latest in the series is what is called Narmada Sewa Yatra.