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Safety on wheels Conserving red tape |
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India as top investment destination
Introducing ‘love jihad’
Al-Qaida jihad call unlikely to echo in India
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Safety on wheels A Road Transport and Safety Act, 2014, has been drafted to bring about sweeping changes in the way India regulates its vehicles and road transport, including safety. Some of the proposals seem momentous, coming as they do a full century after the country saw the first law in this regard, the Indian Motor Vehicles Act, 1914. A series of amendments and fresh enactments by the Centre and states ever since have left us with a convoluted, and therefore ineffective, plethora of rules, regulations and policies that vary over states and cities. The new Act proposes the setting up of a Motor Vehicle Regulation and Road Safety Authority of India, which will be an all-encompassing body to implement the various laws regarding the subject. A stated goal of the Act is to effect a 4 per cent addition in the GDP on account of increased efficiency and safety in the road transport sector, including a two-lakh drop in the accident deaths over five years. This itself indicates the magnitude of the problem that exists today, and thus the scope for improvement. Safety on account of driver, vehicle as well as road standards needs urgent attention. The existing laws are unable to achieve much for want of uniformity in adaptation and the multitude of implementation authorities. The new agency to be set up will be legally empowered and accountable to Parliament. It will introduce a unified driver licensing system, besides a registration system that brings under one eco-system all information on manufacturer, owner, transport authority, insurer and enforcement agency. This will block many a loophole exploited for crime as well as tax evasion. What has evoked the maximum interest is a proposal to increase manifold the fines for traffic violations, such as a minimum of Rs 5,000 for jumping a red light. An increase in fines is necessary, as the loss of a few hundred rupees doesn't deter many people. But very high fines can provide an extortion tool to the enforcement agencies. What prevents traffic violations is the surety of being caught, i.e., a ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
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Conserving red tape ONE more monument of great historic relevance has collapsed in Punjab. The Lahori Gate of Qila Sarai in Sultanpur Lodhi, one of the oldest buildings symbolising the composite culture of Punjab, that housed layers of histories in its folds, caved in on Thursday. Conservationists have been warning of its neglect for years. Project reports for the need to conserve the "sarai" were sent to departments concerned of the Punjab government, committees were formed, grants were issued, held back, reconsidered and the project was finally stalled. The collapse of the monument is a classic example of red tape that governs sensitive issues of conservation that should be best left into the hands of professionals. The monument building houses a police station which allows the entry of police trucks and vehicles into and out of the fragile structure. And some restoration work carried out by the Punjab Tourism Department did more damage to the building than restore it. The insouciance shown towards the country's cultural heritage by our bureaucracy is uniquely Indian. The “gora sahebs” may have neglected public welfare, but they showed great respect towards the conservation of our monuments and historic sites. Post-Independence, our bureaucracy came up with the novel idea of opening “sarkari” offices in precious heritage buildings to save them from “public misuse”. The apathy with which these buildings are misused by the government departments beats public imagination. A major reason behind the bureaucratic neglect of our heritage is the perception that conserving heritage is a non-profitable activity. Within India, there are ample examples of the revival of tourism brought about by promoting heritage in states like Gujarat, Karnataka and Bihar. With enough schemes, funds, experts and knowledge available for heritage protection, the Punjab government must change its attitude and learn to consult professionals. Time is an important factor in conservation; expert opinion should not be ignored in this regard. If the government is sincere about preserving heritage, all offices should be shifted out of such buildings.
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Thought for the Day
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. —Eleanor Roosevelt
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High prices and how to meet them COMPLAINTS are made more frequently than ever before that the merchants have raised the price of all articles of necessity on the pretext of war. It would be reasonable indeed if the prices of only imported articles were raised because further shipments of these are uncertain for some time to come. There is no doubt that the merchants are, to some extent, taking undue advantage of the present occasion to derive an unfair profit. And it seems a pity that there is no law to prevent them from doing so. The other day we published the account of a correspondent who complained of the greed of the merchants. He gave the retail prices of certain articles prevailing in Lahore and observed that the increase in prices had been from 30 to 100 per cent. Conviction of a Sub-Inspector of Police IN another column we publish the text of a very important judgment pronounced by Mr. H. Harcourt, I.C.S., Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Kasur, in a case in which Munshi Ali Mahomed, a Sub-Inspector of Police, was charged under section 161, I.P.C., with having received a sum of Rs. 650 as a gratification for the release of seven persons, complainants in the case. The facts are briefly that on the 16th February last a complaint of rape and robbery was made to the police against the present complainants by certain prostitutes at Vehgal, that the Sub-Inspector came to know almost at once through one of the prostitutes that the case was a false one, that nevertheless the seven persons were taken to the haveli of one Buta Singh where the Kanjaris also were and that there they were made to pay the above mentioned sum as the price of their liberty after being kept in confinement for a considerable length of time between the 16th and 17th February.
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India as top investment destination There is hope in the air about the much awaited economic turnaround. The second quarterly GDP growth rate (April to June 2014) was at 5.7 per cent which has kindled expectations that good days are ahead! There is hope that India will once again be the most attractive destination for investors. Indeed in Asia specially, India is fast becoming one of the best investment destinations because of the improved growth prospects. Japan has recently pledged $35 billion investment for India. Is it true that India is really turning around under Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Russia, which is the target of the US and the EU economic sanctions for its role in the separatist fighting in Ukraine, is likely to see its economy brought to the brink of recession this year. Its growth is likely to be only 0.2 per cent. The sanctions could have a severe impact on trade in the region, particularly in eastern, central Europe and central Asia. The EU is also steeped in unemployment and deflation. The 18 members of the eurozone (which have euro as a common currency) registered zero growth in 2013. Japan is facing a decline of 7.1 per cent in its growth rate. China’s growth rate has improved recently due to the stimulus package given by the government and its GDP growth forecast by the IMF is at 7.5 per cent. Australia's GDP growth is at 2.7 per cent and South Korea is growing at 3.8 per cent. Singapore is facing a slowdown with 2.4 per cent GDP growth. Looking at Asia-Pacific, India’s growth rate does seem good. If India’s upturn in GDP growth could be maintained and a higher growth rate could be achieved at the end of 2014-15, it would definitely attract more investment. According to the IMF, India will grow at 5.4 per cent and according to the World Bank at 5.5 per cent. But the OECD says that India's growth rate will be at 5.9 per cent by 2015. Yet for a higher rate of investment that is required for stimulating growth, India will have to improve the investment climate. India still ranks low at 134th position in the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business’ index. Modi can change the investment climate by cutting red tape, reducing corruption and building efficient infrastructure. On the trade front, due to the slow growth in the US, the EU, China and Japan, India's export growth could be sluggish. A decline in crude prices, however, could be good for business as it would bring down energy costs and rein in inflation. The bottom line, however, is: how fast the government brings down the rate of inflation which is eating into the savings of the ‘common person’. If Modi is able to do so this year, interest rates could come down. Like China we have a huge market, and we must encourage domestic investment and trade which will reduce inequality. If interest rates are lower, more domestic investment would come forward in manufacturing and job opportunities could be created. Manufacturing growth, which is labour-intensive, is most important for creating jobs. A higher GDP growth of 9 per cent could have jobless growth like in the past if industrial growth is capital intensive. The recent quarterly GDP growth of 5.7 per cent does show an increase in manufacturing growth which has risen to 3.5 per cent after posting negative growth in the previous quarter. It is also based on high service sector growth, especially in financial services, which rose to 10.4 per cent. Construction growth has picked up as well as mining growth which has risen to 2.1 per cent. The generation of electricity, gas and water supply has risen by 10.2 per cent. There has been a big jump in the community and social services from 3 per cent to 9 per cent. This is due to higher government spending which may not be sustainable in future, given the fiscal deficit constraint that has to be met. There is some not-so-good news. The actual credit offtake has been weak and so is the tax collection. The sale of commercial vehicles declined in Q2 by 10.1 per cent over the previous quarter. Agricultural growth has also not picked up which is not a good sign. It has slowed down from 6.3 per cent to 3.8 per cent. Due to an increase in rainfall across the country the monsoon deficit has shrunk to just 11 per cent. Still one can expect some rise in food prices in the next quarter unless the government takes ample care to release food grains from the FCI. Rice and wheat experienced a growth rate of 15 and 2.6 per cent in the Rabi season of agricultural year 2013-14. Basically all the reforms that were promised have to be carried out to restore the confidence of investors. There has to be skill training, quick clearances as well as social sector reforms in health and education. These will only improve the ease of doing business. Structural reforms will have to be quick to meet the expectations of prospective investors. The coal crunch that the power sector has been facing may remain a problem in the future. India may exceed the growth forecasts of the IMF and the World Bank but the task ahead is not easy, especially with 10 million jobs to be created, so much cleaning up to be done and so many disasters to be tackled.
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Introducing ‘love jihad’ THE lion king sat with his adviser, the fox, by his side overseeing the preparations for the oncoming spring season when animals and birds were to celebrate the festival of love. The fox blushed at the rare indiscretion of the king, modestly rearranged her tail and suppressed a smile. I read somewhere that in humandom there is a ‘love jihad’. It seems so romantic — the war for love. Let us introduce it in the jungle.” The fox looked horrified, gulped and replied, “No, no, no, don’t. Err ... I mean you probably don’t know the meaning of the term for that can be the only reason you say so.” “The king looked a bit perplexed and said, “Of course I know what ‘jihad’ means. It is a passionate campaign for a cause and what better cause than ‘love’ which is pure passion even beyond reason.” The fox looked at the king cynically and said, “See in humandom, an individual falls in love with another ...” Interrupting her, the king said, “That is precisely what we do here ...” “No there is a difference. I mean an individual has to love another individual of the same kind ...” The king interrupted again, this time with an astounding roar, “You mean they are QUEER?” “No, no, no. I didn’t mean that, what I mean is there are different kinds of humans in humandom.” “They seem pretty much the same to me. There is a male and a female, much as we have in the jungle” the king retorted. The fox now had her paw in her mouth in exasperation. It was indeed difficult to explain, and taking a deep breath said, “King although humans are all alike, they have something which divides them deeply and that is religion.” “Religion? Now what is that?” asked the king. “Simplistically put, it is a set of teachings preached by revered men and carried down from generations. The piety of thoughts is, however, lost to human avarice and lust for power and what is preached instead is intolerance and hatred with no qualms about killing or maiming in the name of religion. This ‘love jihad’ is a product of this hateful, acerbic thought. A human who marries outside his religion is persecuted, hounded by society, often by his own and put to death.” The king looked on wide-eyed. “Is that ‘love jihad’ ? I thought it was a war to propagate love. Oh! I wish it was”, he sighed. A dreamy look crossing his face at the thought of love but jolting out of his stupor, he asked sternly, “Do we have religion in the jungle?” The fox shook her head solemnly, and said, “No”. “Good. Tell the wolves not to let it in, ever. We don’t want anything that divides animals. We will, however, introduce ‘love jihad’ as the ‘war for love’ and not as ‘war on love’. The fox smiled and said, “So be it.”
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Al-Qaida jihad call unlikely to echo in India HOW real is Zawahiri’s threat to have an Al-Qaida base in India? Will he succeed in establishing a jihadi base in India for the Base? Perhaps, Zawahiri is buoyed by Al-Qaida’s success and reception in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the region, and believes he could repeat the performance of his organisation in India and the rest of South Asia as well. Zawahiri’s enthusiasm is misplaced and his strategy is unlikely to succeed, for the following reasons. First, Al-Qaida today is not what it was until few years ago. Especially, after the killing of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida has lost much of its lethality and sheen. In fact, the erstwhile franchisees of the Al-Qaida have become more powerful and have formed their own franchise independently, as in the case of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq. Even within Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Al-Qaida network has been hounded by the American intelligence on the ground and by the drones and attack helicopters. Most of the top leadership belonging to the Al- Qaida has been neutralised by military and covert operations. Weakened Al-Qaida
The fact that the Al-Qaida has to consider starting an operation elsewhere in South Asia in itself shows its growing weakness. The Islamic State (IS) is able to better attract a section of the radicalised Muslim Youths. From US and Canada to Philippines and Indonesia, a substantial number within the radicalised section have joined the IS, and not the Al-Qaida. Perhaps, Zawahiri fears that the IS becoming the “real base” today to lead the radical Islamic movement, and not the Al-Qaida. There are more Muslims living in India and Bangladesh combined, than most of the other regions — either the Middle East or Southeast Asia. The Al-Qaida needs human resources to fight jihad, though it may have adequate financial support. Hence, the call for jihad in South Asia by Zawahiri is to augment his falling fortunes within the jihadi infrastructure, rather than expanding the focus of the operations of the
Al-Qaida. Establishing a network
Second, India is remarkably different from Pakistan, and most of the other countries where Al-Qaida has succeeded in establishing its own network. It has not been the policy of the State in India to promote radical groups – either to achieve an internal political objective or to pursue a foreign policy agenda, as has been the case in Pakistan. The military leadership under Zia, needed political legitimacy, hence used the Islamic groups, which paved way for radical groups get entrenched within the Establishment. Externally, the use of jihad in Afghanistan and also in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1980s and 1990s, provided a base to radical groups such as the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi to establish themselves closely with the ruling regime and intelligence agencies. Osama bin Laden’s entry into Pakistan, establishment of “the Base” and his final hiding before being neutralised by the Americans few years before by the Neptune Spear – none of them would have happened without the knowledge and links with the Pakistani intelligence agencies. In other words, Al-Qaida could find its place and become a success subsequently, mainly due to an active State support – both overt and covert. In the case of India, Bangladesh and other countries such as Nepal and Sri Lanka, Zawahiri is not likely to receive any such support – either for domestic or external reasons. Without the State support, it is difficult to accept that the Al-Qaida would have survived in Pakistan until now; and without a similar support, it would not be easy to establish a network in India. India a stable state Third, a cursory look at where Al-Qaida and its franchises have established their operations – from North Africa to the Middle East and Central Asia – most of these States are fragile states, led by autocratic rulers. Despite being run in the name of religion, governance remains a far cry in most of these States, with a majority having no access to decision making process. Equally importantly, the strength of legal institutions and mechanisms delivering justice in most of these countries has been rigid and questionable. The “justice” delivered by the Taliban and TTP has not been acceptable to a majority; but, a section still welcomes them, because the alternatives were even worse. Perhaps, Zawahiri would find it difficult to accept this reality in India. Despite the internal problems, including corruption and weak delivery mechanisms, India still remains a stable State, unlike the other countries where the Al-Qaida has found a space. The legal institutions, despite criticism are seen as delivering justice, and people cutting across multiple faiths do believe in the higher judiciary, especially the Supreme Court of India. Indian democracy Fourth, the nature of Indian democracy, unlike the Western democracies is not extremely “pure”; there is an Indian strain that makes the Indian democracy sufficiently elastic to accommodate multiple interests. During and after elections, there are multiple bargains and politicking within, which a “purist” democrat may abhor and discount; but the same process gives enough space for minority groups in India – ethnic, religious and caste, to bargain with the mainstream political parties to have their own agenda as a part of larger mainstream. They may not have adequate numbers either at the national level or at the provincial levels, but they occupy a considerable electoral strength that the mainstream parties cannot ignore. As a result, the Indian democracy is a process where there is so much of dialogue and bargain on a continuous process. And this elasticity makes the larger politics inclusive and encompassing. Perhaps, this could be one reason why Indian democracy has succeeded where the Western democracies have failed – to provide adequate space to the minorities electorally and make the politics inclusive. Perhaps, that is why there are more British youths along with the ISIL and the Al- Qaida, than the Indians. Nature of Islam in India Fifth, the nature of Islam in India is its greatest strength vis-a-vis the radical groups such as the Al-Qaida. Both in terms of tenets at the theological level and in actual practice by common people in their everyday lives, Islam in India is remarkably unique. Though Pakistan also had the same moorings, the State and the society failed to protect a great legacy. Unfortunately, the State in Pakistan, especially its establishment played a negative role, which ultimately gave the space to Salafist and Wahabi sentiments overtaking the inherent Sufi discourse. Once “Islam” was made as the State religion, the obvious follow up question was whose Islam it should be. It resulted in a larger Shia-Sunni faultline, and within the Sunni fold subsequently. Theological leadership On the contrary, within India the Deobandi and Barelvi schools remain strong even today at an ideological level. In terms of foundations and discourse, these schools, though may not be internationally popular, but provide the basic essence to the theological leadership within India. There might have been differences within at the theological level, but they have not resulted in violent expressions on the streets in India, as one could see all over Pakistan — from Khyber pass to Karachi. Not only the Shias and Ahmediyas have been targeted violently by the Sunni radical groups in Pakistan, but even the Brelvis. Today, the Sufi shrines and worship is being systematically targeted by the radical Sunni militants within Pakistan. And this onslaught by radical groups professing the Salafaist-Wahabist ideology provides the much-needed space for the Al-Qaida, and the necessary human resources. For the sake of jihad *
On September 4, 2014, fugitive
Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a video announcing the formation of a new wing dedicated to waging jihad in the Indian subcontinent. In the video,
al-Zawahiri promises the expansion of Al-Qaida operations throughout in the Indian subcontinent. * He says, the group will defend the “vulnerable in the Indian subcontinent, in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat,
Ahmedabad, and Kashmir.” He tells Muslims in the region that “your brothers in Qaedat al-Jihad did not forget you and they are doing what they can to rescue you from injustice, oppression, persecution and suffering.” * Named the Jamaat Qaidat al-jihad fi'Shibhi
al-Qarrat al-Hindiya, or Organisation of The Base of Jihad in the Indian Subcontinent, the organisation released online a manifesto written by its spokesperson sama
Mahmoud. Practice of Islam at ground level In India, from Baba Ghulam Shah shrine in Rajouri close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, to Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi and Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan to the Erwadi dargah near the East Coast in Tamil Nadu, the majority within the Muslim community practise Sufi faith. India is one of the biggest Sufi-practicing nation; these shrines attract multiple communities cutting across religions. Those who are afraid of Zawahiri brand should visit these Sufi shrines all over the country to witness and experience the practice of Islam at the ground level. In fact, some countries, for example Singapore, have been spending substantially for their de-radicalisation programmes; an easier way out for such programmes is to keep those radicals in these shrines and see the pace in which they get de-radicalised! The Sufi shrines in India are the greatest inter-faith laboratories, and will remain the centre of Islamic practices in the country. The above factors will prevent a larger radical movement supporting the Al-Qaida in India. While the State is unlikely to provide that space for the Al-Qaida, the Sufi thought and its practice at the ground level will act as a bulwark against any larger ingress. If the above is reality, what makes Zawahiri confident of having an Al-Qaida network in the Indian subcontinent? Perhaps the sheer number of the Muslim community in India; even if he gets less than a percentage of the 13 million plus, the numbers would still be substantial for him. This is where India – both as the State and the nation; and both at the national and provincial levels will have to become proactive. There have been enough warning shots already. Even if it remains in double digits, in terms of Indian youths joining the Islamic State, it is still substantial. What makes the youth get attracted to joining the IS? Why should someone, for example from Tamil Nadu, become a suicide bomber for the IS in Iraq? There are two issues that the Indian State and the entire society, especially the Muslim community, will have to be extremely careful about. First, there is an element of alienation and anger amongst the youth, cutting across all the sections in India. With a rapidly growing youth bulge and the “India Shining” slogan not being experienced by everyone, a section, irrespective of the religious background is bound to be angry and unhappy with the State. It is this anger that provides space for radical groups from the Islamic State to the Naxal groups. Second, the slow but steady ingress of Wahabi influence is something that the mainstream Islam in India will have to carefully watch and counter. — The writer is Director, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies , New Delhi
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If we look at the world as a whole the forecasts by the IMF are not so good. In July it warned that geopolitical risks in Ukraine and the Middle East are looming over a global economy already hit by the slowdown in the US and China. The USA’s growth rate, however, has picked up and was at 4.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2014. The IMF has pointed out that the global economy is expected to grow only by 3.4 per cent this year. The world economy grew at 3.2 per cent in 2013. 
The king, droopy-eyed, rubbed his paws in glee and said, “My dear vixen I am so excited about the approaching season of love. Ah! It feels so good. I can already see myself rolling in grass with the lioness.” 
