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Good riddance Unsafe trains |
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Khaki assault
Indo-US defence cooperation
The first crush
Children need protection: Unicef Crackdown won’t halt immigration Politicians oppose
Delhi demolitions
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Good riddance FOREIGN-BACKED terrorists had launched a frontal assault on Parliament some years ago. Eleven MPs committed an equally serious crime against this symbol of democracy. It is gratifying that the Lok Sabha has made it bold to show them the door and that too quickly. The Rajya Sabha has also not been found wanting as it too has expelled one of its members whose name figured in the scandal. This was the only remedy left to redeem the sullied image of parliamentarians somewhat. In fact, this is the minimum punishment they deserved. What they did was nothing short of blue murder as it almost killed the respect that people happened to have for politicians at one time. Expelling so many MPs at one go is no easy decision. The two Houses deserve to be complimented for this bold action. But then the evidence against them was so overpowering that anything less than that would have looked like an abject surrender. In this matter the role of the BJP has been less than exemplary. It not only appended a “note of dissent” to the Bansal panel report, but also staged a walkout along with the Shiv Sena when the Lok Sabha adopted by voice vote a motion moved by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the House, to expel the 10 MPs, who had been asked to stay away from Parliament when the scam broke on December 12. The avowed reason was that the Lok Sabha should not set a wrong precedent, nor should any room be left for judicial intervention. That might have sounded logical in an ordinary case, but coming as it did in the cash-for-questions scandal, it reeked of backtracking. The action against the tainted MPs was somehow seen as an attack on the BJP. It was just incidental that five of the Lok Sabha MPs happened to be from the BJP. They are a slur on the entire political spectrum and the “party with a difference” was expected to be the first to show them the door. Initially, it appeared game for such a course, but with passage of time it seemed to have lost nerve. That is unfortunate. It is hoped that the Lok Sabha would be equally firm in dealing with the MPs who siphoned off a substantial portion of the funds allocated to them under the MP local area development scheme. |
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Unsafe trains THE alleged rape of a woman passenger on Pushpak Express by a group of armed men near Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday once again brings to the fore the question of safety of passengers. The manner in which the culprits looted the passengers, threw some of them out of the running train and outraged the modesty of a woman in the toilet seems to suggest that the whole operation was premeditated. Surprisingly, the railway authorities have failed to rise to the occasion, even though there has been a spurt in crime on the trains in recent months. In this context, the failure of the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel is particularly disturbing. Reports suggest that the GRP personnel, who were detailed for duty, had failed to board the train, resulting in the incident. However, this theory, apparently emanating from official quarters, does not seem to be logical and convincing. In view of the high incidence of crime in this section, the train should not have been allowed to proceed at all in the first place without the necessary police protection. That the officials did not apply their mind and allowed the train to proceed without the GRP personnel is inexcusable. Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav’s statement that it was not an incident of “rape” but “molestation” does not dilute the gravity of the incident in any manner. In fact, he has been issuing such statements only to cover up the incompetence and inefficiency of his officials. How does it matter if the victim has refused to undergo a medical checkup? The fact that she was attacked by armed men and that some passengers were looted and thrown out of the train is beyond doubt as it has been corroborated by eyewitnesses. Inquiry committees to probe incidents like the one in Vidisha are of little value unless Rail Bhavan demonstrates the requisite political and administrative will to tighten vigil and improve safety on the trains.
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Khaki assault THE recent assault on a number of citizens by men in uniform in Meerut has shocked the nation. Outrageous was the conduct of the police officers who slapped and roughed up couples spending time together in a city park. It is a measure of the misplaced confidence in the sanctimoniousness of the public at large that a policewoman involved in “Operation Majnu” even invited the media to cover the event. Often, men in khaki, especially those who carry out the orders of their superiors, resort to verbal abuse and force. This shows lack of proper training in handling situations, and a belief that shortcuts can be taken, instead of following procedures. Clearly, a vast majority of our policemen have not been able to evolve with society, but have stuck on to an antediluvian mindset in which men and women can’t be seen together or have healthy interaction. It would be unfair to single out the Meerut police whose action is only a symptom of a deeper malice. Shutting down dance bars, finding couples dancing together grossly immoral, attacking an actress because she speaks out about sexuality in the youth belong to the same category. Swift action against the police officers involved has failed to bring the situation under control as vigilantes, apparently members of extremist outfits, took the law into their own hands and thrashed couples in the same park in Meerut. They did this reportedly at the instigation of the police. These vigilantes are a greater threat to the nation than couples holding hands in a park.
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Being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong ones. — Philippos
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Indo-US defence cooperation LEFT'S proclivity for opposing the UPA government on devious issues came to the fore when it decided yet again to hold demonstrations against the government decision to conduct a joint exercise between the US and the Indian Air Force. To take on the government — that it supposedly supports, on defence relations with the US in Parliament is all very well but to go on to picket civil and the military bases was nothing but unfortunate, to say the least. Attempt to block the exercise at the field level was rather bizarre. Notwithstanding, the government went ahead with the exercise, codenamed “Cope India 2005” which commenced on schedule on November 7, heralding a new chapter in Indo-US defence relations. The 10-year framework signed during Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to New York on October 13 was considered a major achievement, though deeply criticised by the Left. Perhaps, the CPM is of the opinion that this nature of defence collaboration, especially with the US, may eventually lead to leasing out the military bases. It doesn’t augur well for India’s strategic interests and independent foreign policy, they feel. What’s the basis of this perception is hard to understand, for India had always pursued an autonomous defence policy in the past. In fact, India has been quite sensitive on this aspect of its foreign policy. Baring 1947 and 1962 when India had most abjectly besought the US to become its military ally and again later during the Afghan crisis when the BJP-led government offered Indian bases unsolicited to the US, India had never acted in a manner that effected its autonomy. Interestingly, in all these instances, the Americans politely turned down the Indian requests. Notwithstanding, the US in a way, did help India after the ’62 debacle. However, this is not the first time that Indo-US joint air or army exercise has taken place. It was in November-December, 2002 that the first joint Indo-US air exercise took place at Agra. The USAF had brought in its C-130, Hercules aircraft that took part in paradrop and night exercise along with the IAF’s IL-76s and AN-32s. Really speaking, the first time the USAF (C-130 Hercules and F-100, Super Sabres) ever took part with the IAF was in 1962 when Pt. Nehru had sought the US help, including the nuclear cover most ignobly, which the US had turned down. There are other instances of similar Indo-US defence cooperation in the past. The US flew in its F-15s to India for a joint air exercise with IAF’s Mirage-2002s at Gwalier. It may be mentioned here that the Indian pilots outperformed the American pilots in that exercise. The issue was infact raised in the US Senate subsequently. Yet again this year, the IAF Jaguars flew all the way non-stop to Alaska in order to participate in a joint exercise with the American air force. In-flight refilling carried out with the help of recently acquired IL-76 tankers proved in a way India’s inter-continental capabilities. It may also be stated her that IAF’s Mirage-2000s and the SU-30s participated in an air exercise with the French air force in France. Such exposures in military aviation help broaden the horizon of aircrews. In all these cases, the Left did not ever raise its voice. What agitated it so much this time as to resort to widespread protests in West Bengal is rather hard to comprehend. Did the exercise being held in the heart- land of the communists make any difference? It confronts the government repeatedly but in the end surprisingly it lets the government go ahead with its plans. Obviously, it’s plain politicking and nothing else. Military exercises especially with technology-savy countries have multiple spinoffs. Besides, promoting better relations, one simply gets to know the other side better. Their concepts, tactics and the techniques that they employ in combat situations are all observed and assimilated. One gets to know the latest developments in the field of military aviation which otherwise is perhaps not quite possible. Since most of the third world countries operate equipment of western origin, including Pakistan, it offers opportunities to familiarise with the performance and capabilities of their weapons systems and the tactics they employ in combat. Military diplomacy is no less vital for better international relations. Exchange visits between the service Chiefs and the military delegations lead to better military to military relations. Even India and China which fought wars in 1962 have held military exercise since 2003. The Chinese have just been invited to witness an army exercise conducted by Southern Command. With Pakistan, we are yet to reach the requisite level of mutual trust before exchange of visits can take place. It will understandably take time before the two armed forces can feel comfortable with each other. In a way, the fast developing Indo-US military relations are an outcome of US perception of the Indian armed forces being highly professional, competent and experienced. The US army has been training and conducting exercises with the Indian army in jungle, desert and mountain warfare. The US men are being trained at Vairangte in Mizoram army jungle warfare school. The US navy too has been holding naval exercises off the Western Coast and seeking protection at sea from the Indian navy. Since independence, the Indian armed forces had remained bereft of any exposure to the foreign armed forces, their thinking or tactical concept. As against thus, the Pak air force used to hold frequent exercises with western airforces that always led it to infuse fresh thinking in their operations concepts. However, it goes to the credit of the Indian Air Force that it has been able to continuously evolve its own concepts and the tactics independently in order to keep abreast with the latest. The Soviet influence that resulted from their equipment was rejected or modified outright to suit Indian environment. The current interaction with the US airforce will go a long way in honing IAF skills. Seen in this light, “Cope India 2005” with USAF F-16s, AWACS (Three), KC-10s (Two) and IAF’s Mig-29s, Mirage-2000s and SU-30s operating together in joint exercise will result in sharpening the skills of Indian pilots. The exercise lasted for 13 days from November 7 to 19 in which 250 USAF personnel flown from bases in and around Japan and about 400 IAF counterparts were involved. This exercise must have been of immense value so far as airborne warning and central system (AWACS) operations were concerned in which the Indian pilots had no experience. On the flip side, there is no denying the fact that you are offering space and opportunities to the sole super power that considers itself solely responsible for maintaining the global peace and order through politic-military machinations. However, it’s left to the government of the day to assess and ensure that it doesn’t let the national sovereignty or the autonomy be compromised by the bonhomie and the mutual
cooperation.
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The first crush THE family arrived at the nani’s house in Dehradun, after a tiring five hour bus journey, followed by a soothing 10-minute tonga ride, …and then there was the knock at the door. As the door opened he forgot all his tiredness. He was familiar with the high ceilings of the house, the slow revolving heavy motor fan, the tin-roofed veranda that rattled in the heavy rains and the pantry that had good stock of famous Dehradun bakery. Through the pantry he walked into the big kitchen and was happy to see the blue flame of the gas stove, which seemed a luxury to him. He moved about the house reassuring himself that nothing had changed. He walked under the plum tree to see if some ripe yellow plums were there or he will have to be content with the green ones only. Then he walked the loose gravel pathway to his Mamaji’s photo studio and was happy to see the Yashica box camera set on the tripod and the tilted flash umbrellas, as if not touched in the whole year since his last visit. As he stood there, the girls started coming in; his mamaji ran art classes in the evening. He liked the sight. “What is the name of this girl with boy cut?” She was the most beautiful of the lot. Fair, slim and aesthetic. “Do you like her?” “Yes” “Bunty”. What a nice name he told himself. Now onwards, he would wait for the art classes and his impatience would grow as the time of classes drew closer. Then he would watch her for the hour and feel sad when she left. Then one day he made up his mind. “I want to marry Bunty.” Mamaji smiled and said: “Then propose to her”. The following day, as Bunty was setting her frame on the aisle he walked up to her and asked her to spare a minute for him. They both walked into the green lawn with purple and yellow pansy beds lined with the white pebbles from a local river. “Will you marry me?” He could feel his pounding heart. “Whaaat ? Let me tell this to sir.” “Wait a minute,” He had said. “We will have a good life, we can settle here in Dehradun. Will eat out together and then go hand in hand to the “mata da baag (the park) for a stroll”. He was destined to have a heartbreak. The vacations drew to a close and then the day came the family had to go back. He was sad. He couldn’t forget his first crush, though as he grew, he realised perhaps the age gap was on the higher side. He was five and she was
12.
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Children need protection: Unicef After analysing the data gathered from 189 countries, which agreed upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, Unicef has made disturbing observations, painting a bleak future for excluded children unless, of course, policy-makers change tack.
On the launch of the report, a concerned Unicef Executive Director, Ms Ann M. Veneman, said, “This year’s report focuses on millions of children who have not been the beneficiaries of past gains, the ones who are “invisible” and are without access to education, to life-saving vaccines, to protection. We have been appalled by the extent of children who go unregistered, who are orphaned or killed by AIDS and who are trapped in trafficking and armed conflict.” Every year over half of the births in the developing world (with the exclusion of China) go unregistered, denying 50 million children a basic birthright: recognition as a citizen. And this despite the fact that the ability to prove age and nationality are keys to guaranteeing a child’s rights. Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes the right of every child to a name and nationality but the same is becoming impossible without registration of birth. Early marriages and gender disparity are problems widely pervasive in South Asia. Ms Veneman, who visited India recently, noted, “Conditions in many Indian villages are not ripe for girl’s education. That is why the 13-year-old Gudiya Khatun, who resisted community pressure to seek education, inspires us. We need more role models like her. As such the prevention of early marriages is a big challenge for us. One in every three girls in the developing world is married before 18. In the poorest countries this ratio rises to 1 in every 2.” Unicef further notes that more than 40 countries have failed to meet the MDG of gender parity in primary schools by 2005. For every 100 boys who are not in primary school, there are 117 girls who miss out on primary education. Where on the one hand unregistered births and early marriages are pushing children into oblivion, on the other HIV/AIDS is tearing away at the social and economic fabrics of families, eroding the first line of protection and blocking provisions for safeguards against children’s exclusion from essential services. Fifteen million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Of these 12.1 million are in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV/AIDS is further preventing children’s access to education. Every minute a child under the 15 dies of AIDS. Every day nearly 1,800 children under 15 are infected (children under 15 account for 13 per cent of new global HIV infections and 17 per cent of HIV/AIDS deaths annually). No wonder combating HIV/AIDS is a central objective of the MDGs, specifically addressed by MDG 6. In fact, each of the MDGs directly seeks the well-being of children. Ms Veneman explains, “If the MDGs are met, 500 million people will escape poverty by 2015; 250 million will be spared from hunger; and 30 million children, who would not have lived past their fifth birthday, would survive. At the current rates of progress in the world, 8.7 million children under five will die in 2015. However, if the MDG of reducing child mortality is met, an additional 3.8 million of those lives will be saved.” Meeting the goals is, therefore, a matter of life and death for children. Unicef is, however, much concerned about children involved in trafficking, armed conflict, early marriages, hazardous industry and domestic labour. On trafficking of children, Karin Landgren, Unicef Child Protection Chief, said, “Some 8.4 million children do the worst form of child labour, including prostitution and debt bondage where children are exploited in slave-like conditions to pay a debt. Nearly two million children are used in commercial sex trade; most are trafficked into illegal and underground worlds making them susceptible to sexual and physical violence. Many are working as child labourers especially in South Asian countries like India.” In India since the early 1990s some MNCs have begun to include anti-child-labour policies in their codes of conduct. IKEA multinational, which designs home furnishings, provides one example where businesses can be pursued in a socially responsible manner. In Uttar Pradesh (which accounts for 15 per cent of India’s working children) Unicef and IKEA are working to implement anti-child-labour codes of conduct. The problem is being tackled by addressing indebtedness, adult unemployment and poverty. Most difficult to tackle, however, is the problem of children caught up in armed conflict as combatants, messengers, porters and sex slaves for armed forces and groups. Unicef notes that over 250, 000 children are currently serving as child soldiers in armed conflicts worldwide. A lot of problems stem from poverty, which exposes children to illness, malnutrition, even disability. Another staggering statistic is that about 250, 000 to 500, 000 children are still blinded each year by Vitamin A deficiency; one in every four infants is not immunized against measles; and one in every six children still dies before the age of five. In the given situation, the future of MDGs and of their prime beneficiaries can only be secured by promoting research for effective programming, legislation for securing children’s rights and checking discrimination, capacity building and reform to remove entry barriers to basic services for “excluded” children. “That is in case the MDGs are to be achieved at all,” asserts Ms
Veneman.
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Crackdown won’t halt immigration THE bill passed by the House late Friday to step up border enforcement and crack down on the millions of undocumented workers in the country would be doomed to failure if enacted because it does not acknowledge the inexorable economic forces that drive illegal immigration, according to many analysts. “Enforcement alone will not do it,” said Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “There is a certain emperor-has-no-clothes aspect to these enforcement-only bills. The only way they can work would be if you totally militarize the border. And even then, people would find some other way to come in.” The view that more than tougher enforcement is needed has been echoed by President Bush, who endorsed the House measure but also has said that a guest worker program that would create a legal channel for a significant number of unskilled workers to come into the country is a crucial element in any effort to control illegal immigration. The bill, passed by the House 239 to 182, would significantly strengthen enforcement by building sections of double walls along more than a third of the 2,000-mile southern border and incorporating more high-tech tools, including sensors, radar, satellites and unmanned drones, to enhance patrols. The bill also would discourage the hiring of illegal workers by intensifying enforcement against employers, who would have to confirm the authenticity of employees’ Social Security numbers against a national database or face fines of as much as $25,000 per violation. In addition, the bill would require that undocumented immigrants apprehended in the United States be held in detention facilities until they are deported. Currently, a severe shortage of detention space forces authorities to release many non-Mexican detainees after giving them summonses to return for deportation hearings, which most ignore. Illegal Mexican immigrants are deported. The Senate is expected to act on its own immigration bill early next year. That measure is widely expected to include enhanced enforcement measures and a guest worker program. Federal officials say several factors account for the lack of enforcement, including widespread use of counterfeit documents by illegal immigrants and problems establishing a reliable database that would allow employers to more easily detect cheaters. Also, there has been an increased focus on preventing terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Gregory Siskind, an immigration lawyer in Memphis, said that the government’s enforcement efforts are constrained by the reality that illegal immigrants are central to the nation’s economy. While the country absorbs about 500,000 illegal immigrant workers a year—many of them entering from Mexico—the federal government grants only 5,000 permanent visas for low-skill workers annually. In many parts of the country, particularly in the Southwest, there is palpable anger about what many people see as unchecked illegal immigration, which they complain overwhelms schools and hospitals and often changes the character of their communities. Arizona voters passed a measure last year that cut off public services to illegal immigrants. A similar initiative is being promoted in Colorado, while activists in California are working to put a ballot initiative before voters to establish a state-funded border patrol. Polls find that three out of four Americans believe the country is not doing enough to keep illegal immigrants out. “The American public has lost confidence with Congress on this issue,” said Joseph Chamie, director of research for the Center for Migration Studies. “But at the same time, the fact is that many businesses benefit from this labor flow, as do many average Americans who hire nannies, lawn people, or enjoy restaurants that might hire undocumented workers.” While the federal government has more than doubled the number of Border Patrol agents to more than 10,000 and tripled its border enforcement budget to more than $6 billion over the past decade, the number of illegal immigrants in the country has more than doubled in that period to an estimated 11 million. “These (enforcement) efforts operating alone are doomed to fail,” said Thomas E. Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “But they are too attractive in a political sense and too important symbolically to resist.”
—LA Times-Washinton Post
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Politicians oppose
Delhi demolitions THE average, law-abiding citizen of Delhi is convinced that had it not been for the Delhi High Court, the current demolition drive would never have taken place and that illegal constructions could not have come up without political and official patronage. A hue and cry has been raised by the local politicians over the demolitions. Cutting across party lines, they forced the Delhi assembly to adopt a resolution demanding an end to the drive. They plan to approach the High Court to stop the demolitions and amend the Delhi Master Plan 2021 to make all these encroachments legal. Some want the Delhi government to adopt the Malhotra Committee report, which had justified mix land use in the Capital and suggested a general amnesty for the violators after imposing a one-time penalty. The author of this report is none other than Mr. V. K. Malhotra, BJP MP. An unholy nexus of builders, civic officials and politicians has been active for the last one decade thanks to the sky-rocketing real estate rates and is responsible for the assault on the Capital’s skyline. The demolitions have evoked protests, which, it is felt, feel have been sponsored by the local politicians and their henchmen to put pressure on the Delhi government and the municipal authorities. In some cases, the protests are by the victims, who say they had paid officials heavily to buy permission for undertaking construction. The officials had assured them their buildings would be lagalised in a few years. The Delhi High Court has not overlooked this aspect and directed the government to identify and penalise the officials responsible for turning a blind eye to the encroachments. This may be difficult as some might have retired, while others got transferred. The demolitions followed writ petitions by some Residents Welfare Associations in the Delhi High court seeking action against the unauthorised buildings coming up in markets as well as residential areas in connivance with MCD and DDA officials and the local police. The High Court on December 14 directed the MCD to take action against all such buildings, whether residential or commercial. It was given a list of 18,000 such buildings. The corporation started taking action on December 18 with the help of the police as there was resistance at many places. An average of 80 or 90 buildings are being demolished everyday in different areas, including Lajpat Nagar, Greater Kailash, Vasant Kunj, Punjabi Bagh and Vikas Marg. The demolitions drove the local politicians into huddles to chalk out strategy as many thought that this would be a good time to woo the voters. After all elections are never far away. Others suddenly realised that the demolitions could alienate the voters and immediately jumped to their defence. It was precisely for this reason that the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee and its local MPs were the first ones to call for an end to the demolitions. But amidst all this, there is a silver lining. The fact that the Centre, on whose support the Delhi government was depending to bail it out of the situation, has refused to interfere. Let the drive continue — was the message that the Delhi government officials got at their meeting with the Union Minister for Urban Development. For the average Delhiite, who has invested his life’s savings in building an abode for himself for a better life, this spells hope.
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From the pages of The Punjab enquiry
In a little over three weeks’ time the Disorders Enquiry Committee will begin its sittings in the Punjab. If the enquiry is to serve its purpose, that of placing before the Government and the public outside the Punjab the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding the Punjab disturbances and the declaration and administration of martial law, there is an appalling mass of work to be done before the enquiry begins. It is clearly forgotten that many, if not the majority, of those who are in a position to give valuable evidence and whose evidence is most worth having are not men who could by any stretch of imagination be supposed to have either the desire or the competence to write a memorandum for the benefit of the Government and the public….
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Do not avoid the man who tells you in harsh words what you must not do. Do not avoid the man who administers reproofs. If you are intelligent, you will follow him like you would the one, who leads you to hidden treasure. — The Buddha The ungrateful are mostly concerned with ignoring the warning, for that, it will prove true against them. What they do not realise is that reality encompasses them and judges them whether or not they are consciously attentive of this fact. — Islam
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THE State of World’s Children Report 2006, released by Unicef in London recently, gives policy-makers plenty of food for thought. A sweeping assessment of the world’s most vulnerable children, whose rights to healthcare and education are exceptionally difficult to protect, the report lists trends that have made millions of children invisible to the public eye and unrepresented in public policy.