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The Iranian N-issue Wooing a vote bank |
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Promised, not
delivered
Among main US poll
issues
Changing a name
In Antarctica,
India not out in the cold Pole a barometer for climate
change
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Wooing a vote bank
The
controversy over Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid’s statement that he would continue to pursue the line on 9 per cent sub-quota for Muslims “even if they (Election Commission) hang me” had barely died down, with the commission accepting his apology, that another Congress minister, Mr Beni Prasad Verma, dared the commission to take action against him for declaring in a public meeting that the quota for Muslims would be increased in U.P. where assembly elections are underway. It was in the wake of President Pratibha Patil forwarding to the Cabinet the complaint of the commission seeking “immediate decisive” action against a “defiant and aggressive” Khurshid that the Congress party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi had said in an interview that the Election Commission was a constitutional body and the Congress always wanted that all Congressmen should speak as per the norms of public life and the law of the land. If Mr Verma’s dare to the Election Commission is anything to go by, that wise counsel has been defied. It is not statements like those of Mr Khurshid and Mr Verma that are at issue but the timing of such statements since the process for assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh is on. The commission’s implication in Mr Khurshid’s case was that his statement could influence voters and thereby give an unfair advantage to his party. As a Union Law Minister and a lawyer of stature, Mr Salman Khurshid should have known better than to seemingly pander to a vote bank and to apparently undermine the authority of a constitutional body. That he has withdrawn his controversial statement is a sign that he realised the folly of it. In a country so large as India, the Election Commission’s job of smoothly running the process of elections across the country is indeed a daunting one. There can be little doubt that it needs unstinted support of all parties in its onerous task. The code of conduct that all parties have agreed to needs to be followed in letter and spirit. |
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Promised, not delivered
A
report in The Tribune points out that some 40,000 mothers in Punjab have not been paid the meager amount of Rs 1,000 per delivery since November 2011. Women delivering babies in government hospitals are given the measly sum as an incentive for safety. In addition, the Centre makes a token payment of Rs 500 for each such case and has released the money for the purpose which, it seems, has not reached the intended beneficiaries. The 2011-12 Punjab budget announced the “Mata Kaushalaya Kalyan Scheme” under which Rs 1,000 was to be paid for each delivery in a government hospital. This was appreciated as a noble gesture by the state’s first woman Finance Minister, Dr Upinderjit Kaur. It was an attempt to achieve the objective underlined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care. A 2005-06 study conducted in Punjab revealed that more than half of the deliveries (52 per cent, to be precise) done were unsafe, which meant these were not done in either hospitals or by trained personnel. Institutional deliveries are encouraged all over the world to ensure the safety of mothers and newborns. However, what is announced in budgets is one thing, what actually happens on the ground is quite another, especially in Punjab. It is not unusual for the Punjab government to divert funds or delay payments. But denying payments to mothers sends a wrong message to expecting women from poorer families who often are forced to turn to untrained mid-wives, risking their own and infants’ lives. The neglect of women’s health has wider social and economic repercussions, given the imbalanced sex ratio in the state. As a woman, the Finance Minister should have understood this and insisted that the funds earmarked for her own scheme are delivered to the needy in time.
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Any idiot can face a crisis — it's day-to-day living that wears you out. — Anton Chekhov
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Among main US poll issues UNTIL about 10 days ago electioneering in the United States, especially the bitter struggle for the Republican nomination for presidency, was focused on tax increases for the super rich and thus obliquely on the rising concerns over growing inequalities in the richest country. Unfortunately, there was little altruistic about it. The main motive of even those who are resisting tooth and nail President Obama’s move to raise the tax on the wealthy was to embarrass and perhaps eliminate from the race the former governor of Massachusetts, Mr Mitt Romney, still considered the front-runner despite unexpected losses in two primaries in succession. He is under attack
for paying less than 14 per cent tax on his huge earnings from investments. Critics taunt him that his secretary pays more tax than
he does. Although Mr Romney was under attack also for being “pro-abortion” and “pro-antigun law”, the issue of abortion acquired sudden salience because of something President Obama had to do in pursuance of his healthcare reform which his Republican critics have dubbed “Obamacare”. American women’s right to free access to birth control, together with the ability to receive family planning advice and preventive health services, is fundamental to recent reforms. Therefore, the President issued a new rule making it obligatory for Catholic Church and hospitals, to provide their employees with the prescribed coverage that all employers do under the law. No sooner had the new rule been promulgated than Catholic bishops, more stridently than the Catholic population in general, raised a hue and cry. Not only was the religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution being violated, they protested, but also the Catholics were being forced to do what was totally contrary to the teachings of their religion. There was absolutely no legal infirmity in the Obama administration’s edict. But he and his advisers thought it expedient to do something to douse down the firestorm into which the issue was being turned. So, it was decided to amend the regulation to reach a compromise with the Catholic Church. The amended rule places no obligation on the Catholic institutions but requires that the costs of the birth control and allied services to the employees of these institutions should be borne by insurance companies. To supporters of Mr Obama, that was a very fair arrangement because it took care of both the Catholic sentiment and the rights of women. But his critics continue to be up in arms. Some have called his compromise solution “Immaculate Contraception”. The contention does not look like abating any time soon. For, after initial indications that the Catholic Church would accept the compromise, a conference of Catholic bishops has rejected it out of hand. President Obama had used a Prayer Breakfast to bring home to the Catholics that his approach to the rights of women and of the poor was in conformity with Christ’s teachings. He had indeed quoted from the Old Testament. This, too, has brought him a fusillade of criticism. Conservative commentators that outnumber the liberal ones in the American media have made fun of the “Gospel according to Obama”. As if this wasn’t enough the crusaders against abortion, birth control, contraception of any kind (“The Pill Kills” is one of their slogans) were lucky to find another powerful weapon for their armoury. Last week the Supreme Court of California declared as unconstitutional the state law banning same-sex marriages. A federal appeals judge in the state had upheld it. On this issue also there is a wave of anger and strident demands that the California verdict should be reversed immediately either by a larger bench in the state or by the US Supreme Court in Washington. All this has, of course, come as a godsend to the five main contenders for nomination as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate though Mr Romney finds himself in a tight corner. This is so because he has only now jumped on the anti-abortion bandwagon; in the past he was in favour of allowing women the choice. He had won the office of Massachusetts Governor on this pledge but had later reneged on it. His rivals, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator Rick Santorum and former Senator R. Paul, have always been anti-abortion and have now become virulently so. It may come as a surprise to many — it did to me when I first heard of it — that there is an extremist section within the stubborn “anti-abortion activists” that has been trying hard since 2008 to get the state constitutions amended — twice in the state of Colorado and most recently in Mississippi - to redefine “person” so that “from the moment of fertilisation”, a woman would be considered “two persons”. A “personhood” initiative they call it. All three attempts have failed so far, and quite decisively. But neither the activists nor their mentors are giving up. Mr Gingrich, Mr Santorum and Mr Paul have all signed a pledge to pursue “personhood” at the federal level! Ironically, the most vehement opponents of the “personhood” doctrine is the anti-abortion “mainstream” because it rightly fears that such ultra-extremism might result in the reaffirmation of the Roe v. Wade judgement that 40 years ago legalised abortion. Since then there have been persistent attempts to get this judgement reversed. Now the possibility is growing that this might happen. For, several sitting judges of the Supreme Court have clearly indicated that should the matter came before them, they would “throw out” “Roe vs Wade”. Republican aspirants to presidency have all declared that they would appoint more conservative judges to the apex court to obtain the desired result. In the midst of the current controversy some Catholics have spoken out that the Church leaders do not represent what the Catholics actually feel and do. According to a full-page advertisement in Washington Post, 80 per cent Catholics practice both contraception and abortion, when necessary; only 20 per cent don’t. On the other hand, according to respected observers, some Democrats and even liberals have “embraced” the logic of the Republican Right. What the real impact of the present fight would be on the election is, of course, too soon to say. But the cockiness of the anti-abortion, anti-contraception champions, who call themselves “pro-life” but seldom hesitate to kill the doctors who they suspect run abortion clinics, is
unmistakable.
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Changing a name Punjab
lost Chandigarh in 1966. In 1968 Lachman Singh Gill became Chief Minister for a short while. In those nine months, he forced the PWD to build metal link roads to villages, and made Punjabi the state language. Having lost Chandigarh, he started the Mohali town development project, continuing the Chandigarh sectors, in a southward direction. The rapidly growing township continued to use the village name Mohali. Some years later when Giani Zail Singh became Chief Minister, a suggestion was made to him by Manmohan Singh, an IAS officer, to name the new town as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. Sikh history of the 17th and 18th centuries is centered around this region. Gianiji did so with alacrity. But the name never took off. It was too long, and even government offices at best called it SAS Nagar (Mohali). The idea of commemorating Sahibzada Ajit Singh basically failed. Posted in Delhi, I watched this from a distance. I thought about it and felt that the name should be Ajitgarh. We had Chandigarh nearby. We also had Gobindgarh. Therefore, Ajitgarh would fit in phonetically and would be easy to use, being short and musical. A grand cricket stadium had been built, and packed matches were being held regularly, with the commentary being relayed to the whole world. The name Ajitgarh would become known all over the world if used. Sadly, they talk of cricket in Mohali. The new name — Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar — had failed to gain popularity because it was like a sentence. I wrote to successive Chief Ministers over the years, but all were indifferent. I felt frustrated, but like a terrier I would not give up the bit that was between my teeth. In 1978, as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, I thought that the Thein Dam would be built eventually, no matter how much the delay, so why not name the lake as Ranjit Sagar. After all, we had Gobind Sagar at the Bhakra Dam. Everyone knew that Ranjit Singh was intimately linked to the Ravi. I prepared a Cabinet note and pushed it into the next meeting. The worthy ministers busy with “barfi” and “samosas” waved it away without even a word of discussion. The Thein Dam was built long after, but the Ranjit Sagar name stayed. I was determined to see that Mohali must be changed to Ajitgarh. Seeing no government response, I wrote a letter to The Tribune explaining my arguments. It was published, perhaps noticed, but there was no action. Gianiji had retired as President, and was living nearby. One day I went to see him. I told him: “Gianiji, your name for Mohali has failed”, and I explained how. Gianiji was gracious enough to agree, and asked if he could do anything to help me. Should he write a letter? I thanked him and politely suggested that in retirement even his letter may not go far. I said I would continue my effort, and so I did year after year, writing more letters to the rulers of the day. I was most pleasantly surprised when, reading a Punjabi paper, I found that finally Ajitgarh had been accepted by the Government of
India.
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In Antarctica, India not out in the cold
The country is commissioning its third base, Bharati, on the southern pole in March. This will make India the 10th nation to have multiple operational bases on the continent that holds the key to the past and future of the earth The new station located almost 3,000 km from the existing one, Maitri, will enable Indian scientists to undertake cutting-edge research on geological structures and
tectonics.
Bharati — a
self-contained double-storeyed structure on stilts designed to last 25
years — will enable scientists to unravel Antarctica, the highest,
coldest and windiest continent that is the southern-most point of our
planet. It holds the key to some of the greatest mysteries of the past
and the future of the earth and mankind, especially in the context of
climate change.
In India, the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is the nodal agency responsible for planning, coordination and implementation of operations related to the Antarctic region as well as Arctic on the northern pole. Antarctic and Arctic expeditions are a regular feature, with scientists from across the country getting together at India's permanent base Maitri in Antarctica and Himadri in Svalbard in the deep north of the Arctic Circle, conducting experiments, collecting specimens, and following up with detailed studies on them at the sophisticated NCAOR laboratories in Goa.
Little India in Antarctica India has set up an elaborate scientific establishment in Antarctica since it entered the white continent in 1981. Till now, 30 polar expeditions have been launched, including a special one to the Weddle Sea, four to the Southern Ocean and another four to the Arctic, under the polar research programme. The infrastructure at Dakshin Gangotri (now abandoned) and Maitri — our first and second bases in Antarctica — enabled Indian scientists to conduct cutting-edge research in disciplines such as earth sciences and glaciology; atmospheric science and meteorology; biology and environmental sciences; human physiology and medicine; and engineering and communications. Several of these research programmes have contributed directly to global experiments mounted under the aegis of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), with active partners such as the Antarctic Treaty nations of Germany, Italy, France, Peru, Germany, Columbia, Romania, Norway and the US. Established in 1989, Maitri is currently India's permanent station in Antarctica. It is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis, and has modern scientific facilities to carry out research. It can accommodate 25 scientists for winter and is linked to the NCAOR 24x7 thorough satellite. India's first "wintering" was at Dakshin Gangotri, but the station had to be abandoned in 1990 after it was buried under ice. A year later, India set up Maitri. The country has now established a third research base, Bharati, on the Larsmann Hill, 3,000 km from Schirmacher Oasis, where Maitri stands. After its commissioning next month, it is expected to be fully operational in 2013. With Bharati, India will join the elite group of nine nations that have multiple stations in the region. While Maitri is more than 100 km from the Antarctic Sea, Bharati will be closer to the sea, enabling scientists to take up rare research on the marine ecology of the polar region. India has also initiated studies for base line data collection on environmental aspects at the Larsemann Hills, the site of the new research station. India has also been successful in establishing a protected site encircling the Dakshin Gangotri Glacier within the ambit of the Antarctic Treaty System.
Cold start While living in Antarctica — where temperatures range from minus 89 degrees Celsius in the winter to minus 25 degrees Celsius in the summer — can be tough, constructing a permanent structure is even tougher, especially with wind speeds crossing 40 knots. The construction of cold and wind-insulated buildings has given engineers rare insight that can be used in the cold terrain of Himalayas too. The laying of pipelines for potable water, production and maintenance of electric supply and running convoys of snowmobiles over a treacherous ice field covered with crevasses are among the experiences gained from the polar programme. “Bharati will help India undertake multi-disciplinary research and observation studies — biological, geological, physical, chemical, suspended particulates in oceans, aerosols, meteorological sciences, etc — giving the country the lead in polar research," says NCAOR Research Director Rasik Ravindran. It will accommodate around 70 people in all, 35 scientists and 10 logistics persons included, who will remain there throughout the year and conduct experiments on the movement of platonic plates, microbes surviving in this atmosphere and magnetic properties. Going to the Arctic is easier for scientists because they can fly there directly, but reaching Antarctica can take 10-12 days from Cape Town, that too only in the summers. During winters, the ocean surrounding Antarctica freezes up, making it impossible for anyone to approach the landmass. Indian expeditions are multi-institutional and multidisciplinary in nature, involving more than 60 institutes, R&D organisations, universities, survey organisations and IITs. In the past three years, more than 100 scientists have participated in India's polar studies in glaciology, microbiology, paleoclimatology, solid earth geophysics, oceanography, nature of the continental shelf, etc.
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Pole a barometer for climate change Ice cores recovered from polar ice sheets offer the best possibility of reconstructing past atmospheric compositions. Several ice cores have been drilled by Indian scientists through ice sheets covering Greenland under its polar research programmes at the Arctic and Antarctica, from which records of past volcanic eruptions and accumulation rates of ice, climate and environmental changes, atmospheric and nuclear fallout, and solar and terrestrial variability for several thousands of years is being derived. The major ion analysis of the ice core from a region labelled cDML has revealed the existence of several volcanic eruptions, showcasing tectonic activity in the region that led to its present state. Any change in temperature directly affects the glaciers. Melting of the ice caps would result in a rise in the sea levels, impacting land masses and people across the world. Since climate change is not restricted to a particular area, the glaciers in Antarctica are also melting, fortunately not at an alarming rate. But they have to be monitored, considering the catastrophic impact any rise in temperatures can have on the continent that is 90 per cent glaciers. Studies in the southern ocean surrounding Antarctica are particularly important in establishing whether the oceans, considered a sink for carbondioxide, are reaching limits of absorption. To know if or when that limit would be reached is particularly important, as any changes in the carbondioxide levels can directly affect sea life, in turn the entire food chain. Monitoring Antarctica ocean temperature is also important as cold water from there regularly mixes with warmer oceans ahead. Since the cold water is heavier, it sinks, creating convection currents, thereby affecting the rainfall patterns in the rest of the world. Ravindaran says scientists are monitoring how much cold water is going out of the Antarctic region, in order to monitor rainfall and weather patterns. Lab for diverse sciences Besides the all-important weather research, India is involved in several studies in diverse fields of polar and ocean research. Atmospheric experiments The Antarctic atmospheric science programme includes solar terrestrial physics, and middle and lower atmospheric studies. Radiation studies are being carried out to understand the total global solar radiation and diffused radiation to help decipher the energy transfer that drives the atmospheric engine. Ozone measurements help study of the ozone-hole phenomenon over Antarctica and the effect of depletion of ozone on global climate change. Biological sciences Polar regions and their fragile ecosystems play a key role in the operation of various global systems. Such ecosystems are intrinsically unstable, as slight changes in the environment may considerably damage them. Since the growth rate of polar organisms is slow, it also takes them a long time to recover from the damage. Biological studies in Antarctica by Indian scientists are focusing on sea ice microorganisms, life in deep oceans, fresh water and terrestrial ecosystems, biodiversity and other related phenomena. Studies have been conducted to evaluate the diversity of heterotrophic bacteria (that cannot synthesise its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances) in the Arctic water. Cryobiology studies The study of cold-adapted microbes from polar habitats reveals functional importance of the stress proteins. India is involved in experiments establishing the identity of stress proteins from polar microbes, and has identified a number of new species of bacteria. As many as 30 of the 240 new species discovered so far in Antractica have been by India. “If there is a microbe that has a protein that can survive at minus 80 degree Celsius, it must have some special cold-adaptive qualities that can be used in medicine to fight cancer and other diseases,” explains
Ravindaran.
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Made up of 90 per cent ice, with practically no rainfall, Antarctica is technically a desert, storing almost 70 per cent of the earth’s freshwater in its ice sheets. Locked in these sheets is a record of the history of life and environment of the past thousands of years.