Change is the law of life. Today's India is not a 1200 or 1600 century India, it is also not an India with 17 percent literacy when it attained independence in 1947, nor is it India, in which the state's focus on strategically important sectors of the economy Be in control Any single change can dramatically change the direction of the country. In 1991, Dr. Manmohan Singh did such a job as Finance Minister, till that time which no one could even imagine. They almost eliminated all the requirements related to licenses and permits. As Commerce Minister, I announced the new foreign trade policy, which began in an unpredictable manner (in the context of India) with the declaration that 'imports and exports would be free'. Three policy announcements, along with a two-stage transfer, diverted the country towards a new and irreversible direction.
Some changes happen over time and are noticed only when it starts to have a wider impact. There are many such examples: Can anyone tell on which date the boards of STDs / ISDs / PCOs appearing everywhere disappeared? Or from which day did the listeners stop listening to All India Radio (AIR) to listen to the news? Or from which day did the college-going girls, even in the conservative south, replace the saree with jeans or salwar kameez?
Pride surge
Every change makes one familiar with the new normal. When women hold 17 percent of the board positions of listed companies; When a credit card issued from India paying in rupees is acceptable in every country; When any person can talk on the phone anywhere in the world without going through the torture of booking a trunk call; When any person can buy a car, truck or two-wheeler on EMI; When a person can place an online order to buy food and medicines and clothes and the goods reach his home; When any person can buy medical insurance and can compensate for most of his expenses incurred in hospitalization or any kind of surgery; When rural India players become part of the Indian cricket team; And when Indian-origin executives become the heads of Google, Microsoft, IBM, Adobe, Nokia, Cognizant, MasterCard, Xerox, and Reckitt Benckiser, our hearts are proud.
Some may make the 'New Normal' uncomfortable. For example, I have not been able to fully agree that courts be turned into virtual courts and all the hearings will be conducted through video. Regular applications and small cases can be heard in virtual courts, but when there are big questions related to the law or complex facts, debate and analysis are required, there is no option to be physically present and hear. can. A lawyer's eye contact with a judge is important. And if the court is a bench with many members, then the lawyer gets important directions from the judges.
Disturbing facts
Some other 'New Normal' give disturbing messages in the form of anxiety, fear, or frustration. 'New Normal' in India is something like this-
-Prime Minister will complete his two terms as head of government without addressing a single press conference.
- The right to speak in Parliament or in an all-party meeting will be controlled or denied by pressing the 'mute' button of the microphone with one finger.
-A senior bureaucrat will publicly say 'Too Much Democracy' (too much democracy) and will not be given any advice.
- The Special Marriage Act, which approves inter-religious marriages, will be surreptitiously changed and replaced by a law that will punish men from inter-religious couples.
- A government formed by a majority of elected legislators will turn into majority rule.
- The media (or a large part of it) will be controlled by the ruling party or forced to bow down.
- Institutions set up to serve as watchdogs will either become hollow due to vacancies or recruit loyal servants there.
-Some people will be more equal than others before the law and in terms of access to justice.
The ruling party will control and operate the Chunavi fund.
Non-governmental and non-profit organizations will be suppressed and thrown out of the country.
- Investigation agencies and anti-treason laws will be used to threaten or imprison political opponents, social workers, writers, and poets.
The monopoly of economic power will be promoted and actively supported.
Are you proud
Read all these examples above together, dismiss some of the adjectives given as biased and awaken your consciousness by placing your hand on your heart and ask yourself this question: Am I proud of this new normal, my country Which way is moving forward?
Consider the alleged anti-love jihad ordinance of Uttar Pradesh, which was implemented on 28 November 2020. Five cases have been registered under this within just 11 days. In one case, the girl's family told the police that both the families had settled the dispute, the girl had married another boy and the family had not even filed any complaint. Nevertheless, an FIR was lodged against the boy.