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| Friday,
March 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Tehelka
— day four Protesters
as vandals |
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by Hari Jaisingh
Operation
Geese in Shillong
To the
rescue of rare antelope
Learning from the
Bamiyan tragedy Labels
for vegetarian food in a jam?
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THERE
can be two responses to the tehelka.com political earthquake. The first is for the Prime Minister to wield the big broom, and the second to shop for electronic equipment to detect and shut out spy cameras. Both steps will ensure that there will be no scandal of the present intensity. The first will mean for Prime Minister Vajpayee, and not for the government which has lost much of its legitimacy, to order intensive and extensive audit of party funds, crack down on mughal-style living and bring in laws to send the corrupt promptly to jail. Given the permissive attitude to money-making and spending, this has to remain a wild wish. Hence it is likely that the government will look the other way dubbing the juicy scam a political conspiracy and riding out the storm, all the while offering to debate the issue. The incessant talk of a readiness to debate is not very meaningful in this case. That route leads to analysing an issue and designing a common approach to tackle it. That does not apply here. The Opposition wants to simply nail the government and the Treasury benches want to stonewall it. The more obdurate the government is to a deeper and wide-ranging enquiry, the greater the scope of the Opposition for projecting it as guilty and wanting to conceal the truth. NDA allies have something to conceal and are eager to stall an effective investigation. That is not true of the Prime Minister and he can, and should, accept this demand. One thing more. In his more than five decades of political life, there has been no charge of moral or monetary wrong-doing. By rushing to protect associates and allies, he stands the risk of exposing this image, rare in the stink-laden Indian politics. Corruption is deeply entrenched in the system. It has also become honourable to help out friends and benefactors. Money promotes strangers into benefactors and the pressure cooker living in the national and state capitals makes power wielders vulnerable to the extra lakh of rupees. The first trick then is to delink power from opulent living and elevate power as a divine gift. In other words, the choice should be between power - political and administrative - and money power. Jayaprakash Narayan once wrote that India was a poor country and no one need feel ashamed of being poor. Actually, it is the super rich who have reasons to feel an outsider. This is true even today. For starters, the Prime Minister should call for a list of all middlemen in defence deals and order the tapping of their cellular phones. Demanding and accepting commission in military purchases is an emotive issue as the countrywide protest shows. The Prime Minister should treat it with a lot more sensitivity. |
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THE tehelka expose has placed a political bomb in the hands of the Opposition parties. However, reckless handling can make the device explode in their face, without causing even a minor scratch to the National Democratic Alliance. Not entirely unexpectedly Youth Congress activists took the lead in demonstrating how not to react to an issue which has the potential of bringing down the government. Of course, the incidents of violence outside the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in Delhi were minor in nature. But minor incidents, if allowed to go unpunished, often give birth to major catastrophes. It is not just the Congress but other Opposition parties too will have to guard against acts of legitimate protests by their cadres being turned into incidents of unjustified violence. It is not difficult to understand the emotional trauma the tehelka expose must have caused to even ordinary citizens watching the blow-by-blow account of the developments on the television news channels. The alleged defence scam of mind-boggling dimensions has indeed upset every patriotic Indian. The dilemma of an ordinary man betrayed by a political leader he worshiped as god was sensitively portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan in "Akhri Rasta". In the present case the entire nation is experiencing the feeling of having been betrayed by the political class represented by the BJP-led NDA. Ms Mamta Banerjee's voice of dissent from within the ruling establishment, however, lacks conviction. She is merely trying to protect her political interests with an eye on the assembly elections in West Bengal. In any case, her stand does not address the emotional hurt of the ordinary people. What shape should the common citizen's anger take against the leaders whom he perceives as having betrayed him? Unfortunately, crimes of passion do not follow a prepared script. However, what looks good on the big screen need not be taken as the right response to a crisis in real life. In any case, the motley crowd which caused ugly scenes outside the BJP office in Delhi was not made up of emotionally upset Indians. The ugly show was the brainchild of some misguided Youth Congress activists. The Opposition parties must learn from the minor mistake of the Youth Congress. Such mindless acts as were witnessed outside the BJP office would only blunt the attack on the NDA and provide an escape route to the perpetrators of what may turn out to be a crime against the country. All that the Opposition has to do is to close its ranks and marshal evidence in support of the tehelka.com expose for nailing the NDA. The tehelka tapes on their own are not sufficient for proving the guilt of those shown comprising India's security for money. |
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Polity caught in a whirlpool of interests LIKE other critical segments of national life (defence included), the economy too is at the crossroads. It is caught between cross-currents and under-currents of varied ideas and interests — some personal, some partisan and some with multinational overtones. Amidst these varied pressures, national interests are easily forgotten. The Tehelka revelations show how vulnerable the Indian system of governance is even in critical areas of defence, what to talk of the economy as a whole. To say this is not to debunk the authors of economic reforms. They are a well-meaning lot. The only problem with them is that they are not sure of the ground realities. Nor do they have a clear idea of where exactly national interests lie. The BJP’s brand of swadeshi seems to be lost in the glitter of videshi. And in the economic Mahakumbh, every political group is taking a dip for its political salvation! Indeed, the economy is either hijacked by politicians working for their vote-banks or for visible or invisible masters at home or abroad. Missing in this melee is the national economic sangam for the good of the people. At best, the official measures for development are either half-baked or lopsided. No wonder, poverty co-exists with hi-tech wonders, whatever might be the official indices of hunger and deprivation of a sizeable section of the population. What is most disturbing about this cosy setting is that the sunken faces of the poor and the havenots do not stir the conscience of the ruling elite and the relatively well-placed segments of the population. Most Chief Ministers and Ministers at the Centre and in the States are merely busy with the pursuit of their personal and family interests. Some governments are visibly run by sons in league with in-laws and outlaws. There is no point in naming these personalities. People know who is what and what is for whom. Corrupt politicians thrive because of the spineless bureaucracy and power brokers. The question here is not of “kaun banega crorepati”, courtesy computerji. In today’s politico-economic bazar, crores and crores are made as parts of deals through underhand means at the cost of public resources (even in mines) and the state exchequer. More than the colonial masters of the East India Company, it is the new class of power operators who are making the nation hollow, courtesy Swiss and other such banks. The Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, is putting up a brave face and draws a rosy picture of growth and development. He surely deserves credit for his attempt to take the economy from the present statusquoist phase to a more competitive and globalised swing. The task is not all that easy. It is full of pitfalls and complexities. Certain complexities are built in the system we have been nurturing even though it has outlived its utility. One, take the case of civil and allied services. No economic reform of any nature can succeed as long as we do not initiate radical changes in the age-old colonial structure. The present administrative system has not only become corrupt but is a drain on our precious resources. It is a major stumbling block in the development process. Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee says so. But he does not have the political guts to overhaul the system. Herein lies the nation’s tragedy. The choice is simple: unless we have a fresh look at the administrative structure and initiate substantial reforms, the economic health of the country will not improve the way we want. Running the nation in today’s hi-tech world is not a sole bureaucratic job. We need professionalism which can be promoted if we put qualified technical and professional persons at the helm. The biggest curse in this country is redtapism. There are rules and sub-rules which neither make sense nor do these help speed up the process of decision-making and implementation. It is, therefore, not surprising that value-based oldtime civil servants have also begun to voice their concern at the deteriorating quality of the administration and have underlined the need for disbanding this service. Perhaps, the time has come to debate this matter. Otherwise, we will be wasting our precious resources to sustain a highly inefficient and unproductive system. Two, the Finance Minister should take urgent steps for comprehensive financial reforms. Whatever has been initiated so far is only a half-hearted response to the changing needs. We ought to introduce drastic changes in the financial sector so that transactions become more transparent and accountable. We cannot rebuild the nation on scams and scandals. Unfortunately, the most flourishing economic activity happens to be underhand dealings with the help of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and police officers in collaboration with musclemen and mafia groups. This is not the India we had bargained for. We cannot leave this country for the pleasures of crooks and scoundrels who would not even hesitate to sell national interests in the retail bazar. What is regrettable here is the absence of political will to bring about the desired changes. That is the reason why we continue to be in the “also run category” in critical areas of investment and infrastructural and technological upgradation. Three, another critical area which deserves top priority is agricultural reforms. While India has committed itself to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime, the leaders have not prepared farmers and the institutions concerned to meet the global challenges in today’s fiercely competitive world. Hackneyed thinking prevails at the top. Farm research is in bad shape. There is no proper guidance to the farming community on how it can meet the new challenges without jeopardising its interests. The agricultural sector actually calls for a total freshness of approach and thinking. This will be possible if our leaders and bureaucrats seriously address themselves to the problems and work out solutions to protect the interests of farmers. Four, a lot of confused thinking prevails in the critical area of disinvestment in public sector units (PSUs). The Balco affair clearly shows basic flaws in thinking and the procedures being followed on disinvestment in PSUs. True, most of the PSUs became sick because they were over-exploited by their political masters, bureaucrats and trade unions in the pursuit of their petty interests. Any industrial unit, if it is not run professionally, is bound to be in trouble. A close look at most PSUs will show that the reason for their sickness has been the absence of professionalism and over-politicisation of their working which made them non-competitive. It has been the endeavour of bureaucrats and politicians to suck these units in furtherance of their interests. Of course, everything is now justified in the name of globalisation, reforms and disinvestment. The basic flaw in this thinking is that the overall national interests are often overlooked in preference to personal and partisan interests. Over a long period, the political and bureaucratic elements have brought about major distortions in the working of PSUs. They have made these units a dumping ground for unemployed labour. As a result, they have huge redundant labour, which is a drag on them. Take the railways: it spends 60 per cent of its budget on wages and salaries and 10 to 15 per cent on pensions. What is left is hardly enough for operational expenses, not to speak of maintenance or track renewal. Unfortunately, trade unions are least concerned about the decline of the public sector. All that they are interested in is to see that their members get their pound of flesh. With what result? Hundreds of units have been closed down by the Centre and States, throwing out the labour on the streets. All this does not mean that PSUs are better left to care for themselves. There is law: anything touched by the bureaucracy withers away. We have seen this happen all over the world in both communist and socialist countries. Which is why the preference for the private sector. But we will be making a serious mistake in assuming that the private sector is per se efficient. It is not. The cost of the private sector has not been worked out anywhere in the world. For example, the cost to the environment, the cost due to the depletion of natural resources, etc. During the past one decade, the private sector has become the dominant one in the economy. There is a regular flow of foreign capital. With what result? In the last decade, consumer goods prices have gone up three or four times with the entry of MNCs. MNCs have become price leaders and the Indian companies prefer to follow them. It is said that these are “luxury” goods. But they are causing the growth of inflation. Inflation, in turn, affects all other segments of the economy, including the salaries and wages, and, in the final analysis, the government finances. And yet certain facts have to be recognised. The Indian economy is growing, on an average, at 6-7 per cent of the GDP. Earlier, it was no more than 3 per cent. Our exports have gone up considerably. It was never above 10 per cent before. Inflation has gone down — below 10 per cent. And import is under control. It is claimed officially that we have been able to bring down the poverty indices — from 36 per cent 10 years ago to 26 per cent now. I am not sure of this claim. All the same, if we can maintain the momentum of growth and speed up the process of development as is being done in communist China, we can wipe out poverty from this country in less than two decades. It must not be forgotten that the Chinese are doing better than us on the economic front. Well, here is an opportunity to show that we can perform while keeping our democracy alive and kicking. All that we require is honest leadership at all levels of national life. The time has come to put the nation before self. This alone can make a substantial difference to our overall performance, the growth rate included. Any takers? I am optimistic by nature. |
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Operation Geese in Shillong THE repetitive tingling of the telephone had a note of urgency in it. Squadron Leader Guru, the Mess Secretary, was naturally piqued who could be the caller when he had barely walked in to his office shivering on this cold wintry morning in Shillong. On picking up the telephone, the voice at the other end of the line was none else than that of the AOC-in-C. “Guru, the AOC-in-C here.” “Yes sir,” was the prompt response as Guru tried to fathom what gaffe he was guilty of to have the privilege of a telephone call from the AOC-in-C first thing in the morning. “You know the geese we have at the VIP cottage”, the C in C began. “Geese! At the VIP cottage?” This was news to old Guru who had landed up on posting only a few days ago. He was not aware that the initial lot of geese that were inducted into the lake near the VIP cottage had multiplied to some 20 odd birds and officially they were referred to as the “AOC’s geese.” “Yes, the geese at the VIP cottage next to the lake” the C-in C interjected. “Don’t tell me you have not seen the geese, the big boss wanted to know. “Er...........er.............yes sir, the geese at the VIP cottage”. His colleague gave him a sharp kick under the table. Massaging his leg, Guru reacted as he should. “Little mixup sir. Yes, the geese, I have seen the geese” Guru added realising the ignorance of the AOC-in-C’s geese was an open invitation for an adverse report. “Er...........er............what would you like me to do with the geese?” Guru put in with an element of simulated interest. “I was just thinking, why not have a few of the geese as the main dish for the dinner party for the Chief of Air Staff” the Air Marshal suggested. “It should be an excellent fare. Some roast or something” he continued. Don’t you think so?. “Um...........um..........Sir. I wouldn’t know Sir”, Guru countered. “You.........er.............see Sir, I am a vegetarian”. “Oh, you are a vegetarian. Anyway, why not get a few geese from the lakeside and get the Mess cook Anthony to try out some roast. Let us try out a sample this weekend”. “Very good, Sir,” was the immediate response. “Shall get on with the job, Sir”. Thereafter all other official priorities were thrown overboard and the chief priority was “Operation Geese”. Guru accompanied by Wing Commander Ajoy Mukerji, the PMC, was at the site. They were accompanied by a contingent of jawans under the command of Naik Subedar Gurdial Singh who had been decorated with Mahavir Chakra during the Indo-Pak war. After chalking out a tactical plan in the light of his experience in the Shakargarh sector, Naik Subedar Gurdial Singh decided on a pincer movement to capture the birds. As the jawans began to crawl slowly and steadily with determination in their eyes, the “quack, quack” from the geese was one loud crescendo in B Sharp Major. Four of the largest geese decided on a frontal aerial attack, which took Gurdial Singh and the jawans by surprise. Three of the men were nipped in the leg viciously by the attacking birds. There was a stream of juicy pungent swearwords in colourful Punjabi but with singleness of purpose and the dexterous use of nets, the guerrilla force managed to capture an assorted lot of birds. Two of the officers, who were experts on birds, inspected the geese and expressed serious doubts about their culinary potential. The meat would be too tough, they opined. The medical officer suggested that ascorbic acid with either four large rums or vinegar should soften the meat. Yet another expert suggested half a bottle of vodka while marinating the meat. The geese were eventually cooked but despite several hours of boiling the meat remained tough and beyond mastication by human molars. The report along with two sample leg bits was sent to the AOC-in-C for sampling. The exercise, however, proved to be abortive and the ones who enjoyed the geese were Rogar and
Bernard, the AOC-in-C’s dogs. There was, however, a minor problem in that the dogs were “drunk”, thanks to the rum and the vodka that had gone into the meat. The dogs had a sizeable hangover, which cleared sometime the following morning. |
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Trends and pointers INDIA has come to the rescue of about 60 Himalayan tahr antelopes remaining on the famed Table Mountain in South Africa. The tahrs, originally kept in a zoo on the slopes of Table Mountain, escaped into the wild in the 1930s and have been breeding there since, posing a danger to themselves and to humans who visit the area. The South African government had planned to destroy the tahrs, which are regarded as a highly endangered species. But when Indian Minister of State for Animal Welfare Maneka Gandhi heard about this, she contacted South African authorities to repatriate the animals that originally came from India. “I am told your government intends to destroy the Himalayan tahrs,” Gandhi said in a fax to South African Environmental Affairs Minister Mohamed Valli Moosa. “These animals came from India and we would be happy to have them back, as they are an extremely endangered species and would be very valuable to us. Please do not take any extreme, violent action, since there is now a humane alternative.” Earlier, an organisation called The Friends of the Tahr obtained a stay on execution of the animals, but the government took the decision last month to resume killing the tahrs. Jeanne Wadee, a spokesman for the organisation, said she contacted Gandhi after the South African National Parks authority expressed skepticism that a technique used by a New Zealand group could successfully capture tahrs using helicopters in inaccessible mountain areas. “Nobody in South Africa knows how to do this, but the Kiwis are confident that they can do it,” Wadee said, adding she did not foresee problems in transferring tahrs to India, as they had previously travelled well when moved.
IANS More contraceptive choice for women Women in Australia will have wider contraceptive choice with the introduction of a government subsidy for a long-acting birth control implant, Implanon, and the availability of a new kind of intra-uterine device (IUD), Mirena, that slowly releases hormones into the bloodstream. Implanon will be available on prescription. The three-cm plastic rod is inserted under the skin and lasts three years, releasing the hormone progestogen. As Implanon releases only progestogen and does not include oestrogen, it could cause menstrual bleeding to cease completely or for some women it could cause irregular bleeding. Such women are likely to dislike it and discontinue its use. According to a medical director of a private clinic in Sydney, “it is going to be a great method. It gives a constant dose and there is no possibility of human error.” One advantage of using the device is that its action is unaffected by vomiting and diarrhoea, which can affect the absorption of hormones from the oral contraceptive pill. The device can be inserted at a family planning clinic and general practitioners will soon be offered training for inserting it. Mirena, the hormonal IUD, is expected to cost $ 400 and a full investigation for conditions such as cancer is needed before Mirena can be offered.
(WFS) |
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75
YEARS AGO MASTER Sunder Singh of Layallpur who had originally founded the Akali newspaper and who is one of the Sikh leaders has contracted some mental disease which has necessitated his admission to the Lahore Mental Hospital. Only a few days ago while he was at Amritsar he appeared to be much embarrassed with worries, which, it is understood, included some financial troubles as well. Apart from that, he had too much indulged in matters that required intellectual absorption. He has now been removed to the Lahore Mental Hospital and immediately before that it is learnt that his attitude towards some people who came in his way was highly threatening. Absent mindedness and oblivion seem to overpower him. |
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Learning from the Bamiyan tragedy HISTORY is truly moving on. Not long ago, it was the debacle of the Soviet Union. It proved one thing: that we should not put our faith in ideologies. The focus should be on men. Now, it is the turn of Bamiyan. It proved one thing: that religion without reason is dangerous. Change is the basis of human life. But the priests and mullahs are against change. They prefer repetitive existence. But where change is not possible, there can be no freedom. India’s life is based on change. Its diversity is without parallel. And if its civilisation is the richest, it is because India has always been free to think. Which is why we are the most tolerant people on earth. For a thousand years, Europe lived in the Dark Ages. The Church dominated its life. And it claimed “infallibility.” The Pope had the last word. And yet the Reformation broke out. So did the Renaissance and the Age of Reason. Reason became the lamp to light the path of Europe. Islam is yet to go through the reformation. It is yet to be brought under reason. But the mullahs have closed their ears and minds. But the fall of the Bamiyan statues was heard around the world. It was unprecedented. It has opened the minds of the thinking Muslims. Syed Shahabuddin was one. He was least expected to change. “Words are not adequate to express the horrors of this reversion to barbarian vandalism in the 21st century,” he laments. He goes on: “To deplore the act or condemn its perpetrators is not enough. The Taliban regime has by their monstrous act put itself outside the pale of civilisation. It has forfeited its place in the community of nations.” Shahabuddin is truly worried about its impact on Islam. Bamiyan will indeed be a watershed in Islamic history. Like the Magna Carta. Like the Reformation. After Bamiyan, Islam can never be the same again. If the Taliban intention was to draw the world’s attention, says Shahabuddin, then, they have gained nothing but revulsion and anger. Rafiq Zakaria, Mushirul Hasan, Saeed Naqvi, Ashghar Ali Engineer and others — all in the forefront of the Muslim intelligentsia — express similar fears. Engineer says: “It is totally against the Quranic teaching to vandalise anyone’s place of worship.” Mushirul Hasan, the historian, believes that the Taliban has forfeited the right to be heard by the international community and that this act of vandalism vindicates the position of all those, both in India and elsewhere, who oppose the reassertion of religion in public life and politics. He wants the Afghan people to overthrow the hated Taliban regime. And Prince Sadruddin Agha Khan asks why the Taliban chose to destroy the Bamiyan statues, when other nations — Egypt, Iraq, Iran — are trying to preserve their heritage. No event has shocked the world as this in the recent past. One recalls the Jewish Holocaust. Then, too, it was a mad man who outraged the world. Mullah Mohammad Omar is a mad man. He should be tried for this crime against humanity. India was really outraged. That was natural. Buddha is the greatest son of India. And for centuries, Afghanistan was part of the great Indian civilisation. India offered to take all the artifacts that the Taliban wanted to destroy. But it was all of no avail. Like the Greek tragedy, the Taliban went through their folly to the bitter end. The Indian History Congress says: “No religion is entitled to sanction the destruction of the works of another faith.” This should become the law of the world. And no less categoric are the opinion of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the supreme body of Muslim states, and Deoband’s Dar-ul-Uloom, one of the most famous seminaries of Islam. The OIC says: “Historical relics, regardless of where they are located, are part of the cultural heritage of the whole humanity and they must be preserved.” And the Deobandis say that what the Taliban has done is “condemnable, un-Islamic and horrifying.” Is Mullah Omar a greater authority than these institutions? Bamiyan has thrown up two issues: the opposition of Islam to idols and the claim that history really began after the advent of Islam. And it has also produced some answers. Rasul Baksh Rais, a Director of the Quaide-e-Azam University, Islamabad, says: “There is an unfortunate tendency among some of the Muslim intellectuals, scholars and historians to make a complete break with the pre-Islamic civilisations and cultural heritage. They tend to revile history as if nothing happened or existed before they converted to Islam.” Now the problem is: the Golden Age of all civilisations took place before the advent of Islam. This was so with Greek and Roman civilisations, Egyptian and Persian, Indian and Chinese, not to speak of the Sumerian, Babylonaian, Inca, Maya and others. In all these cases, the greatest achievements of mankind took place before the arrival of Islam. So it is outrageous to suggest that history began with Islam. What is more, Islam itself was highly enriched by its contact with Christian, Greek, Roman and Indian civilisations. There is, therefore, no question of anyone giving up the glories of their past. Only those who have had no past worthy of being called a civilisation can advocate the destruction of the past. Afghanistan is certainly not in that category. But, then, Mullah Omar does not seem to be an Afghan. Has anyone gone into this question? Mullah Omar says that “all we are breaking stones.” Really? If so, why break them at all? Why not leave them alone? It is an admission that the Buddhist statues are a constant reminder of the glorious civilisation of Afghanistan’s past. This memory disturbs him. Is he afraid of apostasy? Idol breaking is a pre-Islamic custom. It is not Islamic. We have the famous story of Samson pulling down the statue of Baal. And idol worship was rampant among Arabs. In the Kabah itself there were 360 idols! Then, there are stories of how idols (fetishes) were used in witchcraft. It became so rampant in the Middle East that it was the most dreaded thing. It was also associated with human sacrifices — especially of babies. All these explain why the prophets revolted against idols. No such circumstances are associated with idolatry in the rest of the world. Even in Christian Europe idols were common. Today the Catholics use idols widely. Swami Agnivesh says that idolatry can take many forms. Whenever irrational importance is attached to a material object, no matter what its shape, it is idolatry of some kind, he says. The Quran recognises different forms of worship. It is good that the emphasis today is on tolerance of this diversity of forms, and not on the taboo practice of idol worship. |
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Labels for vegetarian food in a jam? ARE you a vegetarian? If you are, better watch out the next time you buy packaged food. Food manufacturers are lobbying to prevent their food package labels from carrying “non-vegetarian” printed on it. The biggest opposition to putting “non-vegetarian” on a food packed label is from egg producers. Biscuit producers are also worried as they use eggs. Associations representing the poultry industry opposed the move of the Ministry of Health to amend the rules under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) to provide for information on label of a food article if it contained any “non-vegetarian” ingredient. These objections were overruled and the PFA rules were amended to make it compulsory for food manufacturers to indicate the presence of “non-vegetarian” (NV) ingredients. This new rule under PFA was to come into force on November 17, 2000. Shortly before this date associations of food manufacturers began to lobby the Ministry of Health to change this rule. The new rule required the manufacturer to display a red symbol on the label of the food package. They argued that this symbol resembled a no-parking sign and should be changed. The Ministry issued a new draft notification inviting comments. It got a deluge of representations from industry seeking a revocation of this rule. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has also joined this chorus and has raised fresh objections to the law being amended. The result is that even months after the date of implementation, this simple rule is not being implemented. The disagreement between the two ministries is going to be resolved by a Committee of Secretaries of the Union Government. It is basic right of a consumer to know what he is eating. A vegetarian consumer must know that he is not eating non-vegetarian ingredients. Industry thinks otherwise. The food industries led by the Confederation of Indian Food Trade & Industry (CIFTI), which works under the FICCI umbrella, has also argued against the original rule. The industry, supported by a section of the government is not willing to recognise the consumers right to information. Apart from the consumer’s right being enshrined under the Consumers Protection Act, the PFA rules on labelling also cover requirements on labelling and advertising of food sold to provide information to consumers. A number of Indian consumers eat vegetarian food because of religious considerations. A deeply religious consumer will refuse to eat a packaged food if it contains non-veg ingredients. Some influential food manufacturers do not mind violating a consumer’s religious feelings in order to sell more food packets to hapless, unknowing consumers. This rule had been pushed by a committee appointed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs in 1999 and headed by Ms Maneka Gandhi. The committee recommended labelling of non-vegetarian ingredients. By the end of 1999 the Central Committee for Food Standards (CCFS) unanimously recommended a change in the labelling rules. Thereafter, a draft notification was issued and finalised after publication and comments in early 2000. This rule gave time to manufacturers to amend their labels and was due for enforcement in November 2000. It has been found that food manufacturers frequently use their political clout to have notifications of law under PFA changed to suit their commercial interests. The real reason for the opposition is the fact that a number of manufacturers are using non vegetarian ingredients and are hiding this fact from the consumers. Majority of Indian consumers are vegetarians and do not consume meat, fish or eggs knowingly. They are being unknowingly fed non-vegetarian ingredients in one form or another. Packaged food manufacturers are worried that many consumers may not buy their food if the truth was known. In fact many poultry producers are vehemently arguing that eggs are vegetarian and they should not be included among ‘non-vegetarian’ ingredients. This is an argument that has been used quite frequently in this non-veg labelling debate since 1999. Rightly, this argument has been rejected as a large number of Indian consumers do not consider eggs as vegetarian. However, it has been suggested that the label may specify if an egg is the only non-veg ingredient. The government has also decided that the lable will display a symbol if the food has non-veg ingredients. A symbol is necessary given the language barriers in the country and to ensure that consumers are given information in a meaningful way. All concerned agreed that the symbol will be in red colour and displayed on the front display panel close to the brand name. The discussions between the industry, government and consumer groups have evolved a consensus that instead of a circle with a line the new symbol of NV ingredients in food will be a red dot (or a bindi) enclosed in a black square. Meanwhile, the battle within the government goes on. In case you feel that NV ingredients should be labelled on food please send your views to the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Nirman Bhavan, New Delhi. Your letter may help tilt the balance in favour of truth on the label. |
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Recollection of Lord's name is perfect yoga; it is perfect knowledge too; meditating thus, one gets freed from body-ego. All saints have exclaimed remembrance of the Lord as the quintessence; we should not forget our Lord- reservoir of bliss. —Mahatma Mangat Ramji Maharaj, Samata Prakash **** He who remembers the Lord goes not to the cave of rebirth;When we remember the Lord the pang of death departs; when we remember the Lord the fear of death is gone; When we remember the Lord our enemies are baffled. He who remembers the Lord no snares are set for him... Remembering the Lord, no man feels fear; while the Lord is remembered, sorrow troubles not. In the company of the Lord's saints Men attain to the gift of remembering Him; Nanak, through the love of God All life's treasures are obtained. —
The Sukhmani or the Hymn of Peace, Ashtapadi, I: Pauri 2 **** God - the Ultimate Ground, as the Transcendentally Immanent Being manifests the three-aspected omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence in, around and behind all the cosmic phenomena. As such God emanates the immanence. The immanence so manifested by the Unmanifest Supreme Being has been called irradiation, by Plotinus as Leela or Divine Play by the Upanishads, as creation (genesis), implying the three aspected functions of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit by Christianity, as Yoga Maya, the creatively Unitive Divine Power of the Supreme Self (parama purusha) in the Bhagavadgita. —
Ishwar C. Sharma. "The Law of Causation in Nature and Man Grounded on God - The Ultimate Being." Paper read at New ERA Conference, Seoul, 9-15, 1984 |
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