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Monday 3 February 2020

When Godse’s Children Rule India Gandhi Is Crucified Everyday


 In India — by Shamsul Islam — January 31, 2020

 The October 6, 2019 issue of Organizer, English organ of RSS, was dedicated to ‘Mahatma Gandhi’, celebrating his birthday; the October 2. Our PM Modi who identifies himself as ‘a Hindu nationalist’ also remembers Gandhiji regularly, his ideological parent, RSS displaying Gandhiji’s photo too in some of its meetings.
This love of RSS for Gandhiji is a hoax and needed to be judged by going through the following ideas and practices of this organization which are brazenly inimical to the ideals of Gandhiji.
MODI AS FATHER OF INDIA
During PM Modi’s September 2019 visit to the US, the latter’s President Trump while heaping unprecedented praise on his close friend Modi declared him to be ‘Father of India’. Modi and his followers did relish this epithet as there was no attempt by PM or his government to correct Trump that India already had one ‘Father’ and a Nation with two ‘Fathers’ would be an abnormality. On the contrary, a senior minister in the Modi’s cabinet, Jitender Singh known for his proximity to Modi publically defended Trump for describing his patron as ‘Father of India’.
BJP IT-CELL INCHARGE CALLS FOR AUCTION OF GODSE’S REVOLVER TO PROVE HIS POPULARITY
Vicky Mittal, BJP IT-Cell Indore in-charge demanded that in order to decide who is more popular in India, whether Gandhi or Godse, the pistol of Godse with which he killed Gandhiji should be put on auction. His tweet read:  एक बार गोडसे जी की पिस्तौल नीलाम करके देखो तो पता चल जाएगा की देश–भक्त था या आतंकवादी! He seemed to be sure that Godse, the killer of Gandhi would win hands down!
 
GANDHIJI AS CHATUR BANIYA
Amit Shah while addressing a RSS-BJP in Chhattisgarh in 2018 while belittling the role of Congress, in the freedom struggle, went on to discuss Gandhiji. According to him Gandhiji, to quote original words in Hindi, “bahut chatur baniya tha woh”. It needs to be noted here that by this categorization Shah, in fact, borrowed the language of M.A. Jinnah who always referred Gandhiji as ‘Hindu baniya’ who represented only Hindus. So in the vocabulary of this Hindutva icon, Shah, Gandhiji was reduced to the status of a Hindu leader which the Muslim League always propagated and propagates even today.
RSS WAS FORMED IN OPPOSITION TO GANDHIJI’S CALL FOR HINDU-MUSLIM UNITY
The RSS’ hatred for Gandhiji is as old as the formation of the RSS itself. Dr K.B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS, was a Congress leader but parted company with the latter in 1925. After meeting Hindutva icon V.D. Savarkar, he realised that Gandhiji was the biggest hurdle in the Hindutva project of organising Hindus separately. According to an RSS publication, since Gandhiji worked for Hindu-Muslim unity,
“Doctorji sensed danger in that move. In fact, he did not even relish the new-fangled slogan of ‘Hindu-Muslim unity”.
Another RSS publication corroborates the fact that the main reason behind Hedgewar’s parting with the Congress and formation of the RSS was because the “Congress believed in Hindu-Muslim unity”.
RSS & MUSLIM LEAGUE ORGANS COMPETED IN DENIGRATING GANDHIJI
The RSS launched its English organ, Organiser, in July 1947 and a perusal of its issues till the murder of Gandhiji on January 30, 1948 shows a flood of articles and sketches inimical to Gandhiji. The RSS seemed to be competing with the Hindu Mahasabha leader, Savarkar, and the Muslim League organ, The Dawn, in denigrating Gandhiji.
GANDHIJI MURDER & RSS
The first Home Minister of India, Sardar Patel, whom the RSS often praises, was forthright in holding the RSS and Hindu Maha-sabha responsible for creating an environment of hatred against Gandhiji which resulted in the latter’s murder. He underlined it in a letter (July 18, 1948) to the prominent leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee:
“As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji’s murder is subjudice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organisations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible. There is no doubt in my mind that the extreme section of the Hindu Mahasabha was involved in the conspiracy.”
Eight months after Gandhiji’s assassination, Sardar Patel, in a letter (September 11, 1948) to RSS chief Golwalkar, was straightforward in telling that it was due to the communal poison spread by the RSS that “the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji. Even an iota of the sympathy of the Government or of the people, no more remained with the RSS…Opposition turned more severe, when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death.”5
The RSS may be displaying a photo of Gandhiji in some of its programmes and may describe him as Mahatma but its hatred keeps on recurring; it is shaswat, perennial. After the Modi Government came to power in 2014, the RSS/BJP leaders have been demanding national recognition, as freedom fighters, for the killers of Gandhiji. Temples are coming up with the images of Godse who was the main killer of Gandhiji. The Hindutva organisations have been celebrating the killing of Gandhiji as the ‘vadh’ of a demon at the altar of Hindu Rashtra. It is to be noted that Nathuram Godse and others who conspired to kill M.K. Gandhiji, claimed to be ‘Hindu Nationalists’. Sakshi Maharaj, Pragya Thakur, Usha Thakur declared Godse as the greatest patriot.
If you believe that all this is happening without the knowledge of the RSS/BJP‘s top leadership, you are grossly mistaken. A prominent Hindutva organisation, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), allied to the RSS, has been regularly holding national conventions for ‘Establishment of a Hindu Nation’ in India. In June 2013 one such convention was held in Goa. It is to be noted that members of one avatar of the HJS, Sanatan Sanstha, have been found indulging in bomb blasts at Muslim institutions and are under investigation for the murder of renowned secular intellectuals like Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar. This convention started its proceedings with a felicitation message from the then CM of Gujarat, Narendrabhai Modi, on June 1, wishing the HJS all success in its project of turning India into a Hindu Nation.
Shockingly, from the same dais in this convention from where Modi’s felicitation message was read, one of the prominent speakers, K.V. Sitaramiah, declared on June 10, 2013 that Gandhi was ‘terrible, wicked and most sinful’. Rejoicing at the killing of M.K. Gandhi, he went on to declare, “As Bhagwan Shri Krishna said in the Gita, Paritranaya Sadhunam Vinashaya Cha Dush-kritam/Dharamasansthapnaya Sambhavami Yuge-Yuge (For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age) on…30th January 1948 evening, Shri Ram came in the form of Nathuram Godse and ended the life of Gandhi.”
K.V. Sitaramiah has also authored a book, titled Gandhi was Dharma Drohi and DesaDrohi, in which the text at the back cover, quoting from the epic Mahabharata, demands that ‘Dharma Drohis must be killed’, ‘Not killing the deserved to be killed is a great sin’ and ‘where the Members of Parliament seeing clearly allow to kill Dharma and truth as untruth, those members will be called dead’.
Gandhiji was assassinated on January 30, 1948 by a gang of Hindutva zealots, sadly, their ideological children rule India today demolishing whatever was dear to him.

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Saffron raising red flags since 2014?

Saffron raising red flags since 2014?
A look at how India’s economic, social and political fabric has taken a hit since BJP came to power since 2014


Sabrangindia                                                                                                      31 Jan 2020

Image Courtesy: annnews.in
 It has been 6 years since BJP has been in power at the Centre. While many of nominal schemes like ‘Make in India’, ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ (Clean India Mission), Krishi Kalyan have been popular, the outcomes of the same are however questionable.

Let us have a look at some of the parameters that determine the efficacy of the BJP government. Some of these parameters being economy, environmental health, employment, women safety, farmers’ issues, soldiers’ deaths, militancy and so on.
 

Unemployment at 4 decade high:
The National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) job survey for 2017-18 which was released in May 2019 showed that unemployment in the country has been at a four-decade-high. Unemployment was pegged at 6.1 percent, highest in last 45 years, unemployment being higher in urban areas (7.8%) than in rural areas (5.3%).

Air pollution

Greenpeace carried out an air analysis study which concluded that world’s 30 worst cities for air pollution are in India. Delhi was ranked the world’s most populated capital city and Gurugram, the most polluted city in the world. The report is based on 2018 air quality data from public monitoring sources, such as government monitoring networks, supplemented with validated data from outdoor IQAir AirVisual monitors operated by private individuals and organisations.

Soldiers are dying
As per data collected and compared by South Asia Terrorism Portal, death of jawans in terror attacks has risen 106 percent in Jammu and Kashmir between 2014 and 2018.
A rising trend was also observed in the number of people who were killed in terrorism-related activities in Jammu & Kashmir in these five years. A total of 1,315 people were killed in the state between 2014 and 2018 due to terrorism.
(Image Courtesy: Moneycontrol)
Kashmir worsened
In early 2019 it was reported Army officials in Jammu and Kashmir, 191 Kashmiri youths had joined militancy in 2018, a marked increase from 2017 figures when 126 locals had joined militancy. The figure was even lower in 2016 when 88 youths had joined militancy in Kashmir.
With the amendment of Article 370 and reorganization of the state of Jammu and Kashmir which led to it losing it anonymous status, the government also imposed severe communication blockade on the state which continues to some degree. This has only made matter worse in the state which saw the longest running internet blockade in a democracy.
No country for women
A global perception poll carried out by Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2018 surveyed 558 experts on women’s issues in order to assess nations on overall safety for women. The same poll carried out in 2011 had put India at fourth place and the same poll carried out in 2018 put India at first place. India had surpassed war-torn Afghanistan (2nd), Syria (3rd) as well as Somalia, a country that ranks significantly lower on human development indices.

Farmers’ woes

As per government data, Wholesale Price Index (WPI) data for December 2018 the WPI sub-component for primary food articles was in the negative since July 2018. WPI is a good indicator of farm-gate prices as farmers sell their products in wholesale rather than retail markets. This data meant that farmers suffered deterioration in terms of their trade and 2018-19 turned out to be a year of agrarian crisis for India; also proving to be the worst year for farm incomes in almost two decades. Doubling farm incomes was one of biggest promises of the Narendra Modi government after it assumed office in 2014.

Mob lynching

While National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) did not contain any data on deaths due to mob lynching, IndiaSpend conducted a content analysis of English news media in 2017 and found  that Muslims were the target of 51% of violence centered on bovine issues over nearly eight years (2010 to 2017) and comprised 86% of 28 Indians killed in 63 incidents. More than half (52%) of these attacks were based on rumours.
As many of 97% of these attacks were reported after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government came to power in May 2014, and about half the cow-related violence – 32 of 63 cases – were from states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Income disparity

India is the third largest by purchasing power parity in the world, after China and USA; however, this growth is not uniformly distributed amongst its population. According to Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Report of 2016, the top 1% of India’s population owns nearly 60% of its wealth, trailing Russia, where the top 1% owns 74%.
In India, the upper classes were the main beneficiary of the nation’s surging economic development and poverty rates are also significantly lower among the upper caste Hindus rather than the Hindu other backward classes, the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and Muslims. One third of Muslim and Hindu scheduled castes and tribes are in poverty compared to 10% of the upper castes Hindu. Altogether, 28% or around 360 million Indians are living in conditions of severe poverty.
According to the latest data from Credit Suisse and Oxfam, the richest 10% of Indians own 80% of the country’s wealth. At the other end, the poorer half jostles for a mere 4.1% of national wealth. 

The Rupee slump

As per a report of Bloomberg Quint, in August 2019, Indian Rupee became Asia’s worst performing currency as it battled an unresolved global trade war between USA and China and fleeing foreign funds.
Source: Bloomberg
Environmental health
The Environmental Performance Index, 2017 released by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum ranked India at number 177 out of 180 countries, slipping 36 places down from its previous rank at 141 in the year 2016.

When the Supreme Court split for the first time ever

In early 2018, four senior most judges of the highest court of the land, held a press conference to bring to light the fact that the administration of Supreme Court was not in order. One of the judges, Justice Chelameswar said that unless the Supreme Court is not preserved, democracy will not survive. Justice Chelameswar was accompanied by Justices Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph. Such press conference was unprecedented and the judges themselves called it an extra-ordinary event. They had said that the democracy is at stake, which holds true even today.

Religious intolerance

In 2017, Pew Research Centre analysed data of 198 countries and ranked India as fourth worst in the world for religious intolerance. Pew analyzed cases that involved hate crimes, mob violence, communal violence, religion-related terror, the use of force to prevent religious practice, the harassment of women for not conforming to religious dress codes, and violence over conversion or proselytizing.
Media freedom under threat
An article carried by Deutsche Welle (DW), a German broadcaster, analysed how India media had been losing its independence and is constantly under political pressure. It cited various incidents like the resignation of two prominent journalists from ABP news channel after the channel ran a story about a villager in the central state of Chhattisgarh who claimed that she was told by a government official to lie to media that she had benefitted from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rural schemes.
In another incident, ABP's news anchor Abhisar Sharma was taken off air for over a fortnight after he reportedly defied instructions from the management that he must not criticize PM Modi's policies.
Journalists have claimed “self-censorship” has increased in news media after BJP has come to power at the Centre since 2014. The main reason being, the growing string nexus between political parties, government officials and the media.

A starving India

The Global Hunger Index (GHI) report of 2019 revealed that India slipped to 102 ranks from its position at 95 in 2018. The GHI examined 117 countries and India’s rank was lower than its neighbouring countries, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The report, prepared jointly by Irish aid agency Concern Worldwide and German organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe termed the level of hunger in India “serious”. The GHI score is calculated on four indicators -- undernourishment; child wasting, the share of children under the age of five who are wasted (that is, who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition); child stunting, children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition; and child mortality, the mortality rate of children under the age of five.

Assortment of maladies

Indians, apart from being hungry, living in an environment of religious intolerance, living in unemployment and farmer crisis, have been surrounded by various other maladies, brought on to them under the aegis of the BJP government. While many international reports have proved the degrading state of affairs in India, even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its suspicion on India’s tax revenue estimates and GDP growth target.
That is not all India even deviated from the Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDSS) prescribed by IMF as it caused delays in the release of its economic and financial data.
Even the Election Commission, one of the pillars of India’s democratic fabric, has been seemingly compromised. In PILs filed before the Supreme Court it has come to light that there were serious discrepancies between the number of voters in different constituencies, that is the voter turnout data collated and provided by the EC and the number of votes counted. Discrepancies ranged from 1 vote to 1,01,323 votes, which is equal to 10.49 per cent of the total votes. The plea further said there were six seats where the discrepancy in votes was higher than the winning margin. The case is pending before the apex court.
India’s drastic fall in the World Happiness Index since BJP has come to power is reflected in India’s current state of affairs. In 2013, India ranked at 117 which came down to 140 in 2019 and which is very likely to plummet further in 2020 considering the ongoing protests against the divisive policies of the government and the highhandedness of BJP ruled states on these protesters.
India even fared poorly in Global Democracy Index, 2019. Its position fell 10 places compared to the previous year and for the first time ever; it scored lower than 7 in a range of 0 to 10.
Clearly, it is no coincidence that India has fared poorly on all of these numerous parameters which are pertinent to overall growth and development of the country which was what was promised to Indians (“Acche din” – Good days) before they voted BJP to power. With the economy slumping, international matter making it worse, the government has still not gone into the damage control mode which it should have by now and is instead employing its resources for futile exercises like NPR and eventually the NRC and using divisive tactics to create a communal divide to erode the secular fabric of the nation. While protesters and opposition parties are persistent, only time will tell how much more downhill this party can drive our country.
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Sunday 26 January 2020

One of Germany’s senior Muslim diplomats, Murad Hoffman, returns to his Lord

One of Germany’s senior Muslim diplomats, Murad Hoffman, returns to his Lord
By Hamza Saleem : Islam21C.com, 15 January 2020

 Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhi rājiʿūn. Indeed, to Allāh we belong, and to Him we are returning.
It is with deep sadness that we inform our readers that the scholar and diplomat, Murad Hoffman, has passed to meet his Lord (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). May Allāh have mercy upon him.
Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) declares:
“Wherever you are, death will overtake you, even if you be in lofty towers.” [1]
“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception.” [2]
Murad Hofmann was born a Catholic in 1931 in Aschaffenburg, Germany. He later studied at the University of Munich and Harvard University. Hofmann converted to Islam in 1980 as a result of witnessing the Algerian War of Independence, in addition to his admiration of Islamic art.
His reversion was met with political resistance due to his high profile in the German government. Hofmann served as a diplomat for Germany for 33 years, beginning in 1961. He served as ambassador to Algeria and Morocco from 1987 to 1994, and was director of information for NATO. [3]
The “brilliant” thinker and scientist with a “first class” personality drew much attention to his religious beliefs with his publishing of many books and articles, including Islam: The Alternative, Journey to Makkah, and Diary of a German Muslim. On 13th January 2019, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany – of which Hofmann was an honorary and advisory member – announced that he had returned to his Lord at the age of 88.
Yahya Birt said:
“Humane, rational, morally serious yet a wonderful raconteur and dinner companion, it was my pleasure to get to know him and work with him as an editor of the Muslim World Book Review, to which he was an erudite and prolific contributor. In many ways, intellectually and temperamentally, he was Muhammad Asad’s true heir in Europe.”
Dr Ecevit Polat wrote for his obituary:
“Murad Hofmann’s extraordinary contribution to the understanding of Islam is not only an immense enrichment in the German-speaking world. It is not difficult to predict that his books will also impress future generations. Likewise, even critics of Islam, such as Prof. Ursula Spuler-Stegemann, admit that Hofmann’s books “reflect a very attractive side of Islam.” It is therefore not surprising that Hofmann was and will remain a role model for many Muslims until the end. His tireless commitment, even in old age, to understanding and tolerance was particularly appreciated by the local Muslims. Murad Hofmann was undoubtedly the most influential Muslim today and a gift from Germany to Islam.” [4]
Finally, Sheikh Dr Haitham Al-Haddad said:
“He is proof that Islam is not an Arab or Eastern religion, rather it is a religion for all of humanity- whether they are black Africans, brown Arabs or white Europeans.”
We beseech Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to expand his grave, shower His infinite mercy upon him, to forgive his sins and grant his family patience. We ask Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) to make this difficult time an expiation of sins and the raising of rank in the sight of our Lord.
May Allāh continue to raise up dedicated and upright individuals who will continue the propagation of Islam in Germany and beyond.
Source: www.islam21c.com

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George Soros calls out Modi on Kashmir, Hindutva


George Soros calls out Modi on Kashmir, Hindutva

The billionaire was speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos


Sabrangindia                                                                      24 Jan 2020

Nothing stings Narendra Modi more than international condemnation. A public relations disaster in the form of scathing remarks from one of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful investors and philanthropists, therefore, deals a body-blow to his carefully crafted image as a leader committed to “Sabka saath, sabka vikas”.
The Hungarian-American billionaire was speaking at the annual economic summit being held at Davos in Switzerland and addressing the subject of how nationalism was making headway, he said the “biggest setback” was being seen in India.
"Nationalism, far from being reversed, made further headway. The biggest and most frightening setback occurred in India where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship," said Soros.
Over the last few weeks several top businessmen, economists and intellectuals have spoken up against Modi.
In November 2019, industrialist Rahul Bajaj took the bull by its horns when he said that people in India are fearful of speaking out against the Modi government and that he wasn’t sure if the government can accept criticism in the right spirit.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella too did not mince words when he expressed displeasure with amendments to India’s citizenship laws. "I think what is happening is sad, primarily as sort of someone who grew up there ... I think it's just bad," Nadella told BuzzFeed at an event in New York.
"And even a story like mine being possible in a country like this - I think, if anything, I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the CEO of Infosys. That should be the aspiration. If I had to sort of mirror what happened to me in the US, I hope that’s what happens in India."
Meanwhile, in December 2019, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief Economist Gita Gopinath had also warned that India needed to take urgent measures such as labour and land reforms and strengthening the financial system, to get its economy back on track lest the downturn have global fallout. On Monday, January 20, while releasing its World Economic Outlook (WEO) the IMF slashed global growth projections for 2019 to 2.9 per cent and for 2020 to 3.3 per cent. India's growth forecast was also downgraded for 2019 to 4.8 per cent from 6.1 per cent on the back of sharp decline in consumer demand, stress in the NBFC sector and sluggish credit growth, reported Business Today. She told India Today that India could be responsible for 8- percent of the global slowdown!
These are hits that Modi’s “vikas-purush” image cannot afford to take. But will all this international criticism compel Modi to double down on his supremacist agenda and restore human rights of persecuted minorities across India, dignity to the people of Kashmir and Assam, and repeal the patently unconstitutional provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)? Or will his hubris finally become his undoing?


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Well, the world has changed as it should but perhaps they had a point as there is a Vaish — not one at the top of the class but a tea-seller from a shop that would be at the other end of the spectrum from those charming English tea shops in Devon — now running the country.  Of dubious education that has been challenged and a beginning in the ultra-nationalist RSS (once outlawed by India’s founding prime minister and known also for producing Gandhi’s assassin) Narendra Modi is at India’s helm.  His BJP party’s rise is linked to stoking up tensions between Hindus and minority Muslims, whose suffering has been well documented.  Police powers have been increased and Muslim Kashmir is now under direct rule from Delhi, while new laws are disqualifying Muslims from citizenship.  So reports The Economist in its special issue, The State of the World in 2020 (p. 53).
Better known is the pogrom of Muslims in Modi’s Gujarat when he headed the provincial government there, and his party’s role in the destruction of a 500-year old mosque built by Babur so that the fictitious birthplace of Ram would be holy to both religions
After the Indian rebellion against British rule, the British saw advantage in fostering division among communities in the infamous divide-and-rule maxim, now changed by Modi into suppress-and-rule, as the left-over Muslim community is poor and weak after the emigration of many to Pakistan following partition and independence in 1947.
Gandhi and founding Prime Minister Nehru’s vision of a secular India is enshrined in its constitution, which Modi and the BJP’s Hindu nationalist agenda subverts.  Its Hindutva, a Nazi-like ideology holding Hinduism supreme, wants India to be an exclusively Hindu nation noting that Hindu and Muslim cultures are different, without regard to the similarities.  As a video demonstrating the new ideology in practice points out, it is safer to be a cow than a Muslim in Modi’s India.
It is what one can expect when an ill-educated, charismatic tea-seller takes over the world’s largest democracy offering cultural superiority and its false pride, hare brained schemes like a deadline declaring old high denomination banknotes illegal causing chaos at banks.  Poorly managed plans like toilets and gas cookers for the poor are touted as successes.  But the toilets are not used because the plans did not include maintenance, and gas cooker distribution is riddled with corruption.  Meanwhile, the economy suffers and the country ranks 102 out 117 on the Global Hunger Index (between Sierra Leone and Niger) and far behind Bangladesh. 
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