 |
Monday,
October 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
The
PDP-Cong accord Freedom, & death,
in Moscow |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A study of the
Chinese miracle-I
Need
for a dynamic power policy
Website
offers tips on cancer treatment
|
The PDP-Cong accord SO, the Congress will add yet another state to the list of those ruled by the party. The credit for this can easily be claimed by party chief Sonia Gandhi because of the dramatic manner in which the Congress-People’s Democratic Party power-sharing agreement has been finalised. It seems the nitty-gritty of the accord with a common minimum programme had been worked out during Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Srinagar, but the questions concerning the Chief Minister’s post and the future of the Special Operations Group were coming in the way. The hurdles were removed during Friday’s meeting between Mrs Sonia Gandhi and PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. But the real challenge begins now. The two parties have their different and opposing interests to protect. The PDP will be in a slightly easy position as it will have to concentrate only on the Jammu and Kashmir people’s aspirations with a special focus obviously on its base in the valley. The Congress will have to play its cards keeping in view the expectations of the people throughout the country. In any case, how the new government goes about handling the common people’s socio-economic and other problems will be watched with considerable curiosity by the entire nation as also the international community. Mufti Sayeed, who is going to be the new Chief Minister, may find the going quite difficult in view of the people’s great expectations. He has a massive task ahead. Besides concentrating on schemes for the welfare of the general public, he will have to work for neutralising militancy in a concerted manner. Nothing concrete for the socio-economic uplift of the people is possible unless the climate of terrorist violence comes to an end. The Congress decision to play the role of a junior partner, at least at this stage, appears to be a cunningly calculated one. If anything goes wrong, which is always possible, the party will be in a better position to save its skin. Whatever the record of the new government, the Congress can always say that it respected the people’s desire for a change of political dispensation and gave an opportunity to the PDP to run the administration in Srinagar. Nothing more could be expected of it in the given situation. Of course, both the PDP and the Congress have extracted significant concessions from each other in the process of ensuring that the opportunity that came their way did not get wasted. But the Congress central leadership has another reason to feel elated. It has saved the party from committing a blunder as it did in UP, paving the way for the BSP-BJP government there. State party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad’s claim of forming a government without the PDP support was not practicable. Hence the decision to deflate his ego. It is not important that he may be given a fresh opportunity to play a bigger role at the Central level besides retaining his chance to become Chief Minister after three years when Mufti Sayeed’s tenure will end. By weakening the Azad factor, the Congress has secured a major concession from the PDP by making it agree on not disbanding the controversial SOG. Mufti Sayeed and his dynamic daughter, Mehbooba, will have a lot of explaining to do to the valley’s population on the contentious issue, whereas the Congress will be in a stronger position to speak on the subject not only in the Jammu region — from where it has won the maximum number of seats in the Assembly— but also the rest of the country. From this angle, one can say that the Congress’s prospects in the 2004 general election are unlikely to get adversely affected by the power-sharing arrangement in J and K with a party which has been accused of having adopted the separatist Hurriyat agenda in a new form. |
|
Freedom, & death, in Moscow THE successful storming of the Moscow theatre in which Chechen terrorists held hundreds hostage brings about a sense of relief, though tinged with sadness at the bloody nature of the operation. More than 750 hostages were rescued alive, while unconfirmed reports put the death toll among the hostages at least at a hundred. The leader of the Chechen gunmen, Movsar Barayev, was killed, as were his accomplices, including many women who were human bombs, strapped as they were with explosives. Many terrorists were killed after they had been incapacitated with a gas, which has been justified on the grounds that a number of them, especially the women, were wearing explosives around their bodies and had detonators in their hand. The use of this gas has been controversial, since it has also apparently resulted in the death of many innocent persons. As for the death of terrorists, the safety of the hostages is paramount, and in any case, terrorists deserve no mercy. No matter how we look at it, this was a difficult decision for President Vladimir Putin, and the steps that he took were courageous. There was real risk to the hostages. The terrorists had killed a woman who was trying to escape from the theatre at the very onset of the crisis on Wednesday evening, when the Chechens took over the building during the second act of “Nord Ost,” a popular production of a classic Russian musical, and also a few more just before the storming. On the other hand, Barayev manipulated the media to his advantage, and exerted pressure on the international community with the over 70 foreign hostages that he had taken. While the Russian authorities continued negotiations with him, it was expected that they would not accede to his main demand of withdrawing the Russian forces from Chechnya. Just as the Chechens have a long history of hostage-taking, the Russian dispute with Chechnya is an old one, and President Putin escalated the conflict ever since he took over. Unfavourable comparisons are being made between the conflict in Chechnya and that in Afghanistan during the 1980s. There is the same steady rate of casualties, the same lack of success and seemingly no way out. All this has led to discontent among the Russian people. The so-called “forgotten conflict” has come sharply into the focus following the latest crisis, and the Russian authorities’ handling of the general Chechen situation has been found wanting. The kind of alliances that these rebels have with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist and fundamentalist organisations is disturbing. The Moscow hostage crisis has been resolved because of the firm stand taken by the Russian authorities. However, deeper concerns remain. |
A study of the Chinese miracle-I IN the seventies of last century Indira Gandhi gave India the slogan of “Gharibi Hatao”. However, the country continued with its customary stasis. A generation later in the early nineties we shed our bonsai mind set for six years. But we appear to be getting back to our sanctimoniously hypocritical ways. Still not realising that hard decisions are needed today to bridge the gap between what we are and what we need to be. In 1950, the nature of our assets and problems was similar. Both China and India had been through a bloody catharsis with, respectively, 20 per cent and 15 per cent of the world populations to feed. Then China contributed 5.2 per cent of the world’s GDP. India contributed 3.8 per cent. Both chose the Soviet model of growth and rapid industrialisation. India plodded along this rocky path of socialism for 44 stodgy years. May be, 922 years of alien rule made us think that even the Hindu rate of growth was a panacea. Contrarily, 150 years of national humiliation at the hands of the foreigner and lost opportunities of the first part of the twentieth
century because of their own internecine struggles remained to be the two most
searing images of the political iconography of the Chinese who were their own independent masters since 221 BC. This impatience to make up for the lost time saw the Chinese invest heavily in what Amartya Sen calls “human capabilities”. Even though during Mao’s iron-cage rule, China 1956 onwards, staggered from one precipice to another, there was always a bias for action, a predilection for change, a restlessness to quickly evaluate the past actions and set on the new course. In the years from 1956 to 1976 that Deng called wasted, China had experienced upheavals of nationalisation of all assets, massive centralisation of industrial effort, the Utopian mass campaign to decentralise industrialisation to backyard furnaces, collectivisation of agriculture that saw millions die of starvation, the cultural revolution and subsequent destruction of the economy. In 1975, the Chinese did another turn-around with Mao realising that the country needed yet another change of direction and concurred with his premier Zhou Enlai to announce now famous modernisation of agriculture, industry, defence and science and technology. With Mao’s death in 1976, the way was clear for innovative nation-building. Dengist views took two years to prevail. The political leadership, always fired with a sense of history, was influenced by the emergence over the previous two decades of several economic powerhouses in Asia: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore. That such nations had grown while China had destroyed itself in internal conflict only increased the leadership’s resolve to pursue reform. For 10 years from 1979, projecting itself from the human capability buildup, particularly in health and education, China unleashed a slew of path-breaking reforms in agriculture, commodity prices, taxes, centre-state relations, labour, industry, capital markets and PSU restructuring. And we were plumbing new depths of economic status-quoism while appearing to achieve lofty heights of the command economy. History always favours the brave. The culture of the Chinese was “tomorrow”. The Chinese adopted the Gaige Kaifang, the policy of reform and opening to the outside world that enabled them to double their economy every 10 years. The Chinese have grown in the past three decades at 7-8 per cent per year, more rapidly than any other people, in the history of man. Starting out virtually together in 1950 in the race to become entities exercising influence in the comity of nations that their size and history commanded, India and China charted out separate paths. What they have achieved, individually, in these 50 years made Mckinsey’s Dominique Turcq identify them as Asia’s non-identical twins. So what has been their comparative
achievements? Some other salient comparisons are worth mentioning. India’s net area for sowing of grains is 15 per cent more than that of China. However, the Chinese grain output productivity is more than 2.4 times. Agricultural bio-tech research started in China and India in the mid-eighties. China today has 141 genetically modified plants, and has approved 45 for field trials and 31 for commercialisation. India has developed 16 GM plants, approved 10 for field trials and one, Bt. Cotton, has been approved for commercial release (Punjab wants three more years of research to suite the Bt. Cotton, tried out in Gujarat and southern states, to its own conditions.) In China 3 million hectares are under transgenic crops already. The Chinese produce 900,000 cars today. We produce nearly half. However, 38 million Chinese families can afford to pay Rs 6.0 lakh for a car today. That is why there is a six months’ waiting list for a car in China. In 1980, China had no express-ways.
Today they have 50,000 km. Since 1998 they have added 17 km of express-ways a day. Going beyond statistics, the progress in China is to be seen to be believed. The city of Shanghai, that attracted three times FDI that India did last year has more than 69 per cent of India’s total exports, operates buses run by satellites, runs mag-lev technology trains and looks like a cleaner Chicago. Shanghai has added 20,000 sky rises in the past 10 years. India in total accounts for 200. The predominant feeling of traversing southeast of China over four visits in past one year was as if the whole country was on a construction binge. It is as if China nis renewing itself. I travelled extensively for 14 days over these visits and saw only one road accident. Toll booths in remote areas were manned by women in the dead of the night. People had not heard of power failures. Everyone appears up and about. One of the busiest places are parks and sports stadiums. No animals are seen in the cities. The average level of urban cleanliness is much
better than that of Chandigarh or Bangalore. Much lesser number of policemen are visible on the roads. People appear healthy and smartly turned out. Most manufactured goods are half the Indian prices or less. China is the most efficient mass producer of goods and services. Therefore, competitive pricing is the key. You get the taste of it even before you visit China. The cost of getting a Chinese visa in India is Rs 210. The cost of getting a Chinese visa in Singapore is about Rs 1100. The cost of getting an Indian visa in China is Rs 2040. The cost of getting an Indian visa in Singapore is about Rs 2500! People love to travel. Six-lane roads appear to be the norm. Hotels and restaurants of the same quality or better are half or one-third of Indian prices. And these are full. They have preserved their historical monuments and artefacts well and with pride. It is no wonder that the World Tourist
Organisation believes that by year 2020 China will be the world’s most favourite destination with 137 million foreign tourists. The Chinese have created a gigantic domestic market, cut costs, have perfected the art of volume production and reached the economies to compete globally. That is why China has become the export powerhouse of the world and also its fastest growing economy that would dethrone Japan in the next five years as the second biggest economic power in the world. No wonder that every Asian country has positioned itself to get a foothold in the Chinese market. Disregarding completely the economic ground reality as it exists, doubts have been expressed in the year past regarding the quality of China’s progress. The doubters lead by Prof Thomas Rawski of the University of Pittsburgh have been citing the drop in energy use, the accumulation of useless inventories and problems in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as some of the reasons for claiming that actual growth rates in China have been far lower. As in India, it is likely that some stastistics in China are also exaggerated by a per cent or two. But growth that has taken place and is taking place in China is too real to be ignored. As Nicolas Lardy of Brooking’s Institute, author of “Integrating China into the World Economy”, says four years of import growth and rising domestic savings cannot support falling growth arguments. Also, since monetary growth has been substantial, inflation should rise if the real output is falling. But that has not happened. The Chinese, he says, are consuming less because they have used technology to generate efficiencies. In “The Coming Collapse of China” Gordon Chang has argued that dissidents, Falun Gongs, Tibetans, Ullgers, new leftists and peasants would all come together to weigh down on China. He also cites non-performing assets of $ 450 billion being carried by Chinese banks, faltering SOEs, urban and rural disparities, corruption and unemployment that may rise because of the recent Chinese entry into the WTO that would stop the Chinese growth engine in its tracks. Problems like
the above are too real to be glossed over. We know these from our own experience. We have, somehow, coped. China today is too strong to let anything spoil their Olympic party to be
held in 2008. and by that time the country would have generated huge momentum to look back, as Morgan Stanley points out. The Chinese are also too practical to let go this opportunity of removing poverty. They are too disciplined and have superb execution skills. They have shown an uncanny ability to appraise, evaluate, re-appraise, adopt adapt and then implement. Which other country has in 50 years of its history come out of the upheavals of a civil war, Great Leap Forward and ensuing famines in which 28 million people perished, Stalinist state control, Maoist radicalism, cultural revolution that wanted the country to break its link with the past, launching of modernisation and reforms after Mao’s death, decollectivisation, establishment of market Stalinism that broke with all previous models as instruments of state, Tiananmen Square, establishment of “one country-two systems” after taking over Hong Kong in 1997 and left all these behind in the dust of practicality and pragmatism to grab for its billions this enchanting moment in their history where they wish to fulfil themselves as a great nation? Little wonder then that investment Guru Jim Rogers says, “19th century belonged to Britain. 20th Century to America. 21st would be China’s”. If the present growth rates are sustained China may overtake the USA in the next 40 years as the economic powerhouse of the world. (To be continued) The writer, a business leader, is a keen observer of economic growth in different parts of the world. |
Need for a dynamic power policy POWER is a very strategic input. Its importance for the farming sector has increased many times because crops need regular watering throughout the year. Its irregular, uncertain and insufficient supply disturb the production process. It also pushes up the cost of irrigation. As compared to other sources of energy, particularly diesel, electric power is an efficient, economical and convenient source of energy. That is why the farming community prefers this than the diesel. In almost all the advanced countries and especially in the USA electric power has emerged as the major source of energy. The electric power is very very cheap in these countries, and is found in abundance. This is one of the secrets of their economic advancement. Like all economic inputs, power has its own economics, it has generation and distribution costs. It involves huge investment in plants and
machinery, transmission lines, in management etc. In Punjab, coal is transported from far off places. Since power has cost, it is unwise to supply it free. The rational use of a commodity particularly of a scarce commodity like power, can only be ensured if the user pays the price. If he gets it free, there is greater chance of its indiscriminate use. The economics of power doesn’t allow its free supply. What is the logic of free power supply? What is the rationale behind it? Doesn’t it help the farmers monetarily? The answer is ‘no’. The monetary gain is nothing more than peanuts if we take the total expenditure involved in raising the crops. But this policy has worsened the financial position of the PSEB. It is just like killing the goose that lays the golden egg. To know the ground reality, the author conducted a field study of a small isolated village of the Malwa belt. The views of a large number of concerned people i.e. progressive farmers, powermen, economists, villagers etc were also sought. Based on the observation method, the study showed that the free power policy is pro-rich. It is certainly harmful to the Power Board in many ways. The village has only 32 electric tubewells. Only 15 per cent electric tubewells are owned by the marginal and small farmers. Around 85 per cent are owned by the medium or big farmers, who can easily pay for the electric bills. Another evil, which is now widely known to policy makers also, observed in the field is the selling of water. About one-third electric tubewell owners sell water to nearby farmers. They sell water around 3 to 4 hours a day depending upon the power supply. The rates charged vary from Rs 15 per hour to Rs 20 per hour. They earn around Rs 1,000 a month depending upon the demand conditions, location of the tubewell, area around the tubewell, paying capacity of the nearby farmers etc. The free power policy has also encouraged other sections to indulge in power theft. The electric power meant for farm uses, is being used for non-agricultural purposes. It is extensively used for running grass cutters, heaters, air conditioners, and domestic uses in farm houses. The huge unaccounted diversion of power has been causing big revenue loss to the PSEB. The Power Board is deprived of the legitimate revenue collections in the garb of free power. The free power policy has several social, moral and legal aspects which need to be examined deeply. Can a person who eats in the ‘Langar’ (free kitchen) question the timings, quality and quantity of food served? The farmers are seen as habitual users of free bies. They don’t have the moral guts to complain about the inadequates supply, faults in the supply, its uncertainly, low voltage etc. We seldom hear about any protest by the farmers regarding the power cuts. Since they are paying nothing, they are expected to get whatever they are getting. The free power policy has a very serious socio-political dimension also. The landless labourers, non-farming sections of the rural areas, and even non-owner farmers of electric tubewells, see it as a gift to the big farmers. It has been causing lot of heart burning and social division in rural Punjab. To pacify the increasing social discontent, the facility of free power was also extended to some weaker sections. The increasing “Kundi” culture is the outcome of this policy. Legally also, the farmers have lost the right to get adequate and uninterrupted power supply. The board always argues that the farmers are paying nothing against the power supplied. So they are not supposed to be covered under the definition “consumer”. Hence they are not entitled to any sort of compensation. The policy of cheap and abundant power has a very strong case. During the study, nobody could make a convincing case for free power. The majority of the farmers expressed their willingness to pay for the power used. However, they expect adequate and uninterrupted power supply. There is another strong economic rationale: the electric power is very economical. It is many times cheaper than the diesel as a source of energy. The State Electricity Regulatory Authority has recommended Rs 300 per month for an electric motor of 5 BHP. It means Rs 10 per day. And if we assume that on an average electric supply for at least five hours a day is given, per hour cost comes to Rs 2. On the other hand, a diesel engine consumes at least one litre of diesel which costs about Rs 20. As electric power is very cheaper, it should be opted as a prime source of energy not only in agricultural sector but in other areas of economic activities. Unfortunately, instead of giving electric power at the lowest possible rates to all on demand, we are restoring to cheap populism. The worsening financial position of the PSEB is one of the reasons for the huge backlog of the pending applications. One wonders to know that since March 31, 1989, the Board has virtually not released any connection in the general category. Only rich farmers have been able to get new tubewell connections under special schemes such as ‘OYT’ or ‘Under Foreign Exchange’. These schemes involved heavy financial burden which was beyond the capacity of most of the farmers. As on March, 31, 2001, there were 7,94,475 electric tubewells in the State. About two lakh tubewells are diesel operated. Lakhs of small farmers are not hopeful to get new electric connections in the near future. It seems that the free power policy has badly affected the electrification of the agricultural sector. It has harmed the long term interests of the farming community as a whole. The marginal and small farmers who don’t own electric tubewells are the bigger sufferers. They have to pay through their noses to buy diesel or water. An equitable and dynamic power policy for the farm sector is urgently needed. The much talked of diversification of Punjab agriculture is not possible without abundant power supply at cheaper rates. The cheaper power supply will enhance the competitiveness of our agricultural sector which is a must in the era of globalisation. The cost of power has been rising rapidly. It has gone up from Rs 0.88 in 1991-92 to Rs 2.93 in 2000-01. The cost of production and distribution of power must be lowered. There is ample scope for it. The government has to discipline the power board also. It is over staffed. Corruption especially in purchases, power theft, inefficiency are some of the areas which must be attended to on priority. The regular increase in generation capacity, in view of the future demand can only take place if the financial health of the Board is sound. The progressive power policy for the farm sector could be framed on the following lines: (a) All the pending applications for tubewell connections should be cleared in a specific time frame, preferably, within a year or so. (b) All the diesel operated tubewells should be converted into electric tubewells. (c) The marginal and small farmers should get power connections on priority. (d) A one-time attractive subsidy based scheme can be evolved for the poor farmers for the purchase of electric motors, installation of tubewells and for other fixed capital needs. The issue of
tariff on power for farm sector is such an area which requires a new approach to economic issues. It should be addressed with an open mind. No one can deny that the idea of cheap and abundant power on demand is certainly superior than the free power to a few rich at the cost of the state’s economic health. The writer is the Head, Department of Economics, Govt College, Mansa. |
Website offers tips on cancer treatment A new website has been launched to guide cancer patients suffering from nausea as a result of cancer treatment, giving them tips on minimising the side-effect that eight in 10 patients face. Sickness due to chemotherapy or radiotherapy often makes it difficult to eat properly during the course of treatment - and doctors are keen for patients to be as well-nourished as possible to aid the fight against their cancer. Some surveys have suggested that many patients actually consider stopping their cancer treatment because they cannot bear the side-effects. While anti-emetic drugs are often given to patients to relieve these symptoms, as many as two in five patients still suffer severe nausea. A new website, CancerNausea.com, is also aimed at people suffering from post-operative nausea, and contains advice on what to eat and what to avoid.
ANI Slowing down Alzheimer’s progress A new study has found that the progress of Alzheimer’s disease may be slowed by improving the flow of the fluid that bathes the brain. According to a theory, Alzheimer’s may be in part caused by a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the chambers of the brain called ventricles. Some scientists believe that this build- up of pressure squeezes the tissues of the brain, and reduces blood supply, leading to the death of cells that is associated with Alzheimer’s. They believe that the problem can be addressed by draining away fluid from the brain to other parts of the body using a tube known as a CSF shunt. The use of CSF shunts was first tested in the late 1960s. However, it was abandoned after producing mixed results and an unacceptably high level of side-effects. ANI Students to test-run condoms Hard-up British students are being recruited to test condoms, rating them for their pleasure, comfort and performance qualities. The 100-150 successful job applicants will be paid £ 100 per academic term as they road-test a range of condoms from German manufacturer Condomi. “The condom testers will be asked to give a pleasure rating. They will not be asked to test quality — that has already been done,” a Condomi official told Reuters. The would-be testers will be asked to fill in an application available online at www.condomi.co.uk. Among the voluntary questions asked of candidates will be: how many partners they have had, how often they have sex and how long it lasts — with the option to tick various boxes marked from “under one minute” to one marked “1.5-two hours”.
Reuters |
The man who keeps not himself off from misdeeds, who controls not his sense organs and whose mind is not shorn of the desire for the fruit of actions will in no way have the vision of the Highest person or God. *** Two types of sense-objects —one yielding happiness in the end the other affording pleasure at the start — are at the disposal of man. A man of discrimination should ponder over and distinguish between the two, that is he should take to the former type (of sense-objects) that brings bliss ultimately and endeavour to unshackle his mind from the latter (type of sense objects) which are flimsy and obnoxious. *** A religious-minded person ought to put up
with the condemnation or approbation of others and ought to be on unfriendly terms with none during this temporary sojourn of life. *** The best anchorite is he who lives a saintly life having annihilated (his) six inner foes. *** The man who is a master of his physical encasement (body), speech and mind and who practices religious austerity, alms-giving and truth, obtains final release. *** A well-controlled and discerning mind serves as a friend to man while an unbridled and unprincipled one acts as a foe to him. *** A fool always indulges in dissatisfaction and a wise man ever remains contented. *** Insatiable and implacable are the wordly desires, while contentment is a fountainhead of the highest felicity. —
Mahatma Sri Nathuram Sharma, “A Short Series of Spiritual Instructions”. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In the same seventies China gathered itself from the ravages of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Once again the country showed its penchant for swimming against the tide, breaking with its own past and seeking innovative courses to lay the foundations of a modern day colossus.