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Punish the guilty Growth gains
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Saving science New report calls for action The first “India Science Report” commissioned by the Indian National Science Academy has served to underline several disturbing truths known to the scientific community for some time now. The quality of science teaching is poor, basic science is unable to attract the best talent, and science graduates are having a hard time finding jobs.
Peace process on
firm footing
Return of the
native
Battle for Mujahid
Manzil China to spread
growth benefits Chatterati
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Growth gains momentum When
Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram announced in New York last week that a 9 per cent growth rate was possible for India, few took notice and most just laughed it off. However, the Central Statistical Organisation figures released on Friday backed him somewhat. The economy grew at 8.1 per cent in the first quarter of this fiscal, driven largely by the manufacturing and services sectors. This is commendable, given the surging rise in the global oil prices. While there are no signs of the oil shock abating and the developed economies too are feeling the heat, the global mood about India continues to be upbeat and that, hopefully, may result in a greater flow of foreign direct investment. The single biggest hurdle in pushing growth is the disappointing perfromance of
agriculture. Agricultural growth has plummeted from 3.8 per cent during the first quarter of last year to 2 per cent now. There are hopes of an improvement as the monsoon this year has been excellent. But the long-term picture is not encouraging as, more than government policies, it is the monsoon that decides the fate of agriculture and of the 70 per cent Indians dependent on it. Besides, public investment in the agriculture sector has declined in the last 15 years and the imbalance is now being corrected by the UPA government. Taking 7 per cent growth almost for granted, Mr Chidambaram claims two percentage points of growth can be added if there is additional domestic and foreign investment in building more ports, power plants, airports, railways and roads. Poor politics, however, is undoing partly what sound economic policies hope to achieve. The Left-organised strike on Thursday has hurt India’s image among the investors abroad. By squabbling in public over UPA policies, the Left has presented itself as a red rag to the foreign bulls. China, no wonder, still gets 10 times more FDI than India. Economic reforms have come to a halt because the Left fails to see what is right. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was right when he said bottlenecks to growth are within the country. |
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Saving science The
first “India Science Report” commissioned by the Indian National Science Academy has served to underline several disturbing truths known to the scientific community for some time now. The quality of science teaching is poor, basic science is unable to attract the best talent, and science graduates are having a hard time finding jobs. Whatever genuine successes in engineering and technology we have had are thus resting on a shaky foundation. Prepared by the National Council for Applied Economic Research on the lines of the UN “World Science Report” and released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week, the report should now spur urgent corrective action. Though the numbers of those studying science have grown, the report has found that 20 per cent of science graduates and 14 per cent of Ph.Ds do not find employment. Student satisfaction with the quality of science teaching falls to a dismal 40 per cent in classes 10 to 12. About 22 per cent of unemployed graduates are from the science stream, as are a staggering 62 per cent of unemployed post-graduates. The problem is structural and inter-related. The best are drawn away from basic science where there is little money. Many are simply not good enough for research, and the ones who can make the cut find that there are not enough avenues. Brain-drain is very much a reality. Dr Singh has reiterated his commitment to de-bureaucratise science and technology institutions and restructure support systems – an urgent need. The new initiatives for attractive fellowships and career opportunities aimed at retaining talent are welcome. He has cleared the proposal to set up two institutes on the lines of Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Science in Pune and Kolkata. The Centre should now activate a systematic, nation-wide effort towards evolving a coherent plan of action. Scientists have complained about power centres and personality cults in the community, arising out of a top-heavy policy-making structure. These and other distortions prevent the available funds and talent from being used efficiently. |
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A losing trade, I assure you, sir: literature is a
drug.
— George Borrow |
Peace process on firm footing
A
recent day-long conference of representatives from different walks of life like lawyers, businessmen and social activists from both the Pakistan and Indian sides of Jammu and Kashmir brought a refreshing air to blow away the dark forebodings of the New York summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Gen Pervez Musharraf. The clear message, in spite of the different nuances and emphasis, was that notwithstanding General Musharraf’s apparent tough talk, there is no stopping the peace process (as he has now conceded). People, after suffering the pain and
destitute of conflict, have steeled themselves against any thought of conflict between India and Pakistan. In that context, the lament of the people of Gilgit and Baltistan, called the Northern Areas (Pakistan), at being denied any representation in the governance of their region, the denial of routing their trade through the normal outlet, Srinagar, and the distancing from their common language, Ladakhi, was most meaningful. It may take time, but the course of peace is firmly set. It is in that context that we on our side have to approach the delicacy and balancing of various issues confronting us in J&K so that we are able to continue the matter on an even keel without creating any hiccups. General Musharraf had earlier upped the ante by demanding that there should be total vacation of the Army from Baramula and Kupwara. It showed a total disregard for the ground reality, considering that it is these areas which are maximum militant-prone. Still I do feel that without endangering security, it should be possible to reduce the presence of the Army, considering that the flow of tourists this time touched the pre-1989 figure of 3.5 lakhs. Life in Srinagar during the day-time is normal. People go out shopping, doing their daily vocation, and girls go to schools in such an atmosphere. Though occasional militant attacks at schools or the Secretariat do spoil the atmosphere and create panic, it would not be wrong to say that the situation in Srinagar does give a sense of near-normalcy. But from this it would be a mistake to conclude that a broad sense of alienation does not still persist in the valley. The unfortunate decade of the nineties with human rights abuses and a sense of estrangement from the rest of India have still not totally vanished, though, to be fair, it must be conceded that the authorities, including the Army, are now more sensitive to human rights abuse and have sometimes taken appropriate action. But full confidence is yet to be restored. Somehow, the younger generation in the valley has been fed on the story of New Delhi always interfering and controlling the working of the J&K Administration (which impression was certainly unfair during the time of Sheikh Abdullah). But the psychology is such that whosoever takes up the cudgels, like the Hurriyat, even through mere words, against the Central government becomes a hit. Thus, Dr Farooq Abdullah, never a popular person when he was the Chief Minister with the help of the Congress, was able to give a resounding defeat to the Congress in 1986 when he distanced himself from the Congress. This inherent strong subconscious bias in the minds of the Kashmiris in the valley has to be understood and it requires urgency because of the possibility of a midway change of the Chief Minister due to the PDP-Congress pact about three years back. There is already an under-current and pressure on the Congress Central leadership for a change of the Chief Minister otherwise the Congress may lose its strength, more so in Jammu. It cannot be denied that the Jammu region has had a feeling of being given a stepmotherly treatment by the Kashmir valley and the feeling is shared by both the Hindus and the Muslims, who say that the valley people got preference in jobs and other facilities and more money is spent there notwithstanding the fact that there is more backwardness in the hilly areas in the Jammu region, which lacks facilities like schools and hospitals. But it is very much doubtful that even with this feeling among the Muslims in the Jammu region, the majority in J&K will welcome a change and installation of a Congress Chief Minister, irrespective of the person concerned. Though J&K is one unit and the claim of the Jammu region to be treated more equitably cannot be denied, the ground reality and common sense demand that nothing should be done which would in any way spread a feeling of alienation in the valley. That is bound to happen if the present Chief Minister, whatsoever his faults and there are many, is asked to step down in favour of a blue-blooded Congressman. This will give a feeling again of the Centre trying to dominate Kashmir’s internal politics. That would be a very big obstacle in the way of the talks that the Prime Minister is having with Kashmiri leaders. It needs to be emphasised that at present a feeling of acceptance, of dignity, of being treated as a part and parcel of India with equal rights has to be communicated to the people at large, especially in the valley. It is on this basis that the Prime Minister is having talks with Hurriyat leaders and others. It is true that the Hurriyat does not have a very big mass base; possibly, Mr Yasin Malik and Mr Shabbir Shah have greater organisations. But, somehow, the Hurriyat in the people’s mind has emerged as a kind of a symbol of standing up to the Central Government. This view gets more support from the fact that Pakistan is backing the Hurriyat and everyone feels that any settlement which is acceptable to the Hurriyat will automatically mean that it is acceptable to Pakistan and the solution would be a permanent solution. I, therefore, feel that to change the Chief Minister would be unwise and may hinder further talks between the Centre and the Kashmiri leaders in the valley. This is not to suggest that the present Chief Minister is an ideal ruler. In fact, there are some serious complaints against him of having a bias in favour of militants and even of bad governance. But the fact remains that the PDP fought against the Congress and just for that reason is not looked upon as a handmaiden of the Congress. In public life, perception matters as much as the actual reality. The Congress had earlier shown maturity and wisdom by not claiming priority even though it had larger numbers. That capital should not be thrown away by an ill-advised change in the midstream. The Government of India should also initiate talks with groups other than the Hurriyat so that it is known that an overwhelming section in J&K is on the Indian side. This will give the necessary message to the hawks in Pakistan and they will not be able to project the people of Jammu and Kashmir as victims of aggression — this will be an advance towards a just solution for
all. The writer is a former Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi.
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Return of the native When
I first met her (and sadly, that was for the last time), she talked about mountains and her love for sky-smooching peaks. Unlike most young women of her age who are acutely conscious of their looks, she had a kind of nonchalance about it. Her face was weather-beaten. Sun rays could have played on it abundantly, wind could have swished its way through its contours and rain could have washed it clean of its creases. She was a child of Nature. The immensity of the mountains could well have been the reality check for her. Her village (Khela) in Pithoragarh district in Uttaranchal had given her a “lofty” view of life, she had said. With AP2 overlooking Khela, it was hard to escape the pull of the elemental forces. A river flowing through her village completed the play of Wind and Water and Sun. As a teenager, she had got a chance to learn the basics of mountaineering, and since then life was never without its “peaks”. She became the world’s first woman to climb Mount Everest from the Kangshung face, and the only woman to have made her way to Mount Shivling. She could never think in terms of mountains dwarfing people into meekness. The mountains were not adversaries to be tamed. Nor were they wily forces to be subjugated. The mountains just “were”. That was all. And she was a climber. Once atop a mountain, she would feel as if perched on clouds. It was her tryst with peace and immensity, she had told me. She knew dangers lurked in the enormity of the mountains. But she would rather not have put it that way. She would have preferred to slice the danger into the path upwards and the path downwards. Once a climber was up, the danger was halved, though the descent could be equally perilous, as her fall of 300 mt during her Mount Shivling expedition had shown her. It had been a chilling brush with death. “A split-second space between life and death,” she had called it. Nothing, however, could dissuade her from her adventurous expeditions. But last Saturday, that “split-second space between life and death” was filled for eternity. And Nari Dhami, a member of the Punjab police mountaineering team, found her eternal abode in the mountains of Sikkim. Reports may say that she died in the mountaineering expedition, but the truth is that Nature’s child has returned to the elemental
forces. |
Battle for Mujahid Manzil A fresh controversy between the ruling PDP and the opposition National Conference has erupted over the claim of Mujahid Manzil, the 75-year-old historic seat of the National Conference. The controversy was taken to the Raj Bhavan when a 12-member opposition National Conference delegation led by former minister Abdul Rahim Rather, now Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, met the Governor, Lt Gen (retd) S K Sinha, on September 17. He submitted a memorandum regarding the Mufti’s approach towards Mujahid Manzil, three days after the Chief Minister visited the complex. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, as Chairman of the Wakf Board, visited old city areas on September 14, where he also visited the Mujahid Manzil complex in the vicinity of Pathar Masjid, the 17th century mosque, maintained by the Archeology Department. The Mufti ordered the dismantling of the Mujahid Manzil building gutted in the early 1990s. He asked the Wakf Board to repair another dilapidated building on the premises and issued instructions for the levelling and turfing of the compound of Mujahid Manzil to be used for social functions. The matter was taken up in the brief autumn session of the State Legislative Assembly where the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Mangat Ram Sharma, said that the government was keen to “restore the prestine glory” of Mujahid Manzil. He added it was in this perspective that the repairs and renovation of this gutted building were intended. According to an official of the Wakf Board, it only intended to take up the restoration work of the structures that were in a shambles. These developments are expected to further deepen the controversy between the ruling PDP and the opposition National Conference. The official made it clear that the structures have been under the control of the Wakaf and are now used by the security forces. “We had requested the government to get the buildings vacated so that restoration work could be undertaken, given the historic significance of the Mujahid Manzil,” he said. The official added that an issue was being made only to draw political mileage as nobody made any effort to restore the same till the Muslim Wakaf Board took the initiative. After being razed to the rubble by a fire in 1994, no effort was made by the MAT or the state government for the restoration of the structures. The land on which these structures are raised originally belonged to the state and was shown as in the possession of the Muslim Conference. In 2002 the National Conference government got it transferred to the party through questionable means, the official claimed. The Mufti Sayeed government wrested control of the Muslim Auqaf Trust, then under the control of the National Conference. The Wakf Board has already taken control of all shrines and mosques (about 100) in Jammu and Kashmir. After it came to power, the coalition government divested the National Conference of the powers of the Muslim Auqaf Trust, which it turned into the Jammu and Kashmir Wakf Board, much to its resentment. In its memorandum submitted to the Governor, the NC claims that Mujahid Manzil, the historic and widely famous headquarters of its “glorious freedom struggle and its harbinger, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, attracted the covetous glances of Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed.” It blames the government for being “hell bent to encroach upon its sacred precincts” and deprive the party of its “lawful, legitimate and legal possession”. “The idea fits well into his (Mufti) hidden agenda of wiping out the premier standard bearer of the state’s national movement and taking away its eloquent symbols of struggle and sacrifice,” it said. It stated that Mujahid Manzil on the left bank of the Jhelum in the heart of city “was acquired” by the founder of the National Conference, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, in 1933 “when on the recommendations of the Glancy Commission, the autocratic regime restored shrines and sites of public importance to its people.” The building had been raised to be the “pulsating headquarters of the movement which was surging ahead to demolish feudal oligarchy and establish freedom, liberty and emancipation for the teeming millions of the land.” The construction was made possible by “petty donations” collected by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah from the poor, peasants, toilers and womenfolk. He also referred to the visits of a number of national leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi and Jaiprakash Narayan, to Mujahid Manzil. National Conference General Secretary Sheikh Nazir Ahmad pointed out that it was “criminal trespass” on the part of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to have entered into the premises of Mujahid Manzil. He asserted that Mujahid Manzil was not on the list of properties of the erstwhile Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT) acquired by the coalition government under the Wakf Board. “If they start any work, we will take proper action”, he held. It had been “continuous and uninterrupted occupation” of National Conference between 1933 and 1994, Sheikh Nazir, a close associate of late Sheikh Abdullah said. The party headquarters was not functional after the eruption of militancy in early 1990, when Governor’s rule was imposed on the state. Its party office started working in 1996 prior to the Assembly elections at the “Nawa-I-Subah Trust” complex at Zero Bridge here, where it has its offices and Publication House. Sheikh Nazir held that there was no proper security provided to the office complex, which led to its damage. While observers here blame the NC for not rebuilding one of the two damaged structures at the complex even during its rule between 1996 and 2002, Sheikh Nazir claimed that it had no funds to do so. Moreover, the complex was under the security forces enjoying special powers, Sheikh Nazir said adding that the party had approached the police to intervene. |
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China to spread growth
benefits The
ruling Communist Party vowed on Friday to spread the benefits of economic growth more fairly among all levels of Chinese society, seeking particularly to close the yawning income gap between farmers and city dwellers. The pledge, issued by the Politburo, the country’s top policymaking body, was seen in part as a response to growing unrest, especially in small towns and villages, by peasants who feel they have been left out of the economic boom that has transformed China over the last two decades. “In the next five years, China should pay more attention to social fairness and democracy and earnestly solve the problems closely related to the people’s interests,’’ said a statement relayed by the official New China News Agency. ``Development of economy and society, of cities and the countryside, and of different regions, should be more balanced and harmonious in the 2006-2010 period.’’ President Hu Jintao and his premier, Wen Jiabao, have strongly emphasized the need for more equitable wealth distribution since taking over the Chinese leadership nearly three years ago. Nevertheless, the gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen as market reforms create money-making opportunities for private businesses and allied government officials, while often leaving peasants in the lurch. The Politburo’s call for more determination to attack the problem reflected growing awareness at senior levels of the party that widespread dissatisfaction over the glaring inequalities has become a potentially troublesome political issue. The number of violent incidents across the country has shot up dramatically over the last year, according to a recent assessment from the Public Security Ministry, and most stem from economic grievances against local authorities. “After 20 years of opening and reform, China has now come to a key stage of development,’’ said Ye Duchu, a professor at the Central Party School for up-and-coming functionaries, in a recent interview with Southern Weekend newspaper. ``Problems like the income gap, the rural-urban gap, corruption and so on, have begun to emerge quickly. How to solve these problems and eliminate inharmonious factors now seem crucial to China’s opening process.’’ Study Times, the party school’s official organ, warned last week that the alliance between party and business, often greased by corruption, itself is a big reason for the income inequality that has farmers so upset. Citing a study published by the Labor and Social Security Ministry, the paper said incomes gaps have reached ``the yellow light alarm level’’ and within five years could reach a ``dangerous red light level’’ that could result in ``destabilizing social phenomena’’ unless something is done to change the trend. Some Chinese academics interpreted that comment as an attempt by concerned government officials to make sure the issue received a prominent place on the Central Committee agenda and in the next Five-Year Plan. Judging from the report published Friday, their tactic was partially successful—the income gap got a prominent spot, but corruption was not mentioned. In addition to the pledge to pay more attention to those left behind, the Politburo said it would call on industries to give support to farmers and on more developed cities to give support to poor rural areas. How this would be done was not spelled out. — LA Times-Washington Post |
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Chatterati There
was a high drama at the BCCI meet, where several ex-CMs, industrialists and bureaucrats were present with money exchanging hands. However, nothing concrete came out. How cheated the cricket fans were feeling about this show of crude power. How shameless are our powerful lobbyists. The game is in the dumps. But who cares? The richest board members of the country are too busy squabbling over immaterial things. Never has the Indian public felt so let down as when they saw the power brokers at work in Kolkata. No cricket player has a say. As if to top it all, a typical political solution was found to a critical problem. After the media hype created over the Saurav-Greg spat, it took the BCCI Review Committee no time in making out the whole thing to be a damp squib. In a typical manner akin to the selection of our team, where all interested parties are kept happy, the entire issue of preparing the team for the 2007 World Cup, has been kept at bay. So Dalmia is happy that Saurav stays, though it could be only for a while and the new entrant Pawar is also happy that the coach stays. Captain vs coach In a pathetic display of indecision the BCCI has once again done incalculable damage to Indian cricket. Only recently it hired a coach at a tremendous cost to put together a World Cup winning team, overlooking other claimants, including Mohinder Amarnath. Obviously, then it was understood that he will have full powers to make or suggest changes in the team for the good of the country. One of the most critical issues here was of captaincy and it is only the coach who can give a dispassionate view on this, not even the selectors who have to keep pushing cricketers from their region. Greg wants Saurav to go and this is also the feeling of many of Saurav’s admirers. He has done a great job as a Captain in the last five years. The team, however, was never on top and now it is come to the bottom. It is really tragic for the country and more so for the cricket crazy public of ours who keep rooting for stars well past their prime. Embarrassing for Congress Barely after the Congress leadership managed to wriggle out of the maiden interview or casual conversation of Mr Rahul Gandhi, which almost created strains in the RJD-Congress front in Bihar, another googly came in the form of “creative indulgence” of the Vice-President of the Rajasthan PCC. The portrayal of Sonia, which sought to dent the sacrificing image of women, is unimaginable. It put Sonia as a manipulative Maharani and Rahul as the crown prince. This is really suicidal. The Mahila Congress chief and the Congress chief released the book. Another book, blessed by the high command and written by a former CM of Bihar blamed Rajiv Gandhi for the failure to contain the infamous Bhagalpur riots. Already Mani Shankar, the best known wordsmith, had scored a self goal for the party by recommending a group of third-rung Congresswalas as eligible nominees for PSU boards. The BJP is making merry at the expense of the AICC embarrassment.
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From the pages of Spokes in the wheel
The morrow of a carnival of bomb-throwing is not a convenient occasion for proclaiming concessions.” Such are ominous words with which the London “Times” attempts to play the role of the mouthpiece of the bureaucracy and raise a note of warning against the reform proposals which Lord Morley has been foreshadowing in his speeches. Nor is this to be at all wondered at. The “Times”, during its long journalistic history, has seldom been the champion of new and noble causes. It has all alone instinctively fought shy of the apostles of truth and light whose life and works have made for the advance of the world. It is therefore characteristic of the “Times” that it set its face against the introduction of any reform proposals in India at the present moment. It does not go, it is true, so far as to deny the necessity of what it calls “a restricted programme of administrative reform”.
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What would you think of this clumsy body, this unbelieving mind, and this small love that seems so huge to me? —
Kabir Progress comes from caring more about what needs to be done than about who gets the credit. —
Dorothy Height He is a fool who never allows another to speak. For he then remains ignorant of their knowledge. —
The Upanishads Self-realisation is more difficult for those who fix their minds on an impersonal, unmanifest, and formless Absolute because comprehension of the unmanifest by embodied being is attained with difficulty.
— The Mahabharata |
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