By Sanjiv Phansalkar*

Rural enterprises, particularly those that are not farm-based, are key to the creation of local employment and avoiding migration for jobs. Three features of rural enterprises — raw materials, skill or technique applied, and markets — are critical for success that can be sustained.

Common sense suggests that enterprises where all the three are local, familiar or traditional (for example, the local blacksmith repairing the plough of the local farmer), there is really no need for any enterprise promotion effort. On the other hand, where all three are distant, unfamiliar or new (for example, youth running a medical transcription business in a village in Bastar) the enterprise faces a challenge in surviving and needs a consistent management input. Thus, enterprises that need promotion would have one or two of the three features (raw materials, skills or techniques and market) to be new, distant or unfamiliar.

Targeted interventions and managerial assistance to promote non-farm rural enterprises have the potential to create a large number of jobs in the countryside...

These rural enterprises can be divided in three classes — the R-R (rural-rural) class in which the product or the service is produced as well as consumed in the rural area itself; the R-U (rural-urban) class where production occurs in rural areas but caters to an urban demand; and the U-R (urban-rural) class that consist of enterprises which import and distribute products and services from urban areas to meet rural demand.

A village ironsmith repairing agricultural implements in the village belongs to the first class. This class of enterprises has the problem of stagnancy. Producers of craft and household products such as earthen pots selling their produce in the nearby town represent the second class. Shops selling shampoo or mobile recharge kiosks in the villages represent the third category.

Growth and job potential

It may be a good idea to see the growth and job potential of each of these categories. Enterprises in the third category are derived and driven from the economic activities of actors in urban areas. The growth of employment by them is a function of their expectation of demand from the rural areas.

As tele-density in rural areas grows, more mobile shops will be encouraged and recharge shops and repair people will be needed. When more rural folk buy motorcycles, more spare shops and repair shops will come up. Thus, while there will of course be some multiplier effects of these enterprises, they are primarily spurred by prosperity of the rural areas—arising out of production of goods and services there, as well as from remittances received.

Prosperity arising out of production of goods and services in rural areas is thus key to growth in jobs in enterprises. Let's look at a few examples.

Prosperity arising out of production of goods and services in rural areas is key to growth in jobs in enterprises.

Back in 1984, I observed the work of a certain Shaligram Baghri in Ratlam district. His enterprise was in the R-R class. He knew the requirement for farmyard manure of various large farmers. So, he organised the aggregation of farmyard manure from neighbouring villages and supplied it to them. He was an on the specific types of manures that farmers needed for different purposes, in different settings. It appears that to get the best results, the manure must match the crop as well as the nature and texture of soil on the farm.

Shaligram knew how the ideal mix could be obtained by combining manures produced in the homes of various people since he knew the proportion of stall feeding and free grazing animals and the type of forage on which animals grazed in different villages. Of course, he could cater to demand and procure supply only within the bounds of villages where he was known.

Another person, a lohar (blacksmith) in the same area continued his ancestral trade of making implements and repairing them. But soon he innovated and started making frames and wheels for bullock carts as well as other fabricated structures. He developed contacts in the nearby town and started marketing his fabricated gates and other items to the town. He opened a shop in the town.

In a span of a few years he had hired eight persons in various tasks. But he was proposing to slowly shift completely out of the village to the town since that would avoid transport of heavy iron angles. Fabrication operations involved welding, either based on electricity or on gas. Electricity supply in the village was erratic and gas cylinders also had to be fetched from the city.

Lessons from examples

The first example suggests that for many products arising in rural areas, standardisation is difficult due to variability in conditions at the users' end as well as in quality parameters of input materials. Hence production of products deemed satisfactory to consumers requires a big play for judgment. It's hard to turn such judgment into a transferable skill.

As long as villages suffer from poor infrastructure, there will be a challenge to the growth of rural enterprises in the non-farm sector.

This in turn limits the reach for raw materials as well as customers, and hence scope for growth. And with that it limits the scope for employment in the focal enterprise. We then see a cloning of similar enterprises offering similar products and services in clusters of villages spanning a whole terrain.

The second example suggests that while potentially there is much scope for expansion of the product line and hence business of the enterprise, this is constrained by infrastructure issues of power supply, road connectivity and access. As long as villages suffer from poor infrastructure, there will be a challenge to the growth of rural enterprises in the non-farm sector. The two main advantages that a rural non-farm enterprise enjoys are low cost of space for facilities and cheaper labour. But this is soon offset by transaction costs associated with operations due to poor infrastructure.

Thus we need to confront the issues of promoting rural enterprises in the extant environment and infrastructure if we wish to make them engines for growth and employment. We will continue to examine and explore this further.

Sanjiv Phansalkar is associated closely with Transform Rural India Foundation. He was earlier a faculty member at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). Phansalkar is a fellow of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

Views are personal.

This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.

The Morning Wrap is HuffPost India's selection of interesting news and opinion from the day's newspapers. Subscribe here to receive it in your inbox each weekday morning.

Essential HuffPost

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a CBI special court for the rape and sexual exploitation of two women disciples at his secretive cult, which has been accused, among other things, of murder and mass castration.

India and China have agreed to "disengage" in the Doklam area of Sikkim where the armies of both nations have been in a standoff since the middle of June, amid sharply escalating tensions.

Nepotism and sexism are manifested in Bollywood culture not only through the chosen cast but also other insidious means, such as the billing given to them in the credits. Read Bhaskar Chawla's blog to know more about this practice.

Main News

In yet another railway accident, in the continuing series of mishaps that has plagued Indian Railways in the recent weeks, four coaches of the Mumbai-bound Duronto Express were derailed near Asangaon in Mumbai. No casualties have been reported so far.

Weeks after several children died of encephalitis-related complications at the Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, the Centre is looking to introduce a new drug, traditionally used to heal acne, to deal with the seasonal outbreaks of acute encephalitis.

Two Indian students are in a critical condition after they nearly drowned in Lake Bryan in the US state of Texas, which is battling "catastrophic" flooding and torrential rains after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc, claiming at least five lives.

Off The Front Page

Jailed for 20 years after being convicted of raping his women disciples, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan of the Dera Sacha Sauda had a spectacular rise in the business of religion, thanks to his deft manipulation of the political ladder in Punjab. Read about his career here.

A 70-year-old Gujjar man was attacked by self-styled cow protectors for walking behind a youth who had a cow with him in Jammu. It seems the vigilantes may have thought the bovine to belong to him.

The woman raped by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of the Dera Sacha Sauda was vindicated after a 15-year wait for justice. Read her story of resilience and courage, how she resolved not to give up in spite of the potential threats along the way.

Opinion

"The failure of the Manohar Lal Khattar government to contain the violence that rocked Haryana on August 25, in the aftermath of a court pronouncing Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of rape, once again tells us of what happens when the modern state withers away," writes M Rajivlochan in The Indian Express.

An editorial in the Hindustan Times points out that the time is ripe to focus on the other crimes committed by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan, who was convicted of raping two of his disciples, his associates at the Dera Sacha Sauda in Haryana.

An editorial in The Hindu says that diplomacy has finally paid off to resolve the Doklam stand-off between India and China, but the two countries must now try to mend their relationship and repair ties.

Also on HuffPost

NEW DELHI -- Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday said the GST is like a new "daughter-in-law" who takes time to adjust to the family and the government has brought this new law for the country's growth.

He also said the real estate industry should communicate to the government if they are facing any issues related to the GST. "We bring daughter-in law so that family grows and grows in right direction. Similarly, GST is a new bride for the country. We have brought this law so that country grow in a right direction," Meghwal said addressing a realty conference organised by NAREDCO.

He was responding to SBI's Managing Director (National Banking Group) Rajnish Kumar's comment that there was "not much clarity" about GST.

Meghwal said the GST will subsume 17 indirect taxes and many cesses, and this will lead to increase in tax net and collection.

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The Aam Aadmi Party's victory in the Bawana by-poll is being exaggerated as a comeback for the party, as proof of success of the AAP's new strategy of lying low and focusing on governance in Delhi.

It does show the AAP has fighting spirit left in it. The result is a morale booster for the party after it lost Punjab and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections. It will also deter other AAP MLAs from defecting to the BJP, knowing that victory in a by-poll is not guaranteed.

By-polls are too minute, too local. Drawing larger political inferences from it is a mistake committed by the media after every by-poll.

The Bawana result does not mean that after defeat in municipal elections in May, the AAP is back in favour with voters. Here's why.

1.Back the ruling party. The party in power usually wins by-polls. It is the aberration that is noteworthy. The by-polls in Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh, and in two constituencies in Goa, have also gone to the ruling parties in the two states. The AAP's own pitch in Bawana was 'we are the party in power, we're best placed to bring you benefits from the Delhi government'.

2.One seat only. It is not a reflection of what all of Delhi thinks about the AAP. It is only what one hard-fought constituency thinks. If a Delhi assembly election were to be held today, it is still likely the BJP may do better than AAP. The Congress and AAP would be fighting for the number 2 and 3 slot. After all, the MCD elections the BJP won were just three months ago.

3.MLA anti-incumbency. It helped that AAP didn't face MLA-level anti-incumbency in Bawana. That was because the by-poll was held in the first place because their MLA had defected to the BJP, and hence was disqualified under the anti-defection law.

The AAP campaign made the defecting MLA, now the BJP candidate, the villain. In other words, the AAP campaign admitted their MLA hadn't done much in the 2.5 years he was in charge. If anything, this proves how unpopular AAP MLAs are. Whenever the next Delhi assembly elections are held — due in 2020 — MLA anti-incumbency will indeed be a big problem for the AAP. In 67 of 70 seats, no less.

4.Still no narrative in Delhi. The AAP wants us to believe the Bawana by-poll victory is proof of the success of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's new strategy of lying low. The idea is that the AAP would eschew national politics, give up targeting Narendra Modi, and instead focus on building its image as a performer in Delhi. However, a hard-fought Bawana by-poll victory is not proof of the success of this strategy.

The AAP government is seen as trying, but incremental achievements in health and education are not enough. The man on the street in Delhi is still talking only about Modi, not about any great turnaround of Delhi by the Kejriwal government. The Congress candidate in Bawana, locally popular, lost because the Congress has no popular narrative for Delhi, or India.

5.Still no national narrative. It is a mistake for the AAP to think it can retain Delhi, an urban megapolis, without setting a national narrative. It was through national agenda setting that the AAP had presented itself to Delhi's voters. It is through Narendra Modi's national agenda-setting that the BJP is winning elections from panchayat to Parliament.

Just as putting all eggs in the Punjab basket was a mistake, putting all eggs in the Delhi basket is a mistake. The big question is, what does the AAP stand for? Voters still don't have an answer — and no, there is no Delhi model of governance yet to serve as an answer to that question.

6.Will Modi let AAP succeed in governance? The Modi government has stymied the Aam Aadmi Party's government in Delhi, using Delhi's status as half-state and half-union territory to make the Lt Governor's office more powerful than it used to be. The trouble with AAP trying to create a Delhi model of governance is that the central government won't let it. Through CBI and courts, LG's office and the central government itself, the AAP's grand plans at governance and advertising them will be prevented. After the Bawana victory, expect renewed vigour on that front.

This is another reason why putting all eggs in the Delhi basket is a mistake. You can use incumbency to win Bawana but the anti-incumbency AAP will face in 2019 and 2020 in Delhi will be something else.

Fed up with being constantly harassed by her seniors and poor facilities at her hostel, a 17-year-old student of Ratnapuri Polytechnic College in Sangareddy district of Telengana allegedly hanged herself in her room, according to a report in the Deccan Chronicle.

The minor girl, identified as A Shahasra, was distressed over the lack of basic facilities at the hostel ever since she joined the department of agriculture after completing SSC in 2016. Shahasra, a topper at school, was uncomfortable with the fact that the hostel made students share cots and that there was no full-time female warden in-charge of the girls.

Unable to bear the callousness of the college and hostel authorities, Shahasra allegedly hung herself from her room's ceiling, leaving behind a suicide note that said, "God, I am undergoing hell here. It is a waste to study in this college," reported The News Minute.

Sahasra's father, Rajashekar blames hostel authorities and their negligence for his daughter's death. "Seniors have been harassing my daughter and there were no basic facilities for the girls..." the Deccan Chronicle quoted him as saying.

According to a report on ETV Telangana, members of Shahasra's family and her village gathered outside the hostel demanding action against the institution and the college authorities.

Also on HuffPost

On Monday, CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh sentenced the Dera Sacha Sauda chief to 20 years "rigorous imprisonment" — 10 years each for the rape of two disciples.

The judge had become a hero three days ago, after he convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape.

At the makeshift court in Suneria jail near Rohtak, where the judge was flown in a helicopter, the defence lawyer sought leniency, pointing to "social works" that Ram Rahim Singh claimed he had done.

But the judge, known for his competence and toughness, was not interested in any past records of good behaviour. He said that the Dera chief did not deserve any "sympathy of the court". The special CBI didn't stop there. He further added that the Dera chief had acted like a "wild beast".

"...He committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers. Such criminal acts of convict, who is stated to be heading a religious organisation, are bound to shatter images of pious and sacred spiritual, social, cultural and religious institutions existing in the country since time immemorial, which in turn reflects irreparable damages caused by the acts of the convicts to the heritage of this ancient land," read the judgement, Times Of India reported.

A Hindustan Times report quotes eyewitnesses who saw the judge walking into the courtroom on Friday, unfazed by the tense atmosphere in Haryana's Panchkula, where more than 200,000 dera followers had camped.

After completing his law degree from Panjab University (PU) in 2000, Jagdeep Singh became a Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer. In 2012, he joined the judicial services and was first posted in Sonepat. Last year, he was designated as the CBI special court judge.

Singh is not just known for his no-nonsense attitude. Last year, he was in the news when he stopped his car and helped four accident victims. After emergency services told him that ambulances would not be able to reach the accident spot anytime soon, he drove the victims to the nearby Jind hospital himself.

During the sentencing on Monday, the judge also ruled that the Dera chief has to pay a fine of Rs 30 lakh.

"Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim is stated to be head of Dera which runs a number of institutions in which 7-8 thousand are working. He has been visiting abroad for the promotion of his movies." He said that these prove that the convict "is a man possessing huge pelf and has huge financial resources to compensate victims of his criminal act."

The judge, in fact, had observations that will hopefully serve as an example for future judgements.

He quoted Mahatma Gandhi to point out that a woman has "greater courage" than a man.

"To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it's man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immediately man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she of more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be," he said.

Also on HuffPost:

Hello, my lovely disciples!

Let me start by congratulating you for your luck. You are blessed to be born in India and living here at a time where spirits are at an all-time low and outrage at an all-time high. With the breakup of Suraj Barjatya-type households where even the dog is happy, families have become nuclear, happiness is an elusive entity, satisfaction comes with no guarantee and everything you cherished is being relegated to history. You are often consumed with the fear of being part of a rootless and faceless herd, leading a life of perpetual consequence. And boy, you are so right!

Make [followers] feel wronged, alienated. Then you can slowly take control of their lives by becoming their spiritual guide, psychologist, family, confidant, semen donor and money launderer.

Now that I have acquainted you with reality, don't try to kill yourself or others by sharing your soppy poetry about your rubbish life. If you follow my guidelines carefully, you can become the most powerful and wealthy creep with a following of millions ready to lap-up any crap you spew (including acchhe din). You don't need degrees from elite institutions or be particularly gifted. All you need is the gift of the gab and a proclivity for making promises you have no intention of fulfilling. You have to master the art of making a fool of millions. Once you've achieved that, anything you do or don't will be hailed as the best thing to have happened to humankind since chhole bhature.

Across the world, religion is becoming the fastest growing business venture. Since there's never a shortage of the gullible masses that think their very existence is under threat from evil forces, all you need to do is prey on their fears and make them believe you are their saviour. If they don't have the fear, create it. Mine their ignorance for a rich yield of unfounded fears and hostility towards one and all. Make them feel wronged, alienated. Then you can slowly take control of their lives by becoming their spiritual guide, psychologist, family, confidant, semen donor and money launderer.

Remember, this is the age of instant noodles, news, outrage, opinion, love, breakups, fame and satisfaction. So why should salvation be left behind? If all it takes is two minutes to commit a grievous sin and make Maggi, it is unreasonable to wait a lifetime for moksha. And since god is like homeopathy, more faith than reality, it makes sense to look for the real deal in flesh and blood.

If you have a family, RENOUNCE THEM NOW. No, no, not your mom! She is always useful to get awws from your followers.

So here lies your opportunity for becoming their god. The one that can be seen, touched, heard, and is a one stop shop of redressal for all their grievances.

Also, India is teeming with the wronged classes. Wronged and exploited for centuries by a hierarchy that places some humans over others by virtue of their birth and wealth they accumulated, they are a miserable lot. They feel let down by the system, ignored by god and rightfully feel that life is unfair to them.

Since they have been convinced by Rahul Gandhi they need Jupiter's escape velocity to free themselves from their sorry circumstances, the oppressed are now simply waiting for a charitable messiah to rescue them.

Now that we have earmarked your target audience, let's start with creating a past that's purely fictional. It should be humble, spartan, full of hardships. If you have a family, RENOUNCE THEM NOW. No, no, not your mom! Everyone loves a single man ready to devote his life for their welfare but the mom is always useful to get awws from your followers.

Secondly you will need to rid their minds of the gazillion goddesses and gods they've been exposed to. Remember, they are all your competition. You will have to discourage your devotees from worshiping anyone but you.

Sounds impossible, right? Especially in a country where fear of god is the opiate for the masses. Don't worry. I will guide you through that as well. After all, I am your self-appointed goddess who has made it her mission to kickstart you to greatness.

Finding rich followers is easy peasy. Once they know you are capable of murder, money laundering, shady deals, tantric practices, they will flock to you like flies to cowdung.

Before you embark on this ambitious mission, you will need a lot of rich followers who will readily donate money and land for your ashram. Finding rich followers is easy peasy. Once they know you are capable of murder, money laundering, shady deals, tantric practices, they will flock to you like flies to cowdung.

Remember the corrupt attract the corrupt.

Your ashram will be a sanctuary where everyone who seeks your divine blessings will find succour. It will be an idyllic world not governed by rules framed by society but by you. Remember the depressed classes you rescued from Rahul Gandhi? Make them toil hard at your ashram. Make them believe they are serving god and you will get away by paying them peanuts. Make them toil hard at your farms and factories. While they are making batches of atta noodles with no atta for your millions of disciples turned customers and squeezing aloe vera juice in plastic bottles, drill into their heads that their messiah has rescued them from a lifetime of oppression. Once they start believing it, they will quietly let themselves be exploited by you.

Later you can extract payment for your largesse by raping a dozen or two women disciples. It will add to your rakish appeal. For variety you can also prey on your rich female disciples. Don't forget to shampoo your hair. Employing a darzi who will dress you like a toffee wrapper will add to your godly appeal.

Don't forget to shampoo your hair. Employing a darzi who will dress you like a toffee wrapper will add to your godly appeal.

You will also have to float some impressive stories about yourself. Like how you fell into a well and it threw you like lava from volcano. How roses turn into daisies when you touch them. That you never touch meat, alcohol, cigarettes and rape only occasionally.

It will look damn good on your CV.

Before they surrender their souls to you, ensure they leave their brains outside your gated complex. To find out if you've actually turned your disciples into brainless zombies, make them drink your piss as charanamitra, submit to castration while in the prime of life, bathe you in milk and later make kheer with it. Soon your followers will make you the sun of their lives, while they revolve around you ceaselessly.

Congratulations. You now have an army of zombies ready to kill or be killed for you.

Now would they need to kill on your behalf?

It's simple. After decades of being worshipped by your disciples and the rich and powerful, you have conveniently thrown your conscience in the nearest drain. It is beneath your stature to be concerned about your ungodly actions and the havoc they create. When you are the law, you are the first one to break laws. While you preach about asceticism, you will live opulently, drive flashy cars and move around with an army of commandos.

Since you are now being courted by politicians because of the influence you wield over the masses, you become a megalomaniac. Once you share a mutual lick-ass relationship, each of you will look the other way while the other is gleefully stealing, exploiting or getting their critics murdered.

Do keep chanting "I am a victim of a larger conspiracy." You will have to believe it yourself before you brainwash your lakhs of disciples into following suit.

But you are shrewd. You know you are nothing more than a glorified criminal and the mafia you run to control and subvert for your gains will eventually land you in trouble. Even though you have politicians ready to save your ample posterior in case you land in trouble, you must build up your own army ready to take on the law.

And one day while you are busy humming your newest bhajan (there's a great one out there called "Love Charger"), the shit will hit the fan and will fall all over you and your diamond juttis. After all there exists a real god who has been watching you in silence.

Your powerful bhakts will make sure you are flown in a VVIP chopper to jail. Your zombie army will wreak havoc just as you had instructed them to, filling the rest of the country with loathing for you and your teachings.

While you are writing your memoir cooling your heels in jail, make sure you acknowledge my contribution in turning you into a power-hungry, greedy, sex fiend. And do keep chanting "I am a victim of a larger conspiracy." You will have to believe it yourself before you brainwash your lakhs of disciples into following suit.

Toss well on your prison bed,

Cheerio,

Maa Purba

It's a well-known fact that you need the hide of a rhino to be a politician in India, impervious to all accusations of collusion, maladministration or impropriety. You could spew hatred against someone one day and shake hands with him/her the next. "There are neither friends nor enemies... nothing's permanent in politics" some politicians often say as a smug excuse to their shifting moral compasses and alliances of convenience. Recently, however, when a state burned because a "godman" was convicted of rape, it showed the world how pathetic the state of affairs really is and how "normal" injustice, vandalism and systemic violence has become in India these days.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda, is known for his outrageous outfits, his "Guinness World Records", his fleet of luxury cars and the power he wields over lakhs of fanatical followers in Punjab and Haryana, who view him as their "Pitaji" (father). The reality, however, is murky.

What message is the government sending? Will a rape survivor from a small village in Haryana testify against a man who is praised by Prime Minister Modi himself?

Unbeknownst to many, "Pitaji" had been raping female disciples inside his "cave" for years. 15 years ago. Ram Chander Chhatrapati, a journalist published an anonymous letter in the daily Poora Sachh, exposing the man, many worshipped as a god. He paid the price and was shot dead.

The letter revealed what was just the tip of the iceberg. Allegations of systemic rape under the disgusting guise of "Pitaji's Maafi" (cleansing) of his Sadhvis came to light. Reports of Illegal arms training and forced castrations surfaced too. Amidst threats and intimidation, two girls testified. One girl's brother was killed in the quest for justice. The complainants said Gurmeet had bragged about how untouchable he was and the political clout he enjoyed.

He wasn't wrong. The "Guru of Bling" has had politicians of all hues cosy up to him, fall prostrate before him, gift his organisation lakhs of rupees, grant him Z+ security and invite him to various events.

What message is the government is sending? Will a rape survivor from a small village in Haryana testify against a man who is praised by Prime Minister Modi himself?

Brazen babas exist because of state patronage. Sant Rampal, Asaram Bapu, the late Ashutosh Maharaj, Nithyananda, Gurmeet Singh and their ilk have unleashed terror because they know very well that they can give successive governments the one thing they want more than anything—votes. It is with this impunity that they murder, thrash journalists, disrupt trains, attack cops and burn vehicles.

But, this is all common nowadays isn't it? That's scary! The fact that these incidents pop up so often and brushed under the carpet or overshadowed by a more heinous crime should shake us to the core. It means that our "democracy", "equality amongst diversity" and other platitudes that we throw around are a bloody joke and that no government is "for the people" but for criminals who can help them hold on to power.

Politicians through cleverly worded responses have pussyfooted around the issue and managed not to ruffle any feathers. Elections await after all.

BJP leader Sakshi Maharaj defended the rapist, saying "Who is right? The crores of people who see Rahim as a God or that girl who filed a complaint?" Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy has said that Gurmeet was framed. Politicians through cleverly worded responses have pussyfooted around the issue and managed not to ruffle any feathers. Elections await after all.

The question before all of us isn't about why the state machinery failed, why lakhs of people were allowed to assemble illegally with petrol bombs or the minute details of Sec.144 (though they are pertinent questions). The larger question is "Where are we headed to, as a nation?"

We live in times when people are killed for their dietary choices, forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" and when a "godman" goes to his rape conviction hearing in a 200-car cavalcade. Political parties that have colluded with influential people to prolong their hold on power have signed the death sentence for innocent journalists, activists, Dalits and women. They've sent out a clear message to common citizens that anything's possible if you're influential enough and that the rule of law is selective.

There will be many more Gurmeets and more atrocities to come. The way India reacts to them will determine her future.

West Bengal -- A man was badly beaten up by a mob and needles were inserted into his body on the suspicion that he had stolen things from a shop at Joynagar in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, the police said.

On getting information about the incident, the police rushed to the spot, rescued the man and admitted him to a local hospital, they said.

The doctors at the hospital described the man's condition as "serious", the police said on Monday.

The man told the police that a mob caught him on the suspicion of stealing things from a shop and thrashed him badly.

He also said that people tried to uproot his nails and needles were inserted into his body, the police said.

Also on HuffPost India:

Fifteen years after an anonymous letter tipped off the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about women being raped under the guise of spirituality by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh, one of the two women who deposed against Singh has said she was never afraid of telling the truth.

"He was present in the courtroom when I deposed against him in 2009," the woman told The Hindu in a telephonic interview. "I was not scared of him then nor I am scared today."

Though initially 18 women reportedly gave evidence against the Dera chief during the CBI investigation, only two agreed to depose in court. It is their testimony that finally nailed the 50-year-old spiritual leader who was given 20 years in jail for his crimes by a CBI court on Monday.

ALSO READ: A Weeping Gurmeet Singh Begged For Mercy, Had To Be Dragged Out Of Court: Report

The woman and her relatives claimed they were harassed and coerced to not pursue the case but they didn't relent. They allege that the woman's elder brother was murdered on suspicions that he had sent the anonymous letter to CBI.

Singh's conviction last Friday led to massive protests and violence by his supporters. The Punjab government has pegged the losses at ₹200 crore, and plans to recover the cost from the Dera.

ALSO READ: Meet Jagdeep Singh, The Judge Who Sentenced Dera Chief To Prison, Saying He Acted Like A 'Wild Beast'

According to reports, the Punjab police found that coded messages were used to trigger the violence that caused over 30 deaths and injured over 250 people.

Also On HuffPost:

KABUL -- An explosion hit a bank in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, close to the heavily protected U.S. embassy compound, killing at least one person, officials said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the blast hit the entrance to a Kabul Bank branch.

The public health ministry said one person had been killed and eight wounded.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which came as banks are busy with people withdrawing money ahead of the Muslim Eid holiday at the end of the week.

Also on HuffPost India:

In yet another case of dowry deaths in Delhi this month, a 28-year-old woman was allegedly beaten, strangled to death and then burned to make it look like suicide, reported Indian Express.

A police officer told IE, "When we reached the house, we saw her charred body. Her tongue was sticking out, and the front portion of her body was on fire."

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The police said that they suspect that the woman was strangulated and her body was set on fire to make it look like a suicide.

Police sources told IE that the nature of the burns, covering the front of the body, were inconsistent with the burns typically seen in cases of self-immolation.

The victim, identified as a Chanchal, moved to Delhi's Gautam Budh Nagar area after getting married, five years ago. Her parents claim that she had been getting harassed by her in-laws for dowry.

The matter was brought to the attention of the police on Monday morning when a neighbour called the police control room (PCR) on hearing the woman's screams.

A case has been lodged under section 304 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the police on the basis of the complaint filed by Chanchal's family.

The police claim that they have questioned the victim's mother-in-law, since her husband, father-in-law and brother-in-law are absconding. She has denied any involvement in the matter. However, the police is now investigating the case further.

This is the third case of a dowry death in Delhi in recent times.

Scarcely a week ago, on 21 August, 28-year-old Deepensha Sharma from Greater Noida allegedly committed suicide due to growing demands for dowry and harassment by her husband's family. Her father too claimed that Deepensha's in-laws had been physically and mentally torturing her for dowry since the day of the marriage, three years ago.

A few days before that, on 18 August, the gruesome alleged murder of 24-year-old Parvinder Kaur from Vikaspuri had made headlines. In her dying declaration to a magistrate, Kaur had said that her husband and in-laws had set her on fire. Kaur's brother, Jasmeet Singh, alleged that they had killed his sister because he and his family were unable to cough up their latest demand of Rs 10 lakh.

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A little over a month after its release, Sony Entertainment Television's controversial show, Pehredaar Piya Ki has been taken off air, according to a report by Hindustan Times.

In a statement explaining the decision, the channel said, "effective from August 28 2017, we are pulling off our programme, Pehredaar Piya Ki, from television. While we understand that the decision to end this serial will be disappointing to those whose creative energies are vested in it, namely, its crew and cast, we (as a channel) are convinced that we will be better served by focusing instead on developing viewer interest in our upcoming shows. We are grateful to all the artists, producers and fans of our shows and request you to graciously support the viewership of our new ventures."

The show has been in trouble ever since its release on 17 July due to its central theme of a marriage between a nine-year-old boy, Ratan, played by child actor Afaan Khan, and an 18-year-old girl, Diya, played by actress Tejasswi Prakash Wayangankar.

Admittedly, even though the show did not portray the 'marriage' between the 'couple' as anything other than one of convenience to further the somewhat bizarre plot, the scenes showing the minor stalking the woman, the idea of a 'suhaag raat' between a child and an adult woman, and watching the adult bride wait hand and foot on her kid husband, are rather distasteful to watch.

Naturally then, what the makers of the show tried to pass off as a harmless crush harboured by a young boy on his idol, was considered by many television viewers as regressive and inappropriate content for the 8:30 pm primetime slot. The matter was furiously debated, and an online petition to Union Information & Broadcasting Minister, Smriti Irani, calling for a ban on the show due to is regressive content and promoting a grave social evil like child marriage, garnered 1.25 lakh signatures.

The complaint was forwarded by Irani to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), an advisory body that issues guidelines for "non-news channels, including general entertainment channels, kids channels and special interest channels".

Acting on the growing public opinion against the show, the BCCC had recommended that the channel move the show to the 10 pm slot and run a disclaimer explicitly stating that it did not support child marriages.

On 19 August, Sony released a new promo announcing that the show would be aired at 10:30 pm, from August 22. In addition to this, to end all controversies about the inappropriateness of the so-called relationship, the show was scheduled to take a 12-year-leap on 17 October, showing Ratan as a 21-year-old young man.

However, in a surprise move that shocked everyone — the cast, crew, and viewers — less than a week later, Sony suddenly decided to pull the plug on the show by not airing the episode scheduled for Monday, 28 August. However, the episode did go on online on Sony's online platform, Sony Liv, reported India Today.

The cast and crew, who believed they were finally in the clear due to the scheduled leap did not see the sudden end coming either.

Jiten Lalwani, who plays the part of Bhuvan Singh on the show, told Hindustan Times, "Yes. If the episode hasn't aired then you know the news is true."

Despite the suddenness of the move, according to the India Today report, the show has been pulled off air because the makers and the channel felt the late-night slot did injustice to the story of the show. The makers have, however, promised they will be back with a new season of the show soon.

HuffPost India has reached out to the producers of the show for comment.

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BEIJING -- China on Tuesday hoped that all BRICS nations will play a role in the success of the grouping's upcoming summit in Xiamen, a day after India and China agreed to disengage their soldiers to end the Doklam standoff.

India and China on Monday ended their 73-day standoff in Doklam by withdrawing their troops from the area, a diplomatic breakthrough that came just days before the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit hosted by China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Xiamen to attend the summit from 3-5 September.

When asked whether China halted the work on a road in Doklam to end the standoff so that the BRICS summit could be held, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "Peaceful resolution of the issue through the diplomatic channels serves the common interests of all relevant parties."

"It shows the sincerity and responsible attitude of China as a major country," Hua said.

She said the summit is the common cause of all the BRICS countries and ensuring its success serves the interests of all relevant parties.

"We hope all relevant parties can play a role in the success of the summit. We hope to get the support and coordination from all relevant parties," she said.

When asked about the road construction in Doklam, Hua said China will take into consideration all relevant factors, including the weather, while building it.

"In order to meet the needs of defending the borders, improving the living conditions, China has long engaged in infrastructure development including the road construction," she said.

Hua reiterated that "Chinese border troops will continue to station and patrol the Doklam area. We will continue to exercise our sovereignty with historic conventions."

She also parried a question whether China is in consultation with Bhutan, which has protested the Chinese troops' road building in Doklam.

"So far we have resolved the issue of illegal trespass of the Indian troops," she said.

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The widespread violence, arson and open threat to constitutional institutions and public life by the irate followers of convicted godman-turned-rapist Gurmeet Singh didn't look like a spontaneous eruption of devotional anger, but a lab-test of religious mob-strength.

It was doused in a day, but not before it inflicted a hefty death-toll, considerable damage to public and private properties, straining the capacity of state institutions and scaring the public no end.

The marauding mob was Singh's protection from the law for his alleged crimes; but how did the mob reach such a scale of power and perversity and how did he build and sustain it? This is a question ordinary citizens and civil society must sit up and ask now because the Dera Sacha Sauda chief is just one of the new mob-leaders who have built formidable religious-spiritual-industrial complexes under the patronage of political parties, their governments, and the media.

Of course, Gurmeet Singh is not alone in this empire-building. There are many like him across the country.

The template has been there from time immemorial: round up a few disciples with yoga and pop spirituality and establish institutions in sectors such as education and health in which the government is weak and the cover is maximum, and raise the following to a transnational cult that begins to self-breed. Politicians, industrialists, and money-bags invariably turn up at some stage.

At a certain critical mass, it becomes an invincible complex because it also serves as vote-banks, pressure-groups, consumers, and institutions. In fact, Singh had reached this stage a long while ago and that remained his insurance policy for several years until an upright officer in the CBI refused to give up on the criminal complaints against him.

Seemingly, his empire, spread over many states, is so vast that dismantling it or bringing it under some semblance of rule of law will be very difficult: there are tens of thousands of people, schools, colleges, hospitals and other institutions that make a parallel universe, where he could abduct, enslave, rape and kill people with impunity.

Of course, he is not alone in this empire-building. There are many like him across the country.

Clearly, at the core of their power is their organizational strength and its most critical support comes from both the central and state governments through tax exemptions. The money they make through their institutions — whether by peddling designer-yoga, hug-reliefs, or consumer goods — is tax-free if it's marked for charity. According to the Income Tax Act 1961, all they need is to register a trust showing religious or charitable intent. Contributions to them are also tax-free, not just for them, but also for the contributors.

It's the widest possible tax exemption blanket that any country can give. So a Baba Ramdev can make thousands of crores selling FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) but doesn't need to pay any tax because all the money it makes is apparently meant for charity. The 2006 amendment of the IT Act, in which "yoga" was added as a charitable purpose, made it more pervasive. In fact, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal's (ITAT) order that exempted Ramdev's Patanjali from taxes comes from his yoga credentials.

The 2006 amendment of the IT Act, in which "yoga" was added as a charitable purpose, made it more pervasive.

No wonder that Sri Sri Ravishankar, who is also into selling FMCG, besides his core business of "Art of Living (AOL)" is planning to open 1000 retail stores across the country. Ramdev broke new ground in industrializing the spiritual-merchandise and is growing faster than the multinational FMCG brands on the strength of the tax-exemptions and evidently Ravishankar doesn't want to be left behind even as the big brands are complaining about the denial of a level playing field.

Besides the tax exemptions, (The same ITAT order also said that "corpus donations are not taxable, even in circumstances where the trust is not eligible for I-T exemption") what also strengthens them is that nobody cares to ask how Patanjali, or now Sri Sri Ravishankar, could scale up their industrial production so fast, that too with such a diverse range of products. Is this all that research for consumer goods take? Is it that simple?

In 2014, the Comptroller and Auditor General found more than 200 irregular tax exemptions given to various trusts and one of them was the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, another huge spiritual-industrial complex in Kerala, which too was a target of serious allegations by an American devotee and local media.

It may be safely surmised that all godmen and god-women benefit from tax exemptions because of the provisions of the 1961 IT Act, and the 2006 amendment that inserted yoga into the realm of charity — ironical in a country where even scrap-pickers are asked to pay 18 per cent GST.

While the centre does away with the income tax, the state governments give a range of incentives such as free or subsidised land, licenses to run institutions without due diligence, permissions that are otherwise illegal, and help in their run-in with the law. It's not just Singh, who enjoy(ed) their patronage, but every spiritual/religious guru with a considerable following because of their political capital.

Interestingly, what we are witnessing now is a time-tested collaboration between religion and rulers. As eminent historian RS Sharma had noted, after the Mauryan empire and the Gupta dynasty, rulers tended to grand vast tracks of land to Brahmans with administrative authority. It was not for support to their military expedition, but for maintaining social peace through the caste system, especially in backward areas, while they went about expanding their fiefdoms. The caste-based social order, controlled by the Brahmans, meant easier rule.

The godmen and godwomen of India also maintain such social control over their followers. When these numbers make sense in electoral politics, they become vote-banks and magnets for political parties. They can help win elections and make or break governments as Gurmeet Singh demonstrated. The godmen and god-women are the Brahmans of our times. It's also a no-brainer why bulk of their followers are caste-Hindus.

Religious activity, charity and yoga — these three keywords are good enough to build a Singh-style empire under state patronage. The only way to curb this threat to society is by withdrawing state patronage or in simple terms, tax exemptions. Charity should not be a State-sponsored cover for subverting constitution and rule of law. These are dangerous empires that need to be disincentivised and dismantled.

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CHANDIGARH -- Self-styled godman Rampal Dass of Haryana, whose private army and aides had fought a pitched battle with police in November 2014 to prevent his arrest, was on Tuesday acquitted in two criminal cases by a court in Hisar town.

The court of Judicial Magistrate Mahesk Kumar held Rampal not guilty of the wrongful confinement, unlawful assembly and disobedience to an order promulgated by a public servant.

However, Rampal will continue to be in prison as he is facing other cases, including of murder conspiracy, sedition and rioting.

The verdict was announced at a makeshift court set up inside the Central Jail in Hisar, about 250 km from here.

His lawyer has called the verdict the victory of truth:

He( self styled godman Rampal) has been acquitted in the two cases (426 and 427). Its a victory of truth: AP Singh ,Lawyer #Haryanapic.twitter.com/cuK3nTlSKN

— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2017

Rampal and his close aides, including his private army, had resisted a police operation to arrest him on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court while holed up inside his Satlok Ashram in Barwala town of Hisar in November 2014.

At least six people, including five women and an infant, died during the days'-long standoff with the police as Rampal continued to elude the police.

The High Court had ordered his arrest as he had failed to appear before the law.

Earlier, Rampal's supporters had indulged in vandalism in a court in Hisar in July 2014 when he was going there in connection with a 2006 murder conspiracy case.

The High Court had taken suo motu notice of the incident and summoned Rampal.

Rampal's key associates, including Purshotam Dass, Rajkumar, Mahinder Singh, Rajender Singh and Raj Kapoor, were also booked in the case.

The Rampal case verdict was to come on August 24 but was deferred in view of the August 25 verdict against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for rape.

In a horrific incident in Bengaluru, a nine-year-old girl with mental disabilities died after her mother allegedly flung her off the terrace twice from their three-story apartment. The Incident took place in the JP Nagar area of the city on Sunday afternoon.

According to reports, the child, Ashika, survived the first fall but succumbed to her injuries after the mother, 30-year-old Swati Sarkar, rushed down, picked her up and went back to the terrace only to throw her off once again.

Eyewitnesses said they rushed to the spot and tied Swati to an electric pole. One of the residents, who witnessed the horrific incident, reportedly said Swati was shouting frantically at them and told them that nobody could question her because she could do whatever she wanted with her daughter.

Confirming the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, said, "It appears that the accused was frustrated with her child and hence took this drastic measure."

Swati, during interrogation, reportedly told the police that Ashika suffered from mental disabilities and that after killing her, she had planned to commit suicide.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused was separated from her husband and lived with her daughter. Neighbours alleged that Swati had temper issues and used to lose her calm often.

The Hindu reported Swati's husband Kanchan Sarkar as saying that he was forced to live separately because Swati used to get into frequent fights with him.

Swati and Kanchan, hail from West Bengal and moved to the city about 10 years ago. Husband also said that his wife used to constantly harass their daughter.

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Tuesday's rain in Mumbai has brought the city to a standstill with MET department warning of "heavy intermittent spells" in the next few hours.

The traffic and the train services are suspended temporarily between Elphinstone Rd-Dadar on all lines with effect from 1.30 p.m., news agency ANI reported.

Further warning the people, Aditya Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena party controls the city's civic body BMC, reportedly said, "It isn't a panic situation but only step outside your house if absolutely necessary."

However, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General KJ Ramesh refused to draw any parallel between the current situation with that on 26 July 2005, when the city was inundated after being battered by rain and hundreds were killed.

Here are the "before and after" pictures of some areas of the city.

1.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Traffic on Bandra Worli Sea Link towards #SouthMumbai closed for some time for clearing Traffic ahead. #MumbaiRainshttps://t.co/HJr5j0SFrnpic.twitter.com/oPX1yFQl4w

— Firstpost (@firstpost) August 29, 2017

2.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

3.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

4.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

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Heads have rolled for far less, but Suresh Prabhu stays railway minister, in spite of 3 major accidents under his watch in the last 10 days alone. India's third railway minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned in 1956 after the Ariyalur train accident in Tamil Nadu, in which 142 people died. In 1999, railway minister Nitish Kumar quit office after nearly 300 were killed in a mishap in Assam. And a year later, Mamata Banerjee, Kumar's successor, left her position as well after twin railway tragedies in 2000.

To give Prabhu credit, he did offer to resign after the second disaster but Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to wait. Why? No one seems to know for sure, so perhaps it's safe to guess there is no candidate more suitable than Prabhu to don the mantle of the Union railways minister at the moment. Or maybe we can expect better performance from him in the days to come. But that's no comfort to the dead and dying.

Early this morning, the engine and seven coaches of the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express derailed in Kalyan in Maharashtra. Several people were injured, though there were no reports of major casualties. Only days ago, the Delhi-bound Kaifiyat Express had derailed in Uttar Pradesh's Auraiya district on 23 August, leaving at least 81 people injured. On 19 August, the Kalinga Utkal Express also derailed in Muzaffarnagar, again in Uttar Pradesh, killing 22 people and injuring over 200.

A recent HuffPost India story estimated that around 238 persons to have lost their lives in "consequential train accidents" during the year 2016-17. Of these, 193 deaths were from derailments alone, the highest-ever number of deaths from such a cause in the 17 years for which data is available.

Before we get carried away by the data, let's remind ourselves of the plain truth: Indians have been dying in droves for years now, or getting grievously injured, because the State is unable to deliver a safe public transport network, one that is, ironically, funded by the taxpayers' money.

ALSO READ: Last Year Was The Deadliest For The Indian Railways In 17 years

The reasons for such abysmal failure are well-rehearsed. Much noise is made about decades-old tracks that need replacing, faulty signalling system and unmanned level crossings every time an accident happens. But everything goes back to business as usual before the dust on the wreckage has fully settled.

The cycle of blame is unabated: lack of funds, too much pressure on the system to halt services, even to carry out essential maintenance work, human errors caused by appalling working conditions, the list runs long.

Much of it makes eminent sense, too, especially the complaints of locomotive drivers, most of whom don't have access to toilets during shifts that usually stretch for several hours, no proper lunch break, and often not even a seat to rest on. Further, many Indians, regardless of knowing full well that they shouldn't jump level crossings, continue to behave recklessly, bringing death upon themselves. Faulty signalling systems or weather conditions also cause the tracks to misalign, leading to derailment.

Yet, in spite of the staggering number of accidents and deaths (the numbers hover between 150-250 in the last three years), Indian Railways doesn't seem to have found a way to control the mishaps. Occasionally, there are reports of cosmetic changes being made to carriages and new services, usually in the form of reduction of fares or introduction of low-cost luxury trains, but not as much is heard about any systemic overhaul.

But these sops alone cannot deliver the Indian Railways into the 21st century because its operations are turning out to be patently unsafe for passengers, eroding the consumers' trust. So far as affordability is concerned, the coming of a bevy of low-cost airlines has made domestic travel much easier in India now. Gone are those days when most people had no choice but to silently suffer delays on long train journeys.

ALSO READ: It's Hardly Surprising That More Indians Are Choosing To Travel By Air Over Train

As recent findings show, middle-class Indians are increasingly preferring air travel over the railways. According to The Indian Express, domestic airlines in India flew around 97.8 million passengers between December 2015 and November 2016. "The comparable classes on Indian Railways — First AC, AC-II, III and First Class — carry on an average 145 million passengers every year," the report said, providing an index of contrast.

Such basic comforts such as bed linen for long-distance journeys and food served on board were found to be below acceptable standards by a recent audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Not only is the food served by the Indian Railways unfit for human consumption, it is often prepared with water that isn't filtered properly, the packaged edible items having passed their date of expiry. Rodents were found in the compartments, causing further worries about cleanliness and compromised public hygiene.

But then, these seem like far lesser inconveniences than the most critical one — of safety — that the Indian Railways is inflicting on its passengers, one that is criminally neglectful of the good faith of the public.

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