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Advani’s failure To live, or not to live |
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Rights and wrongs US ignores Pakistan’s record STRANGE are the ways of functioning of the US administration under President George W. Bush. The US says that it does not spare even an ally — Pakistan, to be precise — if it comes to pointing out its poor human rights record.
Lacking direction
In the free land
National milk policy has failed Terri’s right to live (or die) generates debate Defence notes
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Advani’s failure MR Narendra Modi is as good as a pariah abroad. Most of his party colleagues in Gujarat too would like to see his back at the earliest. And yet, the BJP leadership has decided to throw him yet another political lifeline. Mr L.K. Advani has told the Gujarat rebels in no uncertain terms that Mr Modi will continue to be in the saddle, although his wings have been pruned a bit. Having to share some power with the rebels is no more than a rap on the knuckles for a man of his reputation. Well, he may get away lightly but the BJP will have to pay a heavy price for continuing to indulge him. The party may not admit it but the humbling defeat that it suffered in the parliamentary elections had a lot to do with its failure to tackle Mr Modi. Had it got rid of him immediately after the Gujarat riots, the party’s fortunes might have been different. But that was not to be. Ironically, now the party finds it increasingly difficult to dump him, despite growing dissidence in the state unit and apprehensions elsewhere. There is a strong section in the saffron brigade which swears by the Modi brand of politics. He has dexterously managed to juxtapose Moditva on Hindutva and the combination is now proving too difficult for the moderate elements within the BJP to crack. Only if Mr Advani and the Sangh Parivar itself do some introspection whether they really want to wear this grotesque mask can things change. Ironically, the rebellion that is brewing in the Gujarat BJP is not because of his role in the riots but because of his arrogance and stout refusal to share spoils of office with his rivals. If the central leadership makes him more pliable on these counts, the opposition might relent on him. Keeping him buoyed may please Mr Advani and the Parivar bosses but is playing havoc with the image of the BJP. It remains to be seen whether the Nanavati Commission will punish Mr Modi where Mr Advani has failed. |
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To live, or not to live TERRI Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman, has, at last, passed beyond the mortal threshold. But the abounding speculation on the legal, ethical and moral questions that her condition once again brought to the fore, and divided not just people in the United States, is far from over. The feud between her parents and her husband over whether to keep her alive or not, though raging for years while she lay in a coma, became a riveting national issue. Her parents fought to prolong her life by sustaining her on life support systems and they were backed by a range of conservative groups, including President George Bush, Congress and Florida legislators. Pitted against Schiavo’s parents was her husband, who seemed to be losing the battle of public and political opinion, when the court stepped in and the feeding tube that kept her clinically alive was taken off. Essentially, the question boiled down to whether she should be allowed to die with dignity or kept alive in a condition worse than death. The awareness raised by the stormy last weeks of Schiavo would be reflected upon in other countries and cultures, with a thought for those who are trapped between life and death. In India, the implications are complex and frightening. Machinations — to hasten the end or keep a person in coma alive — cannot be ruled out. Women, and the elderly, in India are particularly vulnerable. The elderly in need of care find themselves unwanted in many homes. While the legal and moral aspects of the right to die with dignity may be debated, this route cannot be an alternative to caring for the terminally ill, who have as much a right to live with dignity. |
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Rights and wrongs STRANGE are the ways of functioning of the US administration under President George W. Bush. The US says that it does not spare even an ally —Pakistan, to be precise — if it comes to pointing out its poor human rights record. The State Department’s latest report on “Supporting human rights and democracy” laments Pakistan’s poor human rights record with its democratic institutions remaining under the control of the military. But one fails to understand how the cause of human rights and democracy is served by rewarding such a US ally — by resuming the supply of F16 jet fighters. The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice points out that “ultimately, success in our relations depends on the treatment of their own people” by the countries aspiring to be closer to the US. Apparently, she had not read the report of her own department. Pakistan’s case is definitely an embarrassment for Ms Rice. The report lays bare the truth that Pakistan’s “military remains heavily engaged in politics” and the ruling General has no plans to leave politics to politicians. The all-powerful ruler can sack the federal government, even parliament, whenever he so desires. He is least bothered about things like the human rights record. Pakistan under him prefers to find solace in what its Foreign Ministry spokesman says: “No country is perfect”. Pakistan’s own Human Rights Commission has failed to move the ruling dispensation. In its report in February the commission gave a detailed account of “the worst incidents of sectarian madness” that occurred in 2004. It also mentioned the attacks on hapless people in Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Sialkot and Gilgit this year. The commission came out with an exclusive report on Karachi listing the atrocities perpetrated against the minorities by jihadi outfits. The most shameful case of human rights violation is that of the rape of a tribal woman, Mukhtar Mai, following the diktat of a tribal council. Her crime was that her brother was accused of having committed such a crime! The Government of Pakistan, however, dismisses all this by saying that the “improvement of the human rights situation is a matter of priority” with it. How sad! |
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A person is a product of his own thoughts. Believe big and grow big. — David Schwartz
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Lacking direction THE Finance Minister has presented his Feel Good budget for 2005-2006. The emphasis on agriculture, rural development and social welfare deserves appreciation. Though it has been stated that the Budget takes care of equity alongwith growth, serious issues and the basic minimum needs have not been touched by the Finance Minister. These include:
Throughout the long speech of nearly 110 minutes, the Finance Minister did not even touch such basic issues vitally concerned with healthy economic progress and the social objectives enshrined in our great Constitution. Let aside the achievement in all these areas yearwise, these days the Budget has become an exercise to express incomes, expenditures, borrowings and deficits, during the current year and expectations for the next years with some changes in the tax structure. Budget should be a part of the approved Five Year Plan and should express the concrete achievements along with physical numbers as against the earlier year in the social sector like the number of literates, number of the people crossing poverty line, number of people securing drinking water, additional schooling and medicinal facilities, villages connected with roads, shelters etc and how the targets mentioned in the Five Year Plan or the Common Minimum Programme would be fulfilled state wise and district wise. Along with growth rate it is all the more necessary to mention the human index and the progress made during the year. This will help in understanding the real progress and make the government accountable and transparent. With the help of new technologies and involving a huge army of 20 million teachers, professors, college students and social workers, it is possible to eradicate illiteracy as a social responsibility within a period of two to three years. Explosion of population has caused great threat to our future. It has been estimated that the population of India would stabilise by the year 2050 when it will be of the order of 1600 million. Instead of accepting such predictions, India should reject them and resolve to substantially bring down the growth rate along with high rate of infant mortality within the next 10 years by involving millions of our people. Through literacy, faith, medical care of pregnant and lactating mothers and newly born babies, provision of proper nutrition and massive year-round campaign for family planning, against blind faith and customs, it is possible to bring down the growth rate and high infant mortality. Countries like Bangladesh, Malaysia or states like Kerala could be the role models to carry the programme to the whole of the country within our democratic frame. Even after 57 years of Independence, out of 329 M.Ha., of our total geographical area, nearly 175 M.Ha., including forest area are degraded or wastelands. They are not waste but wasted lands. Utilising new scientific methods and traditional knowledge, it is possible to conserve every drop of water whenever and wherever it rains, prevent soil erosion and make both our massive lands and millions of our people efficiently productive. As recommended by the High Level Policy Committee under the chairmanship of the author (Dharia Committee) this programme has the potential to double our existing production of foodgrains to 450 metric tonnes along with other agricultural produce and agro products, generate employment opportunities to millions of our people in rural areas, create green cover on one-third area through forests or other trees like mango, cashew etc, protect environment give new life to our rural areas, save the filthy unmanageable cities and lead towards sustainable development with healthy prosperity. Our land, water, forests, vivid medicinal and other species, cattle wealth, seashore of nearly 7000 km, hundreds of sweet-water reservoirs, ever shining sun and our people are our real strength. Unfortunately, the country has not so far scientifically developed these natural resources, including vast manpower, and made them fully productive on a sustainable basis. Gradually the world is getting inclined to use organic ecofriendly agro produce fruits, vegetables, flowers or other processed products. People from advanced countries are equally eager to buy manmade crafts and articles by artisans. India has a traditional heritage to meet the growing demand and generate employment opportunities to thousands of our craftsmen. Similar is the case with handloom fabrics. After meeting the country’s need, India could remain on the forefront in marketing such things to the rest of the world. This decentralised, pollution free, employment generating, export-oriented industry requires comparatively far lesser investment and gestation period and make the country selfreliant. Unfortunately, even to utter the words “swadeshi” or “self reliance” has become a crime. The whole Budget speech consciously neglects this emphasis or avoids such words. Huge investments are no doubt required to create basic infrastructure for speedier industrial, agricultural or scientific growth. However, in view of the acute problems of poverty and ever-growing socio economic disparities, decentralised and not centralised economy has become imperative. We have to prefer massive production by masses and not huge production under one roof. Except ridiculous tax on one time withdrawal of Rs 10,000 from banks, the Finance Minister has not even mentioned the black money of the order of Rs. 6 to 7 lakh crores, running parallel economy in the country. Several positive suggestions have been made by many, including the author to bring out black money and to impose direct luxury tax on richer section of society. The Finance Minister has not bothered even to acknowledge such letters. India having age-old tradition of “Panchayati Raj”, has to decide whether she desires to follow the luxury-oriented highly polluted western style or accept her own decentralised ecofriendly moderate style. One need not oppose every big dam, if it is unavoidable to serve the interests of the country and the future. However, it cannot be ignored that big dams and linking of rivers may irrigate 40 to 45 per cent, of our lands and we have to accept scientific, less costly watershed development approach for all the country. Advanced information and biotechnology has to be primarily used for development and educating the people. Not more and more mega cities with concrete jungles but creation of ecofriendly decentralised centres is the need of the hour. Cement, steel bricks and fossil fuels will not be available in future. Only dense afforestation, biomass, sun, waves etc could meet our essential needs of food, water, energy or shelter. Let us learn from the warnings expressed by the Stockholm International Conference (1972), Rio Global Summit (1992) and Johannesburg Global Summit (2002). It has to be accepted that as against luxury oriented western style, ecofriendly moderate decentralised approach could lead towards sustainable development and save the mankind and universe. Hence our direction must be growth coupled with social justice with due care of environment. Every Budget is expected to reflect this Indian face and prove to be a role model for the new
world.
**** The author, a former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, is President of Vanarai Foundation |
In the free land NARENDRA Modi had been denied entry into the Land of Free. In the days of the Vietnam War as I landed at the Kennedy airport with a valid Permanent Visa (Green Card), my visa was revoked and I was denied entry into the United States. Two officers escorted me to an isolated room for interrogation. But I had Right to Appeal, within 48 hours. At an appointed time, as I reported to the Immigration Office, atmosphere inside was businesslike. I raised my right hand and, swore under the Flag to tell the truth. A white officer in his 40s, appeared sullen and serious — but not hostile. Only two of us were in the office, and I saw no other official activity in the room. If any hidden camera or bugging devise was recording us, I could not be sure. The officer asked detailed report on my activities while I was out of the US. The countries I visited, the individuals I frequented, subject of my research work and the topics of speeches I delivered. My passport and some intelligence reports were in his hand. Often he would read a sentence and asked “what actually you meant by such and such..” After 40 minutes interrogation, he shot conclusively: “You are anti-American. That is evident from your writings and speeches…” I protested: “No, I am not anti-American. I am anti-war, and pro-freedom of Vietnam. There is semantic difference between anti-war and anti-American. This distinction must be recognised here.” The US Immigration officer was pensive for a few moments . “If I give you the Green Card, what are your plans?” he asked. “I will teach at the university and campaign against the war,” I said. “So, you would not give up speaking against the war”? “No, not unless Nixon stops bombing Vietnam,” I reaffirmed my resolve. The officer stood up, shook my hand, and said: “I have not seen such a fearless immigrant. You are welcome in America.” And as he handed me the Green Card, he came around the desk and escorted me to the gate of the US Immigration Office.
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National milk policy has failed
Our diet is dominated by carbohydrates (wheat and rice) and is deficient in calcium, riboflavin and proteins of high biological value. Milk and meat are rich in these nutrients and could supplement the otherwise inadequate diet. This, in fact, is the easiest and cheapest way. It is important, however, that milk supplied to the consumers should be of high quality. In the global context, the performance of the Indian dairy sector leaves much to be desired in terms of productivity, quality and hygiene. Unreliable and misleading projections are being made by the vested interests, which have made our planners and policy-makers complacent. We are nowhere near the dairy nations with regard to our milch animals lactation, which is less than 650 kg against 10,000 kg and above in those countries. Our per day per capita milk production is 210 gms only, against 250 gms of milk recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research. The availability of milk in the rural areas is only 121 gms. The marketable surplus is only 1.1 litres per family per day as a source of additional gross income against 600 kg and above in those countries. Because of economic pressure and poor economic support from other resources, villagers sell their milk under distress. It deprives the rural masses of milk which was earlier used for their own home consumption, and has thereby impoverished the rural areas and ruined rural health base. Milk production in the current century cannot increase nor can it become a paying profession nor its quality improve or the attendant malpractices be eliminated, unless we address the following major issues : Discipline the National Dairy sector, which is at present in complete anarchy, by adopting a regulatory mechanism for obtaining a commercially viable and self-sustaining dairy industry by implementing the recommendations made by the National Commission on Agriculture in 1976 in this regard. There is a need to give the responsibility to a single organisation for projecting authenticated information on national milk and meat production and other related aspects as recommended by the commission. The present national milk production policy has particularly failed to deliver results for the rural poor. There is need to encourage animal farms with sizeable herds of high genetic potential milch animals run on scientific lines with proper feeding and under favourable production environment. It has become necessary to encourage a system congenial to the culture and environment of a particular region and a state rather than foist the “Anand pattern” everywhere. We should create conditions for the dairy sector to thrive. The new generation should look upon it as a career. Accordingly, we have to improve our productivity and product quality to effectively deal with global competition. The ultimate goal of our policy should be to lift the rural poor out of their marginal existence. The present huge livestock population is a great environmental hazard and a poor economic asset. There is a need to control the livestock population in proportion to the fodder and feed resources of the country by reducing the number of buffalos and increasing high-quality cross-bred cows in selected areas. The availability of fodder and feed at the national level is 5 kg per animal per day and even in a state like Punjab it is only 15 kg against the minimum requirement of 40 kg. The country has already crossed the saturation point in livestock population. It is incapable of taking any further load. The limited land is not in a position to provide sustenance to the ever-increasing human population and poor quality livestock population. Huge money and technical manpower are spent on improving the quality of milch animals in the breeding tracts like Punjab and Haryana. The upgraded milch animals are invariably taken to cities for economic reasons as only such animals can bring the required margin of profit to the city milk producers. After just one lactation in the metropolitan and other cities where their productivity is impaired these ultimately end up in slaughterhouses despite being at their prime productive stage. Their calves are also starved to death for economic reasons. After independence this was identified as the major national problem on the milk front. To tackle it on priority, a gigantic dairy project “Operation Food” was launched by the NDDB with dazzling publicity. After spending Rs 1,800 crore from 1970 onward, the priority problem has remained untouched and the objective is totally unachieved. The depletion of the milch stock has rather aggravated and attained serious dimensions. The priority problem has now been swept under the carpet. The method followed in Ludhiana and Dhanas (Chandigarh) for their removal by creating colonies should not be repeated in other cities as better options are now available. The financial status of the cooperative milk plants in the country requires urgent attention. According to a former Director of the Institute of Rural Management at Anand, Gujarat, “In one year 117 milk cooperatives incurred losses accumulating to Rs 1.1 billion. If they disappear from the scene one fine morning, no farmer will shed tears. Many state governments use public money to support inefficient dairy cooperatives.” On the completion of Operation Food in 1996, these were in alarming situation even in the most potential dairy states UP’s Milkfed’s, and milk plants’ losses were Rs. 52.40 crore, Rajasthan’s losses were Rs. 44.39 crore, Haryana’s losses were Rs. 31 crore and Punjab’s Rs. 51.46 crore, which have now increased to Rs. 104 crore. There is a need to include milk in the manual of the “states’ agricultural produce market law” as milk is a health food sold twice a day and is a highly perishable commodity as compared to food grains and commercial crops covered by this law. As for the fragmented land holdings, in the global context we can benefit from the experience of Denmark. This country took to parceling of land in 1875, so that farms could become bigger but not smaller. Interestingly, girls also started inheriting the parents’ property including farms. For making the law of inheritance workable it established the world’s first land mortgage bank in 1882. Parents were given the option to select one of the children and train him/her to inherit the farm. All farms are evaluated every year and information compiled in book form. The individual who inherits the farm on retirement of the farmer pays the share to others through the bank, which recovers the debt from him/her in 30 years with very nominal interest of 4 per cent. This has checked the fragmentation of farms and helped these in becoming economically viable. The loan is tied to the farm and not to the individual. The other option, which needs serious consideration, is to implement the concept on which Israel has developed its kibbutz by effecting modifications as required to suit our conditions. In their case, it is a collective settlement in which the members own the means of production as the land belongs to the government. It will be more appropriate to replace the mid-day meals for school children by pasteurised milk supplied through the existing cooperative milk plants. Punjab is urged to provide the lead and for giving boost to the dairy sector. The solution lies in the adoption of a scientific approach, better genetic breed, better technology and efficient diversified management. The sooner we overhaul our inefficient systems and approach, the better it is.
**** The writer is a former Milk Commissioner of Punjab |
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Terri’s right to live (or die) generates debate SHE was in the middle of a business call, and had mounds of work. But the minute Sue Kelman heard Terri Schiavo had died on Thursday, she couldn't wait any longer. She drafted an e-mail to her parents, her brother and her sister. "I think I know how some, but not all of you wish to be treated at the end of life,'' the executive at a Boston health organization wrote to her family. ``But even if I were to hazard a guess ... it would only be that. A guess,'' she said, asking them to put their wishes in writing. The lengthy, sometimes ghoulish public deathwatch over Schiavo is touching off soul searching, but also practical and highly personal conversations in offices, living rooms and bedrooms. Men and women find themselves contemplating difficult philosophical issues and the deep, dark matter of trust. Some wonder: Is their spouse the person to whom they want to delegate their own end-of-life decisions? How should friends, children, siblings, parents be involved? Others wrestle with a more fundamental question. What constitutes a life worth living? In short, as the United States watched Schiavo die, many people gave new thought to how they and their loved ones live — and how they hope to face death. At record levels Thursday, living will forms were downloaded from Internet sites. Some people set out to learn the meaning of such terms as ``health proxy'' or ``power of attorney for health decisions.'' ``It has made me more militant,'' Lucinda Dyer, 57, an author in Franklin, Tenn., said Thursday. Dyer, who is single, said several years ago she drafted a living will, designating a close friend as her health-care proxy, ``because I know she'd pull the plug for me in an instant, which is what I would want.'' But just to make sure, Dyer said she called her lawyer earlier in the week ``to make absolutely certain that everything was in place.'' And once again, Dyer had a conversation about end-of-life care with her 94-year-old mother, who has stipulated that she does not want to be kept alive if she becomes incapacitated. Schiavo's death, said Dyer, ``has reconfirmed for me how strongly I feel about the right to die on one's own terms.'' As a result of all the attention given to Schiavo's lingering death, Vermont novelist Chris Bohjalian said he had a first-ever conversation with his 77-year-old father. Bohjalian said he asked his father outright: ``What are your wishes? Do you want to be resuscitated?'' And he and his wife had a similar conversation with their 11-year-old daughter, sharing with her that they had drafted living wills before she was born, and ``making it really, really clear what we want.'' After all, he noted: ``The hardest thing that any of us is going to do is die. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, when we approach that task, everyone around us understands our feelings and what we want? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there could be some more civilized public discourse, instead of this really unattractive grandstanding?'' As a medical ethicist for 27 years, Dr. Charles Grodin said Thursday that Schiavo's prolonged death had helped promote a national conversation about the very issues he confronts every day. "People are having the discussion,'' he said.
"Doctors are having the discussion. Religious groups are having the discussion. People on the street are having the discussion.'' — LA Times-Washington Post |
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Defence notes by Girja Shankar Kaura THE shortage of officers in the armed forces continues. As per the latest figures available, the Army, as in the past, continues to face the maximum number of shortage with over 12,000 officers needed, the exact figure being 12,099. The Air Force and the Navy together are facing a shortage of over 13,000 officers. Incidentally, one region where the Army scores over the other two arms is in the personnel below the officer rank (PBOR). There is no shortage in the Army while the Air Force needs over 5,000 PBORs, the Navy needs over 6,500
PBORs.
BRO behind bus service The hype that has been created prior to the starting of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service from April 7 has taken into account the relentless efforts that are being put in by the administration and, of course, the courage being shown by the local people themselves. But one organisation which, has been working over time to ensure a “smooth ride” for the passengers of the bus has been overlooked. It is the Border Road Organisation, which is putting that extra bit of effort for not only the safety of the passengers but also for their smooth ride. Although, the BRO took up the job of completing NH1A as National Highway Double Lance Specification (NHDL) in July 1986, it is after the announcement of the bus service between the two countries that work began on the most important stretch between Uri and Salamabad till Kaman Post on the Line of Control, a total distance of 17 km. The organisation has deployed over 20 bulldozers, motor graders and compressors along with about 100 departmental personnel with over 450 labourers to ensure that the job is completed before the bus service starts.
Cases of rape and murder Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Parliament the other day that in the last two years there have been 17 cases of alleged rape against Army personnel. According to the figures, there have been 10 cases of murder that have been reported against Army personnel. |
Every quality of human beings is born from the God and is good. When we misuse them, they become bad. By itself, no quality is bad. — The Bhagvad Gita Look upon hardships with eagerness. They should not bring tears to the eye. Look upon them as ordained to serve you, to chesten you through trials and tribulations and finally leave you stronger, healthier, wiser than before. — The Mahabharata Loving must be as normal to us as living and breathing, day after day, until our death. —
Mother Teresa  |
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HEALTHY human beings are the real capital of a nation. Indians are predominantly vegetarian, and the consumption of meat, fish and eggs, etc. is negligible. The proportion of milk, vegetables and fruits in the Indian diet is also low. These deficiencies need to be addressed in any nutritional programme in the country.