P A G E
Wednesday, November 4, 1998
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E D I T O R I A L P A G E |
Wednesday, November 4, 1998 |
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Not
really disinvestment
FUNCTIONING
OF THE GOVERNMENT
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Riot in another UP village |
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Not really disinvestment THE great Indian disinvestment mela (Mark II) got under way on Monday, with Concor (Container Corporation of India) coyly sashaying down the ramp. Ordinary people missed the fun since the sale is severely limited to a very select few — institutional investors, both domestic and foreign. This restricted appeal makes nonsense of the concept of disinvestment; what makes it all the more so is the fact that all prospective Indian buyers are government owned, making it a transfer of shares from one wing of the government to another and a reverse flow of crores of rupees to the government. Well, this is precisely what the government aims at — raise Rs 5,000 crore as indicated in the budget and at the same time create an impression that economic reforms are picking up momentum. The emphasis is more on the first since the Finance Minister is desperate to find money to keep the fiscal deficit at the already unacceptable level of Rs 91,000 crore. This comes out loudly in the so-called strategic sale route he has chosen. Here the global coordinator, a unit of a Swiss bank, will accept offers on the price per share and the number of shares from Indian and foreign institutional investors. This will go on for 10 days and funnily, the intending buyers can keep on revising the terms. This is the process called book-building and at the end of it all, the coordinator will tabulate the price and the volume of equity and leave the final decision to the government. In this round nine million shares are on offer (13.84 per cent of the equity) and the indicated opening price is Rs 250 or Rs 260 a share. It may well be traded lower although the market price is a notional Rs 380-Rs 400. The government hopes to mop up about Rs 200 crore. The strategic sale of a
small segment of Concor shares brings out the
difficulties the government faces in disinvestment. Part
of it is self-imposed in the sense that it lacks clarity,
has no idea of market forces and is afraid of a repeat of
the first sale fiasco (when brokers cornered shares at a
lower price and then made a killing). Unfortunately for
the plan, the share market continues to be in a depressed
state, with the much hyped buy-back of shares failing to
enthuse investors. On Monday the sensex hovered around
2800 points, too low to plan sale of shares. Ideally it
should be 4000, or at least 3700 points as it was last
May when some blue chip companies managed to raise
capital by selling over-priced shares. On top of it, the
Finance Minister has announced that the government will
sell at least one unit every year and has even named four
profit-making ones. Indian Airlines, another candidate
for disinvestment, is offering 10 per cent of its equity
to its 21,000 employees at the face value, as against the
market price of between Rs 30 and Rs 50. For some reason,
the government does not favour involving the employees in
this process. And that is a pity. |
Buy drugs with extra care It seems the fear of law has disappeared from the minds of manufacturers and traders. Government officials are too well known for their contempt for the laws of the land, which is one reason why no political dispensation has succeeded in breaking the back of corruption. The law-breakers among businessmen have become overactive for the past few months. They have started playing with the lives of the unwary citizens. Their heinous designs came to light some time ago when many people lost their lives in the national Capital after consuming adulterated mustard oil, the cause for the spread of the deadly disease called dropsy. Their network has spread to the area of life-saving drugs also. The unearthing of a spurious drug racket in Delhi on Friday should be enough for the government to sound a general alarm throughout the country to save the lives of innocent patients. One of the arrested dealers had been getting his supplies from a Bathinda man for many years, as he divulged to the police during interrogation. Thus what has come to light may be only the tip of the iceberg, as the Bathinda manufacturer might be having more suppliers of his "product" in different parts of the country. The authorities should lose no time and launch an immediate investigation to reach the bottom of this horrifying business. The racket involving the
sale of spurious and substandard drugs could not have
been unearthed so soon but for the efforts of Zee TV's
"Insight" team which went into the details of
how such racketeers operate. The "Insight"
programme — prepared after the TV network received
some substandard drugs from an Orissa chemist — that
was telecast on Thursday for the first time showed the
sale of empty capsules in Delhi which could be easily
misused by spurious drug suppliers. There were reports
which also brought to light how wrappers of substandard
medicines were replaced with those of the products of
reputed firms to cheat the buyers. Then two well-known
drug firms complained to the crime branch of the Delhi
police that their names were being misused by some fake
dealers to make quick money. This led to the detection of
the racket whose tentacles are yet to be exposed. Imagine
a patient being given Fortwin injections or Becosules
capsules having such established names as Ranbaxy and
Pfizer but being fake. There is no chance of the patient
getting relief. He will curse the doctor or his fate. But
the doctor will get confused. The credibility of the
company whose name appears on the packing of the
substandard medicine will suffer. This is a dreaded
situation for any firm. It can manage to survive the
toughest competition but not an onslaught of this nature.
However, this is not for the first time that such cases
have been reported. What is alarming is that these
merchants of death are getting more and more aggressive
in their inhuman operations. They must get the severest
punishment, which should also serve as a deterrent. The
government's apathy in the case of the adulterated
mustard oil sale gave wrong signals to such elements.
Exemplary action with regard to the drug racket will send
the message that anyone who plays with the lives of
innocent people will not be spared.
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Promoting tourism THE Union Government’s decision to accord export house status to the tourism industry deserves a qualified welcome. The tour operators are understandably happy with the decision because it would allow tourism units to obtain special import licence (SIL), free trading of SIL, import of equipment under SIL, waiver of bank guarantee on import of cars against foreign exchange earnings and income tax exemption under Section 80-HHD. The tourism sector is the third largest foreign exchange earner for the country. While making the announcement at a function in Delhi Union Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana said that “the threshold limit has been revised downwards”. The zero-duty threshold limit for imports by the tourism sector would be reduced from Rs 20 crore to Rs 1 crore for units which are identified as tourism export houses. This concession under the export promotion of capital goods scheme would be applicable to specified items to be identified by the Tourism Ministry in consultation with the Finance Ministry. However, the reason why the tourism sector has not been able to tap the country’s tourism potential has less to do with lack of incentives. What the sector needs to do is to revise its policies and packages for foreign tourists. Of course, lack of adequate infrastructure too is responsible for the slow growth of the tourism industry. To meet the target of attracting five million tourists to India by the next century the Tourism Ministry has also decided to treat the period between April 1, 1999 and March 31, 2000 as Visit India Year. Sachin Tendulkar and other superstars are being roped in to launch the campaign for attracting foreign visitors. However, those associated
with the tourism sector, including the India Tourism
Development Corporation, need to spruce up their act to
make India an attractive destination for visitors from
other lands. There are any number of fly-by-night
operators in the business whose only objective is to
fleece tourists and not promote tourism. Word by mouth
publicity is more effective than the officially sponsored
ad campaigns for drawing foreign visitors to India. The
government should allow only registered travel agents and
tour operators to remain in the business to ensure a
healthy rate of growth for the tourism sector. It must
realise that foreign visitors do not always look for
five-star luxury. What can make their visit memorable is
exposure to the traditional Indian hospitality. The
charge that only a small fraction of the country’s
vast tourism potential has been tapped so far because of
lack of enterprise among those in the tourism business is
not without substance. All that is needed is innovative
marketing of the country’s rich and diverse culture,
customs and heritage. The ITDC should take lessons in
promoting cultural tourism from the New Zealand Tourism
Board. The NZTB has associated the Maori people as equal
partners in promoting culture-related tourism packages.
As an NZTB spokesman put it “the big trend in
tourism today is the desire for real experience.
International visitors want insights into indigenous
cultures”. The assumption in India is that tribal
culture needs protection and not exposure to the outside
world. The New Zealand experience has shown that Maori
customs and crafts have been revived because
“international visitors would not come all the way
to the Maori heartland to see what they get to see at
home”. |
Gandhi & his missiles THE like of Mahatma Gandhi is rarely born, perhaps, one in a millennium or a million. He had hardly any peer. He constituted a separate class, and was an entity or an institution by himself. So great, indeed, was he! An apostle of peace and non-violence as he was, he was deadly against all sorts of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction; and he ardently wanted the whole world to be absolutely free from all such weapons. Truth, non-violence, and peace were his only weapons and constituted his entire weaponry. Truth was to him his “Stinger Missile”; Non-Violence his “Cruise Missile”; and Peace his “SS.22 Missile”. His fasts were, of course, his home-spun and indigenous missile which was no less powerful than a nuclear-head, and produced prompt results. He fought all his battles with these odd and unusual weapons and invariably won them. The first battle that he fought with these strange but morally invincible weapons was against “apartheid” in South Africa where Africans or “the blacks were being mercilessly discriminated against and terribly ill-treated by the British on the basis of the colour of their skin. The courage and conviction, the fearlessness and firmness, the grit and gumption, the truth and transparency, the vigour and vitality with which he raised his voice against “racism” and against the atrocities, which were being committed on the black not only created a great awakening among the blacks but also caused quite some tremors among the powers that be. He was thus the first person to lay the foundation for the freedom of the Africans or the blacks from foreign rule and colonialism; and initiate them into the realm of their cherished dream. So scintillating was the success he achieved on this front. After carrying on his holy crusade against racism and serving certain terms of incarceration in South African jails, Gandhiji returned to India sometime in 1915. Soon thereafter he set up an ashram at Ahmedabad for himself and for his co-workers. And then he assumed the reins of an adviser, a counsellor, or a guide to the Congress party which had long ago launched and was carrying on a movement known as the freedom struggle to wrest independence for their country from the British, who were then ruling over the country. He played a very significant and vital role in this capacity and never let the Congress deviate from the principles of truth and non-violence in carrying on its campaign against the British rulers. If there ever was any violation of these principles and the Congress crusaders were found to have resorted to some sort of violence, Gandhiji would forthwith go on a fast to set things right and would not break it till amends were made for it and he was given a solemn assurance that there would be no such violence henceforth. The freedom struggle was thus carried on against the English rulers by absolutely peaceful means, and it was after an awfully long and protracted struggle, spanning over several decades, that we were able to shake off the shackles of slavery and attain independence and freedom from foreign rule. It was as such Gandhiji’s missiles of truth and non-violence buttressed with his missile of fasts which did the whole miracle and led us to our long-cherished goal. The importance of these missiles, which create something noble and exalting but cannot annihilate it, can hardly be overemphasised because as said by Shakespeare, “Violent fires soon burn themselves out, small showers last long, but sudden storms are short, and he tires betimes that spurs too fast”, “Truth, of course, is one of the sublimest things in the world and every violation of truth is a stab at the health of human society.” Truth and non-violence
were, as a matter of fact, woven into Gandhiji’s
life in an exquisitely fine texture and constituted the
warp and woof of his very existence and the core and crux
of all his teachings. Instead of canonising or
dogmatising his teachings, if we simply put these two
most powerful and potential weapons of Gandhiji into
practice and glorify and galvanise them by actually using
them to solve all our individual, national, and global
problems, disputes and conflicts, I am sure, we shall not
only be paying the most glittering and glorious homage to
the Father of the Nation but also earning his blessings
from his celestial abode above. We would then also have a
far saner world and the Piping Times of peace. |
FUNCTIONING OF THE GOVERNMENT SIX ministers wrote to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to transfer a particular secretary at the Centre. Mr Vajpayee kept quiet. He did not move even another secretary, who annoyed the minister so much that he stripped her of all powers. It is not explainable why Mr Vajpayee failed to act when he has himself complained more than once that the bureaucracy has not allowed his government to function. There can be two reasons. One, he did not want to needle the bureaucracy, which is already performing less and less. Two, he was not sure if his ministers were all that justified in asking for the transfer of certain officers. Probably, there is some truth in both assumptions. No doubt, bureaucrats are only pushing files. They give the impression as if they do not take the BJP-led coalition seriously. But this can be because of political instability. When they hear about the threats by the AIADMK on the one hand and the Akali Dal on the other, they come to believe that they do not have to burn their fingers. Naturally, if another government is on the cards, bureaucrats play safe. The ministers I have talked to feel let down. One of them said if they had a majority, no officer would have dared to drag his feet. “They are like a trade union,” says Urban Development Minister Ram Jethmalani. “You touch one, others come to his or her rescue.” But he blames the Prime Minister for “not acting.” Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi says that during the VP Singh regime (she was also a minister then), bureaucrats took the initiative to put forward suggestions and carried out orders willingly. “Now they only prepare fat files tagged with just one remark, “Note for minister’s order.” They believe that the government may fall any time, and hence it is better to lie low.” Commerce Minister RK Hegde feels that the bureaucracy has got politicised. It is coming in the way of delivering the goods. His impression is that they have become “lords unto themselves” and they have to be disciplined if any government is to move further. What he says about politicisation is correct because some bureaucrats have come to owe allegiance to the BJP, some to the Congress, some to the Communists and some to the parties of the Dalits and the backward classes. Bureaucrats serve the interests of the parties which pamper them and consider them their own. This has destroyed collective functioning. In fact, the bureaucrats allied to one party see to it that even the routine work of the opposition party is blocked. The worst aspect is that even topmost secrets are conveyed to respective political parties. Some ministers confess that they do not express their views frankly at Cabinet meetings because the officers are present. This is a serious matter, which all political parties must ponder over. Theirs may be a small gain. But the nation’s loss is enormous because no officer feels accountable. He or she gets away with everything because of protection by political parties. This is reprehensible, and all parties are blameworthy. I do not think that a country which eats, drinks and sleeps politics can now turn back and agree upon keeping certain fields like the administration out of politics. When ministers use bureaucrats for political purposes, it is not surprising that the latter become dilatory and defiant. All that the government can do is to make such rules as delineate the working of the bureaucracy. Once the boundary is outlined, it will be easy to detect the evasion. Jawaharlal Nehru would openly say that one of the problems he faced was “a reorganisation of our administrative structure”. But what surprises one is that despite many efforts — and with good intentions — the government offices continue to work in the rut and carry on old traditions which have little significance today. An eminent expert in public administration, Paul H. Appleby, after his visit to India in 1952, described governmental procedures as “cumbersome, wasteful and dilatory”. Today, even after 48 years of his observation, there is hardly any change. The results of various committees and commissions on administrative reforms have been marginal in their impact. Take, for example, the system of noting by various grades of people. This has been done away with in almost all other countries. But it continues to exist in India. Normally, there should be only one note in the file and that by the officers who can take some action on it. Other notes are just wasted. Nehru emphasised this point. But the system has not changed much. Still prevalent is the old practice of the man at the bottom of the hierarchy, generally a clerk, writing the first “note” on a file. Whatever else is recorded subsequently, the original note forms the basis on which depends the fate of the case. There is nothing derogatory about a clerk giving his opinion. But it only shows that a case is not straightaway dealt with at a high level to lessen the red tape on the one hand and to enable an officer of experience and calibre to dispose it of quickly on the other. At present, there is too much insistence on communication through formal channels, too much cross-reference, too many reviews by legal officers, too much control of details, too much preoccupation with “saving” rupees and too little attention to effectiveness. Administration is primarily the conduct of programmes beneficial to the nation. Hence the importance of objects, targets, results, responsibilities and the delegation of authority. Mobilisation of men, infusing them with purpose and making them responsible for producing results is the challenge before the country. If we are to work for a welfare state, the whole of our administrative structure has to function somewhat differently. The essential problem is to develop a practical and realistic approach. The very word “administration” is too narrowly conceived. There is an obsession about rules and regulations and an acute shortage of men of action. The present rules do not permit quick vertical mobility. They should be amended to provide more opportunities for the promotion at the lower level. Those who excel should be adequately rewarded. One other way to get results is to restructure the civil services. The present system of classification of the posts into four classes, or gazetted and non-gazetted should be abolished. The services can be divided into technical and non-technical. And those jobs, which necessitate the posting of employees to rural or hazardous areas, should carry not only a substantial allowance but also pension at a higher scale. Effective leadership by
the Vajpayee government’s ministers is important. It
does not consist merely in issuing directives and
securing their compliance. Ministers have to set an
example of dedication and total involvement in work.
Their conduct, hours of work and willingness to fully
shoulder the burdens of office will have an exemplary
effect. But if they have political gains in view, they
cannot be objective. The bureaucracy can exploit this.
Probably this is what is happening. Ministers’
complaints are probably justified. But when the entire
administration is run by important organisations outside
the government — for example, the RSS and the
communist politburo — public servants are bound to
use the opportunities to play politics. |
Noose tightens around Pinochet THE sins of mass murderers are coming back to haunt them. Some of the perpetrators of crimes against humanity during the Bosnia civil war had been brought to book and tried. But many, including the Yugoslavian President Milosovic, continue to roam free. With human rights activists in many nations demanding action against mass murderers, the momentum against them is likely to increase in the days to come. The British government seems to be bitten by the human rights bug. That is how one should look at the arrest of former Chilean strongman, Gen Augustus Pinochet, who had been arrested by the British police on a Spanish extradition warrant. Pinochet, who was a regular visitor to Britain for medical treatment, was operated upon in a London clinic for a herniated disc, a spinal disorder which had caused him pain and prevented him from walking normally for the past few months. Pinochet was one of the worst dictators and mass murderers of recent times. He headed a military junta which seized power in Chile in September, 1973, and ruled the country for about 10 years. More than 4,000 political opponents, dissenters and ordinary people were put to death during junta rule, another 1,200 simply disappeared after being held for questioning by the dreaded military police. The Chilean dictator was unmoved by the barrage of criticism levelled against his brutal regime by the international community and human rights activists. It is hard to understand how the former Chilean dictator was not tried and punished in his own nation. When the USA helped to install a new government in Chile, there appears to be an unwritten agreement that the General would not be touched. This was because Pinochet was still a hero to the powerful right-wing factions in Chile and the armed forces. Since the USA was keen to achieve a smooth takeover from the military junta to a civilian government, it had to give in on this issue. General Pinochet, now 82, had been made a life-time Senator, an honour reserved for patriots and builders of Chile. One cannot understand how this honour was bestowed on him. Why did Spain ask for an extradition warrant of arrest on Pinochet? Two Madrid magistrates, Baltazar Garson and Manuel Garcia, who were enquiring into the alleged murder and disappearance of thousands of Spaniards during General Pinochet’s rule, had come to the conclusion that the junta was guilty of genocide. Both magistrates were reportedly in London when the General was arrested. Legal sources in Madrid said that General Pinochet could face charges of torture, mass murder, kidnappings, terrorism and crimes against humanity filed by the surviving members of the families of those who had disappeared in Chile. The specific warrant which led to the arrest of Pinochet concerned the murder of 80 Spaniards by the Chilean security forces in 1976. Media reports indicated that the green signal to put Pinochet under arrest came from the “highest” authorities in the British government. While the Home Office insisted that the arrest warrant was issued by a London magistrate on a routine basis, some of the British newspapers reported that Britain had warned Spain to take immediate action before Pinochet left London following his surgery. Foreign Ministry sources said that the arrest was only a “judicial process” and should not affect British-Chilean relations. It denied that Pinochet had applied for diplomatic immunity. There was no comment from the office of the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair. Western nations’ attitude towards tinpot dictators from Latin America had been ambivalent. France was ready to shelter “Baby Doc” Duvalier, son of the notorious Haitian dictator, “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who ruled his nation through terror and voodoo practices. When Haitians overthrew his son, he fled to France with his enormous wealth and was quickly rehabilitated, much to the disgust of the civilised world. Another Latin American dictator, strongman Noreiga of Panama, had been actually on the payroll of the CIA for several years. The USA moved against Noreiga only after he began some independent drug operations. Today there is a hardening
of attitude among the Western nations against these
dictators. This had been mainly brought about by the
people’s revulsion after watching television
coverage of the butchery and terror practices of these
dictators. The stomach-churning violence in Bosnia and
the mass murder of millions of innocent civilians were
vividly portrayed by international television networks.
The governments of the leading Western powers could not
keep quiet and pay only lip service and criticise such
crimes. People all over the world demanded direct and
stringent action. It was only then that some of the
guilty were brought before the courts and tried for
crimes against humanity. Pinochet was one of the worst
among such dictators and his hands were full of the blood
of innocent civilians. The Spanish extradition request is
a unique case. |
The relevance of Guru Nanak ALTHOUGH, a 15th century (1469-1539 A.D.) saint and seer, the very embodiment of divinity and life’s eternal values, Guru Nanak’s message of love for truth, purity and integrity and the vision of one humanity which transcended over caste, creed, race and religion, has extraordinary relevance with the 20th century’s prevalent malaise of falling values, upsurge of fundamentalism, violence, corruption and all-round debasement of character. Guru Nanak was a spiritual prophet who sought perennial truth and proclaimed that there was only one God, the father of all creation and of all mankind. Inspired by his fervent faith in God and love of humanity, he worked ceaselessly to ensure a better life for human beings, a dedicated and practical life of piety, honesty, principled conduct and meditation on the one and only God. His Prakash Utsav celebrating his 529th birth anniversary reaffirms his timeless message to humanity. Religious intolerance was the real menace five centuries ago. Guru Nanak appeared at a time of fanaticism, intolerance, social and political chaos. The Mughal Emperor Babar had invaded India and there was endless persecution and torture of the Hindus in the wake of the invasion. The devastation caused by Babar’s armies and the suffering of the people moved the Guru profoundly. He was appalled by moral degradation that had set in under despotic rule. In his superb poetic composition, popularly known as “Babarvani”, Guru Nanak’s sensitivity to the political upheaval is evident. In a couplet he says: The Kings are tigers,
the headmen dogs. Guru Nanak fearlessly fought against tyrants and tyranny even as he fought equally against tyrants within — hatred, cowardice and greed. An apostle of peace and love, his response to the disharmony and chaos of the times was that of a spiritual reformer. His message both to the Hindus and Muslims was one of humanity, religious tolerance, goodwill and compassion. Said Guru Nanak when he emerged from a mystical communion with God: “There is neither a Hindu nor a Mussalman. Only human beings”. In the words of Guru Nanak, all of us are the children of the one God who is the father and, therefore, brothers. He synthesised Hinduism and Islam and the current Sufi thought to capture the essence of a truly tolerant mind. It has been said of him: Baba Nanak Shah Fakir, In his own way, Guru Nanak was the pioneer of secularism. Guru Nanak’s teachings have a firm ethico-spiritual base. He laid great emphasis on high ethical conduct. For Guru Nanak “truth is higher than everything else, but higher still is the living of truth.” Man should maintain his purity in the midst of all impurities, preached Guru Nanak. By personal example, he inspired mankind to lead a moral and truthful life in the service of humanity without fear and narrow-mindedness, treating all human beings, men and women, as equal. “Be in the world, but not worldly,” he said. He firmly believed that a man must perform his duty as a member of the society in which he lived and lead a good and pious householder’s life. He himself led a complete family life and after his wide travels throughout India, to holy Mecca and Baghdad in Arabia and to Sri Lanka, he settled down at Kartarpur with his family and disciples. A divine poet-philosopher, the hymns he sang rapturously in praise of the Lord, universal love and brotherhood, truthful living and equality of mankind are deeply moving. The praise and love of God that emerges from reading his celestial hymn. “Jap Ji” Sahib, a morning prayer in verse, one of his literary creations, is itself a contemplation of truth and worship of God and recited by the devout in the wee hours daily. It’s opening rhyme which delineates the concept of God as the one God, the supreme truth, creator, without fear and hate, omnipresent..., is the mool-mantra of the Sikh faith. Guru Nanak preached nam japna (absorption in God’s name). By hearing, reciting and loving the name with all sincerity and devotion, is to free oneself from the cycle of births and deaths and to achieve happiness in this world, proclaimed Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak spoke against
meaningless rituals and orthodoxy shorn of reason and
logic. As a divine, an inspired thinker and a religious
teacher with a probing mind, Guru Nanak’s teachings
remain uniquely significant for all time. |
Water shortages loom as threat
to world peace TENSIONS over water are threatening stability in north Africa, West Asia and Central Asia as countries accuse each other of siphoning more than their fair share of river water. The United Nations has offered to mediate to prevent hostilities. Egypt has already warned Ethiopia that it faces military action if it takes more water than it does at present from the Nile, even though 85 per cent of the flow originates there. Syria, sandwiched between Turkey and Iraq, is sabre-rattling as Turkey completes a series of dams to use the Euphrates for hydro-power and irrigation. If less water reaches Syria but its people still use the same volume, Iraq, the next country downstream, is unlikely to suffer in silence. Five countries in Central Asia share two rivers, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, while the disaster of Soviet planning has led to the shrinking of the Aral Sea — thanks to wasteful irrigation schemes to grow cotton, and hydro-electric projects that have raised the requirement for water. Three million of the 55 million people in the region live on the banks of the drying Aral Sea. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are talking but have resolved nothing. The prediction made in 1995 by Ismail Seageldin, vice-president of the World Bank, looks perilously close to being realised: “Many of the wars of this century were about oil, but the wars of the next century will be about water.” The bank was reporting that 80 countries had water shortages that threatened agriculture and health. The crisis over water resources will be the main item at a meeting this week at Fontainebleau, France, to mark the 50th anniversary of the World Conservation Union, to which 138 countries belong. There will be a special session on the problem of the Jordan River. Water sharing between Palestinians, Israelis and Jordanians is seen as one of the most intractable problems in the West Asia peace process. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has just made solving international water disputes a priority. To avoid conflict between Egypt, the Sudan and Ethiopia, UNEP is trying to broker a deal. It said: “There are lots of hot-spots around the world.... The potential for water wars is great and the issue needs urgent political attention.” Klaus Topfer, executive director of UNEP, said he was transforming the organisation into a mediator on water conflicts: “We must be integrated into the peace process in the future.” UNEP has already been mediating in disputes in the Zambezi river basin, southern Africa, and in Lake Titicaca, shared by Bolivia and Peru. He said 19 of the 25 countries with the highest proportions of their people lacking access to safe drinking were in Africa, and an estimated quarter of the earth would have chronic water shortage at the beginning of the next century. Sandra Postel, director of the United States-based Global Water Policy Project, said there was no international law to help in dividing river water. The Nile is one of the
most intractable problems. The Egyptians are diverting
Nile water to the western desert while Ethiopia is
starting to exploit the Blue Nile with small dams for
electrical power and irrigation. And another eight
countries, including the Sudan, want more water from the
Nile. Egypt said recently that if any country took more
water it would consider it an act of war. —
Guardian News Service. |
Riot in another UP village ALLAHABAD:
The Leader’s Rae Bareli correspondent wires the
account of a serious Hindu-Muslim riot on the Bakrid Day
at a village near Nasirabad thana. The report says that
some Gujjars caught hold of two Hindus, who were
protesting against Qurbani, and insulted and belaboured
them.This attracted a large crowd of Hindus who tried to
rescue their brethren. A free lathi fight ensued, in
which some members of both communities were seriously
injured. Some arrests were made. |
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