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A good beginning Another Godhra inquiry |
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Homilies won’t help
Space-age science policy
Game, set, match
Human Rights Diary Defence notes
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A good beginning PRIME Minister Manmohan Singh's UPA government has set in motion a commendable process by initiating consultations with the Opposition on next week's India-Pakistan talks. This is a good beginning for the UPA to have made despite the fact that the Opposition barracked functioning of Parliament and gave the government no quarter since the Congress-led coalition assumed office. It is just as well that the confrontationist atmosphere that prevailed in Parliament has not been allowed to spill over to the realm of foreign policy. Now that there is more or less a two-alliance - UPA and NDA — system for all practical purposes, with no major party being unheeded by one or the other coalition, it is time to work towards a bipartisan approach in all matters of foreign policy, at least. With almost all major political parties having served in office and in the opposition, the importance of foreign policy being the product of national consensus cannot be overemphasised. In the first moves in this direction, Mr Manmohan Singh has held consultations with former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. Leader of the Opposition L K Advani and the leaders of UPA constituents have also been briefed about the issues before the Foreign Ministers of the two countries for the talks. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed is also being taken into confidence as are two former External Affairs Ministers, Mr Jaswant Singh and Mr Yashwant Sinha. With all parties within the UPA and the BJP being involved in the consultation process, it is now their responsibility to proactively assist and enrich the process on a sustained basis. Pakistan, for obvious reasons, is a preoccupation with all parties, even if not as a subject of foreign policy alone. Terrorism, infiltration, Kashmir are all concerns that implicate Pakistan in aspects of domestic politics as well. Given this scenario, achieving a consensus of dealing with Pakistan is more challenging and, therefore, of paramount importance for sending clear signals across the border. However, other priorities in foreign policy, especially the neighbourhood and terrorism, are no less important for evolving a bipartisan approach. |
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Another Godhra inquiry AFTER the burning of a coach of Sabarmati Express at Godhra which had sparked communal violence across Gujarat in February, 2002, a statutory railway inquiry should have been ordered, which was never done. Two and a half years later when the trail has almost gone cold, new Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has succeeded in ordering such an inquiry, much to the chagrin of the BJP. It is not certain if it can reach definite conclusions so late in the day but the new inquiry seems pre-destined to generate as much controversy as the ghastly event that it seeks to investigate. The Union Cabinet has taken care to designate it as an inquiry committee and not a commission of inquiry because that would have left it open to the allegation that it was setting up a panel parallel to the Nanavati Commission appointed by the Modi-led BJP government. Significantly, the inquiry has been assigned to a retired Supreme Court judge. But the terms of reference are bound to upset Mr Narendra Modi's Parivar. For instance, the panel has been asked to not only look into the causes of fire but also to ascertain why the train was overcrowded with passengers, many of whom were without reservation, and if their behaviour in any manner contributed to the fire. This loaded question may be seen as an attempt to put the blame on the people who perished in the fire. The government should be more circumspect lest it gives the impression that it is out to launch a counter-attack on the Sangh parivar. That will defeat the purpose of the inquiry. A more even-handed approach will certainly be in order, however. The Modi government is already under fire for its notorious investigation into the riot cases that followed the Godhra killings. Even a May, 2002, report of Gujarat's Forensic Science Laboratory has found that no inflammable fluid had been thrown into the coach from outside. Mr Yadav will be negating the advantage of these factors if he goes hammer and tongs about the new inquiry, making it look like political witch-hunt. People at large will be happy to see facts come out of the inquiry committee's findings, free from all potential considerations. Let truth prevail. |
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Homilies won’t help TEACHERS' Day, which will be observed in the country on September 5, to mark the birth anniversary of former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, is yet another occasion to focus on the status of teachers today. Unfortunately, observance of Teachers' Day has become more an annual ritual than an opportunity to make an effort to tackle the problems of the teachers. This year too, functions will be organised and lectures delivered to shower encomiums on the contribution of teachers in nation building. But will these sermons and homilies at all help in the long run? It is a pity that even after 56 years of Independence, the teachers are yet to be given their rightful place in society, least of all what is their due. Teachers in most schools hardly get suitable salary and perks. The plight of those working in private schools is indeed miserable. This is true in almost all states. Low salary in violation of the government guidelines, long duty hours with no casual or privilege leave and no medical or house rent allowance, are some of the problems of the teachers. Worse, in some schools, teachers do not get even a statement of account of their provident fund deduction. There are states where teachers at times have not been paid salaries for months. True, some institutions are afflicted by the “Teachers don't teach” syndrome. There are teachers who sub-let their jobs or go to school just to mark attendance. While these malpractices should be checked firmly, there is a need to restore the pre-eminent position of teachers in society. The dozen categories of teachers that exist today — regular, temporary, ad hoc, tenure, volunteer, time-gap, and so on — are demeaning to both teachers and their profession. Unless the Centre and the states recognise their contribution and take proper steps to improve their working conditions with better salary and emoluments, it would be difficult to rejuvenate this devalued community. At the moment the guiding principle is: Celebrate Teachers' Day once a year and forget them the rest of 364 days. |
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India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition. — Mark Twain
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Space-age science policy ON May 18, 1974, the first atomic device code named “Smiling Buddha” was tested in Pokhran. As sanctions were imposed upon us, the policy of self-reliance in high-tech Engineering became necessary. During 1980-90, the government, belatedly, inaugurated a number of ministerial-level departments with the avowed aim to “close the gap” in ever-advancing technologies. The Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy, the Ministry of Ocean Research, the Ministry of Information Technology and Electronics, and the Ministry of Environment were established. The Second Technology Policy Statement in 1983 recommended strategy of reverse engineering, which involves disassembling an engineering device to see how the system works in order to duplicate it for domestic industrial application. During the two decades (1980-2000), our defence establishments had indigenously achieved self-reliance in many high-tech fields of weapons, aerodynamics and the missile technology. The big war science departments — defence, space and atomic energy — received enthusiastic political-state support that demonstrated India’s strength and potential. It should, however be emphasised that in case of the big sciences, the priorities are largely determined by international geopolitical developments. During the early Cold-War decade (1950-60), atomic energy received as much as 41.2 per cent of R&D grants. Following the Bangladesh War in 1971, as the US had upgraded its military presence in the Indian Ocean and supplied advanced military hardware to Pakistan, our space department received strong backing. Under the leadership of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam India launched an ambitious integrated guided missile development programme (IGMDP). In early hours of July 18, 1980, India’s first satellite launch vehicle, SLV-3, lifted off from Shar. On September 16, 1985, our first missile test Trishul took place. On February 25,1988, the first guided missile “Prithvi”, and on May 23, 1989, “Agni” were test fired. Till then the missile technology had been considered the exclusive domain of a few advanced countries. Dr Kalam described the launch of Agni “like a bright flash on the Indian scientific firmament”. On May 11, 1998, five hydrogen bomb tests were carried out at Pokhran codenamed “Shakti”. Beginning of the new millennium , under the leadership of Dr Abdul Kalam, a new “Science and Technology Policy for 21st century” had been formulated that aims doubling S&T budget from 1.00 per cent to 2 per cent of the GDP. The policy had restored autonomy of the universities and research institutions and proposed cutting the burden of bureaucracy at the official science agencies and improving infrastructures. Other objectives include major tax concession for industrial firms willing to invest in R&D and attractive perks to expatriate scientists to return to India. Interface of science and society has been recognised in post-modern social theories. The science policy planning is now directed towards issues of social concern. Dr Kalam with Dr Y.S. Rajan released a futuristic document on “India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium”. It focused on technoscientific strategy to create synergistic effect by linking high- tech war science systems to high-tech societal civil sectors. Dr Kalam calls for using hightech knowhow for improving living conditions, providing better housing, better railroad transportation, clean environment and better planned and better maintained urban townships. His strategy aims at greater involvement of national laboratories and research institutions in building societal facilities for citizens. Our space department has helped link satellite communication network. Distant digital linkages can also provide advanced tele-medicine and health services to far-flung areas. Notwithstanding the imperatives of conventional technologies to the less developed regions, we must move fast to keep up with the overdeveloped nations in the areas of futuristic new technologies. Definition of national security now includes computer software security, economic threats and international issues of global warming and climate change. Discovery of nano-science and nano-technology appears in the new millennium as a virtual sanjeevani — prescription for all societal security issues. Today, nano is the most advanced techno science field of research that deals with structures the size of individual molecules. These structures, roughly 50,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, it cannot be seen or felt. Yet they are remarkably potent and useful if you can play with them. Because they exist at the ultimate design scale at which nature works, nano-materials and nanotechnology can help us in dealing with all kind of threats — old and new, from the nature as well as from man-made disasters. The nano-technology can help in solving civic and societal problems as well as provide war science knowledge for the national security and defence. The nano and space technologies have infinitely high potential to offer new sources of energy, water and minerals, which are now becoming scarce on the earth. Dr Kalam emphasised the importance of research in the emerging areas of nano-technology, which would reduce the cost of space exploration by making the millions times lightweight material of nano-size. He had recommended development of reusable multiple launching capabilities to be achieved within the next decade when India hopes to unfurl the Tricolour on the moon. As the Space Man of India, Dr Kalam has called on our space scientists to be involved in areas like university education and research, disaster prevention, e-governance, urban planning and providing civic amenities in rural sectors. The proactive President has also launched an ambitious programme PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas), and called for interlinking of national rivers. He rightly insists on moving faster to integrate and upgrade conventional telecommunication engineering and for integrated application of space technology with other techno- science systems. Integration is also necessary in the critically important areas of biotechnology, and information technology. The synergistic effect of nano-technology is the magic mantra for the millennium. Nano can provide building material for tiny machines built on an atomic scale and the hexagonal patterns of carbon atoms for extremely strong and durable materials. A car made of nanotubes would be stronger and more stable than a car made with steel. Yet, it would weigh only 50 pounds. A spacecraft made of nanotubes would be the size and strength of the current space shuttle but would weigh no more than a conventional car. Nanotubes can handle extremely high temperature and can be assembled into any shapes or size. For the next decades, therefore, it is necessary to direct our science policy towards development of nanoscale structures. Nonetheless, Dr Kalam has also invited social scientists and science policy thinkers to act as the watchdog of
nano-impact on society. By 2050, Dr Kalam’s vision of India is a technoscientific nation that would have established a human habitat on Mars, and shall have mining industrial units in space. Under a United Nations collective programme Indian scientists would destroy or divert asteroids approaching the earth. The President has envisioned an ambitious journey by 2050. That would be a symbiotic revolution in the field of nanostructured satellites and nanodevices operating in the space systems. That would be the journey to Virtual Reality in infinite
space.
**** The writer is Director, Centre for Science Policy Research, Dehra Dun |
Game, set, match MY stepfather, Kunwar Mahindar Singh, would have liked that: being taken through an archway of tennis racquets held aloft by friends and family bidding him farewell on his last journey. Minutes after his death I had spoken to his daughter, my half-sister, in Chandigarh. “He fooled the doctors,” she said. “They told me he wouldn’t live to see the year ‘04”. I last saw him in Pune, where I live, in November when he had been invited to unveil a memorial to his father in the university grounds. The present Governor had done the honours at the ceremony to commemorate the farsightedness of Raja Maharaj Singh, a gubernatorial predecessor who had, with the support of some Punekars, arranged the transfer of government house to what became Poona University. My stepfather had arrived in Pune in a wheelchair, but he rose to the occasion, going from strength to strength in front of my eyes during his few hours here. But the journey back to Chandigarh — he had declined the offer of fares for himself and his attendant — must have taken its toll for the doctors there told my half-sister that it was merely a question of days. But sportsman that he was, he fooled them. He had played for the university in Lucknow at tennis and cricket; perhaps hockey too. Had he stayed on at Oxford for the full three years — the war intervened and his parents summoned him back - he would have won whatever honours were going in those days of attenuated activity at the university. Many were the hours my mother and I had spent rubber necking while he played tennis in the CCI in Bombay. But I refused to join my mother in following him while he went round the golf course. When he worked for Mahindra & Mahindra in Bombay he used to have his racquet and clubs put in the car when he left for the head office. He used to boast that more work was done on the golf course than at his desk; certainly M&M had a star-studded cast of golfers. He had left Tatas for them when he realised that only a Parsi could get near the top echelons. Ironically he did not achieve this with the maker of jeeps. Having been sent to their Calcutta office to rejuvenate it, he proceeded to do precisely this. Unfortunately this led to treading on some ancient toes which was not acceptable. In those faroff days loyalty counted for more than efficiency. He always maintained that he was sacked. Whatever the truth, he decided to move to Chandigarh to the huge delight of my mother who had relations galore living there. Thanks to his friends in both Tatas and M&M he secured the lucrative agencies of steel and cement, both in short supply, and for lifts made by Otis. The business — called Mahindar Singh & Co., what else — flourished and he became a well known figure. After all he was of the Kapurthala lineage. In his eighth decade he gradually gave up squash and then golf. When we stayed with him last in 1999 he still played a mean game of tennis every afternoon. As I said, he would have relished passing under the archway of tennis racquets on his way to further
glory.
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Human Rights Diary
WHEN it comes to suffering, does the name of person or party really matter? It may suggest a pattern of governance but the hurt is no different. I missed the other day the name in the rapidly-moving TV news. A middle-aged person has been released after 11 years of detention without trial. The court found nothing objectionable against him when it took up his case. He has rightly remarked after the release that who would bring back those 11 years and who would compensate him for the loss of his youthful days. In his absence, his wife committed suicide, mother went blind and only daughter shuddered to face society which looked at her with the accusing eyes. He is not alone. There are hundreds like him, detained either out of spite or on mere suspicion. Their cases too must have been trumped up. The rulers have a way of settling their scores. An opponent or a critic is a mote in their eyes and they go to any length to punish him or her because they know that they are not answerable even when the court says that the particular person was jailed without any cause. Under any preventive detention measure, a person is arrested first, his case comes later in a decade or so. In Punjab such cases were in thousands at one time. Imagine, the sufferings of victims and their families. Those who advocate POTA or a similar act—Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is one of them — should explain why they must depend on extra judicial authority. If they cannot prove anything in an open court, they have nothing concrete to go by. It is mere vindictiveness. When excesses pile up, people revolt. This is what has happened in Manipur. People are just fed up and cannot take any more. I think that the repressive laws in Kashmir have caused more alienation than lack of autonomy. Human rights violations leave an indelible mark because they harm and humiliate people in a way that no subsequent remedy makes up for what they went through. Most of us stay distant because it does not concern us directly. But one day we would realise that our silence aggravated the situation. That POTA would be dropped after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) indicated its deletion in the common minimum programme (CMP) was known. But the manner in which it is being done—POTA automatically lapses next month — leaves a trail of suspicion. The fact that the Left is part of the UPA makes the whole scene a sorry spectacle. It is not so much the detention which causes concern as the rulers’ thinking that they should have extra judicial power ‘to maintain law and order’. What it means is that there is no hesitation in restricting
individual's freedom which is guaranteed under the Indian Constitution. It means a dictatorial way of behaviour with which no democracy can live. It also means the bias the rulers harbour against those who dare to dissent or differ. Custodial deaths may come under a different heading but they reflect the same thinking: human beings are a commodity which can be disposed of in the way the rulers think the best. In the case of custodial death, a person does not have to be sent to jail or made to wait for a trial for years. He or she can be finished through third-degree methods. This year’s report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) shows that custodial deaths, despite the public outcry, have gone up. As many as 1,462 persons were killed in police or judicial custody. The figure between April and July has already touched the 480 mark. And like the earlier years, Uttar Pradesh, which is known for its extra-legal methods, is on the top: 217 deaths, 18 in police custody and 199 in judicial custody. Maharashtra is the next with 184 custodial deaths. Bihar is not the poor third; it had 148 custodial deaths. What is striking about the Commission’s report is that there was not a single custodial death in 2003-2004, either in Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland or Manipur. It is hard to believe this. The states must have found some method to cover up custodial deaths. The NHRC should make its own inquiry because all the three states have the type of government which conceals even an ordinary crime. Whatever the claims, human rights violations are probably the maximum in these three states. Managing figures may help them to have impressive statistics, but that does not alter the situation. It is public knowledge that those who dare to defy the government are being killed under one pretext or the other. The figure runs into hundreds even though the column of custodial deaths shows ‘nil’. People’s protest is limited because perturbed as they are over the increasing acts of violence in the country, they are willing to believe every cock and bull story put across by the police. The deaths at Ansal Plaza in New Delhi, given the name of encounters, were mere murders. Even the NHRC was of little assistance in this matter. The public, justifiably worried over terrorism, has accepted the police version. The government is happy that it has got away with whatever it said. But what is not being realised is that its right claims have come to be doubted. Its credibility is coming down day by day. One distinguished person, Navdeep Singh
Khaira from Punjab, has raised a valid point in a letter to me: “It is a disturbing scenario where it has become so easy for the state, specially the police, to influence and use the media. Many of these ‘patriots’ have no hesitation in projecting human rights activists as supporters of terrorists and even being anti-national. The growing audacity and aggressiveness of these lobbies and their total callousness towards human life and liberty does not augur well for society. Are we heading towards fascism or is it already knocking at the door?” |
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Defence notes INDIA is already known to possess much greater fire power on sea when compared to some of its neighbours. This will get greatly enhanced once the first of its kind missile, developed after joint research by Indian and Russian scientists, BrahMos, gets inducted into the Navy. The Navy has already placed its Letter of Interest with its manufacturers for the induction of BrahMos. The Supersonic Cruise Missile, which has no parallel in the world, will be placed on certain types of ships and also on shore. It has the capability of being fired both from the sea as well the land. After successful flight trials from ship and land, the BrahMos missile has already proved its accurate performance against ship targets with devastative destruction capability. The BrahMos production has already begun and it will be inducted into the Navy in 2005. The missile has a maximum range of 290 km. There is no equivalent of the BrahMos missile in any other country. Italian help for ADS With the government having approved the construction of indigenous Air Defence Ship (ADS), which will fill in for the huge aircraft carriers, Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has signed two contracts with Ficantieri, an Italian firm, for undertaking the design, integration, installation and commissioning of the propulsion system of the ship. CSL has apparently negotiated a price of 22 million Euros for the propulsion system and another six million Euros for consultancy for detailed engineering and documentation. The contract was awarded to Ficantieri on the basis of a limited global tender in which, besides the Italian firm, the other companies which participated included Armaris, BAe systems, UK, and Izar, Spain. The main features of the contract are that the advance payment is linked to the firm furnishing bank guarantee for the same amount, the contract provides for 20-stage payments. India, China joint efforts Recently, Chinese Army personnel along with their families joined the Indian Army personnel at Bumla in Arunachal Pradesh and at Spanggur in Ladakh to celebrate India’s 58th Independence Day. During the visit of Chinese Defence Minister General Cao Genchuan to India earlier this year it was agreed to further enhance the interaction between the border troops. Towards this end, the first joint mountaineering expedition was launched on August 28 to scale a peak in close proximity of the border inside Tibet near
Taklakot. Army men in Pak jails Although Pakistan recently released two of the Indian Army men who were captured during the Kargil conflict and were actually declared deserters by the authorities here, official records point out that and 17 officers of the Army, two JCOs and 19 other ranks were currently in Pakistan jails. After the news broke of the two men being declared deserters despite being captured, efforts made by the government ensured their release. The two soldiers were declared deserters on September 17, 1999, in the absence of any knowledge of their whereabouts by a court of inquiry. They were finally taken off the deserters’ list when Pakistan confirmed that they were in their custody and were finally released on August 9 last. |
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. — Mahatma Gandhi It is useless to pore over the holy scriptures if one’s mind is not endowed with Viveka and Vairagya. No spiritual progress can be made without these. — Sri Ramakrishna If I keep silent, people call me stupid. If I talk much, I cannot be attuned to you. My shortcomings are to be judged in Your court, O God; and I believe that without cherishing Your name, my deeds are of no avail. — Guru Nanak Buddha was the first human being to give to the world a complete system of morality. He was good for good’s sake. He loved for love’s sake. — Swami Vivekananda Meditation is the nurse of thought, and thought the food for meditation. — C. Simmons |
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