The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Amar tapes can be aired
Court rap for his shifting stand

The Supreme Court’s dismissal of a PIL filed by former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh seeking to stop publication of his phone conversations intercepted illegally in 2005 is dictated essentially by the peculiar circumstances of that case. It does not amount to a carte blanche to illegal phone interceptors to go to the media with taped conversations. In the case in point Amar Singh had alleged that his telephone calls were being monitored by the Union Home Ministry through the Delhi Police at the instance of the Congress party. Later, he recanted his allegation against the Congress absolving that party of all blame evidently because his political preferences had undergone a change. It was this “shifting of stand to suit his convenience” that provoked the Supreme Court bench to reprimand Amar Singh for filing a ‘frivolous’ and ‘speculative’ petition. Consequently, the court decided to vacate the stay on publication of the taped conversations. Its observation that litigants must come to court with “clean hands” and must not file writ petitions as a “game of chess” clearly reflected its understandable anger at Amar Singh’s shifting stand and of the fact that he had wasted the court’s time.

The court’s rebuke of Reliance Infocomm which tapped Amar Singh’s phones on the basis of a forged authorisation letter for failing to verify the interception order shows that there is no question of any softening of the court’s stand against illegal phone tapping. Its direction to the Central Government to frame statutory guidelines to prevent interception of phone conversations on unauthorised communication as was done in the Amar Singh case is apt and must be acted upon by the government.

Politicians who are guided by crass opportunism need to be unmasked for what they are. The phone conversations whose publication the court had stayed earlier will now, predictably, be out in the open. While the individual’s right to privacy needs to be protected per se, in the Amar Singh case he forfeited that right by basing his whole case on allegations that he subsequently went back on.

Microsoft buys Skype
Playing for high stakes

Microsoft has bet big by paying $8.5 billion for the world’s most popular Internet calling service, the Luxembourg-based Skype. It has paid almost 39 per cent more than what Skype itself says it is worth. In return, Microsoft gets a service used by 660 million people, out of which 23 million Skype each other at peak times. Indeed, Skype is a verb, as Microsoft’s chief executive Steven A. Ballmer pointed out, like Google, which he did not point out.

Besides expanding into the communication space, where Skype rules, competition from the likes of Google which were also courting Skype probably prompted Microsoft to pay a record sum for a company which has lost money in four of the past five years. However, its sales have quadrupled. Skype is by far the market leader in Internet communications, both with its free service, as well as the paid services that have a growing clientele, including in the corporate space. Microsoft would do well by integrating Skype with its Office productivity programs and the Xbox video game consoles. The well-reviewed but sparsely adopted Windows for smart phones has recently got a fillip with the Microsoft-Nokia alliance, and adding Skype to it would definitely help in making the programme attractive. About 40 per cent of Skype users call using video, and integrating such capabilities with Microsoft applications would definitely enhance their value.

All this depends on Microsoft successfully integrating its acquisition. In fact, the company’s record in this has been a bit patchy. However, given that this is the largest acquisition that Microsoft has ever made, we can surely expect the company to focus hard on making it a success. Millions of users worldwide expect that their favourite service will continue as before, providing free or cheap telephony through Internet. The tie-up with Microsoft is expected to provide more stability to the product that had experienced some outages a few years ago. Microsoft, which has bought a golden goose, should ensure that it does not get strangled in any way, so that it continues to lay its golden eggs.

Thought for the Day

Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. — Roger Lewin

ARTICLE

Land, loot and violence
Nandigram to Noida and beyond
by Inder Malhotra

TWO parallel events in recent days underscore the reasons why ceaseless land-grab on a scandalous scale is causing so much anger and violence in the countryside and why the Indian political class, irrespective of its party affiliations, has a vested interest in doing nothing to stem the terrible tide that could render the entire country to something like the Naxal-infested Red Corridor.

The first and infinitely tragic incident is the virulently violent agitation by farmers in Noida — at New Delhi’s doorstep, indeed a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) — against the acquisition of their land at low prices, which spread fast to Agra and Aligarh. On the face of it, the cycle of violence and repression along the “UP Expressway” is reminiscent of what happened at Singur and Nandigram in West Bengal two years ago when the Tatas had to abandon their Nano project. However, there are also some differences between the two situations.

For, in Noida, the agitating farmers that include many ex-servicemen were heavily armed with licensed and unlicensed weapons. Consequently, not only were there firefights between them and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), with casualties on both sides, but also the agitators started kidnapping government officials. For its part, the PAC went berserk. The rapid politicisation of the agitation — the Mayawati government blaming the Opposition for “instigating” the farmers for electoral purposes, and all opposition parties, arrayed on the protesters’ side, condemning her for “insensitivity” — only obscured the real issue.

That is where the second depressing episode that took place in Punjab comes in. For, it provides the clue to why ceaseless land-grab seems practically unstoppable. Over the weekend, at Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, the CBI arrested the BJP MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Finance) in the Akali-BJP state government, Mr Raj Khurana, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore for “clearing” a highly questionable land deal in connection with which two men were being prosecuted. Interestingly, it was one of them who alerted the CBI that raided Mr Khurana’s house and recovered the amount before taking him into custody. The CBI has now begun investigations against two BJP ministers, Mr Manoranjan Kalia and Swarna Ram, on suspicion of collusion with Mr Khurana. According to the CBI, the bribe originally demanded amounted to Rs 2.5 crore! Remarkably, the day on which Mr Khurana was arrested a Punjab court had convicted another Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Sohan Singh Thandal (Akali), on charges of corruption.

This astoundingly squalid event has two clear implications that cannot escape even the meanest intelligence. First, no one would pay such heavy bribes for owning or transferring a piece of land if he or she weren’t sure of making at least a dozen times more money. Secondly, only the mentally deficient would believe that the Chandigarh shame is a stray aberration, confined to a corner of the country. Sadly, this is, like the proverbial visible tip of the iceberg, just a pointer to the established and flourishing pattern across the Indian landmass.

In fact, real estate and mining, which also requires acquisition of land, have replaced other traditional sources of loot. The land mafia, rapacious builders and their politico-bureaucratic collaborators, who recognise a potential goldmine when they see it, have apparently left even the corporate crooks and grasping middlemen flat on the doormat. According to a well-informed source, the loot from land in Delhi, the NCR, Gurgaon and other Haryana cities alone would put to shade the 2-G and CWG mega scams put together. No one talks about the Special Economic Zones these days because acquisition of 400,000 acre of land for these and an investment of Rs 100,000 crore have created only five lakh jobs. The reason is clear: much of the land has been passed off to land sharks and unspeakable builders.

It is against this bleak backdrop that land acquisition has become such a burning issue and the source of nationwide discontent. The root cause of this is that nearly 64 years after Independence an archaic law passed by the British in 1894 governs land acquisition. A Bill to overhaul this law has been gathering dust in parliamentary archives since 2007 but a government sworn to serve the aam aadmi doesn’t have the courage or the will to pass it. Why?

In all fairness, the opposite side of the case must also be stated dispassionately. Unless this country decides to say goodbye to all development — building of infrastructure, schools, hospitals, industries, roads, metros and so on — there is no escape from acquisition of agricultural land though the fertile land should be excluded to the extent possible. The trouble is that the manner in which agricultural land is being acquired and the prices at which this is being done is most unfair, indeed cruel, to the farmers. This is a recipe for disaster, not development.

Ironically, even the colonial government had the decency to provide in its 19th century law that land acquisition should be confined to public purposes only. In 1984, independent India extended the government’s acquisition powers to the needs of private industry. Why shouldn’t tycoons, preening themselves as dollar billionaires, buy land from farmers on agreed prices and terms? Governments should acquire land only for legitimate public purposes. Most importantly, the land thus acquired or a part of it must not be given away to land sharks and unscrupulous builders. Farmers along the UP Expressway are alleging that this is happening all the time.

By now the solution to the pricing problem is manifest. Land must be acquired only at the prevailing market prices. What is happening instead is best illustrated by a curious drama in Karnataka. Remember the plane crash at Mangalore some years ago because the runway built there on tableland is not long enough. Acquisition of neighbouring lands is, therefore, imperative. Thankfully, owners of these lands are willing to sell. The difficulty is that the authorities are offering only Rs 4,000 a cent while the market price is Rs. 50,000. The airport’s expansion is, therefore, hostage to prolonged litigation.

Finally, a one-time payment even at market prices is not enough. Since nothing is soaring faster than land prices, those whose farms are taken over must be given a stake in the colossal fortunes made from them subsequently. Ironically, the Mayawati government has agreed to do so but only with effect from 2010. Those whose lands were taken over in recent years at a pittance are up in arms.

MIDDLE

Let there be (less) light
by Rajnish Wattas

NOT too long ago you could serenade the stars at Sukhna. A wondrous gaze at the resplendent heavens above, and you let out a sigh of gratitude to the founding fathers of Chandigarh. The concept of its architect-planner Le Corbusier “to see the stars in the sky and the stars in the mountains too, in the water and all in absolute silence” came true.

The distant lights of Kasauli twinkling through the mists beckoned you to flee the plains and yearn for the magical mountain lights. The mysterious glimmer floating above the horizon looked as if the hills were all dressed up and bejewelled for a Christmas night. You could look at the night sky like a child, and spot the various constellations or locate a Jupiter, Venus, Sirius or whatever shone brightly on the sky dome.

The commune with the cosmos was complete.

In the sultry stillness of a hot summer night, sometimes, you could see the fiery spectacle of orange flames devouring the dark forests. When the monsoons came, the dark clouds along with the clap of thunder doused them all, casting flashes of lightening on the star-spangled sky. And between their silences, one could hear the passionate cry of peacocks preening their magnificent plumes. Nature’s showtime never stops at Sukhna.

Corbusier respected all this and gifted the lake to the citizens of Chandigarh, so that they could escape the mundane and find their peace in the eternal. He therefore designed the lights along the necklace-like promenade, in a manner that they cast no glare, yet illuminated the walkway with the gentleness of a thousand glow-worms at work. The cove lighting, shaped like coy shells, lets its light out discreetly. The poetics of the lake were not to be polluted.

Now, I can still see the stars and the Kasauli lights — but very flickeringly and faintly. The blaze of halogens all around stares at you blindingly. Like harsh eyesores they ring the lake and wound its inky black shores. They make you wince and half close the eyes in despair. But they come from all directions, from the shiny, new glossy IT Park, from the malls; and even from the sculptural silhouettes of the Capitol Complex lit up in the piercing, orange tint of ‘security lighting’. The multi-colour fountain sprouting from the lake island — a cooling spray during daytime — turns into a theatrical phantasmagoria at night. The razzmatazz would perhaps befit a city centre more and not a sublime lake.

The lake is Chandigarh’s quiet moment with itself. Let’s not put it under the spotlight.

OPED ECONOMY

To reverse the sliding economic growth and generate employment for youth, Punjab has no option except to move from the limping Green Revolution to industrial resurgence. The state's industrial policy should be tweaked to promote agriculture- and knowledge-based industries
INDUSTRY ALONE CAN RESCUE PUNJAB
B.S.Ghuman

The much-acclaimed growth model of Punjab was essentially a single sector project. Its epicentre was the national programme of agriculture development for making the country self-sufficient in food grains. The state government enthusiastically participated in making the national programme a success. In the process the state and the farming community both became prosperous. Unfortunately, since the mid-1960s neither the Centre nor the state have given a thought to the basic issue: After agriculture, what?

The implicit assumption was perhaps that agriculture would be a perennial source of growth. Agriculture is limited by the physical environment, a shrinking export base and its inability to absorb an expanding labour force. Therefore, as the economy grows, the share of agriculture both in income and employment declines. Unfortunately, it did not happen adequately in Punjab. We at present have a very disturbing sectoral combination comprising a deteriorating agriculture and a very weak industrial base.

For sustainable development the state's New Industrial Policy should encourage industries having locational advantages such as agro-based, footloose and knowledge-based industries

Agro-based industries

At present wheat, paddy and cotton are three principal crops. In Punjab the lion's share of production of these crops is exported to other states. In 2009-10, out of total wheat arrivals of 110 lakh tonnes the state contributed 107 lakh tonnes to the Central pool which was 97 per cent of the total market arrivals. In other words, almost the entire wheat procured in the state is exported in raw form. Similarly, 65 per cent of the total paddy arrivals in the market is exported to other states. The case of cotton is no different.

The state exports its food grains, and in return, imports most of agro-based industrial products from other states. For example, the branded products of wheat, rice, cotton and juices are imported by Punjab from other states. The state, therefore, should encourage the processing of agricultural produce. This will generate employment, mitigate the problem of safe storage of food grains and raise revenue through the value added tax (VAT) on finished products.

Agriculture uses inputs like chemical fertilisers, pesticides, machinery — tractors, diesel engines, harvest combines, implements and irrigation pumps. Most of these are imported from other states. The government, therefore, should encourage industries which supply inputs to the agriculture sector. Some of the agricultural inputs, machinery and implements are produced in the state, but the scale of production is very low. Further, the state does not have testing facilities for agriculture machinery and implements. The existing units have to send implements for testing outside the state. The state, therefore, must have machinery and implements testing laboratory facilities.

Thus, we have two types of ago-based industries: Those that use agricultural produce as raw material and those that supply inputs to the agricultural and allied sectors.

Footloose industries

Punjab has around 10 lakh unemployed youth. A large number of them are technically trained. In 2009-10 Punjab had 45,723 professionally qualified, technical and related workers on the live registers of the employment exchanges in the state. As these exchanges are not very effective in helping the unemployed to get suitable jobs, the actual number of technically trained professionals in search of jobs must be higher. The need of the hour is to exploit this goldmine.

This can be done by setting up footloose and knowledge-based industries in the state. Footloose industries are those which use very light weight raw material, require less land, involve low transport cost, make high value addition and employ skilled manpower. These industries are normally non-polluting and can be located near residential areas.

Punjab has many locational advantages for these industries. The state should prepare a time-bound roadmap for developing these industries. These will yield manifold dividends to the state. Along with industrialisation these will also solve the problem of unemployment, will not encroach much upon fertile land and also would not pose a threat to the environmental resources.

Knowledge-based industries are essentially those in which the generation, management and application of knowledge is the core activity. These employ highly skilled manpower which is actively engaged in R & D activities. Developing new technologies, processes, patents, intellectual property rights and management of knowledge are some of the outcomes of knowledge-based industries.

The potential for knowledge industries in Punjab is high as the state has a large number of engineering, medical, pharmaceutical, management and law colleges and universities. Knowledge-based industries work very closely with educational institutions. Thus, these industries should be located near universities, research centres, engineering and medical colleges. In Punjab the contiguous belt between Zirakpur and Patiala, the area around Chandigarh and SAS Nagar are most suitable for the development of knowledge-based industries as these areas have a high concentration of educational institutions.

Footloose and knowledge-based industries should be the major thrust of the New Industrial Policy. For this to happen the state should encourage the educated unemployed youth to form cooperatives for setting up industries. They should be trained in ITIs, polytechnics, engineering. medical, pharmaceutical, management and law colleges for entering areas such as registering patents, financial management, marketing management, record keeping and net working . The lending institutions and government agencies should join hands to provide loans and subsidies to co-operatives of young entrepreneurs by following simple, time-bound and transparent procedures.

Punjab has predominantly small units. In the era of liberalisation and globalisation these units have been marginalized as the market is swamped with products coming from large units in other states or abroad. For example, cheap Chinese products are posing a big threat to small-scale units in the state.

For overcoming the problem of marketing, the state should develop an integrated model of industrialisation. Under this model, small industries act as ancillary units, supplying semi-processed inputs or parts to large or parent units. Their products, after final touches, are marketed by large units, which also provide cutting-edge technology, skill development, finances, etc. This model is successfully used in Japan.

Punjab is a land-locked state and is away from big national markets. For overcoming market constraints, an improvement in Indo- Pak trade holds the key. All political parties of the state should join hands and meet as a delegation to the Prime Minister for using his goodwill with his Pakistani counterpart for opening new avenues of Indo-Pak trade through the land-route. In case both India and Pakistan agree to promote trade through the land route on a larger scale, Punjab's industry, including in the border districts, would emerge as the principal gainer.

The writer is an economist and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh

Reasons for slow industrial growth

n Costly land

n Inadequate availability of power

n Shortage of skilled manpower; and

n Cumbersome and time-consuming process of getting clearances for change in land use

Remedial measures

n Set up multiple product special economic zones

n Uninterrupted power supply

n Direct industry- ITI linkages

n Cut the red tape

n Strengthen agriculture-industry linkages for growth in ago-processing, dairying and textiles; and

n Establish industrial clusters along the dedicated rail freight corridor.

Industrial policy

Punjab's new industrial policy must specifically promote the following agro-based industries:

n Wheat crop-based industries: Floor mills, porridge, bakery units, pasta, semolina, noodles, macaroni, glucose, syrup, vermicelli, dextrose, beer, wine, cattle feed;

n Paddy crop based industries: rice shellers, noodles, rice bran oil, rice husk, rice glue, beer, wine;

n Paper industry based on wheat husk and rice straw;

n Cotton crop based industries: Cotton processing, textile, rugs, cushions, mattresses, surgical cotton, oil, cattle feed;

n Canned vegetables industries;

n Juice processing units;

n Biomass-based power generation units;

n Milk-based industries;

n Livestock-based industries: meat and meat products, leather and leather products

n Chemical fertilizers industry

n Pesticides and other chemical manufacturing units

n Units producing agricultural machinery, including tractors, threshers, combine harvesters

n Agricultural implements making units, including automatic disc plough, seed-cum-fertilizer drill, cultivator, paddy harrow, rotary tiller, land leveller, chaff cutter, reaper, ridger, offset disc harrow, and bund maker

n Electric motors

n Diesel engines

n PVC pipes

Knowledge-based industries

Given the availability of highly skilled manpower, limited land and scope for value addition, the following types of footloose / knowledge-based institutions are recommended in Punjab:

(i) Electronics; (ii) Computers and peripherals, software development (iii) semi-conductors (iv) Telecommunication and information technology (v) Pharmaceuticals (vi) Biotechnology (vii) Surgical and medical instruments; (viii) Optical instruments and lenses (ix) Engineering and scientific equipment (x) Consultancy services for insurance, share market, financial matters, real estate (xi) Career counselling, guidance and job/placement services (xii) International business, immigration and study abroad services; (xiii) tourism (xiv) Hotel management and catering services; and (xv) Event management services.