The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Subsidy phase-out
HP addresses a school grouse

Of late, hundreds of new private schools have mushroomed in the country, including in Himachal Pradesh. This is in sharp contrast to the earlier situation when the schools were so scarce that the government used to subsidise some of them heavily. With the passage of time, this practice had degenerated into a pick and choose instance of favouritism, causing a lot of heartburn. Even courts had demanded an equitable distribution of the subsidy. The Himachal Pradesh government has taken a step in that direction by approving a policy for the takeover of government-aided private schools, which were receiving 95 per cent of the salaries as grant. The reform will hopefully help in removing the various aberrations and distortions.

There are only 40 such schools, which receive Rs 11.50 crore as grant from the government. The managements of 19 schools have consented to hand over both assets and liabilities and these schools can now be run by the government, thereby ending the dual control. The rest of the schools being run by well-known chains have reservations about transferring the assets. In their case, only the staff will be taken over and after that the institutions will not be eligible for any further grants from the government.

The government will be free from the burden of the grants. Plus, at one go, it will get several hundred experienced teachers who can be employed elsewhere, while the schools will go in for fresh recruitments. However, the move may lead to a sharp increase in the fee structures in some private schools, which will be hard on parents. A similar controversy had arisen in the case of Shimla’s famous St Bede’s College recently, where too there was a major upward revision of fee.

Demise of a newspaper
Paying the price for sensationalism

A tabloid that failed to live up to its creed, “Our motto is the truth, our practice is fearless advocacy of the truth”, has been shut down by its owner in an effort to contain damage to his media empire. It had history —168 years of it; readership of 7.4 million which made it the biggest-selling English-language Sunday newspaper in the world, and was the first British newspaper acquired by the media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 1969. The paper’s old formula of sensationalism and sex, which had earned it a certain reputation for scurrilousness, had a new patron in Murdoch and the tabloid attracted more and more readers, and thus circulation figures soared.

Instead of reporting scandals, The News of the World itself has been the focus of a growing scandal, as it faces an investigation into phone hacking of individuals, perhaps thousands of them, allegedly conducted at the paper’s behest, through a private investigator. The hacking of voicemail messages of murder victims and their families, and the relatives of London 7/7 London bombings have particularly angered the British public. The newspaper has apologised for intercepting voicemails between 2004 and 2006, but its executives and editors are facing a fresh investigation. Even as the paper is shuttered, the investigation goes on, and the political fallout is likely to impact the Murdoch media empire that controls 37 per cent of Britain’s newspaper circulation. It is increasingly clear that senior executives lost perspective and instead of looking for truth, became purveyors of information that would make headlines, without giving much thought to human emotions and values.

The conduct of executives at The News of the World brings into sharp focus the pitfalls of not paying enough attention to means and bothering only about the ends. While Britain will continue to debate the controversial decision to shut down the paper and the transgressions of its staff, some of whom have been arrested, the fall of this tabloid is a cautionary tale for all those who stray from journalistic norms and practices and seek sensationalism over substance.

Thought for the Day

The world is a grindstone and life is your nose. — Fred Allen

ARTICLE

Pakistan’s confessions
India shouldn’t go slow on defence modernisation
by Lt-Gen Harwant Singh (retd)

The Pakistan Defence Minister in a recent statement has acknowledged that his country just cannot match India in defence capabilities. This, it is argued, is due to the vast difference in the GDP and foreign trade of the two countries, etc. But these essential constraints have never held back Pakistan from not only attempting to achieve parity with India in defence capabilities but also to constantly needle this country.

Pakistan, following the policy of beg, borrow and steal, has all along tried to maintain parity in defence capabilities vis-a-vis India. In the 1965 war it fielded larger and the then latest fleet of tanks as compared to India. In infantry and artillery, India’s edge was only marginal and that too because India was able to withdraw troops from the Tibet border due to winter conditions there. India brought about destruction of Pakistan armour and came out on top through some luck and, to an extent, due to superior generalship. In 1971, too, India was able to shift the troops deployed against Tibet to the plains due to the harsh weather conditions, but this is less likely to happen again.

Notwithstanding this statement from the Pakistan minister, recent reports indicate that it is striving hard to acquire parity with India in nuclear weapons capability and missile technology as also in many other defence-related areas. Its attempts to develop tactical nuclear weapons is an area of much concern for India. As long as the Pakistani security establishment retains control over the social and economic fabric of that nation, peace between the two neighbours will be tenuous, and there will be sustained attempts to achieve balance in military capabilities. Therefore, this assertion by a Pakistani political leader, perhaps to lull India to sleep, needs to be taken with more than a pinch of salt, and calls for a closer look and reality check.

This balance which Pakistan continues to strive to achieve is against only those elements of Indian defence forces that get deployed on its Western front. The understanding and some sort of secret defence pact between China and Pakistan gives the latter assurance that India will not be able to shift troops deployed against Tibet to its Western front, even if there are no hostilities across the Himalayas. With Indian defence budget pegged at below 2 per cent of the GDP and Pakistan to contend with only one part of the Indian forces (those deployed on the Western front), there is not much difficulty for Pakistan to achieve near parity with India, especially when China is there to extend all the help. Increasingly Pakistan is becoming a vassal of China. Of the 20 billion dollar aid that Pakistan received from the US during the last 10 years, much of it has been used for acquiring military hardware.

Pakistan continues to acquire sophisticated weaponry from France — notably, eight upgraded Mirage III and Mirage V combat aircraft. France is also supplying Pakistan with new diesel submarines. The first was commissioned in late 1999, with two more being built under licence in Karachi. Over all, Pakistan is making efforts to build a strong navy to interdict the supply of fuel to India from West Asia if such a need arises. Building of a naval base at the mouth of the Straight of Hurmoz (Gwadar naval base) has to be seen towards creating such a capability.

Pakistan manufactures its own tanks and is now trying to upgrade these to the level of tanks recently bought from Ukraine. This is essentially to counter India’s import of T-90 tanks from Russia. In the face of India’s growing military arsenal, Pakistan is seeking to enlarge and modernise its forces too.

Pakistan has been beneficiary of defence largesse from the United States and, of late, from China as well. Because of this there has been less outgo of finances for the purchase of military equipment as compared to India. Import of nuclear and missile technology came free to Pakistan with little or no expenditure on its indigenous development. China has also set up defence units in Pakistan.

Islamabad’s policy now appears to be to have sufficiently strong forces to inflict heavy casualties on any attacker. At the same time, it relies upon its nuclear forces to deter an aggressor in the first place, but would threaten their use to stall the aggressor from bringing about total defeat of its military or a deep thrust into that country. Further, in any future conflict, China may not remain a bystander and vice versa.

Though Pakistan is a factor to be taken into reckoning, India’s chief strategic concern will have to be China. Therefore, unless Pakistan needlessly needles India, it should have no worry about Indian defence forces posing any threat to that country.

As far as India is concerned, in a worst case scenario, it has to contend with hostilities on two fronts, with either both getting activated or active hostilities on one front and ‘stand off’ on the other. The induction of Chinese troops in the Northern Areas of Gilgit and Baltistan is a new factor in this India-China-Pakistan triangle.

While India need not take the statement of Pakistan’s Defence Minister seriously, it has to draw up plans to build adequate military capabilities on the one hand and on the other how best to meet the challenges of a possible war on two fronts.

A conflict on two fronts is easier contemplated than conducted. It was the bane of the German General Staff for half a century across two World Wars with no workable solution in sight. On both occasions the war ended with disastrous consequences for Germany, because it strived for victory on both fronts. In the Indian context, the problems of a war on two fronts is far more complex, even if one is to discount the difficulties in the North east. Here, therefore, lies a major lesson for Indian strategists who talk, rather lightly, of war on two fronts and are striving to work out a strategic concept to meet such a situation.

It would be wrong to examine Indian defence capabilities in relation to Pakistan alone. As an emerging economic power on the world stage, it has to have matching military capabilities whereby it can extend its area of influence over the entire region of its interest and to ensure peace and tranquillity in this space. It should be able to keep the sea-lanes free from interference from hostile navies for free flow of goods and energy needs of the countries in the region and its own. India also has to protect the country’s offshore assets and island territories.

Though it has become fashionable these days to discuss soft power as a stand-alone influential entity which by itself can further national interest, nothing could be more wrong. One of India’s former Ministers of Sate for Foreign Affairs has been advocating that India should project its soft power in the form of Indian food, culture, classical dances, etc, and that by itself should suffice!

Soft power by itself is of no consequence. It becomes valuable only when it forms an extension of the hard power of a country in the projection of a viable policy. This is best explained if we look at the example of the U S; the most successful exponent of soft power.

A strong military capability is needed to ensure that the country’s vital interests are not jeopardized, its area of influence does not shrink, its water resources are not high-jacked, and external powers do not disturb internal peace and tranquillity and gain a foothold in the states on the periphery of India’s borders.n

The writer is a former Deputy Chief of Army Staff.

MIDDLE

Maternal sagacity
by S.D. Anand

There is a marked difference between a confession made before the Lord in the ‘Confession Box’ and a similar exercise made before a court of law. The Lord is extra kind to the human race and ‘forgives’ the sinner. The blindfolded lady representing the law does not have that amplitude of charity. A confession of the latter category may, thus, entitle the maker only to dilution on point of sentence.

Though the discussion on point of law is not irrelevant to the piece I propose penning, any mention of the subject during the lunch intermission at my natal court, would have automatically rendered me liable to ‘penalty’. One of the varieties thereof, welcome though, could be ordering ice-cream or kulfi or kheer for the compulsive lunch gathering.

Well past midnight, I and my (only) brother were in conversation with our maternal uncle, a rare visitor. He had an exceptional sense of humour. If only I could ignore the pace at which he would run out of patience stock, he was a role model who would not bat an eyelid to sacrifice for his siblings. My mother represented the female specie in the trio of siblings.

It was compulsive for the police to deliver special report (First Information Report) in heinous cases like murder etc. to the Illaqa Magistrate. The exercise had to be done all the 24 hours of the day, including dead of the night.

A call bell disturbed our conversation. I opened the door and obtained the special report. After noticing the receipt timing and the name of delivering official, I rejoined the conversation.

A “sage” piece of advice followed. There could be an eventuality, we were told, when we find that the visitor at unearthly hours is armed and his designs are not very flattering, ‘emotionally’ and also ‘economically’. In that contingency, the piece of advice continued, the opener (of the door) could loudly give out a call that his ‘arms’ be also provided ‘forthwith’ (“mera pistol jaldi se lao”). We had to meekly accept that the ‘clarion’ call would scare the criminal.

My brother did not, however, join me in observing the golden rule of silence for long. “Mamaji, agar usne kaha ki jab tak aapki nahin aati tab tak meri pistol se kaam chalayein” (Make do with my pistol till yours is available).

The illogical character of the ‘sage’ advice notwithstanding, a spanking followed, a ‘medimix’ exclusively doled out by the elders in the family.

OPED WOMEN

Women in India not only have to face socio-economic impediments, even their health parameters leave much to be desired. The health of Indian women is among the worst in the world. This not only leads to higher maternal mortality rates but also low birth weight of their babies
The weight of under-nourishment
Shree Venkatram

In 1970, a young community health physician, Saroj Pachauri in her PhD thesis focused on low birth weight, which was a major cause of death among infants in India at that time. Thirty per cent of all babies born then had low birth weight. Today, the figure remains the same and low birth weight continues to be a major cause of death among infants.

Decades of various family planning and welfare programmes have not been able to give our babies a better start in life. Of all infant deaths, 65 per cent occur in the very first month, and majority of them are babies with low birth weight. It becomes very tough to save them in the sub-optimal conditions of our rural health centres, if they reach there at all.

Dismal picture

The health of the Indian women is among the worst in the world. A recent World Bank report put the figure of anaemic and undernourished girls in India at 300 million and women at 30 million. This should jolt a country to remedial action.

Poverty, poor infant feeding practices, neglect of the girl child and social customs like eating after the men and the boys have been fed, leave the females undernourished. When under and malnourishment is coupled with early marriage as over 50 per cent of Indian women marry before they reach 18 years, it spells danger, especially during childbirth.

A recent study puts the maternal mortality figure at 254 per 1,00,000 live births. Infant mortality, defined per 1000 live births, is at 53. Both the figures, though improved over the last few decades, are still extremely high. A real shame! For a country, which attracts people from around the world for complicated medical procedures, cannot save its own women and babies. India’s maternal mortality ratio is 16 times higher than Russia, 10 times that of China and four times that of Brazil.

Both the babies and the mothers die largely from the same factors – apart from poor hygiene, lack of adequate newborn and maternal care. Low birth weight predisposes them to complications and death from malaria, pneumonia, and diarrohea.

Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Assam contribute 75 per cent of all infant deaths in the country. Maternal mortality figures are high among, what are now termed as the Empowered Action Group states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

Schemes don’t reach out

India has been dispensing iron and folic acid tablets to the pregnant women for decades and dishing out meals to its school going children. For the last 40 years, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme has been running. However, these schemes have had only limited success. One of the criticisms against ICDS was that it failed to reach the very vulnerable 0-3 year age group, in any significant way. By then, under-nourishment had done its harm.

The upcoming Fourth National Family Health Survey will reveal just how well the efforts at improving the health of women and children have been. Since the third survey in 2005-06 the National Rural Health Mission and the Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) have been launched, entailing large-scale employment of resources, human and monetary, like never before.

In 2005, JSY, the biggest cash transfer scheme ever, was launched. It aimed at getting the women to deliver at a medical centre, as opposed to home, so that they and the newborn could get timely medical attention. Initial studies show that women have started going to institutions for delivery, but they are being discharged within a few hours, so that they become eligible to receive the Rs 1400. Health scientists point out that woman and her baby need to be under medical care for at least 48 hours. The neonatal period is a critical time and many infants and their mothers could be saved.

Interviews by the writer in Uttar Pradesh villages revealed that people are happy with the cash amount they get, at times given after a mandatory ‘cut’ to the ‘authorities’. But it is not being spent on food for the mother; instead it goes towards buying household items. Even the National Rural Health Mission, which has improved the demand for public health facilities, has not been able to check infant mortality rate in any substantial way.

The results of NFHS 3 have been disappointing. Around one third of the women were having their first child while still in their teens. The risk of low birth weight and neo natal mortality increases when the woman is an adolescent. The Indian Council of Medical Research has found maternal mortality among adolescents to be as high as 645 per 100,000 live births.

Think beyond numbers

In 1983, the National Health Policy had expected to reach the replacement level total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.1 per cent by 2000. TFR is calculated as the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime. But by 2000, we were nowhere near. However, the year saw the establishment of a new National Population Policy and the goal of 2.1 TFR was extended to 2010. Today ten states – Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have TFR between 3.0 and 3.9. Demographers now predict that the near replacement TFR is still some decades away. The US Census Bureau calculates a fertility rate of 2.2 by 2050! By then, we would have become the most populous country in the world with numbers that could range from 1.5 billion to 1.8 billion, overtaking China in 2030.

We will soon have the largest ever generation of adolescents. They can be a ‘demographic dividend’ only if they are healthy. But a half of India’s children today are moderately or severely malnourished.

What is more, most Indian children suffer from at least one micronutrient deficiency. Over 75 per cent of preschool children suffer from anaemia and almost 60 per cent have sub-clinical Vitamin A deficiency. Progress in reducing the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in India has been excruciatingly slow. Child morbidity and mortality is higher for girls aged one month to 5 years than for boys, as the girls receive less food and health care. It is a vicious cycle—an undernourished girl will grow up to be unhealthy and give birth to low weight babies.

In 1994, some health scientists brought out a book – “Listening to Women Talk About their Health”. It featured health studies from different villages and slums of India and made a strong case for population-based studies on women’s health instead of hospital/clinic ones to get a better picture so that better policies can be framed and their needs addressed. For often poor women do not, or to put it better, cannot access the health system. Therefore, listen to what they are saying, what they want from a health system.

Some health scientists have been critical of India’s obsession with numbers, i.e. population control, and not focusing enough on women’s health and well being. At the end of it all – a healthy woman means a healthy baby. And a healthy and an educated woman means a healthier child and adult. Forty years down the road, Dr Pachauri, now heading Population Council of India, is saying the same thing: Improve the health of the women if you want to save the babies.

The writer works in the development sector

Seeking boys bad for health

Imbalanced sex ratios at birth are an increasing cause of concern in some South Asian, East Asian and Central Asian countries, particularly as they are indicative of persistent and underlying gender discrimination against girls and women. Such discrimination, and the intense pressure to produce sons, has serious and profound effects on the mental and physical health of women. The increasing availability of technologies such as amniocentesis and ultrasonography has facilitated an increase in the occurrence of sex selection.
Medical and other health-related technologies should instead be regulated to ensure that they are only used by qualified individuals in full accordance with the evidence-based guidelines of professional associations. The prevention of gender-biased sex selection will require major commitment and sustained and concerted efforts by governments, civil society and international agencies. A carefully planned and systematic approach involving stakeholders at all levels is needed to put in place supportive legal and policy measures for girls and women.
Source: "Preventing gender-biased sex selection", an interagency statement issued by OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and WHO.