Minding the Mining

Arun K. Agrawal, of Reliance: The Real Natwar fame, whose book has been infamously ignored by our media, a tell-tale sign of who our real rulers are, has written a rather interesting letter to our head sardar (hmm...not only is that redundant but somehow paradoxically oxymoronic too). It puts not just the illegal, but also the legal mining in a much needed perspective. Who is it that should be allowed to ravage our natural resources, if they are to be ravaged in the first place. Who should benefit, and for what greater purpose for our social futures? Big questions which might remain unanswered in our system of pseudo-democracy (to steal a pseudo-nationalist coin made to pseudo-bash pseudo secularists). Can anything stop the bureaucratic and political incest  necessary for the success of wanton mining? The news is that Agrawal has lodged a PIL last week. He is fighting for what is not mine or yours or theirs, but ours. Take notice. 'If you will not do it, who will?'

Arun Agarwal - Letter to PM (Nationalisation of Iron Ore Mining valued at over Two Trillion Dollars)

Mine Mine Mine

Some, and not in even the galaxy of enough, has been written about illegal mining this year. Flagrant and damaging legal, illegal, and para-legal mining is widespread across the nation. The states most in the news for this have been Karnataka, Orissa, and Jharkhand, and with the omission of Chattisgarh and Andhra Pradhesh, given the rank madness in these states, maybe deservedly so. For comprehension of what has been taking place in Orissa for over a decade, click here, here, and here. Jharkhand's King Koda, illegal mining, and related Hawala issues have been covered well by Tehelka, see here, here, and here. And for an over-view, in case you missed the biggest scams of the decade, consider the Frontline issue dedicated to mining. As for Karnataka, somebody get a hold of that Lokayukt report.

The Pyramid

Is there a pyramid to Indian corruption? According to outsider nincompoops indeed there is. Save, they have their trigonometry the wrong side up. As you rise up higher the hierarchies of power - in business, politics, media, and bureaucracy - in our grease nation, the games and volume of corruption increase, hidden behind rules and laws and wide-spread non-transparency. What catches the occasional eye - of both visitors and our home-grown baby-boomers whose dads not them have to deal with the high-level corruption, is the corruption encountered in getting day-to-day things done. To them only low-level corruption is visible, which says a lot. You have to be down-right blind not to see the impact of the grease that oils the top. This is a slow start, and just an indicator to begin looking the right side up.  

National Grease

We are a grease nation. It is grease that oils the machine that maintains and deepens our inequalities. This space is dedicated to sharing and analyzing related news and views.