Wanted: a Deputy Speaker
IF the BJP stalwarts thought that the insurance dispute was life-threatening and that they had slayed that dragon, they are sadly mistaken.

Merger in the air
LESS than a fortnight ago, the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Ananth Kumar, had denied any move to merge Indian Airlines and Air India.

Synergy for growth
A WELCOME sense of awakening is pervading the educational sphere in this country. When Amartya Sen described education and health as two grey areas in the field of development, rethinking began in many circles about the transformation of Indian society and economy.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
by J. L. Gupta
ALL human beings are made of the same clay. By the same Creator. With a broadly similar anatomy. All have similar requirements. We all need air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. Still, we are all different from each other. No two persons are alike. No two individuals look the same. Factually, we are all unequal. Yet, we all claim equality as a right. Against everyone. Why?

Dealing with the Taliban
by P. Raman
WHEN a section of the fanatic young men left madarsas to form a fundamentalist militia in 1993, few had anticipated that they would one day grow into the most powerful force in Afghanistan.

Unemployment haunts youth in Punjab
By Kriti Arora
HAVING emerged from the tentacles of terrorism, Punjab is now haunted by a new problem. Rising unemployment amongst educated youth has assumed such alarming proportions that experts warn that no permanent peace can be fostered in the state unless the problem is tackled decisively.

A tiger for Chandigarh
by Rajnish Wattas
EVER since a leopard wandered off from his sylvan forest settings, for spending a day out in Panchkula, a number of feline fables are doing the rounds. The possibility that the poor leopard was perhaps merely making a friendly neighbour’s call to the human habitat, was quite lost in the ensuing commotion and excitement.

75 Years Ago

The Punjab situation
EVERY thinking Punjabi who has a stake in the land of his birth is doubtlessly unhappy in the present atmosphere of general discord and restlessness and is naturally anxious to see a better state of things. The desire for peace and progress is general, but the methods of attaining this end are thought differently by different people.

Wanted: a Deputy Speaker

IF the BJP stalwarts thought that the insurance dispute was life-threatening and that they had slayed that dragon, they are sadly mistaken. A real challenge to their confidence and the cohesion of the ruling alliance is developing in the election of the Deputy Speaker. First, the Trinamool Congress and now the AIADMK have revolted and proclaimed their support to the Congress and its nominee, Mr P.M.Sayeed. They have between them enough votes to seat him in the august chair. It is as simple as that. That apart, a faction of the Biju Janata Dal, purely because of internal compulsions, is eyeing the Sayeed candidature with favour as is a group within the Samata. In short, a sort of realignment, totally unexpected until a few days earlier, is taking shape within the BJP-led ruling alliance and it is really worrisome. With the Congress in a resurgent mood and the alliance partners in assertive mode, these are trying days for the BJP.

There is no need to panic though. The situation can be controlled with a bit of statesmanship and sagacity. The BJP leadership solved the insurance controversy with jawboning – that is, tough-talking. They should change the tactics in this case and show tonnes of sweet reasonableness. They should on their own offer the post of Deputy Speaker to the Congress and invite it to field Mr Sayeed and see him elected unopposed. The real task is to package the whole deal as the first step in consensus-building. The election of the Congressman is inevitable in the circumstances. Why not recognise it and script the sequence in such a fashion that it looks like a planned process, planned by the BJP and its allies that is. The Congress and the media may not be taken in, but the people will love it.

First, do not think up of another Mrs Rita Verma, the ever smiling but unfortunate nominee of the BJP in the last session for the same post, but a candidate in an election that never was. Keep the hot heads who are forever ready to indulge in muscle-flexing under strict control and,yes, keep them away from television cameras. It is the promise of a few minutes of fame that makes them spew out empty threats and boasts. It would help if the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs uses more careful words than he is known for. A hotline with top Congress leaders should clinch the issue. The secret is that many of the Congress top brass would like to take the credit for paving the way for the unopposed election of the party candidate as the Deputy Speaker, and they should be used fully to make it look like a genuine give and take. A long while ago, rather on the day he assumed power, Prime Minister Vajpayee promised to govern by consensus, that is, by seeking the cooperation of the Opposition. The hot words by the Trinamool Congress and the AIADMK give him a rare opportunity to put this into practice and benefit. Politics in India needs a healing touch and somebody has to take the initiative.

Merger in the air

LESS than a fortnight ago, the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Ananth Kumar, had denied any move to merge Indian Airlines (IA) and Air India (AI). But in this brief period, some new wisdom seems to have dawned on the government that such a merger is indeed in the interest of the airlines. In a way, this decision is an indirect admission that the programme to “synergise” Indian Airlines, Air India and Alliance Air unveiled earlier was way short of expectations and that only a full-fledged merger can bring about a turn-around. The logic behind this line of thinking is that there is a lot of undercutting and duplication in running the two airlines separately. Ever since the Gulf routes were passed on to Indian Airlines, the profit of Air India has dipped. The latter is suffering from an acute shortage of aircraft while Indian Airlines is not able to put its aircraft to optimum use. Senior Aviation Ministry officials claim that the two airlines together have 79 aircraft and if they operate jointly, much better service can be provided. Management also can be lean and effective, cutting down cost and decision-taking time as well. On paper all that sounds very good. But the proposal does not take into account the factual position in the airlines. Air India is terminally ill because of the numerous errors of omissions and commissions particularly of the past six years. It incurred a loss of Rs 288 crore last year. It urgently requires a Rs 1,000 crore bailout package. A tie-up with Indian Airlines presents a very real possibility of both sinking together instead of swimming to safety.

The unvarnished truth is that both these organisations are in poor health. Bureaucratic indifference and inefficiency have affected their innards. Tying them together might not be all that good an idea at this stage because it may only encourage the employees of Indian Airlines to demand each and every perk being enjoyed by those of Air India. That comprises a fat packet, incidentally. Both have a history of financial mismanagement and surrender to unions. The demanding employees scuttle every government move to run these efficiently. That is how Air India has come to acquire 770 employees per aircraft as against the industry average of 250 employees per aircraft. Government interference is phenomenal. That is why one fails to be enthused by the prospects of amalgamation. Unless there is a merger of good management with work culture, things cannot improve. As per the report of the Kelkar Committee, the government has decided to restructure Indian Airlines by infusing Rs 475 crore, including a soft loan of Rs 200 crore. The government has also decided to disinvest to the tune of 51 per cent, of which 10 per cent would be held by employees and the rest by a strategic partner. Given the uproar over the insurance sector reforms, it remains to be seen how soon the bold proposals come to be implemented, if at all. The government swears by the reports of various professional consultants like A.R.Ferguson. Many of these reports have recommended that Air India needs to shed some 7,000 employees. Is it really ready to bell the unionised cat?

Synergy for growth

A WELCOME sense of awakening is pervading the educational sphere in this country. When Amartya Sen described education and health as two grey areas in the field of development, rethinking began in many circles about the transformation of Indian society and economy. The University Grants Commission (UGC)-sponsored national seminar on “Human Rights in India (HRI): Issues and Perspectives” brought awareness among educationists. The venue was Jamia Millia Islamia. The participants included Syed Sibte Razi, Mr V.M. Tarakunde, Mr Abid Husain and Mr Rajinder Sachar. The occasion provided an opportunity to them to assess the real place of man in an evolving society. Rights and wrongs were applicable to all living organisms. Human rights had to be respected because man was placed at the centre of the universe. By offering to become a major partner in the promotion of education on human rights and thinking about the subject as a part of our culture, the UGC has enlarged its scope and area of activity. It is mainly known as a funding agency. It occasionally creates conditions for teachers’ agitations and holds discussions on popular academic topics. Now it has involved itself in a civilising task—the task of telling students at the college or university level what precisely is meant by the right to be human. Mostly human rights are legally related to the violation of civilised norms in society and polity. But what will be discussed at Bangalore, Nagpur, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Pondicherry, Patna, Lucknow, Roorkee, Ludhiana and Delhi will form a corpus of ideas which will yield appropriate syllabi for the higher educational system. A major exercise will begin with discussions on the crucial role of the government in promoting “human rights culture”. The new UGC paper called “Approach to the Promotion of Human Rights Education (HRE) in Universities and Colleges” will focus the attention of the government and the public on accumulating knowledge and spreading awareness of the abuse of various structures and processes of power. This will lead to countrywide discussions on the vulnerability of the weaker sections. Education is a source of empowerment and those who did not have the benefit of getting educated even 50 years after Independence will be the target of the HRE. This is entirely a holistic approach. Credit must be given to the ICICI for organising a debate on the universalisation of education.

The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies has lent its mite to the idea of making educational reforms a movement. What was needed was productive synergy among the corporate sector, the government and various non-government organisations. The challenge is daunting. The country has to reverse the situation in which 70 million children are seen out of the ambit of schooling. Disadvantage will have to be turned into advantage and opportunity. The suggestion to make taluka-level leaders responsible for implementing educational programmes is sound. It points to the grassroot concept of empowerment (of the common man) through education. Madhya Pradesh has a success story to tell. About 25 villages have got together and specified their needs with regard to basic learning. The panchayats have been fully involved. Some time ago, Mumbai showed the way by bringing about an industry-NGO linkage which is not just supplanting the work in corporation schools; it is also supplementing the efforts of the ICICI. The plan for setting up information kiosks is novel and its implementation will enable villagers to have access to information on various topics without much difficulty. Those who are taking part in awareness campaigns need to have unflagging zeal and enough good luck.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION
India’s commitment to rights
by J. L. Gupta

ALL human beings are made of the same clay. By the same Creator. With a broadly similar anatomy. All have a body and mind. The human features have a basic identity and pattern. All have similar requirements. We all need air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. Still, we are all different from each other. No two persons are alike. No two individuals look the same. Not even the twins. Factually, we are all unequal. Yet, we all claim equality as a right. Against everyone. Why?

From the primitive to the modern, from Spartacus of the Roman days to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela of the present times, from the Magna Carta of 1215 to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in this century, is man’s effort to heighten civility. The claim to equality is a part of this ever continuing and never ending struggle. This claim is an assertion of human ego.

The two wars had left the world with two armies. An army of cripples and an army of mourners. The disregard for human rights by human beings had led to inhuman acts of barbarism and brutality. The aftermath was intense human pain and unbearable suffering. It had shocked the human conscience. It was realised that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family was the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” It was proclaimed that the highest aspiration of the common people is the “advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief, freedom from want and fear.” Thus, in the post-war era, the world moved from a constant and nagging fear of an atomic holocaust to a conscious and sincere concern for human rights. A number of nations throughout the world affirmed their faith in the “dignity and worth of the human person”. It was recognised that certain human rights were the basic tenets of a civilised society. They pledged themselves to “achieve universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms”. And thus, 50 years back, on this day, the 10th December, 1948, the people of the world had made the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The concept of the dignity of human person and of the equality of human beings as enshrined in the Declaration was not new to the Indian people. These ideals have been recognised in India since the hoary past. In fact, the Indian concept regarding human values has “the oldest pedigree”. Many a millennium back, it was said in the Rigveda, which is universally acknowledged as the oldest document, that “No one is superior or inferior. All human beings are equal. They are all brothers who should strive collectively for the common welfare”. The Atharvaveda had said: “As the cow protects a new born at the risk of her life, so one should enlarge one’s heart infinitely with compassion for all beings. All human beings have equal right over food and water”. This is our heritage. Today, the world is just beginning to realise the truth and significance of what our sages and scriptures had said many centuries back.

It was in keeping with our rich tradition that within a year of the signing of the Universal Declaration we had incorporated the human rights in the Constitution which was adopted by us on November 26, 1949. Not merely that. It was further provided that all the existing laws, which may be inconsistent with the Fundamental Rights, shall be void to the extent of the inconsistency. It was ordained that the State shall not “make any law which takes away or abridges the rights” conferred by Part III of the Constitution. These Rights were made legally enforceable. In fact, the right to move the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court of India, for violation of a Fundamental Right was itself guaranteed as a fundamental right under Article 32 of the Constitution.

During the years that have followed, the courts in post-Independence India have drawn extensively upon the Declaration while interpreting the provisions in Part III of the Constitution. Article 13(2) of the Declaration which provides that “everyone has the right to leave any country including his own and to return to his country” was read into Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty so as to sustain the citizen’s claim, for the issue of a passport. Similarly, in Randhir Singh’s case the court read into Article 14 of the Constitution the guarantee of “equal pay for equal work” as embodied in Article 23(2) of the Declaration. Such instances can be multiplied. However, even these two cases illustrate the fact that the courts in India are giving effect to the provisions in the Declaration of Human Rights. And it is not merely lip service. A number of judicial pronouncements by the Indian courts at the highest level have derived their true colour and content from the provisions in the Declaration. We have not merely signed the Declaration. We have effectively enforced its provisions.

Today, the world has made tremendous progress. In almost every sphere of human activity. Particularly, in the field of science and technology. However, nature follows a rule. Almost ruthlessly. For everything that is given, something is taken away. As a result, we find that while the civilised man has learnt the use of the wheel, he has lost the use of his feet. He has got a watch, but he cannot tell the hour by the sun. He has reached the Mars but polluted the earth. He has created creature comforts but lost contentment. The man who claims to be more civilised has certainly become more selfish. With advancement in technology, the gap between the man who owns and the man who works has widened. Two classes have emerged. There are some who have more food than appetite. There are the others who have more appetite than food. There are those who live and work in five-star comfort. There are the poor starving masses who are working in the scorching sun or biting cold and living in the dark and dingy slums.

These are the two faces of the kind of civilised society we live in. The disparities among human beings are a stark reality. But, then, it cannot be forgotten that human beings are, by their very nature, unequal. This basic fact has to be remembered always. We have the poor peasant and the powerful prince. We have the dwarfs and the giants. The stupid and the sophisticated. All kinds of people inhabit this wide world of ours. No two human beings are totally alike. In fact, the absolute equality belongs only to the grave. However, despite the existing realities, which cannot be ignored, it must be ensured at all times and for all the people that they get justice. The good must never be put on a par with the bad. Virtue should always be protected against the vice. The villain and the virtuous should never be treated alike. The good must be compensated against the ill so as to ensure justice between the two. This alone can help us realise the ideals embodied in the Declaration.

It has been said, “Freedom is fragile”. We may sign the Universal Declarations and the International Covenants till there is a “shortage of parchment and pens in the world”. Yet, we may not have done enough to ensure the equality of human beings and the dignity of the human person. What can “equality” mean to a person who cannot provide two square meals a day to his family? What does “dignity” mean to a person who has no clothes to hide his nudity and no roof to cover his head? What consolation can these principles give to a man who is unable to provide shelter to his family? What could be Universal Declaration of Human Rights have meant to the helpless men, women and children who were brutally massacred in Jahanabad allegedly by members of the Ranvir Sena? Shall the poor and the illiterate majority of people inhabiting this world be ever free from want and fear?

One side of the face cannot smile when the other side is pinched. No human being can be indifferent to the mournful cries of another human being. Man can no longer continue to worship God and torture man. The injustice must be eliminated from our midst. The individual’s happiness must yield in favour of the common good. The individuals interests and impulses must be subordinated to those of society. Only then the Declaration can serve the intended purpose.

We must realise that the primary threat to man today is from man himself. The ordinary mirror can tell us the most important truth. It can show to each one of us, the “world’s most dangerous animal”. We call ourselves rational beings. We must learn to behave in a rational manner. We cannot continue to abuse liberty and to allow it to degenerate into licence. The history of the world has shown that nothing lasts forever. Not even freedom. Along with the rights, we must be conscious of our duties. We must realise our responsibilities. We must perform our role honestly and sincerely. We must combine liberty with labour. We must remember that we cannot continue to borrow and live on loans. The people must learn to put in hard work. Honest labour. To produce more. To remove scarcity. That is the only reliable route to progress. That is the surest road to success. It provides the best guarantee against poverty. Freedom from want is the only way to freedom from fear. Hard work is the price for a dignified existence. It is easily affordable. We must be ready and willing to pay for it.

Liberty is “like alcohol”. It must be taken in “moderation”. It must be combined with something to sustain it over a period of time. It is only then that the promised rights in the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” can have the possibility of becoming a reality. Shall we pay any heed to this truth? We can ignore it only at our own peril. And if we do, the future generations shall never forgive us.

Dealing with the Taliban
by P. Raman

WHEN a section of the fanatic young men left madarsas to form a fundamentalist militia in 1993, few had anticipated that they would one day grow into the most powerful force in Afghanistan. Still sad, many of us continue to underestimate the potential of the Taliban in the entire region. In the wake of US pressures, they have already established certain new vital links with foreign arms suppliers. The control of border trade in narcotics enables them to muster enormous funds.

According to a UN drug control programme, Afghanistan produced between 2,000 and 3,000 tonnes of raw opium this year. Recently, Taliban agents have intensified their drug running as a method of funds-for-arms programme. Some reports also suggest that apart from the Pakistani military officers, the Taliban is also using the services of specially trained personnel from the West to provide certain kind of training.

Latest reports indicate that the Taliban has already opened different fronts to extend its control to far-flung areas. While Pakistan’s ISI provides funds and arms to intrude into Kashmir to spread terrorism, certain US oil interests are encouraging them to consolidate on the other front. CIS countries have begun to feel the Taliban pressures. Geo-strategically, all Afghanistan’s neighbours, including India, Iran and the CIS, will soon become their target.

For quite some time Indian armed forces have with them enough evidence of the Taliban presence in Kashmir. But it was only recently that the real magnitude of their activities is known. Among the items seized from Afghan infiltrators during the encounters with the Indian forces were shoulder-held rocket launchers, AK-47 assault guns fixed with silencers and pictures of Taliban cult figure Osama bin Laden. There were also huge supplies of medicines with Pakistani markings and Kenwood wireless sets which are capable of using secret codes. Recording of Bin Laden’s speeches was aimed at pure indoctrination.

Propaganda materials indicated that after Afghanistan, India should be the next target. This had to be accomplished by “liberating” Kashmir. The Pir Panjal ranges and the Haji Pir pass are the most vulnerable areas for the infiltration of the Taliban elements. This apparently confirms the reports abroad warning about a major Taliban intrusion into Kashmir to help the Pakistani-aided supporters. The reports had said that certain sophisticated arms supplied originally to Pakistan by Ukrain are being diverted for use in Kashmir by the Taliban. Among the items seized from the infiltrators are a huge quantity of Indian currency notes.

The Taliban’s activities are aided and encouraged by the US oil interests. Unocal, an oil giant, is going ahead with the construction of an oil and gas pipeline to still water ports from the Central Asian oilfields. They want to make this as an alternative route to the one that passes through Iran. Much of the new pipeline passes through Taliban-held Afghan areas. As a price for their protection, the oil firm has agreed to finance the Taliban in a big way.

Recently, the Taliban held negotiations with Turkmenistan for the use of river Amu Dariya for the transportation of arms supplies to them from European sources. In exchange for this, the Taliban has promised peace with Turkmenistan. The Taliban will also help in the protection of the pipeline bringing oil from Turkmenistan territory.

At present, within Afghanistan, the Taliban is facing stiff resistance from the forces led by Ahmed Shah Masood and certain other groups. This has upset their plans for extending their domination to entire Afghanistan. The Taliban knows that it cannot do much during the long winter months. Reports suggest that the Taliban commanders have begun conducting separate negotiations with their rival forces for peace so that they can consolidate their position during winter. Such separate negotiations, instead of a joint strategy against the Taliban, are bound to help the latter in isolating their enemies and deal with them one by one.

The Taliban is employing a similar strategy to deal with its neighbours. Its separate negotiations with Turkmenistan for deals is aimed at dividing the neighbours, especially the other CIS countries. In these circumstances, it is natural if the traditional fears about a threat of an Afghan foray gets revived in India. With the Taliban shadow already falling on Kashmir, it is imperative on its part to take the initiative for a joint strategy to contain the new challenge. Many fear that in the long run, even Pakistan, at present the major instigator of the Taliban, is bound to feel the rigours of the Islamic fervour and Pakhtoon nationalism.

A tiger for Chandigarh
by Rajnish Wattas

EVER since a leopard wandered off from his sylvan forest settings, for spending a day out in Panchkula, a number of feline fables are doing the rounds.

The possibility that the poor leopard was perhaps merely making a friendly neighbour’s call to the human habitat, was quite lost in the ensuing commotion and excitement. Though the harmless creature was only watching TV in a cosy living room, he was shot with a tranquillising gun. Had the wildlife department zealots waited for a while, the friendly creature would have surely snoozed off, on his own. After all, that’s what the “idiot box” does to most creatures! Unless, of course, he was watching “The Bold and the Beautiful” or the WWF wrestling programmes, thereby arousing his natural gaming instincts.

If Panchkula — just a satellite of Chandigarh — can get a leopard, can the capital city be far behind? Ever since the big cat’s outing, there have been many reports of “tiger sightings” in Chandigarh also; far exceeding the head count of the endangered species in the entire country.

For instance, the other night when some odd grunts and hoof sounds were heard in our garden, I exclaimed: “Must be the ferocious wanderer from the Morni Hills!” But before I could ring up the police, the better-half, with better hunting blood — a la Salman Khan — boldly ventured out, armed with a torch and a cricket bat for a tryst with the tiger. Though trembling with fright, I too kept company, all the time invoking the spirit of Jim Corbett to act as our guardian angel in that hour of peril! As the dear wife, like a seasoned shikari, let out a jungle call of “shoo, shoo...”, the menacing wildlife scampered off to vanish into the adjoining park.

Though I hate to confess, it was merely a frightened sambhar that had scared the life out of me. Next day it was captured by personnel of the wildlife department, of course, without awarding us medals for heroics.

But the episode spawned a number of tall tiger tales among our friends. “Don’t go to the lake for walks after dark”, admonished one. Another advised us to stay away from all city parks, especially Topiary Park” who knows which green animal there may materialise into a real one!”

My own reckoning is that if ever a tiger comes calling to the City Beautiful, the likely places of his visit would not be the gardens and parks. Wouldn’t he have had enough of flora and foliage in his own natural domain? Neither is he likely to be an architectural aficionado, to stroll through the concrete jungle of Le Corbusier’s monuments. I am sure that like any good tourist, he would go for the exotic and the exciting. And what better allurements than the city centre’s glitz and glamour.

Those who frequent the razzmatazz city discos and fast-food joints better watch out, lest they should be looking for a real wild time. For, it could entail having your last tango with the “big cat” or being turned into a succulent kabab for his dinner!

Unemployment haunts youth in Punjab
By Kriti Arora

HAVING emerged from the tentacles of terrorism, Punjab is now haunted by a new problem. Rising unemployment amongst educated youth has assumed such alarming proportions that experts warn that no permanent peace can be fostered in the state unless the problem is tackled decisively.

The village of Bushehra in Sangrur district provides a glimpse of the extent of the problem. Of the 1,250 young men under the age of 25 living in this village, almost 80 per cent are unemployed.

Unemployment among young village women is not issue as far as the locals are concerned — it is assumed that marriage and domestic responsibilities are their lot. The man is expected to be the primary breadwinner. Comments Gurdial Kaur of Bushehra village: When a large number of the menfolk in our village have no jobs, who will employ women? Widows like me are simply left to starve.”

Typical of the village’s unemployed males is 25-year-old Radhu Ram who, armed with a graduate degree, ran from pillar to post in search of a job. Unable to find any, he now sells vegetables outside his house.

Elaborating on the difficulties he faced while job-hunting, Ram said: “Eight years ago I went to Sangrur and registered at the employment exchange. I haven’t heard from them to this day. I also approached several government agencies for suitable jobs. They never bothered to get back to me. I can’t do daily mazdoori (labour) because I didn’t learn to use a phowrah (spade) during my childhood. Finally, I decided to become a vegetable vendor”.

Continues Ram: “My experience has taught me one bitter lesson. My two children will not enter the portals of a school. From their childhood I will train them to work on the land, so that at least when they grow up, they can find work as agricultural labourers”.

Jaswinder Bawa (21) nods his head in agreement . A graduate from Patiala University, he is trying to get a B.Ed. degree through a correspondence course. But Bawa is pessimistic about getting a job.

“The job market has totally dried up. Many of my friends with technical training from recognised universities are searching for jobs. Getting a job in the organised sector is practically impossible. Government jobs are being given only to those with political clout. If I take up a job in a private school, I will be paid Rs 1000 a month or less. Is that enough to feed a family these days?”

The difference between Ram and Bawa is that the latter’s family owns five acres of prime agricultural land. But Bawa does not want to spend the rest of his life tilling the soil. He reasons: “My father and elder brother are already farming the land. It’s a small holding. What scope is there for me to earn a living from it? In the past, men from practically every family in Punjab would migrate to other states in search of jobs. A large number would join the Army. But all these avenues are drying up. That’s why we are feeling frustrated”.

Dr Abhijeet Sen, Chairman of the Economic Prices Commission and leading economist, agrees with Bawa’s rather simplistic analysis.

Sen says: “Punjab’s problems are partly the result of its prosperity. A relatively well-to-do farmer with educated children finds himself trapped in the predicament where his sons don’t want to work the land. A large part of the manual work is being done by migrant labourers”.

He explains: “In the past, there used to be no subdivision of land among the Jat Sikhs. Either the brothers all stayed together or else one or more migrated out of Punjab and found jobs elsewhere. Now, with the Army having reduced its quota for recruiting Sikhs, and with states becoming xenophobic about giving jobs to ‘outsiders’ opportunities for employment have dried up and that has created a major problem”.

Previously the Army had a quota of about 8 per cent for Sikhs, this has been cut down to almost 2 per cent.

Sen believes high levels of unemployment in the State can be traced to the slowing down of agricultural growth in the last eight years. He says: “Farmers are not willing to diversify into growing any other crops apart from wheat and rice because they feel these are entirely risk free crops. Both these crops are picked up by government agencies at pre-announced prices. Farmers don’t even want to grow crops like tomatoes and potatoes because there is a certain amount of risk involved”.

Given the farmers’ unwillingness to diversify, industrialists find little reason to invest money in agro-based industries in this area. During the sixties, industries did not come up in Punjab because it was perceived to be a border state. During the eighties, terrorism ensured that even the traditional industries such as hosiery and bicycle making started moving to neighbouring Haryana.

The crux of the problem lies in the fact that the non-agricultural sector has not developed and crucial agro-based sector, which could have absorbed a sizeable percentage of the educated youth, has failed to kick off.

This problem has been compounded by misplaced aspiration levels amongst the young, especially when it comes to spending money on marriages. Families are incurring debts running into lakhs of rupees in order to provide dowries. The pressure to provide big dowries is so tremendous that hundreds of farmers are taking credit from banks and cooperative societies, ostensibly for the purchase of tractors and other agricultural equipment but actually diverting the money to marriages.

Dr Prem Kumar, Director of the Chandigarh based Institute of Development and Communication pointed out: “Credit is taken and then translated into unproductive assets. When families are not in a position to repay these loans, they are forced to sell off portions of their landholdings, indirectly spiralling off more unemployment”.

Unemployment figures are awesome. In December, 1997, 20 lakh persons were registered with employment exchanges in Punjab. But this is only the tip of the iceberg since a large number who are working in menial jobs do not register themselves for employment.

A recent study of unemployment patterns conducted by Dr R.S. Bawa of the School of Economics at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has found that 60 per cent of Punjab’s jobless youth are educated. Even those with technical training cannot find jobs easily.

Punjab, points out Dr Bawa, processes only 5 per cent of its total farm produce. He believes the maximum employment per unit of investment can be generated through agro-based units of medium and large capacities. If the State Government does not make enough efforts in this direction, then given the aspiration levels of the youth and the lack of suitable opportunities, Bawa warns, youngsters could turn once again to militancy, drug trafficking and the ISI.

The national sample survey had indicated that 10 million jobs need to be created in India every year to deal with the problem of unemployment. The Ninth Plan document notes that Kerala and Punjab are registering increasing unemployment. The document has also brought to light the mismatch between what the educational system supplies and what the economy needs. Only if regional, vocational and technical education receive massive financial and other inputs from the private sector can this maladjustment be corrected.

Punjab had once epitomised hard work and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Today it seems shrouded by a spirit of despondency. The state that had spearheaded the green revolution finds itself unable to enter a new phase of development. Unemployment and frustration is eating away the heart of Punjab. — WFS

75 YEARS AGO

The Punjab situation

EVERY thinking Punjabi who has a stake in the land of his birth is doubtlessly unhappy in the present atmosphere of general discord and restlessness and is naturally anxious to see a better state of things. The desire for peace and progress is general, but the methods of attaining this end are thought differently by different people. As one who has reached the meridian of his life and who feels the position as acutely as most Punjabis, I venture to submit for the consideration of the public some aspects of the situation which seem to be overlooked and which, if considered, might be helpful to us.

Before doing so, I would like, if I may to observe that quite a large number of Punjabis, in various spheres of life, are at present in a state of nervous tension. In a condition like this, a great deal of human energy runs to waste, and anything causing a sudden disturbance of the background in the subconscious mind sets up reflex action with unpleasant results. It seems to me, therefore, that public speakers and journalists would render a great service to the Punjab if they practised political transparency and eschewed the use of alarmist or pessimistic expressions as long as this state of things did not abate.

The misunderstanding between officials and non-officials and the communal dissensions are, as we all know, mainly due to political causes. When I look to the days of my boyhood, 35 to 40 years ago, I recall to my mind some pleasant episodes of those ultra-conservative days.

Dr Behari Lal Dhingra
Lahore