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Cricket is for the people Tiger’s day |
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Loans may become costlier Interest on home loans may not rise again IN the third quarterly review of the credit policy the RBI has raised the repo rate (the rate at which banks borrow money from the RBI against government securities) by 0.25 per cent, thus raising the cost of funds for banks. Banks are expected to pass this enhanced cost on to customers by raising interest rates. In addition, the RBI has raised the provisioning norms to 2 per cent on personal loans.
China’s strategic defence
Winter’s manna
Narendra Modi is just being ‘rested’ French deploy anti-smoking police Inside Pakistan
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Cricket is for the people There
are persons who breathe cricket. The number of people in India watching the game live or on the TV may be equal — if not more — than those following it in all the other countries put together. The stranglehold enjoyed by the highest-bidding TV channels for telecast rights was depriving a large chunk of Indians of even matches in which India was involved. This was taking privatisation too far. The monopolistic injustice has sought to be undone through an ordinance, making it mandatory for the sports channels, radio stations and content providers to share live telecast with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for sporting events of “national importance” at home and abroad. This has come as a boon for the fans who have missed out on some eagerly awaited moments, like the comeback performance of Saurav Ganguli and a scintillating innings of Sachin Tendulkar. It must be remembered that a large chunk of population does not have access to satellite channels. For them Doordarshan is the only saviour. Even otherwise, airwaves belong to the State and no private TV operator can elbow out the country’s interests. That is penny wise, pound foolish too because most of the advertisement revenue comes because of the large audience base in India. Having said that, it must be added that in modern times, TV rights have to be purchased for amounts which happen to be more than the proverbial king’s ransom. The channels that bid this fantastic money can make good their investment only if there are sufficient returns through ad revenue. The feed given to Prasar Bharati should be used in such a way that there is no commercial loss to the rights-owning channels and a balance is maintained between private gain and the wider public interest. If the cricket matches are organised professionally today, and cricketers are given adequate facilities, it is only with the help of ad revenue and TV rights. |
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Tiger’s day THE Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance has reason to be happy with its success in the elections to the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Its victory is particularly significant after the combine’s defeat in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Elections were also held for nine other corporations in the state. It was a high-pitched battle in Mumbai, where the Sena-BJP alliance has been controlling the corporation for the last 10 years. The results show that contrary to most opinion polls, the Sena-BJP alliance did not suffer from anti-incumbency. Nor did the exit of Sena stalwarts like Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray from the party affect its prospects. While Rane joined the Congress and is now a minister in the Vilasrao Deshmukh government, Raj Thackeray floated his own party — the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS). Clearly, the “Rane factor” did not work in Mumbai and prominent Rane supporters like former Mumbai Mayor Hareshwar Patil and Rajendra Kale were defeated. Similarly, it was expected that Raj Thackeray would make a dent in the strongholds of the Shiv Sena, but his party could win only three seats. Above all, the election results are a great setback for the ruling Congress and the NCP. Senior leaders of both parties admitted on Friday that they had to pay a heavy price for their failure to forge a pre-poll alliance. The Congress strategy of fielding Maratha candidates to counter the Shiv Sena’s Maratha advantage failed to carry conviction with the electorate. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine may have won the Mumbai corporation, the country’s richest with a Rs 13,000-crore budget. But will the fresh mandate goad the new corporation to improve governance in Asia’s fast growing megapolis? Unfortunately, the city’s infrastructure is very weak. Mumbaikars cannot boast of a good quality of life what with bad roads, ineffective public transport system, poor water supply and crowded slums. The 2005 deluge is still fresh in their memory. The people often criticise the lackadaisical attitude of the corporators for the city’s problems. The fresh mandate they got on Friday will be of little value if Mumbai does not improve under the new dispensation. |
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Loans may become costlier IN the third quarterly review of the credit policy the RBI has raised the repo rate (the rate at which banks borrow money from the RBI against government securities) by 0.25 per cent, thus raising the cost of funds for banks. Banks are expected to pass this enhanced cost on to customers by raising interest rates. In addition, the RBI has raised the provisioning norms to 2 per cent on personal loans. As a result, certain loans, including commercial loans to the real estate, the share market, for credit cards and other personal loans, will become more expensive. Home loans, however, have been exempted from the increase in the provisioning norms. Banks, therefore, may not hike the interest rates for home loans, which have already moved up to around 10 per cent from 7 per cent two years ago. Builders who have made huge profits from the real estate boom will have to pay higher interest rates for their bank loans. Will this raise the cost of housing further? Quite unlikely. Because given the house builders’ profit margins, the hike in the cost of funds may be very small. The higher interest rates are already acting as a dampener for buyers. To sustain demand and the boom, the builders would be expected to bring down the prices of houses and commercial space. The tightening of personal loans is quite justified as these have grown at the rate of 34 per cent while the credit flow has been at a lower rate of 24.8 per cent. The RBI has rightly tried to squeeze the flow of funds to the stock market and also put a brake on borrowings against NRI deposits. The competition for funds may force banks to raise the interest rates on deposits also, thus benefiting senior citizens. Over all, through the latest package of measures, the RBI has tried to reign in inflation without affecting the present momentum of growth. |
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Children learn to smile from their parents. — Shinichi Suzuki
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China’s strategic defence
Emergence
of China as a major world player has been a major geo-political reality for several years now. Its comprehensive national power has been on an upward trajectory, accumulating key military capabilities alongside economic power. With that has also come the need to inform the world of its “peaceful rise” and greater transparency to allay international suspicions and fears. On December 29, 2006, Beijing released its (fifth since 1998) White Paper on Defence (WPD), underlining the need for “a strong and credible military” to prepare for “security challenges that it cannot ignore”. Its assertion that “to build a powerful and fortified national defence is a strategic task of China’s modernisation drive” should be a lesson for India’s left wing politicians who oppose any increase in our defence budget. The WPD indicates that China is most concerned with Taiwan’s independence and its constitutional re-engineering. It states: “Taiwan poses a grave threat to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole..…the struggle to oppose and contain Taiwan splittist forces and their activities is complex and grim”. Other areas of security concern are “the US and Japan strengthening their military alliance… (Their) military posture is becoming more external oriented”, and “North Korea has launched missile tests and conducted a nuclear threats.” Without naming other countries, the WPD states that “the issues of border complexities and sensitive historical problems still have an effect on China’s security environment.” This presumably covers all nations, including India, with which its border disputes continue. For a change, China underscores the importance of the People’s Armed Police as a homeland security force as distinct from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). There appears to be some effort to integrate land border defence and local administration. The WPD states that the responsibility for the China-North Korea border and Yunan section of the China-Myanmar border was transferred to the border police in 2003. There is also a chapter on the importance of good relations and cooperation between the armed forces and the public. After three major cuts since the 1980s, the PLA currently has 2.3 million troops (1.25 millions in India). The modernisation focus is on the Navy and the Air Force. “The Navy will gradually raise its marine combat and nuclear counter attack capabilities” and “the Air Force aims at speeding up its transition from territorial air defence to both offensive and defensive operations, and increasing its capabilities in the areas of air strike, air and missile defence, early warning and reconnaissance, and strategic projection”. The WPD emphasises the need to boost China’s capacity to fight high-tech wars; preparing the PLA to fight in a fast-paced, high-tech, digitised battle space. Chinese military has been upgrading its C4ISR and “information war” capabilities with satellites to be able to attack an adversary’s computer systems. “The PLA is carrying out a strategic project for training a large contingent of new type and high caliber military personnel suited to the task of “informisation” of the armed forces”, states the WPD. It is modest on the nuclear weapons, stating that “China’s nuclear arms are based on a self defensive nuclear strategy…The country remains committed to the policy of no first use.” An important purpose of the WPD appears to be to justify the steady increase in China’s defence expenditure. After its release, a Ministry of National Defence officer said: “We believe that the white paper will give the international community a relatively objective and comprehensive picture of the increase of China’s national defence expenditure…….The increase in national defence expenditure is reasonable, necessary and open and there are no secrets or attempts at concealment…. per person share is relatively low compared to that of many other countries.” From 1990 to 2005, China’s defence expenditure has increased by approximately 15.36 per cent every year, reaching $35.3 billion last year (US Defence Intelligence Agency estimate is $105 billion). There is a deliberate effort in the WPD to minimise the impact of this increase by comparing its current expenditure with other countries: as 6.19 percent of the USA, 52.95 percent of the UK, 71.45 percent of France, and 67.52 percent of Japan. Further, it states that “The increase in spending was primarily for purposes such as raising salaries and allowances of military personnel and improving living conditions, increasing investment in weapons and equipment and infrastructure, training, compensation for price rises, and increasing expenses for international cooperation in non-traditional security fields”. It needs to be stated here that many reputed think tanks believe that China does not include several traditional expenses connected with defence in its budget. Expenditures on research and development, and production of major weapons and equipment are often covered under other budget heads. Nuclear weapons and missile capability come under technology ministries. Rapid growth of China’s economy has ensured that China’s defence modernisation is never constrained on account of budget. The WPD attempts greater transparency in China’s defence policy. A Chinese military official remarked: “This White Paper has shown government’s utmost sincerity in detailing the expenditure of China’s national defence, an issue of high concern among the international community, with high transparency.” Analysts feel that although still lacking in adequate transparency, this report is a comprehensive official document on the Chinese armed forces. How should we in India look at this WPD? Firstly, this paper should not be considered in isolation. It should be considered along with China’s closer defence relations and influence in our neighborhood, particularly Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Chinese transformation of Tibet is also relevant. In recent years, China has developed substantial capability to induct, deploy and sustain large military forces in Tibet. Secondly, China has already demonstrated its ability to produce modern aircraft, ships, submarines, tanks, artillery guns and other weapons. It has developed its own missiles and space programmes. India, in comparison, is nowhere near that. Thirdly, there has been a planned and sustained effort at modernising the PLA, including updating of military doctrine and training and upgradation of manpower. Our defence planning continues to be ad hoc. Besides, China’s integrated force structure and a much younger age profile of its military have a distinct advantage over India. And finally, it is obvious that China is emerging as a force to reckon with in the regional and global security
issues.
The writer is former Chief of Army Staff
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Winter’s manna
WINTERS
are a time to wake up to the magic of the city covered in sparkling
dew lit with cold clear sunlight. The farmers in the periphery are out
in their fields, tending to the winter wheat, mustard and vegetables.
The watered fields are covered in a fine mist, raising a magical
mystical gloaming around them at dawn and dusk. The city gardens are
currently bidding adieu to their crysanthemums but soon they will be
feting the rose in the annual rose festival and gardens competition
and their joyous celebration of all of winter’s floral abundance. The Sukhna lake is like a giant teppenyaki platter glistening silver as it awaits the sunrise to set it aflame. The spicy fragrance of the “kachnar” blossoms hangs heavy in the air. For those who know of its medicinal value, it’s a good time to pick its buds for a healthy raita. I am a Punjabi hence don’t blame me for thinking with my stomach. My teenaged son summed it up rather critically, when observing me attacking my food with gusto, “Gosh mom”, he said, “you eat like a teenager”. That’s true of most Punjabis. We continue to eat like teenagers right through the “middle-age spread” to comfortable later life obesity. But what’s life without a little indulgence and the comfort foods of our youth. No Punjabi, I believe ever suffered from the number one killer disease of our times: “depression”. How can they, when their stomachs are full and their hearts content? Food is an inextricable part of the rites-de-passage of our lives. Mounds of winter vegetables dot the city markets and roadsides. Office-weary employees returning home are stopped, willy nilly by the mounds of farm-fresh peas, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, beetroots, radishes in different colours and shapes. In the northern sector hypermarkets the exotic broccoli, red, and yellow bell peppers and iceberg lettuce make their debut. The perfect winters day starts with “Aloo”, “gobi”, “muli” and “gajar ka Parathas” and “Amb da achaar”. Another favourite with indelible memories of my youth is the “Poora,” a pancake of gramflour, fresh mint, onion and tender green chilies served with Punjabi style tomato salsa. Bajre-di-roti and Sarson-da-saag are afternoon favourites. Later in the day it’s time to bake new potatoes and top them up with butter and lime, slightly charred from the coal it was baked on. There’s something almost sensual in the fragrance of potato chips, and pakoras fat and fried and paired with ketchup and mint chutney, hanging heavy on the cool winter’s air. Endless cups of tea, flavoured with cardamom and ajwain, is the elixir of choice for young and old. Come evening and the rich gravies of dinner are followed by desserts to lift your sagging spirits. The West has its rice puddings and pancakes but they don’t come close to the flavour of Malpuas drenched in creamy Kheer, “Gulab Jamuns”, “Kala Jamuns”, “Jalebi” and “Balushais”, their intoxicating aromas so tempting that it’s only too easy to succumb. Just pop the delicious morsels in one go, then sit back, and savour in their sweetness the memories of times gone by. Add on the magic of “gur” (jaggery), “rewriis”, “gachaks” and “mungphalli” (groundnuts) roasted in their shells and you should transcend into foodie heaven. These are indeed “saddi” Punjabi rites-de-passage of the season. Celebrate, and succumb to Winter’s sweet Manna. You’ve only one life to live — live it to the full in “Charh diya Kalan” for all the Winters of your
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Narendra Modi is just being ‘rested’ While reconstituting the Central Parliamentary Board and the Central Election Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its president Rajnath Singh has dropped the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi from the top decision-making bodies of the party. And in another decisive move, Sanjay Joshi, who had got entangled in a sex scandal two years ago, was also shown the door so that Ram Lal, a senior Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) could take his place. Some believe that Rajnath Singh did not want to tolerate anyone who was or could be a challenge to his political leadership within the party. Hence he managed to keep Narendra Modi out as he had a potential of becoming a competent rival. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, an outsider has a greater potential to pose a serious challenge to the political establishment since the outsider has nothing much to lose. He can circumvent even party discipline to achieve his political objective far more effectively than an insider can. Hence Rajnath Singh has not minimized the danger of challenge to his leadership by pushing Modi out of the two main decision-making bodies of the party. In any case it is inconceivable that Rajnath Singh would dare to divest Narendra Modi of his position within the party unless he has been given a green signal by the Sangh Parivar and its head K Sudershan. After all Rajnath Singh enjoys his office as the party chief only due to pleasure and approval of the Sangh Parivar. Neither the former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee nor Lal Krishna Advani preferred Rajnath Singh as successor to Advani as the party chief in December 2005. Given his way Vajpayee would have preferred Pramod Mahajan as successor to Advani. Advani was striving to bring his disciple Venkaiah Naidu as his successor. Yet another interpretation of dropping Modi is that the Sangh Parivar wanted to convey its displeasure to Advani by cutting out someone who is considered to be an ardent Advani supporter. Narendra Modi had received the full backing of Advani ever since he was sent as a replacement to the ailing Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel in October 2001. Advani not only stood by Modi after the unprecedented communal carnage in Gujarat in March 2002 but he had also frustrated the moves by the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to take action against Modi. Advani had virtually served an ultimatum to Vajpayee at the national executive of the party at Panaji a month after the famous Ahmedabad visit by Vajpayee, when he had in public reprimanded Modi for forgetting his Rajdharma as the chief minister. But in politics no one is a permanent ally or enemy. Narendra Modi proved this by his intriguing silence when the Sangh Parivar had raised a storm of protest against Advani over his remarks about the Mohamed Ali Jinnah during his Pakistan visit in July 2005. However, the Sangh Parivar did not need to lean on Narendra Modi to convey its displeasure to Advani. The Sangh Parivar had never accepted the compromise resolution that was worked out for the national executive in August 2005 as a truce. Within four weeks, the Sangh Parivar had conveyed through a resolution adopted at the session of the RSS Pracharaks at Surat in September 2005 that Advani should be asked to step down from the office of the BJP. On paper the RSS Pracharaks and the BJP are independent entities and neither has a controlling power over the other. Yet the Pracharaks adopted a resolution and the BJP accepted it as the last word. The only saving grace was Advani was allowed to stay on till December. Narendra Modi has become the poster boy of the Hindutva philosophy of the RSS and the Hindutva agenda of the BJP. No other leader can evoke such response as Modi invokes on this score. Of late he has begun to put more emphasis on social and economic development of the country and his state. Yet the underlying message has hints of the Hindutva agenda. In the last week of January this year, he addressed the Hindu Mahasabha session in Kerala. The address was about the economic and social development in his state. He produced statistics to prove what he had achieved on that score. But he also did mention, citing the Union defence Minister AK Anthony, that Kerala sea coast was not a safe one. It had become porous. Gujarat had a sea coast longer than Kerala and it adjoined Pakistan. But the Gujarat government had made it safe. These were his words, where he did convey that his government would not allow any scope for movement of Muslims either from this side or that side of the coast. It does not stand to logic that the Sangh Parivar should agree to send Modi to the back waters for no apparent reason. No leader of the BJP except Modi invokes affected adulation or violent dislike all over the country. He is a known face in more states than any other leader of the party. He has displayed his electoral skills by winning a clear mandate in the assembly in the 2002 December elections to the state assembly. One might dispute his kind of politics, his style of governance, his dictatorial behaviour with party colleagues and his disdain for the media in the state. There was a scope for a debate over his many qualities and his many more weaknesses but all would need to accept that he has proved his mettle and the BJP does not have another leader who can hold a candle to him. Even the Sangh Parivar would not be blind to this. It may be very possible that the Sangh Parivar has only enforced a compulsory rest for Modi as is generally done to provide a break to the best cricket players, so that they can perform at their peak when they are need to win the match. The second ranks are being given an opportunity to burn themselves out in the acid electoral tests that are ahead. His exclusion seems to be a part of a long term plan. |
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French deploy anti-smoking police From this week, a legion of 175,000 “cigarette police” will patrol and sniff restaurants, schools, offices and factories to enforce a tough, new law against smoking. At least this is the theory. After years of lax enforcement of existing laws, it remains to be seen how strictly the new rules are imposed. Smoking in all French bars and restaurants has been banned since 1991, except for small, designated “smoking” areas. In practice, the law has been turned upside down with almost entire premises marked as “smoking areas”. They have now been given a further 11 months' grace until January next year. Smoking in almost all other enclosed spaces open to the public has been banned from Thursday. Offenders face a fine of 68 francs. Similar restrictions have already been imposed in Ireland, Spain and Sweden and will take effect in England in June. There are some doubts about the legal basis of the French law, imposed by government decree and ministerial circular rather than by act of parliament. The government could not trust its parliamentary supporters to anger smoking voters by passing tough restrictions in an election year. All the same, the law represents an important stage in the conversion of France to an officially anti-smoking country. Until two decades ago, the French state, which held the monopoly for producing and importing tobacco, took a relatively relaxed view of smoking. In recent years, tobacco taxes have been pushed up by 40 per cent, resulting in one of the highest prices on the continent. The number of smokers fell at first but is now rising again, especially among teenagers. About one in three French people over 12 smokes regularly. The French Health Minister, Xavier Simon, has bowed to pressure from health professionals and the threat of law suits from passive smokers. Smoking is held responsible for 66,000 deaths a year in France, including 6,000 people who had never smoked. “No one should have to put up with smoke puffed out by others,” M. Simon said. “This is the end of the enforced co-habitation between smokers and non-smokers.” The power to enforce the law has been given to the police and gendarmerie but also to the transport police and an army of inspectors. They will have the power to issue “contravention” documents, like parking tickets, to offenders. The government hopes that the law will, in fact, mostly be enforced by the moral pressure of non-smokers. The detail of where smoking is banned is not in the decree but in a ministerial circular. Lawyers have warned that this is legally dubious and open to challenge. Today the European Commission will call on all 27 EU countries to follow suit by barring smoking from public places. Markos Kyprianou, European commissioner for health, will launch a discussion paper which will raise the possibility of pan-European legislation.
By arrangement with
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Inside Pakistan Dowry harassment There is no end to the plight of women in Pakistan. Reports continue to be received about the ill-treatment meted out to them by their husbands and in-laws on the pretext of not bringing enough dowry. In fact, it is never enough. The poor who cannot afford to give as much dowry as demanded find it difficult to get their daughters married. This might have been the factor behind Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad recently asking the government to help the downtrodden by arranging dowry for their marriageable daughters. But Dawn, in an editorial on January 30, subtly criticised the Governor’s gesture, saying: “It would have been better if he had discouraged the practice altogether. The custom of giving dowry to daughters at their weddings has caused more misery than is generally realised. Instead of parents giving either money to their daughter or things that raise her esteem in the eyes of her husband and in-laws, over time dowry has come to be associated with one’s social status. “Every family feels the pressure to give more than it can afford. Despite laws that limit the amount of dowry, many parents come close to bankruptcy in meeting growing demands. Worse still, at times parents - and even daughters - have committed suicide because they are unable to live up to these unconscionable expectations.” However, the number of women who refuse to tolerate such indignities is increasing fast. They do not hesitate to assert their rights even if this leads to the dissolution of their marriage. Dawn highlighted this aspect, too, by carrying an interesting comment on February 1: “According to a recent report, there were nearly 3,900 family cases filed by women that were pending in courts in Rawalpindi in 2006, up by 1,200 over the year before; of that number, nearly 50 per cent of the cases were for divorce filed by women. This proves that women are gaining more awareness about their rights and feel strong enough to end abusive or oppressive marital ties. “That recent amendments in the law have further empowered them to exercise their rights is also a welcome development. Society is waking up to the realisation that education is vital for women.” Wild life in Pakistan is faced with a serious threat to its existence. Jang highlighted the problem on February 1, saying that “there is a continuous and increasing threat to wild life. Some of the wild animals are on the verge of extinction. If this does not get immediate attention of the authorities concerned, certain rare animals may disappear from Pakistan forever.” The paper points out that one of the primary reasons for wild life getting endangered is the fast shrinking forest cover. The other major cause is the unchecked poaching of these animals. “Unfortunately, not much is being done” to prevent the loss of this precious wealth. “The gradual disappearance of wild life and forest cover is also leading to environmental degradation”, Jang points out and urges the authorities to create awareness among the people in this regard. People’s participation can make the task of the authorities easier. Violent sectarianism The authorities in Pakistan are heaving a sigh of relief after the last day (Tuesday) of the observance of Moharram passing off without any major incident of Shia-Sunni violence. Only two days before Ashura, when Moharram-related activities came to an end, many cities and towns were hit by suicide bombings at the hands of sectarian forces. Shia mosques in Bannu and Hangu were attacked with mortars. According to The Daily Times, “The fact, however, remains that violent sectarianism will not be extirpated unless President General Pervez Musharraf reorients his own domestic stance and changes some aspects of his foreign policy in regard to Kabul and New Delhi. “His first decision to bring the MMA into the political system to balance the power of the PPP and the PML (N) resulted in worsening the sectarian situation in the country. (It should be recalled that the greatest number of sectarian killings have taken place on his watch rather than in the days of General Zia-ul-Haq, who first planted the seeds of sectarian hatred ...” The long editorial also said: “In Shabqadar, on the Afghan border, Pakistani tribal teenagers are being recruited for battles inside Afghanistan. The active militia there is the Harkatul Mujahideen, yet its leader lives in Islamabad merely under the surveillance of the government. Nearly 4000 Pakistani teenagers have died fighting NATO forces in Afghanistan while many hundreds of others from the Pushtun regions are also getting ready to be suicide-bombers against the
Shias.” |
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