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Wednesday,
February 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Diversification dilemma Computer security Ghastly incident |
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Response to war clouds
in Gulf
Self-sufficiency in
slogans
Militarisation of space
Grapes
are of special advantage to women
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Diversification dilemma In his Address to the joint session of Parliament on Monday, the President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, suggested a review of agricultural policies which discouraged crop diversification. “There is an urgent need”, he said, “to review current policies, which have impeded crop diversification, and led to unsustainable food subsidies, and to ensure crop neutral support to our farmers without excessive procurement”. There are three challenges before agriculture policy-makers today : managing the ever-growing stocks of foodgrains, the minimum support price (MSP), which actually has become the maximum support price, and how to encourage crop diversification. Because of poor quality and high costs of procurement, transportation and storage, foodgrain offtake through the public distribution system (PDS) and exports have not picked up. Starvation deaths despite large foodgrain stocks are a pointer to
this. The country could have used its foodgrain surpluses to earn the goodwill of Afghanistan and boost trade with that country, but hostility with Pakistan has aborted that plan. Whatever wheat is exported is at almost half the price of procurement. Prof Abhijit Sen, a former Chairman of the Agriculture Price Reform Committee, has suggested that the government should reduce the MSP for wheat and paddy as the present MSP does not encourage farmers to diversify. If accepted, this suggestion can have dangerous implications. The farmers are already agitated at keeping the wheat MSP unchanged this year. Any reduction would fuel discontent in the farming community and politicians would exploit it to their advantage. Diversification is the need of the hour and, as the President has advised, the impediments should be removed. The farmers will not take to any other crop unless the returns are better than those from wheat and paddy. In the past Punjab farmers did turn to growing sunflower, eucalyptus, poplar, etc, but without attractive yields. Pulses and oilseeds are now considered for diversification, but farmers would not grow them unless their marketing is assured and suitable price support is given to them. Instead of reducing the MSP for wheat and paddy, it is better to encourage diversification with incentives. Farmers all over are given subsidies and those in the developed world get many times more than their counterparts in the developing world. The Johl committee has looked into the diversification issue in detail and its report is with the Centre. To reduce the costs of farming, regular power supply, better irrigation facilities and cheaper inputs, whether imported or produced locally, should be made available to farmers. There is tremendous scope, both in the domestic and global markets, for processed fruits and vegetables. These are suitable for small land-holdings as well. Budgetary support can be given to encourage food processing industries in a big way. One hopes the President’s words will have the desired effect and policymakers will get going without any further delay. |
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Computer security The Army needs to maintain a higher degree of secrecy than other organisations, and it has various programmes and infrastructure to deal with security breaches. It does not, however, seem to be adequately prepared for maintaining security in its computers. This is illustrated by the fact that a computer containing classified material was sent out to a civilian repair shop and its hard drive changed. True, the Army has instituted a court of inquiry and taken disciplinary action against the officers concerned, but the authorities ought to look beyond the incident. In general, while the need for maintaining secrecy is well recognised for conventional printed documents, the same level of awareness is missing when it comes to electronic information. That is why we hear from time to time that sensitive information has been leaked out. In the latest incident, a computer was sent out for repairs and the hard drive of the machine got replaced. The old hard drive, which contained sensitive material along with other data, was installed in a computer that was given to students, who reported the breach. What is shocking is that the data was not even protected through passwords, let alone encrypted. With computerisation becoming ubiquitous, computer security has become a major problem - be it in homes, businesses, government departments or sensitive national installations and the military. Billions of rupees are actually spent on software security worldwide. Still, more often than not simple mistakes account for the gravest of security flaws. Computer hackers have a long history of exploiting the flaws in the best and “most secure” of computer systems and thereby creating havoc. Secure computer networks are the current Holy Grail of computing, but even the most secure of such networks would need just one weak link that could be compromised. Thus, the first step would be to provide proper education to increase awareness about maintaining computer security. This should be followed up by putting in place the right infrastructure and systems to ensure that the security drill is carried out throughout the network. Here computer privacy programmes, restricted access, and encryption programmes all play a vital role in ensuring that even those who wilfully break into the system are not able to see anything sensitive. It is essential to be somewhat paranoid in ensuring national security. The personnel at the helm of military and other sensitive organisations must ensure that when the modern soldier is deployed he is secure in the knowledge that the enemy has no inkling of his plans. His fellow soldiers and officers must ensure that his security has not been compromised by misplaced electronic bytes. |
Ghastly incident Man’s cruelty towards birds and animals has no limits. The manner in which hundreds of birds perished near a slaughterhouse at Nangal is shocking and heart-rending. The report and the picture published in The Tribune (February 18, 2003) are poignant and unbelievable. If the report pricks one’s conscience and demonstrates the mindlesssness of those responsible for the incident, it is also a chilling reminder of the utter failure of the authorities concerned in protecting the beautiful species on the planet earth. The killing of birds — either because of poaching by unscrupulous people or the failure of the authorities in enforcing the rules governing the running of slaughterhouses and disposal of waste meat — once again call for stronger measures to protect the endangered species. If it is true that the waste meat thrown out by the slaughterhouse staff has led to the death of these helpless birds, the government should take disciplinary action against them, after a thorough probe. More important, the role of the Health Department officials in the entire episode should also be investigated, because had they performed their duties properly and effectively, such an incident would not have happened. In this context, the Nangal Sanitary Officer’s refusal to own up his gross dereliction of duty is only an excuse for evasion. The report that the death of birds might pose a health hazard is a cause for concern. It is believed that because of the proximity of the slaughterhouse to the Sutlej river, the waste might have flown into it, poisoning the water in the process. This enjoins a heavy responsibility on the officials concerned to use all the necessary disinfectants promptly and make the water fit for consumption. Punjab and Haryana are home to rich species of birds. It is said that several birds migrate to the Sukhna lake in Chandigarh and the Bharatpur bird sanctuary in Rajasthan. Poaching and sheer callousness, as the latest incident suggests, have become the greatest threat to the survival of these creatures. Surely, the authorities concerned cannot afford to allow such a criminal act to recur. Voluntary bodies and NGOs will have to take the initiative in spreading general awareness on protecting and preserving these species to maintain the ecological balance. |
Response to war clouds in Gulf Non-alignment ceased being an influence in the world long ago and although the movement is technically still in existence, its fate can be judged by the travails of two of its founder-members. Yugoslavia has disintegrated and has now even lost its name and Egypt lives on some $ 2 billion in American military and economic assistance every year. Despite the ritualistic homage to unity, West Asia remains divided and beholden to the Western powers, particularly the USA, for protection. Indeed, the world of Nine Eleven is an inhospitable place for many states in the Arab world. America’s horrendous experience of the terrorist attacks in September, 2001, has been grasped by a neoconservative Republican administration to try to shape a New World Order. Apart from completing his father’s unfinished business, there are other reasons for President George W. Bush’s obsession with President Saddam Hussein. Iraq’s vulnerability is an opening for W. — as the US President is known — to rearrange West Asia more to his liking. Americans cannot forget the fact that the overwhelming majority of the hijackers who used passenger planes as missiles to hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were Saudis. Almost overnight, the cosy relationship the USA maintained with Saudi rulers over the decades has been called into question, as are the mores of politics and society in the kingdom. If the proclaimed goal of the new American policy is to democratise the region, it is unrealistic, if not hypocritical. Few in the world will take the Bush administration’s democratic goals at face value. The truth is that West Asia is volatile and unstable. The poison of the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation, with a built-in American pro-Israeli bias, is spreading like cancer. President Saddam might have much to answer for, but tinkering with Iraq, with its mixed population of Shias, Sunnis and Kurds, would be dangerous. A Iran belonging to America’s “axis of evil” and NATO ally Turkey on Iraq’s flanks have their own interests vis-à-vis Shias and Kurds respectively, and the capacity for others to stir the witches’ brew would be enormous. India has general and specific interests in West Asia, particularly the Persian Gulf. In broad terms, New Delhi must controvert the American thesis of its right to act against a nation-state pre-emptively. If one country, however powerful, is given the right to disregard the institution of the nation-state, it is a sure recipe for disorder and chaos. New Delhi’s narrower interests are the region’s strategic geographical location, the large Indian communities who work there and the significant foreign exchange they send home. Thus far New Delhi has adopted the reasonable posture of expressing its opposition to unilateralism and war in an undertone so as not to jeopardise its growing economic, political and strategic links with Washington. If an American-led war comes, as seems all but inevitable, India’s priority must be on evacuating its nationals from the war theatre and helping those who would become destitute. While New Delhi has always classified Iraq as a friendly country, its experiences in the last Gulf War were less than happy. Mr I.K. Gujral, the then Foreign Minister, was greeted by President Saddam with hugs, which were promptly telecast far and wide for propaganda purposes, and onerous conditions were placed on India before the evacuation of nationals was permitted. Whatever President Saddam’s fate, India will continue to retain an interest in Iraq. The task of rebuilding the infrastructure after American bombs have devastated the country will be immense and the price of oil will remain a crucial factor for India. If an American intervention were to be the beginning of a period of instability in the region, New Delhi’s problems would multiply. Flexibility must remain the watchword in promoting Indian foreign policy in a changing world. There is little doubt that many countries are feeling their way towards countering American hegemony. The transatlantic split over America’s war plans is an indication of how European countries are trying to use the mechanisms available to them to slow the momentum towards war. Many peoples have been sufficiently alarmed about the looming war to hold immense anti-war demonstrations around the world last weekend. They will give a psychological boost to the governments that oppose war and make others who support the USA more wary. Indeed, the war against terrorism has taken a curious twist, with the USA employing it to settle old scores with President Saddam and fashion a new world. India’s own concerns about terrorism do not figure prominently on the American radar screen. The tragedy is that an American war on Iraq will merely exacerbate tensions and create a whole new generation of terrorists. W. has given his full backing to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and if the Palestinians are sought to be further marginalised, instead of being given a viable state, there would never be peace in the region. In the broader foreign policy context, New Delhi should encourage the symbolism represented by the Russia-China-India triangle, despite the obvious difficulties presented by Beijing’s close alignment with Islamabad. For its part, Moscow is feeling its way to finding a place in the New World Order and is the originator of the strategic triangle concept. The Bush doctrine seems to be to free itself of alliances of any kind in order to retain all options in picking allies for specific operations. Allies will change with different assignments. In the American scheme of things, NATO is being assigned “peace-building” chores and ideally the United Nations should not make policy but do America’s bidding and stand ready to undertake follow-up duties after American power prevails. India’s options are infinitely more limited, but it can seek to emulate Washington in choosing different partners for different occasions in what can be termed the political rendition of free love. |
Self-sufficiency in slogans IT is a matter of pride and joy that the country has achieved near total self-sufficiency in the manufacture of slogans. Let the habitual India-baiters take note of this no mean achievement. A senior official of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has been informally talking to newsmen about this notable milestone in India’s march towards progress and the 21st century. “Western capitalistic countries were having a monopoly strangle-hold on the manufacture of slogans, “he said. “The United States had come up with its New Deal and the Great Society and the United Kingdom with its Let’s Put Britain Back To Work. Poor, developing countries of the third world were denied means with which to con the common man.” “So the Government of India, in consultation with state Chief Ministers, the National Development Council and the Planning Commission, took a deliberate policy decision to achieve total self-sufficiency in this vital sphere of national economic and social development within the shortest possible time and a mission-oriented crash programme was launched.” “The results of this drive became apparent when the euphonious slogan Garibi Hatao emerged. A mid-term appraisal of this slogan confirmed our belief that it was a runaway success with more people than ever before — 89 per cent for the benefit of the statistically minded — becoming utterly destitute and slipping under the absolute poverty line.” “Heartened and buoyed by this success, the Government adopted a bold and forward-looking policy for taking the country along the road to self-sufficiency in the manufacture of hi-tech slogans and for developing in-house capabilities for coining catchy slogans capable of taking the maximum number of people for a deluxe ride with minimum capital investment — a classic example of grassroots, macro-level development planning.” The Prime Minister’s new “Swarna Rozgar Yojana” is a case in point. More unemployed youth are pinning their faith to a mirage than the national planners ever thought was possible. India is now in a happy position to provide proven, field-tested knowhow for the manufacture of slogans to other friendly, developing countries — a classic example of south-south cooperation. In fact, to trigger happy Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan, India supplied a most satisfactory slogan — Guided Democracy.” The PIB official concluded: “However, we’re not resting on our laurels and being complacent and we’re constantly upgrading our capabilities to manufacture state-of-the-art slogans, lest the gullible masses get wise to the glaring fact that they’re being “taken in”. In 1980, the country manufactured the slogan-Government That Works and in 1985-The Government That Works Faster. This only shows that the struggle to protect and defend the hard-won self-sufficiency in the manufacture of slogans is uneding.” “Right now, the Government of India has on the anvil a slogan that’s a potential mind blower — New Delhi for 2008 Olympics.” |
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Militarisation of space THE Prime Minister has named weather forecasting satellite Metstat after Kalpana Chawla who died in the Columbia disaster. Certainly a person who contributes to the advance of science should be honoured. Kalpana was part of the US space programme, but she had no policy role to play in it. A Joint Vision Statement issued by the US military command clearly states that the objective of the USA is “full-spectrum dominance”. Tina Bell of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom pointed out in a discussion at the UN in 1998 that the USA was publicly committed to the peaceful uses of outer space. However, in the latest US Space Command brochure it is mentioned how the USA is going to “dominate outer space and fight in outer space.” John Pike of The Federation of American Sciences said in this same discussion, “These military space systems are viewed as being the hallmark, the pre-eminent instrumentality of the proposition that the USA is the sole remaining super power. They are the instrumentality of the imposition of American political hegemony.” A treaty was signed in 1967 prohibiting militarisation of space. But the treaty is weak. It only prohibits the placement of nuclear or weapons of mass destruction in space. Pierce Corden of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency admitted, “It would be fair to say that it is not prohibited to put a rifle in orbit. I suppose it would not be prohibited to put some kind of missile up there that wouldn’t have an ABM capability... If you think of anti-satellite weapons, it is not prohibited to put a launcher on the surface of the earth that could launch an anti-satellite warhead to knock down a satellite, or notionally to orbit such a system. That’s not prohibited. Bill Sulzman of global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space pointed out that the USA had bragged that the 1990-1991 war against Iraq was the first space war. “They understand that when you collect information, select targets through the use of space, and then direct weapons to targets using space, you have the equivalent of a piece of the weapon being in space. A gun sight is a part of the gun. A spotter, who in the old days targeted artillery, was using a weapon and shared responsibility for the deaths that were caused. And so space already, in current military jargon and practice, has an important piece in the weaponised part of warfare, getting people killed and getting explosives sent to targets.” The fact is that space has already been militarised. And the USA is developing these weapons in order to be able to dominate the world through its control of space. Many countries, therefore, want to review the 1967 treaty to make it tighter and prevent such militarisation of space. Marc Vidricaire, Counsellor at the Mission of Canada to the Conference on Disarmament made such a plea. He said during the disarmament week 2000 at the United Nations, “In January, 1998, Canada formally proposed the negotiation in the Conference on Disarmament of a legally binding instrument for preventing an arms race in outer space... A review of the industry literature confirms that over a dozen states are at the present capable of placing an object in outer space. Many more have direct experience working with orbiting satellites. These states come from all regions. Obviously, the USA is the most advanced in this field, but the Russian Federation has a long and remarkable history in outer space, European nations also have this capability, as do China, India, Brazil and Japan. If it is possible to put an object in outer space, then it is possible to put a weapon in outer space... The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits the orbiting of weapons of mass destruction and the stationing of such weapons on the moon or any other celestial body. The continuing advance of technology, however, makes it possible to orbit conventional missile interceptors, or exotic weapons based on other physical principles (such as space-based lasers) capable of harming both space-based and land, sea or air-based targets. This fact was first noticed by a Canadian Prime Minister speaking at UNSSOD II when he called the 1967 Outer Space Treaty ‘evidently inadequate’ a mere 15 years after its entry into force.” Canada wants to open the discussion for making the 1967 treaty stronger. However, Pierce Corden of the USA stated, “the US has not been persuaded that the multilateral arms control regime as it impacts on outer space should be augmented in order to maintain the strategic stability.” The reasoning is clear. The USA is the most advanced in space warfare technologies and it is unwilling to accept any restrictions on its effort to gain global military supremacy through the militarisation of space. The Columbia was part of this larger military strategy. The numerous experiments would enhance the military capability of the USA. |
Grapes are of special advantage to women THE
good-for-heart grapes have an added advantage as they can also help women avoid the painful scarring often associated with breast cancer treatment. Doctors at the Institute of Cancer Research in London believe the antioxidants in grapes may protect against radiation fibrosis. This condition affects thousands of women around the world each year. It causes tissue around the breast to become hard and stiff. In some cases, it is painful, according to a report in BBC. This scarring can occur years after the women undergo radiotherapy to treat breast cancer. In recent years, advances in radiotherapy treatment have meant that the likelihood of women developing radiation fibrosis has fallen. However, it can still occur and doctors cannot offer women guarantees that they will not have any scarring. While doctors do not know what causes radiation fibrosis, they suspect it may be caused by the continuous release of free radicals triggered by radiotherapy, the report said. Free radicals spread like kind of biological rust and can cause havoc in cells, even damaging DNA. Antioxidants can mop up these potentially damaging molecules. Professor John Yarnold and colleagues at the Institute of Cancer Research are now looking to see if the antioxidant properties in grapes could have a role to play. “Grape seeds contain a mixture of compounds called flavanoids, also found in other fruits and vegetables. They have antioxidant properties that may be superior to known antioxidants like vitamin E or C”, Professor Yarnold was quoted by BBC as saying. “There have already been promising small-scale trials with antioxidants, but I believe grape seed extract has interesting potential”, Yarnold added.
ANI |
Prayer is of the foremost importance in appealing for the Divine Grace, and uprightness is a fundamental quality if one would obtain the unseen protection. —The Shinte-Gobusho
*** Pray as though no work could help. Work as though no prayer could help. —German proverb
*** To work is to pray. —Rabindranath Tagore
*** The prayer goes up and the blessing comes down. —The Talmud
*** Better is a little prayer with devotion than much without it. —The Talmud |
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WITH war clouds gathering thick and fast over Iraq, India’s foreign policy options in the new, more complex world are being defined by circumstances as much as by its own volition. To an extent, India is a spectator, as is much of the world, with the Bush administration pronouncing its military superiority, expounding the thesis of pre-emptive and preventive strikes against any nation it chooses to target.