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Lawless
Haryana Counting
caste numbers |
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Kashmir
beckons tourists
Debilitation
of the PAC
Ride to
eternity
Operation Gerenimo by
the United States to kill Osama Bin Laden in his hideout in Pakiistan
not only reveals a big gap in Pakistani security and also raises a
genuine fear in that country’s establishment of a similar strike
being launched to take out its nuclear weapons. This opens up an
option for India to develop such a capability as a means to check
Pakistan from creating any mischief The
Special Forces checklist
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Counting caste numbers
For
the first time since 1931 a caste-based census will be conducted next month. The issue generated a lot of political heat last year which subsided after the Prime Minister yielded to pressure in Parliament. Since caste is a social reality which cannot be wished away, there is need for a fresh head count to update the data. Social and development scientists also need the latest figures to formulate strategies to fight backwardness and poverty. But distributing entitlements on caste basis can be socially divisive and income remains the most effective and acceptable criterion. Besides, the fear that politicians may use the controversal data to play caste politics cannot be discounted. Simultaneously, a census of the poor will also get under way. The Ministry of Rural Development identifies poor households below the poverty line based on their assets every five years to provide benefits under various Central welfare schemes. However, taking consumption as the prime criterion, the Planning Commission puts a ceiling on the number of the poor on the ground that the social sector schemes have to be targeted. This divides the poor as officially acceptable and unacceptable. This also creates resentment among states as they have to go beyond the Central list and cater to a much larger number of the poor. The debate on poverty – how to define and remove it — rages on. There is no consensus also on how to count the poor. The Saxena committee has suggested three categories to identify the poor: Those who have to be compulsorily excluded, those who have to be compulsorily included and those falling in-between. The exercise will help the UPA in the launch of the ambitious universal food security legislation. The government spends a huge amount on welfare schemes – Rs 10.2 trillion was earmarked in 2009-10 – but with unsatisfactory results, given the systemic leakages. It will be possible to better target the poor and curb diversions once Nandan Nilekani’s Aadhaar scheme becomes fully operational.
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Kashmir beckons tourists
There
is good news from the Kashmir valley. Tourists from various parts of the country and abroad are flocking to Srinagar and other centres of tourist attraction for holidaying as there is little threat to security now. Houseboats are booked to capacity for a long period. For most tourists, a trip to the valley is meaningless unless one gets an opportunity to stay in a houseboat at Dal Lake or Nageen Lake. The valley has over 1000 hotels with a capacity of 25000 rooms, but it is not easy to get a room booked today. Since tourism is the backbone of industry in Kashmir, the revival of activity in this sector in a big way is bound to send cheers across other sectors too. This is contrary to the situation that prevailed last year when unrest continued for nearly 80 days, making the valley lose over Rs 100 crore every day. The admirable efforts of the security forces have led to a sharp decline in incidents of terrorist violence. The killing of Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan has obviously demoralised the troublemakers. There is a clear message that the international community will no longer tolerate terrorist activity on any pretext. Terrorism has come to be recognised as the biggest threat to peace and progress, and anyone indulging in this kind of activity will have to be dealt with as ruthlessly as possible. This is, however, the time when snow in the higher Himalayan ranges melts and infiltration of terrorists becomes a little easier. There is no conclusive proof that all the training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and elsewhere across the border have been closed down in the wake of Osama’s killing. This means that our security forces will have to continue to maintain strict vigil all along the border. There is no room for complacency. Slightest leniency may provide an opportunity to terrorists to spring a surprise.
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A good teacher must know the rules; a good pupil, the exceptions. — Martin H. Fischer
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Debilitation of the PAC
EVERY year Parliament approves hundreds of billions of rupees required for running the government. While approving the estimates, Parliament also takes care to ensure that the money it has voted is spent for the purpose for which it is meant and that there is no loss of revenue or wasteful expenditure. It also looks into whether the taxes are honestly collected or whether there are leakages in the system. To perform these important oversight functions, Parliament has created a committee, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), and vested in it all powers necessary to discharge its duties. This pre-eminent and most powerful committee has a long history going back to 1921. Even the colonial rulers recoganised the need to institutionalise the oversight mechanism of the legislature in respect of public finance. The PAC has been functioning uninterruptedly since its formation in 1921. This committee has in its long journey established certain traditions which are essential for maintaining its integrity. Though, initially, the Finance Member — the Finance Minister — in the Council of the viceroy headed the committee, in later years it came to be led by prominent members of the Opposition in the legislature. It is a measure of the robustness and integrity of the system that the committee which scrutinises public finance is presided over by a member of the Opposition. This demonstrates the mutuality of faith between the Treasury and the Opposition and signifies the conviction that the member of the Opposition heading the committee will perform his duties with absolute impartiality and objectivity. This is the basic philosophy of the Public Accounts Committee. Very eminent parliamentarians like Minoo Masani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, C.M. Stephen and Jyotirmoy Basu headed this committee in the past. In the background of the recent happenings in the PAC which has certainly besmirched its image, it is necessary to re-discover its ethos. The PAC examines issues rising above the narrowness of political loyalties and consensus is the basis on which the views of the committee are formulated. In a political environment vitiated by acrimony, deflection from the path of consensus is understandable. But it is not justifiable as Parliament is a mature institution which is led by mature minds. Consensus reflects this maturity. Even in a politically controversial subject where political parties take mutually antagonistic positions, consensus is possible in a committee if all concerned adhere strictly to the rules and conventions. The wisdom of the members and the overriding concern for public interest will make it possible for the committee to arrive at a consensus. Parliament and its systems function on the basis of rules, directions and conventions. These rules and directions are the products of great wisdom and farsight which lay down procedures for conducting the proceedings of the House and its committees. These procedures serve the basic objective of effective parliamentary oversight of the executive actions. The rules and directions relating to parliamentary committees lay out a perfect scheme for examining an issue of public importance by parliamentarians. The examination of a subject by a parliamentary committee is a serious exercise. After the evidence taking is completed and before the report is prepared by the secretariat, the committee sits and appraises the evidence and decides about the major recommendations it wishes to make. The draft report reflects these decisions taken by the members collectively. Subsequently when the draft comes before the committee for adoption, the Chairman reads out each paragraph and seeks the approval of it by the committee. The members get the opportunity at this stage to amend any paragraph which according to them does not fully conform to the decision taken. And what comes out after such an exacting exercise is a report which harmonises the different views of the members. Such a report, of course, may lack sensationalism from a political point of view. But it will reflect in full the maturity of Members of Parliament and their sense of seriousness in addressing issues of public importance. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary to strictly adhere to the procedure laid down in the rules. The trouble that arose in the PAC recently may be attributable, to a large extent, to non-adherence to the well-established processes and procedures in their true spirit at all stages. In this context the role of Speaker assumes great importance in containing or resolving conflicts. Lok Sabha rules vest enough powers in the Speaker to resolve conflicts relating to jurisdictions, or organisation of the work or any other matter relating to the working of the committees. The committees work under the overall control and supervision of the Speaker. Rules empower the Speaker to issue periodic directions to the Chairmen on any matter relating to the working of the committees. The recent conflict between the JPC and the PAC on the question of jurisdiction has created needless confusion. This conflict could have been anticipated when the JPC was constituted to investigate the 2G scam. The newspapers had reported that when the issue was brought to the Speaker’s attention she advised the Chairmen of these committees to sort out the matter themselves which they could not. In the present situation it was unrealistic to expect them to do so. A clear direction by the Speaker on the precise areas to be examined by the PAC would have settled the issue and which would have served as a precedent for future also. The unfortunate developments in the PAC raise serious questions on the credibility and integrity of this committee. The open bickerings in the committee, the violence done to well-established procedures are all portents of the debilitation of this most powerful oversight mechanism of Parliament. This system has survived so far because of the unswerving commitment of eminent men to the creed of parliamentary supremacy. The Public Accounts Committee epitomises it. That a dissenting note is not allowed in the PAC underscores the fact that the committee’s report is always based on consensus. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has presented a difficult problem before the Speaker by submitting to her the draft which has not been adopted by the committee and requesting her that it may be laid on the table of the House. The problem has been further complicated by the members constituting the majority, approaching the Speaker with the averment that the draft report has been rejected by the majority. As a matter of fact, there are not many options before the Speaker in the present case. In such situations timely intervention by the Speaker could prevent the situation from getting out of control. A stitch in time saves nine. There is institutional arrangement in the Lok Sabha Secretariat to periodically apprise the Speaker of what goes on in the committees. This would have enabled the Speaker to give advice on direction at the appropriate time and avoid an ugly situation from developing. Any way, it would make sense to take a strict view based on rules in the present case. A report of a committee is one which has been formally adopted by it. Since the committee has not adopted any report, no report can be officially submitted to the Speaker. In fact, a report is normally presented to the House. It is submitted to the Speaker only when the House is not in session. The report submitted by the Chairman of the outgoing PAC has the status of a draft only which cannot be presented to the House. The draft report with all the attendant documents on the issue of 2G spectrum is in the category of “unfinished work of the Committee” under Rule 285 of the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha. All this can be made available to the next committee which is free to pursue the subject. The rejection of the report by the majority of Members seems to present only a political problem. If the Chairman has adjourned the meeting the subsequent meeting in which the report was rejected cannot have any validity as the Chairman alone has the authority to reconvene the meeting after it is adjourned. In fact, seeking a postponement of the consideration of the report through a motion was a most reasonable option for the majority. This would have saved themselves the public opprobrium which followed the PAC meeting, though they had some genuine grievances. But, beyond the rules, conventions and strategies and counter-strategies there should be a consensus among parliamentarians on maintaining the integrity of the Public Accounts Committee. The sanctity of institutions must be upheld. Only then can we claim that Indian democracy has real
content. The writer is a former Secretary-General, Lok Sabha.
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Ride to eternity TREND-SETTING Monica, stealing the glare of publicity by performing “ghurchari” on the eve of her marriage, reminded me of famous lines from “The Last Ride Together”. Like Robert Browning, I too turned philosophical. Optimistic as I am like the poet, I reflected, the moment may turn momentous; the maiden ride of a Haryanavi maiden may prove to be her “ride to eternity”. Possibly, it may usher in “freshening and fluttering” traditions, horse-whipping their subjugation into feminine buoyancy. This mare-ride must not be construed as a mere ride per se. It rather signifies effectual horse-power of women empowerment. It bugles the advent of a new order, hoofing male chauvinism to the ground. Though unable to twig her emotions while she was firmly saddled, I could certainly peep into her psyche, flogging into the exclusive domain of males. I felt as if my own daughter, Archna, was trotting into annals of history, with a sense of pride and fulfilment. Determined as she appeared, she emerged as a sure whistle-blower, to unsaddle the self-assuming males. “My whole heart rises up to bless your name in pride”, I patted the pulsating adventurer, echoing the poet. It made me sad that William Shakespeare, who had tinted the fairer sex as “Frailty, thy name is woman” in Hamlet, was not there to see as to how Monica’s hamlet, Khaparwas, had outclassed his own Hamlet. However, the nonagenarian Khushwant Singh, who dubbed the female as a “perpetual parasite” on males in mid-70s, albeit without malice, was still around, watching how women had been galloping in all spheres of life. Monicas and Archnas of today have now come of age! They wear individuality on their sleeve, insulating their persona. In spite of all handicaps, natural or male-sponsored, they have gate-crashed everywhere, be it the army, aviation, space, sports, police or politics. India has produced several female sentinels clamouring for women empowerment; like “didi” in the east, “behanji” in the west, “auntie” in the north, “amma” in the south and “madam” at the centre. True, her father’s home is now turning cosier, her work-place safer, but she is still made to ride a roller-coaster, when she is transplanted in a family of strangers after her matrimony. She is treated as an alien and has to wade through the “saas-bahu” and “nanad-bhabhi” ordeals day in and day out and compromise her dignity every now and then. As an epitome of sacrifice, patience, love and inspiration, a woman ever loves to propel her man to achieve newer heights in life. Little wonder, behind every successful man, there is always an inspiring woman. But, will Monica have the comfort of her man as a rear-rider, nay, an inspiring husband behind her, is not known! A sizzling resolve in the eyes of young women today is an index of a sea change in their outlook, now galloping fast on all turfs. Little doubt, I seize all opportunities, as a supporting parent, to damn female subjugation and, of course, male chauvinism
too!
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Operation Gerenimo by the United States to kill Osama Bin Laden in his hideout in Pakiistan not only reveals a big gap in Pakistani security and also raises a genuine fear in that country’s establishment of a similar strike being launched to take out its nuclear weapons. This opens up an option for India to develop such a capability as a means to check Pakistan from creating any mischief Nobody
in India expected the type of frenzied and nervous response from Pakistani military chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir, threatening not only India but also the US with dire consequences in case the recent Operation Gerenimo, conducted by US commandos who flew all the way to the Pakistani military town of Abbotabad to kill the world’s most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden, gets repeated. The big question is why this unusual belligerence from Pakistan. Besides, are we capable of undertaking such an operation ?
This Pakistani jingoism was in response to an off-the-cuff reply to journalists by both, the Indian Army chief, Gen V.K. Singh, and the Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik, to their questions on Indian capability, that yes, they can do it. Even if the military chiefs of world's smallest nations like Monaco and Tobago would have given a similar reply to such questions. One thing that should be understood by all of us is that all three branches of the Indian armed forces have the training and capability to launch this kind of a surprise raid. Even Pakistan knows it. During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the Indian Navy quietly and silently towed their small missile boats to Karachi without the enemy getting any wind of it and played havoc with Karachi's harbour and the oil installations in its vicinity. In India the problem lies with the Indian political leadership that lacks the necessary strategic acumen and political will to take on such types of risks. Their bureaucratic advisors are apparently even more clueless and spineless. In the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack when Indian military chiefs reportedly suggested to their political masters to launch surgical strikes on Pakistani terror camps functioning across the LOC in Kashmir, the Indian political class went into a fit of epilepsy, while the Indian Intelligence agencies said that they were not sure of the exact locations of these camps on the ground. Contrast this with the US. American intelligence agency CIA got to know of this Abbotabad mansion of Osama Bin Laden in August 2010.They quietly hired a house close to that place in Abbotabad and put their operators on round the clock surveillance. Room by room, the design of this mansion was sent back to America. In US, a complete mock up of this target was made where the American commandos practiced for this proposed raid for a full month. American President Barrack Obama himself used to monitor all the intelligence originating from Abbotabad on daily basis. After lot of discussions with his security and military advisers, with the possibility of success only being 55:45, Obama issued an order in writing on April 30 to kill Osama. How many current Indian politicians can take on this type of responsibility themselves and issue this type of an unambiguous order? Taking the case of former telecom minister A Raja, embroiled in the 2G scam, as a pointer, the answer is none. Agreed that diverting world attention from their perfidy of taking America and the West for a ride by hiding Osama in Pakistan was an imperative for Pakistan. Nevertheless this is not all that a worrying factor for Pakistan because America and World at large had in any case of late being giving broad hints that they knew that Pakistan was involved in hiding of Osama. The real worrisome factor for Pakistan is that their Achilles' heel in their security set-up has been exposed. Four helicopters entered Pakistani airspace -- They flew to the heart of Pakistan and then went back unharmed after hovering over a military town for 40 minutes. The first Pakistani F-16 fighter got airborne one hour after Americans had left Pakistani airspace. This leaves a big gap in Pakistani security. Their genuine worry now is that India may be tempted to resort to this type of operation to take out their most prized jewels - their nuclear weapons. This then opens to us a real option of truly developing this type of capability to keep Pakistan on tenterhooks and away from mischief in India. We must immediately implement the already sanctioned Chief of Defense Staff system in India to provide a single window strategic advice to the government and to coordinate the fighting efficiency of the three services. For these types of operations to be effective, India will have to revamp its entire Intelligence gathering system. We should cut down on the plethora of Intelligence agencies who only undercut each other for the so called intelligence. We should just have two agencies - Intelligence Bureau for internal intelligence and Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for foreign intelligence. R&AW must have its powers of working in a proactive manner outside the country restored. Cases in point are CIA of US, MOSSAD of Israel and even the ISI of Pakistan. It is time we wake up to this great opportunity. The writer is a defence analyst
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The Special Forces checklist THE armed forces, para-military and the state police maintain a fairly large establishment of special forces and units for missions that do not generally fall in the realm of regular forces. Highly trained and better equipped than the rank and file, they are designated to perform a wide range of combat and combat support tasks across the entire spectrum of conflict. With the nature of warfare changing and emphasis shifting towards proxy war, low intensity conflict and sub-convectional warfare, the role and importance of Special Forces is assuming greater significance. Indian Special Forces have by and large acquitted themselves commendably, but issues like restructuring, modernisation, equipment, real-time intelligence and support elements need urgent redressal. Some of India’s Special Forces are: Parachute Regiment With 10 battalions, it forms the largest and most important component of Special Forces in India. It includes traditional parachute units, 5 Para, 6 Para and 7 Para, as well as the Special Forces (SF) units, 1 Para (SF), 2 Para (SF), 3 Para (SF), 4 Para (SF), 9 Para (SF), 10 Para (SF) and 21 Para (SF). Its role includes covert and overt operations behind enemy lines, subversion and sabotage of vital enemy infrastructure through deep penetration and surgical strikes, intelligence gathering, counter-terrorist operations, hostage rescue and spearheading assaults. Ghatak Platoons Each infantry battalion has a platoon of highly trained commandos that form the unit's "shock troops" to assault enemy positions and fortifications with or without support from the unit. Their objectives include recce, combat patrol, search and destroy missions, ambush and designating targets for artillery and air raids. They are a means to further the tactical and strategic objectives of the battalion. Marcos The navy’s elite special operations wing, MARCOS (Marine Commandos) are considered amongst the world’s finest maritime special forces and one of the few qualified to jump in the water with a full combat load. Similar to the US Navy SEALS, they are capable of undertaking operations in all types of terrain. Estimated to number 2,000 troops, their role includes underwater sabotage, hostage rescue and assaults and counter-terrorist operations in maritime and urban environment. Garaud Numbering about 1,500, it is the IAF’s special force and some elements are trained like the Para-commandos and MARCOS for missions deep behind enemy lines. Its roles include combat search and rescue of downed personnel from behind enemy lines, suppression of enemy air defence, radar busting, designating targets for guided missiles and munitions and other missions in support of air operations. It is also tasked to protect air bases and vital installations from enemy raids or terrorist attacks, sealing-off aircraft hangars and other major systems during conflicts, form emergency response teams and carry out anti-hijacking operations. Aviation units In addition to special missions like deep interdiction, electronic warfare and reconnaissance, the IAF has modified an dequipped some aircraft like the An-32, C-130J and Mi-17 and Mi-35 and trained aircrew to support and sustain operations by the Special Forces like para-dropping, airborne assaults and special heli-borne operations. National Security Guards With an overall strength of about 14,000 men drawn from the armed forces and the para-military, it is a special response anti-terrorist force under the home ministry. It is meant to neutralise terrorist threats, specially in urban or built-up areas, handling hijack situations in air and on land, bomb disposal and hostage rescue. The 51 Special Action Group, comprising army personnel, is the NSG,s offensive arm undertaking combat operations, while the Special Rangers Group drawn from the para-military is tasked with support and VVIP protection. State Police Special Units Many state police forces have their own special units to deal with local terrorist, insurgency and law and order situations, organised crime, drug trafficking and smuggling within their respective jurisdiction, that are beyond the capabilities of the constabulary. Examples of such forces are the Mumbai Police Anti-Terrorist Squad, Rajasthan Police Special Operations Group, Punjab Police SWAT, Greyhounds (Andhra Pradesh) and Chattisgarh Commando Battalion.
— Vijay Mohan
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