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Tackling 2G scam
Blow to Reddy brothers
Poisoned colours |
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Asia: the coming moves
Like father, like son
The New Year provides an opportunity for stock-taking and looking ahead. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda outline their agenda for 2011
No space for social evils in Haryana
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Tackling 2G scam IT is not clear what purpose Mr Kapil Sibal, the lawyer-turned expert on telecommunications, has achieved by rubbishing the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report on the 2G spectrum allocation other than trying to score a point over the CAG – as lawyers often do with their rivals. At best, he has succeeded in confusing the issue. People may wonder which of the two sets of facts to believe. The CAG is a body of professionals that commands respect for exposing skeletons in the government’s cupboards. It took 18 months to study the issue in detail and reach the conclusion that the exchequer lost Rs 1.76 lakh crore as a result of allotting 2G spectrum on the basis of a flawed policy of first come, first served rather than resorting to bidding. The CAG report, submitted to Parliament in November last year, created a political storm and led to the ouster of Mr A. Raja as Telecom Minister. An agitated Opposition stalled the functioning of Parliament to demand a JPC probe. The Supreme Court expressed dismay at the goings-on in the Telecom Ministry (“Is that the way the government functions?”). The CBI is seized of the issue. The Public Accounts Committee is looking into the matter. Even the Prime Minister has offered to appear before the PAC. But here is a minister, who instead of placing his department’s viewpoint before the PAC, has rushed to a TV channel with his version of the scam. In the process he has exposed himself to the charge of violating parliamentary propriety. Mr Sibal accepts that wrongs have been done and he has penalised the erring firms. He also supports the issue of criminal liability. But it is the amount of presumptive loss that is disputed. The CAG has rejected Mr Sibal’s assertions and sticks to its figure of loss. In a scam of this proportion what matters the most is credibility of the agency investigating the issue. People want to know the whole truth. Let the CBI and the PAC do their job without Mr Kapil Sibal further muddying the waters.
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Blow to Reddy brothers THE Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowerment Committee’s recommendation for cancellation of all three mining leases of the powerful Reddy brothers in Andhra Pradesh due to various irregularities is a big blow to them. The Reddy brothers — Janardhana Reddy, Karunakara Reddy and Somasekhara Reddy — are not only Karnataka’s nouvea mining magnates but also ministers in the B.S. Yeddyurappa government. The committee, which submitted its report to the apex court on Friday, has recommended cancellation of leases on the mines of the Obalapuram Mining Company spread over 140 acres as well as its sister concern, the Ananthpur Mining Company. Among the reasons cited are illegal extension of the lease by the authorities; illegal mining beyond approved areas and depth; and illegal construction within the Bellary reserve forest in violation of the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act. It found that a mining lease of 39.5 hectares, executed by the Andhra Pradesh Government’s Department of Mines in favour of the company, differed materially from the area for which environmental clearance had been taken under the Act. Keeping in view the nature, the extent and the magnitude of the irregularities, the empowered committee’s report for action against the Reddy brothers needs to be pursued to its logical conclusion expeditiously. However, an early action seems unlikely because a three-Judge Forest Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Justice S.H. Kapadia has said that it would look into the report from the “larger perspective” and not just on the “individuals”. Not surprisingly, the Reddy brothers have dubbed the report as “biased” and “vindictive.” Paradoxically, the Reddy brothers are a boon and bane for the Yeddyurappa government. Their illegal mining operations in Karnataka’s Bellary district and in Andhra Pradesh are now legion. After the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s death and his son Jagan Mohan Reddy’s exit from the Congress, their troubles have multiplied. Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has said that he would name all those involved in the mining scam in his report to be ready by March. Governor H.R. Bharadwaj says that he has received complaints accusing the Reddy brothers of constantly shifting the boundary marks between Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and supporting illegal mining activities besides transporting iron ore. The CBI, the Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate are also probing into their assets. Clearly, the heat is on the most powerful family in Karnataka.
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Poisoned colours
Bright
paints often mask an ugly reality — they have lead in them. While lead increases the durability of paint and helps it retain a fresh appearance, it is also poisonous to human beings. Many nations strictly regulate the lead content of paints used in homes and various institutions. However, in developing nations like India, much of the paint used has lead content. The Bureau of Indian Standards permits up to 1,000 ppm (parts per million) of lead in paints. On the other hand the internationally acceptable level of 600 ppm is also being revised and soon, only 90 ppm would be allowed. A recent study conducted by the Consumer Association of India showed that most paint manufacturing industries do not comply with Indian lead-safe standards, let alone global ones, even though many of the brands surveyed in the study are international. Lead poisoning affects children even before they are born by impairing their growth, health and even mental faculties, including intelligence. Ironically, it is also considered to be the most prevalent environmental disease among residents of developing nations. The ill-effects of lead poisoning have been known for centuries, but mankind has been slow to act on this issue. Lead was widely used as an additive in gasoline, which contributed to the air pollution and constituted a health hazard till it was banned practically worldwide. In India too, unleaded petrol was introduced in 2000, and all petrol used now does not contain lead. India needs to take immediate steps to set enforceable health safety standards regarding the use of lead in paints. Manufacturers should also be made to prominently display the lead content of their paints. It must be kept in mind that lead paint is most dangerous when it is peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking. Special protective measures are needed to prevent workers and users alike. Lead poisoning directly imperils our future. We must take proactive measures to prevent it.
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The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. — Benjamin Disraeli
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Asia: the coming moves Despite
opposition from various sections of the US thinking public, the Obama administration’s promised withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan is going to begin in July. However, the US presence in Afghanistan will remain intact in various other ways, as it cannot allow Al-Qaida and its affiliates to regain the ground they have lost in the strife-torn country. But this is not the only reason why the super power cannot think of losing the advantage it has for taking care of its interests in Central Asia and South Asia. The US has worked hard for removing the hurdles in the implementation of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, which may become a reality soon. An agreement has already been signed among the four nations with the US quietly working as the facilitator. The Asian Development Bank has been persuaded to fund the ambitious project and efforts are on to start the work of laying the pipeline with Afghanistan guarantying the security of the stretch that will pass through its territory. Security experts believe that the Afghan guarantee has come on behalf of the US, which will be assigned by Kabul the responsibility of protecting the project by positioning its soldiers wherever needed. A clearer picture of the TAPI project and its strategic implications will emerge in the coming few months. The TAPI project has helped the US in getting the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline idea virtually shelved. This is a major victory for Washington DC in the efforts to punish Iran for its refusal to cap its controversial nuclear programme. The success achieved by the US on the gas diplomacy front is bound to give it greater confidence in playing its cards in West Asia. The US is expected to be proactive in the world’s most volatile region with its combat troop withdrawal from Iraq reaching the final stage. With a view to countering the efforts of Al-Qaida to expand its base in the Arab world with its headquarters in Yemen, the Obama administration is giving hints of reviving the virtually abandoned drive to find a solution to the festering Israeli-Palestinian problem. Former US President Jimmy Carter stated in a recent newspaper article he wrote along with Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, “Two years after the 2008 Gaza conflict, there is an opportunity to reassess the entire approach to the negotiations” that have been held with little success to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian issue. “If there is no real progress, more violence is the likely outcome”, the article warns. Another issue that may be intensely debated in West Asia in the coming few months is related to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran is moving ahead, step by step, towards acquiring the nuclear bomb in the guise of pursuing a peaceful nuclear energy programme. Influential Arab countries like Saudi Arabia are likely to put more pressure on the US and other Western nations to stop the Iranian nuclear march or get ready for other countries in the sensitive region trying to go nuclear. The US, which has enormous interests in West Asia to protect, cannot ignore the Arab plea and may use the success it has achieved in the ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia to raise a thicker and higher wall to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. It is mainly the China factor which has been encouraging Iran to keep its controversial programme going. Russia, too, has considerable interests in Iran like China, but Moscow has not been able to inspire as much confidence in the Persian Gulf nation as Beijing does. However, if China indirectly enables Iran to realise its nuclear ambitions, Beijing will be jeopardising its own interests in the Sunni Arab countries. Most Arabs are as strongly opposed to the Iranian nuclear programme as the US and other Western countries are. Will the US go unchallenged with its expected moves on the Asian chessboard? China is likely to pose a major challenge to the US almost everywhere in Asia. It may use the fast growing bilateral trade with India to improve its relations with New Delhi with a view to preventing the latter from helping the US game plan in any manner in South Asia. There is much realisation in China, as reflected in the writings of China experts, that the US is propping up India to keep Beijing entangled in rivalries with its next-door neighbour. Of course, both India and China understand well that this is the age of cooperative diplomacy without jeopardising one’s own interests. They have to make their moves with utmost caution so that they remain the growth engines of the evolving Asian century. Yet the undeniable reality is that there are suspicions on both sides against each other. China has also been showing signs of using its widespread presence in Pakistan to threaten US interests in Afghanistan and West Asia. Even since the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan became public, China has been more active in the Af-Pak region. It may increase its development and other activities in Afghanistan to emerge as a major player in the Great Game in the South-West Asian region. The strong anti-US sentiment in both Afghanistan and Pakistan may help China in spreading its network there. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai lately showing reluctance to accept most US demands must be seen against this backdrop. India, which has invested considerably in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, will have to be more watchful of its interests in the emerging scenario in that country. There is no dearth of goodwill for India in Afghan society. But New Delhi will have to intensify its efforts to ensure that the Taliban influence on the Karzai government remains within manageable limits. Pakistan will obviously create difficulties for India. Countering Islamabad’s moves in post-July Afghanistan will not be easy, as both the US and China will be depending on Pakistan to a considerable extent to safeguard their interests. The chill in India’s relations with Iran because of our otherwise justifiable role at the International Atomic Energy Agency with regard to Teheran’s controversial nuclear programme may make the situation a little difficult for India in Afghanistan. India’s withdrawal from the Asian Clearing Union, affecting payments to Iran for imports from there by Indian business entities, has also added to the growing misunderstanding between New Delhi and Teheran. India will have to work hard to convince Iran to understand New Delhi’s compulsions in the evolving new world order. India cannot afford to dilute its commitment to the larger cause of nuclear non-proliferation in view of its drive to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
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Like father, like son IN history, sometimes along with human beings institutions also migrate. In the year 1947, one such institution, which migrated from Amritsar to Lahore was Muslim Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College. This college had a very famous Principal, who was also the first person from Punjab to get a PhD in English from Cambridge University of England. It was one day in the summer of 1937 that he, a bachelor, went for shopping in Hall Bazaar of Amritsar. As ill luck would have it, he forgot his purse in the shop and came back. A British lady by the name of Ms. Christable picked up the purse and went next day to return it to Prof. Mohammed Din in his college. Since the British lady had also been a Cambridge student, an instant friendship started. May be, that was love at first sight. Later, they decided to get married and their Nikah ceremony was performed by Sir Allama Iqbal. Prof. Mohammed Din had three children — two daughters followed by a son, who was born in 1946. Christable’s younger sister Alys also started visiting Amritsar and developed a liking for a lecturer of English at MAO College named Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The younger sister followed the elder one and married Faiz. At the time of Partition, most of the Muslim students and teachers of MAO College of Amritsar moved to Pakistan along with the college. The college itself got shifted to the premises of DAV College of Lahore located in the lower Mall. It still runs there. Prof Mohammed Din was handsome and a voracious reader, besides being a famous Urdu poet, with the surname of Taseer. He took over the Principalship of Islamia College, Lahore. Prof. Mohammed Din Taseer had an early death in the late 50s. His son and two daughters were brought up by his wife Christable — now converted to Islam with the new name Bilquees. The daughters settled in England after marriage in Muslim families and the son, Salman Taseer, became a chartered accountant. He later joined politics and became a famous leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. He became the Governor of Punjab province of Pakistan in May 2008 and was murdered a few days ago by a fanatic. Sometimes I think that had Prof Mohammed Din not lost his purse in the shop in Hall Bazaar, Amritsar, and had that not been found by the British damsel, many such events would not have happened. Salman Taseer was murdered because of his stand on the blasphemy law regarding Holy Prophet. There is a strange coincidence. His father too had praised, defended and arranged for the funeral of Illamddin in 1929 because Illamddin, who had killed Rajpal Malhotra, the owner of Hind Pocket Books and father of former Punjab Governor Surender Nath because of his comments on Holy
Prophet.
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The New Year provides an opportunity for stock-taking and looking ahead. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda outline their agenda for 2011
Governance reforms in Punjab to make administration responsive I say this on the basis of several landmark efforts we have made to take our state into a new orbit of development and growth. Even more satisfying has been the knowledge that all our efforts are bearing fruit in terms of concrete developmental projects on the ground. I briefly list some of these here. The SAD-BJP government has drawn a blue print for ensuring overall development and welfare of all sections of society. Power, infrastructure, civil aviation, education, skill development, medical education and health care, governance reforms and welfare of the under-privileged sections of society are on the top of the government’s agenda. The year 2011 will be significant as it will herald the fructification of landmark projects, thereby putting Punjab on a higher growth trajectory. On the power front, our government has focussed its attention on making Punjab a power surplus state by generating additional capacity of 9494 MWs. To fulfill this commitment, work has already commenced at the thermal plants near Talwandi Sabo (2640 MW), Goindwal Sahib (540 MW) and Rajpura (2100 MW). An MoU and a power purchase agreement for the thermal plant at Gidderbaha (2640 MW) has been signed with NTPC for execution as a regional power station. Education has always been close to my heart, and I am glad to say that in this sphere Punjab has made a decisive push forward. We have brought three new universities to the state. In addition, the iconic ISB at Mohali and the IIT at Ropar are set to embellish the academic and professional education horizon of the state. We have recruited over 45,000 fresh teachers in various disciplines. Health has been the other key sector for us. As a part of upgradation and modernisation of medical education and research, Rs.197 crore has been spent on Govt. Medical College, Amritsar, Rs.100 crore on Baba Farid University of Health Sciences at Faridkot and its constituent college, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, and Rs.101 crore on Rajindra Medical College, Patiala. Guru Ravi Dass Ayurveda University is also being set up at Hoshiarpur. As many 135 Professors, Associated Professors and Assistant Professors, besides 101 Senior Residents and Junior Residents and 748 nursing and other paramedical staff have been recruited in medical colleges. Fully-equipped cancer diagnostic and treatment centres at Amritsar , Faridkot, Patiala and Bathinda are being set up to effectively tackle the growing menace of cancer. A plan of Rs 346 crore for the upgradation of infrastructure and equipment in hospitals to provide medical and health care facilities to the people is under implementation. Two super speciality hospitals are being set up in Public Private Partnership over government land in Mohali and Bathinda in collaboration with MAX Healthcare at a cost of Rs.300 crore. As many as 878 specialist and medical doctors, besides 3,835 paramedics, have been recruited in government hospitals Students suffering from heart diseases and cancer are being provided with free treatment at the PGI, Chandigarh, and other hospitals under the school health programme An ambitious programme of Rs. 2,111 crore for the cleaning of the Satluj river (Rs.1,376 crore), the Beas (Rs.222 crore) and the Ghaggar (Rs. 513 crore) has been initiated to clean these rivers and make them pollution-free within a year. As a part of this programme all the cities and towns will be provided with the facilities of sewerage and safe drinking water by November 2011. Another major programme has been chalked out to construct rural latrines in villages at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. I can proudly say that we have pushed Punjab into the next-gen infrastructure development era. Major initiatives have been taken to revamp the network of roads involving an investment of over Rs. 25,000 crore. Besides, the New Year will also witness the linking of every important city in the state with 4/6 lane roads, besides the completion of 33 ROBs / RUBs initiated at the cost of Rs. 7073 crore. The strides made in the key area of civil aviation in Punjab are a matter of pride not only for our state and our government, but also for the country as a whole. Punjab attempts to soon become one of the few states in the country to have three international airports with the setting up of a new international civil air terminal at Mohali and another Rs. 17,000 crore Greenfield International Airport planned near Ludhiana. We already have one international airport at Sri Amritsar Sahib. For the first time since Independence a concrete initiative has been taken for governance reforms to make day-to-day administration responsive, accountable and transparent. These reforms are aimed at eliminating various outdated and cumbersome procedures for which people had to face undue harassment in government offices. These governance reforms in terms of computerisation of land records and simplification of archaic revenue acts will not only be public friendly but also change the perception of the common man about the functioning of government offices. The New Year will witness the commissioning of Rs. 20,000 crore Bathinda refinery. Besides, the dedication of five thermal plants being built at a combined cost of Rs. 62,000 crore will put Punjab state on a higher pedestal of growth apart from opening new vistas of employment for Punjabi youth through skill development initiatives. We have recently come up with a new sports policy 2010 aimed at achieving excellence in sports and giving incentives to sportspersons, who win laurels for the state at the national as well as international level. Our government has undertaken the construction of three world-class historic memorials at Chapparchiri (SAS Nagar), Kup Ruhira (Malerkotla) and Chhamb Kahnuwan (Gurdaspur) at a cost of Rs. 44 crore in commemoration of the victory of Sirhind by Baba Banda Singh Bahadur and in the memory of Chhotta and Wadda Ghallughara martyrs respectively to bring awareness about our rich legacy among the future generations. Our aims are clear, our vision is focussed and our approach is firm and sure-footed. As the New Year 2011 dawns, let us pledge to make the coming year a year of complete transformation in terms of development, prosperity and progress. I wish you all a very happy and successful new year – and many, many more years ahead.
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No space for social evils in Haryana The New Year is the time for doing soul-searching, stock-taking and making new resolves. We must pause and ponder, and make an honest assessment of how far we have succeeded in addressing people’s issues and meeting their aspirations and needs during the previous 12 months, and draw guidelines to shape our vision for the New Year. 2010 was indeed a watershed year, which saw Haryana forge ahead in fields ranging from as old as education, health and infrastructure to as young as metro linkages and nuclear energy. The state carved a niche for itself on the national and global canvas. We have taken sure and steady steps on the road to ensuring efficient delivery of services, improving the quality of life and meeting aspirations of the people. But we have miles to travel and a long way to go. Having placed Haryana in the high-growth orbit, we must now move to make it a model state. We are determined to bring the state close to the goal of power self-sufficiency, take concrete measures to beef up infrastructure, broaden educational and health care facilities and move further up on the human development index ladder. We shall concentrate our energies on conserving precious resources like water and power, and creating an eco-friendly industrial environment. We must work to make Haryana a state where equity reigns supreme, where a transparent and responsive administration bends to people’s needs, where opportunities and resources are aplenty, where nepotism, graft, crime, female feticide and other social evils have no space, and where people are made proud participants in progress. We must take quick steps to create new avenues of growth, conserve resources, take basic facilities right to people’s doorstep and put in place an effective redressal system. On the occasion of New Year let us take a resolve to achieve these goals with dedication and indulgence.
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EVERY New Year brings one face to face with an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of both the year gone by and the year that knocks at our doors. In my long political career, I have always put myself through severest tests to see as to how much we have been able to achieve for our state. It gives me great satisfaction to say that the past four years have been among my most satisfying periods in terms of service to the state. 
Every