 |
|
Jobless in J&K Benighted
state |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
IT on a
roll India attracts Microsoft deals, Intel interest The biggest software company in the world ties up with the two largest players in India. A few days later the leading chip maker says it is evaluating India as a manufacturing base. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has not only signed major deals with Infosys and Wipro but also inaugurated in Hyderabad the biggest campus that the software giant has outside the USA.
Balle-Balle
is not peace
The pull of
Chandigarh
Evolving European
Union Defence
notes
|
Jobless in J&K There are basically three types of militants in Jammu and Kashmir today. First are the foreigners trained and sent in by Pakistan. Then come the disgruntled locals who are puppets in the hands of these foreigners. Both the categories are outside the pale of reasoning. Last, there are a large number of local youth who are not essentially violent but have fallen prey to the anti-national propaganda because they are disillusioned with their hard life. Employment opportunities have always been scarce in the Valley. The situation has worsened after the outbreak of militancy. Self-employment is difficult with the decline of tourism. Many jobless youth take to the gun out of frustration. It is this segment that the Prime Minister has addressed while announcing the lifting of the recruitment ban on government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir. Like other states of the country, It had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre in 2000 banning fresh recruitments. This was done to curb overstaffing and reduce wasteful expenditure in government offices. But because of the peculiar situation prevailing in the state, this well-meaning move has not had the desired results. With thousands getting government jobs every year, it is hoped that there will be fewer people available for the terrorists to indoctrinate. This may sound like a cliché, but Kashmiris are a peace-loving people. Give them a chance to lead an honest life and they would not hurt a fly. The employment avenues that will be available to them now will, hopefully, dissuade them to turn a new leaf. But the best results can be obtained only if the jobs are distributed impartially and purely on merit. Giving a job to the undeserving but influential people will be counter-productive. The same holds true of the Rs 24,000-crore reconstruction plan that the Prime Minister has announced. The funds should go to the right claimants. In the past, such gifts to the state have been siphoned off by a select few. Such domination of a few politically well-connected families has contributed greatly to the spread of terrorism. |
|
Benighted state The
recent strike by government and private doctors in Bihar once again brings to the fore the increasing lawlessness in the benighted state. Abduction, murder and extortion have become all too common for the authorities to bother about. In any case, who cares for the sufferings of the general public? The government seems to be unable to control lawlessness. The doctors took to the street in protest against the murder of a fellow doctor and abduction of another. The murder of 42-year-old Dr Nand Kishore Agrawal is not an isolated incident because four doctors in the state have been gunned down in recent times. The doctors have become the soft targets of criminals who flit in and out of jails. They are threatened with murder if they refuse to pay ransom. Fear psychosis grips the doctor community. According to an Indian Medical Association report, 34 doctors of the state have been kidnapped for ransom. If criminals are able to kidnap and kill people with impunity, it is only because of the government's inability to tackle the situation. Worse, there are alarming reports of a nexus between the criminals and the politicians of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal. As the criminals enjoy political patronage, it is well nigh impossible to expect the official machinery to strike at them. Clearly, criminalisation of politics is the root cause of the steady deterioration of law and order in Bihar. Not long ago, the Patna High Court observed that the rule of law appeared to have collapsed in Bihar. However, the government has always been maintaining that the crime situation in the state is much better than in most other states. The police do not register complaints and the officials doctor statistics to keep the crime rate low and hoodwink the people. The ultimate victim is the common man who should either pay up or shut up. That is what he has been doing for the last one and a half decades since the Laloo-Rabri team
began calling the shots in Bihar. |
|
IT on a roll The
biggest software company in the world ties up with the two largest players in India. A few days later the leading chip maker says it is evaluating India as a manufacturing base. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has not only signed major deals with Infosys and Wipro but also inaugurated in Hyderabad the biggest campus that the software giant has outside the USA. Though the players are reticent about numbers, the news is great because of the new jobs it would provide and the trickle-down effect that will be felt industry-wide. At present, Microsoft has 1,250 employees India and it is expected that the number will double with the commissioning of the new facility. Intel too has a large presence in India, where it has been focusing on engineering development work. What is even more heartening is that these services are high-end ones, involving engineering and programming skills. Here, the Indian skill sets are being sought, not just low-cost Indian workers to perform backend tasks. Thus, they represent the positive and higher end of the business processes outsourcing (BPO). However the industry does not give much weightage to academic qualifications, since they are not in sync with its needs. Many have even set up programmes to train fresh entrants. This should be immediately redressed and the quality of the education of engineers and software professionals must be improved further. President Bush’s re-election in the US has driven away the outsourcing blues, and Indian companies can expect work from many more foreign companies. |
|
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured and far away.
— Henry David Thoreau |
Balle-Balle is not peace Plenty
of hopes have been
raised in India, Pakistan and among international do-gooders that the
recent contacts between the two countries are going to lead to the dawn
of a new era on the sub-continent. Partly the fault is of rosy
headlines and media reports in both countries. In a large measure, the
air of optimism that can be felt on both sides of the divide is because
of the inherent wish of the people of both India and Pakistan to see
peace reign in the sub-continent in their lifetime. The Balle-Balle
mood has also been generated by daily exchange of jathas across
the Wagah border and the bonhomie they experience on both sides. Such
people-to-people exchanges improve atmospherics but have only limited
impact on policy making which is generally in the hands of hardened
decision-makers. They are not guided by inner desires or outburst of
pent-up emotions. Wishes, however, are not necessarily peace, nor is
mere absence of cross-border rhetoric and invective which were being
exchanged over the years. All that has been achieved so far is that
dialogue between the two country has been resumed despite the Lok Sabha
elections and change in the government in India. The Manmohan Singh
government has been able to tell Pakistan and the rest of world that it
is in no way less keen than the NDA government on a dialogue with
Pakistan. Too many formulas have been floating around lately and have
become the subject of animated discussions in New Delhi and Islamabad
giving the impression that serious discussions are on between the two
countries on resolving the Kashmir issue - the real bone of contention.
Some of these formulas are old but packaged in a fresh wrapping paper
and some of them have been trimmed for greater appeal; but essentially
the two countries are distant from resolving the Kashmir question. Dr
Manmohan Singh has met President Pervez Musharraf in New York and the
National Security Advisors of the two countries-Mr J. N. Dixit and Mr
Tariq Aziz - have been having their secret meetings. But what has
essentially been discussed is the "process" for sorting out
Indo-Pak problems and the stage for discussing the nitty-gritty of any
formula for resolving the Kashmir question has not yet reached.
Essentially, Indian emphasis is on the two countries taking more steps
to build greater mutual confidence which in turn could facilitate a
solution of the Kashmir issue. For Pakistan, resolving Kashmir is the
highest priority without which, it contends, confidence building is of
little utility. The gap between the position of the two countries
relates to approach in addition to what seriously divides them on the
Kashmir issue. This is evident from the public statements President
Musharraf and Dr Manmohan Singh have made during the last few weeks.
President Musharraf surprised New Delhi by his Iftar party statement
on October 25 in which he unfolded his recipe for solving the Kashmir
issue. It envisages division of Jammu and Kashmir into seven regions,
their demilitarisation and granting them status of independence or
placing them under a joint control or under the UN mandate. The
Pakistan President did say that a solution to the Kashmir question
cannot be found either by insisting on plebiscite or making the Line of
Control into a permanent border. He described his statement as
"food-for-thought" giving the impression that these were not
specific proposals he was making and that he was merely encouraging a
debate on ideas that could help solve the Kashmir issue. New Delhi was
surprised about the tone and content of President Musharraf's statement
and the way he tried to push the Kashmir question to the centrestage of
the current dialogue between the two countries, particularly when Messrs
Dixit and Tariq Aziz were actually discussing how to go about. New
Delhi thought that President Musharraf was pushing India to resolve
Kashmir fast and relegating confidence building. It made it known that
it will respond to President Musharraf's proposals only when officially
made. Apparently, New Delhi is feeling irritated over President
Musharraf going public under the "food-for-thought" rubric.
That not much headway has been made, and, the two countries are
continuing to stick to their positions is also evident from Dr Manmohan
Singh's statements in his just-concluded visit to Jammu and Kashmir as
also from President Musharraf's interview to Agence France-Presse. In
Srinagar, Dr Manmohan Singh made it plain in his own way that no
proposal that would seek the division of Jammu and Kashmir on religious
and regional lines would be acceptable to India. He said: "I have
made it quite clear that any redrawing of international borders is
something which is not going to be acceptable to us. I also make it
quite clear to Gen. Musharraf and everybody else that any proposals that
seek the division of our country on the basis of religion are not going
to be acceptable to us. Within these two limits, we are willing to look
at whatever proposals are made on the table". This was in response
to President Musharraf's plan to divide Kashmir in seven regions and
their demilitarisation. Dr Manmohan Singh is clearly rejecting it.
What Dr Manmohan Singh said has also not come as music to President
Musharraf. Clearly commenting on Indian Prime Minister's statement that
boundaries cannot be redrawn, President Musharraf told AFP that he was
not encouraged by signals emanating from India. "Certainly the
vibes should be much better than this". What has surprised New
Delhi is that part of the AFP interview where President Musharraf is
again describing violence being resorted to in the Jammu and Kashmir as
"freedom struggle" and at the same time adding that
"violence will stop only when peace dialogue moved forward".
Many in New Delhi who generally view the peace process with a critical
eye are bound to compare President Musharraf's latest remarks with his
similar statement at Agra three years ago which wrecked his summit
meeting with former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and pushed the
peace process back by about two years. Rather than appreciating Dr
Manmohan Singh's move withdrawing some troops from Jammu and Kashmir,
President Musharraf said these were "good optics", adding that
India was not striking at the strategic issue. It is too clear that
besides strategic policies, domestic compulsions are holding back both
Dr Manmohan Singh and President Musharraf for coming out with innovative
moves. Pakistan is not yet realising that no Prime Minister in India
can accept another partition of Kashmir. Also, the division of the State
on religious ground can result in a backlash which would be difficult
for any government in New Delhi to tackle. President Musharraf on the
other hand does not want to annoy fundamentalists in Pakistan or those
sections in his army which are not prepared to reconcile themselves to a
solution that will not give them the Valley. The statements made by
the two leaders do not mark any departure from the stated country
positions. These are, however, early stages of the dialogue and it will
be wrong to believe that India and Pakistan have run into a deadlock
when search for peace has hardly begun. The path to peace has
certainly to be paved with sustained good intentions but those who are
to pursue it have to find ways to get over the hurdles that may come in
their way. Patience, political will and a concern for the well-being of
the entire sub-continent should not be lost sight of by those who are
destined to make history. |
The pull of Chandigarh While
out-of-job IT professionals in America go about moaning, wearing T-shirts “I’ve been Bangalored” — we Changarhians could perhaps use the same device for a nobler cause. We wear our love for the City Beautiful on our hearts; why not proclaim it on our apparel also? Anyone who has shifted to the city from a metropolis, soon comes under its spell of beauty and soporific life. It offers the quiet and peace of a pastoral life combined with the razzmatazz of city lights. Never mind, if ‘big town’ people don’t take us seriously; and joke that it’s merely an over-grown village pretending to be a city. Chandigarh loves to be in the news or create news. On a visit to the Sukhna Lake for a morning walk, along with an outstation friend, we noticed people coming out with newspapers in their hands. Amazed, he remarked about Chandigarhians truly being very literary people! I smiled inwardly, knowing very well that the ‘freebies’ were merely a sales promotion gimmick between two rival English dailies! With nearly six prominent papers published from the city, they compete fiercely to pull out a scoop or break a story. But how much ‘fodder’ can a single town provide? No wonder, screaming headlines proclaim, “Bull runs amok on Madhya Marg,” or perhaps, “Delhi Langurs for Monkey Menace in City.” Similarly, don’t be surprised, if your friendly, non-descript neighbour is on the front page giving ‘expert opinion’ on matters of national concern; as ‘voice’ of the ‘concerned citizenry.’ Then there is the usual club of the local ‘Celebs’ comprising ‘theatre personalities,’ ‘women-on-top achievers’ sports stars and savvy corporate couples; sharing their plans for celebrating Lohri, Holi, New Year’s Eve or their favourite weekend getaway or pudding. Retired bureaucrats, NGOs and ‘tired’ academics are forever holding seminars on themes ranging from gender issues to rubbing tender tissues of the administration or searching for the City’s soul. A magnificent obsession of Chandigarhians is keeping well-tended gardens and walking in the parks. And why not, when we have some the finest gardens in the country. Where else would you wake up to a morning paper splashing a five-column picture of a magnificent laburnum tree in bloom on its front page? Or it could be of a Siberian Crane at the lake, as its winged visitor. And school children hold a celebration to greet the winter migratory birds. Which other city will seduce you with so much beauty, charm and amusement? With the City IT Park coming up in a big way; one wouldn’t be surprised, if yanks in the Silicon Valley are now seen wearing T-shirts, “I’ve been Chandigarhed.” But this will allude only to the outsourcing of their hearts. |
Evolving European Union
There
is a glow in the eyes of the senior executive of the European Central Bank at Frankfurt as he reels off details of the processes leading to introduction of euro, the common currency for European Union (EU). As a representative of the institution, set up to manage the monetary affairs of the EU, he reflects its sense of achievement, of fulfillment. What is now a part of the everyday life in 12 countries of the EU was conceived just 13 years ago. Currency or "sika," as we all know, has been a major attribute of sovereignty for centuries. For a large portion of a continent that had witnessed bloody wars and prolonged feuds to have agreed to surrender it in the interest of a common, unified system was a momentous development, howsoever viewed. The harmonising of exchange rates and monetary policies, establishment of new cash transfer networks, new institutions, and numerous technical details were among the important steps. But more important was the task of overcoming reservations arising out of various factors, political, economic, social and psychological. It was not easy in all cases to give up the pride, associated with national currencies, but euro was accepted in the belief that the benefits would outweigh the perceived disadvantages. "Aren't the benefits evident?", says the executive, "the uncertainty of exchange rates has been abolished, transaction costs have been eliminated and access ensured to larger financial markets". This is generally recognised, notwithstanding the complaints against the unscrupulous in the restaurant and entertainment sectors using the switch-over to jack up prices. Yes, euro is a major step both in symbolic and substantantive terms towards the consolidation of the EU. However, a lot more needs to be done, according to a member of the Berlin-based think-tank, German Council on Foreign Relations, before the grouping acquires an identity of its own, not merely in the legal and constitutional sense but also at the political and popular levels in the member countries as well as the outside world. Had that not been the case, the tally for the medals in the recent Olympic Games would have been mentioned collectively for the EU, not for individual countries. "As a result, we did not get the due credit", he said. That it will not be an easy job was brought to light by two controversies during my visit to Germany and Austria earlier this month — one, after the signing of the EU constitution in Rome on October 29, the other, because of the intemperate remarks of Italy's nominee for the new EU Commission, Mr Rocco Buttiglione. The job becomes more difficult because of the recent addition of 10 members, taking the total to 25 — and the consequent diffusion of whatever personality it had developed. That some new members once belonged to the Soviet bloc adds to the complications. Three points were clear from the recent developments. One, there was clear evidence of the architects of the EU going ahead with consolidation processes. Two, there was no mistaking the formidable hurdles in their way and the threats posed from within. Three, the grouping will be preoccupied with internal problems, trying to digest the issues, thrown up by them “We will have to watch”, according to a senior diplomat, “how a proper balance is established in various areas — between the EU Parliament and the executive wing, between ‘old’ Europe and the ‘new’, between the various structures and procedures, provided for in the constitution.” The EU constitution, which crossed a milestone with its signing, was seen from two angles by two prominent persons. In an article in Herald Tribune, Mr Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, who is to be the first EU Foreign Minister, hailed the constitution as a historic document, saying: “it established a new political foundation for a European Union that spans a continent and is ready to assume its global responsibilities.” Completely contrary was the view expressed by Lord Howell, the conservative opposition spokesman on foreign affairs in Britain's House of Lords: “Europe has become a deeply divided place, which is very bad for everyone. That much is obvious. The Buttiglione affair, the almost furtive pomp of the constitution signing on the Capitoline Hill in Rome, the sneering and bitter exchanges between the pro- and anti-camps about the worth, purposes and outcome of the new treaty, and about sincere efforts to modernise the governance of Europe — all indicate not unity but the Europe-wide lining up of factions and the polarisation of opinions.” There was a shift of balance in favour of European Parliament, of late. It all started with the remarks of Mr Buttiglione who was nominated as Justice Commissioner from Italy in the new 24-member EU Commission, by its President-designate, Mr Jose Manuel Barroso, a former Prime Minister of Portugal. Strong protests greeted Mr Buttiglione's conservative views on homosexuality and the role of women (in so many words, he wanted them to be confined to their homes). This raised a storm of protest by the majority of parliamentarians and there was the danger of rejection of all the nominations for the commission made by the president-designate. Faced with this prospect, he withdrew all his recommendations. The parliamentarians had had their way. There will be a brief spell of uncertainty as the constitution will have to be ratified by the member-countries, six of them by referenda. Then there are differences over Turkey's request for admission into the EU and over dealing with the US, even though the strains caused by Washington's unilateral decision to attack Iraq have been contained. A spokesman of the German foreign office, however, did not take a grim view — “the EU decision-taking structures were too feeble when the Iraq crisis erupted. The situation has changed now.” The writer is a senior journalist. He has worked with The Hindustan Times, The Statesman and The Hindu. |
|
Defence notes The
Ministry of Defence (MoD) gets huge dividend cheques. Last month was the repayment month for the MoD with the public sector companies working under its aegis turning up to present their share of dividend to Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee. In one day alone, the MoD got over Rs 97 crore in its kitty, the consolidated sum of dividends paid by four companies associated with the ministry. The companies, which presented the dividend cheques to the Defence Minister on that particular day included the Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL), the Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), the Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) and the Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL). While BDL paid a dividend of Rs 23 crore for 2003-04, the cheque being presented by company's Chairman and Managing Director, Major-Gen P. Mohandas (retd), GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral Rajeev Paraliker presented a dividend cheque of Rs 10.28 crore. Similarly, for MIDHANI Chairman & Managing Director Devasis Chowdhury, it was a
proud moment as he presented the maiden dividend cheque of Rs 1.37 crore to the Minister. However, it was BEL, which took the cake by presenting a dividend cheque of more than Rs 60 crore. Fracas with cameramen The Ministry of Defence, or should one say, the armed forces seemed to have landed themselves on the wrong side of the media, particularly the still photographers who have been boycotting some of their functions in protest against being ignored for plum assignments which are being offered only to select media. After the fracas at a function of Chief of Army Staff General N.C. Vij, where not only the photographers but also the reporters walked out in protest against the treatment meted out to them, apparently by the Chief's office staff and those from the public relations department of the army, next in line for boycott was a Navy band function. This boycott from the photographers came in protest of the Navy ignoring them for being part of the press party, which was taken to Mumbai and then onto various ships for Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee's day out at sea earlier in the week. As the Navy's public relation department chose just to take the wire agency photographers, those from the newspapers decided to boycott the naval function sending out a clear message that the armed forces still have to learn to how to tackle the media. Book on Param Vir Chakra The book "Paramvir Chakra", written by Maj-Gen Ian Cardozo (retd), who chose to remain in combat even after losing one leg, tends to bring out the tales of the only 21 Paramvir Chakra awardees in the country. The Hindi version of the book was released last month. The book is an attempt to bring out the magnitude of the sacrifice an ordinary soldier makes but which tragically goes unnoticed by those for whom it was made. |
If you turn to Gurbani, you will know that Brahman who is formless took up form whom we call Eshwar. This Eshwar
created the universe. — Guru Nanak He who drinks the nectar of this truth rises above mortal pettiness. — The Upanishads Do not worry about your past life or the sins you may have accumulated therein. If you really desire to know the Truth and work diligently for it, you will certainly find it. Nothing in your past life can stop you. Do not waste your precious time in dissecting the past. Look to the future. — The Bhagvad Gita Faith gains in strength only when people are willing to lay down their lives for it. — Mahatma Gandhi You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough. — Joe E. Lewis |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
