|
|
|
|
|
Punishing 26/11 guilty
In the slow lane |
|
|
Reducing radiation
National War Memorial, at last
O’ for a thousand suns!
Post-Green Revolution, barren land was reclaimed and made available for farming. Now productive land is being
sacrificed for unplanned urbanisation. This calls for policy prescriptions to regulate urban expansion
|
Punishing 26/11 guilty
Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh has done well by stating clearly that his visit to Pakistan can be possible only when Islamabad provides proof of its “sincerity” to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai massacre. The “sincerity” aspect is significant in the sense that those behind the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack like LeT founder Hafiz Sayeed are roaming free because the Pakistan government did not produce sufficient evidence before the court dealing with the case. The prosecution took the matter in a casual manner and the result was that the main brain behind the death of dance in Mumbai could not be punished. This happened when India has provided enough material to prove the involvement of Sayeed, Ziaur Rehman Lakhvi and some others in the 26/11 killings. If Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, who has extended the invitation to Dr Manmohan Singh again, is convinced that the Prime Minister’s visit to Pakistan will lead to the creation of an atmosphere needed for improving relations between the two countries, Islamabad should take up the 26/11 case in a manner so that the killers of innocent people in Mumbai get exemplary punishment. Punishing those knee-deep in terrorism will be in the larger interest of Pakistan also as it will send out the message that Islamabad is committed to tackling terrorism like the rest of the world. This will also give a boost to the India-Pakistan composite dialogue process. Much has been achieved on the trade front and promoting people-to-people contacts between the two countries. There is the possibility of signing of a liberalised visa regime when External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will visit Islamabad on September 8. There is not much difficulty in settling the Sir Creek issue, too, as the Prime Minister pointed out while coming back from the Non-Aligned Movement’s summit in Tehran. Much work has already been done on Sir Creek. What is most encouraging is that people in general on both sides of the border wish to have friendly relations. Only the Pakistan-based extremist outfits play the role of spoilers. They need to be dealt with effectively for peace to prevail in the subcontinent.
|
|
In the slow lane
On
the face of it, there is a slight improvement in the GDP growth rate during the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal. Though above expectations, few are celebrating the latest growth figures. The optimists point out that the worst is, perhaps, over for the Indian economy. At 5.5 per cent the growth rate is better than 5.3 per cent recoded in the previous three months but is a way behind last year’s figure of 8.6 per cent for the same period. There are three positives: trade deficit has narrowed, agricultural growth has picked up and the rupee depreciation has yielded modest benefits to exporters. What has led to the growth slowdown is well known. Private consumption has declined, domestic investment has weakened and exports have taken a hit as the euro zone’s debt crisis persists and the US recovery remains feeble. The RBI lifted interest rates 13 times in 2010 and 2011, which raised the cost of capital for buyers, investors and manufacturers. The RBI’s rate hikes were meant to tame inflation but it has still not succeeded in achieving the goal. The pessimists point out that food inflation is still high and this year’s below-normal monsoon may exacerbate the situation. So there is hardly any hope for an immediate relief from the RBI. Fixing the supply side problem is a long-term issue. India is no longer the second fastest growing economy after China. Indonesia and the Philippines are growing faster than India. What has contributed largely to the country’s loss of distinction is policy paralysis. The government has disappointed on the reform front. The budget with its retroactive tax proposals has vitiated the investment climate. An unmanageable fiscal deficit and the failure to raise revenue may invite a further rating downgrade for India. The change of guard at the Finance Ministry did raise expectations initially but the political gridlock on coal allocations has dampened hopes for hard decisions.
|
|
|
Reducing radiation
The
move towards implementing stricter electromagnetic radiation emission (EMR) norms in the telecom sector is to be commended since it brings advanced international standards of such regulation to the nation. Radiation emission from telecom towers will come down by 90 per cent. The good news is that an estimated 90 per cent of the telecom towers already comply with the norms, and thus the government is right to announce strict penalties for those who fail to comply with the norms. There is no doubt that we have to live with the fact of electronic emissions bombarding us all the time, from many sources. Stray electromagnetic radiation, however, is not considered a public health concern. The same cannot be said for sustained radiation, which can come from being in proximity of things like power lines, transformers, cell phone towers, and at a lower lever from gadgets like television sets and cell phones. While definitive proof is lacking, some health problems are associated with such radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic radiation, and as a general rule, governments limit the amount of radiation that can be emitted by such devices. The lowering of the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) in cellphones to 1.6 W/kg averaged over 1 gm of human tissue from 2W/kg over 10 gm of human tissue is also welcome. SAR measures the rate at which energy is absorbed by the body when exposed to a RF electromagnetic field and as handsets improve, they have lower SAR values. The Telecom Ministry’s recommendation that cellphone handsets should be used in hands-free mode as far as possible is also valid. There are some apprehensions that as telecom companies lower the EMR, there will be gaps in the performance of cellphones. These, however, need to be addressed, and should certainly not overshadow the need to properly handle the potential health hazards posed by high EMR emitted by towers. The balance between convenience and health should always be on the side of health.
|
|
|
I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars. — Walt Whitman
|
National War Memorial, at last It is more than half a century since the proposal to build a national war memorial at a suitable place in New Delhi was mooted by the defence services. All this time the proposal was being put off for no valid reason. It had been a sustained attempt by successive governments in the Capital to keep the military in the background and, as a policy, never to give due recognition to its services and highlight the achievements and sacrifices made to the nation. The bureaucracy, with a view to keeping the military suppressed, has succeeded in injecting into the political executive the fear of a military takeover of the country. The developments in the neighbouring countries served to reinforce such fears in the minds of the political class. The media’s role has been anything but laudable. At another level, there has been complete apathy on the part of the public at large and the so-called civil society for building a National War Memorial. After all, it is for the protection and safety of people of this country that these gallant men gave up their lives. Therefore, the idea of National War Museum has been a victim of this policy and attitude India has been the scene of innumerable battles, yet it never evolved a military tradition and resources enough to meet the challenge from invading armies. The soldier was seldom given recognition for his valour and sacrifices. Nations that value freedom and abhor foreign rule remember and honour those who sacrifice their lives for the defence of the country. They honour their martyrs in all possible ways as also build memorials to acknowledge their sacrifices. Unfortunately in India, there has been no tradition or practice to raise memorials to honour those who sacrificed their lives in defence of this land and commemorate battles in which they fell. The concept of raising war memorials as such was, perhaps, first introduced in India by the British. Some historians have tried to classify the Qutab Minar in Delhi, the Victory Towers in Chittorgarh and Tughlakabad (down South) as a sort of memorials, but that claim is contestable. These were more to honour and highlight the achievements of the king or the conqueror than the common soldier. However, in other parts of the world the tradition of raising memorials in one form or the other has been in vogue from prehistoric times — in the form of ‘Burial Mounds’, ‘Obelisks’, crosses, the female figure as a symbol of victory, statues, structures, arches, etc. It was the shattering experience of World War I that set in motion the urge to build memorials all over — in every town and village in Europe and elsewhere. In addition to these innumerable memorials, each of these countries, whose soldiers took part in this war, built national war memorials at the most appropriate places. In England, it is next to Whitehall in the heart of London. It is around this time that the concept of an “Unknown Soldier” was evolved and national memorials started being dedicated to him. Arch-de-Triumphe in Paris is the most prominent memorial; it is at this place that the idea of an “Unknown Soldier” was first put into practice. An “Unknown Soldier” lies buried in the Arch complex. The British built a number of war memorials to commemorate their battle victories against Indian troops. The last great memorial they built to honour the Indian soldiers who fell in World War I is India Gate in New Delhi. While it has the names of all those who laid down their lives in this Great War, on the gate (a memorial arch) are also the manes of British officers who were killed in the NorthWest Frontier. Though some smaller memorials were built in the North-East to honour those who fell defending India against the Japanese offensive across Burma during World War II, no main war memorial could be built to honour the killed Indian troops. Thus, there is no memorial for Indian troops who sacrificed their lives during this war. Many of them had died defending India against the Japanese and others in North Africa and Italy to defend freedom. India has fought a number of wars since Independence where thousands of soldiers (the term “soldiers” includes airmen and sailors and their officers) died but their sacrifices have never been properly recognised. Therefore, the decision of the government to finally build a National War Memorial in New Delhi should be welcome. The approval to build it near India Gate is both befitting and laudable. This memorial needs to be dedicated not only to those who fell in the battles after Independence, including those of the Indian Peace Keeping Force during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, but also those who laid down their lives during World War II. The failure to do so will be a great injustice to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in that great struggle. The monument to be thus constructed must be of a grand design and scale, befitting the valour and sacrifices of those whose memory it aims to perpetuate. It must match India Gate in design, scale and grandeur. It ought to portray the unwavering loyalty, devotion and dedication of the Indian soldier (which includes airmen and sailors) to the country. It would be a place where all visiting dignitaries must be taken to pay homage to the “Unknown Soldier”. Some suggestions are doing the rounds that it should have a statue of a particular Indian general. National War Memorials as such never have a statue. There may be statues of a group of soldiers involved in some activity related to their deeds of valour, etc. National War Memorials are invariably dedicated to the “Unknown Soldier”, “The lads who took the copje (rocky outcrop) and are not
known.”
|
||
O’ for a thousand suns! Andhere se main darta hoon, Maa ! (I fear being in the dark, O’ Mother!) This number from Aamir Khan’s “Tare Zameen Par” is not only about a fearful child seeking a secure cover while being enveloped, embalmed and mummified in darkness, but speaks volumes about an important aspect of human nature — insecurity. The only remedy for letting things return to their normal shine is then surely a source of light. I throw some on it, prompted largely by the recent couple of blackouts. Primitive man started with striking the stones to make fire. Thereafter, man literally played with fire and discovered its other forms, many of which nature had already lit. Lightning filled man’s heart with reason to sparkle; also being apprehensive, fearful and turning a believer in a super power. Till the discovery of radium, mankind believed in all kinds of natural sources of light and not an artificial one. From “mashaals” to earthen lamps to lanterns to petromax to hurricane lamps, it was a long journey in creating need-based light. Then came candles — my favourite. And with them came poetry and much more. With the discovery of the alternating current and direct current, bulbs and torches came into being. They gave the lily-livered more confidence — whatever that means. Even to the extent that one of my friends does not sleep without a torch, for he says during the night when he has to use the toilet, he hits the walls making his foot-thumb thicker like that of a camel. Look even the Olympic Torch is just a proxy — of our own “desi mashaal”. One’s comely countenance has him seen by others in the dark, only when one flashes a smile, showing his white gems. Contrasts bring shine too, besides recognition. There dawned curiosity of a kind in a couple (actually — Curie and Pierri) of France, who discovered an artificial glowing substance radiating with the name “radium”, adding luminosity to the hither-to-fore dark ages of scientific haze. The faint bluish-green then started adorning watch dials, buttons and glow toys. I think the best creation of nature in flaming up life is found in a glow-worm. And it uses a switch, too, to turn its radiance on and off. Perhaps, it has been giving a message to mankind to save energy since it was born! And look at another one of the smart species — the weaver-bird has in its nest a glow-worm, fixed on a muddy-paste, to light up its twiggy-abode during the night. That a face lights up, eyes sparkle, stars and the sun shine, reflections weave patterns, mirrors cast beams, prisms add a rainbow to rays, and a flood is caused with mercury and sodium through halogens — the picture presents a whole haul of brightness, oozing out in abundance and taking over all the darkness. I present a glowing scenario reflected in a Hindi short story “Jagmagahat” by a Sirsa-based writer, Roop Devgun. A head clerk asks his secretary to stay after office hours since he has an urgent work to dispose of. She had never overstayed, ever. She becomes apprehensive of the boss and conjures up a plethora of ugly moves on his part, at the same time preparing herself to be ready to face any eventuality. Suddenly, the lights go off. Her heart starts beating faster. The head clerk moves from his table in darkness. The creaking sound of screeches frightens her no end. The head clerk calls her, “Can you please look for a matchbox lying in the almirah near the window, Beti (daughter like)!” She then has a thousand suns dawned in the room lighting up even the cockles of her fearful heart.n
|
||
Post-Green Revolution, barren land was reclaimed and made available for farming. Now productive land is being
sacrificed for unplanned urbanisation. This calls for policy prescriptions to regulate urban expansion
Land
is the most important natural resource, particularly for an agrarian state like Punjab. The magnitude of agricultural activities largely depends upon the quantity and quality of land and the manner in which it is put to use. The state lacks minerals but is endowed with locational advantage of water availability, levelled land and hard-working farmers, due to which, virtually, the entire available land is made fit for agriculture. Such transformations have also considerable implications for the livelihood of farmers, landless labour and other sections of society. As a consequence, the barren and fallow lands, which together were 4.39 lakh hectares in 1970-71, declined to merely 0.73 lakh hectares in 2010-11, releasing a sizable land for cultivation. Till the eighties even the land under roads, paths, river banks, forest cover, shamlaats (panchayat lands) were also put under crops. Thus the coverage under plough has already touched the maximum possible level of 83% of the geographical area and very little scope is left for further increasing agricultural production through horizontal expansion. An alarming trend The housing and infrastructure requirements are increasing due to population growth, economic development and industrial expansion. There is no effective check on unplanned expansion of towns, especially due to the in-migration of people from rural areas and from other parts of the country, a swift rise in the number of marriage palaces, farm houses, unmanned colonies etc have lead to the reduction in the highly productive cultivated area in the peri-urban locations. Construction work and the widening of roads, expansion of educational, health, banking and other such activities, expansion of industrial concerns etc do Farm size increasing On the face of it, the picture appears to be rosy, provided there is a net shift of population from agriculture to the secondary and tertiary sectors or even within farming elsewhere geographically. Even liberalisation of the land lease market, with about 13% of the cultivated area coming under its fold could be one of the reasons for such out-migration. When the data of the population census is also viewed simultaneously, the picture becomes rather reverse and dismal. During 1991, there were 19.17 lakh cultivators and the number went up to 20.65 lakh in 2001. Therefore, a clear cut indication of increasing pressure of population (by about 15,000 every year) remains unabated with more and more number of cultivators per operational land holding. The possibilities of division of land for convenience sake and for the sake of concealing non-farm income cannot be ruled out. This dilemma needs a serious review and a thorough probe. Cropping intensity rises Forest cover A similar situation occurred in case of fruit orchards. The National Forest Policy stressed that for the proper maintenance of balance of nature and to meet the needs of development, 60 per cent of the total area in hills and 20 per cent in the plains should be under forest so that an overall average of 33 per cent is maintained. Furthermore, the forest area in the state is concentrated mainly in semi-hill tracts of Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Gurdaspur districts. On the other hand, some districts like Fatehgarh Sahib and Moga have even less than 1 per cent area under forests. Though social forestry is not profitable as compared to common crops except in case of marginal lands, yet plantation along roads, rail tracts and river banks can be done more vigorously. The Kandi belt of the state has vast potential of plantation especially the traditional forest and fruit trees. Plantations in parks, schools, hospitals, along roads, canals etc even in the urban areas have still vast potential to be explored. Policy implications Effort should be to put semi-hill tracts of Punjab under agro-forestry as a majority of farmers in such areas are small and marginal and crop productivity is also very low. A corpus fund for advancing cheap loans up to the gestation period of trees is required to encourage agro-forestry in the area. Plantation at public places should also be encouraged. Plantation in urban areas needs a more serious view. Though urbanisation and industrialisation are essential features of growth, the need for a systematic expansion with minimum impairment of agriculture is of still greater importance. Small farmers have a better option of exit due to a reckless rise in land price and escalating land rents. A still greater requirement is the expansion of non-farm sectors to provide them better employment opportunities. The writer is a former Professor & Head, Department of Economics & Sociology, PAU, Ludhiana.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Out of a total geographical area of 50.3 lakh hectares, about 41.6 lakh hectares is the net area sown. Led by economic forces, emerging from various genetic improvements of crops and livestock, fast mechanisation, market developments etc, significant structural changes in Punjab agriculture have come about and provided a potential food security cover to the country.