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Northern trouble Temple heist |
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Concern at
inflation Excessive money flow into housing worrying Wrapped in jargon, the credit policy or the changes effected by the RBI during quarterly reviews, make little sense to average Indians. On Tuesday the RBI raised the reverse repo or repurchase rate (the rate at which banks deposit their short-term surplus funds with the RBI) by 25 basis points. This means the RBI wants to tighten the money supply in the system.
Perils of fighting
insurgents
The opportunist
Gowda-Murthy spat Science Delhi
Durbar
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Temple heist Now
that the Hansi Jain temple has been swept clean of 53 ancient idols, there are incredulous noises about their total value. Estimates vary from a modest Rs 100 crore to a staggering Rs 1,000 crore. However, their actual price in the international market is not the central issue. What matters more than that is the fact that the nation has been deprived of irreplaceable heritage. Questions need to be asked as to what was done to protect this invaluable treasure. The answer will be: pretty nothing. The temple management had been persistently asking for police guard but nobody bothered. This despite the fact that ancient idols had been stolen from another Jain temple barely 2 km from Hansi about three years ago. Apparently, we treat our archaeological treasures as junk till these are stolen all so very easily. After that we shed copious tears for some time, only to go back to our old apathetic ways soon enough. From the way the temple has been targeted, it is obvious that it is a job of professionals. The thieves did not touch silver and cash and went only for the idols. They won’t find an easy market for them in India. Apparently, the idols are bound for other shores. An eagle’s eye at the airports and shipyards is imperative. Unfortunately, many of these are notorious for corruption prevalent there and it will be a tall order for the policemen to solve the mystery. Given the magnitude of the theft, it may be necessary to take the help of Interpol and other investigating agencies. The worst nightmare has come true. Even now, there are numerous treasures which lie scattered and uncared for all over the country without any security worth the name. At least now, something should be done about them. This is not a wake-up call, but the ultimate electric shock. |
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Concern at inflation Wrapped
in jargon, the credit policy or the changes effected by the RBI during quarterly reviews, make little sense to average Indians. On Tuesday the RBI raised the reverse repo or repurchase rate (the rate at which banks deposit their short-term surplus funds with the RBI) by 25 basis points. This means the RBI wants to tighten the money supply in the system. The excess liquidity (money), available at cheap interest rates, drives up prices. Raising the rates would, therefore, cut down demand. So the RBI step is intended to control inflation (price rise). The RBI feels the sharp increase in the global oil prices has pushed up prices. However, the Finance Minister differs. He thinks “the pass-through impact of high oil prices is over”. RBI Governor Y.V. Reddy likes to adopt a moderate approach. Under him, the RBI under-estimated the growth prospects of the economy. Post-monsoon, it has hiked the growth rate for 2005-06 to 7 to 7.7-5 per cent. Mr P. Chidambaram is known to be against any increase in interest rates. Some in the media played up the conflict. Reports indicate that banks may raise interest rates on housing and/or auto loans. The RBI finds excessive money flow into the housing sector and is worried that a bubble might be building up. A hike in interest rates, therefore, could slow down demand. The industry and the capital markets have welcomed the RBI steps. This is because the moderate rise in interest rates in the short term, it is believed, may not hurt demand for industrial goods and housing. The business confidence index is at its 10-year high. The stock markets are happy as banks can now have a greater exposure to stocks, depending on their own networth. On the whole, the RBI concerns on inflation may be exaggerated. The opening up of more borders has increased trade the world over. That is why general prices have not matched the rise in global oil rates. |
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One may not regard the world as a sort of metaphysical brothel for emotions.
— Arthur Koestler |
Perils of fighting insurgents Consequent
on the incident of killing of Manorma Devi in Imphal by Assam Rifles personnel and the agitation for the abrogation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that followed, the government set up the Justice Jeevan Reddy Commission to go into the issue. The commission has recommended scrapping of the AFSPA and in its place incorporating some of the provisions of this Act — such as immunity to security personnel against arrest — in the Unlawful Activities Act. It is reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs has agreed with the recommendations of the Reddy Commission and forwarded the case to the PMO for consideration by the Cabinet before it is placed in Parliament. It is essential to examine in depth the likely effect the abrogation of the Act will have on counter-insurgency operations on the one hand and insurgency itself on the other. The fact that the Reddy Commission has found it necessary to incorporate provisions of the AFSPA into the Unlawful Activities Act only goes to show that these provisions are essential to combat insurgency. The fallout of this recommendation, if implemented, will be the Unlawful Activities Act itself becoming more rigorous and its applicability in less virulent situations objectionable. Our study of insurgencies in Malaya and the Philippines was cursory and we blindly copied one aspect of the counter-insurgency policy, which was least applicable to our setting. In Malaya, the villages regrouped were those of the Chinese rubber plantation “tappers”. They were migratory labourers who had no attachment to places where they had built temporary shacks. In Nagaland, people were attached to their villages and lands, where generations of them had lived and toiled. They had their own jhum fields, forests and sacred groves. Uprooting them from their villages was sacrilege and the Nagas came to hate the armed forces. This was a totally insensitive and thoughtless action. Then cases of torture and third- degree methods led to further alienation and gave a fillip to insurgency. Roads are the enemy of the insurgents, which we never built or were built only on paper. We failed to give these states a clean and efficient administration, free of discrimination and corruption. Insurgency, which had begun with few causes, acquired a new vigour from these developments. Low intensity conflict is unlike a regular war. Its setting is in the very midst of own people, where the environs may be that of a war zone, but the rules are different, though never well defined. It is an environment where, if you do not kill, you are more likely to get killed. Where the line between an insurgent and a peaceful citizen is hazy due to unreliable intelligence. To see only the unintentional human rights violations in isolation of other factors in such a setting is to be totally unrealistic. The legal provisions to meet such situations need to be measured in their efficacy to support such operations and that they do not act as impediments in meeting the demands of the war like the texture of the conflict. When insurgency is engineered and abetted by a hostile neighbour it takes the form of a proxy war. Counter-insurgency operations are both difficult and unsavoury. They involve midnight raids on insurgent hideouts, where the exchange of fire is a common feature. Since the initiative is always with the insurgents and death could be lurking behind any corner, bush or house, troops get edgy and are prone to over- reaction. In this cross-fire, innocents can get hurt though not always by friendly fire, and yet invariably pinned on security forces. Search operations cause annoyance and inconvenience to those being searched. Where intelligence is inadequate wrong persons get harassed. Casualties among the security forces often evoke over-reaction from them, which can be minimised by good and effective leadership. A few fall victim to “power high”, which they experience and tend to show impatience with legal procedures. Senior commanders should not insist on “results”, assess successes in terms of dead terrorists and weapons seized. They must discourage the rat race for awards, stress on civilised behaviour while conducting search operations, arrests, etc, and exercise of extra care to avoid casualties among civilians and while dealing with women. If the AFSPA is scrupulously followed and the leadership is effective and mature, chances of violation of human rights are vastly reduced. The Indian Army’s record in caring for the human rights of civilians has been rather good. Cases of violation of human rights are promptly investigated and disciplinary action taken without delay. There is never an attempt to conceal facts or protect the guilty. The number of court-marshals dealing with cases of violations of human rights reinforces this assertion. It is a known fact that front organisations of insurgents and their sympathisers always paint the security forces in poor light and fabricate stories of violations of human rights. These factors need to be taken into account before any decision to do away with the AFSPA is taken. Abrogation or dilution of provisions of the AFSPA will definitely affect the anti-insurgency operations. In the past, even temporary ceasefires helped insurgents reorganise and consolidate their positions to reappear with greater and added vigour. The number of casualties the Army has suffered, both troops and officers, is a fair indication of the virulent and deadly nature of anti-insurgency operations and the abrogation of the AFSPA will make their task more arduous and
costly.
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The opportunist HE was the one truly effervescent person I have known. He was handsome, suave, charming, with a deep sense of humour which could bring light even to one’s darkest hours. I continued to like him long after I had recognised that he was also a crass opportunist. We were course mates at the National Defence Academy and good friends. But when he discovered that there was nothing to be gained from this friendship he drifted away. He spent less and less time with me, but the time we did spend together was still full of joy and laughter and I did not resent his drifting away. After our course we went our separate ways, though our paths did cross sometimes — once in a traffic jam on the Jammu-Srinagar highway and once at a wedding. He was still as handsome and charming as ever, still keeping careful watch for every useful opportunity. I met him again at the Command Hospital in Lucknow. There was an air of quiet triumph, almost of jubilation in his voice and in his manner and I wondered if he had won a prize in a lottery. He invited me over to dinner and the entire story poured forth. He had met the daughter of one of the erstwhile talukdars who still retained great wealth. She was an only child, wilful, spoilt and a spinster at the age of 40 because no man was good enough for her. Now she had come down with terminal cancer and had lost all her arrogance. It was too good an opportunity for “my friend” to let slip. He courted the lady assiduously — the fact that she was eight years older was irrelevant, and she, being in a vulnerable position, fell an easy prey to his charm. They were to be married the next month. He took me to meet her. She was all chiffon and pearls and orange blossom perfume and she looked 10 years older than her age. I felt she deserved someone better in her last years. But perhaps I was being too judgemental — he was concerned and affectionate enough and she basked in his display of love. I returned to Lucknow six years later and was browsing in a bookstore when I was assailed by the smell of orange blossoms. “Do you remember me?” Of course I remembered her, even though the pallor of illness was gone from her face and she did not look a day older than 30. “You must come to dinner. Toby will be delighted. Tonight? Seven thirty?” She was the perfect hostess, totally in control, totally in command. She told me of the miraculous cure that Sai Baba had worked for her. And Toby? He looked at least 20 years older than her, reduced to the position of a man — Friday. I heard little more from him all evening than a dutiful “Yes Kalyaniji.” “Of course, Kalyaniji.” I was glad. The Opportunist had, at last, met his
nemesis. |
Gowda-Murthy spat Bangalore
was in trouble 18 months back. Its citizens have awakened to it only now. The seeds of the present crisis over providing infrastructure to the city or concentrating on the rural areas were sown in the verdict of the last assembly election. Unable to retain power despite the strides made in the IT field, the Congress had no option but to partner the Janata Dal (Secular) to keep the BJP out. The party had to agree to all the demands of JD (S) chief and former Prime Minister H D Dewe Gowda. This meant the shunting out of former Chief Minister S M Krishna, who was responsible for the pro-IT image of the city and also perceived as pro-urban. With a pliable Chief Minister of his choice in power, Mr Dewe Gowda seemed to be ruling the roost, but the honeymoon was short-lived. He soon had Congressmen protesting against his statements and a near rebellion in his own party. Mr Krishna, who was made Governor of Maharashtra to keep him out of Karnataka politics, started taking interest in state affairs. With a mid-term election looming ahead, it seemed just the time to play the pro-poor card. And he was given the right opportunity to do so after the IT industry announced it would boycott the government-sponsored IT conference being held from October 26 to 28. Mr Gowda remained away from parleys held to persuade the IT industry to withdraw its call. This was withdrawn at the instance of Infosys Chairman N R Narayana Murthy during a final round of talks with Chief Minister N Dharam Singh. Mr S.M. Krishna also indicated that he wanted to return to active politics. This resulted in Mr Gowda writing to the Chief Minister that contracts awarded by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) during Mr Krishna’s time be probed. The Chief Minister, instead of rallying to the aid of Mr Krishna, said he would order an inquiry into the entire matter. Smarting under the insult, Mr Krishna came down to Bangalore and went all out not only against Mr Gowda but also CM Dharam Singh, whose then PWD department, he said, had got the major portion of funds released during that period. In this backdrop, it only took a presentation on urban governance facilitated by Mr Narayana Murthy to make Mr Gowda burst out. Although he sat through the presentation, he fired all guns the next day, demanding to know Mr Murthy’s credentials to speak on the subject. The same day he lobbed the bombshell accusing Infosys of grabbing land in league with the “corridors of power”, besides claiming zoning rules were being changed to accommodate the latest request of the company for 845 acres of land in the city. He also charged that Murthy had not made any contribution towards the speedy establishment of Bangalore airport Mr Murthy had been made Chairman of the BIAL by Mr Krishna. Mr Murthy chose to bow out as Chairman of BIAL following this outburst in which he also expressed his displeasure at the Chief Minister for not defending him on the issue. His company, clarified that it had asked for 845 acres of land from the Karnataka government as late as 2000 to establish a software development centre which would employ 25,000 people, besides a residential township. It also claimed that it had asked the government to allot land to it according to the law and had not asked for any concession. This, however, did not deter Mr Gowda from attacking Mr Murthy even further by claiming he was being used as a pawn (by Mr Krishna) to destabilise the coalition government. The spat, therefore has more to do with politics and the looming election than anything else. Mr Gowda has already accused Mr Krishna of favouring an IT giant (Infosys) at the cost of the poor and is likely to trumpet the cause of the poor in any future election. The Congress has unwittingly fallen into the trap and is set to be painted as a party which speaks for the urban elite rather than champion the cause of the poor like Mr Gowda. CM Dharam Singh’s failure in standing up to Mr Gowda and stressing the need to create the required infrastructure in Bangalore has not helped matters. Bangalore was a paradise for the retired before the IT industry came along and made it an IT power house. Today more than 1,500 IT companies function from the city. The IT industry provides as much as 25 per cent of the gross domestic produce (GDP) of the state, besides contributing 32 per cent of all taxes. It also gives direct employment to three lakh people, besides indirect employment to around ten lakh. The IT industry has grown tremendously in Bangalore, but the city has not risen to the occasion. Against a 30 per cent annual growth of the IT sector and a 12 per cent increase in the economy, the growth of infrastructure has been only 4 per cent. Despite infrastructure woes attracting worldwide attention recently, according to Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) Director B V Naidu, as many as 100 IT companies, including 60 foreign equity firms, have set up shop in the city during the last six months. These companies made an investment of more than Rs 500 crore. Though other IT companies are also looking at tier two cities like Pune and Chandigarh as future IT hubs, the magic of Bangalore remains due to its high talent pool and R and D centres besides the moderate climate. Only political will is needed to sustain it. |
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Science The
first genetic “map” of human diversity was published on Thursday by scientists who describe it as a landmark achievement that will revolutionise medicine. More than 200 researchers from six countries have spent three years and more than £80m deconstructing the human genome to discover the precise genetic differences between people. Whereas the human genome — the basic genetic blueprint — showed that everyone shares 99.9 per cent of their genes, it is the 0.1 per cent difference that can hold clues to illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, dementia, heart disease and cancer. Scientists have completed the first phase of an ambitious project to tease apart these minute differences to begin to explain why some people develop serious diseases while others with a similar lifestyle remain healthy. The scientists built up the map of genetic diversity from a detailed analysis of the DNA from 269 volunteers drawn from four different ethnic groups — the Yoruba tribe from Nigeria, residents of Tokyo, the Han Chinese from Beijing and European Americans from Utah. By painstakingly comparing the smallest possible mutations — single nucleotide polymorphisms — in each of the volunteer’s DNA, the scientists produced the first comprehensive catalogue of human genetic variation. The new genetic map is based on relatively large fragments of DNA — called haplotypes — that contain a unique battery of single mutations which tend to be inherited together as a block. Scientists have called the study “HapMap” because it is based on these human haplotypes. More than a million single mutations have so far been mapped to their respective haplotypes. The researchers estimated that the study will increase by 20-fold the speed at which it is possible to search for the genes responsible for disease. The study — which was funded by governments and private industry — is available on the internet. The human genome is like a recipe for making a man or woman and is composed of three billion individual “letters” that make up the long genetic code written within our genes. When the full sequence or map of the human genome was published it was clear that 99.9 per cent of the code was identical for all people of any ethnic group in the world. But the 0.1 per cent of the code that is different not only accounts for why people look dissimilar, it can also explain why each of us can have different destinies in health. There are some 10 million kinds of mutations or variations in our genes that result from a single change or “polymorphism” to the long code of our DNA. These single nucleotide polymorphisms, called SNPs or “snips”, form the heart of the search for genetic differences that can account for why two people living similar lives can experience very different outcomes in terms of their health. Snips can also help to separate people who respond differently to drugs. — The Independent |
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Delhi Durbar President
A P J Abdul Kalam interacted with 19 children from all over the country affected by HIV/AIDS earlier this week. He enquired from the children if they faced any discrimination in school. He desired the message should be spread that HIV positive mothers can stop passing on the disease to their unborn children through medicines. Dr Kalam emphasised that work was on in the country to develop an anti-HIV vaccine. He read out a touching poem specially penned by him titled “Oh Almighty! Light the Lamp of Courage.” IT as essential
service When it comes to milching sectors like IT even the Communists are having second thoughts. While West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya wants the sector to be declared an essential service so that the state could sell it as a USP to investors, the party’s trade union wing, which has been desperately trying to form a union in this sector, views West Bengal as an entry point. To break the impasse, the CPM Politburo has decided to bring out a paper to be considered in December. Perhaps, the government’s strategy of appointing a committee when the heat is on seems to be the policy of the Left as well, particularly when a consensus is elusive. EC under
fire The Election Commission has come in for sharp criticism from the CPM for its decision to delete the names of those persons who have been declared “absconders” by the police. The cause of the Communist ire is the poll panel’s decision to delete the name of Narayan Biswar, Minister of State for Small and Cottage Industries in West Bengal. But how can the police, which provides security cover to the minister, declare him as an “absconder.” Check on foreign trips Mandarins in the Ministry of External Affairs will have to go slow on their foreign trips. External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, himself an erstwhile career diplomat, has not taken kindly to a battery of officials wanting to go to New York on one pretext or another. The problem came to his attention when he was at the UN General Assembly in New York. There are strong indications that Natwar Singh wants to evolve new guidelines to put to a stop to needless foreign junckets. Political drama
in Bihar There is animated discussion in political circles about the likely outcome of the Bihar elections. Now that two phases have been completed and the remaining phases are scheduled for next month, nobody is willing to bet whether the UPA with the RJD in the vanguard or the NDA with the JD (U) playing the major role are emerging outright winners. There is an element of disquiet in both camps about LJP strongman Ram Vilas Paswan once again playing the spoilsport. On the other hand, Paswan is sticking to his guns and firmly believes his role in the formation of a government in Patna cannot be undermined. Contributed by S Satyanarayanan, R Suryamurthy and Prashant Sood. |
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From the pages of Sind and Punjab
A public meeting was held at Hyderabad, Sind, to consider the amalgamation of Sind to the Punjab, the object being to pass resolutions against such a proposal. The promoters of the meeting were, however, very much surprised to find that there was nothing like unanimity among the audience and several of those present were strongly in favour of Sind being transferred to the Punjab. The meeting had consequently to be dissolved without any resolutions being passed. Other meetings may be more successful but the real question is whether any strong public opinion on the subject at all exists. There is no public opinion worth the name in Sind for the simple reason that circumstances favourable to its growth have been always non-existent… The contention that the administration of the Punjab is more backward than that of the Bombay Presidency has very little weight since Sind has scarcely any advantages of Presidency Government, while the amalgamation of Sind with the Punjab must necessarily have the effect of raising the status of the administration and making it more progressive. |
He Knows that beyond this earth there are many more worlds and a higher power that sustains them. — Guru Nanak Why do you waste your time searching for Him in temples while he sleeps in your heart? — The Upanishads Self control is the best way to calm the thought-disturbed mind. It brings serenity and allows us to look on the world dispassionately. — The Mahabharata |
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