The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Homeless in Southall
Punjabi plight in land of plenty

The Punjabi immigrant narrative is one of success stories, of accomplishments, prosperity and honours. It has no place for ugly realities that crop up from time to time. In the Southall suburb of London, Punjabis long had their base. It is where the largest gurdwara in the UK is located, and home to an estimated 60,000 Punjabis, mostly Sikhs.

It has also become a place where homeless park themselves for the night. What has come as a shock to many is that these homeless people who sleep in rough circumstances (thus called ‘rough sleepers’) are members of the immigrant community that has long considered itself immune from any of the tribulations that it associates with the West.

Interviews with these dispossessed persons have shown that while some of them are abusers, of alcohol as well as drugs, most want to work. Some are eligible for benefits, but don’t know how to go about it, since they have never been on welfare. Some are illegal immigrants, and thus are afraid of authorities. Most want to hide their pathetic condition from people back home, who they still hope to support. By doing so, they also allow their problems to be swept under the carpet.

It is indeed shocking that the local authorities have turned apathetic to the plight of these poor people. Even the immigrant community, with a few notable exceptions, has turned a blind eye and a British politician of Indian origin has gone to the extent of saying that their problems are “self-inflicted”. The community that has a proud tradition of helping the needy now needs to look within and extend a helping hand to those for whom the immigrant dream turned into a nightmare. The newly-formed Sikh Welfare and Awareness Team, and the local gurdwaras are providing the right leadership. The number of those affected is still small, and thus manageable. The British government too needs to examine how it can help the ‘rough sleepers’, three of whom have already succumbed to the ravages of poverty and extreme weather.

A compromise over Mirchpur
Poor reflection on police and the Haryana govt

There is relief no doubt at the end of the 11-day long spell of lawlessness in and around Jind in Haryana, where a section of people held the state to ransom, torched public property and disrupted rail and road movement. But the relief is unlikely to last because the squatters apparently enjoyed sufficient political patronage to reduce the police to a state of impotence.

It is comic to find the police filing complaints against ‘unknown people’ after those who were squatting on railway tracks all these days chose to leave. There is every indication that the police will again turn a blind eye if the group decides to take the law into their hands yet again.

The protesters were demanding a fresh probe into the Mirchpur incident, in which a Dalit and his teenaged daughter were burnt alive in April last year; and the Chief Minister would have us believe that the agitation was called off following his appeal to maintain communal harmony. While the Chief Minister needs to be complimented for taking the initiative, it is not at all clear why he had to wait for 11 days to make that appeal.

Fortunately, the squatters have been more open and served another ultimatum, declaring that the state government has exactly two more months to ensure that most of the accused are set free. They also claim to have received an assurance from the Chief Minister that the Dalits would be ‘persuaded’ to withdraw their complaint. The assurance, if true, would amount to interference in the administration of justice. But the Chief Minister is himself a trained lawyer and would be aware of the limitations of his powers. The executive has no business to interfere in an on-going trial, specially after its own police investigated the case and filed the charge sheet against the accused. It can, however, delay or derail the prosecution and ensure that culprits get away for lack of evidence.

The state government and the police have a duty to ensure that justice is delivered. But judging by their reluctance to take action against lawless protesters and the manner in which they have soft-pedaled the mob violence at Mirchpur, it would appear to be wishful thinking.

Thought for the Day

Corruption is nature’s way of restoring our faith in democracy. — Peter Ustinov

ARTICLE

Tackling terror threats
Beef up India’s security
by Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd)

The first decade of the millennium has faded into eternity with the world witnessing unprecedented violence attributable to the expanding footprint globally of jehadi terrorism, economic upheavals caused by a severe recession and deepening chasms in the world community to manage the world’s environment and climate. Through all this turmoil, the UN stood a mute spectator to the unwarranted nuclear ambitions of some nations like North Korea, Iran and Mynamar, besides not being able to thwart the irresponsible assertiveness of the emerging superpower China.

Nearer home, the Af-Pak region has continued in its downward spiral of extreme and daily doses of violence with the beleaguered Afghan President Hamid Karzai being forced to reintegrate some among his deadly enemies from the Taliban to broker an uneasy peace for the survival of the Kabul government. India’s terror-exporting neighbour, Pakistan, continued with its myopic and self-destructive anti-India stance while dangerously sliding into fundamentalism. The assassin of the liberal Pakistan Governor Salman Taseer being hailed as a Ghazi (religious warrior) and showered with rose petals a couple of days ago even by lawyers in Lahore symbolises the Pakistan of today struggling for a moderate Islamic identity.

Nevertheless, the last decade was one of promise for ‘India Unbound’ to realise its vast potential in the coming years. Even though facing varied challenges, India unmistakably stands at the threshold of its long-awaited destiny, notwithstanding the deplorable efforts of some political parties in India to shake the very foundations of certain institutions for which India is respected the world over.

However, not much can be ever achieved in these highly violent times if India does not accord adequate attention to security matters to ensure a secure and safe environment within and around us. This aspect, for the past many years, has not been given the importance it deserves and the minimum acceptable combat capabilities of our armed forces have been slipping to alarmingly low levels vis-a-vis our potential adversaries. This aspect has to be addressed by the government with the urgency it deserves for capital acquisitions and military capabilities take a very long time to develop.

It is a basic security imperative for the Indian armed forces to maintain a reasonable and deterrent capability to cater to a two-front threat in a nuclear overhang in the worst-case scenario. The massive infrastructural development in Tibet, increasing Chinese presence in Khyber-Pakhtunwa, parts of occupied Kashmir and in the restive Baluchistan underscore a growing Pak-China military axis directed against India and should be a cause of much security concern to us.

In the last one year and a half or so, fortunately, in the areas of internal security and intelligence, under a determined Home Minister, some overdue steps have been initiated which need to be followed up with vigour to combat not only the formidable terror threats from outside our borders but also the alarming Maoist/Naxal threats from within the Indian heartland where out of 619 districts, nearly 220 have been grossly affected. The growing violence perpetrated on governmental assets and innocent villagers by the Naxals is a grim reminder of serious voids in our internal security preparedness.

The Indian security forces, including the BSF and the CRPF, need to gear up to counter the alarmingly growing internal security threats by motivational leadership, penetrative intelligence at the grassroots level, ensuring adequate prophylactic measures and innovative tactics against these anti-national elements, who also now reportedly have established links with their counterparts from Nepal, the Lankan LTTE and, not surprisingly, with Pakistan’s ISI.

The excellent example of the Indian Navy, now overseeing anti-terrorist operations emanating in the maritime dimension, along with the Coast Guard and the new Coastal State Police set-ups could be replicated in the hinterland also by the ground forces. Since 2010 was virtually a terror-free year for India, except Jammu and Kashmir, the notorious ISI with its henchmen of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen will plan to go into an overdrive all across the country and also try to reignite unrest in the Valley, using innocent youth and children.

Also, in concert with its dormant cells of SIMI in India, it will endeavour to mastermind blasts and violence wherever our security falters. The security of our countless strategic assets, critical infrastructure and institutions has to be fully geared up. Meanwhile, the government must also speedily implement the major recommendations of the various national commissions on police reforms to energise the police and the para-miltary forces.

With ten years having elapsed since the last major security review (post Kargil), the government may wish to carry out an all-encompassing security review to look at all challenges to the country in the coming decade, including the military, internal security, nuclear and space dimensions. Thus, the establishment of a National Security Commission to look into all these critical aspects is recommended.

As we endeavour to strive for a multi-faceted relationship with a now friendly Bangladesh, notwithstanding its old linkages with the Pakistani armed forces and the ISI, India must establish a professional relationship with that country’s security organs. Bangladesh’s efforts to curb extremist activities and its successful drive against terrorists need to be appreciated not just in South Asia but the world over. India’s healing touch is also required in Sri Lanka, Mynamar and, importantly, in Nepal too.

A nuclear-armed Pakistan, despite being in danger of imploding and becoming dysfunctional by the day, refuses to see reason and continues to be the incubator and exporter of terrorism to India, Afghanistan and the world over. Until the ISI and the Pakistan army wash their hands clearly off their erstwhile ‘strategic assets’, namely the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqanni network, pro-Taliban warlords like Gulbuddin Hekayatmar and its sponsoring of home-grown terrorist organisations like Jaish-e-Mohd, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Sipahe-e-Sanghvi, peace and stability would not return to Pakistan.

India, therefore, has to be vigilant 24/7. The US continues to reward Pakistan with generous financial and military aid despite its continuing delinquent acts in the subcontinent and thus Pakistan remains selective, duplicitous and on a high horse in the war against terror in this region. Meanwhile, India must, politically and economically, venture out to frontiers, as yet significantly untapped, with South American nations, Iran, South Africa, Vietnam, Central Asia and the European Union. The year 2010 witnessed the rare phenomenon of leaders of all the permanent Security Council members visiting India, thereby acknowledging India’s emergence on the world stage.

Notwithstanding the siege within and myriad external challenges in its march forward, India stands to play an increasingly significant role globally in the years ahead as long as we can successfully manage the diverse formidable challenges to our security.

The writer was the first Chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency.

MIDDLE

Matter of choice
by Major-Gen GG Dwivedi (retd)

There was a breed of British officers who on completing their service with the Indian Army chose to stay back rather than return to the native land. Colonel Mac was one of the flock. Having spent over half a century in the subcontinent, he proudly claimed to be a natural Indian and settled down in a wayside town in the North-East.

A diehard professional, known to be stickler for traditions, he had extended an open invitation for anyone in olive green to call on him. Coincidentally, I happened to be transiting through the remote town to take up my maiden assignment in the unit. Enthusiastic to make a sound debut, I thought it opportune to take a few tips from the seasoned soldier.

The Colonel was attired in his Sunday best and was excited to have a keen greenhorn of the same regiment as a visitor. He complimented me profusely for choosing to join Infantry, the “Queen of Battle”. Over meticulously laid out tea, he shared the salient traits of my regiment. “Our men are tough as rock, easy with trust but never accept betrayal,” summed up the Colonel. As war clouds were building up, the veteran’s recipe to “live to fight another day” was: “ Personal weapon is the most valuable limb of the body; hence handle it with extreme care. The closer you remain to Mother Earth, the safer you are. And treat the buddy like a Siamese Twin.” After a pause he went on to add: “An officer leads by example and his location is always at the head of the pack”.

While taking a walk through his bungalow, Mac stopped by the shoe rack and pointed to the neatly laid out footwear. With a mischievous smile, he let out the secret of his charismatic personality, attributing it to strict pecking order. “The seniormost is a pair of fleets with which I start the day and last one in the lineup, the dancing shoes, are to wind up the evening”. While showing me one of the family photographs, he expressed regrets about his son not joining the Army. “He is a bloody poopy civilian! Even had a heart attack recently,” lamented the old man.

As I prepared to take leave, he narrated an anecdote while escorting me out to the gate. Recalling his days as a young Lieutenant, he said the first prized acquisition then, was a bicycle. He reminisced that the owner of the bicycle store in a particular military station was a retired Sergeant. As part of freebies by way of accessories, the Sergeant gave a choice of either a “stand” or a “carrier’. The metaphoric justification was that as an officer one had the option to either pursue a “career” and go up the ladder, or take a “stand’ to abide by one’s conviction.

Elaborating further he continued: “In case you keep taking a ‘stand’ all through your service, then be prepared to end up as a Major. On the other hand, as a ‘career’ seeking individual, there is a good chance to rise to be a General”. “What sir, if one wants to pursue both,” I asked.

Mac took a deep breath, and patting my shoulder softly, whispered: “You mean burning candle at both ends? Perhaps a hybrid product, a Major-General”. Firmly pumping my hand, the veteran wished me God’s speed and happy hunting with the parting words: “Life offers choices! For a soldier the only choice is ‘Service before Self’, a price one ought to be proud to pay, for the faith reposed by fellow countrymen”.

OPED GOVERNANCE

MAKING CIVIL SERVANTS DELIVER
After his re-election, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar plans to give the people a legal right to avail government services. The new law, which has also evoked interest in Punjab, will ensure the delivery of services in a time-bound way and fix responsibility on the civil servants for delays.
R. K. Luna

The intense competition brought about by economic reforms has left one definite advantage for the Indian consumer, and that is, a quick delivery system in the private sector. Pizzas are delivered at your home in half an hour, internet connections are installed within 24 hours and a car loan is sanctioned within 48 hours.

However, the movement of files in government offices still remains sluggish. War widows have to wait for months to get pension. Scheduled Castes students have to pass through a rigorous exercise to get a caste certificate issued. Compensation to the ‘refugees of their own land’ is delivered after years of the acquisition of land. An ambulance rarely reaches the patient in time. Trains and public transport buses usually run behind schedule, sometimes 12 to 24 hours late.

India is known to have the best of laws and regulations in the world, yet they help little to deliver services to people in time. For this reason a World Bank survey in 2007 ranked India at 134 out of a total of 175 countries. The rank rose to 120 in the 2008 survey.

The report states that it takes 35 days in India to start a business compared with an average of 17 days in OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries and two days in Australia. The official cost to start a business is high at 74 per cent of per capita income compared to 9 per cent in China, 43 per cent on average in East Asia and 47 per cent on average in South Asia.

It notes that rigidity in labour laws imposes significant costs. As a result, India has failed to create almost three million formal manufacturing jobs due to certain provisions in the Industrial Disputes Act. In the case of registering property, India ranks 110th, taking six procedures and 62 days, compared to one day in Norway, 32 days in China and 47 days in Brazil. The costs of registration are high at 8 per cent of property value compared with 3 per cent in China and 5 per cent on an average in South Asia.

There is a widespread perception that governments are not delivering what is expected from them. In a country like India, where the socially and economically weaker sections of society have fewer alternatives to public services, there is a growing demand to improve the delivery system in the public sector. Governments are not only required to do the right things but are also expected to do them right, more efficiently and effectively. Enhanced government effectiveness not only improves the welfare of the citizens in the short-term but also in the long run. Conversely, the failure to deliver welfare and social security services, especially to the disadvantaged, adversely affects the health and productivity of people and also brings down the country’s competitive advantages in a globalised world.

Traditionally, governance structures in India have been characterised by rule- based approaches. There are a plethora of rules and regulations in the governance business, rules for budget estimates, accounting procedures, for conducting enquiries, awarding punishments and observing protocols in the services, but there are no rules for making a civil servant responsible for the delivery of services.

In fact, there are many outmoded rules and procedures that restrict the civil servants from performing effectively. The civil servants spend a lot of time in maintaining and clarifying their jurisdictional rights and boundaries, clearing their decisions through increasingly complex internal processes and coordinating their activities through a number of agencies wasting energy and resources.

With the focus on processes, systems in the government are oriented towards input usage, about deployment of resources, staff and facilities in a programme or project, and not towards completing the job efficiently and effectively. With top-down approaches, thinkers and doers are usually separate emphasising more on control and less on performance. The success of schemes, programmes and projects is generally evaluated in terms of money spent and compliance of rules. This has led to a situation in which civil servants are rarely held accountable for the outcomes.

The biggest challenge, therefore, confronting the government is how to deliver the services to the people in a time-bound and effective manner. The recent Vidhan Sabha elections in Bihar have reiterated that it is the development plank that is going to win future elections. In the democratically elected governments promises made to the people through the electionmanifestos have to be translated into government programmes to address the woes of the people.

The Preamble of the Constitution promises to secure justice, “social, economic and political” for the citizens of India. However, despite a number of ambitious Five Year Plans, one-third of our citizens live in poverty, 28 per cent are illiterate and 58 per cent are deprived of basic amenities of sanitation.

There has been no dearth of programmes and schemes. For example, the government has launched several programmes intended to help the poor such as the public distribution system, Antodaya, school assistance, mid-day meals programme, Integrated Child Development Services, Food for Work Programme and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, but they are not delivering benefits to the masses as desired.

Bihar has shown that given the opportunity and resources, people can bring up productivity and the Gross Domestic Product. The Bihar Chief Minister’s novel idea to move the Right to Service Bill to ensure smooth functioning of the delivery system of public utility services is a step forward in the direction of bringing justice to the people. Surely, such legal framework is required to be emulated in all states to end the sufferings of the countless poor people at the hands of powerful babus.

In Punjab, though the Governance Reforms Commission has suggested a number of reforms, how many of these are implemented remains to be seen. It is high time that the government brought up the Right to Service Bill to ensure the delivery of services within the prescribed time limit on the lines of Bihar Rajya Sewa Dene Ki Guarantee Vidhayak Bill.

The proposed Bill envisages to provide 46 most common identified services to the citizens within the stipulated time limit (see box). The Act is also to notify designated officers responsible for the delivery of these services, making a further provision for the quick disposal of appeals and fixing responsibility for those causing unnecessary delay and deficiency in service. The officials at fault may have to pay Rs.500 to Rs.5,000 as penalty after the deadline is over. The government may also award compensation to the aggrieved citizen out of the penalty imposed on the civil servants, besides taking disciplinary action.

Only a law of this kind can provide relief to the people who have to wait inordinately and make multiple trips to government offices to seek public utility services. The Act is likely to tackle red tape in offices, bring transparency and weed out corruption to a large extent. The Right to Service Bill will also make the RTI Act more meaningful and useful as information alone is not enough. The information will have to be supplemented by giving people the right to demand service. The Act can, therefore, go a long way in the implementation of decisions.

Besides, there is a strong need for reinventing governance in India. While the freedom to compete is the driving force that keeps the markets vigorous and dynamic, the absence of competition among government organisations is mainly responsible for the inefficiency or low productivity in government systems. Countries across the globe are reforming their economies and undertaking privatisation and deregulation. In the US alone, since 1905, there have been ten commissions aimed at trying to make the federal government more efficient and effective.

The urgency for reinventing governance is dictated as much as by the imperatives of global developments as by the forces of new technology and communication, bringing out global competition, by shrinking distances and rendering conventional approaches and practices of administration obsolete and dysfunctional. Towards this end, a number of measures have to be taken for the simplification of rules and procedures, delegation of enhanced powers, better enforcement and accountability for speedy delivery of goods and services to the people.

Reinvention is not just about finding faults or monitoring results. It is about replacing large, centralised and top-heavy bureaucracies with decentralised, entrepreneurial organisations that are driven by competition and accountability to people for the services they deliver at the public expense. Voting in favour of governments that work, people have shown that they want better schools, better hospitals, lower crime rates, better public transports, and if governments want to deliver, they have to govern differently, in a business-like manner.

Leading business houses are getting rid of layers of middle management for years. Now the governments should also do so. Creating regional offices and promoting officers and transferring them to the head offices is more than harming the delivery mechanism. In fact, once a ministry, department or a division is created, it is difficult to abolish it even if its functions become redundant.

Reinventing governance is a challenging task which cannot be accomplished without an intense political will. The public servants are to be reoriented to their jobs through continual learning, shifting paradigms, setting standards and applying innovative methods. They should be clear about the differences between outputs and outcomes.

The writer is an IFS officer.