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Time limit for trials PPP graduates |
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Tensions mount in Ukraine
A tale of two tenants
Out of step on food security
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Time limit for trials In a ruling aimed at decriminalising politics, the Supreme Court has fixed a time limit for the trial of MPs and MLAs facing corruption or heinous charges. A Division Bench of Justices R.M. Lodha and Kurian Joseph directed on March 10, 2014, that the trial of elected representatives of people in corruption and other serious crimes should be completed within a year from the date of framing of charges. This may appear contrary to the Constitution Bench judgment in P. Ramachandra Rao vs State of Karnataka (2002) which had held that no outer limit could be set for the conclusion of criminal proceedings. The Division Bench, however, has kept a window open in case of unavoidable delay. It has asked the trial court to submit in writing to the Chief Justice of the high court concerned reasons for the delay. The proceedings thus cannot be terminated if the one-year deadline is breached. Politicians have often used delaying tactics to escape conviction. Earlier, by filing an appeal within three months of an order of conviction, a politician could retain his/her membership of the legislature. On July 10, 2013, the Supreme Court stripped the elected representatives of this protection. Now the court has further restricted the escape routes by imposing an outer limit on the trial. Corruption cases against MPs and MLAs now cannot drag on for years. In fact, it is in the interest of politicians to fight the charges in a specified period and get back to the business of politics if found innocent. It is not just politicians but even ordinary citizens who need quick justice. For this judicial procedures should be simplified, mediation and out-of-court settlements encouraged and adjournments and frivolous litigation discouraged. There is a shortage of judges and infrastructure. India has 16 judges for 10 lakh people compared to 50 judges for one lakh in some countries. Courts alone cannot clean up politics. Parties should not field tainted candidates, and if they do, voters should not elect them. Corruption-free governance is in the long-term interest of all.
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PPP graduates THIS is one dream that seems to have shattered without causing the dreamer much distress. Perhaps - as many alleged all along - the dream was never there. It was just an ambitious Manpreet Badal trying to find his own destiny, which he finally seems to have found with the Congress, if not in the Congress. But if practising politics is not wrong, then the PPP cannot be faulted for shaking hands with the Congress, which is a very astute move, even if more than a year too late. Now that Manpreet has shed pretentions of any distinct ideology, he and his new-found friends can get down to the hard politics in
Bathinda. The chances of a success are real, given the combined vote strength they had in 2012. Any loss in Manpreet's popularity since then may be compensated by a synergy from the two parties working together. A look at the man Manpreet, who bears the much vaunted family name Badal, at this juncture might be in order. He started off in 2011 calling himself a thorough Akali who was against the personal ambitions and economics of Sukhbir Badal. Gradually came the talk of clean politics and serving the poor. The Left was pleased to see a potential ally. But as the newbie saw little future in the beleaguered Left parties, the rudder was subtly turned towards the 'anti-communal and secular forces'. Lo and behold, you have Manpreet driving Bajwa to a joint press conference! If the LJP can join hands with the
BJP, and the BJP can wink at MNS, it is time for no-holds-barred tie-ups. There is no party that does not have a history of embarrassing liaisons. The only one that comes without a baggage is AAP because it has little history. It is also the one that can play the spoilsport in many a calculation, including the Congress' in Punjab by taking away a tiny but crucial slice of votes, a la Manpreet 2012.
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Thought for the Day
When you look at me, when you think of me, I am in paradise. —William Makepeace Thackeray
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How India appears to tourists EVERY year we have a large number of European and American visitors to India, and it is interesting to know what impression they carry of our people and country. It may be observed that most people expect to see in India some visible form of mystery and charm ascribed by tradition to the Orient. It is possible that they are disappointed in this. But the intelligent tourist has a more practical outlook of countries and nations and his impression is of some value. In this connection it is interesting to notice that Mr. G. Lowes, Dickinson, Fellow and Lecturer of King's College, Cambridge, confessed to the Central Asian Society that India appeared to him as strange and tragic, whereas China looked better. He felt himself an alien in India and the effect was depressing, the religious spirit in India, the gulf between rulers and ruled, the handful of Englishmen-all were like a nightmare upon him and deprived the pleasure of his travels. Anglo Indians like Sir Mortineer Durand, and Sir Francis Younghusband have declared that this sad impression was due to superficial knowledge. Windmills for water lifting THE “Indian Trade Journal” dated the 5th instant gives a short account of an experiment made by Mr. A. Chatterton, C.I.E., Director of Industries in Mysore, with a windmill imported from Chicago. He was by no means satisfied with the construction of the mill he imported. It caused a good many breakages and there were serious defects in fittings. But if the mill is designed in the manner he suggests, he says that a £500 windmill will pay 6 per cent interest, deducting 10 per cent depreciation and cost of maintenance. Such a windmill, he says, will do as much work as at least two pairs of good cattle and if fitted with two pumps, it will be equivalent to 3 pairs of cattle and the cost of lifting the water with them will amount to £15 to £22.33 a month showing a margin in favour of the windmill of from £6.66 to £13.13 a month.
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Tensions mount in Ukraine IN January 1954 the seemingly whimsical Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who was born on Russia's border with Ukraine and married to a Ukrainian, transferred Russia's Crimean region located along the Russian-Ukrainian border to the then Ukrainian Soviet Republic. This was ostensibly to mark the occasion of 300th anniversary of its unification with Russia. Having been Party Secretary in Ukraine for a long time, Khrushchev felt that the Crimean region would benefit economically from the hydro-electric potential of the Dnieper river by becoming part of the Ukrainian Socialist Republic. Khrushchev obviously did not foresee the collapse of the "indestructible" Soviet Union, which had only two major Southern ports — Sevastopol and Odessa — for continuous access to the sea. When the Soviet Union did fall apart, the Supreme Council of the Russian Republic decided in 1992 that the Crimean region would be renamed as the autonomous Republic of Crimea. Both Sevastopol and Odessa became part of Ukraine.
Not content with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the US and its NATO allies decided that Russian power had to be contained. The expectation was that Russia's far-flung Muslim-dominated Caucasian Republics would wear out the Russians with armed struggle, and that its western, southern and Baltic neighbours would be gradually weaned and integrated with the European Union and NATO. The ultimate aim was clearly to "contain" a resource-rich and militarily capable Russia. This plan was seemingly proceeding successfully during the rule of the occasionally sober Boris Yeltsin, who oddly chose to treat a Chechen leader like a Head of State. The Muslim separatist armed rebellion was liberally funded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, its leaders like Shamil Basayev and Zelmikhan Yandarbiyev were regarded "Kosher" in western capitals and operated periodically from bases as far away as Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The hard-nosed Vladimir Putin soon emerged as the greatest obstacle to these grandiose western plans. Putin ruthlessly crushed the uprising in Chechnya, though sporadic unrest in the Caucasian region from Islamist insurgents and suicide bombings continue. This was evident from the bomb blasts in Volgograd on the eve of the winter Olympics in Sochi. The Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, is reported to have offered Saudi support in quelling the uprisings in the Caucasian region in return for Russia ending support to the Assad regime in Syria last year -- a proposal reportedly rejected outright by Putin. Moreover, the West appears to have learnt no lessons from the swift Russian military intervention in South Ossetia and Georgia in 2008, following ill-advised efforts to persuade an ever-willing Georgian President Mikheil Sakashvili to join NATO, thereby making Russia's southern frontiers vulnerable. The present crisis in Ukraine has also arisen from efforts by the US and the EU to undermine a constitutionally elected government. The constitutionally elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich had been offered a partnership agreement with the EU to precede full membership. Support for a closer association was strong in the western parts of Ukraine. Those in Eastern Ukraine, where there is a huge Russian-speaking population, have had a much closer relationship with Russia and benefited from extensive trade, energy and commercial ties across the eastern borders of the country. More importantly, Yanukovich signed an agreement with Russia extending the lease of the Sevastopol Port for use by Russia's Black Sea Fleet from 2017 to 2042, with the option of further extension till 2047. This could not have pleased those in Washington keen on "strategic containment" of Russia. When Yanukovich preferred Russian economic support to an association with the EU, a virtual siege was mounted on the Ukrainian capital Kiev by crowds largely drawn from western Ukraine with the muscle power being provided by extreme right-wing elements. The strident demand was for immediate resignation of the President. Eastern Ukraine, from where Yanukovich drew his political support, was largely quiet, or even hostile to what was happening in the capital. But the President's ostentatious lifestyle and maladministration had not exactly endeared him to his countrymen. While European representatives were endeavouring to negotiate the establishment of a wider coalition in the government, it appears that the hawks in the State Department were prepared to settle for nothing less than the ouster of President Yanukovich. The recorded telephone conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US Ambassador in Kiev, Geoffrey Pyatt, clearly indicated that the State Department was not interested in constitutional niceties. It was bent on effecting an immediate regime change by more violence in Kiev and elsewhere. Moreover, the violence escalated despite an agreement being reached on February 21 for establishing a transitional set-up and early Presidential elections. Sensing that his life was in danger, Yanukovich fled to Russia. The Russian reaction to these developments was immediate and predictable. An already concerned Russian population in Eastern Ukraine was motivated to seize control of the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. The entire Crimean region, which Khrushchev handed over to Ukraine in 1954, came under the control of the Russian-speaking demonstrators backed by armed personnel, quite evidently from across the Russia-Ukraine border. The elected Regional Assembly voted 78 to 1 to hold a referendum on the future of the Crimean Autonomous Region on April 16. The people of the Crimean autonomous region will vote overwhelmingly for merger with Russia. While the Americans, the British and the smaller EU countries call for sanctions against Moscow, mature leaders like Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel realistically believe that, given the need for Moscow's cooperation in energy supplies and its position as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the only way forward is through a realistic dialogue. Not surprisingly, China has signalled that its interests lie in backing the Russians on these developments, averring: "Russian resistance to the West has global significance. Supporting Russia consolidates China's major strategy". Russian scholar Sergey Raraganov from the National Research University in Moscow recently noted: "The outlines of a compromise (on Ukraine) are clear. A federal structure for Ukrainian institutions -- and a switch to a parliamentary system in place of a Presidential one -- would enable the people of each region to make their own choices over language and cultural allegiance. The ownership and control of the gas transportation system should be shared between Ukraine and its neighbours. The country should be allowed to participate both in Russia's Customs Union and the EU association deal". As a federal parliamentary democracy, India will find this proposal reasonable and realistic.
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A tale of two tenants IT took some deft maneuvering to ease out the surly gentleman who had grossly over-stayed the welcome. The 'Annexe' to our bungalow finally stood vacated. Now the dilemma: having been through a painful experience, was it a good thing to find another tenant? The rent is a welcome addition to the kitty of a retired person. The decision taken jointly with my wife was that we would let it out only if a suitable person came our way. "Why don't you have a car?" I asked. "I had one, sir", he replied, "but gave it to my parents who need it more. For me a bicycle is good enough. Besides, cycling is good for health". Red faced, I tucked in my obtrusive belly. It was I who needed to cycle more than the doctor. Once the doctor settled in, we discovered a fine human being. Humble to a fault, detached from creature comforts, ever ready to help to the extent when we party, he voluntarily takes care of our foolishly over friendly Labrador adept at slobbering and annoying guests. Medical advice has never been so easily and readily available. On duty medicos have at times been found wanting. Doctor Aveek, if need arises, is ready to accompany you to hospital in the middle of the night. There is one doctor I know who is true to the Hippocratic Oath. Despite advice to the contrary, Dr Aveek would leave his bicycle unlocked outside the house. It went missing one day. I chided the doctor for having been careless. He replied: "Sir, the person who has taken it must be in need of it more than me. The PGI is not far and walking is even better than cycling so I have no problem". The only time I saw a hint of annoyance on the good doctor's face was when, after a year's stay, I refused to enhance the rent. An affronted Dr Aveek warned me that I would be violating the terms of the rent agreement. The previous tenant, when once reminded of the same rent agreement, shot back that legally a rent agreement's worth was no more than a piece of toilet paper. A question of "neeyat" and perception! |
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Out of step on food security
FOOD security is a balance in the equation between population on one side and food production and its distribution on the other. Food must be produced in sufficient quantity and should be within the purchasing of the people. In addition, food should be nutritionally wholesome. The present population of India is 1.22 billion which makes it the second most populous country in the world after China with over 1.35 billion. India represents almost 17.3 per cent of the world’s population, which means one out of six people on this planet live in India. By 2030, India’s population will surpass that of China. With the growth rate at 1.58 per cent, India is predicted to have more than 1.53 billion people by the end of 2030. More than 50 per cent of India’s current population is below the age of 25 and over 65 per cent below the age of 35. Approximately 72.2 per cent of the population lives in some 638,000 villages and the rest 27.8 per cent in 5,480 towns and urban agglomerations. The estimated birth rate per year is 22.2 per 1,000 while the death rate is 6.4 per 1,000.
The current food grain production stands around 250 million tonnes, although estimated production varied from 250 to 257 MT. In 2012, India produced over 252.5 MT of grains. This figure does not include other food resources such as pulse crops, root and tuber, oilseed, cotton seed, sugar, fruits and vegetables, which contribute a large source of food for the rich and poor alike. Whereas the current food production is more than sufficient in India, its distribution is lopsided. The poor sections of the population (estimated around 450 million) in India cannot afford to purchase sufficient food, and if they can, it is not wholesome. Punjab with an area of 2.2 per cent of India is a major contributor of wheat and rice to the bread basket of India. It produces approximately 9 million MT of rice and 12.5 million MT of wheat every year. In 2012, Punjab produced over 13 million MT of wheat. In 2010-11, Punjab’s contribution to the central pool was 8.63 MT of rice in 2011 and 13 MT of wheat in 2012. All along, Punjab has been contributing maximum wheat and rice to the central pool. Storage problems Lack of silos, low MSP and mismanagement of the FCI and wrong policies of the state and central government in handling, storage and distribution of grains remain a challenge. The most critical factor is grain storage. This is important both for food security and protection of grains. Wastage of food through negligence and poor storage should be a criminal act as it leads to food deprivation, starvation and even death among the poor. Badly stored food results in the wastage and deterioration of food quality. Nearly 90 per cent of the wheat in Punjab is stored in the open under antiquated storage, mostly in sack with meagre or no cover. According to the FCI, food worth Rs 50,000 crore is wasted every year. This is about 20 per cent of the food produced by the country. This figure includes food losses in processing, packaging, transportation and even marketing, but most of it is wasted under poor storage conditions. In Punjab the value of wheat damaged from improper storage has been assessed between Rs 500 to Rs 800 crore per year. Punjab annually produces approximately 21.5 million MT of grains that includes 9 million MT wheat and 12.5 million MT paddy. The storage capacity of the state is only 30 per cent of the total grains under protected conditions such as godowns and rented houses. Even under these conditions mice and rats damage grains on a large scale. The FCI has silos with a storage capacity of only 0.3 million MT in Moga. However, the cost of storage is three to four times more than open storage. It has been proposed to construct two silos, with a storage capacity of 50,000 tonnes each, but that is only on paper. A couple of years ago, Punjab auctioned huge stocks of grains that were unfit for human consumption. Properly stored wheat in silos can last four to five years, whereas food stored in the open rots within a year. Wheat stocks in the open are exposed to moisture, making them vulnerable to fungal attacks and rotting. The grains start turning black, and produce an unbearable stench. Monsoon makes it worse. Since these open godowns are located along national and state highways, they remain drenched in rain and flood waters for weeks. Wooden plinths on which stacks of wheat bags are piled get saturated with water and the excess moisture by capillary action moves up to the grains, making them highly vulnerable to attack by insects, pests and rodents. Each year huge stocks of wheat and paddy rot in the open all over Punjab, particularly near grain markets where storage conditions are pathetic. The FCI stores the bags 30 feet high where bags are stacked up 25 feet high under tarpaulin sheets, the remaining 5 feet are meant for workers for carrying out inspections. The wooden planks on which the grain sacks rest soak water and haphazard coverage of tarpaulin sheets leaves enough scope for water to seep in. In addition, rodents, pigeons and parrots damage grains in the open. This system of storage is primitive. Food security of India is also at risk from the changing socio-agricultural environment in Punjab. The changing environment, extreme fluctuations in temperature, rapid depletion of water and soil degradation from wheat-rice based rotation and reduced use of organic fertilisers as compost further threaten food production and food security. This eventually would be reflected in the non-availability of food to the poor sections of society whose numbers are increasing disproportionately in the ever-increasing population of India, already past 1.2 billion. The increase in food production cannot keep up with the population of India which may stabilise around 1.6 billion by 2050, if not sooner. Looking for solutions Two parallel actions need to be taken to balance the equation of population and food production. Increased yield, hence food production, cannot go on for ever even by adding fertilisers and pesticides and using the best available crop management packages. The law of diminishing returns will take over. Increase in population on the other hand is limitless. Hence, the food security of India cannot be guaranteed. The balance in the equation of increasing population and food production is unsustainable even within the decade ahead. The most obvious factor in food security is the increasing numbers of people to be fed and some measures have to be taken to control population. Special efforts should be made on population control in states and regions with high birth rates. Although the food production component of the equation has kept pace with the increase in population during the past years, this is under threat from climatic change, erratic monsoon, floods, drought, increasing temperatures, outbreak of new diseases, pests and above all water depletion and soil exhaustion. Whereas it is possible to adjust soil fertility by adding chemical fertilisers, the decrease in the organic content of the soils by green manure, use of pesticides and excessive use of fertilisers will cause serious ecological problems. This would adversely affect resources of soil, water and animal for food production and consumption and human health. Hence, population control must become the highest priority if India has to keep feeding its population. To increase crop yields and sustain an ‘ever green revolution’ and to have eco-friendly agriculture without damaging soil, to reduce water use and cut down the cost of production, several simple steps can be undertaken. The introduction of zero tillage reduces the cost of cultivation. It also prevents burning of paddy and wheat straw in fields, and preserves micro-nutrients and friendly worms in the soil. Mulching and green manure are essential to maintain and improve soil health and increase production with reduced inputs of fertilisers. The use of water can be minimised with drip irrigation. If India has to sustain food production, farmers should undertake relay cropping, zero tillage, multi-cropping, mixed farming, agro-forestry, and agro-horticulture in place of traditional wheat-paddy rotation. Crops such as sweet potato and sunflower should be tried to replace rice cultivation. More orchards with kinnow, orange, grape and banana should be planted and drip irrigation should become a part of the package of growing these fruits.
These measures are medium term and financial intervention of the state and central governments are needed to promote these ideas among the farmers so that the new cropping systems are as profitable as the traditional wheat-rice rotation. Many vegetables can be grown under protected conditions such as plastic, net and glasshouses with drip irrigation. The protected cultivation reduces water requirement, produces more uniform produce and reduces the use of pesticides and insecticides. But once again, these need a massive input of information and financial packages to the farming community. The state and Central governments must play their roles in providing these facilities.
The writer is a former ex-staff member of the FAO/IAEA Joint Division, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
Grain of truth *
India’s current food grain production stands around 250 million tonnes, though estimated production varied from 250 to 257 MT. *
In 2012, India produced over 252.5 MT grains. The current food production is sufficient, but its distribution is awry. The poor — estimated around 450 million — cannot buy sufficient wholesome food. *
With an area of 2.2 per cent of India, Punjab is a major contributor of wheat and rice to the country’s bread basket. *
Punjab produces about 9 million MT rice and 12.5 million MT wheat annually. *
In 2012, it produced over 13 million MT wheat. In 2010-11, its contribution to the central pool was 8.63 MT rice and 13 MT wheat.
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We live close to the PGI. Within our sector, doctors who come from outside states to serve in the PGI are considered 'safe bets' as tenants. In response to our advertisement, a doctor knocked at the door. At first glance, Dr Aveek from Mysore looked more a student than a doctor -- a shy diminutive person with a permanent innocent smile. I needed a little persuasion to say yes. I began by explaining a few conditions he would have to abide by. First, he would have to park his car in the lane outside the house. "I don't have one, sir", he said. "If you permit, I will park my bicycle in the driveway and if you don't then I will leave it outside". 