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| Monday, June 12, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Wrong
Minister wins
Democracy
at work in Russia |
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| Population, education &
empowerment by Anurag THE birth of the billionth baby on May 11 tolled the bell to proclaim that the vast mass of Indians is steadily sinking into a Malthusian morass. Whether India’s billion is a liability or an asset may be debatable, what is settled is that the population engine will continue to chug along for another 20 years even if every eligible couple vows to observe a two-child norm. Yet our decision, nay destiny, makers would do well to pay more than mere lip-service to this problem of numbers.
How
powerful is Election Commission?
Farewell
parades
Don’t
tamper with salt iodisation, say experts
June 12, 1925
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COST-cutting, the Vajpayee government style, received a bad name on Saturday when Communications Minister Ram Vilas Paswan scored an undeserved victory over long-suffering Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha. Umpiring the bitter battle was the Prime Minister himself and he asked his Man Friday, Mr Brijesh Mishra, to dress up the baffling verdict as reasonable and acceptable and the result of long hours of debate. It is nothing of the sort. Long accustomed to squandering public money to earn temporary adulation, Mr Paswan pulled off a huge trick by combining cleverness with low cunning. He first announced the generous package — free telephones and 70-day productivity-linked bonus — and forced the government to stop squirming and endorse his decision. Government leaders, from the Prime Minister downwards, had no choice. If they said no, they would antagonise the workers and show themselves as spoil-sport and the wily Minister would run away with the credit. There was only one man who protested and he had a vested interest in doing so. As Finance Minister, Mr Sinha knew the gifts would pinch his Ministry’s pocket and at a very awkward moment. He is supposed to be in the midst of a gigantic expenditure reduction exercise. Mr Paswan has now added to the spending. This Paswan gambit exposes two weaknesses in the style of government. Each Minister and each ally acts first and consults others later. Rarely it is that the Minister is instructed to recant. Obviously the coalition dharma has ceased to work, if it ever worked at all. Two, since downsizing and slashing non-plan expenditure are the daily refrain of the government, any scheme increasing the spending even by one rupee must be twice reconsidered and vetted by the Finance Ministry. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet may overrule the Finance Minister but he must first be allowed to rule. In the present case Mr Paswan must have been told to withdraw his solo reward-distributing plan and get the nod of Mr Sinha before coming out with his specious arguments. That would have set a right precedent and given a big boost to the Finance Minister’s authority to wield the axe in a vigorous manner. Instead the Prime Minister has winked at waywardness. Nobody grudges incentives to employees but it should not be left to the whims of the Minister concerned but must form part of a coherent government policy. Mr Paswan naturally
feels emboldened as is evident from his sweet
distribution in his Ministry and going on a foreign jaunt
within hours of his “victory”. His claim that
the cost of a fresh telephone connection (Rs 20,000) and
registration fee are notional since the first is not
charged from general subscribers and the second is
adjusted in subsequent phone bills is untenable.
Expenditure is expenditure whether or not it is recovered
from the user. He emperor-like says his ministry will
find the money for the free phone mela. If every revenue
earning Ministry were to emulate worthy Paswanji, Mr
Sinha will have mostly expenditure and not much income.
Mr Paswan should be stopped before he does something
equally audacious in the postal department. He wants to
make the services of all part-time (known as
extra-departmental) employees permanent. There are about
three lakhs of them and the difference in their present
and post-regularisation pay will come to Rs 300 crore. As
it is, the postal department needs about Rs 1,700 crore
in budgetary support in addition to its earnings. The
part-time workers actually do only part-time duty,
keeping the rural post offices open for an hour or two
and receiving mail from a nearby full-fledged post office
for distribution and collecting and despatching letters.
There is need to increase their honorarium but any
decision to absorb them fully in the system belongs to
the Cabinet and not to the Minister in his present
expansive state of mind. |
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DURING his unprecedented 30 years of rule, Mr Hafez al-Assad of Syria, who died on Saturday, may have made far more enemies than friends but he was one man whom the Arab world just could not ignore. The crafty lion appropriated the title of the “Arab leader” for himself and clung on to it with brilliant manoeuvring. The diehard architect of the rejectionist front against Israel remained a thorn on Tel Aviv’s side all along and made sure that even when he was not in a position to bite, he could bark with great effect. When nearly all other countries were ready to smoke the peace pipe with Israel he remained steadfastly dismissive, that too without compromising on the interests of his country in any way. Having risen through the ranks of the air force and the Socialist Baath Party, he foisted his personality on his people, like few people have managed to do in the Arab world. Anyone who rules a country for three decades, be it by hook or by crook, becomes a symbol and father-figure but President Assad genuinely played the kingpin in its march towards progress. The country which produces no oil not only enjoyed remarkable prosperity and modernisation of infrastructure but also political stability. This facility for Syria came at a terrible price though. He incarcerated opposition politicians without qualm and the town of Hama is a standing monument to his cruel firmness. When the stronghold of the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood rose in revolt against him in 1982, Mr Assad simply pulverised the town, killing some 20,000 people in the process. It is yet to rise from its ashes. Curbing Israel’s
power and influence remained his obsession throughout,
although he was not averse to striking a deal with Prime
Minister Ehud Barak. He could not fulfil his goal of
regaining control of the Golan Heights but did manage to
checkmate Israeli ambitions in Lebanon. When a civil war
broke out there, he quickly sent in his army to help the
Christians against the Muslims. But when the Christians
tried to enter into a pact with Israel he shrewdly
ordered the Syrian army to switch sides. To make sure
that the USA did not interfere with his ambitions, he
fought on the side of the US-led coalition against
Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in 1991. This gesture to the
West came at a price though. He got a green signal to
allow Syrian jets to attack the presidential palace in
Beirut occupied by a fiercely anti-Syrian Lebanese
general. The Christians were defeated and Lebanon came
firmly in the hands of Mr Assad. This kind of calculated
political manoeuvre came naturally to the son of a farmer
from the Shia minority. If seen from the perspective of
his country, his role was indeed remarkable. The iron
hand with which he ruled was perhaps inevitable in a
country constantly under the threat of a war. He spent 50
per cent of the budget on the army which has been solidly
behind him. His legacy will ensure that his son Bashar
(34) will rise to the position of President without many
hiccups. Whether he can steer his country as effectively
as his father did remains doubtful. At least Syria’s
role in the on-going West Asian peace talks is likely to
diminish somewhat. |
Democracy
at work in Russia A FEW days ago, masked commandos raided the headquarters of the Media-Most group. It is one of the major independent media companies in Russia. Its organs include very popular and most professional television channel NTV, daily newspaper Segodnya (Today), radio station Echo Moscvy (Moscow Echo), news-weekly “Itogi” (Review) and several major regional media outlets. The raid was conducted by the agents of the Federal Security Services — a successor of the former KGB — and the representatives of the Prosecutor-General’s office. Most political observers and analysts consider the raid as an attack on Press freedom, and feel that this is the beginning of a real threat for the independent media in future. Media-Most representatives have emphatically stated that the aim of the raid is intimidation. It is an attempt to restrict such NTV programmes and the publication of such materials in the organs of this group as are not to the liking of higher government circles. It may be pointed out that NTV has been presenting a critical coverage of the Chechen war and reports of alleged corruption at the highest level of power. During the presidential election campaign, the Media-Most group, especially NTV, was not favourably inclined toward Mr Putin and his supporters. Thus, as pointed out by many political analysts, this commando raid in black masks on Media-Most offices was politically motivated and an attempt to terrorise that part of the Russian media which is independent and critical of the higher power circles, and does not follow their line. The Prosecutor-General’s office, on the other hand, has denied any political motive behind this raid and justified it by saying that the Media-Most’s security service was indulging in spying or eaves-dropping on political and business leaders, which is an illegal action and violation of basic human rights. As proof of Media-Most’s spying activities, a spokesman of the Federal Security Services displayed bugging equipment during a television interview which , according to him, was found in Media-Most’s office. He added that its functionaries had been intercepting paging messages to some very high government officials, including the Interior Minister. Media-Most has denied all such allegations and described them as blatant lies, fabrication and falsification of facts. The group considers this high-handedness a direct attack on its independent policy and journalistic line. Critics of the raid on Media-Most point out that if the group’s secret service was indulging in some illegal activities, action should have been taken against it through the proper law agencies, and not by a show of such strength as is aimed at frightening not only Media-Most but the Press and the electronic media in general. Hence the general reaction of this raid has been quite negative in the Russian media circles and has enhanced the fears of government’s Press restrictive policies in future. Such fears have been further enhanced by Press Minister Mikhail Lesin’s attitude, who warned television stations against criticising political parties or the President or for quoting Chechen leaders. This only indicates that the encouragement of the free Press or freedom of expression is not to the liking of the authorities. In this connection, it will not be irrelevant to refer to some extracts from a secret document published by a prestigious daily, Kommersant, recently. According to the daily, the document has Kremlin’s reform programme to strengthen the presidential administration’s grip over political life. The document as quoted by the daily, emphasises that “in order to ensure order and stability, the President does not need a self-regulating political system and instead needs a political structure in his administration capable of controlling the political and social processes in the country.” It further highlights the role of Federal Security Services in controlling the political processes. Kremlin sources denied any such move or the existence of any such plan or document. Kommersant’s reporting may or may not be fully relied upon, but the masked commando’s raid on the Media-Most group a few days after the publication of the extracts is dangerous. Some political experts opine that Mr Putin as a former head of the Secret Services will certainly give a greater and more important role to them because he can rely upon them; he can be sure of their loyalty more than his political associates and followers. This opinion certainly has some truth in it. But does Mr Putin really need so much dependence on the support and backing of the Secret Services? Can he foresee any threat or serious challenge from his political opponents? Probably not. He is in a much better political position than his predecessor, Mr Boris Yeltsin, who quite often faced the opposition, especially from the leftist, in the Duma, or the Lower House of Parliament. Mr Putin has solid backing in the Duma. The ease with which the START-II and the CTBT were ratified by the Duma provides a good example of his favourable political position. Mr Yeltsin could never get these documents ratified. Then why this unwarranted raid on Media-Most. It won’t sound convincing that it happened without his knowledge. Mr Putin must clear his position quite emphatically regarding the freedom of the Press and expression. As in any democracy, he needs the opposition and the free Press to keep him and his government alert, avoid mistakes and remain close to the realities of life and the mood of the nation. He must defend and guarantee one of the most valuable human rights and an achievement of the post-Soviet era — Press freedom. It is gratifying to note that leaving aside state-controlled and state-owned media organs, most of the newspapers, including the regional ones, have protested against the commando raid on the offices of Media-Most. A number of protest meetings have been held and a Press Freedom Monitoring group has been formed under the leadership of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. This problem directly concerns him as the initiator of glasnost or openness and democratic values. The raid has also been declared illegal by a Moscow court. It may be added that President Bill Clinton in his address to the Duma (the first ever by any American President) on June 4 emphatically stated that “democracy is more stable and people are more free when the Press is free”. Probably he also had in his mind some of the fears recently expressed in the Russian media regarding the freedom of the Press. Let us hope that time will prove such fears baseless. (The writer is
based in Moscow). |
Population,
education & empowerment THE birth of the billionth baby on May 11 tolled the bell to proclaim that the vast mass of Indians is steadily sinking into a Malthusian morass. Whether India’s billion is a liability or an asset may be debatable, what is settled is that the population engine will continue to chug along for another 20 years even if every eligible couple vows to observe a two-child norm. Yet our decision, nay destiny, makers would do well to pay more than mere lip-service to this problem of numbers. Cassandras’ carpings aside, we have hopefuls who believe that the rising population per se need not impoverish a nation, provided systems are put in place to enhance the quality of human capital — the population. Examples exist of sparsely populated poor countries and densely populated rich nations, to sustain hope that India’s 300 million-strong youth population will be transformed into a dynamic powerhouse. Tamil Nadu showed a dramatic decline in population growth and a marked improvement in the quality of life by enabling the people to have access to primary education. This is the only state in India to have passed law for compulsory education. Kerala is another shining example to have recognised the role of primary education in reducing socio-economic inequalities, which have increased over the past 50 years, and in empowering the masses. The immense opportunities created by globalisation will bypass the “Bharat” and will be lapped up by the “India” alone unless prompt and purposeful steps are taken to universalise education; primary education, to begin with. The illiteracy position in India (38%) is far worse than in Zimbabwe (12%), Kenya (20%) and Tanzania (20%). We hold a world record for the number of illiterate persons. In addition to 27% men and 50% women who are uneducated, our 50 million children who do not go to school today will remain deprived of the opportunities to improve their quality of life. The intrinsic and extrinsic value of education has been amply elaborated by Prof Amartya Sen and his contemporaries. There is a dialectical relationship between education and development. Besides expanding the capabilities of a person for self-growth, education empowers him by way of knowledge, skills, efficiency and productivity. Larger socio-economic processes impinging on the barriers of caste, class, gender, superstition, etc, and awareness of rights and duties get accelerated in an educated society. Female education has a direct bearing on matters relating to fertility, maternity, healthcare and housekeeping as a whole. Imparting education to all should be seen as an exercise in value addition. It is established that returns to education are higher than returns to physical capital. In fact, private returns to education have been found to be higher than social returns. Hence the need to lay stress on the quality and quantity of education given to children in the schools. Few will disagree that the political class did have a vested interest in perpetuating poverty and illiteracy for that defined its raison d’etre. Among other factors coming in the way of enhanced enrolment and retention of children in schools is the age-old problem of child labour. Studies show that it is easier to implement the laws of universal elementary education than to enforce laws regulating child labour. A substantial number of children who do not go to work, do not go to school either. This is partly because the parents can’t afford to send them to school and largely due to the pitiable condition of schools which are run in dilapidated buildings with only one, sometimes none, teacher for one school. The paucity of qualified teachers who are ill-paid and demotivated, arising pupil-teacher ratio and utter lack of teaching material and related infrastructure can be attributed to the fall in government expenditure on education since 1991. The pupil-teacher ratio in India stands at 63 as against 22 in China, 20 in Malaysia, 36 in Philippines and 39 in Nepal. China’s success in implementing universal education is evident to all. Coming to the imperatives of compulsory education, it is of utmost importance that not only free books, free meals and quality education but also adequate compensation is given to the parents for the perceived loss of earnings. Parents across the socio-cultural spectrum, regardless of their economic status, have been found highly motivated to send their children to school if only the schools ensured a right learning environment and reasonably good infrastructure. Quality enhancing inputs are a must to attract enhanced enrolment and retention. Given the political will, adequate administrative apparatus and a legal framework, the process of universalisation of primary education will flourish and sound the death-knell of the aeons old evil of child labour. Given the enormity of
the task, adequate allocation of resources for education
is a sine qua non. No less important indeed is the
management of the meagre funds. It is estimated that
2.85% of the GDP should be spent on primary education as
compared to 1.5% at present. Cutbacks in social sector
spending in the wake of the introduction of the economic
reforms process bode ill for the teeming millions.
Education being on the Concurrent List, both Central and
state governments have to put their sinews to the task.
Variants of the Education Guarantee Scheme introduced in
Madhya Pradesh can be tried everywhere. Internet could
herald a new era of distant learning. |
Farewell
parades ONE of the few ceremonial anachronisms that the police has derived from its military parentage is the farewell parade held on the eve of retirement of a police chief. To march past before the officer while he is still with his “boots on” is one of the most memorable ways of extending formal farewell to a member who wears the ceremonial eclat for the last time for this august salutation. When we joined the uniformed service in khaki we were told: “You have not chosen a bed of roses for yourself”. The trials and tribulations of dealing with crime and civil unrest on a daily basis takes away the romantic veneer of the shining brass on the shoulders. With progressive in-service “burnout”, sets in the professional cynicism leading to acquiescent passivity till one reaches one’s “level of incompetence”, as Peter principle enunciates. One of the few things that keep you going is the unescapable torrent of salutes which you receive while you perform your daily chores. This is perhaps the only thing that your other civilian counterparts don’t get by the roadside, often resulting in inter-service jealousies. But such greetings are the very premium mobile that keeps you going up to the last day of service. We witnessed one such parade recently after a long interval. I say a long interval not because there were no retirements for the last two years (thanks to the “hijacking” of the retirement age) but because of the unpredictable tenures of some ex-police chiefs. A larger-than-life-size chief got virtual carte blanche in the retiring years of his service on account of which nobody dared to offer him a farewell parade. So many of his predecessors and successors had to retire into limbo without offering suitable opportunity for a formal send-off. It was eventually left to an “old school” ex-chief to agree to be given a regular farewell on his retirement. Sporting a resplendent chestful of medals the gallant cop stood on the dais responding to the eye right’ caution of contingents of smartly attired constabulary marching past their ex-chief. Appropriately escorted by the present chief who stood next to him it was the most deferential adieu to an ex-chief of police. Later on, as a part of
the ceremony the ex-chief was lifted in a chair to the
accompanying chorus, “He is a jolly good fellow and
he is a jolly good fellow... So say all of us”. It
was a moment surcharged with emotion with the new
generation police officers pulling the ropes of his
ceremonial jeep up to the outer portals of the campus
where at one time he was received with all the pomp and
show, alighting from his three-star car. |
How
powerful is Election Commission? A “legal fight in the Supreme Court, between the Government and the Election Commission of India,” wrote Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee last fortnight, reviving an issue first raised by Mr T.N. Seshan but eschewing his tactics, “is not the most appropriate method of carrying forward the Constitution.” The issue, which the CEC’s famous predecessor once threatened would create a “major constitutional and statutory crisis” but, relenting soon thereafter, took to court, where it still lies pending, is the Election Commission’s competence to take disciplinary action against government servants involved in the conduct of elections. “Dear Mr Chief Election Commissioner,” the then Cabinet Secretary wrote on April 9, 1993, spelling out the Government of India’s stand, “it is not legally permissible under the provisions of the Constitution and other applicable laws, to unilaterally change the service conditions of an officer and place him under the service discipline of an authority other than that specified in the service rules governing such officer.” If there is any misconduct on the part of government officers relating to their conduct of elections (the letter continued), it is open to the Election Commission to report to the government about it. But if a government officer has to be proceeded against on disciplinary grounds, it can be done only by the government. “The Election Commission has no jurisdiction to take disciplinary action.” Flushed with messianic zeal, as he then was, the CEC saw red. “The Commission is amazed and amused,” he retorted, at this statement. The EC is the exclusive disciplinary authority “at all times for any disciplinary action against errant election officers to whichever government or service they may belong for any lapse on their part in the performance of any election-related duties.” It is elementary knowledge (he said) that the provisions of a statute enacted by Parliament override provisions of service rules made by an authority subordinate to Parliament by way of subordinate legislation. “It is a pity that we are called upon to point this out to (the) Government.” The statutory provisions referred to, and which Mr Seshan charged the government with having forgotten or deliberately chosen to overlook, are Section 13CC of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 28A of the Representation of the People Act,1951, both inserted in the year 1989. From the date of notification (of the elections) to the date of declaration of results, all returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding officers, polling officers and any police officer designated by the State government for the conduct of elections shall be deemed to be on deputation with the Election Commission. And shall, during that period, be subject to the “control, superintendence and discipline” of the Commission. That is Section 28A. Section 13CC covers chief electoral officers, district election officers, electoral registration officers and any other officer or staff employed in connection with the preparation, revision and correction of the electoral rolls and the conduct of elections. And subjects them similarly to the EC’s control and discipline during the period they are so employed. Going clearly beyond Article 324 of the Constitution, which, for all its plenitude, empowers the EC only to “superintend, direct and control” the conduct of elections, and not to “discipline” officials who conduct them, both these provisions strongly support the Commission’s claim to exercising the disciplinary jurisdiction. “May I, therefore, Sir,” Seshan’s successor wrote to the Prime Minister last fortnight, restoring the debate but refraining from the polemic, “request you to kindly look at this matter yourself and give the necessary permission for (the) Government to support the legal amendment made by Parliament in 1989.” The “sir”, impossible for a man of Mr Seshan’s ego and temperament, is no sign of weakness. It is a token of respect for the supreme “persona” of democracy on the part of an institution which is constitutionally assigned to act as the midwife, and watchdog, of that democracy. “Constitutions do not work by high organs of the State maintaining mutual hostilities,” the CEC told me last week on June 8 (and I have his permission to quote his exact words). “They work, in fact, by these organs being in constant dialogue and interaction without any of them giving up their independence. In the end, our independence is judged by the correctness of our decisions.” Words which deserve to
be inscribed outside every office and courthouse in the
country, even though, on first principles, I am not quite
sure whether the EC ought to have the power to discipline
and punish those who are not its employees except by
fiction of law. However common legal fictions might be,
they are fictions after all. |
Don’t
tamper with
salt iodisation, say experts BEFORE I write about anything else, let me focus attention on the fact that the Government of India is reconsidering its decision banning the sale of common salt. “Earlier the ban had been imposed to eliminate the iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) due to insufficient iodine in common salt so that salt enriched with iodine is used for consumption.... now the GOI is reconsidering the decision on the ban and a crucial decision in this regard has to be taken on June 24,” says a spokesperson of the Centre for Advocacy and Research which is campaigning for this ban not to get lifted. Not a hollow campaign, for they are armed with only facts and figures vis-a-vis the disasters iodine deficiency can cause and have got several known specialists to talk on this subject. Prof V Ramalingaswami (National Research Professor — AIIMS), Prof M G Karmarkar (President -Thyroid Association of India), Prof N. Kochupillai (Prof & Head — Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, AIIMS), Col. R. Sankar — Special Medical Specialist INMAS, Dr C.S. Pandav (Addl Prof — Community Medicine, AIIMS) have stressed that iodine deficiency can play havoc. I quote them “As you know iodine deficiency affects millions of people in our country, compromising their normal growth and development. Taking into consideration the magnitude and serious dimensions of iodine deficiency disorders, the GOI took an informed and historic decision at the Central Council of Health in 1984 to implement universal salt iodisation in India.... ..over the years, after considerable investment and efforts we have reached a stage where 70% of the households in the country are consuming adequately iodised salt. We are on the brink of a major public health success! Therefore, at this stage, to stop universal salt iodisation will be a national disaster...” In fact, just the fact that the GOI is reconsidering lifting this ban is shocking and if it does so, it can he termed as another of those lopsided policies being adopted by this government. Shouldn’t Indian moms speak out! Call it sheer coincidence but just when I had finished going through the long list of disorders iodine deficiency can cause to children ( adults too) there came this latest on the website scene. Two 30-year-old mothers have put their heads and souls together to dish out the country’s first website catering to the Indian mother. — www.indianmoms.com. And when I asked Bhavna Prasad Rastogi and Manisha Sinha — the two women who have launched this website — why ‘Indian’ is prefixed to the mom bit, for mothers are mothers whether they reside here or elsewhere, they pointed out: “There are a whole lot of websites in Europe and America catering to the needs etc of the mother but their priorities and conditions are very different than ours. For instance, in America there is stress on the baby sitter, bottle feeding, working mothers etc.whereas our priorities are different...” Before moving on, I feel that mothers all over the country should see to it that children get iodised salt and for this they have to veto his latest proposal of lifting the ban on the sale of the common salt. Just let these lines haunt you: “Iodine deficiency is so easy to prevent that it is a crime to let a single child be born mentally handicapped for that reason. “(H Labouisse, Executive Director, UNICEF, 1978) Or, this quote of Mahatma Gandhi — “I would be hard-hearted enough to let the sick die if you can tell me how to prevent others from falling sick.” The season is undying The season is definitely undying, so as to say. The cultural scene hasn’t ebbed. In fact, the Embassy of Israel has collaborated with theatre group ‘Shaurya’ to present a comedy drama, based on Yosef Bar Yosef’s original “Difficult People”. Originally written in Hebrew it is now getting translated into Hindi by Sheeli Bhasin and will be presented here, at the India Habitat Centre on June 22 and 23. Thereafter it travels down to Calcutta and Jamshedpur. Another frill attached to this play is that there will be a lunch hosted by the Israeli Ambassador’s spouse for the actors and director of the play. And Shoshana Haim is one of the finest hostesses on the diplomatic circuit — besides serving the best cuisine , she is warm and hospitable. Christians are upset Today, on the day of
filing this column, I spoke to several Christians and
they sounded upset and bitter at the way the government
is handling (rather not handling) the ongoing attacks on
churches and Christians. In fact, in my next week’s
column I would be writing the reactions of several
prominent Christians vis-a-vis these attacks and the
government’s inaction. |
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Hail Holy light,
offspring of heaven, first born, — John Milton, Paradise, Lost, III.1
Lead, kindly light, amid
the encircling gloom, — Cardinal Newman’s Hymn *** The first creation of God, in the works of the days, was the light of sense; the last was the light of reason; and his Sabbath work, ever since, is the illumination of the Spirit. — Francis Bacon *** The ground is of Light, — Sant Dadu (1544-1603) *** In the inverted well
above — Sant Paltu Sahib (1710-1780) *** Within your body burns a
flame *** That from which beings
are born, — Taittiriya Upanishad, III.1 *** Our perception of the universe is a continuous perception of Brahman, though the ignorant man is not aware of this. Indeed, this universe is nothing but Brahman. See Brahman everywhere, under all circumstances, with the eye of the spirit and a tranquil heart. How can the physical eyes see anything but physical objects? How can the mind of the enlightened man think of anything other than the Reality. —
Vivekachudamani, 5.521 |
June
12, 1925 IT has been decided to reorganise the Engineering Services in India under the Engineer-in-Chief of the Military rank of Major General, who will be borne upon the establishment of the Army Head Quarters and will be directly responsible to the Commander-in-Chief. The Engineer-in-Chief will not be a staff officer, but will be the technical adviser to the Commander-in-Chief on all Military Engineering matters. The Engineering Services consist of a corps of Sappers and Miners and Military Works services. The former will continue to be administered as heretofore, while the latter will be Military Engineer Services and will cease to be administered as a directorate of the Q.M.G’s branch. The Engineer-in-Chief will be the head of the corps of the Royal Engineers in India, and will retain the powers and privileges granted to the Director of Military Works whose appointment is now abolished. It has also been decided that the Armoured Car Companies and Royal Tank Corps now serving in India shall be located permanently in this country, their personnel being relieved under the terms of the King’s Regulation.
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