Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Needless escalation: On Lakhimpur Kheri violence

Needless escalation: On Lakhimpur Kheri violence

Violence in Lakhimpur Kheri will increase trust deficit (विश्वास की कमी) between farmers and Government

The deaths of eight people, four of whom were mowed down by a vehicle that was part of the convoy of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP MP Ajay Kumar Mishra, in Lakhimpur Kheri in north-central Uttar Pradesh, marks (निशान लगाना, संकेत करना, प्रतिनिधित्व करना) an escalation (वृद्धि, तीव्रता) of violence in a movement (गति, अभियान) that has tried to remain peaceful. While the agitators (आंदोलनकर्ता, प्रदर्शनकारी) and the BJP have traded (व्यापार, सौदा) charges on who is responsible, the incident has also worsened chances of a rapprochement (मेल-जोल, सुलह, पुनर्मिलन) between the farmers protesting against farm laws introduced last year and the Union government. There has been little headway (प्रगति, उन्नति) since January this year, when the Government agreed to a few demands and also promised to keep the farm laws in abeyance (ठहराव, रुकाव), and after the Supreme Court stayed their implementation (कार्यान्वयन, निष्पादन, आवेदन). But the distrust (अविश्वास, संदेह, विश्वास की कमी) between the unions representing the agitators and the Government has remained high, with the farmers refusing to budge (change one’s mind, give way, give in, yield, compromise, retract) from their maximalist (अधिकतमवादी) position seeking (माँगना, निवेदन करना) a repeal (रद्द करना) of the three laws passed last year — the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act.

The farmers are also willing to continue the protest indefinitely (अनिश्चित काल तक, अनियत रूपेण), with its intensity increasing after the harvest (yield; return, result) season even as their methods have come to the unfavourable notice of Supreme Court judges. A Court-appointed committee to facilitate dialogue with the farmers submitted its report on the laws in March but it is yet to be made public. The experience of the economic reforms since 1991 has shown that rushing them through without political consensus (an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence) — even if they have merits — by ignoring crucial stakeholders (a person with an interest in something) creates severe discontent (dissatisfaction, disaffection, disgruntlement, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure). Farming in much of India has largely been dependent upon State subsidies (also called subvention; a financial contribution granted to help an industry or business, mostly given by a government, in order to keep the price of service/goods at a low level), procurement and support pricing — and any sudden change in these inputs may jolt (surprise, shock, stun) the sector, which has been prone to crises in the last few decades (a period of ten years), even if the Government claims that liberalising (to make something (regulations/norms) less strict) the farm sector will enhance agricultural incomes. It is true that the protesting farmer unions are concentrated in Punjab, Haryana and western U.P., where the involvement of the State in agricultural procurement, awareness of minimum support prices and the presence of mandis is more robust (strong, powerful) . But it is also true that institutional (organized, procedural, prescribed, systematic, systematized, methodical, structured, regulated) redress mechanisms to take into account (consider, take into consideration, have regard to, reckon with) farmers’ concerns have not been put in place (establish, set up, create/form). After all, the laws were passed without sufficient deliberation (careful discussion, consideration, thought/thinking, contemplation) through parliamentary committees and public hearings (chance to speak, opportunity to express one’s point of view) even as the Bills (A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills) were rushed, by voice votes, in the Upper House of Parliament. This, no doubt, is the reason for the lingering (continuing, remaining, long-lasting, unabating, prolonged, persistent) trust deficit. The U.P. government must impartially (unbiasedly, neutrally, non-discriminatorily, dispassionately, open-mindedly, equitably, even-handedly, fairly) investigate the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri but it is also imperative (vitally important, crucial, critical, essential, necessary) for the BJP-led Union government to restore mechanisms of procedural democracy to bridge (join, link, connect, unite) the trust deficit. Restarting talks with the unions will be a good beginning.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.escalation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वृद्धि, तीव्रता
English Meaning - intensification, aggravation, exacerbation.

2.trust deficit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विश्वास की कमी
English Meaning - lack of trust (on authorities-from societal point of view). Situations with low levels of trust are not supportive and often counterproductive. People feel vulnerable and look at each other with suspicion. As a result, they are less open, since they fear that they will not be fairly treated by the other side.

3.mark (verb)

Hindi Meaning - निशान लगाना, संकेत करना, प्रतिनिधित्व करना
English Meaning - indicate, signify, represent, denote.

4.movement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गति, अभियान
English Meaning - campaign.

5.agitator (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आंदोलनकर्ता, प्रदर्शनकारी
English Meaning - protester, protest marcher, campaigner.

6.trade (verb)

Hindi Meaning - व्यापार, सौदा
English Meaning - swap, exchange.

7.rapprochement (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मेल-जोल, सुलह, पुनर्मिलन
English Meaning - reconciliation, reuniting, restoration of harmony, compromise/understanding.

8.headway (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रगति, उन्नति
English Meaning - progress, advancement.

9.abeyance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ठहराव, रुकाव
English Meaning - a state of being inactive/suspended/inoperative temporarily; a state of dormancy; temporary halt/postponement. (It is mostly used in the phrase “in abeyance” with the word “in”)

10.implementation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यान्वयन, निष्पादन, आवेदन
English Meaning - execution, application, carrying out.

11.distrust (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अविश्वास, संदेह, विश्वास की कमी
English Meaning - mistrust, suspicion, lack of trust.

12.maximalist (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकतमवादी
English Meaning - relating to an approach of a person/organisation (particularly in politics) with extreme thoughts and not ready to compromise.

13.seek (verb)

Hindi Meaning - माँगना, निवेदन करना
English Meaning - ask for, request, appeal, demand.

14.repeal (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रद्द करना
English Meaning - cancellation, invalidation, reversal, annulment, nullification. Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation)

15.indefinitely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - अनिश्चित काल तक, अनियत रूपेण
English Meaning - forever, endlessly, continually.

16.mow down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - knock down (with a vehicle).

17.convoy (noun)

English Meaning - a group of vehicles or ships that are traveling together usually for protection.

18.charge (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, allegation, blame, indictment.

19.Farm Acts, 2000 (noun)

English Meaning - Farm Acts, 2000 refer to three agricultural bills passed by Indian Parliament in September 2020. The three acts are “The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 (FPTC Act) allows farmers to sell their harvest outside the notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis without paying any State taxes or fees”, “the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 facilitates contract farming and direct marketing”, and “the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 deregulates the production, storage, movement and sale of several major foodstuffs, including cereals, pulses, edible oils and onion, except in the case of extraordinary circumstances”.

20.keep/hold/put something in abeyance (phrase)

English Meaning - suspend, put off, discontinue, dissolve, terminate.

21.stay (verb)

English Meaning - stop, prevent; postpone, put off, delay, defer.

22.budge (verb)

English Meaning - change one’s mind, give way, give in, yield, compromise, retract.

23.Act, 2020 (FPTC Act) (noun)

English Meaning - it allows farmers to sell their harvest outside the notified Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis without paying any State taxes or fees.

24.Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act (noun)

English Meaning - it facilitates contract farming and direct marketing.

25.the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 (noun)

English Meaning - it deregulates the production, storage, movement and sale of several major foodstuffs, including cereals, pulses, edible oils and onion, except in the case of extraordinary circumstances.

26.harvest (noun)

English Meaning - yield; return, result.

27.facilitate (verb)

English Meaning - make easy, make possible, enable, assist, help/aid.

28.make public (phrase)

English Meaning - announce, release, publish.

29.rush through (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to deal with/act on something very quickly.

30.consensus (noun)

English Meaning - an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.

31.merit (noun)

English Meaning - good point, strong point, advantage, value.

32.stakeholder (noun)

English Meaning - a person with an interest in something.

33.discontent (noun)

English Meaning - dissatisfaction, disaffection, disgruntlement, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure.

34.largely (adverb)

English Meaning - to a large/great extent.

35.subsidy (noun)

English Meaning - also called subvention; a financial contribution granted to help an industry or business, mostly given by a government, in order to keep the price of service/goods at a low level.

36.procurement (noun)

English Meaning - the action of procuring/purchasing/buying something.

37.jolt (verb)

English Meaning - surprise, shock, stun.

38.prone to (adjective)

English Meaning - susceptible, vulnerable, liable, subject; likely to have, at risk of.

39.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years.

40.liberalise (verb)

English Meaning - to make something (regulations/norms) less strict.

41.Minimum Support Price (MSP) (noun)

English Meaning - it is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to give guaranteed price and assured market to the farmers and protect them from the price fluctuations and market imperfections. The guaranteed price and assured market are expected to encourage higher investment and in the adoption of modern farming practices.

42.robust (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, powerful.

43.institutional (adjective)

English Meaning - organized, procedural, prescribed, systematic, systematized, methodical, structured, regulated.

44.redress (noun)

English Meaning - compensation, reparation, restitution; remedy.

45.mechanism (noun)

English Meaning - procedure, process, method, technique.

46.take into account (phrase)

English Meaning - consider, take into consideration, have regard to, reckon with.

47.put in place (phrase)

English Meaning - establish, set up, create/form.

48.after all (phrase)

English Meaning - most importantly, above all, beyond everything.

49.deliberation (noun)

English Meaning - careful discussion, consideration, thought/thinking, contemplation.

50.Parliamentary Standing Committee/Parliamentary panel (noun)

English Meaning - it is a committee (consisting of Members of Parliament) constituted usually on an annual basis to enable detailed consideration/discussion on all bills (all proposed laws).

51.Parliamentary select committee (noun)

English Meaning - ‘parliamentary select committee’ can be formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a particular bill. Once the Bill is disposed of, that select committee ceases to exist.

52.hearing (noun)

English Meaning - chance to speak, opportunity to express one’s point of view.

53.Bill (noun)

English Meaning - A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills.

54.rush (verb)

English Meaning - act rapidly/hurriedly.

55.voice vote (noun)

English Meaning - a voice vote involves the speaker putting a question to the house and then asking the house to put forward its opinion in the forms of ayes (yes) or noes. Based on a rough measure of which side was louder, the speaker decides if the motion was passed or fell through.

56.lingering (adjective)

English Meaning - continuing, remaining, long-lasting, unabating, prolonged, persistent.

57.impartially (adverb)

English Meaning - unbiasedly, neutrally, non-discriminatorily, dispassionately, open-mindedly, equitably, even-handedly, fairly.

58.imperative (adjective)

English Meaning - vitally important, crucial, critical, essential, necessary.

59.procedural (adjective)

English Meaning - structured, well ordered, methodical, systematic, practical.

60.bridge (verb)

English Meaning - join, link, connect, unite.