Taliban settles
Two weeks after seizing power in Afghanistan, the Taliban is ready to form a government in the country. However, on 4 September, they delayed the process to one more week. Well, the global eyes are stuck on the region.
The New Leader- It has been decided that Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada would be leading the government. He took the responsibility for the group, after the demise of his predecessor Mohammad Mansour in 2016.
Socio-Economic Challenges- The political and diplomatic tension in Afghanistan stole the limelight from the economic and social challenges. With the outflow of people outside banks, rising inflation rates, severe droughts the blessing climate change is boosting the challenges for the afghans and keeping their future uncertain.
Will diplomacy count in this new era?- As a few countries struggle to share their stand about the Taliban government, while the other side has been taking a step- by mentioning China as an ally, and hoping to have good relations with India, marked by the meet between the Indian and Taliban envoy in Doha.
The international and domestic climate is tense, but the humanitarian crisis is looming over the region.
Delhi’s Medical Oxygen Policy
The second wave of COVID-19 brought in waves of shock and uncertainty across India. With the growing numbers, and inability to bridge the demand and supply of medical oxygen, hospital beds, basic medication. It questioned and brought to light, the inadequacies of Indian Healthcare and the government lapses.
Delhi Government has taken a step to ensure that these lags are not repeated, has rolled out medical oxygen policy to develop an effective supply chain of production, transportation and storage of medical oxygen.
The policy aims to make Delhi self-reliant and to meet the demand if the situation elates again.
On Thursday, Health Minister Satyendar Jain informed that so far, 31 PSA plants have been installed in the city and 57 more will be set up “in about one-and-a-half months”. “We are working tirelessly and preparing to tackle any future Covid-19 wave,” he added.
(Source: Indian Express)
The Future of Privacy In India: Some Key Takeaways
On 28th August, one of our team members Anusha Kaul attended the Consultation on India's Privacy Regime - Four Years of Right to Privacy organised by The Dialogue and these are some of the major takeaways from the session.
What is privacy? - How do you define privacy for a family who don’t even have restrooms in their houses or who don’t even have private space for themselves? One has to think about how we can have a law that applies to all when privacy has a different meaning to different people in the country. Speakers emphasized the need for a universal definition of the term “privacy”.
Has there been any on the ground effect? - There is no doubt that the decision taken four years back was a milestone in our history, but the real question is, have things changed in these four years? According to the discussion, no on the field change has been witnessed, and there has been zero implementation of the bill over four years. Mr Manish Tiwari did shed light on why this might be happening. According to him, the PDP bill committee sat several times during 2020 and finalized the bill as well but due to change in the Chairperson of the committee and the lethargy on the part of the ruling party, the bill has been on the back foot and hasn’t seen its daylight.
How different sectors of the economy will be affected?- Another critical point of discussion under the implementation of the bill was how it would impact the different businesses in the country. The speakers focused on the fact that we must consider the effects of such bills on private and public businesses, small and large businesses. There is a need for provisions for different entrepreneurship categories that aim to minimize losses and maximize profits.
Is the PDP Bill internationally applicable?- Discussion on the global aspect of the PDP Bill took place as well. There is a need to look at how operable the laws are in a worldwide framework i.e. we need to look at our regulations from an international point of view.
How to move forward? - Some of the suggestions laid down for taking the bill forward were as follows:
Requirement of a regulator- An independent regulator that represents a perfect combination of soft and hard power and isn’t legally binding but takes care of the irregular uncertainties is needed.
Requirement of an International Standing Setting Body- The primary role of this body would be to lay down the basic framework for the implementation and working of the PDP Bill.
Requirement of Bilateral Treaties- It was discussed that bilateral treaties among many nations would be helpful.
To conclude, we would like to quote one of the speakers, “Privacy is a concern for everyone, but not everyone is ready to agitate for it”. Hence, it is a long journey between the people who conceived privacy and those who aim to implement it.