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Thursday,
September 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Selloff on slippery slope The troubled campus Friends of people |
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West Asia mess is worsening
Celebrating in harmony
Many engineering seats remain vacant
Gas pipeline without India
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Selloff on slippery slope THE
Supreme Court order on Tuesday asking the government to seek Parliament’s approval before disinvesting its stake in HPCL and BPCL is not just a setback to the privatisation process, it sends a wrong signal to foreign investors about the government functioning. In September last year the Union Cabinet had put on hold the HPCL and BPCL disinvestment process for three months after differences surfaced over the issue. Then Attorney-General Soli Sorabjee, acting on the brief reportedly given by the Law Ministry, advised the government that there was no need to seek Parliament’s clearance for the privatisation programme. Without waiting for the Supreme Court decision, an enthusiastic Disinvestment Minister, Mr Arun Shourie, went full steam ahead to push the selloff, alienating some of his own Cabinet colleagues, including Petroleum Minister Ram Naik, who made no secret of his differences over the issue. Opinion is sharply divided over the issue of privatising the oil sector PSUs, especially when they are making profits. Last year the oil PSUs collectively contributed Rs 32,000 crore to the exchequer. Oil is a strategic sector with a tremendous bearing on the national economy and stability. The mode of disinvestment has been questioned by some. While 34 per cent of the government stake in HPCL was to be sold to a strategic partner, the 35 per cent BPCL stake sale was to be through a public offering. The Congress has made it clear that it will oppose the oil PSUs’ selloff. That means the government cannot seek Parliament’s nod. Besides, with the elections round the corner, the NDA government is unlikely to go ahead with the controversial reform, leaving it for the next government. The Supreme Court has clarified that its ruling does not affect the policy of privatisation in itself. However, the impact of the judgement is not confined to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. Mutual funds faced the brunt immediately: they lost Rs 200 crore in market capitalisation. The disinvestment of the government stake in other enterprises like Maruti Udyog and BALCO can be questioned on the basis of Tuesday’s ruling since the selloff was carried out without Parliament’s sanction. Similarly, at the state level, the PSU disinvestment will have to be with the legislature’s permission. The logic is the same: a company created by an Act of a legislature cannot be handed over to a private party by an executive order. Disinvestment was vigorously pursued by the Vajpayee government, more for resource mobilisation than for any real commitment to economic reforms. |
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The troubled campus THE
continuing disruption of studies at Punjabi University, Patiala, is unfortunate. The confrontation that has developed there could have been avoided if only the agitation over the fee hike had been handled a little more tactfully. While what the students did cannot be fully justified, their action could have been viewed less harshly by the Vice-Chancellor, Mr S.S. Boparai. But he went on the offensive, leading to the current impasse. Once both sides adopted rigid postures, sparks were bound to fly. As even a greenhorn should have known, the use of police force to take hundreds of agitating students in preventive custody was bound to complicate matters. The result is that the chances of an early end to the controversy have receded. The ultimate loss is that of the serious students who will have to forgo their studies. But the university will also be a loser because the agitation will bring a bad name to it. Sensible and mature handling can still retrieve the situation somewhat. Being firm is one thing but hostile quite another. The whole controversy has put the issue of appointing former bureaucrats as Vice-Chancellors under the scanner. Even those who have been good as administrators, may not be well-versed in the ethos of academic institutions. Some of them tend to take a skewed view of the overall situation. As it is, they are not welcomed by colleagues who treat their appointment as an imposition. If they try to pull rank too often without taking their colleagues along, the atmosphere gets further vitiated. The only way to avoid such situations is to revive the traditional autonomy of universities and appoint only deserving and reputed persons to top posts, without any interference and influence. Mr Boparai should have himself avoided politicising the issue. His remarks blaming the previous SAD-BJP government for the present student trouble on the campus and alleged derogatory remarks against Mr Parkash Singh Badal have muddied the water further making the Shiromani Akali Dal jump into the fray. While it is routine for politicians to throw mud and make wide allegations, a Vice-chancellor is expected to be more circumspect in his approach. He cannot just demand respect without commanding it. Perhaps a man of letters would have been more successful in influencing the agitating students to give up those of their demands which were unreasonable. A temple of learning has turned into a battle-ground. The sooner peace dawns, the better it will be for Punjabi University. |
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Friends of people THE
Union Government’s proposal for a three-tier Central funding scheme for the states to help modernise their police forces is welcome, belated though. It plans to divide the funding into three categories — 100 per cent, 80 per cent and 60 per cent — depending on the respective states’ requirements, especially the security scenario and their financial stability. Clearly, the duties of the state police have increased manifold because of terrorism, insurgency, caste and communal violence. However, because of the poor finances, the states are unable to equip the police and tackle these challenges effectively. While modernising the state police, the authorities should also arrest their underutilisation and deploy them in civil policing. Unfortunately, the police are shifted from their main duty of civil policing and assigned the task of providing security to VIPs. In most of the cases, there is no threat perception and security is unnecessary. Sadly, most politicians and officials flaunt security as a status symbol, without realising the huge costs involved and the inconvenience it causes to the people. In Delhi, for instance, the 30,000-strong police force is deployed more on security duty than on civil policing. It is also well known that senior police officers use policemen for odd jobs at home and dropping their children at schools. The Centre’s latest
initiative is, no doubt, laudable. However, tinkering with reforms will not help. Its attitude towards police reforms has been characterised by apathy and insensitivity. For instance, though the National Police Commission headed by the late Dharam Vira had submitted its report as far back as 1981, little has been done to implement it. The NPC had tried to gain as much first-hand knowledge as possible and blend it with the practical experience of senior officers and the knowledge of experts. For instance, it strongly felt that the 1861 Police Act should be replaced by a new Act for reorienting the police administration and defining its onerous role and accountability. It was particularly concerned about freeing the police from executive control and political influence and making it more accountable to the people. Had the recommendations of the NPC report had been implemented, most of the problems of the police would have been solved.
Thought for the day The true university of these days is a collection of books.
— Thomas Carlyle |
West Asia mess is worsening SOME may consider what follows to be harsh. But the truth must be told. President George Bush of the United States, egged on by his aggressively arrogant cohorts and meek follower, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, has made an awful mess not just in Iraq, still afflicted by widespread violence and utter administrative chaos, but all across West Asia. Mr Bush’s own “road-map” for peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority lies tattered. Israel continues to follow a policy of “assassinating” leaders of Hamas it considers masterminds of terror and receives in return suicide attacks that have already killed more than 800 Israelis, most of them civilians, in recent weeks. As if this was not enough, on returning home from a visit to India, the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, imperiously decided to expel Mr Yasser Arafat, from the land of which the latter is the duly elected head. Inevitably, there were howls of protest from the international community in general and Arabs in particular. Remarkably, the US, usually indulgent to Israel, also deplored the Israel decision. Even the Indian government that had rolled out the red carpet for Mr Sharon, the first Israeli Prime Minister to come here, “disapproved of” his reprehensible resolve. The defiant Israeli response to this has been the declaration that to “kill Arafat was an option”. On top of this, even while sinking into the Iraqi quagmire, the Bush administration has opened up yet another front — this time against Iran over its alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons — using the Vienna-based Atomic Energy Commission for this purpose. Between now and the October 31 deadline by which Tehran is “required” to come clean about its imports of fissile material, complex and tense negotiations and recriminations are bound to take place. Their outcome will have to be awaited. After all, the US remains in a fix about the nuclear weapons of North Korea that brazenly declares that it has the nukes and threatens to use them, if and when necessary. The mounting crisis between the Israelis, occupying most of the West Bank territory and completely “closing in” the Palestinians by their security ring, and the Palestinian Authority area is a different matter, however. The US, as the author of the road-map Mr Sharon has treated with utter contempt, has behaved with utter partisanship in favour of Israel. Doubtless, terrorism must end. The Palestinian Authority (PA) must do all it can to control Hamas. But how can it when the US does nothing to persuade or pressure Israel to abide by its commitments and obligations under the road-map? Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the US-approved Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), resigned only the other day almost entirely for this reason. But Washington remains unmoved and palpably partisan to Israel. With Israel’s decision to “remove” Mr Arafat, the situation has become vastly more explosive. Against this bleak backdrop, the question does arise whether, for all its gains, real or imaginary, India should have invited Mr Sharon, at this point of time. Considering all the protests and unease over his visit, the sojourn, on the whole, ended well enough. It is also true that close friendship between India and Israel does not dilute Indian support to the Palestinian cause. Israel’s contribution to Indian security is substantial and must be expanded. Even so, some rude realities cannot be wished away. If Israel had any other Prime Minister, there would not have been the least difficulty about his or her visit. All protests were directed against Mr Sharon personally for the good reason that his personal record of egregious atrocities on the innocent Palestinians, within Israel and occupied areas, in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and elsewhere, has been disgraceful beyond words. What he has done after going back lends an edge of this point. And that brings one to the paramount question of the unholy and dangerous mess in Iraq that is entirely made by the US and its obedient ally, Britain. In the words of The Times, London, the Western coalition is now “500 bodybags wiser and a billion pounds a week poorer”. Moreover, Mr Bush’s rhetoric about Iraq being the “central front” of the “global war on terrorism” has irony of its own. There was no link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda during the years of the deservedly overthrown tyrant, Mr Saddam Hussein. If Al-Qaeda is in Iraq today to “supplement” the violence of the Iraqis opposed to the occupiers of their country, it is due entirely to American “incompetence” underscored by the total collapse of Iraqi infrastructure. No wonder then that Mr Bush and even Mr Donald Rumsfeld have swallowed their earlier words about their being able to do without the UN in an essentially American undertaking. They are now pleading for a UN Security Council resolution that would ensure participation of Indian, Pakistani and Turkish troops in “stabilising Iraq”, albeit under US command. It was no mere coincidence that Ms Christina Rocca, America’s Assistant Secretary for South Asia, was in New Delhi during Mr Sharon’s stay. A day earlier Mr Bush had personally rung up the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee to, talk about Iraq and Cancun. Now, three weeks before Atalji’s arrival in the US for the UN General Assembly session, the US President has let it be known that a request for Indian troops for Iraq would be high on his agenda for his meeting with Mr Vajpayee. But where is the “explicit UN mandate” that Indian Parliament has demanded before this country’s participation in Iraq’s stabilisation can be considered? The spat at Geneva between the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, and the French Foreign Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, on the second anniversary of 9/11 shows how difficult it would be to have a Security Council resolution. However, even if the council does adopt an “explicit” resolution, it would be foolish of the Indian government to send our gallant men to the killing sands of Iraq. The warning is necessary. For though the Prime Minister is opposed to sending troops to the luckless country, some smart alecs in the ruling establishment continue to plead for doing America’s bidding. Indian soldiers, if sent to Iraq nevertheless, would be shot. Not merely by the Iraqis who would look upon them as America’s “appendages” but also by the trigger-happy and terrified American troops that have become experts in “friendly
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Celebrating in harmony INDIA, as we all know, is a multi-divergent land of different communities, cultures, castes and religions. Variety, it is said, is the spice of life, and here we have a variety of colours, flavours and rhythms provided by the several festivals of religious significance like Divali, Id, Christmas, Guru Nanak’s birthday etc. If our country gives us freedom of religious beliefs, it also gives us opportunity to enjoy all the festivals irrespective of our own faith. There is one such family comprising the “secular, liberal, Indians”. The woman comes from a Gupta family and her husband is from a Sikh family. Married for 30 years, the difference of religion has never caused any problem. The husband has never forced the wife to go to gurdwara, or stopped her from going to a temple and vice-versa. They do not perform any religious rituals. The husband, a non-believer in religion, is a great believer in life. He is a trekker, an adventurer, and a nature lover. Both of them like to take time off from their routine and go to the mountains and forests. Along with sightseeing and enjoying the unspoilt beauty of nature, they also climb up to visit the known and unknown temples of numerous gods and goddesses usually situated on the top of the mountains, far from the maddening crowd. Their only daughter is married to a boy whose father is a Christian and mother a Parsi, without any opposition from either family. The son-in-law, a busy director/producer of ads, videos, films in Mumbai, makes special efforts to visit them on Divali in Chandigarh along with their daughter who also worked in the same field. Once when she was not in India, he made it a point to be with his in-laws for the important festival. His wife (the daughter) celebrates Christmas with her husband’s parents. She decorates the Christmas tree and has a gettogether. If her parents cannot be with them, they always remember to send them greetings, and enjoy Christmas cake with their friends. So from the confluence of different cultures, springs a new culture: that of love and friendship. The young couple Tulika and Marlon also join their Muslim friends in the Id celebrations in the happening cosmopolitan city of Mumbai. They share meals with them and enjoy this special festival of the Muslims. Before Id, comes Guru Nanak’s birthday 15 days after Divali. The occasion holds a great significance for the Sikhs as well as Hindus. The real spirit behind these religious festivals is the communal harmony. Thus we have more occasions to enjoy more festivals to celebrate, more feasts to share and more blessings to
seek. |
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Many engineering seats remain vacant
Over 12,500 seats in engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, 8,000 in Maharashtra, 6,000 in Karnataka, 6,000 in Kerala and 1,572 in Punjab are going abegging. Unbelievable but true. And these seats are not in the unrecognised, street corner teaching shops run by fly-by-night operators, but in recognised and established engineering institutions, which have flourished because of the promise of rewarding careers after a degree. These are official figures and although the problem is less severe in states like Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, it exists practically in all states except those in the North-East. The vacant seats in technical courses in different universities, deemed universities and private colleges across the country is even more. The news of coveted seats staying vacant is as disturbing and painful for the managements of these institutions, the central and state government as for the other stake-holders — the industry, parents and students. Why then this painful scenario? Did we falter in assessing employment opportunities? Or did we look at options only in the manufacturing and software sector, completely ignoring the service sector and choice of entrepreneurial development. Only till yesterday we were being flooded with reports giving about the rising need for technical professionals. The prestigious ones like McKinsey and Nasscom forecast a phenomenal rise in demand for software professionals and this did lead to a lot of enthusiasm among students opting for computer engineering. This was the projection for the booming information technology industry. Also, with the GDP showing a very promising sign, one would expect good industrial growth where engineers of all hues —civil, electrical and mechanical —will find lucrative outlets. Moreover, with the growing global shift towards a knowledge society, one expected all skilled professionals would discover newer and better openings. Then what explains, the reality of seats? Is it a case of more institutions and intake capacity on the one hand and less students on the other? On the face of it, this logic does not appeal because all over there is a clamour for engineering courses. In the last 10 years, specially after the software boom, the best of jobs, most lucrative of jobs, most promising and challenging jobs have gone to engineering and management graduates. Of course, the cake offerings have been grabbed by IIT and IIM passport holders and their presence is visible the world over today. IIT and IIM passouts apart, those from reputed, well-established colleges too have secured enviable jobs and salaries. The education bazar saw this writing on the wall even before it appeared. Overnight one witnessed the expansion of technical institutes. One saw the proliferation of engineering and management institutes — operating from a garage or basement, to flashy five-star complexes. Some good, some plain bad. Both the established institutes and the teaching shops dot every nook and corner of our cities and towns and are reaching villages too. Running them are not just paanwalas-turned educationists, but also educationists-turned shopkeepers and politicians with the pretension of being visionaries. There are hardly any technical institutions that are run without the patronage of politicians, who are directly involved in financial management. Not that there are no real educationists on the scene — they are there and some have stuck to their vision and morals. After all, in these times of globalisation and liberalistion, where everything is being mercilessly offered at the altar of market forces, why not offer degrees, diplomas and certificates and that too of hot selling items like engineering courses, architecture and business management. Thus from 46 diploma level and 50 degree-level engineering institutions in 1950, this figure has gone up to 1,215 diploma and 1,208 degree-level institutions in 2003. Although management education got known in the early 50s, its growth and spread in India began only in the 80s. Since then there has been no looking back. Such is the demand and craze for management diplomas and degrees that in the last eight years the MBA institutions have increased from 312 to 930 and MCA applications have gone up from 146 to over a 1,000. All these are the approved institutions — recognised by the AICTE — All India Council for Technical Education. But these are not all. Approved ones are probably only 10 per cent of the total institutions offering fancy incentives to join but not really much by way of curriculum or infrastructure or a secure bright future. The last two decades have witnessed an explosive growth of technical institutes, specially the private, unaided and self-financing institutions. The feeling is — recognition by the government can come later. ‘Open them now’ is the motto. This unprecedented growth has been in keeping with the rising demand for technical professionals — not only in India, but the world over. The skilled Indian minds and hands have in the last decades created a unique position for themselves, even to cause consternation among the American educationists regarding career profiles of American technical experts in view of competition by Indians. Obviously, this demand for Indian professionals has spurred the growth in technical institutions. When we are talking of vacant seats, we are talking of these figures in approved institutions. If you add up the figures of vacancies in unrecognised institutes, it could be larger. And, herein lies the problem. Too many institutes were started without assessing manpower needs. Based on speculative assessment of “rush where the gold is”, the scramble for opening institutions began. Buildings, infrastructure came up as quickly. Students joined, they learnt and are now the market — looking for jobs, which for some are proving to be elusive. Since these students have come out of approved institutions, one feels sorry for their plight and problems.
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Gas pipeline without India ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan, being primary partner of the Pak-Turkmen gas pipeline, on Tuesday vowed to continue with the implementation of over $ 2.5 billion project even if India does not come along as a partner for an extension up to New Delhi. Petroleum Minister Nauraiz Shakoor, who is also to host the next ministerial steering committee meeting of the Pakistan Afghanistan-Turkmenistan (TAP) group has told the lead manager Asian Development Bank that Islamabad would “go ahead without India in the implementation of the TAP gas pipeline project.” PML (Q) wins run-off poll LAHORE:
The PML(Q) on Tuesday won all the run-off polls for Nazim and Naib Nazim in Punjab. In Lahore, the PML(Q) panel comprising Amer Munir and Mehr Asif swept the Ravi town election securing a record number of votes as the Democratic Group boycotted the polls. The PML(Q) panel bagged 470 votes as against eight votes secured by the Democratic Group panel while one vote was rejected by the presiding officer. This is the highest number of votes secured by a panel. Previously Qaiser Amin Butt had managed to get 384 votes in the Ravi town election. It is stated that one voter also dropped in the box a five-rupee note along with his ballot paper. —The Nation Defence ties with France ISLAMABAD:
16: A French military delegation on Tuesday held talks with Pakistani military officials on defence industry cooperation, officials said. Rear Admiral Jean Louis Barbier, Director of the French Armament Department, met the Secretary for Defence Production Division, Air Marshal (retd) Zahid Anis, they said. The French admiral was briefed about Pakistan’s defence capabilities and production projects a Defence Ministry statement said. Kidnapping cases RAWALPINDI: The federal government has directed the provincial governments as well as the Capital police chief to submit reports on kidnapping for ransom cases reported since December 2002, Dawn learnt on Tuesday. Administrations of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Northern Areas have also been asked to submit separate reports about actions initiated against gangs involved in such incidents, cases so far traced by the law enforcement agencies and the number of pending cases. Economic growth LAHORE: Economic managers and experts have stressed the need for exploring potentials of the Punjab, as it can act as an engine of growth for other provinces. This idea emerged on the first day of the two-day Punjab Development Forum (PDF) meeting organised by the Punjab Planning and Development (P&D) Department on Tuesday. More than 54 representatives from different international financial institutions and NGOs are attending the seminar. Federal Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz; State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Ishrat Hussain, Punjab Chief Minister, Parvaiz Elahi and others addressed the gathering. The Finance Minister advised the Punjab government to improve quality and access to five key areas, including literacy and primary education, primary healthcare, economic empowerment, governance and investors’ confidence.
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It is a travesty of true religion to consider one’s own religion as superior and other’s as inferior. — Mahatma Gandhi It’s easy to be a master But difficult to be a slave For the sake of wool sheep was reared, Tethered, it doth the cotton graze. — Kabir He has no name, no dwelling-place, no caste; He is the Primal Being, Gracious and benign, Unborn, Ever Perfect and Eternal. — Guru Gobind Singh Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent. — H.W. Beecher |
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