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Revenue-raising
budget A new
aviation authority |
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Women’s
safety
Lanka
under global scrutiny
Sea is
the limit
Little
minds, big burdens
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A new aviation authority
With
an aviation industry that is utterly chaotic, the decision of the government to set up a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with far greater powers, autonomy and budget than the present Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should come as a relief to both passengers and the industry. The present structure and the empowering laws of the DGCA have been far overtaken by the Indian aviation industry that is ninth in the world, and set to be among the top five within 10 years. Eyeing growth, there is an ever-increasing number of operators — both airline and airport — willing to enter the market, even as the cut-throat competition is killing the weak. Predatory pricing is one feature that spurs passenger figures but harms the industry. On the operational side, the high demand for pilots and training has led to people trying to get licences by any means. Given the high stakes, this is fertile ground for corruption, and the DGCA has not been immune to it. Since last year, many top officials have been investigated for their suspected role in issuing fake flying licences or irregularities in grant of licences to flying clubs. Besides fouling up the industry, this is cause for concern also because it has a direct bearing on passenger safety. The CAA — with its far greater resources in terms of money and staff — is expected to be able to better regulate all aspects of the industry — licensing, routes, fares, etc. While protecting the consumers’ interest would be a primary responsibility of the new body modelled on the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the industry expects it to look after its interest as well, which is only fair, given the dog-eat-dog competition. One power that the DGCA at present has, but the CAA won’t, is the investigation of accidents. An independent Air Accident Investigation Board is to be set up. It is always good to have one body to ensure safety, and another to check if that was indeed done.
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Women’s safety
On
a day when women would have felt a sense of relief for the death sentence awarded to the rapist and murderer of a 75-year-old woman by a local court in Sirsa, the shocking callousness of Gurgaon police has come to the fore. Instead of providing better security and assistance to over 30,000 women who work for call centres in the town, the local police told all the malls, commercial establishments and pub owners that they cannot have women employees work beyond 8 pm. This escapist approach came in the wake of a pub worker’s gang rape on Sunday, when she was forced to accompany six men who grabbed her from the taxi, in the presence of the taxi driver and her brother. By invoking the existing Punjab Shops and Commercial Establishments Act, of 1958, the administration of Gurgaon has proved that it views working women as a problem. The invocation of the law would mean that employers would have to take permission from the Labour Department if they employ women who work beyond 8 pm and provide all information on their credentials to the department. All employers would have to provide transportation for women employees, if they work beyond 8pm. Certainly, this will work as a deterrent for employing women. If only Gurgaon police knew, a woman employee was raped by the taxi driver provided by her employers in Bangluru. Secondly, if male presence alone could deter a rapist, the woman escorted by her brother could have been saved the disgrace. It is this callous attitude of the security agencies that results in a constant decline of conviction rates in rape cases. In 1973, when the number of registered cases of rape was 2,919, the rate of conviction was 44.28 per cent, in 2010 it fell to 26.50 per cent while the number of cases went up to 20,262. Not that the legal tools dealing with rape cases are weak, the problem lies at the level of evidence collection, where the involvement of local police is crucial.
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Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. — Winston Churchill
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Lanka under global scrutiny The
scars of 30 years of bloody ethnic conflict and terrorism are gradually disappearing from Sri Lanka’s landscape. Visiting Colombo barely three years ago was a traumatic experience. With the country torn apart in a seemingly endless civil war, one could sense a nation on edge, even while disembarking at Colombo’s International Airport. The airport itself then looked like an armed citadel. The security screening across the country was suffocating. Colombo felt like a city under siege, with roadblocks virtually at every street corner and traffic light, monitored by armed police and army check posts. Returning to Colombo last week, I was immensely relieved to see Sri Lanka’s capital virtually devoid of irksome security presence, with thousands of Indian tourists being welcomed with a smile from the moment of disembarkation. Colombo’s roads are full of Bajaj auto-rickshaws, easily the most popular mode of public transport. More interestingly, unlike in Indian cities, one finds large numbers of Tata Nano taxis in Colombo. The Nano and the auto-rickshaws are seen as symbols of Indian transportation ingenuity. A Pakistani friend who I met in Colombo told me after a ride in a Nano taxi that if Pakistan had free trade with India, the roads of Karachi and Lahore would be flooded with Indian buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws! In the midst of this changed environment, one found that the LTTE had been replaced by the US and its NATO allies as the greatest threat to national security and well-being. Slogans and billboards across Colombo proclaimed loudly that the west was out to undermine Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, seeking to ostracise and isolate Sri Lanka internationally. The Americans are moving a resolution in the United Nations Council on Human Rights (UNCHR), suggesting intrusive measures to censure Sri Lanka for alleged human rights violations in the last days of the ethnic conflict. Moreover, there is considerable bitterness over US moves to make imports of oil from Iran impossible, despite the fact that Iran is the major supplier of oil for Sri Lanka’s only oil refinery, which refines light Iranian crude. A Sri Lankan friend ruefully noted that while India had the economic and diplomatic clout to resist such coercive sanctions, Sri Lanka was finding its energy security and economic progress threatened. After failing to get Sri Lanka censured in the UNCHR earlier last year, the western countries led by the US — which are opposed by China, Pakistan and South Africa — have now come up with this draft resolution seeking to get Sri Lankan President Rajapakse to implement the provisions of the report of Sri Lanka’s “Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission” (LLRC). The Sri Lankan government has agreed to implement the November 2011 LLRC recommendations. The government claims that it has completed rehabilitation of 3 lakh displaced Tamils and that sections of the economy such as fishing and agriculture, which were closed during the ethnic conflict, have been revived; 1,200 LTTE fighters granted amnesty; and 1,000 former LTTE child recruits rehabilitated. The LLRC also concluded that the Sri Lankan military had not deliberately targeted civilians, adding that “the LTTE had no respect for human life”, evidently referring to the propensity of the LTTE to use innocent Tamil civilians as “human shields”, in conflict situations. The commission acknowledged that it had received reports alleging serious abuses by the Sri Lankan army, such as “disappearance” of Tamil civilians after arrest and detention. It felt that these allegations warranted further investigation and punishment of military officers found guilty. While 5,556 military personnel were killed in the last phase of the conflict, 22,247 LTTE cadres lost their lives, of which 11,812 had been identified by name. India welcomed the public release of the LLRC report, expressing the hope that Sri Lanka would act with vision on the devolution of power and genuine national reconciliation. India noted: “It is important to ensure that an independent and credible mechanism is put in place to investigate allegations of human rights violations, as brought out by the LLRC, in a time-bound manner.” While the British, with a dubious record of supporting separatism in former colonies, and international busybodies like Norway have pontificated about what needs to be done, the reactions of the US, EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton, and the Canadians have been measured and nuanced. It appears evident that like in the past, the western countries will be unable to muster adequate support for adoption of the present draft resolution moved by the US. Separatist causes have little support in today’s world. India would, however, be well advised to support nuanced measures that promote national reconciliation and guarantee that Sri Lanka fulfils its assurances to devolve power as envisaged in the 13th Amendment to its Constitution, enacted after the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement. A majority of the 2.7 lakh-strong Sri Lankan Army — comprising 14 divisions under six operational commands, two independent divisions and several independent brigades — are deployed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. While there has been some loosening of what is seen as a suffocating military presence in these provinces, Sri Lanka would be well advised to ensure that the army profile is reduced significantly. India should continue partnering the Sri Lankan Government in ensuring that there is no infiltration across the Palk Straits. India is playing a key role in the development and restoration of rail communication links between Colombo and the Tamil-majority north of the island. Indian assistance is also developing air and sea transportation links with the Northern Province. The key to India’s strategic influence in Sri Lanka lies in the development of Trincomalee Port, where it inherited antiquated petroleum storage facilities in 1987. India should aim to emerge as a major hub for finished petroleum products in the Indian Ocean Region. With Sri Lanka experiencing problems with its obsolete refining facilities, India should consider majority equity participation by its public and private companies in the development of a major petroleum refining and storage facility in Trincomalee. This would augment its existing indigenous facilities for export of refined petroleum products across the Indian Ocean Rim. It would also enable the development of north-eastern Sri Lanka. It would ensure that the Chinese involvement in Hambantota Port is matched by an Indian presence in the ethnically mixed Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Ethnic harmony and economic development in Sri Lanka’s northern and eastern provinces is the key to the security of our southern shores. We have serious security challenges on our northern and western borders. Astute and pro-active diplomacy is needed to guarantee our security across the Indian Ocean
Rim.
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Sea is the limit The
thought of the sparkling badge and the spotless white uniform that I was going to don with a gush of national pride, the emotional adieu my parents would bid me, all had set me sailing off to the high seas. Suddenly, the noise on the TV shook me out of the reverie I have been slipping into since childhood. The dream of joining the Indian Navy. The TV channel on at the moment was greeting its female audience on International Women’s Day. Being a girl determined to live a life where I charted my own course, I had been rather worked up that morning seeing the newspapers splashed all over with similar hollow greetings, and now it was the idiot box. Wishing women what the day stands for and meaning it are two different things. Reports in the very same papers of ‘eve-teasing’, rape, female foeticide stood testimony to that. While the Women’s Reservation Bill awaits approval in Parliament, the House has a mere 8 per cent women. The thought came to me that it is not us women who are to blame for our “discriminated” status, but the male-dominated society that cannot see us succeeding. The likes of Pratibha Patil, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Kalpana Chawla, Kiran Bedi, Bachendri Pal, Vijayaraje Scindia have been my constant reminders not to give up, and stay the course. In a world that even frowns upon girls riding motorcycles, I saw my destiny in the navy. As I surfed the channels to see something more honest, “ding dong”, the doorbell rang. I snapped out of my angry chain of thoughts to answer the call. A courier boy (not girl) flashed his silly smile, and handed me a package. As I drearily held the delivery, I noticed it bore my name, and then I spotted the stamp of the Indian Navy on it. Hey, this was the brochure I had ordered by post for myself from the Indian Naval Academy in Kerala! I graduated in computer science engineering this year from a Chandigarh college, not as reputed as the IITs, but recognised by Panjab University nonetheless. I had taken the first step towards realising my dream. I took the package to the “pooja room” in the house, sought the Almighty’s blessings, and slowly unwrapped the package. There lay, in all its glory, my admission form. I was shaking, not out fear of leaving my parents for the navy, but from excitement over the opportunity to realise my dream of every night and day, the dream to serve my nation. Clearing my head of all thoughts — except that of being a submarine specialist — I read aloud the first lines of the instructions on the form, as if I were pledging something: “Applications are invited from unmarried male candidates for....” Suddenly, I had a sinking feeling. I hurriedly read the whole brochure top to bottom thrice, but there was no option other than “unmarried male candidates”. Lady Luck had left my side. Maybe she had no place in the navy
either!
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We've all known parental pressure, in some form or the other. Though this pressure is the result of good intentions, it has reached colossal proportions in today's competitive world. We need to let children be and let them be kids for a little while longer Nuclear families We've all known parental pressure, in some form or the other — be it pressure to select a respectable career, find a suitable partner or just develop basic moral values and good behaviour. The intensity of this pressure, however, has reached colossal proportions these days. In our generation, there were far too many kids running all over the place for an adult to focus all their efforts on one child in particular. But with the advent of nuclear families, parents are focussing all their energy on their one, or at the most, two children. Subsequently, the pressure on these children to perform becomes greater. Added to that, our society has become a lot more competitive than it was before. The population is booming and there is a greater struggle for resources at every level - in this case, university seats. Parents are increasingly trying to better the chances of their children making the cut. Where once upon a time, the coaching for IITs started in Class XI, children have started enrolling for these classes in Class IX onwards. Tuitions were unheard off a couple of decades back, and no child faced any problems without the tuitions. Now every child has tuitions, at least for maths and science, if not other subjects. Not only does every child have tuitions, children as early as Class I now have tutors for multiple subjects. And these are all students studying in good schools, known for their competent teachers. In fact, in an endeavour to get a head start for their child, even nursery admissions have become a nightmarish experience for parents these days, with parents queuing up in front of schools at 3am, just to be able to get an admission form. Stressed out childhood Children receive pressure from parents not just to perform well academically but also face pressure in the way they live their day-to-day lives. Do well in sports, do well in creative arts, be a prolific speaker and writer, be socially skilled, be well mannered. Be perfect. Children these days are rushed from school to tuition to dance class to tennis class to art class and what not. Everything is planned, everything is structured and there's no room for free time. An interesting trend has started these days wherein a child's prowess has become a source of pride for parents, even among their own social circle. Parents brag about their child's achievements and every award is another feather in the parent's hat. Children these days lead high pressure-high stress lives. They feel the need to fit in with their peers, live up to their own expectations and those of their teachers, and outperform their friends and siblings. Add parental pressure to that, and it sometimes becomes a burden children can no longer carry. When children perceive pressure from their families to be too intense, they may begin to act out and exhibit problem behaviours. They get antagonistic towards their parents, may start lying, and begin looking for ways to avoid their parents or circumvent their rules. In all seriousness, a child's mental health is becoming a serious concern today. Children increasingly have to grapple with problems of self esteem. Childhood and adolescent depression is on the rise as is teenage aggression and unhealthy risk-taking behaviour. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents; it has increased four folds since the 1950s, and it is not something we can afford to take lightly. All said and done, however, parental pressure is the result of good intentions. It's simply the outcome of a parent's efforts to give their child the best they can offer. It comes from the desire to fulfil our child's wishes and desires, sometimes vicariously fulfilling our own in the process. It comes from desperation of not wanting to see our
children make the same mistakes we made; to give our child as smooth and happy a life as is possible. But in our preoccupation, we often forget that despite our parents' best efforts, we too made mistakes. We learnt from our own mistakes, and we did fine. We need to let children be. Let them be kids for a little while longer. Guide them as best we can, but let them stumble and make their own way. (The writer is a psychiatrist and the Chief of Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Healthcare, New Delhi)
Bringing up children
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A
woman
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Give children an opportunity to explore their own likes and dislikes: Do not impose the activities your child should engage in or the subjects your child should pursue. Don't enrol your child into music lessons simply because you played the guitar or always wanted to. Remember that your child is a person in his own right, and his likes and dislikes are likely to vary from yours. The best you can offer your child is an opportunity to explore various avenues that are available, and let them make an informed decision.