Latest news with #Upadhyay
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Roots of Deendayal Upadhyay's Integral Humanism, the ‘basic philosophy' of BJP
The BJP is celebrating 60 years of the philosophy of Integral Humanism (Ekatm Manavvad), the thoughts of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, co-founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS), which the BJP says is the basis of the policies followed by the governments led by the party. Upadhyay, a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), was associated with the BJS from the beginning, and was general secretary before being elected its president in Calicut in December 1967. On February 11, 1968, Upadhyay was found dead outside Mughalsarai railway station, now renamed Deendayal Nagar. He had boarded a train from Jaunpur to Patna the previous evening. The mystery of Upadhyay's death remains officially unresolved. Lectures in Mumbai Between April 22 and April 25, 1965, Upadhyay, who was then general secretary of the BJS, delivered four lectures at Ruia College in Bombay (now Mumbai) on the political philosophy of Ekatm Manavvad. He listed the problems before the country and their possible solutions. 'Now that we are independent, what shall be the direction of our progress?', he asked. It is 'amazing that serious thought has not been given to this question and today even after 17 years of independence we cannot say that a definite direction has been decided upon.' He argued that it was 'neither possible nor wise to adopt foreign 'isms' in our country in the original form. It will not be helpful in achieving happiness and prosperity'. Integral Humanism Upadhyay concluded his fourth lecture with the words, 'We have in the last four days thought over the integrated form of Humanism. On this basis we shall be able to reconcile nationalism, democracy, socialism, and world peace with the traditional values of Bharatiya Culture and think of all these ideals in an integrated form.' This idea of Upadhyay's Integral Humanism was subsequently expanded and articulated in detail by Dattopant Thengdi (1920-2004), an RSS pracharak who served with the BJS in its initial years in Madhya Bharat (later Madhya Pradesh), and who went on to found the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and was a BJS member of Rajya Sabha from 1964-76. However, the intellectual roots of the idea Integral Humanism go back almost four decades. Chiti and Dharma In his lectures, Upadhyay referred to 'Chiti', which he said was 'fundamental and central to the nation from its very beginning'. This is what Upadhyay meant by Chiti, according to Daishik Shastra: Bharatiya Polity and Political Science, a book that was first written several decades previously by Badrishah Thulgharia, and an English translation of which was published by Ashok Bhandari in 2003: 'Chiti determines the direction in which the nation is to advance culturally. Whatever is in accordance with Chiti, is included in culture… Chiti is the soul of the nation. On the strength of this 'Chiti', a nation arises, strong and virile if it is this 'Chiti' that is demonstrated in the actions of every great man of a nation…' Dharma, Upadhyay believed, 'is the repository of the nation's soul', and 'anyone who abandons Dharma betrays the nation' (Daishik Shastra). There were six 'Objectives of our Economy': Endorsed by Gandhi, Tilak After finishing his manuscript, Thulgharia, an Almora-based advocate, sent it to Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Gandhi replied: 'For the first time, I had come across such an excellent book on Oriental politics.' Tilak said, 'My view is entirely in accord with yours and I am glad to find that it has been forcefully put forward by you.' The manuscript was published in 1923 — by which time Tilak had died — with the title 'Bal Gangadhar Tilak Smarak Daishik Shastra' by Chitrashala Press in Pune, which was owned by the Lokmanya's friend Shankar Narhari Joshi. The book was dedicated to Shree 108 Sombari Baba, a local saint. Daishik Shastra & Upadhyay M S Golwalkar, the second sarsanghchalak of the RSS (1940-73), advised Upadhyay to read the book and visit Almora and the library established by the Thulgharia family. Upadhyay stayed in Almora for a few weeks in 1958-59. In 1959, Upadhyay wrote a series of articles in Panchjanya, the weekly of the Sangh Parivar. The English version of a 'Prefatorial' in Daishik Shastra says he appealed to his countrymen 'to kindly study Daishik Shastra very carefully; because Daishik Shastra is the only book of its kind, that presents a lucid explanation of both the hoary and contemporary Bharatiya tenets'. Six years later, Upadhyay's lectures in Mumbai used several terms and ideas from Daishik Shastra, which he called Ekatm Manavvad (Integral Humanism). Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC's lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... 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Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Why RSS outfit members are at centre of a Rs 14 crore scam at ICHR
Three years into the first term of the Narendra Modi government, several members of an outfit associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh were appointed in key positions at the Indian Council for Historical Research in Delhi. The appointment of members of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana, or ABISY, was part of the Sangh Parivar's stated objective of 'rewriting' Indian history. The ABISY itself is housed in the Delhi office of the RSS. While there is little doubt about the ideological transformation of ICHR led by handpicked members of the RSS outfit, what has gone hand in hand are allegations of corruption and financial misdemeanours. The grave charges have forced the Indian government to take notice. Earlier this month, the Central Vigilance Commission indicted four members of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana for dubious financial dealings at the ICHR. The CVC has advised the Ministry of Education to start penalty proceedings against the four, as well as 11 other current and former officials. The problems at the institution came to light after two complaints alleging irregularities in its finances, appointments and promotions were filed with the Lokpal of India in 2022 and 2023, show government documents seen by Scroll. This led to parallel investigations by the CVC and the Ministry of Education, including an internal audit of ICHR's books by the ministry in 2023. The audit found financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 14.03 crore, including Rs 7.4 crore in unrecovered grants to scholars who had not submitted their work to the body. The audit flagged a 'reckless spending spree' by senior officials – a striking example of which is the council's decision to splurge Rs 30 lakh on the publication of a book edited by senior ICHR officials. 'There is no transparency in decision making and there is large-scale violation of GFR [General Financial Rules] and other rules and regulations,' concluded the audit, seen by Scroll. The officials in the dock On May 2, the Central Vigilance Commission advised the Ministry of Education to start penalty proceedings against 15 current and former officials of the ICHR. One of them is Saurabh Kumar Mishra, a deputy director at ICHR, who is also the ' head of publicity' of ABISY. Notably, Mishra is the nephew of the chief of the RSS outfit, Balmukund Pandey. Another person indicted by the CVC is Om Jee Upadhyay, the director of research and administration, who also holds the most powerful position at ICHR – that of the member secretary. Upadhyay is a 'senior writer' at ABISY, according to its website. Upadhyay is often part of debates on TV news channels, usually defending the government's positions. The CVC also recommended penalty proceedings against Jagdish Singh, the deputy registrar of Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Narendra Shukla, the head of research and publication at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Both Singh and Shukla were part of a key decision-making committee at ICHR. Shukla edited ABISY's journal, Itihas Darpan, till 2022, and organised events by the outfit. The CVC also advised the government to probe two former ICHR member secretaries over the irregularities during their tenure – Umesh Ashok Kadam and Kumar Ratnam. Kadam, who now teaches at JNU, is also an ABISY member. His JNU profile says he joined the outfit in 2022, the year he became ICHR member secretary. The CVC's advice to initiate penalty proceedings is recommendatory but not binding on the government. If the government accepts the advice, the disciplinary authorities at ICHR will issue chargesheets to the officials named by the CVC. Raghuvendra Tanwar, the ICHR chairman, told Scroll that the disciplinary authority at ICHR has issued the chargesheets, which shows that 'the matter is being handled with all seriousness'. Scroll contacted Kumar Ratnam, Jagdish Singh and Narendra Shukla for their response to the CVC's strictures. The story will be updated if they respond. The outfit Established in 1972, the Indian Council for Historical Research is a government-funded institution that funds and publishes historical research with the aim of fostering 'objective and scientific writing of history'. ICHR comes under the Ministry of Education. Since 2017, several members of the ABISY, which describes its function as 'recompiling the history from the Mahabharata period to the present time on the basis of Indian chronology', have been appointed to the council. In January 2022, this reporter had reported in Newslaundry on how ABISY functionaries with inadequate credentials were hired at ICHR in 2018, followed by the entry of their friends and relatives at the institution. In June 2022 and July 2023, the Lokpal of India received two anonymous complaints against ICHR officials. The 2022 complaint, seen by Scroll, levelled 14 allegations against five officials. It alleged wrongful and illegal appointments at the institution, violation of rules in organising seminars, research and procurement of electronic gadgets without due diligence. The complaint also alleged 'nepotism', or the 'appointment of blood relatives' at the institution, especially members of the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana, or ABISY. The 2023 complaint added that ABISY's 'special ideology' controls the ICHR 'with intent to loot government-funded money in a planned manner' with support from 'powerful persons'. The Lokpal complaints travelled to the Ministry of Education, via the CVC. In March 2023, the ministry conducted a special audit of ICHR's books to investigate some of the allegations. 'Serious irregularity' The special audit found irregularities to the tune of Rs 14.03 crore at ICHR between financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23. It flagged 18 instances: 16 pertained to financial dealings and two to appointments and promotions. It observed a 'reckless spending spree neglecting rules and regulations' during the tenure of Umesh Ashok Kadam, the member secretary between August 2022 and May 2023. The most prominent irregularity was the disbursement of Rs 6.26 crore to 397 scholars who had not submitted their final work to ICHR. According to the body's research funding rules, these scholars were liable to refund the grant to ICHR. 'No recovery of Rs 6,26,19,288 has been affected from 397 scholars as above provision of rules have not been followed by ICHR authorities,' said the audit. Similarly, an additional Rs 1.09 crore in project grants had not been recovered from 85 project directors whose work remains incomplete, in violation of ICHR rules. Kadam also ordered repair and renovation work worth Rs 2.55 crore at the ICHR building 'without the approval of competent authority' and without adhering to rules and regulations, the audit found, describing it as a 'serious irregularity'. Deputy director Saurabh Kumar Mishra also finds a mention in the audit. He, along with Kadam, awarded the work of creating an e-office application for ICHR to the Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited, or BECIL, a body under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The decision to approach BECIL contradicted the ICHR general council's decision that the work should be awarded to the National Informatics Centre, or NIC, says the audit. According to the audit, Mishra claimed that NIC had sought time to develop the application, even though 'no documentary proof of discussions with NIC is available in file'. The audit found that the work was haphazardly awarded to BECIL with 100% advanced payment, which was against laid down financial rules. BECIL, in turn, roped in a firm called Iforaa Private Limited for Rs 12 lakh to provide 'accessibility consultancy services'. Firm documents filed with the Registrar of Companies shows that Iforaa's directors are business associates of Kiram DM, a businessman linked to the RSS. Kiran is the director of Sewa Bridge Foundation along with Keshav Govind Parande, the secretary of Sewa International, an overseas outfit of the Sangh. He has previously held top positions in Hindu Seva Pratishthana and Youth for Sewa, both affiliated with the RSS. That's not all. Iforaa's balance sheets show that the work awarded by ICHR is the firm's only business dealing since it was incorporated in January 2021. Between 2020-21 and 2023-24, the firm reported only Rs 12 lakh in operating revenue. An executive at Iforaa said that the firm did not get the ICHR-BECIL contract because of Kiran's links to the Sangh. 'He is not a shareholder or employee at the firm,' the executive said. 'We received the contract through an open tender process at BECIL.' Scroll sent queries to BECIL about the deal awarded to them. The story will be updated if they respond. Mishra directed Scroll's questions to the disciplinary authorities at ICHR. 'My comments would be against the rules,' he said. 'Mother of Democracy' The violation of financial rules and due process at ICHR is a running theme throughout the audit. One of them involves a book called India, the Mother of Democracy, edited by Kadam and ICHR chairman Raghuvendra Tanwar. The audit found that in July 2022, the Research Projects Committee at the institution had sanctioned Rs 20 lakh for the book and nominated four publishers. The then Research Projects Committee of ICHR had four members – chairman Tanwar and members C.I. Issac, Himanshu Chaturvedi and Shridhar Madhukar. Here, too, the influence of ABISY was evident. Isaac was at the time a member at ABISY and Chaturvedi is a former president of the ABISY's Gorakhpur chapter. 'The committee had given free hand to pick up any of the…[four] publishers to the member secretary without even giving a chance to other three to give competitive quotations,' says the audit. The audit found that Kadam chose a publisher called Kitabwale and spent Rs 30.1 lakh on the book's publication – exceeding the budget by Rs 10.1 lakh. A company profile of Kitabwale mostly contains photos of its managing director, Prashant Jain, with senior functionaries of the RSS. Jain told Scroll that he was not a member of the Sangh Parivar, but aligned with it ideologically. 'The irregularities are the concern of those at ICHR who took decisions on the book's publication,' he said. 'We simply published the book as we were told to.' The audit notes that ICHR and Kitabwale set the price of the book at Rs 5,000. 'It is not mentioned anywhere in the agreement or in file how the sale price of the book was worked out,' it adds. The institution spent Rs 25 lakh to procure 1,000 copies of the book at 50% discount. It sold 26 copies, gave 94 copies to the Prime Minister's Office for free, and 880 copies remained unsold at the time of the audit. Another Rs 5.1 lakh was spent to pay authors and proofreaders. The audit concluded that the 'publication of the book without adhering to rules and transparency is a serious irregularity'. In May 2023, soon after the audit results were shared with ICHR, Kadam left the body without completing his three-year long tenure as member secretary. His tenure lasted nine months. An official at the institution, who spoke to Scroll on the condition of anonymity, said that Kadam quit on the orders of the Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan. Kadam did not respond to multiple calls and messages for comment. Appointments and promotions In addition to financial irregularities, senior officials at ICHR were also under scrutiny for appointments and promotions. The ministry's audit zeroed in on two officials. One of them is deputy director Dharmendra Singh, who had been promoted from a section officer to 'assistant director' in 2017 – a position that did not exist. Moreover, Dharmendra was promoted to deputy director in 2022, for which he did not have the required experience, the audit says. The other official is section officer Sachin Kumar Jha. Jha was hired as an assistant in 2018 and promoted to a section officer in 2021. This was done despite him not meeting the age criteria or having the required experience, the audit adds. Both Dharmendra and Jha have been recommended for major penalty proceedings by the CVC, along with one Davinder Singh, an assistant at ICHR. A second official at ICHR told Scroll on the condition of anonymity that Dharmendra, Davinder and Jha were promoted to their positions because they made it easier for ICHR's senior management, especially the clique from ABISY, to spend the institution's money without any checks. 'Dharmendra and Davinder were in key administrative positions to sanction the money,' said the second official. 'They prioritised files that the ABISY people wanted to move quickly.' The first official, who is familiar with the CVC probe, told Scroll that director Upadhyay and former member secretary Kumar Ratnam came under scrutiny for approving Jha's appointment and promotion at ICHR. The CVC has recommended minor penalty proceedings against Upadhyay and suggested a probe into Ratnam's 'adverse role' in Jha's appointment and promotion. Scroll contacted Dharmendra Singh and Davinder Singh for their response to the CVC's decision. The story will be updated if they respond. The recruitment firm In late 2018, ICHR had hired a private firm to conduct recruitment exams. The Lokpal complaint from 2022 alleges that this firm was selected 'without following e-tender process and GFR [general financial rules]', adding that it had led to the appointment of blood relatives and 'nepotism'. ICHR documents from the time show the institution recruited 28 people after the exams, including Jha and Davinder. Jha is a close associate of ABISY chief Pandey, the second ICHR official alleged, pointing to several pictures of the two on Jha's social media profiles before his recruitment. Jha told Scroll that he knew Balmukund Pandey 'like I know many people', adding: 'You should not pose your questions to me but to those who hired me.' In April 2023, the CVC investigated how ICHR hired the private firm and partly confirmed the allegation in the Lokpal complaint. It found that the firm was contracted without the due process of bidding on the government's e-marketplace portal, called GeM, which ensures efficient, transparent and competitive bidding. The private firm was paid Rs 89.18 lakh by ICHR for the recruitment exams, according to a Right to Information reply. In May 2024, the vigilance body identified three officials responsible for roping in the firm: Dharmendra Singh, Om Jee Upadhyay, and then member secretary Rajaneesh Kumar Shukla, now the vice-president of ABISY. Upadhyay said that the CVC had closed the matter. In a written response seen by Scroll, Upadhyay told the body that the lapse had occurred because of 'lack of awareness' of the GeM portal by the ICHR senior management. Upadhyay, Shukla and Dharmendra were let off without a penalty in September 2024.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Investec Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Suzlon Energy Ltd (SUZLON)
In a report released on May 30, Anuj Upadhyay from Investec maintained a Buy rating on Suzlon Energy Ltd (SUZLON – Research Report), with a price target of INR70.00. The company's shares closed last Friday at INR71.48. Confident Investing Starts Here: Upadhyay covers the Energy sector, focusing on stocks such as Adani Energy Solutions Ltd, Adani Green Energy Limited, and JSW Energy Limited. According to TipRanks, Upadhyay has an average return of 2.3% and a 54.17% success rate on recommended stocks. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Hold analyst consensus rating for Suzlon Energy Ltd.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
MNNIT to study lightning impact on planes
Prayagraj: A team of scientists from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) are working on a project to determine the exact mix of materials that can reduce the effect of lightning strikes on aircraft. Funded by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the project, costing around Rs 60 lakh, was awarded to Ashutosh Kumar Upadhyay, associate professor in the applied mechanics department at MNNIT. The research puts spotlight on the May 21 incident wherein the front portion of a plane travelling from Delhi to Srinagar was damaged due to a storm and lightning strike jeopardizing the lives of 227 passengers. Upadhyay said the damage to planes due to lightning is a serious problem. "The cause of damage to planes from lightning will be investigated. Research is being conducted to identify which mixed substances can reduce the effect of lightning. Planes are at risk from both lightning and charge because they become a medium for the current between two clouds. This study focuses on composite panels used in modern aircraft. It will be analysed how lightning strikes affect the structure, temperature, electrical flow, and mechanical strength of the panel," said Upadhyay. He said electrical, heat and mechanical effects will be combined through multi-physics modelling techniques to understand the type of damage and its impact on the aircraft. Based on this, a new code will be prepared, and the simulation software will be updated with this code, allowing the electrical resistance capacity of the new material to be easily tested. This will reduce the effect of lightning on the aircraft. DRDO has assigned this project for three years. A JRF will be appointed for the project.
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
SC issues notice in plea challenging Waqf Act, tags case with similar matter
New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Nikhil Upadhyay, son of Advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging the constitutional validity of several provisions of the Waqf Act, 1995, as amended by the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025. The Court agreed to treat the matter as an Interlocutory Application (IA) and tagged it with a previously filed similar petition. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice B R Gavai, along with Justice J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, heard the matter and sought a response from the Union government. At the outset, CJI Gavai asked Advocate Upadhyay, "Why are you challenging a 1995 Act in 2025?" Adv Upadhyay responded, "This Court is hearing challenges to the Places of Worship Act, 1991 and the Minorities Act." Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati then clarified, "He is challenging the provisions earlier to the 2025 Act." She further stated, "If your Lordships want to tag it with the earlier petition, I will not object. But the present round relating to the 2025 Act, your Lordships have not taken anyone yet." CJI Gavai inquired, "That Vishnu Shankar Jain matter?" ASG Bhati, "That's right, My Lords." CJI, "We will tag it along with that." The Court then directed, "Issue notice. Tag with connected matter." The PIL challenges the constitutional validity of provisions under Sections 3(r), 4, 5, 6(1), 7(1), 8, 28, 29, 33, 36, 41, 52, 83, 85, 89, and 101 of the Waqf Act, 1995. The petition contends that the Waqf Act is discriminatory as it governs only Muslim religious properties, while no similar legislative framework exists for other religious communities including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Baháʼís and Zoroastrians. According to the plea, 'Waqf is not mentioned in the Constitution. If the Act seeks to uphold Articles 25–26, it must align with Articles 14–15. If enacted under Entries 10 and 28 of the Concurrent List, it must be gender-neutral and religion-neutral. If it seeks to protect minority rights under Articles 29–30, then it must include all religious minorities.' The PIL also questions the legal basis of vast property claims by Waqf Boards, alleging that many are made without proper documentation or due process. It asserts that such practices infringe on the rights of non-Muslim citizens under Articles 25, 26, 29, and 300A of the Constitution. The plea seeks uniform treatment of religious endowments across communities and the repeal of what it terms 'arbitrary and religion-specific provisions.' The matter will now be heard along with the previously filed petition by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.
