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Gloom persists
Afghanistan calling |
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Cheats at work
The guilty must be punished
My real wealth
A burning cause: Paddy straw
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Gloom persists
THE economic data released on Monday has revived fears of slowdown continuing for more time to come than previously thought, though optimists feel growth deceleration has bottomed out and the road ahead is smooth. It was uncommon to see the BSE Sensex slide during “muhurat” trading on the auspicious Diwali day. The upbeat mood created by the change of guard at the Finance Ministry and a slew of reforms initiated thereafter seems to be wearing out. The only positive is the continuous inflow of foreign investment, thanks to cheap capital available in the developed world and waiting to be deployed in commodities and stocks, particularly in the emerging economies. Foreign institutional investors are sanguine about India’s growth story. There is a surfeit of bad news making investors jittery: industrial output dipped in September; inflation inched up to 9.75 per cent; and exports contracted by 1.63 per cent in October. Industrial production has slowed due to (a) a decline in capital goods production, which can be attributed to lower investment, and (b) flagging consumption indicated by a fall in the sales of consumer durables like refrigerators, TV sets and washing machines. The rise in inflation can be blamed partly on the diesel price hike and partly on high cereal prices, which is surprising since the country faces a problem of plenty as for as foodgrains are concerned. It has taken the government quite some time to offload grain stocks in the open market. Given the intolerable level of inflation, the government is divided on raising the minimum support prices of wheat. It has deferred a decision since the farm lobby is strong and elections are not very far. The continuance of high interest rates is a major deterrent to the revival of consumer demand and industrial production. Despite pressure from the government and industry, the RBI has refused to cut the key rates. It has, however, hinted at an easing of the monetary policy in the last quarter of the current financial year. Till then the economy may remain on a bumpy road.
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Afghanistan calling
President Hamid Karzai
of Afghanistan during his four-day India visit invited Indian investors to make use of the opportunities emerging in that country. It may be argued that this was part of his duty as the head of government. But the truth is that this is the time to expand India’s economic presence in Afghanistan as it has a pro-India government today. The Karzai regime may give any kind of concession to Indians which may not be available if someone else takes over the government in Kabul after the 2014 elections. Afghanistan is a mineral-rich country and is desperately looking for investors for developing infrastructure and exploration of its natural resources. China is expanding its presence in a big way. India cannot afford to adopt a lacklustre approach in such circumstances. No doubt, the Government of India has been contributing significantly to the reconstruction of Afghanistan since the collapse of the Taliban regime in the late nineties. Its investments, which currently stand at $2 billion, will go up considerably after the four pacts signed on Monday by the two countries. But India needs to take forward the strategic partnership agreement it reached in October 2011. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out, India wants to have a “strategic economic partnership to be built on our economic synergy for mutual benefit.” India will be able to meet the demands of Afghanistan at a bigger scale if it gets transit rights from Pakistan for transporting its goods to Afghanistan and beyond. Pakistan too will be a gainer if it grants these rights to India in the interest of spurring economic activity in the region. Actually, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan need to create an atmosphere in which people get more interested in making use of growth opportunities that come their way. This will lead to extremists finding it difficult to get new recruits for their destructive projects. And once extremism becomes less attractive for people in Pakistan and Afghanistan, these countries will start developing at a faster pace. President Karzai, who was keen on wooing India’s private sector to Afghanistan this time, should do all he can to persuade Pakistan to accord transit rights to India as early as possible.
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Cheats at work
THE arrest of fraudulent candidates and their facilitators trying to beat the entrance examination of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, stands in contrast against the high reputation of the institution. Using sophisticated electronic devices to leak out the question paper by planting non-doctors as candidates for the postgraduate course, the gang was hoping to make more than Rs 30 lakh from each candidate. The full extent of the racket is still being unravelled by the CBI. The case, however, reveals how vulnerable the entrance systems are even in the most prestigious institutions. Selections for many of the top government cadres can also not be assumed to be foolproof. As for the PGIMER, this is the second unfair means case uncovered by the CBI. In 2010, two junior resident doctors at the institute were arrested for having cleared the entrance exam with the help of impersonators. Candidates also submit fake certificates for their qualifications. While such cases may be spotted in scrutiny later, if an impersonation succeeds at the exam stage it may never be detected subsequently. There may be no reason to suspect the institute’s ability to teach as well as set question papers, but it definitely is unable to conduct the exam — which this time had 7,000 candidates — with the competence required. The fact that people are ready to risk paying cheats tens of lakhs of rupees to facilitate their admission means there must have been some successful cases too. Professional education institutes such as the PGIMER, AIIMS, IITs and IIMs are the ones that give India the reputation of a country that possesses massive manpower with sophisticated skills. This has to be protected. Entrance criteria and examinations, course syllabi and format, all have to be up to internationally accepted standards, as the products of these institutes in future have to compete with people from around the world, whether in India or outside. The HRD and health ministries have to take note of the latest incident, make the investments required to set up systems the institutes deserve and in keeping with the times, and not treat these exams like state school boards.
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Our first and last love is self-love. —Christian Nestell Bovee
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The guilty must be punished SOME memories do not fade, however old they become. It is really the pain which accumulates because of disappointment and helplessness in not finding justice. I realised this the other day when an old Sikh friend of mine called me from Faridkot in Punjab and cried on the phone. He asked me again and again why the government did not take action against the 1984 anti-Sikh rioters, some of whom he complained were still roaming free. The simple answer which I gave him was that when protectors become predators, the punishment is negated. This is what happened in November 1984, when 3000 Sikhs were killed or burnt alive in broad daylight. The then Congress government was reportedly accused of being part of the pogrom. Hence whatever little action taken was perfunctory, not meant to bring the culprits to book. There was the Chief Justice Ranganath Mishra report and some other assessments. But they talked more about the assassination of Indira Gandhi than the killing of the Sikhs. The only worthwhile probe was that of Justice Nanavati. But he too did not go deep enough and did not apportion blame to anybody specifically. Even when, in an interview, I tried to pin him down to name the person behind the carnage, he merely said: “You know who he was.” I think the naming of the guilty was important to punish them. Had the law taken its normal course, the killing of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 would not have taken place because the rulers and their associates would have learnt the lesson for complicity. Yet we must know why the Sikhs, as a community, were targeted and what was the motive behind doing so. I still think that there is a necessity to appoint a Truth and Conciliation Commission like the one the South African government did when the blacks assumed power under Nelson Mandela. Several white men appeared before the commission and gave gory details of what they did by resorting to untoward and illegal methods to keep the blacks suppressed. The white admitted the abominable role they had played. None was punished because the very nature of the commission required true confessions to avoid punishment. Similar confessions are required from the Congress leaders and the authorities of those days. Only then would we be able to reconstruct the tragedy, particularly the participation of the top leadership in the party and the government. “This is happening because we are only 2 per cent in the country,” said a young Sikh at Jantar Mantar, adding that even the Muslims met the same fate in Gujarat although they were 17 per cent. His note of helplessness struck me more than his pessimism. His is a telling remark on a polity which takes pride in being democratic and adhering a secular constitution. The 80 per cent Hindus can brush the criticism aside as most of them do. Yet the fact remains that the taste of democracy goes sour if the minorities feel that they are not getting their due. I must admit that the thoughts and conversations I have shared with the Muslims tell me that they find the millstone of Partition still hanging around their neck even after 65 years of Independence. However, some confidence is beginning to build. In a speech, Jamia Millia Vice-Chancellor Najeeb Jung said a few days ago: “There is need to understand Muslim concerns and address them to give the community greater confidence, and ensure its greater involvement in the national mainstream. Two committees appointed by the government, both chaired by retired judges of the Supreme Court, have submitted reports underlining the weak economic and educational standards of Muslims, their inadequate representation in government jobs as compared to their population, and suggested means to address them. The Government of India is making the right noises, and there is hope that some positive steps will be taken to improve the lot of the Muslims. The Muslims themselves have realised their political power. In almost one-third of seats in the Lower House of Parliament, Muslim votes can make the difference between winning and losing. The Muslims have gradually understood the value of tactical voting, and their sheer numbers will also gradually force the government to take them more seriously than the first 30-40 years of Independence.” On the other hand, the Sikhs, who consider themselves close to Hindus, are beginning to feel that the relationship does not mean anything if the Hindu community gets worked up as it did in 1984. Maybe, there is a bigger lesson in the tragedies of Operation Bluestar and the killings. Only by delving into them would we understand the killing of General A.S. Vaidya or the attack on Lt-Gen. K.S. Brar who led Operation Bluestar against the insurgents entrenched in the Golden Temple. Whatever the reason, it does not lessen the sanctity of the orders given by the elected government to the army commanders who are duty-bound to carry them out faithfully, whatever their predilections. It would be a sad day when the military would question the order of rulers backed by Parliament. However, the role of the Army takes me to the theatrical posture of retired General V.K. Singh. There is something called propriety which he has thrown to the wind and has come down to the level of urchins asking for gheraoing Parliament. I am shocked that Gandhian Anna Hazare, who shared the platform with him, has not realised the harm he has done to the movement he initiated to bring back the value system. See the comparison between the two. One is itching to join politics while the other, Brar, a Sikh, is facing the fallout of political rulers’ order. The real question is not political but human. The Sikhs are voicing their grievance against non-rehabilitation of the victims’ families. “I have been living the horror everyday for the past 28 years. My entire family, including my husband and two sons, was mercilessly eliminated by the rioting mob. I recount my story every year to the media, but what difference has it made? Have I got justice?” says Surjeet Kaur, one of the victims. True, one should move on. It is easier said than done. But punishment to the guilty will serve as a balm. The government has to initiate steps that would instill confidence in the Sikh community which should not feel helpless or
abandoned.
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My real wealth Imagine the joy de vivre you experience sipping morning cuppa with eyes fixed on the headlines of the newspapers. You pace up and down the balcony restlessly if the hawker is a bit late. Alas! the same newspapers lie crumpled by the evening and with the dawn of next morning, it lies discarded in the bundle of the 'oldies' — needed no longer. The man plying a creaking bicycle takes away the 'bundle', making you richer by a few rupees. I fail to understand why some (my hubby being one of them) get edgy over the old newspapers called 'raddi' — so unsophisticated and disgraceful a word for something oozing enormous knowledge and information. The 'Coalgate' scam, a host of other scams (too many pies we had in the dish recently), the eurocrisis, the US Presidential election, the London Olympics, share trading and the world of films and TV alone don't make a newspaper. Alluring indeed is the rich feast of fascinating write-ups on socio-political and economic issues. Captivating middles usher in a whiff of fresh air in the world of news, but I admire the newspapers because they are full of heroic deeds of the ordinary men and women that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. Who is not inspired by the overwhelming news of a young guy saving a girl from getting gangraped, a samartian saving a precious life on the road by rushing the injured to the hospital and an old woman killing a leopard in Dehradun and another catching a thief, et al? These are glowing tributes to the heroic spirit of mankind. They deserve to be passed on to the next generation. Such is the vast panorama of life unfolded by the newspapers. No wonder, some love to read the newspapers end to end. Very readily you would agree with me that the lure for the yellow metal is in the DNA of we mortals. Its loss means not only despair and grief but also end of the road for many. But to me the greatest loss occurs when the 'priceless possession' of old newspapers goes down the smudgy bag of the 'raddiwala'. Ah, me! Or loss not to be measured in terms of rustling paper. Rather an emotionally shattered at finding something so close to my heart going down the smudgy jute bag of the 'raddiwala' of a tragedy Shakespearean in nature. I wish I had a spacious bungalow to paste the tales of valour and grit, selected write-ups, middles and posterity. Virtually a vast library. A feast to the eyes and mind as well. Alas! a huge bungalow has not been my cup of tea. Hence chippings from papers adorn a few files alone. I cherish the moments spent with them as they are my real wealth. Rather my treasure trove. Thank you newspapers for making me fabulously
rich.
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A burning cause: Paddy straw Burning of bio-mass (farm waste), particularly the residue of paddy, is in the spotlight following the thick haze that enveloped New Delhi for over a week, especially after the US agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released images indicating the extent of fields on fire in Punjab.
The Delhi Government cited those images to blame Punjab and other states in the North for the smog over the Capital. While this claim has been disputed by the Punjab Government, it is a fact that the burning of paddy and wheat residue is rampant in the region since years. The issue has been debated extensively at various forums, and the governments concerned are also aware of the harmful effects of the practice on people's health, soil fertility as well as environment. Yet, no substantive effort has been made to stop the fires. It is estimated that about 40 million tonne of cereal crop waste — 23 million tonne from paddy and the remaining from wheat — is generated in Punjab per year. While most of the wheat straw is used as dry fodder for cattle, only a small part of paddy straw is utilised in generating power at biomass thermal plants. The remaining is set on fire in the fields. Owing to high silica content, paddy straw cannot be directly fed to animals. Scorching the soil It has been officially stated that the burning of paddy straw residue causes soil nutrient loss — 3.85 million tonne of organic carbon; 59,000 tonne nitrogen, 20,000 tonne phosphorus and 34,000 tonne of potassium — besides severely affecting the quality of ambient air. A government report reads: “The nutrient budget of the soil is adversely affected. Straw carbon, nitrogen and sulphur are completely burnt and lost to the atmosphere in the process of burning.” These nutrients then have to be replenished through organic or inorganic fertilisers, which come at a cost. A study conducted by the National Remote Sensing Agency indicated that paddy burning in Punjab contributed 261 giga gram (Gg; 1 Gg=1,000 metric tonne) of carbon mono dioxide, 19.8 Gg of nitrogen oxide, and other gases to the atmosphere. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has estimated that total crop residue (paddy and wheat) contained 6 million tonne of carbon, which on burning could produce 22 million tonne of carbon dioxide.
Task force In consultation with the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), the Punjab Government set up a task force in August 2006 to address the problem. It was headed by the then Executive Director of the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology and among its members were Director, Agriculture; Director, Health; and senior officials of the PPCB, PAU and the Central Pollution Control Board. The panel recorded that open burning of residue in the fields killed micro flora and fauna beneficial to soil and removed a large portion of the organic material, thereby depleting the organic matter in the fields. On the other hand, the suspended particulate matter in the air coming from the smoke aggravated chronic heart diseases and lung ailments, besides causing respiratory problems such as asthma. Among the measures suggested by the task force to address the issue were reduction of area under paddy, better use of straw by its incorporation in the soil for favourable effect, direct sowing of wheat without removing the paddy straw from the fields by using a specially designed “Happy Seeder”, and using straw to generate power. However, most of the recommendations have remained on paper. The area under paddy has not come down, varying between 26 lakh and 28.50 lakh hectares since 2000. The Central government has now asked Punjab to drastically cut the area under paddy because of other reasons too, including increased production in other states. The use of the “Happy Seeder” is negligible, as is the use of straw for generating power. As of now, only five biomass-based power plants have become functional. The Punjab Energy Development Authority has prepared a blueprint to set up 25 such plants to generate 300-400 MW of power during the current Five-Year Plan. The State Science and Technology Department has been interacting with boiler manufacturing companies to develop boilers that may need no other fuel than paddy straw.
Law needed An IAS officer, Kahan Singh Pannu, who also served as Chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board a few years ago, had proposed enacting a Punjab Prohibition of Burning of Crop Residue Act, for which he also submitted a draft to the government. However, there is no specific law thus far to stop the burning of straw. Experts believe that without legislative measures, all other steps will prove futile. At present, deputy commissioners invoke Section 144 of the CrPC to ban the burning of paddy, but it is hardly implemented, and there is little effort to sensitise farmers on the issue. Pannu had argued that by not burning the residue, the government and farmers could claim carbon credits from the adaption fund set up under the Kyoto Protocol, being managed by the Union Government for India. He had also proposed a penalty of Rs 4,000 per acre for violators, besides disconnecting the electric supply to the tubewells. Eminent academician and scientist Dr Jai Rup Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Bathinda, has written to the Chief Secretary to give serious thought to Pannu's proposal, while Dr G.S. Kalkat, Chairman of the Punjab Farmers Commission, and Baba Sewa Singh and Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal, both environmentalists, have also urged the government to frame a law. The draft was discussed at the level of the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Secretary. The matter rests there. The Planning Commission has now proposed to make the performance of states on the environmental front one of the parameters to allocate grants from the national pool. The last study conducted in this connection had put Punjab at the bottom of the list.
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PAU suggests incorporating (ploughing in) paddy residue in the soil. The university's Director, Research, Dr S.S.
Gosal, says wheat should be sown after paddy using the "Happy Seeder" without removing the straw, which will decompose over time. This will save nutrients, and enhance soil fertility.
PAU is working on ways to chop the straw, but it is a costly affair. Scientists suggest attaching blades to harvester combines, so the machine chops the straw as it harvests the crop. 
Use residue as fuel to generate power. PAU is developing technology to produce biogas from paddy straw. It can be used for domestic purpose also.
PAU is developing short-duration dwarf varieties of paddy. This will allow farmers greater time to prepare the fields for sowing wheat after harvesting paddy, without burning the straw. 
The best alternative is to reduce the area under paddy.