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An Asian Union Managing
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Speak
Hinglish Yehi hai right choice baby The White House incumbent remembers to greet the Indian community on Divali and Baisakhi. The Queen of England turns up at a gurdwara dressed like a devotee of the late Yogi Harbhajan. If India and Indians are going places, can their language of global communication be far behind?
Closer ties with
Britain
Trench warfare
Making contract
farming a success From
Pakistan
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An Asian Union It is time to have an Asian Economic Community. Dr Manmohan Singh floated this idea at the India-ASEAN summit in Delhi on Tuesday. Regional groupings do violate the WTO spirit, but they help correct global trade distortions. Besides, trade within a region can reduce costs and build on strengths. The success of the European Union is before everyone. It is in the economic interest of all Asian countries to give up playing one-upmanship, stop their petty skirmishes, fight terrorism and work unitedly for peace and development in the region. Incidentally, the two fastest growing economies —that of India and China — are located in this region as also the Tiger economies. Opportunities for growth are immense. As stressed by the Prime Minister, India alone can absorb $150 billion investment in infrastructure in the next 10 years. Asians pay a higher price for oil produced in their own region than the Americans and the Europeans. The latter know how to play oil politics to their advantage. A fragmented Asia has no bargaining power. According to one published estimate, Asian countries have paid $5 billion to $10 billion extra to the oil kingdoms in the past 10 years. India itself has lost close to half a billion dollars in excess payments. If nothing else, the present unusually high crude prices alone should force a rethink in Asia. A united Asia can force OPEC to end this price imbalance in
favour of the Europeans and the Americans. Once a broader Asian Economic Community is put in place, groupings like SAARC, SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) and ASEAN may have to close shop. A common Asian currency — not a distant impossibility — can more effectively stand up to euro, pound and dollar than the individual currencies of the continent. A free flow of products and peoples within the continent will boost trade and tourism, and lead to better understanding of the region’s diverse cultures. With greater interaction and understanding comes peace, which is the first requirement for accelerating development. Also Asians will have to spend much less on defence. Dr Manmohan Singh’s forward-looking thought deserves attention and support of major Asian countries. |
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Managing natural assets Punjab
has had a dismal record in conserving biodiversity. That the state may soon have international assistance in this task is, indeed, welcome. One of the most intensively farmed lands in the world, Punjab has also been increasingly urbanised. Today only 6 per cent of the land in Punjab is under notified forest cover. Even the designated 10 wildlife sanctuaries have not been looked after properly, and they face the onslaught of both urbanisation and farming, with reports of encroachments surfacing from time to time. As for wildlife, though hunting was banned in 1991, poaching goes on unabated. This week four poachers were held in Gurdaspur. They were hunting the monitor lizard, an endangered species. Earlier, poachers have been held at various places in Punjab and it is obvious that more endangered the species, the more allure it has. On the other hand, there have been problems associated with over-breeding of certain species like blue bulls and wild boar, which damage crops substantially in certain places. Wetlands are often sanctuaries for migratory birds. The Harike wetland has become a major wintering spot in India for the Greylag goose in the past few years. It needs to be developed for wildlife enthusiasts. There should be a balanced approach in allowing visitors to wetlands, zoos and parks, for generating awareness and revenue, without disturbing the ecological balance of the area. It is hoped the experts will adopt a holistic approach that takes into account the alarming water pollution and depletion of groundwater, the poisoning of agricultural land due to the over-use of fertilizers and the preservation of the diverse native flora and fauna of the area, besides wildlife. Such an approach needs cooperation from local communities. Punjab has a rich cultural tradition of living in harmony with nature. This too has to be tapped in order to manage the natural resources of the state better. |
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Speak Hinglish The White House incumbent remembers to greet the Indian community on Divali and Baisakhi. The Queen of England turns up at a gurdwara dressed like a devotee of the late Yogi Harbhajan. If India and Indians are going places, can their language of global communication be far behind? It is now only a matter of time before Hinglish becomes the most spoken bhasha across the seven seas. Every year the revised editions of the English dictionary report thousands of new desi words. The gaalis have done to the English language what hot Indian curry has done to the bland British food. When Indians were not allowed to cross the seven seas by their elders or enter the gymkhanas by the gora log, words from their language still managed to invade the English dictionary. Lord Jagannath’s rath became juggernaut to describe the nazi war machine. Professor David Crystal, author of more than 50 books on English, stated the obvious by pointing out that 350 million Indians speak English as their second language (and do to it what the British did to them during the Raj). They represent more than the combined population of native English speakers in England and America. Arey yaar so what if Hinglish replaces its foreign parents from the pedestal of linguistic superiority? Look at some of the evocative words Hinglish is using to gain global respect. There is jupphi and puppi from Punjab, hungama from UP, phunwa from Bihar and lathi from here, there and everywhere. Bollywood made the world realise that “yehi hai right choice baby”. Getting familiar with the way English is spoken by Indians is in the interest of the evolving global order in which desi professionals are now crawling out of the woodwork. Next time if a “dacoit” opens the “dicky” of an NRI’s car and “churaus” the stepney (spare tyre), the cops would know what he is talking about. He may even be offered a cup of chai before cop sets out to arrest the jungli. |
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Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual.
— Friedrich Nietzsche |
Closer ties with Britain After
imperial Britain packed up and left the Indian subcontinent in August 1947, Indian leaders found a ready excuse for the country’s maladies. Whenever floods, drought or famine occurred we blamed the British. Every communal riot was attributed to two centuries of British policies of “Divide and Rule”. Across the border in Pakistan, Jinnah bitterly complained of how the British had cheated him and left him with a “moth-eaten” Pakistan. It was and is common for Pakistanis to assert that British perfidy was the cause for their “losing” Kashmir, because the “special relationship” between Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten led to the Muslim-majority Gurdaspur district being ceded to India, thus providing India an access corridor to Jammu and Kashmir. Indian diplomats serving abroad also had a ready excuse for every malady that afflicted the country. It was very convenient to blame the British for all our shortcomings and ills. Further, during the Cold War we regarded the Anglo-American alliance and its strategic links first with Pakistan and then China with considerable and justifiable suspicion. The British, in turn, were sceptical about our claims of being nonaligned because of our close relationship with the Soviet Union. Adding to these complications was the fact that the first generation of Indian immigrants to the UK was largely made up of low-income workers, whose arrival in that country led to their becoming targets of racial prejudices. British civil servants like Sir Olaf Caroe played a significant role in persuading the United States that while the Indian leadership could not be trusted, Pakistan would be a useful ally in protecting western interests. American knowledge about the subcontinent was then so poor that John Foster Dulles proclaimed that he was confident that the brave “Gurkhas” in the Pakistan Army would be a great asset for the “Free World”! The British role in championing Pakistan’s cause on Kashmir in the U.N. placed Indo-British relations under a severe strain. India responded by leading the charge against the Anglo-French intervention during the Suez crisis in 1956. But Indo-British relations reached their lowest levels when British Prime Minister Harold Wilson accused India of aggression during the 1965 India-Pakistan conflict. Wilson paid a heavy price. For over a decade Indira Gandhi refused to even look at Wilson at international gatherings. Things changed in the 1970s when the Conservative Government led by Edward Heath refused to join the Nixon Administration in its “tilt” towards Pakistan in 1971. The relationship of Heath and his successors like James Callaghan and Margaret Thatcher with Indira Gandhi was one of mutual respect. Indo-British ties flourished and despite differences over the Cold War, British military hardware like Vijayanta tanks and Jaguar fighters assembled in India became part of the Indian armoury. The Cold War is now over. We can no longer blame the British for our political problems or economic shortcomings. The British have no role in the increasing criminalisation of politics or the all pervasive corruption that now prevails in India. Nor can we find fault with them if our human resource development indicators are not as healthy or our economy not as vibrant as that of Hong Kong, Singapore or Malaysia. At the same time, the British can no longer take us for granted. Unlike Pakistan, Bangladesh or former African colonies of Britain, India is not an economic basket case looking for doles as foreign aid. More importantly, India is a booming market with a growing middle class. More Indian tourists visit the UK than the number of Britons visiting India. Bilateral trade is booming. It grew by 20 per cent last year and, given their historical experience in India, British companies are doing better than their European counterparts. More importantly, Indian companies and investors find market conditions in the UK much more congenial than elsewhere in Europe. India was the eighth largest investor in the UK last year. The Indian information technology industry and even other sectors of Indian business are finding the UK a good gateway to Europe. Prime Minister Tony Blair is a good example of a contemporary British leader who has no need to have any hang-ups about India. Mr Blair was born after India became independent. Unlike his pompous colleagues like Mr Robin Cook and Mr Clare Short from the Labour Party’s Left wing, who pretended that they could patronise India and Indians and have been politically marginalised, Mr Blair, like Mr Clinton in the United States, has moved his party away from its traditional, hackneyed rhetoric on economic issues. Under his leadership Britain is becoming a role model of a successful pluralistic and multicultural society. The Indian community, unlike its Pakistani counterpart, is neither associated with worldwide Islamic causes nor seeking separate representative institutions within the UK. Middle class Indian immigrants from East Africa are now becoming supporters of the Conservatives, with wealthy entrepreneurs like the Mittals and the Hindujas showing what Indian entrepreneurship can achieve. It is in this context that one can be satisfied with what Dr Manmohan Singh achieved in his one-day stopover in London on September 20. Annual summit-level meetings have now been instituted, cooperation in dealing with terrorism strengthened, a ministerial-level Joint Economic and Trade Committee set up and an agreement reached to cooperate on issues like the environment and climate change. Mr Blair supported India’s candidature for Permanent Membership of the Security Council. Alluding to terrorism in J and K, he condemned “totally and absolutely those people who go and kill the innocent, who try and murder elected politicians”. Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit has been followed by a visit to India by Defence Secretary Geoffrey Hoon. While it has been agreed that the two countries will expand defence ties, India should suggest joint projects for weapons development like those we have with Russia. There are indications that Britain would like China and India to be associated at the highest levels in G 8 discussions, particularly on issues of environment and climate change. India should make it clear that we expect the UK not to oppose our moves to obtain nuclear technology for power reactors, or to use exclusive “clubs” and “groups” to prevent high-tech transfers to India. Britain and its G 8 partners cannot expect India to join a new regime for climate change if they deny India nuclear power plants while supplying such reactors to China. One would also expect that the UK will show due sensitivity to Indian concerns and interests while dealing with our
neighbours. |
Trench warfare All
of us have heard of canals on the Mars. I suspect these were once roads maintained by their municipality. So, when our colony road resembled a Martian landscape, we approached the authorities. “But your road has already been carpeted”, a baboo with a map pointed out. “But not ours”, said I. A site inspection was arranged. It was revealed that on paper our road had indeed been carpeted, but like the flying carpets of the Arabian Nights the carpet had flown away. “Anyway first a storm water drain has to be built. Otherwise the road will be washed off in our monsoon”, said the baboo with an air of dismissal. There was already a storm water drain, but as all storm water drains share a common characteristic, it was not found functioning. Some water was poured in but it would just not flow. Some more investigations, and it was clear that the drain was built against the natural slope, and any water that went in just sat there in “dharna” That also explained the mystery of the mosquito music that had enthralled us, all these years. “New drainage has to be built. This time an open one so that it could be cleaned and monitored”, declared one factotum. A horde of decisive mindless men suddenly descended, dug out the pavement, destroyed cables, and water lines and made a long trench. And that was when the fur started flying. The prospect of an open drain in front of houses! What effrontery. The newsmen were contacted and out came photographs of a naked nala, but nalas once made have to be taken to an outlet. But in which direction. People were adamant that they will not allow a nala in front of “their” houses. “Don’t you know that the Third Secretary of the republic of Ruruland lives in my house. It will become a diplomatic issue”, said a chap. The road fellows said - no drain no carpeting. And they were least bothered which way the drain drained or whether the Third Secretary raised shindy. Rumours spread that the trench will be extended in the night, and suddenly the next morning there will be a fait accompli. Policing squads were set up to report on any secret nocturnal activity. In the dead of night, when the silver ghost of a fog had made things surreal, and I was patrolling the stretch in front of my house, I was mistaken for a burglar and had to answer Who am I! A fundamental upanishadic query. It was interesting to answer that at two in the night. After non activity of a week, the carpetwallah suddenly rang up, “We can’t wait. The budget will lapse”. An immediate SAARC like meeting was arranged of all interest groups. It started all honey and sugar - helloji, haanji, but on the question of the course of the drain every one put his foot down — no drain in front of their house. Hearing the bizarre explanations drained out all my energy! Meanwhile, I hear that the budget for carpeting has finally
lapsed! |
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Making contract farming a success
The Government of India’s National Agricultural Policy envisages that private sector participation will be promoted through contract farming and land leasing arrangements to allow accelerated technology transfer, capital inflow and assured market for crop production, especially of oilseeds, cotton and horticultural crops. This policy is based on the paradox of the Indian agricultural scenario — on the one hand farmers have had to throw their produce away for want of buyers and on the other is the agri-based and food industry which requires timely and adequate inputs of good quality agricultural produce. Contract farming promises to provide a proper linkage between the farm and the market. A contractor supplies the farmer selected inputs and technical advice. However, the terms and nature of the contract may differ according to variations in the nature of crops to be grown and the context in which they are practiced. Contract farming has the potential to substitute for the state in the wake of neoliberal reforms in the agrarian sector as the state disengages from provisions if inputs, extension services, credit and price support — which is essentially what is happening in Punjab agriculture — private firms can play the same role and do so more efficiently. Critics see contract farming, however, as a tool through which multinational agro-industrial firms can exploit unequal power relationships with growers. Contract farming is viewed as essentially benefiting sponsor companies by enabling them to obtain cheap product and transferring risks to growers. Contract can provide farmers with access to a wide range of managerial, technical and extension services that otherwise may be unobtainable. A contract may involve considerable production support like land preparation, field cultivation and harvesting as well as free training and extension. There is, however, a danger that such an arrangement may lead to the farmer being little more than a labourer on his or her own land. Small farmers experience difficulties in obtaining credit for production inputs. Contract farming usually allows farmers an access to credit to finance production inputs with the contract serving as collateral. Contract farming often introduces new technology and also enables farmers to learn new skills. Companies prefer to provide their own extension rather than rely on government services. The skills the farmers learn through contract farming may include record keeping, an efficient use of farm resources, improved methods of applying chemicals and fertilisers, a knowledge of the importance of quality and the characteristics and demands of export markets. In addition, a spillover effect from contract farming activities could lead to investment in market infrastructure and human capital, thus improving the productivity of other farm activities. Farmers’ price risk is often reduced as many contracts specify the price in advance and it is specified in the agreement. Besides, contract farming can open up new markets, which would otherwise be unavailable to small farmers. However, there are potential problems associated with contract farming. When growing new crops, farmers face the risk of both market failure and production problems. Thus, farmers entering contract farming ventures should be prepared to balance the prospect of higher returns with the possibility of greater risk. There may be production risks, particularly where prior field tests are inadequate, resulting in lower-than-expected yields for farmers. The introduction of a new crop to be grown under conditions rigorously controlled by the company can cause disruption on the existing farming system. The introduction of sophisticated machines may result in a loss of local employment and over capitalisation of the contracted farmer. Inefficient management can lead to production exceeding original targets. Companies may have unrealistic expectations of the market for their product or the market may collapse unexpectedly due to factors beyond its control. Such occurrences can lead managers to reduce farmers’ quotas. If contracts specify penalties, the management may be tempted to manipulate quality standards in order to reduce purchases while posing to honour the contract. Such practices will cause a company-farmer confrontation. Thus there is need for a forum where farmers can raise concerns and grievances relating to such issues. Many a time the staff responsible for issuing contracts and buying crops exploit their position. On a large scale, the management can be dishonest or corrupt. Governments sometimes fall victim to dubious or fly-by-night companies. The monopoly of a single crop by a sponsor can have a negative effect. Allowing only one purchaser encourages monopolistic tendencies, particularly where farmers are locked into a fairly sizeable investment such as with tree crops and cannot easily change to other crops. The case of plantation of poplar trees is before us, where the companies have failed to honour the commitment and there is distress sale. In order to protect farmers when there is only a single buyer for one commodity, the government should have some role in determining the prices paid. Farmers can face considerable indebtedness if they are confronted with production problems, if the company provides poor technical advice, if there are significant changes in market conditions, or if the company fails to honour the contract. This is of particular concern with long-term investments, either for tree crops or for on-farm processing facilities. If advances are uncontrolled, the indebtedness of farmers can increase to uneconomic levels. Sometime compassionate advances for school fees, wedding etc result in farmers receiving no payments at the end of the season. This will result in high dropout rates, as farmers will consider such contract farming non-profitable. The writer is a Reader, Punjab School of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. |
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From Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said a media city would be set up in the federal capital, having facilities for production and uplinking through satellites. He said the concept of the city was part of the government’s policy to further strengthen the media, which already was playing a key role in the country’s socio-economic uplift. A number of development activities in the federal capital were on the anvil, including the construction of two new five-star hotels. The Civil Aviation Authority had been given directions for immediate implementation on the project of Islamabad international airport, he added. The Prime Minister was talking to a delegation of members of parliament from Gujranwala division, including the Chairman, Kashmir Committee, Mr Hamid Nasir Chattha, and the Chairman, NRB, Mr Daniyal Aziz.
— The Dawn
Move against Musharraf
ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary opposition forces on Tuesday pledged to set aside their differences to launch a movement for the supremacy of parliament and said the passage of the Bill allowing Gen Pervez Musharraf to hold dual offices had eroded the credibility of the Army. The MMA also announced that its leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani will not participate in the upcoming NSC meeting. Addressing a joint press conference here, the MMA and ARD leaders said that there were no such differences among them which could deter them from uniting for a joint struggle against General Musharraf. About the no-trust motion against National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain, they said the method of secret ballot should be adopted, as many treasury members were ready to vote against the custodian of the House in that case.
— The Nation
Zardari may be freed soon
LAHORE: Mr Asif Ali Zardari, the jailed Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP-P) leader, is most likely to be released after an eight-year imprisonment, not as a result of any secret deal with the government, but because of the likelihood of acceptance of his bail by the court. This was disclosed by PPP-P central leader Nafees Siddiqui while addressing a Press conference here on Tuesday. Mr Zardari has already been granted bail in 10 out of the remaining 11 cases pending against him, while in one case he has been exonerated by the court. Under the law, Mr Siddiqui said, an under-trial prisoner, who has been in jail for eight years without being convicted, becomes eligible for the grant of bail. “Now if Asif Zardari is out of jail after some time, it should not be assumed that he has come out after striking a deal with the government”.
Ruling through verbal orders
ISLAMABAD: A new style of governance has come into sight where verbal orders and executive decisions have surpassed the written policies and statutory provisions. This trend has resulted into illegal actions and irregular appointments. Interestingly, the authorities have with them the options of amending the law and reviewing the policies in line with their actions, but it is being avoided to stay away from controversies. Formal proposals are moved by the concerned departments to correct the situation, but they are either delayed or lying pending for an indefinite period. However, things continue to happen as per the directions of the competent authorities on the ground but in clear violation of the policies and statutory
provisions. — The News
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Remember, riches bring in grief: Truly, no joy abides in them. A rich man even fears his son: This is the position everywhere. — Sri Adi Sankaracharya Rituals are to be observed. But when one advances in spirituality, it is not necessary to observe them for long. Then the mind gets concentrated on God, resulting in communion with Him. — Sri Ramakrishna Dwell on the Name of the True One alone, O man! — Guru Nanak Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. — Saint Francis De Sales Our life is what our thoughts make it. — Marcus Aurelius |
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