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posted by martyb on Monday March 04 2019, @04:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the information-wants-to-be-free dept.

The state of Kerala, India, has opened Swatantra, the largest government FOSS center in the world. Swatantra falls under the auspices of Kerala's International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS). In 2001, Kerala adopted a formal, pro-FOSS technology policy.

'Swatantra', an initiative of International Centre for Free and Open Source Software (ICFOSS), will house the FOSS incubation centre and training space. It is aimed at enhancing the government's agenda of promoting democratic access to information with the objective of sustainable economic development.

Earlier on SN:
Government of Indian State Fully Adopts FOSS in Schools; Saves $45M (2017)
Government of India Adopts FOSS Preferred Policy (2015)


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by ikanreed on Monday March 04 2019, @05:01PM (16 children)

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @05:01PM (#809853) Journal

    What are India's target milestones there? They've got some big obstacles to overcome. Their constitution nominally guarantees all citizens a clean environment, and to that end they've reduced air particulate levels through a couple pieces of legislation but that's only local concerns. As far as I can tell reviewing the available legislation, they've not set any limits on carbon emissions.

    Worse still, like the US, their president is now a psychotic, science-denying, far-right asshole.

    Maybe they'll just fix global warming with that war with Pakistan they've been brewing up.

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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 04 2019, @05:26PM (14 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @05:26PM (#809871) Journal

    The Paks don't have any part in instigating tensions between India and Pakistan? Seems to me that the Paks attack Indians, more often than Indians attack Paks. There happens to be a dispute about the borders. India would like to see that region developed, and has made overtures at cooperation between the nations to develop it. Pakistan prefers to shoot at anyone who even gets close to the area. The suicide attacks over the years adds to the hatred.

    The religious differences fuel the hatred: Pakis, being predominantly Muslim, need to jihad against someone, anyone, to ensure that they get into paradise.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_conflict [wikipedia.org]

    An opinion poll conducted by the Chatham House international affairs think tank found that in the Kashmir valley – the mainly Muslim area in Indian Kashmir at the centre of the insurgency – support for independence varies between 74% to 95% in its various districts. Support for remaining with India was, however, extremely high in predominantly Hindu Jammu and Buddhist Ladakh.

    The situation in the Kashmir valley confirms the idea that Islam is incompatible with democracy. The Muslims don't care what their neighbors want, and would rather kill the neighbors, than make any compromise.

    Now, let's not jump to any conclusions that Runaway approves of everything that India does. While India seems to be less provocative than Pakistan, India does it's share of provocation.

    Bloomberg's article should be enlightening: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-02-28/india-pakistan-war-claims-first-casualty-truth [bloomberg.com]

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Monday March 04 2019, @05:33PM (13 children)

      by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @05:33PM (#809872) Journal

      I mean, it takes two to tango, and the factors behind the conflict are complex, but Pakistani military incursions into Indian territory: 0. Radical groups within Pakistan are not without blame, and the government should do more to control those groups' support of Kashmiri independence groups, but you're just kinda racist? Very racist? Pointlessly racist? Consistently racist? So Muslim-hating that you'll push for nuclear war that could wipe out half the world's crops for a couple years, just in case it kills some?

      Anyways, I wasn't even blaming India for that, per se. I didn't mean to imply they were the sole provocateur, just that they are working towards that potential end.

      • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 04 2019, @05:50PM (4 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @05:50PM (#809878) Journal

        Well, yes, I'm pretty contemptuous of Muslims in general, and Paki Muslims in particular. That isn't racism though. Find a more fitting word, alright?

        But, I'm glad that you can see that both sides are at fault. IMO, the Pakis own something near 75% of the fault, and India owns the rest. The Bloomberg article details how Indians in general are reacting to the conflict. Just like Americans prior to the invasion of Iraq, they think it will be some kind of cakewalk - go in, kick ass, take what they want, and come home in a week or two with everything they demand. THAT ain't happening. Backed into a corner, the Paks will launch nukes.

        And, mark my word: If the Pakis launch, Muslims around the world will be dancing in the streets, just like they danced when the Towers fell in New York City. If India responds with their own launch, Muslims around the world will feel compelled to launch jihads against all who are allied with India, as well as all of the west.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @06:44PM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @06:44PM (#809909)

          Hahahahah

          racist little runaway was born in the wrong century, the crusades were a long time ago dooderino

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @06:55PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @06:55PM (#809917)

            and the musrats are starting shit again.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @07:38PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @07:38PM (#809938)

            Not that long... A little over 17 years, or about 71, if you wanna get real. No wait, it was after the fall of the Ottoman empire. Yeah, that's it.

            • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Monday March 04 2019, @09:02PM

              by pTamok (3042) on Monday March 04 2019, @09:02PM (#809976)

              Well, perhaps not the Ottoman Empire. Possibly the Ghanznaids [wikipedia.org], or maybe even as far back as the Samanid Empire. [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 2) by PocketSizeSUn on Monday March 04 2019, @05:51PM (7 children)

        by PocketSizeSUn (5340) on Monday March 04 2019, @05:51PM (#809881)

        Unfortunately your statement implies that the radical groups within Pakistan are not directly or indirectly encourage by the Pakistani government. Something which really just isn't true.
        https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/01/05/why-pakistan-supports-terrorist-groups-and-why-the-us-finds-it-so-hard-to-induce-change/ [brookings.edu]
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_terrorism [wikipedia.org]
        https://www.voanews.com/a/radical-political-groups-raise-concern-in-pakistan/4186579.html [voanews.com]

        • (Score: 4, Insightful) by ikanreed on Monday March 04 2019, @06:25PM (6 children)

          by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @06:25PM (#809896) Journal

          Sorry, but I'm not getting into the weeds on this. Runaway purposefully over-read a statement to create a sentiment I don't back. I responded that the context was more complicated. The blame game on India-Pakistan goes back fucking 70 years, more if you count ethno-religious disputes that existed long prior to their current form as nations.

          • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Monday March 04 2019, @07:07PM (3 children)

            by pTamok (3042) on Monday March 04 2019, @07:07PM (#809922)

            You can probably blame the British who have the responsibility for the Partition of India [wikipedia.org], although some of the blame could probably be placed upon the Hindu and Muslim nationalist movements [wikipedia.org].
            Could the British have done a better job? - quite probably yes. Would it have made a difference? - quite possibly not. In any event, the British were in charge and failed to produce an integrated society.

            • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Monday March 04 2019, @08:55PM (2 children)

              by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @08:55PM (#809974) Journal

              Well, yes, but...
              As I understand it, before the British India wasn't a country, so calling the amalgamation of it into administrative districts that eventually turned into countries a partition sounds a bit wrong. You can find historic parallels for India being a nation (I'm not sure about Pakistan), but I'm not sure what the boundaries of those empires (they weren't countries) were.

              IIUC, this isn't like the middle east where similar groups were split up and grouped with different groups to make things easier to control, but rather a place were lots of independent kingdoms and city-states were grouped together for administrative convenience. They didn't even speak mutually intelligible languages, which is why English ended up the official language of India when it became a country. The "Partition of India" that you are referring to happened in 1947, which is long after Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. It was actually when Britain relinquished claim to rule India, and appears to have been an attempt to produce two religiously homogeneous countries. There were huge problems, but a single country might well have been worse.

              --
              Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
              • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Monday March 04 2019, @09:39PM (1 child)

                by pTamok (3042) on Monday March 04 2019, @09:39PM (#809990)

                India had been ruled as a (pretty much) single entity under previous empires (The Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire). The British obtained power over the inhomogenous India states/principalities via the East India Company, but following the Indian Rebellion of 1858, the British government took direct rule. From 1858 to 1947 the British had full power over the Indian Subcontinent. The Partition of 1947 was a terrible misstep but opinions differ as to whether it was inevitable or not [wikipedia.org]. Nonetheless, the British ruled India for long enough that the events that led up to the Partition were squarely during their rule and the British did not see what the consequences of their mismanagement of India would be - or if they did see them, didn't care. So the British administration was either incompetent or deliberately negligent.

                • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Monday March 04 2019, @10:04PM

                  by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @10:04PM (#810003) Journal

                  If you were administrator of Israel, how would you address the conflicting religions?

                  Sometimes there isn't an obvious answer.

                  --
                  Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
          • (Score: 3, Interesting) by DeathMonkey on Monday March 04 2019, @08:27PM (1 child)

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday March 04 2019, @08:27PM (#809956) Journal

            Not to mention the story we're discussing is in Kerala.

            It would be pretty damn hard to be any further away from that scary border and still be in India!

            • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday March 04 2019, @08:31PM

              by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday March 04 2019, @08:31PM (#809959) Journal

              I wanted to focus on India's sustainability plans because English language sources about it suck ass.

              But I had to mention current eventsTM so now we're here.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @08:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 04 2019, @08:31PM (#809960)

    psychotic, science-denying, far-right asshole

    Everyone right to you is far-right becuase you a violent far-left turd.

    "psychotic" - right!
    "science-denying" - which is why he is funding science and engineering research institutes [business-standard.com] and reducing government funding of "education promoting NGOs" [business-standard.com].
    "asshole" - right!

    Did you learn about this psychotic asshole while prostituting yourself to him? Homosexuality was decriminalized under his rule [indiatimes.com] after all!

    "war with Pakistan they've been brewing up" - Because 40 Indian soldiers dying in suicide bombing [theweek.in] done by trained terrorist [hindustantimes.com] under well known Paki support [rediff.com] enjoying complete immunity [hindustantimes.com] is nothing compared to the bombing of trees [reuters.com]!

    You far-lefties are just that stupid. If a Muslim terrorist had "I am victim" written on his dick you will want a government program to promote taking it up the ass. Can't hate that govt mullah! But by GOD someone says I love my country - any country - that person is literal NAZI and the only good NAZI is one 6 feet under.

    Prime Minister Modi also appealed youth to innovate in India for the betterment or development of the society.

    "My appeal to youngsters is - Innovate in India, Innovate for humanity, from mitigating climate change to ensuring better agricultural productivity, from cleaner energy to water conservation, from combating malnutrition to effective waste management," he said.

    What a far-right psychotic asshole. Seriously, Kan You Reed?

    BONUS: FAKE NEWS CNN [indiatimes.com]