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Divided
over water N-ties
with Japan |
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New
Chandigarh
Expenditure
management
Horrific
sight
Blow the
whistle on harassment @workplace
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N-ties with Japan
The
most significant gain achieved during the latest visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Japan is that the two countries will speed up the process of reaching a civilian nuclear deal. Dr Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, on Wednesday agreed to finalise a nuclear deal as soon as possible so that Japan can sell nuclear reactors to India with all kinds of safety guarantees. Both countries will gain immensely once the nuclear deal is finally clinched. While Japan will get considerable business from the burgeoning nuclear power sector in India, this country will be able to get highly advanced nuclear reactors from Japan to enhance its power generation capacity to meet the fast growing energy demand from industry and other sectors. An India-Japan civilian nuclear agreement will also help India find entry into the nuclear trade control regimes like the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Agreement. Japan has started going slow on its plan of meeting 50 per cent of its energy requirement from the nuclear sector by 2030 after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. But it has a very advanced nuclear technology industry that grew up after nuclear energy was declared a national strategic priority in 1973. Once India gets latest nuclear reactors from Japan, nuclear energy generation in the country can pick up speed. India cannot afford to depend on fossil fuels for power generation forever. Enhancing nuclear energy generation will be very competitive in the case of India despite high capital costs and the need to have a 100 per cent safe waste disposal system. The social, health and environmental costs of fossil fuels are too heavy for countries like India. Nuclear power can emerge as the most economical fuel to run industries and meet the fast rising energy demand from various sectors. Of course, the safety aspect has to be handled with utmost seriousness to ensure that the masses do not get alarmed and create roadblocks on the way.
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New Chandigarh
What’s in a name?” you might well ask. Wasn’t it William Shakespeare who said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Mullanpur was a village on the outskirts of the planned city of Chandigarh. During the last few years it has been heavily developed with many real estate companies carving out pieces of land from what was farmland and promising to transform the place into another Singapore. Now, Mullanpur does not have quite the modern ring to it, so the government of Punjab has decided to call it New Chandigarh. No matter what you call it, the new development will be an extension of the city which was not supposed to have any. The master plan of Chandigarh envisaged a green buffer zone around the city, but in time the concept that was thought to be inviolable has eroded. Purists will, no doubt, object to it. Others will point out to the pressure that such developments on the periphery put on the main city that already has a population many times what was originally envisaged. On the other hand, people will point out to the need for housing and office space... the debate will go on. The original owners of the land in the area have a grouse that their agricultural land has been turned into urban plots and they have not benefited from the astronomical rise in the price of the plots that were bought from them for a song. The Punjab government must ensure that the infrastructure requirements of the planned development are met before proceeding further. The area around Chandigarh is bedevilled with lack of water supply, and Mohali as well as other places in Punjab have to cope with the shortage of electrical power. Calling Mullanpur New Chandigarh may well enhance its image by the allusion to the better-known and well-recognised brand. It will, however, take a lot to more than borrowing a name to ensure that the new development is worthy of the brand it seeks to emulate.
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Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. — George Edward Woodberry
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Expenditure management
It
is heartening to note that the government has been able to contain the fiscal deficit for 2012-13 at 5.2 per cent of the GDP as promised but this has been brought about primarily by the compression of the Plan expenditure which has been scaled down to Rs 429187 crore in the revised estimates from the original budget of Rs 521025 crore. This is in line with the signals which the Ministry of Finance had been sending out for some time that the Plan expenditure would no longer be treated as some sort of a holy cow immune to expenditure compression! Curiously, however, in January 2013, the ministry separately extended the time limit for the completion of appraisal of the on-going Plan schemes to March 2013 (numbering 173 at the end of the Eleventh Plan) for deciding on their continuance during the Twelfth Plan. This was stated to have been necessitated because of delay in the finalisation of the Twelfth Plan outlays. The ministry had originally issued instructions in December 2011 that certain categories of schemes like the Eleventh Plan schemes which were to have run their course during that Plan, or which needed merger because of overlapping objectives, or which required to be modified in the light of suggestions of the Planning Commission, etc, should be appraised afresh. The ministry had also instructed that the other schemes could be continued by the ministries only after evaluation through an independent, impartial and reputed agency followed by a critical in-house examination of the result of such evaluation. This exercise was to be completed within the first year of the Twelfth Plan, and a more specific and definite timeline was prescribed in April 2012 in terms of which the exercise must be concluded by December 2012. Because of the new extended timeline, even for the second year of the Twelfth Plan the annual budget for 2013-14 has been prepared apparently without taking a final view on the desirability or otherwise of continuance of the on-going Plan schemes. The question whether the review of the schemes should be linked with the finalisation of the Twelfth Plan outlays need not detain us, but it is also seen that contrary to the standing instructions of the Planning Commission, some of the Ninth and Tenth Plan schemes had been continued during the Eleventh Plan without fresh appraisal. Beginning with zero-based budgeting introduced in the eighties, the government has over the years announced several initiatives for ensuring that the spending programmes are regularly reviewed for their continued relevance and utility. More recently, in terms of the formally codified duties and responsibilities of the Secretary to the Government as the ministry's Chief Accounting Authority in 2005, the Secretary has been made responsible for the efficient, effective and economical use of the resources of the ministry, and he must review and monitor regularly the performance of the schemes to determine whether these are achieving the anticipated objectives. In this he is assisted by the ministry's Financial Advisor, a high-ranking officer at the level of Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary, who is mandated to assist the ministry in moving over to zero-based budgeting and set up appropriate appraisal and evaluation systems. Outcome budgeting, which was introduced for the first time in 2005-06 and has since become an integral part of the annual budgetary exercise, is another mechanism that was intended to serve as a performance measurement tool that inter alia helps in evaluating programme performance so that the schemes and programmes are not continued from one Plan to the next Plan without independent in-depth evaluation. There are also standing instructions for incorporating the concept of periodic evaluation in all schemes as a regular feature. The government's annual budget circular routinely emphasises the need for prioritising all schemes for identifying schemes that can be eliminated or curtailed. The continuance of some of the Ninth Plan schemes during the Tenth and Eleventh Plans and the carry forward of the on-going schemes to the Twelfth Plan without proper appraisal or review is indicative of a serious compliance gap between precept and practice. The ministries are also required to prepare a Result Framework Document every year which, inter alia, sets out the key activities to be undertaken during the year. This is a collaborative exercise of the ministry and the Performance Management Division of the Cabinet Secretariat with which outside experts are also associated and the document is signed not merely by the ministry's Secretary but also by its minister to indicate political commitment. Apparently, this important management tool which was introduced in consequence of an initiative of the Prime Minister has not proved sufficiently effective in ensuring timely review and appraisal of schemes. In any case, the need for fresh periodic appraisal of spending programmes can hardly be over-emphasised. The schemes are formulated and appraised with reference to the available information, baseline data, the prevailing appraisal criteria, etc. These do not remain static over time. Practical difficulties arise in the implementation of the schemes which may call for review of the methodology of government intervention. Even the initial objectives may require review. With the ministries and the state governments often functioning in silos, the possibility of introduction of schemes with identical/overlapping objectives cannot be ruled out. In the case of the all-India schemes implemented in the states with little flexibility, the one-hat-fits-all approach that is initially adopted frequently ends up with sub-optimal results when faced with the state-specific ground realities. The needs of individual states may undergo change over time. There can also be unintended side-effects of state interventions. This is best illustrated by the on-going debate and discussion on the MNREGA scheme with even some sections in the government expressing concern about the effect of this flagship scheme on rural wages and the availability of farm labour, the shift away from crops which are more labour-intensive and less amenable to mechanisation, the high rate of food inflation, etc. Also the wisdom of what is often derisively, even if unfairly, called as a ditch-digging scheme, which increases incomes but does not add to productive assets (the classical Keynesian approach of digging holes and filling them up in order to generate employment and incomes in an economy that is in the throes of depression), has been questionable in the present stage of the country's economic development. The continuance of Plan schemes almost by default and without de novo scientific re-examination of their effectiveness is not conducive to efficient expenditure management and optimum use of the nation's resources. Expressing concern over the proliferation of schemes, the Finance Minister has announced that each scheme will be reviewed once in two years. In order that this decision is effectively implemented, a review of schemes should be included as one of the key areas in the Result Framework Document of each ministry. Also, a sunset clause should be included in the scheme design that will result in its automatic closure after the initially stipulated period unless a fresh decision is taken for its continuance. This will bring about better financial discipline and ensure that the on-going schemes are not continued by default or despite their diminishing value for money, and only such schemes as are found to be necessary and relevant after fresh rigorous cost-benefit analysis are budgeted and
funded. The writer is a former Deputy Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.
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Horrific sight I
was
just going through old albums on my birthday, and came across a photo of a really cute, chubby face, smeared with heavy make-up. A girl wearing a shimmering sea-green sharara, a burkha which was way too large for her, and an extremely heavy-looking tikka which was sliding down her forehead was glaring at me. She gave out a kind of weird smile like she was not used to smiling with lipstick on. That's how I realised that it was me. I had always been a tomboy, and hated to act as a girl. Seeing the photo made me have a flashback... I had to act in a school play as the not very fortunate mother of a rich, fat, laddoo-loving girl named Ameena, who was having difficulty finding a match for herself. Finally, after much persistence, a guy had agreed to be poor Ameena's “jeevansathi”. After a long and restless wait, the big day arrived, that of “nikah”. There were celebrations everywhere the eye could see. Ameena's so-called friends were all sitting in a corner, gossiping about her laddoo-like figure and unusual luck. One of her friends, Mumtaz, did not fit in with the other girls, and set off to find Ameena. “She must be in her room, getting ready for the ‘doli’. I’ll go and help her”, she thought to herself. But on reaching the room, there was nobody to be seen. Just as she was leaving, something caught her eye. Ameena’s “chunni” was lying on the bed, laden with such a rich handiwork that taking eyes off it was a challenge in itself. Dazzled, Mumtaz draped it over her head. Then it all happened very quickly. Ammi entered the room, searching for Ameena. In her hurry, she didn't care to see who was beneath the “chunni”, and then it so happened that she made Mumtaz sit in the “doli” in place of Ameena, and shed huge drops of tears behind it as it slowly went out of sight. Still sobbing, Ammi went in the kitchen, where she saw the most horrific sight. “Ameena!” she cried, “What the hell are you doing here? I just dropped you off in the doli!” “Well, I haven't seen Mumtaz for a while”, Ameena said with a mouthful of laddoos, absolutely indifferent to what should've been the biggest disaster in her life. This set the trigger off. Ammi, in a fit of anger, started pounding Ameena and shouting her lungs out. “Khaegi laddoo? Bol! Khaegi laddoo?” I started thinking hard to try and get more blurry memories into clearance, but with little luck. All I could remember was the friendly face of my favourite Principal of all time, Mrs Simar Gill. Coming back to present, I put the photo in my drawer. It didn't have anything that special, but it gave me a memory that had remained in a corner of my mind all these years, of my most prized possession yet, which couldn't possibly be made to fit in my drawer --- Woodlands Overseas School. No, it may not be a fantasy land as it sounds by the name, but it definitely is to
me.
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Blow the whistle on harassment @workplace Potential Pitfalls A
pandora’s box of questions, doubts, apprehensions and fears has been opened after iGate CEO Phaneesh Murthy's case. It is a clear case of what happens when a person entrusted with a responsible position lacks integrity and ethics. Giving in to momentary weakness of character, inability to curb wrongful desires and immoral conduct, may lead to fall from grace. The relationship, which apparently began in 2010 soon after Ms Roiz joined iGate, came into light after almost three years. Mr Murthy had a similar past record while at Infosys too. In 2002, Murthy who was heading Infosys' US sales team was sacked following accusations of sexual harassment by Reka Maximovitch, his secretary. The lawsuit was settled out of the court for $3 million. Another landmark case which made international news was that of Mark Hurd. CEO and President of HP from 2005, Hurd resigned in August 2010 after being accused of sexual harassment by Jodie Fisher. He received a severance package of $12.2 million. Hurd is now working for HP competitor Oracle as a co-president. Closer home, the Rupen Deol Bajaj vs KPS Gill case went on to become one of the most-publicised and high-profile cases and remained in the media limelight for many years. As these stories surface from time to time, a big question keeps getting bigger demanding our attention and an answer : How safe are the secured walls of the company for its biggest resource, the employees? Unhealthy and murky situations could be result of any of these situations at the work place: Barring the first situation here, most of the above mentioned cases go against the HR policies of companies in general. The first kind of situation is treated a little differently across various sectors, for instance, in advertising agencies, marketing, sales etc., office romances are not looked down upon or condoned. However, some sectors like banking require the spouses to not be in the same division, department or in superior-subordinate positions. Some statistics Within the last decade, the number of women entering the work force has gone up significantly. Unfortunately their vulnerability to harassment has gone up too. The nature of harassment could either be verbal (suggestive comments, jokes, or questions) non-verbal (unsolicited gifts, messages, pictures, SMSes) or physical (wrong intentioned physical contact). The cases of male employee getting harassed may be fewer than their counterparts but such cases are not non-existent either. Though statistics on India's state of affairs in this matter are not available, results of a survey conducted in Singapore speak volumes about the situation. About 54 per cent workers had experienced some form of workplace sexual harassment and out of these 79 per cent were women. 73 per cent were harassed by a supervisor, 66 per cent targets took no action because they were not aware of any policies. A similar study that was conducted in Australia reveals that around one in three women aged 18-64 have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime. The majority of sexual harassment continues to be experienced in the workplace (65 per cent). Over one in 10 Australians have witnessed sexual harassment in the workplace. Nearly half of those who have been sexually harassed reported that it has also happened to someone else in the same workplace. Vishaka guidelines 1997 became a landmark year of sorts in the sense that the Indian Supreme Court passed a judgment in the Vishaka case laying down guidelines to be followed by the establishments in dealing with complaints about sexual harassment. Earlier, the sections of the Indian Penal Code left too much to the discretion of the police officer working on a particular case. The Vishaka guidelines categorically state the employer's responsibilities, nature of employment covered under it, complaints mechanism and preventive steps, along with clear statement of sexual harassment, constitution of complaints committee to investigate the sexual harassment cases and the appropriate disciplinary action against the guilty. Expert comments A senior HR head with 20 years of experience across various companies and various industries says, “A very minimal number (less than 5 per cent) of cases get reported in India but the actual harassment cases are much more than this small figure. In most of the cases, the women employees either quit or opt for change of department. There are couple of reasons for this outcome a) many times companies want to push these cases under the carpet so that their image of healthy work culture doesn't get tarnished b) the reporting is not very easy and straightforward. It is in fact contingent on the courage and tenacity of the wronged individual to escalate the issue to higher levels.” He also comments that IT sector and BPO industry might be a little more prone to sexual harassment cases than many other sectors and the prime reason for this is the nature of work. Working late nights, close proximity with co-workers, travelling together for short assignments, Western culture being imitated often — form the settings for potential relationships and harassment incidents at the workplace. But more cases coming out in open in IT sector could also be because of the higher percentage of women in IT and since they are aware of their rights, they do report as compared to their counterparts in other sectors. According to him, the gender divide in Indian society in general is largely responsible for the mindset later. So when these individuals join the workforce, they carry the same mindset with them which leads to not being able to understand each other and this impacts the work culture. However, a senior software professional with 20 years of experience spread over three companies (India as well as US-based) says, “As compared to other Indian industries which are very notorious in this respect, the Indian IT industry has been very professional. Women employees are as much protected from sexual harassment as they are in US. In general, the Indian IT companies have much better governance and other standards compared to other Indian industries.” Going forward One solution which has the best chance of showing results is the focus on educating people about their rights and duties. Knowledge empowers an individual — superior or subordinate, man or woman. In the current times when morality of individuals has taken a severe beating, we as a nation need to work towards making integrity, morality and basic values of life — the uncompromising requirements. The work towards this goal needs to start very early from schools and colleges where lessons on sensitisation, moral education, goodness of humanity should be made mandatory along with the coursework. The one most important and basic thing that needs to be taught to each and every person is the respect for others. Carrying this forward, companies need to revamp their induction programmes and ensure that the rules are properly understood and executed. Moreover, all progressive companies across all industries need to have whistle-blower facilities and confidential helpline active at all times. Industry speaks A regional Risk Manager in a private bank says, “Banking is a fairly conservative sector and involves a lot of customer interaction. Chances of getting secluded time with any one individual are very slim. Barring one or two stray incidents, I have not heard of sexual harassment cases in the career spanning 15 years now.” Sumedha Yogesh who has been working in the IT sector for the last 15 years in the NCR region says, “After getting to know about Phaneesh Murthy's case, I'm just getting afraid regarding the direction IT culture is moving to. Are we really safe within the company too? Would any parents like to send their daughters to such environment even if they are capable enough to perform well? We really need to think hard!” It is heartening to see that such incidents do not succeed in dampening the spirits of fresh graduates who are gearing up to enter the workforce soon. Vaishali Sethi, a student of Business Studies(University of Delhi) shares, “Such incidents do affect the general morale and it is a bitter truth generally accepted that workplaces are definitely not completely safe. With the changing work environment, such as increase in women workforce, the general downward trend in moral values have led to an increase in such cases in the recent past. A heartening trend though is that a lot of companies today are very serious on ethics and moral values at the workplace and a safe workplace is on agenda on a lot of leading organisations. But, I see these as isolated incidents.” One hopes that we as a nation don't fail the new generation! What constitutes sexual harassment The policy sheets of many companies have detailed how harassment can take various forms. Some of these are: Verbal harassment: This would include jokes, epithets, slurs, negative stereotyping and unwelcome remarks about an individual's body, colour, physical characteristics, appearance, questions about a person's sexual practices or personal activities, sexual advances, and patronising or demeaning terms or remarks. Visual harassment:
In this ambit would come offensive or obscene photographs, calendars, posters, cards, cartoons, drawings, and gestures, display of sexually and suggestive or lewd objects. Also included are unwelcome notes, letters or electronic communications, and any other written or graphic material of any kind that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion towards any individual on the basis of any protected characteristic or otherwise, that is placed on walls, bulletin boards, computers or elsewhere on Juniper's premises or is circulated by any means in the workplace. Physical harassment:
This category includes physical interference with normal work, impeding or blocking movement, assault, corporal punishment, unwelcome physical contact, staring at a person's body, and threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts. —The writer has worked as a
software engineer in the US
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