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Capital terror Criminal breach |
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Irresponsible talk You are a President, Mr Ahmadinejad IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad openly calling for wiping Israel off the world map is stunning, to say the least. Such irresponsible behaviour can never be expected of a Head of State.
Politics of free power
Beyond borders
Dateline Washington Women are happier being
single than men Chatterati
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Capital terror
SATURDAY’S blasts in the national Capital are one of the worst such attacks in the country. They are definitely the handiwork of a terrorist organisation. Providence alone needs to be thanked if the death toll is not as high as it could have been. One of the bombs planted in the Chandni Chowk area failed to explode because it was not properly detonated. By choosing such crowded markets as Sarojini Nagar and Paharganj as their targets, the terrorists’ intention was to cause maximum panic. Also, they wanted to cast a shadow on the Diwali and Id celebrations, which are now underway. A terrorist outfit in Kashmir has claimed credit for the attacks while the Delhi Police is still looking for a proper lead. It has announced a reward for information that leads to arrest. Considerable planning would have gone into the blasts. In terms of intensity and effect, they may compare with the serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993. But, then, the fact remains that they have chosen the softest targets possible — ordinary people shopping in crowded markets. Yet, it cannot be denied that terror has returned to the Capital in a big way after a long time. The perpetrators of the blasts are at large, probably, planning their next operation. They need to be caught and brought to justice, the sooner the better. All those who collaborated with them, whether Indian or Pakistani, need to be identified and dealt with under the law of the land. International cooperation of the kind witnessed when London and Madrid came under terrorist onslaught is a must if the masterminds happen to be outside of India. In any case, the Indian security system has to bring every terrorist to book. The terrorists would have succeeded in their nefarious game if either the people panicked or they retaliated violently. It should be said to the eternal credit of the people of Delhi that they have faced the challenge with equanimity. The city has rebounded in no time and on Sunday the markets were as crowded as on any such day. However, terrorism is a phenomenon that cannot be wished away. It has to be fought on all fronts, including the ideological. There can be no compromise while dealing with the monster. Let there be a national resolve to fight the terrorists till they are vanquished. Until then there can be no
respite. |
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Criminal breach
THE three naval officers indicted for leaking sensitive information from the Navy’s directorate of naval operations have been deservedly made to walk the plank. What is disturbing, however, is that given the gravity of the charges against them, mere dismissal may prove inadequate punishment. It will not serve as a sufficient deterrent to many others who may also be contemplating the trading of “classified information of commercial value” for personal gratification. The ministry has resorted to a rarely used provision in the Navy Act, where personnel can continue in service only as long as they have the President’s pleasure, to effect the dismissal. This was reportedly done on the ground that court martial proceedings would have taken too long, and the officers’ continuance in service would have been a security hazard. While speedy action on this count is welcome and the Navy and the Defence Ministry have not allowed the temptation to play down the incident, it is important for the Navy to ensure that no criminal act goes unpunished. Criminal proceedings will take a much longer time, but they must be taken up and seen through to its logical conclusion. Provisions of both the Official Secrets Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act are also available. There is doubt about the exact nature of the information retrieved by the three officers from the computers in the war-room. The Navy has all along maintained that no operational or deployment information was leaked. Considering that three middle-ranking officers – including a director of naval operations of captain’s rank – were involved, any such breach is worrisome, and may only be the tip of the iceberg. The police have also initiated action against two retired naval officers, and a court of inquiry is on against an Indian Air Force officer of Wing Commander rank. The waters evidently run murky and deep, with networks across the forces and the Defence Ministry. The enemy within is hydra-headed. It will take a concerted effort to crush it. |
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Irresponsible
talk
IRANIAN President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad openly calling for wiping Israel off the world map is stunning, to say the least. Such irresponsible behaviour can never be expected of a Head of State. Israel may have its failings but it is a member of the United Nations, recognised by even most Arab and Muslim countries, including the Palestinian Authority. His rhetoric will only harm the interests of Iran, already in a tight spot following the detection of its having violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory. Iran is bound to lose even the remotest chance it had for being allowed to have nuclear power generation technology for “peaceful purposes”. Mr Ahmadinejad’s reprehensible remarks have caused great revulsion in the world community. Now it is not only US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair who perceive Iran “as a real threat to world security and stability”. The whole world may have formed such opinion about Iran. Even if he has repeated what the late spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini, once said, describing the US as a “Great Satan” and Israel a “Little Satan”, Mr Ahmadinejad’s violation of international norms of decency is “deeply disturbing and sickening”. This is not the way to get one’s grievances heard. In any case, Mr Ahmadinejad, a radical conservative, is known for his poor understanding of international affairs. This could be one reason why Iran’s Supreme Guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently assigned the task of looking after matters of foreign policy to the Expediency Council, headed by former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was defeated by Mr Ahmadinejad during the last elections. The dangerous rhetoric the President has indulged in may be aimed at increasing his following not only in his own country but in the Arab world too, where people have only dislike for Israel. But in the process he has landed his country in serious trouble. The Iranians will have to find a way to save Iran from their own President. |
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The gods are on the side of the stronger.
— Tacitus |
Politics of free power
It goes without saying that economic policy suggestions without taking into consideration the political environment prove to be sterile propositions, yet political decisions devoid of economic logic can be disastrous for the economy. In the election campaign in 1997, the Congress party promised that if in power, its government would supply free electricity to small farmers. Yet, the Shiromani Akali Dal jumped ahead and promised free electricity to all the farmers. After coming to power, the Akalis fulfilled their promise with disastrous effects on the underground water resources of the state. But it did not help them win the elections. After coming to power in 2002, the Congress took courage to correct the situation and started charging the farming sector at a mild flat rate. Some pressure groups, comprising not more than 3 per cent of the farmers, resisted, but soon they were effectively persuaded to fall in line. The system veered around to all farmers paying for power. The next right step should have been to provide metered supply to the farming sector, and whatever subsidy could be given it could be on a per unit consumption basis. The flat rate system is as harmful in respect of depletion of underground water resources as well as for over-use and misuse of water, as is the free supply of electricity. After paying the flat rate, the user has no compunctions to save electricity or water. In the case of metered supply, even if it is at a very low rate, the consumer will tend to save on power consumption because he has to pay for that, though partially. The Congress government took a logical step to price electricity supply to agricultural sector in spite of its election promise not to do so. It means the deleterious effects of free power supply were quite obvious to the party. Yet, now as the elections are approaching, suddenly the party in power has buckled down under its electoral compulsions, apprehending that the Akalis will announce free power to the farming sector in their election manifesto. The Congress is not wrong in its perceptions in this respect. To be fair to them, why should one party take logical and right steps that would yield ground to the illogical, but populist policy promises of the opposition party! After all, politics in its very essence is all about coming to power and remaining in power. The fault lies in the very system of power politics. The Akali Dal is as much or even more responsible as the Congress for this slide back. Now free power to the farming sector has got embedded into the psyche of the political parties and no party that comes to power will find it easily possible to charge the farming sector. The political class of the state, through competitive populist politics, has committed a crime on society, and the state has been exposed to disastrous
consequences. No doubt, the farming sector needs support through subsidies. Nowhere in the world, the agricultural sector is in a position to sustain itself without subsidies. But, the choice should fall on investment subsidies that build capacities of the farmers, not the input subsidies that lead to overuse and misuse of the subsidised inputs, be they electricity, water, fertilisers, pesticides or even credit. Even if inputs have to be subsidised, the subsidy should be targeted to the deserving small/poor farmers and should be rate-based. On electricity, what the government has waived is Rs 60 per month charges per horse power of electric motor. For a five HP motor that easily commands above 10 acres of land, the subsidy amounts to Rs 360 per acre per year. As of today, two-crop land commands a rent of more than Rs 10,000 per annum. Against this scenario, if the government thinks that this is a relief enough to put the farm economy on a higher growth path and effectively check suicides by farmers, it needs to give a second thought. In fact, small farm families have ended up paying more because of higher domestic supply charges and use of higher priced diesel for their motors. Farmers do not commit suicide because they have to pay petty bills for the power they use on their farms. They commit suicide due to the reasons of successive crop failures, partly unchecked adulterated supply of pesticides and other inputs (corruption!), frustration in marketing their produce, diversion of production credit, particularly non-institutional credit, to non-productive uses and, more often, for reasons other than those related
to farming. It is quite amusing that in an attempt to justify a bad policy, economists have been challenged to provide alternatives to free electricity that would ameliorate the economic condition of the farmers. In the first place, free electricity does not help small farmers, a large proportion of whom does not have an electric tube-well. In fact, this benefit, like all other subsidies, is appropriated by bigger farmers in the mane of poor farmers. Marketing vows , which are a major cause of frustration among the farmers, emerge out of free power supply. With free power, farmers plant paddy much early, which matures in September and has high moisture and rain also has high probability at this time. Optimally, the government purchase agencies should not enter the market before October 5 or 6, when paddy planted at the right time is ready for harvest. Secondly, if the government cares to apply its mind, much better options exist in the form of investment subsidies that can be easily targeted to the small and marginal farmers. Some of these alternatives are subsidy on electric motors, costs of boring the well, transmission line costs, transformer charges, securities and one time charges, levelling of land, lining of water channels and laying of underground irrigation pipelines, drainage system, pressure irrigation systems that
save water. The government can pour as much money as it may have to develop farming sector capacities and does not have to lose resources on ill-conceived subsidies like free power or free water supply. Politically too, the targeted investment subsidies will have much better visibility and impact. Yet, all this needs a change in the political mindset, which is a remote possibility under the prevailing atmosphere of competitive populist
politics.
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Beyond borders Thanks to my father, who is no more, I grew up in awe of Ahmed Faraz, legendary Urdu poet of Pakistan. I met Faraz in the early eighties when he had come to Ambala to participate in the annual Indo-Pak Sham-e-Bahar mushaira. Faraz naturally was the toast of the mushaira. Gen Zia-ul Haq was in power in Pakistan and poems recited there by Pakistani poets about the tyranny back home were an embarrassment for the then Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Mr Abdus Sattar, who was the chief guest. When Faraz started reciting his famous ghazal, Ranjeesh hi sahi, dil hi dukhane ke liye aa, the audience asked him to sing it, rather than speak it. Faraz’s tongue-in-cheek reply to that was: "Vo kaam maine Mehdi Hasan ke liye chod diya hai" (I’ve entrusted Mehdi Hasan with that task). My father and I had our morning tea with Faraz the next day. He talked to us about how his eyesight had been affected by reading in poor light when he was imprisoned by the Zia-ul Haq regime. That day a Sikh fan of Faraz presented him with a sword. In the evening, when Faraz walked into a room where a few poets had assembled, he went up to a Pakistani poet, Niazi, namesake of Lt-Gen A. A. Khan Niazi, who surrendered to the Indian Army in 1971. Faraz handed over the sword to the poet, saying: "Niazi ye talwar tum rakh lo. Tumne to surrender hi kar deni hai" (Niazi, keep this sword. You will surrender it anyway). I met Faraz later in New Delhi where he had come to participate in a mushaira. One day Ali Siddiqui, one of the organisers of the mushaira, came to see Faraz. After exchanging pleasantries, Faraz told him, "Last night, I edited your brochure on the mushaira." He showed Siddiqui a copy with Gen Zia-ul Haq’s photograph neatly cut out. While talking to Faraz about his poetry one day, I mentioned a ghazal that made him sit up. He was a bit incredulous and said that though he had written the poem (when he was just 19), he did not remember it now. I told him that I had first heard the poem from my father who had read it out to me from his personal diary. A strange yet thrilling spectacle followed. Faraz asked me to recite his poem and he noted it down in his diary, word by word. Later he told other friends about it
and thanked me by reciting this couplet of his: "Har tarah ki
bay saro saamaniyon ke baavajood, aaj tu aaya to mujhko apna ghar achcha
laga" (Though my home is bereft of adornments, I cherished it
when you came to see me). |
Dateline Washington
Tents and relief supplies that can make a difference between life and death for survivors of the deadly earthquake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are being put in storage by local officials, according to human rights groups and volunteers working in the stricken region. New York-based Human Rights Watch representatives, who were recently in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, were told by local officials these emergency materials were being stored in order to “avoid problems when senior military and civilian officials demand supplies.” The human rights group said one official told its workers he would lose his job if he handed out the tents. The civilian officials were working under the supervision of the military, the group said in a report. A spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington denied there was any truth to the report. “It is impossible that anyone would do anything to exploit this tragedy. It is a situation in which even a man with a hard heart would weep when confronted with the devastation,” he said. However, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and local non-governmental organisations confirm the charges of hoarding. Ms Asma Jahangir, Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, told Human Rights Watch that, “Tents are now the most important commodity in Kashmir. But they are being used for power and patronage by the military and civilian authorities that control the territory.” On a recent visit to Muzaffarabad, Ms Jahangir and her team were informed of an acute shortage of shelter. “They observed that in some cases tents were stored in government warehouses, but were not being distributed,” the Pakistani commission said. “According to the authorities, these were kept for future emergencies. At the same time, relief delivery was almost absent in the cities.” Syed Shamsuddin, coordinator for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan in Islamabad, said in a phone interview “the powerful are getting the most and hoarding for the future. It’s a general practice, so people can do political favours.” But, he added, “there is an actual shortage of tents and it’s not just because some people are
hoarding them.” He said U.N. officials conducting relief operations in the region had been informed of this situation and have promised to look into the charges. The Pakistani army was severely hit by the quake. Many troops were deployed along the Line of Control that is situated close to the epicenter of the quake and divides Pakistan from India, its eastern neighbour with which it has fought two wars over the now devastated Kashmir region. Mohammed Zia-ur-Rehman, chief executive of Awaaz Center for Development Services Foundation in Islamabad, said in a phone interview that in the first few days after the quake the army was “busy helping themselves.” Now, he said, the army is “grabbing all the relief material that is being brought in by NGOs and foreign aid groups and is putting their stamps on it before handing it out to make it look like the army is helping the people.” “These people are playing politics with aid,” Mr Zia-ur-Rehman said. The October 8 earthquake has killed at least 51,000 and left more than three million people homeless. Following the disaster, as international aid poured in, Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf made public appeals for more help and tents in particular. The United States’ initial $ 50 million relief package for Pakistan includes food, water, medical supplies, blankets, tents and humanitarian assistance personnel. Aid workers operating in the treacherous Himalayan passes say the tents are vital to protect people from the winter chill. Arisa Sharmin, a spokesperson for CARE in Pakistan, said in a phone interview that the tent shortage had forced many people to take shelter amid the rubble of buildings devastated by the quake. “They are living in the ruins of their homes, which is very risky as there have been aftershocks following the earthquake and we are concerned these people’s lives are at stake,” Ms Sharmin said. “The situation is terrible.” According to the United Nations, the situation for quake survivors is worse than for those affected by the tsunami in Southeast Asia. There is concern that as hundreds of villages continue to remain inaccessible, thousands of people could die of hypothermia, hunger and disease over the next few weeks. Urging donors to provide the “right types of support” — tents, blankets and medicine — Brad Adams, London-based Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Inaction or further delay may mean that hundreds of thousands of people would freeze to death as the Himalayan winter approaches.” |
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Women are happier being
single than men
Men are lonelier living on their own than women and less likely to appreciate the freedom and lack of compromise it brings, research has shown. The number of people choosing to live alone has almost doubled in the past 30 years with the shift most significant among men. The total of males under 65 living alone has tripled since 1971. A study published today reveals that 96 per cent believed living alone had become a rite of passage though the majority did not expect it to be a long-term situation - which perhaps goes some way towards explaining the success of Bridget Jones’s Diary. Sixty-four per cent of women thought it was good to have their own place before settling down and so did 48 per cent of men. The reality is that many have been forced into the situation, usually after separating from a partner or becoming widowed. Particularly among older males, they are no longer willing to live with parents and their friends are likely to be settled with their own families. More than one third of households are now single occupancy, compared with barely one fifth 30 years ago while the percentage of the population living solo had more than doubled from 6 to 13 per cent. The result is a cultural shift that not only fuels claims of a “non-family” society but potentially throws up problems in later life with pensioners not having a live-in carer. The Unilever Family Report 2005, which questioned 1,142 people aged 25 to 44, found that men generally found living alone harder than women, and are less likely to say it is their choice. Fifty-six per cent of males said they were sometimes lonely compared with 48 per cent of females. This may be because women are more likely to see friends and family frequently. Thirty-eight per cent of women said it had a positive impact on their relationship with their family compared to 26 per cent of men. In a definite move away from the original nuclear family, more couples are opting to stay in separate properties with a third saying it helped their relationship and a quarter wanting to remaining that way indefinitely. Some people have simply decided that they prefer the independence of living alone. The phenomenon stretches across all social stratas, from the most affluent to the poorest though the increased cost of living makes it a tough option for lower income groups. Fifty-five per cent of those surveyed said it had a negative impact on their finances, with rent and bills taking up a higher proportion of their income. Despite the increasing trend in living alone, many look forward to a more sociable set up. Of the 25-44 year-olds interviewed, 77 per cent said that the most likely reason they would change their current arrangements would be to move in with a partner. ‘I would sell up for Mr Right’ Katie Marshall. Single householder. 30 Katie Marshall has an indulgently girlie bedroom because she knows that living alone means she can get away with it. “My bedroom is very, very pink. Everyone takes the mickey. But I know if I ever married or moved in with someone, there is no way I would be allowed to have a pink bedroom,” explained the 30-year-old marketing executive. Four years ago, having lived with her mother to save money, Miss Marshall bought her own one-bedroom house in Surrey.
— The Independent |
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Chatterati This week was literally raining stars for “saddi Dilli”. First, we saw hot Bollywood babes on the ramp. Bipasha Basu, svelte Shilpa Shetty with innocent-looking Katrina Kaif. While these actresses walked up and down the ramp laden with diamonds, rubies and emeralds, the guests gaped open-mouthed. You can imagine the security. For some kids and the Page 3 photographers, it was a dream come true. The first row saw Sri Devi with not only husband Boney Kapoor, but even brothers-in-law Sunjay and Anil Kapoor. Then came Jackie Shroff, Javed Jafri, Subash Ghai and Mahesh Bhatt. Now the gathering of stars was done for the launch of director Bharat Shah’s brother-in-law Vijay Shah’s showroom. For the fashion show the clothes were done by none other than Tarun Tahlani. Then we had stars like Saif Ali Khan and Yash Chopra in the Capital for grandest do of the year - the National Awards. A glum Saif with a jubilant Madhur Bhandarkar, whose film Page 3 bagged the maximum awards. Watching the movie Page 3, I felt as if I was actually in a Delhi party. It was so true that I could immediately connect with every character in the film.
A spectacular show The other power party of last week was by MP Suresh Kalmadi. A different scene completely. A fun evening with loud music and a sea of people from all spheres. Suresh has just renovated the old favourite destination, the Hauz Khas restaurant Bistro. Known for its roof-top view of ruins of a fort, which was relaunched with a new look and the launch of Calypso lounge bar. Also on display was the winter collection of Mumbai-based designer Shaina N.C, known for her drapes of saris. A spectacular show by brave models to walk around the open premises in the cold, barely clad. Here also we had Bollywood stars. If Katrina Kaif was in town, how could Salman Khan be far behind? A true gentleman, one must say. He along with Vijay Mallaya and sulky Shatrughan Sinha, Dr Trehan, Randir Singh, and Ratna Kumar could not stop appreciating the beautiful ambience. Suresh’s son Sameer with wife and Suresh’s daughter Payal and hubby were a refreshing change from Suresh’s otherwise sporty parties. This monumental joint of the Kalmadis did have a full evening.
Govinda no more Hero No. 1 Now when the Capital is full of Bollywood stars, how can Govinda’s topic not be discussed. It’s amazing but no one had a good word to say about our Hero No.1. Well, Govinda may be right when he stated that someone was out to get him with the expose. Well, the issue here is why the connections. Whether it was for fear, greed or lust for money and power. As a member of Parliament, he cannot even today try and start to explain. Exposes like Govinda’s are timely and obviously done by vested interests. But Govinda had no answers so he parodied his innocence before the media blaming all and sundry. He never once offered to resign. Neither did the Congress ask him to quit. |
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From the pages of Decadence of public life
The Government of this country has more than once nominated men as Fellows of a University whose chief claim lay in the absence of any education or in the non-possession of any academic aptitude or professional talents. Similarly, cases are not unknown of men having been appointed on Text-book Committees or on Public Libraries not for their educational qualifications but simply because these posts were considered to be places of honour which could be given to and accepted by favourites. Just conceive highly educated Indians electing to a membership of a Public Library Committee a successful Government contractor devoid of any literary or educational qualifications. We want to impress upon our educated countrymen that a sound, vigorous, healthy public life needs as much honesty of purpose, sense of fitness, sense of proportion and sense of justice in those who constitute it, from the lowest to the highest rung of the ladder as in those that constitute the official services of the country. The fact that a man has won a Rai Bahadurship or has succeeded in his business or profession is not necessarily a qualification for leadership in national affairs. |
And among the signs of God is the creation of the heaven and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your complexions. Surely in that is a sign for the knowing. — Islam Prayers and penances have a certain good effect because they help to purify the body and mind and make it suitable for the realisation of the great Truth. But the mind should not rove elsewhere while the tongue utters prayers. —
The Bhagvad Gita God has created myriads of living beings and countless creature of various kinds and names and recorded them all. How great must be his power and his beauty that a WORD from him created the whole universe with its countless creatures? Who would describe his might and his
beauty? — Guru Nanak |
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