Environment and Human Rights Sacrificed at the Altar of Economic Revival

Light of Truth

Dr Nishant A.Irudayadason – Professor of Philosophy and Ethics, Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune.

While the virus explodes, it is under the sign of relentless productivism that India is preparing for the aftermath. While the country is already a champion of pollution, the last ecological safeguards are being sacrificed in the name of economic revival. Mining, energy and rail sectors are open to private companies, while the precautionary principle is buried. Presented in mid-March, a new Environmental Code allows manufacturers to act with complete impunity since the approval of a project will now be done a-posteriori, observes Ritwick Dutta, environmental lawyer and founder of an NGO for forest and environment. On May 21, the obligation to wash coal in power plants to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide has been removed.

On June 18, India will launch a gigantic auction of its mining sector, under the patronage of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This “clearance sale” is made easier, as the activists struggle to make themselves heard. A large part of activists’ work consists in organizing people, but this is no longer possible with travel restrictions. While activity is still at a stand still, permissions are distributed to manufacturers in the absence of a strong opposition. In one day, on May 23, the Ministry of the Environment gave green signal to thirty projects through video conference. Among these, a pharaonic project to rebuild the Parliament in New Delhi, and others more worrying: giant coal plant in a forest and tribal region of Orissa, extension of the Numaligarh refinery and Tikok mines in full areas of biodiversity in Assam. These projects are added to a long pre-existing list, such as the Bibang and Lakhwar dams in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, or the Hubli-Ankola railway line which passes right through the nature reserves in the mountains of the Western Ghats.

The North Karanpura coal mine in Jharkhand State received an extension license in March 2020.The burden of economic recovery at any cost is also played at the level of the States, which compete with one another in social destruction in the hope of recreating jobs. The UP government removed 35 of the 38 articles of the Labour Codeby ordinance, followed by MP, Gujarat and Assam. A virtual return to slavery: 72-hours of work in a week, abandonment of hygiene and safety standards in factories, no more social insurance or job security. This strategy is as unconstitutional as it is ineffective. The argument put forward is that we must attract foreign investment to create more jobs. People have already lost their jobs and increasing working hours, thus making people redundant will not help.

On May 25, the International Labour Organization warned India against these human rights abuses and silencing the voice of workers. But far from slowing down state governments, the central government gives them its blessing. These states are led by the BJP, the party in power, which considers these sacrifices necessary because the multinational companies which plan to move from China to India will prefer flexible and uniform laws in all the states. The effects of this race for cheap labour are already being felt. Uttar Pradesh government said that permission would now be required to employ its citizens in another state, without takes steps to guarantee their well-being.

Under pressure from building lobbies, Karnataka has blocked trains of migrants wanting to return to their native villages. In the face of indignation, Karnataka finally backed down. Proof that the struggle can roll back powers: even if the virus monopolizes the news and if social mobilizations are still banned, the social media, labour unions and civil society are mobilizing. Several unions have reacted to government laws, including the BMS, which is nevertheless a traditional ally of power. Even Azim Premji, one of India’s most powerful industrialists, said industry and the world of work should work hand in hand, not against each other. Ten unions filed a complaint with the ILO and called for a nation-wide strike on July 3rd. A self-sufficient India is possible, by promoting responsible agriculture and local renewable energies—a vision that does not depend only on the subcontinent. It is easy for the Western countries to applaud themselves for having reduced their carbon emissions when they relocate their polluting activities in Asia, recalls activist Chittranjan Dubey.

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