LIST OF NEWSPAPERS COVERED

ASIAN AGE

BUSINESS LINE

DECCAN HERALD

HINDU

HINDUSTAN TIMES

INDIAN EXPRESS

PIONEER

STATESMAN

TELEGRAPH

TIMES OF INDIA

TRIBUNE

1

CONTENTS

AGRICULTURE 3

CIVIL SERVICE 4-9

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT 10-11

EDUCATION 12-16

ELECTIONS 17-19

HEALTH SERVICES 20-22

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 23-24

LIBRARIES 25

PASSPORT 26-27

POLICE 28-29

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT 30-36

PRISONS 37-38

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 39

RAILWAYS 40-43

WATER SUPPLY 44-46

WOMEN 47-50

2

AGRICULTURE

TRIBUNE, AUG 21, 2017Sweat over climateDrop in agri yields immediate threat from global warming

We all noticed with anxiety a delay of more than a fortnight in the monsoon arrival in the North last month. There may be nothing unusual about that. But then over the years we have also noticed a creeping rise in heat every summer. This is global warming at work. There is a pattern; disruptions are getting more and more intense and frequent. The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture has now warned us of a likely 4.5-9 per cent drop in agricultural yield over the next decade. This will mean a 1.5 per cent drop in the GDP, much of it affecting Punjab and Haryana.

India has thus far made appropriate noises on climate change, including the signing up for the global plan to fight the slow disaster. Action at home on mitigating the effects and preparing for countering setbacks, however, has been minimal. Our green cover quality continues to deteriorate despite figures showing a marginal increase in the forest cover, of which we have lost about 40 per cent between 1880 and 2013. What is of immediate economic concern is nearly zero movement in our larger agricultural set-up towards understanding and devising technologies and practices to survive the rising mercury. What is scarier is that the new conditions are not going to be constant, but will keep changing with each passing year; our agro-economy managers will have to be rather nimble in their planning.

The irreconcilable reality today is that we are yet to address even 20th century issues — post-harvest handling and storage being the foremost — which cost us 30 per cent of our total food produce. Finding a solution — more pertinently, investment — to these challenges alone can offset more than the loss expected from climate change. The path ahead is to immediately get down to a detailed region-wise assessment of disruptions expected. Plan cropping strategies for each agro-climatic zone; develop, test and deliver to farmers new seeds to adapt to the new conditions. Introduction of the Green Revolution would actually seem like cakewalk compared to the challenge that is coming up, if we take it up.

3

CIVIL SERVICE

HINDU, AUG 22, 2017Recasting the steel frameSrivatsa Krishna

The bureaucracy needs to embrace lateral entry, technology, and the ‘perform or perish’ culture

It is impossible to run a 21st century economy with a 19th century bureaucracy using 18th

century rules. The “New India” that is under way also needs independence from bad

bureaucracy, not necessarily from all bureaucracy, for any state would need to be run by

some set of rules, by some set of people — call them by any name you wish. The minute

you say banish all bureaucracy, there will begin a chorus claiming nepotism, politicisation,

lack of transparency and accountability, and the need for an umpire and a strong catalyst of

change — which is what the higher civil service ought to be in the first place.

The civil services need to bring about three fundamental changes, some of which are already

under way under the new dispensation. First, specific clauses under All India Services and

Central Services Conduct Rules have been invoked to sack officers on grounds of

incompetence and/or corruption. The rules always existed in the rule book but this

government has had the courage to use it in public interest and more will follow soon. The

black sheep should be identified and sent home, with public opprobrium.

Lateral entry

Second, lateral entry into the higher civil services should be welcomed but with some

caveats. Espousing lateral entry as a manna for all failures of governance will only set it up

to fail, for history is replete with examples of some of the most accomplished private sector

professionals failing inside government. Let’s not forget that Hasmukh Adhia who delivered

the Goods and Services Tax, Parameswaran Iyer who manages sanitation, Aruna

Sundararajan who gave us Digital India, Sanjay Mitra who delivered highways, S.

Jaishankar who places India on the global map, Anil Swarup who led coal auctions, Rita

Teaotia who led GEM (government e-marketplace) and preferential procurement for “Make

in India” products, each along with their respective team of civil servants from various

services, and the entire leadership of Prime Minister’s Office who oversee and catalyse all

the above, did not come into government through lateral entry. Conversely, lateral entry has

4

also produced a pilot who was designated Cabinet Secretary in a State who then ran amok,

and thoughtful economists who were disasters as leaders inside government.

It is highly unlikely that a private sector professional will view civil services as a ‘career’

for, say, 10-15 years given the modest compensation and significant ecosystem issues which

often mitigate against measurable inputs and outcomes. Earlier the ‘ lal batti ’ (red beacon)

used to be one fatal attraction but now that’s also gone. Whether they would want to break

their heads working with the many inscrutable gems and political dynasties of corruption

and non-performance spread across parties, at the national and State levels, remains to be

seen.

Lateral entry does open the risk and prospect of powerful corporate groups placing their

men in key positions of government. However, when one looks at the serious lack of

decision-making abilities or willingness in some of the government’s senior leadership, as

also the existing allegiances of some in the system with groups outside government, on

balance, lateral entry is indeed a necessary condition of good governance.

Alongside introducing lateral entry, there is a need to “put to pasture” those due to whom

administrative rigor mortis has set in — if someone is not found suitable in the

IAS/IRS/IPS/IFS after about 15 years, i.e. at the Joint Secretary level, shift them out to non-

crucial posts or give them their lifetime pension today and send them home now.

Harnessing technology

The third big step should be to infuse more and more technology into every touch point

where a citizen interacts with the government. Today with the rise of artificial intelligence

(AI), global technology leaders such as IPsoft use virtual assistants to deliver citizens

services in the U.K. and U.S. In the context of government service delivery, cognitive

intelligence can deliver it with greater superiority, accuracy, consistency and at lower cost

than humans can. The time is ripe for introducing AI in government services such as

passports, licences, building permits, certificates, etc. where it can communicate in natural

language with citizens and ensure process compliance.

At 70, India needs independence from bad bureaucracy and inane processes and

meaningless forms — not necessarily from “good” bureaucracy, which in every country,

system and time has been the harbinger of positive change.

5

Srivatsa Krishna is an IAS officer and tweets @srivatsakrishna. Views are personal

PIONEER, AUG 22, 2017HOUSE PANEL REJECTS CORPORATE-STYLE APPRAISAL FOR BABUSJ Gopikrishnan 

5Terming the new 360-degree appraisal methodology as opaque and non-transparent, a Parliamentary panel has said this system used for promotion of higher officials is not legally tenable and creates possibilities of manipulations.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personal, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 33-page report, tabled recently in the House, also maintained that this system used in the corporate world is not suitable in a Government mechanism as in this case the feedback about officers are collected in informal ways and is subjective.   

The Centre had in April 2016 introduced the 360-degree appraisal system involving multi-source feedback for the promotion and appraisal of senior officers in the ranks of Joint Secretary and above.

The panel was also of the view that the introduction of this new system has literally sidelined the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR), earlier known as Annual Confidential Report (ACR). The new mechanism was put in place along with the mandatory APAR/ACR for the empanelment of the officers.

The 360 system has even not found favour with the bureaucrats. Many associations of officials have raised their voices against it. Under this system, the information and appraisal of an officer is collected from juniors, retired senior officials and other stakeholders. “The Committee finds the present 360-degree appraisal system opaque, non-transparent and subjective as the concerns of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission have not been suitably addressed.

Feedback in this process is obtained informally, making the process susceptible to being manipulated. Further, the feedback received from subordinates and stakeholders may be biased and lack objectivity, particularly if the officer had to discipline his subordinates or he was unable to meet the unjustified demands of stakeholders.

“Further, acting on feedbacks so received puts the concerned officer in a disadvantageous position as the remedies available to him in case his APAR/ACR has not been written objectively are not available to him in this process. Acting on such feedback behind the back of the officer may not be legally tenable particularly if it adversely affects his empanelment prospectus. Moreover, there is no statutory backing to the scheme and it is based on executive instructions only. The Committee therefore impresses upon the Government to take necessary steps to make the process of empanelment more objective, transparent and fair,” said the Committee headed by senior Congress MP Anand Sharma.

There were complaints by officers that even anonymous complaints during their promotion time were considered as feedback.   

6

The Committee has pointed out that due to the informal and non-legal nature the officials are deprived of remedies if feedbacks are found negative in 360 degree appraisal system. It also said method of collecting feedback from stake holders like private parties about an official is totally ambiguous and not suitable in Government mechanism.

 TRIBUNE, AUG 21, 2017Govt employees hold ‘Aakrosh rally’, threaten mass arrest

Thousands of employees of various departments under the banner of the ‘Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh’ today held a state-level ‘Aakrosh rally’ at Sector 12 here in support of their demands, including salary at par with Punjab employees, regular jobs for contractual workers, cashless medical facility for employees, etc.

During the rally, the union leaders blamed the state government of being “anti-employee” and demanded fulfilment of their demands.

After the rally, the employees took out a march towards the Chief Minister’s camp office. They tried to cross the barricades installed near the office but failed to do so. The protesters were adamant to stage a dharna outside the camp office and were demanding a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

They handed over a memorandum to the teshildar, who promised them a meeting with the Chief Minister on September 13. The employees threatened to start a fast from September 20 if the government failed to issue a notification regarding their demands.

“The mahasangh will meet Manohar Lal Khattar on September 13 and if the government did not issue a notification regarding our demands, we will start a fast in Karnal,” said Virender Singh Dhankar, state general secretary of the mahasangh.

“If our demands are still not met, we will court mass arrests at the district headquarters on November 7,” he added.

Yadav said they had two meetings with the Chief Minister and two with Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu but nothing had been done so far.

Anganwari workers demand salary hike

Sonepat: A large number of anganwari workers and helpers from all over the state under the banner of Anganwari Karyakarta Sahayika Union, Haryana, on Sunday took out a protest march in support of their demands in the town. Supported by different trade unions and raising slogans against the state government, the protesters started their march from Maharaja Aggarsain Chowk

7

and terminated at the residence of Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain here. OC

TIMES OF INDIA, AUG 18, 201754 IAS officers show-caused for skipping Independence Day eventKautilya Singh

DEHRADUN: In an unprecedented action against bureaucrats who skipped flag-hoisting

functions organised on August 15, the state government on Thursday issued show-cause notices

to as many as 54 IAS officers, including those in senior posts like additional secretary and

principal secretary. The Uttarakhand cadre has 87 IAS officers of which 10 are currently on

deputation.

Among those who have been served notices are 46 additional secretaries, one principal secretary,

five secretaries-in-charge and two secretaries. These officers have been instructed in the notice to

file their replies at the earliest. If the explanation is not found satisfactory, the state government

is believed to have warned the officers of an adverse entry in their annual confidential report

(ACR).

TOP COMMENT

Congress attitude of chalta hai has to change, if progress is desired aim. Hope this will serve as a

wake up call and inspire babu log to care for Uttarakhand.Victor Mohan

Sources said that the action against the bureaucrats was precipitated by the fact that the main

flag-hoisting event in the state at Parade Ground in Dehradun, where CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

was present, saw a turnout of only 10-odd bureaucrats. Soon after the event, an incensed Rawat

had announced "stringent action against all those who were missing from the flag-hoisting

without a valid reason".

Besides serving notices to IAS officers, chief secretary S Ramaswamy also directed all district

magistrates and heads of departments to prepare a list of employees from their respective

departments who were not present at the Independence Day function. The list is likely to be

finalised in the next few days and action taken against the absentees whose numbers may well be

in a few thousands, sources in the secretariat said.

A senior officer who has served in Uttarakhand for many years told TOI that the show-cause

notices had caused a flutter in bureaucratic circles. "Ever since the state was created 17 years

8

ago, this is the first instance when such stringent action has been initiated against officials for not

attending an Independence Day event. On a few occasions earlier, there have been warnings

given but never has the issue been taken up with such seriousness," he said.

TRIBUNE, AUG 16, 2017Civil services exam 2018 to be held on June 3: UPSC

The civil services preliminary examination to select IAS and IPS officers among others has been scheduled to be held on June 3 next year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has said.

Except for this year's test, which was held on June 18, the preliminary tests for 2016, 2015 and 2014 were held during the month of August, as per UPSC records. 

The preliminary exam for 2013 was held on May 26.

The civil services preliminary examination, 2018, is scheduled to be held on June 3, as per the UPSC's programme of examinations for 2018. 

The notification for next year's exam will be issued on February 7. The last date for receipt of applications would be March 6, 2018, it said.

The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The number of vacancies to be filled on the result of the 2017 civil services examination is expected to be approximately 980 which include 27 vacancies reserved for those in physically handicapped category.The result of civil services preliminary examination 2017 was declared on July 27. — PTI 

9

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

HINDUSTAN TIMES, AUG 16, 2017Global interdependence will drive India’s economic prosperity

Our share in global trade, at 1.94% is much lower than where it should be. Collaborative efforts would go a long way in helping the country meet its aspiration to become a high-tech manufacturing hub

Arun M Kumar 

India's GDP growth slowed down to 7% during the April-June quarter. While India could benefit from technology transfer and employment generation facilitated by foreign engagements, overseas firms will gain from having market access to India’s vast, high growth market. (Reuters)

In the life of a nation, as in the lives of individuals, entering the eighth decade is a momentous

milestone. For India, the last seven decades have been enormously transformational. While

India’s current record as one of the fastest growing economies is top of mind today, it’s worth

remembering that soon after Independence, the nation had a promising start. It was a forerunner

in development planning and achieved an average industrial growth of more than 8% per annum

between 1954-55 and 1964-65. Since Independence, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has

expanded more than forty-fold to exceed $2 trillion today.

A key lesson to be learnt from the Indian economy’s journey from Independence is that the

country has gained from increasing its interdependence. India has been a beneficiary of

globalisation and it’s imperative that we continue the move towards greater openness. India’s

current share in global trade (1.94%) is much lower than where it should be. There are many

ways to deepen India’s economic and commercial connections. For instance, a focus on

advanced economies such as the US, UK, Japan and Israel can unleash immense economic

benefits. India-Japan collaboration for developing Northeastern corridors can provide better

connectivity to East Asia. Similarly, strengthening India’s commercial relations with the US

holds important implications for enhancing our defence manufacturing and Make in India.

10

Going beyond bilateral collaboration, India could benefit from multilateral synergies. A three-

way collaboration of India-US-Israel holds economic promise. Combining US and Israel’s

expertise in advanced technologies with India’s large talent base would enable businesses in the

three countries to gain competitively. Likewise, promoting collaboration at the level of the

respective country’s states, between large economies like the U.S. and India, will open new

economic opportunities. While India could benefit from technology transfer and employment

generation facilitated by foreign engagements, overseas firms will gain from having market

access to India’s vast, high growth market. Well-designed collaborative efforts would go a long

way in helping the country meet its aspiration to become a hub for high-tech manufacturing.

To further its interdependence, India has pursued free trade agreements (FTAs). For instance the

FTA with Chile has resulted in a surge in the presence of Indian automobiles on Chilean

highways. Even programmes such as Skill India, Stand-up India and Digital India will benefit

from global interdependence.

We live in an age of mutual economic interdependence, more than ever before. Just as we focus

internally on the ease of doing business, ease of trade facilitation and associated logistics also

warrant major emphasis to facilitate greater participation in global value chains. Hence, greater

regional and global integration must continue to be priorities.

India’s economic prosperity will be driven by its global interdependence, in increasing trade and

investments into and from India, helping drive GDP growth and prosperity for all Indians. We

have an opportunity to build on the progress of the past 70 years to further advance the benefits

of globalisation for India.

Arun M Kumar, is Chairman & CEO, KPMG India

The views expressed are personal

11

EDUCATION

HINDU, AUG 22, 2017Teachers and politics: clash of views

Most of the State Eduction Ministers to-day [August 21] sharply disagreed with the Union

Education Minister, Dr. Triguna Sen’s view that teachers be granted the right to participate

actively in politics and contest elections. This disagreement came to the fore when Dr. Sen

conferred with the Ministers at an informal meeting here [New Delhi] to discuss the national

policy on education. Dr. Sen said there was nothing wrong if teachers were given the right

to participate in politics and contest elections. The Maharashtra Education Minister, Mr.

M.D. Chaudhuri, said that this would create practical difficulties in running schools

efficiently. The Kerala Education Minister, Mr. Mohammed Koya, said political activity by

teachers would vitiate the scholastic atmosphere in schools.

PIONEER, AUG 22, 2017UP GOVERNMENT TO ANNOUNCE RS 10, 000 MONTHLY HONORARIUMS FOR TEACHERS4

5

UP government has announced Rs 10, 000 monthly honorariums for the 1.78 Lakh Shiksha Mitr (para teachers) agitating for their regularization of services as assistant teachers. The Supreme Court on July 25 had quashed the appointment of the para teachers as assistant teachers drawing regular pay scale as per the seventh pay commission.

The state government said in compliance of the Supreme Court verdict, all the para teachers whose services were absorbed as assistant teachers will be reverted back as Para teachers with effect from August 1. The para teachers have also been given the option to join their teaching duty at the school where they were posted on the day of the Supreme Court’s order or join at the original place of posting at the time of their appointment as para teacher.

The state government on Monday also announced to give one more opportunity to the para teachers for their appointment as assistant teachers.   The government has decided to amend the   `UP basic education (teachers) rules 1981   and issue advertisement for the appointment of para teachers to the post of assistant teachers.  The government has also relaxed the rules   for giving weightage to marks obtained in teacher’s eligibility test.

The government in October next will hold the examination of teacher eligibility test (TET) for the para teachers. After the test the vacancies in the primary schools run by the basic education board will be advertised in December. All the eligible candidates will be given the opportunity to

12

apply for the post of assistant teacher.  The order issued on Monday said till this process is completed all para teachers will be paid monthly honorarium of Rs 10,000.

If they qualify then the para teachers will be appointed as assistant teacher with regular pay scale as per the seventh pay commission which they were getting prior to the Supreme Court order on July 25.  

The Supreme Court in its order on July 25 had said that the para teachers ought to be given opportunity to be considered for recruitment if they have acquired or they now acquire the requisite qualification. They may also be given suitable age relaxation and some weightage for their experience as may be decided by the concerned authority. Till they avail of this opportunity. The court had said that the state government is at liberty to continue them as para teachers on same terms on which they were working prior to their absorption.

Ever since the Supreme Court orders the para teachers are on the war path and stopped attending the schools.   The previous Samajwadi party considering the long standing demand of the para teachers for the regularization of their services as assistant teacher   had regularized the jobs of 1.78 Lakh teachers as teachers in primary schools.  The Supreme Court on July 25 quashed the order, suggesting that the appointment is not validated as many do not have the pre-requisite qualifications as laid down by the Centre under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act. 

TELEGRAPH, AUG 23, 2017The idea of a university- Commitment to truth

Prabhat Patnaik

The author is Professor Emeritus, Centre for Economic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

I frequently hear that vice-chancellors in certain Central universities, handpicked by the National Democratic Alliance government from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stable, are interfering, in violation of established rules and procedures, in the process of selection of faculty members, and even of admission of students, to effect a Hindutva domination in the composition of university communities. Appointing persons of their own choice to selection committees, in complete disregard of the panels approved by the academic council on the basis of the recommendations of the Centre, browbeating the selection committees or riding roughshod over their recommendations, ignoring the preferences of the subject experts, all these have apparently become common practice for these university authorities.

I have no reason to doubt the veracity of such reports. But disturbing as such interference is, that necessarily lowers academic quality and brings vigilantism and intolerance into university campuses, what I find even more worrying than such interference is the current promotion of a certain conception of the university. This conception, which goes against what is generally accepted worldwide, is potentially extremely damaging to the universities and to the country.

13

According to this conception, universities must help in achieving certain objectives: "universities must inculcate 'nationalism'", "universities must respect the armed forces" (for which a tank must be installed within the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus), "universities must serve to promote 'development'", and so on. One commonly hears such words these days, not just from government officials and Bharatiya Janata Party spokesmen, but even from sundry media anchors, superannuated sportspersons, retired generals, and showbiz personalities. All of them see universities essentially as instruments for achieving particular objectives.

Much has been written about the fact that these 'objectives', which are being assiduously promoted by the Hindutva elements, undermine the secular and democratic foundations of our polity: they constitute a euphemism for jingoism, minority bashing, and adulation for the government. But what is equally important is that a university is not supposed to strive for achieving any such 'objective' at all, whether laudable or not so laudable, and that this instrumental view of a university is fundamentally wrong.What a university must instead focus on is the pursuit of 'truth', that is based on reason, and not on revelation, as in religion. And not only does 'truth' stand above any such 'objective', but the 'objectives' themselves in a truly democratic society must be defined in the light of 'truth'. 'Truth', in other words, is fundamental; specific national objectives must be derived from it. Universities must be concerned with this fundamental level, not circumscribed by what the powers that be consider to be specific national objectives at any particular time.

I am aware that words like 'truth' are not just fraught with methodological difficulties, but in our cynical times they even appear quaint, archaic and out of fashion. But fashion can scarcely be a criterion for defining the conception of a university. And as for methodological objections to the concept of 'truth', on the grounds that what we consider 'facts', with respect to which the 'truth' of a proposition is established, are not themselves independent of our theoretical conception, one can say the following.

It is surely the case that there cannot be a regression to complete relativism, that we cannot claim that anything and everything has validity simply because there are no 'facts' outside of our theoretical comprehension of them, that is, that all theories are 'true' because each of them explains the 'facts' as it conceptualizes them. Neither the natural sciences nor the social sciences can accept this position. They cannot therefore do without a concept of 'truth'. And 'truth' is precisely what should be the concern of universities.

To say that being occupied with the quest for 'truth' implies that universities would be turning their backs upon the people, that is, that it is not 'truth' per se but a concern for the people that should animate universities, is completely erroneous. Indeed, on the contrary, 'truth' serves the interest of the people. For instance, it uncovers for all to see the abysmal conditions of the life of the people. This is why it is the rich and the powerful who have a vested interest in obscuring the 'truth', in presenting a prettified picture of the world that is contrary to the 'truth'.

The more higher education gets privatized, the more universities become dependent upon finances from the rich and the powerful, the more they get detached from the task of pursuing

14

the 'truth'. They either become blatant purveyors of 'untruth', or turn themselves into institutions merely for imparting skills for a price (and usually a hefty one at that). Universities therefore can play their role of being engaged in the pursuit of 'truth' only if they are publicly funded (or funded through philanthropy) rather than being commercial profit-making institutions. Needless to say, public funding is only a necessary and not a sufficient condition for universities to remain true to this purpose. (The NDA government after all is interfering in publicly-funded universities to thwart this purpose.)

The task of pursuing the 'truth' requires a contention between different ideas, and if universities are to be engaged in this task then they must provide shelter to alternative points of view that are engaged in this contention. Not doing so, but tying universities down instead to being mere instruments for promoting particular objectives, like 'development', or 'nationalism', and that too objectives as defined by the ruling Hindutva forces, and smothering dissent by branding dissenters as 'anti-national', or 'seditious' and eliminating them from universities, is thus the very antithesis of what a university should be. It is not a question here of the Right versus the Left, or of this group versus that group; it is a question of whether the conceptual goal of the universities is to be engaged in the pursuit of 'truth'. And not engaging with points of view opposed to that of the ruling establishment, eliminating dissent from universities in the name of some particular objective that the university is supposed to serve, is an abandonment of that pursuit; it is a prelude to a destruction of the university and hence a betrayal of the people whose interest lies in the pursuit of 'truth'.

The reduction of universities to an instrumental role is not just anti-people; it would also rebound on the ruling Hindutva elements themselves. There is a view, for instance, that the catastrophic Vietnam war (catastrophic for all sides) that the United States of America engaged in was partly because there were very few persons in the US who had any knowledge or understanding of Southeast Asia, and that this paucity in turn was because American scholars of Asia, many of whom had been interested in the region's anti-colonial struggle and had belonged to the politically progressive spectrum within the US, had lost their jobs or worse, as a result of the McCarthyite witch-hunt against communists and their sympathizers in the 1950s. (The most renowned among such scholar-victims was E.H. Norman, an expert on Japan, who had committed suicide because of the witch-hunt.) This perception may or may not be true; but the fact remains that the existence of institutions engaged in the pursuit of 'truth' can prevent governments from making enormous blunders, even when the predominant view in such institutions is at total variance with the objectives of the government.

The Hindutva government, for instance, can be saved from being trapped into a spiral of mounting blunders in Kashmir, if there exist institutions in the country where people are engaged in finding out and speaking the 'truth' about Kashmir. If they are silenced in the name of 'nationalism' then the possibility of restraint on a headlong rush into situations that are potentially disastrous gets removed.

But the question may be raised: should there be no limits to what occurs inside universities? An incident that took place following Indira Gandhi's assassination may be instructive here. A person celebrated the assassination outside Rivoli cinema in Rajiv Chowk (formerly Connaught Place) in central Delhi, and was taken into police custody, charged with sedition.

15

The matter went to the Supreme Court which ruled that since the person had not actually engaged in violence or directly incited violence, he was not guilty of sedition.

This principle could be generalized. The expression of any opinion, of any view, within a university, no matter how 'dangerous' it may sound to the ruling establishment, should be accepted as an integral part of the functioning of an institution committed to the pursuit of 'truth', provided there is no resorting to violence or direct exhortation to resort to violence. A university must be a place which allows scope for "a hundred flowers to bloom and a thousand schools of thought to contend".

ASIAN AGE, AUG 21, 2017IIT entrance examination to become fully online from 2018: Joint Admission Board

At present optical mark reading (OMR) sheets are used which need to be filled using pens or pencils and are then evaluated by machines.

Chennai: The entrance examination for the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will go completely online from 2018 to make logistics and evaluations easier, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) decided on Sunday.

The JAB, which is the policy-making body on IIT admissions, took the decision at a meeting in Chennai. In the online mode, students will take up the examination at designated centres where they need to answer the questions on a computer instead of using pen and paper.

At present optical mark reading (OMR) sheets are used which need to be filled using pens or pencils and are evaluated by machines. In a statement, Director, IIT-Madras, and Chairman JAB 2017, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, "It has been decided that the JEE (Advanced) will be conducted online 2018 onwards. Further information regarding the examination will be provided by the JAB in due course."

The Ministry of Human Resource Development had earlier introduced the option of taking the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains online. The JEE-Mains is the entrance examination for admission to engineering courses offered across the country and a qualifying exam for JEE-Advanced which is required for admission to the prestigious IITs and NITs.

"In order to make logistics and evaluations easier it was decided today that the JEE-Advanced should be made online," a JAB member said. "The concept was being discussed for many years, but it was necessary to have adequate infrastructure to conduct the exam online," the member added.

More than 13 lakh students took the JEE-Mains in 2017, with less than 10 per cent of them going online. Around 2.2 lakh students were eligible to write the JEE (Advanced).

16

ELECTIONS

TRIBUNE, AUG 23, 2017A plea for proportional representationCP Bhambhri

To keep 160 million Muslims of India out of elected assemblies is dangerous politics. The system of proportional representation to state assemblies can ensure the active participation of Muslims in democratic politics. It can enable them to become stakeholders in mainstream democratic politics.

CP Bhambhri

INDIA has held 14 Lok Sabha elections and innumerable elections for 29 state assemblies and seven Union Territories on the basis of the progressive system of universal adult franchise, under the supervision of constitutionally created “neutral” Election Commision (EC) The EC has conducted regular elections by following a simple first-past-the post system in which any candidate or party which secures a simple majority of votes polled is declared elected. The Constitution makers had modified this system of elections by introducing a system of reservations of seats in elected representative legislatures by fixing a quota of 15 per cent for the Scheduled Castes and seven and half per cent for the Scheduled Tribe population. This can be described as an Indian variant of the system of proportional representation for defined vulnerable minorities or specific deprived social groups. Seats are allocated on the basis of proportion of the percentage of the total population of these groups. 

It is a historical legacy that the implementation of proportional representation (PR) is called the system of “reservations” or “quotas” for SCs and STs in representative assemblies. The Constitution makers stopped short of extending this special reservation to the Muslim community in spite of the fact that Muslims had many apprehensions while opting for Indian citizenship after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. 

Muslims of India constituted the largest minority community and had several doubts about their future life with dignity in a Hindu-majority country. The inter-community relationship between Hindus and Muslims was vitiated by post-Partition violence. Even saner elements in this atmosphere of violence were haunted by the reality of post-Partition independent India. A few Muslim members, along with some other members of the Constituent Assembly like KT Shah or DH Chandra Sekhariya, raised the demand for proportional representation of seats in the Parliament and state legislative assemblies. In every democracy, minorities have expressed reservations about first-past-the-post electoral system of voting because a single vote for every

17

citizen and a simple majority for an elected representative can result into the rule by "majority" and the marginalisation of "special minority communities". Every important theoretician of liberal representative democracy has been compelled to grapple with the issue of protection of special minority communities because the first-past-the-post system can lead to brute majoritarianism of religious or racial majority groups. 

The debate on the electoral systems in various democracies in Europe has continued till the end of the 20th century. European democracies have followed either the first-past-the-post or proportional representation in elections to deal with the problems faced by minorities in specific countries. England follows the first-past-the-post system. Present Germany and many European democraciesduring the inter-war period  followed some kind of proportional representation to ensure that every special social group was represented in the legislatures 

French writer Maurice Duverger in his classic, Modern Political Parties, published in the early 1960s, grappled with the merits and demerits of these two electoral systems because his own country and other European countries during the post-War II phase of  reconstruction of democratic political systems were discussing which electoral system would be most suited to the requirements of a plural society.

 Therefore, it was not unusual for the Indian Constituent Assembly to debate and resolve the issue of allocation of seats on the basis of proportional representation for a religious minority community in legislatures. Had the Constitution makers not conceded the principle that special problems faced by Dalits deserve special reservations of seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies? Why not extend this principle to Muslims, the country's largest minority community? The two-nation theory had haunted the Constitution makers, who were suffering from the trauma of the violent post-Partition  inter-religious riots. Perhaps, it was considered wise not to concede this demand of Muslims for the fear of opening a pandora's box of social conflicts. The need to reopen the issue of proportional representation and the allocation of seats to Muslims on the basis of their percentage of population in the country has assumed importance because of a fundamental change in the political situation of India, especially after the electoral victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections of 2014.

The ongoing march of the BJP seems unstoppable. Important North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and north-western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat are ruled by this Hindu political formation. In every northern and north-western state there is a sizeable Muslim minority population that is insecure and feels threatened by the emergence of aggressive forces of anti-Muslim Hindutva. After the Lok Sabha

18

elections of 2014 and in elections for the state assemblies, Muslims have been disempowered. The BJP is in government on the basis of the majority of Hindu legislators. Muslim MPs and MLAs do not find any place in the BJP-ruled governments. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is supported by 282 Lok Sabha MPs belonging to the BJP and not a single Muslim finds a place in the ruling party. Not only this. The BJP did not nominate a single Muslim candidate for the 2017 UP Assembly elections. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, like Narendra Modi, occupies the highest political office in the state government only on the basis of the elected Hindu legislators of his party. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar maintain that Muslims do not vote for their party. Hence, there is no reason to nominate Muslims as party candidates for elections to the state assemblies.

The system of proportional representation is an institutional arrangement where the minority community, as a matter of right, gets an opportunity to show its presence in elected assemblies. There is an apprehension in the minds of many secular-minded democrats that proportional representation may create a wall of separatism between the majority and minority community and it may become difficult to break the barriers between religious communities. The pros and cons of the proportional representation system have to be rationally discussed if the first-past-the-post system is keeping Muslims out of representative assemblies. The only way to bring the Muslim minority community into the democratic process is proportional representation.

The present trust deficit between the Hindu-majority party governments and the 160-million Muslim minority community is worrisome. If Muslims are not made to participate in the democratic process, a section among the community may take to undemocratic methods to resolve their problems. 

In his farewell address, the former Vice President Hamid Ansari brought into sharp focus the "insecurities" faced by minorities in 2017 India. Unfortunately, the top BJP leadership, instead of taking Ansari's warning seriously, reacted in a sarcastic manner. A high-level functionary of the RSS/BJP advised Ansari to go to a country where he may feel "secure". Ansari's reference was to the present anxieties of the Muslim minority community but the Hindu leaders rejected his opinion contemptuously. Proportional representation is a better option for deepening the democratic process and it can provide rights to a religious minority group to develop stakes in the country's democratic governance.

 The writer is  Professor Emeritus, Centre for Political Studies, JNU

19

HEALTH SERVICES

INDIAN EXPRESS, AUG 18, 2017DDA thwarted efforts to boost medical facilities in Delhi: Govt

In the October 2015 letter to the L-G, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Presently, there are only 40

government hospitals with 10,275 beds in the National Capital Territory for a population of 1.68

crore”, which was well below international standards.

The Delhi government Thursday said attempts to strengthen medical facilities in Delhi had been

thwarted by the DDA repeatedly, pointing to two specific instances — an October 2015 letter

that asked for the allotment of 10 “vacant parcels of land” and a November 2015 letter asking for

“land allotted to societies… lying vacant”.

In the October 2015 letter to the L-G, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Presently, there are only 40

government hospitals with 10,275 beds in the National Capital Territory for a population of 1.68

crore”, which was well below international standards.

In November 2015, Amar Nath, Secretary, Health Department wrote to then DDA VC Arun

Goel and said that although “DDA has been allotting the land to various societies/trusts on

concessional rates so that health facilities are available at reasonable rates and free to

economically weaker sections”, the government’s experience with such institutes has been poor.

A government spokesperson said, “There are two issues here. First, the DDA refuses to give land

to the government for free, even though it is willing to do so for others. Second, even if the land

is allotted it is never apt.”

The DDA refused to comment on the issue.

HINDUSTAN TIMES, AUG 16, 2017If your medical test costs less than Rs 500, it will soon be free at AIIMSAIIMS has capped at Rs 500 the fee for several tests that cost 10 times more in a private lab or hospital.Anonna Dutt 

Patients visiting city’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will not have to pay for

blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound scans and similar diagnostic procedures in the coming days.

20

The country’s premier state-run institute, which caters to patients from Delhi and across the

country, also plans to do away with admission and out-patient registration charge.

“We realised that charges for several tests and procedures at AIIMS were minimal and generated

nominal revenue. So, we have proposed to remove user charges for any test or procedure costing

less than Rs 500,” director Randeep Guleria told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

AIIMS has capped at Rs 500 the fee for several tests that cost 10 times more in a private lab or

hospital. All such tests will be free once the decision is implemented, which is expected to kick

within a few weeks.

Around 10,000 people visit the out-patient department every day and at any given time, more

than 2,000 patients are admitted to the hospital.

The hospital earns Rs 101 crore annually from registration charges, admission fee and

diagnostics tests.

Collecting these charges, which are highly subsidised, cost the hospital “significantly more” than

the revenue generated, officials in the AIIMS’s finance department said.

The low-cost of tests and treatment is also one of the reasons AIIMS sees a rush of patients who

can’t afford private hospitals.

To make up for the loss, the hospital plans to increase the private room charge, which is around

Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 a day.

“We will cross-subsidise the treatment of the poor patients by increasing the cost of the private

wards minimally, may be by Rs 200 to Rs 500. In fact, this way the hospital will also generate

more revenue,” Guleria said. The hospital has 266 private rooms.

21

Even if the charge goes up by Rs 500, AIIMS will still be cheaper than private hospitals where

such a room can cost anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

Same for the tests.

An X-ray costs as little as Rs 30 and can go up to Rs 300, depending on the body part, at AIIMs.

Private labs and hospitals charge anywhere between Rs 300 and Rs 1,000.

The move to do away with user charge will also make it easier for patients to get tests done.

“Usually patients have to queue up to pay for a procedure and then queue up for the actual

procedure. This can be daunting for patients, especially those travelling from other parts of the

country and coming to the hospital for the first time,” Guleria said.

22

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

STATESMAN, AUG 21, 2017States have a role in foreign policy

Pranaav Gupta

It is not often that one would associate the concept of cooperative federalism with the conduct of foreign policy. Yet, it is this interesting idea that seems to have garnered a lot of focus in India’s diplomatic agenda. This can be seen in light of an increased engagement of ambassadors of various countries with chief ministers of Indian states. This marks a new era in the importance of Indian states in the conduct and formulation of India’s foreign policy.

The Ministry of External Affairs inaugurated a new division called the States Division in October 2014, which is primarily tasked with channelling investment to states and ensuring that there is synergy and harmony between the union and the states on matters of investment from abroad. Responding to a unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, the Minister of State VK Singh said that the States Division was set up “to coordinate with States and Union Territories for further facilitation of their efforts to promote their exports and tourism and attract more overseas investments and expertise.”

The States division has already facilitated the visit of a number of Indian chief ministers abroad and also helped in coordinating rescue and relief efforts with states governments during Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

India’s North-eastern states have long been recognised as India’s gateway to South East Asia, Increased trade and better connectivity with the five neighbouring states, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar can certainly change the economic landscape of the Northeastern states.

A review of the best practices of other countries shows that Victoria, an Australian state, has had a massive trade fair in India taking place over seventeen days and covering nine Indian cities, to attract investment in the form of a Super Trade Mission. Victoria also conducts such missions in the Middle East and China.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and South Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) have been active in a number of Indian states. KOTRA has also set up a new office in the state of West Bengal to attract investments from South Korea into West Bengal. The re-opening of the Hamburg Consulate in Mumbai also points to the importance that cities are having in improving trade relations and foreign affairs. The Kolkata-Kunming partnership aims at building direct connectivity between West Bengal and Kunming which is located in eastern China and is the hub of a great amount of industrial activity.

Japan has been partnering with India on a number of initiatives such as Ganga Action Plan, Kyoto-Varanasi Smart Cities Agreements and the Bullet Train initiative under the terms of the

23

India-Japan Vision for 2025, which was signed during Prime Minister Abe’s last visit to India. The Japanese ambassador to India also met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to discuss Japanese co-operation with infrastructure initiatives of the Delhi government. This is a great example of harnessing opportunities from abroad to help improve local governance.

Indian diplomats have also been instructed to ensure that they are committed to economic diplomacy and have been sent on familiarising tours to various states. They have been told to adopt one/two states and scout for investment opportunities in their host countries that are in line with the government’s Make in India, Smart Cities Mission, Clean India and Digital India initiatives.

A number of Indian states have started regularly hosting yearly investor summits that bring promises of investment both from India and abroad. The Happening Haryana, Vibrant Gujarat, Make in Madhya Pradesh and similar summits in Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, etc. are a few examples. The presence of over eighteen states at the Hannover Trade Fair in Germany inaugurated by Mr. Narendra Modi is indeed an accomplishment worthy of praise.

However, Investment and connectivity cannot only be built on the foundations of grandiose talk and promises. To ensure that promises are converted into deliverables, the government must constantly undertake periodic reviews of its commitments to other countries and their corresponding status. Another commitment in which India is still lagging is the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project Port connectivity initiative in Myanmar which was touted as a major project that could revolutionise connectivity between India and South East Asia.

Similarly, the BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral and Technical Economic Co-operation) has not been able to fulfil its mandate of improving regional connectivity. This is where the importance of Indian sates comes in: the states must realise that their economic future is directly connected with these regional and sub-regional initiatives.

The relevance of states is never going to be a non-issue in the conduct of India’s foreign policy anymore. With the emphasis that is being laid on cooperative federalism and economic diplomacy, it is indeed an opportune moment for Indian states to harness investment opportunities abroad through effective co-ordination with the States division of the MEA.

The writer is a final year student at the West Bengal National University for Juridical Sciences, Kolkata.

24

LIBRARIES

TRIBUNE, AUG 21, 2017CM for digital libraries for advocates

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said digital libraries should be opened in all districts for the assistance of advocates so that they could instantly get information about new laws and judgments. He announced Rs 2 lakh each for the districts without digital libraries.

He was speaking after launching a welfare scheme under the Advocates’ Welfare Fund Act, 2001, of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana here yesterday. Khattar launched the Haryana Advocates Welfare Fund Stamp of Rs 25 and announced Rs 21 lakh for the Bar council.

He urged advocates not to increase the number of litigation just to generate more funds under the

welfare scheme. He said advocates, who are doing well, should contribute towards social

security and development of society to realise the meaning of antyodaya. — TNS

25

PASSPORT

TIMES OF INDIA, AUG 22, 2017Police verification for passport to go online within a yearBharti Jain

NEW DELHI: Delays in issue of passports due to lack of timely police verificationare set to go

with the government planning to replace physical verification of the applicant's antecedents with

online verification using a link to the newly-created national database on crimes of criminals.

The national database was rolled out on Monday as part of the home ministry's Crime

and Criminal Tracking Networks and Systems (CCTNS) initiative.

The much-delayed CCTNS project, first approved in 2009, finally got off the ground with Union

home minister Rajnath Singh launching the Digital Police portal that e-integrates the country's

15,398 police stations and allows citizens to report crime and request antecedents verification

online. The TOI was the first to report the impending rollout of CCTNS on Saturday.

The national digital police portal is linked to various state police citizen portals and empowers

the central investigating and research agencies to use their secure login to access the national

database on crime and criminals as well as crime statistics and analytics.

"The police portal will provide the citizen facility for online complaint registration and request

for antecdent verification...the CCTNS project will help in realising the Prime Minister's dream

of 'minimum government, maximum governance'," Singh tweeted on Monday.

Though CCTNS will for now allow the law enforcement agencies to track crimes and criminals

in real time, apart from enabling citizens to report crime and seek antcedents verification online,

the home ministry hopes to integrate it with e-courts and e-prisons software over the next couple

of months. "This will allow police to access court and prison records, aiding invesigation," said a

home ministry officer.

The police agencies can conduct 11 searches with the national crime & criminal database and

also track 46 crime analytics reports for data-based action and policy interventions.

26

Stating that integrating the CCTNS with other citizen-centric services would be an ongoing

process, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said it will also be linked to the passport seva

software, allowing online police verification for passports within a year.

The link will enable police verification requests to be transmitted online by the passport office

followed by online verification using the database on crime and criminals. Even where physical

visits to the applicant's neighbourhood are required, the inputs and comments may be fed on

hand-held mobile/tablet devices and transmitted back electronically to the passport office.

"Police in some states like Telangana are already using CCTNS for passport credentials. They

will be given hand-held devices to go to an applicant's address and upload his or her details on to

the network. It will minimise contact with police and reduce time," Mehrishi told reporters.

Asked about safety of the database, the home secretary said though any IT resource comes with

the risk of hacking, enough safeguards were being put in place with the National Critical

Information Infrastructure Protection Centre roped in for the same.

27

POLICE

HINDU, AUG 22, 2017Diversity in Delhi PoliceAditi Datta

Reality is far from the affirmative policies that are on paper

With a strength of 76,348 personnel, as of January 2016, Delhi Police is one of the largest

metropolitan police forces in the world. As it is responsible for a diverse population of 1.68

crore (2011 census), it too needs to be diverse, inclusive, and sensitive to the people it

serves.

Yet, over the past two decades, despite the city seeing extensive migration from Bihar,

Punjab, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and the Northeastern States, among others, the

recruitment at the lower and middle levels in the force has mainly been from Rajasthan,

Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.

Affirmative policies are on paper: there is 15% reservation for Scheduled Castes, 7.5%

reservation for Scheduled Tribes, 27% for Other Backward Classes, and 33% for women.

Currently, there are 11,787 SCs (15.43%), 5,596 STs (7.32%) and 16,416 OBCs (21.5%) in

Delhi Police. This means that while the SC and ST quotas are being filled, this is not the

case with the OBC quota. Also, there are only 7,004 women in Delhi Police, which is less

than 10%. This is woefully low.

Inadequate representation

From time to time, the courts and the Central government have issued directives to improve

this situation. In 2014, the Delhi High Court had directed the eight Northeastern States to

send police officers on deputation to Delhi following the beating and subsequent death of an

Arunachal Pradesh student, Nido Tania, in South Delhi. Yet, as of July 2017, there was only

one police officer from the Northeastern States on deputation to the Delhi police, and that

too at the subordinate level. It is estimated that more than several lakh people from the

Northeastern States live in Delhi. Though Delhi Police has inducted more than 400 persons

from the Northeast, the representation of the region in the force is less than 1%. It is also

important that Delhi Police implement the recommendations of the M.P. Bezbaruah

28

Committee, which, in 2014, had suggested, among other things, sensitisation of law

enforcement personnel to cases involving those from the Northeast.

There are other concerns too. Until 2013, the National Crime Records Bureau used to

provide information about Muslims in the State police forces. This has since stopped. As per

the 2011 Census, Muslims constituted about 12.86 % of the total population of Delhi and as

of 2013, there were a mere 1,485 Muslims working in Delhi Police. Today, there is no way

to find out the latest figures.

The need for a diverse police was highlighted by the National Police Commission in the

early 1980s. The commission had suggested that the composition of the police should reflect

a “general mix of communities as exists in society”, so that the people would have

confidence in the force. The reality is sadly far from this. To achieve this general mix, Delhi

Police should first undertake a demographic study of its force. Based on the findings, it

should then chalk out a road map to build a multicultural, multireligious and multilingual

police force.

Aditi Datta is Senior Programme Officer with the Police Reforms Programme at the

Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative

29

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

STATESMAN, AUG 18, 2017Blueprint for a new IndiaSunil Gupta

PM Modi’s speech this Independence Day will be long remembered for the vision of a ‘New India’ in the 21st century. In his short and crisp address from the ramparts of Red Fort, the Prime Minister exhorted the 125-crore strong “Team India” to build a just, strong and prosperous country. And to make sure that this is not just a slogan, he laid out a detailed blueprint of what needs to be done to achieve that goal in a timely manner.

He set his priorities straight. He wants an India where youth and women have enough opportunities to fulfill their dreams. Where farmers earn well and sleep without a worry and where even the poor have a home, electricity and water. He wants an India free of terrorism, corruption, casteism, communalism and nepotism. These are the benchmarks by which the success of our republic should be measured and judged.

Anyone would think that this is a tall order. But that is the challenge PM Modi has set for himself. And he is known to be a tireless campaigner. How much of this we shall achieve by 2022 is difficult to say, but going by the tenor of his speech one can assume that the PM would give everything he has in order to achieve his dream.

In the past 70 years, India has evolved as an economic powerhouse. At the birth of our nation many skep-tics expected it to collapse owing to caste and class diversities, but we proved them wrong. However many deficiencies remain. The PM’s speech acknowledged this but also held hope that we will win over these in near future.

The Prime Minister did not call for the betterment of a particular caste or religion. There was an explicit mention of peace, unity and harmony in his address, a clear indication to fringe elements that the law is supreme and acts of defiance will be brought to justice. There was also a resolve to oppose the brutal practice of Triple Talaq. This is particularly notable as politicians usually steer clear of social reforms that can affect their electorate. But PM Modi is made of sterner stuff.

The ‘Bharat Jodo’ call is yet- another aspect that will resonate in our memories for long. The Quit India movement, whose 75th anniversary we celebrate this year, has been brilliantly morphed into the ‘Unite India’ call. Many critics have held the belief that the NDA government is furthering the cause of a Hindu-supremist society. Calling for unity, the PM demolished such notions from the ramparts of no less a place than the historic Red Fort.

One of the reasons why India did not realise the dream of an inclusive society even after seven decades of freedom, and under the shadow of a wisely-drafted Indian Constitution, was the approach of the common man who learnt to make compromises on everything

30

We have remained mere spectators to corruption, appeasement politics and prejudiced policies. This was the reason behind the call for ‘Badal Sakta Hai’ in PM’s address. A shift from the ‘Chalta Hai’ approach is much-needed to achieve true development. Even seemingly trivial problems like potholes in roads and seeking of illicit money by an official to grant a death certificate should invite wide condemnation.

To the international community, particularly those who believe that our sovereignty and territorial integrity can be undermined, there was a tough message that India has the will and capability to safeguard its borders, whether in the Himalayas or in the waters.

Terrorism, extremism and infiltration on Indian soil will face retaliation from a strong and united India. A special reference was made to the Kashmir issue that has reignited in the recent past in the backdrop of intensified military action and neutralising of terrorists in the region. “Neither gaali, nor goli” was the solution the PM offered.

By calling youth as job creators and not job seekers, the PM offered his pragmatism in dealing with the concern of low employment creation in recent years. It is now upto the millennials to create, innovate and invent.

For stable economic growth it is time that we file more patents and trademarks rather than filling just job applications. Government schemes and programmes also found a place as mentions of the electrification drive, the Fasal Bima Yojana and collateral-free loans. Although these are almost trademarks of any address from Red Fort, it is important to underline rights of people by the highest in the land.

Good and inclusive governance can’t be attained merely by a public address. It is hence incumbent upon the PM’s ministers and his officers to play their roles in attaining all that has been said by their leader.

A special mention of his one liner ‘Tantra se Lok nahi, Lok se Tantra Chalega’ (establishment will not drive people but the vice-versa) is a must.

The Prime Minister realises the fundamental rule of democracy, that it is the people for whom the establishment works, that the establishment derives its power and authority from the people. India today is cheered in the global arena as the world’s largest democracy, as a country that has preserved its unity in such a diverse society. The rhetoric of power in public’s hand, however, has often been misused by our politicians for their own good; the PM, if he can stop this trend, will go down in India’s political history as one of the most capable leaders.

In the end, let us also not forget that the Indian nationalists who laid their lives for a better future expected each of us to play our parts in making a developed and inclusive India. We must then pledge our support to this movement for a ‘New India’.

(The writer is a chartered accountant and former member of the boards of public sector banks and corporations.)

31

STATESMA, AUG 18, 2017Discovery of New IndiaTuktuk Ghosh

Independence Day this year was celebrated as Sankalp Parva. The Prime Minister exhorted his 125 crore countrymen ~ no gender neutrality in the printed versions ~ to come together, strive in spirit and soul to achieve the pledge for building a New India by 2022.

From August 15 to 30, BJP MPs are undertaking Sankalp Yatras in their respective constituencies and designated districts to inform people about the Government’s ongoing programmes against the entrenched maladies of corruption, terrorism, poverty and divisiveness. This follows close on the heels of the Tiranga Yatras by BJP MPs to mark the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

Parliament had passed a unanimous resolution on that momentous occasion. “We , the representatives of more than 125 crore people, resolve to take along every citizen in working towards building a nation as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom-fighters by 2022 when we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of our Independence.

We shall remain committed and dedicated to build a strong, prosperous, clean and glorious India, which is free of corruption. We are committed to the welfare of all sections and to promote harmony and patriotism”. During the related discussion in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister had sought to know from the MPs whether the next five years could be dedicated to the pledge of Karenge aur Kar ke Rahenge ~ we will do and we’ll make sure we will do it. There is, of course, no record of any formal response to that tough poser.

President Ramnath Kovind in his pre-Independence Day address to the nation also made a strong pitch for New India and, interestingly, highlighted for the first time the concept of Integral Humanism, propounded by the Sangh ideologue, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

The larger narrative was about an egalitarian and compassionate society that rested firmly on a deep partnership between the citizen and Government. It is not unreasonable in the world’s largest democracy often fractious and conflicted, to infer that there may be 125 crore interpretations of the challenging “how-to-redeem” aspects of the Sankalps, Resolutions and exhortations to craft a New India in a mind-boggling time squeeze of five years. These may be sharply careening or smooth-sailing years.

There’s no knowing. Since this is not to be confused in any way with a new fangled variant of the recently cremated fiveyear Plan which had quite simply failed to deliver, it is crucial to dwell on its prospects for realization through existing structures, institutions, systems and processes, without going through the mandatory exercise of effecting concomitant, farreaching changes.

More critical is the ability to get a handle on the evidently autonomous, yet increasingly volatile socio-political ecosystem, which, at the end of the day, determines whether the best of intentions flounder or fly. If major reengineering is in the works ~ unobstrusively ~ that’s good news.

32

If not, it will probably mean more of the same old failed practice of foisting an unrealistically hefty raft of additional schemes and programmes on an already overburdened ~ and by many accounts ~ a somewhat dispirited and bruised bureaucracy, uncertain of its own role in the post-2022 New India. Unflinching, unassailable political will does go a rather long way, as the enforcement of big-ticket policy shifts of demonetisation and GST have irrefutably demonstrated in the last one year.

Though there were many doubts, the entire administrative apparatus proved it had the innate professionalism needed to cope with the most extreme challenges in spite of the acknowledged and distinct deficit of lack of thorough preparedness. Though this diatribe kept being pelted at it relentlessly from some quarters, it soldiered on regardless and is continuing to do so, in what is undeniably totally uncharted territory.

These achievements will definitely find a pride of place in our governance archives. Hopefully, they will also make the grade as global success stories. The essential strength of Team India that the Prime Minister unfailingly flags, is best exemplified here.

However, as distinct from most of the core components of New India, as now enunciated, demonetisation and GST are two clearly defined policy initiatives which have been assigned well delineated performance indicators and key outcomes, amenable both to close tracking and on-course corrections. Therefore, in 2022, it will not be difficult to draw up their score cards.

To attempt score cards on the same time-scale for corruption-free India, terrorism-free India, poverty-free India, communalism-free India, casteism-free India, clean-India will not be easy unless there is a nuanced and detailed drill-down to get to their deliverables in plain, no-nonsense and, most importantly, measurable terms. The translation of “striving in spirit and soul to accomplish the pledge for building a New India” into comprehensible administrative terminology should be taken in hand right away and put out in the public domain for very wide consultation for it to mean anything of strong substance to we, the so fondly recalled on almost every occasion, 125 crores.

For starters, we have the opportunity to participate in the New India Manthan, test ourselves with a quiz, share ideas and much more on http://newindia.in So we must necessarily carve some gestation-time without appearing to be in too much of a rush. Hasten slowly is the unstated suggestion.

The only problem is that this refuses to square with a telescoped time-line in which to attain the critical escape ~ velocity to reach New India. Since Sankalps cannot be simply forgotten once uttered and they must be honoured, can we turn to our elected representatives in Parliament to rise to the occasion, in perfect sync with their solemn Resolution of 9 August 2017? (The indirectly elected ones can be counted out for this purpose, going by the recent unsavoury experiences in Gujarat and Haryana).

Should they be ~ or more appropriately, can they be ~ administered the  Sankalp-test? They are supposed to be the embodiment of our hopes and aspirations. It is another matter that we barely see any signs of those attributes! The past experience has been mixed and largely unsatisfactory.

33

Dr B R Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the much venerated Constitution, while summing up and reflecting on it, had not hesitated in expressing his reservations that without requisite efforts to nurture parliamentary democracy, it may collapse. Almost uncanny and prescient, in the present backdrop. It would have been amusing, had it not been shameful, to have the Prime Minister upbraid his party colleagues and warn them that their “leisure days were over “as many had been found absenting themselves from Parliament during the last Monsoon session.

They needed to be put under watch by party president, Amit Shah, to ensure that they performed their basic responsibilities. It may have some effect only because of the threat of dropped nominations in 2019. No desh-bhakti here! Only unambiguous, unalloyed selfinterest and unfettered enjoyment of entitlements. So we come, disappointingly enough, yet again, to the familiar governance cul-de-sac.

To expect the creaking judicial machinery ~ which takes decades to decide that cases lack even basic evidentiary worth ~ to uphold and actualize New India, is to function on a hollow default-mode, which cannot be acceptable any more. Sankalp aur bhi… will that be the best way forward? We are left wondering many wonders.

(The writer is a retired IAS officer and comments on governance issues)

TELEGRAPH, AUG 17, 2017Aftermath of a verdict- Is it 'game over' for Nawaz Sharif?

Mehmal Sarfraz

On July 28, another prime minister of Pakistan was sent home without completing his tenure. Mian Nawaz Sharif, a power premier and the only man to have been elected three times to this position, was disqualified by a five-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Five-zero was the decision. The decision was not totally unexpected; the build-up to the decision had led one to believe that, one way or the other, the then prime minister was certainly in trouble.

The disqualification of Sharif was not on corruption charges related to Panama - those charges are to be probed by an accountability court now and an order has been given to file references in this regard - but on a debatable technicality related to his ' iqama' (United Arab Emirates work visa). Sharif had to step down because he was employed by his son's company, Capital FZE, as chairman of its board at a basic salary of 10,000 dirham per month from August 2006 to April 2014. Sharif denied drawing any salary from this company but the court said he was 'dishonest' and therefore not fit to rule. Before we delve further into the consequences of Sharif's ouster, let us recapitulate how this judgment came about.

In April 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released the Panama Papers, a "leak of 11.5m files from the database of the world's fourth biggest offshore law firm,

34

Mossack Fonseca". While the Panama Papers may have created a storm internationally, these leaks were a godsend for the Opposition parties in Pakistan, especially for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a party led by the cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan. The Panama Papers revealed that three of Sharif's children - his sons, Hassan and Hussain, and his 'heiress apparent', Maryam Nawaz - "were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies", and owned offshore companies and properties that had not been declared. Sharif's name was not in the Panama Papers but because his children's names were, his political career was now at stake. The Sharif family obviously denied these charges and then went on to make a series of blunders.

The Opposition, especially the Pakistan People's Party, offered Sharif a political way out months before the Panama case was taken up by the Supreme Court. It was suggested that a joint parliamentary committee should be formed to investigate the charges and terms of reference to be framed accordingly. The government agreed to the parliamentary committee's formation but in the end, did not agree to the Opposition's terms of reference. The Supreme Court was at first reluctant to take up the case but eventually a five-member bench was constituted to hear the Panama case. It was because of the government's own dilly-dallying on the issue that led to the injection of the judiciary in probing the matter. Maybe the Sharif government thought the judiciary would bail them out. That - as they have since discovered - was not to be.

×When the interim Panama verdict came out on April 20, two of the five judges disqualified the prime minister but the other three believed that they did not have enough evidence to convict him. A six-member joint investigation team was constituted to investigate these charges. Thus began a circus of sorts. Every other day, a member of the Sharif family, including the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, and their close associates were called in before the JIT. In spite of the best lawyers out to defend them, a lot of evidence submitted by the Sharif family was said to be either forged or fake or not credible enough as per the JIT. Questions were also raised about the members and the workings of the JIT and how they were being 'helped' by the military establishment given that two of the JIT members were from the Inter-Services Intelligence and military intelligence respectively. The Sharif family also alleged that they were being harassed by the JIT members. The Pakistan media, too, was divided much like the Pakistan nation.

Now more famously known as the ' Iqama verdict' instead of the 'Panama verdict', Nawaz Sharif's disqualification has started a new debate on the judiciary's overreach. While the judiciary's discretionary overreach has political consequences, there were of course a number of reasons that led to all this. Pakistan's judiciary has changed over the last decade. What started as the Lawyers' Movement back in 2007 and culminated in the downfall of former president, General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, changed the judiciary in more ways than one. The former chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, pioneered the politicization of the Pakistani judiciary and translated it into many a populist verdict. The ouster of the former PPP prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, by Chaudhry, the Memogate case and many others from that era led us to a point where the judiciary is now being touted as another 'establishment', a word formerly used for the

35

military establishment only.

Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and columnist, summed it up the best: "The Panama papers verdict was not about elevated principles of democracy, constitutionalism and accountability. It is elite infighting... the choice offered is unflattering, between an arrogant political dynasty apparently caught with their hand in the till or unelected judges and generals deciding our destiny on personal preference. There is no reason to celebrate. This is neither a victory for accountability nor a great setback for democracy."

This verdict has divided the Pakistan polity like never before. The detractors say that the Sharifs themselves created a political atmosphere that led to a technical conviction by the Supreme Court but those who think the judiciary overstepped make the point that if Sharif were to be disqualified, it should have been on solid grounds instead of a mere technicality related to accounting terms. The use of Articles 62 and 63 has opened up a new Pandora's box. That it was the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) that opposed the repeal or amendment of these controversial Articles in the Constitution when the previous PPP government wanted to do so is also a matter of record. Now, it seems, the PML-N is ready to make some changes to the Constitution in the wake of the verdict.

The most important question at the moment is whether this is 'game over' for Nawaz Sharif. It is difficult and too soon to say. The PML-N government elected another prime minister soon after Sharif's ouster and his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, will now contest the by-election from his vacant seat in Lahore.

In a show of power, Nawaz Sharif took to the streets in the form of a rally on Pakistan's famous Grand Trunk Road, a political belt known to be PML-N's stronghold. Sharif addressed the charged crowds in several cities on his way back from Islamabad to his hometown Lahore. He roared like a lion - calling out the military establishment, calling out the judiciary, asking what his mistake was and why he was thrown out for 'not' drawing a salary from his son's company. Sharif charged that the courts did not respect the mandate of the people of Pakistan and how they would never dare to put a former military dictator in the dock like they do the elected representatives. Sharif is visibly unhappy and angry. His GT Road rally was all about sending several messages: one, to his voters that he is not going anywhere even if he has been disqualified for a lifetime. Two, to his opponents that his party is here to stay. Three, to the military establishment and the judiciary that he knows what the game is but he will not give in.

We will see if the PML-N government survives the corruption cases against the Sharif family or if the party disintegrates in the lead up to the next general elections in 2018. There is never a dull moment when it comes to Pakistan's politics but the coming weeks and months will shape the future of Pakistan's political landscape in a way that will be remembered for a long time to come.

36

PRISONS

HINDU, AUG 22, 2017Prison and privilege

If illegal facilities are allowed to select prisoners, jails will lose their deterrent value

It is not uncommon for some influential prisoners to get concessions or privileges from

obliging officials. The privileges and favourable exemptions that V.K. Sasikala seems to

enjoy in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru appear to confirm what one

hears only in corruption folklore. Initially, it was rumoured she had a makeshift kitchen and

been provided with an inmate as a cook; it was said she had a special visitors’ room with

enough chairs for political confabulations. Now, dramatic footage has emerged showing her

and her relative and fellow convict, J. Ilavarasi, entering by the prison’s main door,

suggesting that she may be returning from a trip outside the prison’s precincts. It appears, in

the video, that she has been exempted from wearing a convict’s uniform. These are not

fanciful charges emerging from unreliable quarters. These are part of purported evidence

submitted to investigators by former Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) D. Roopa, who

blew the whistle on Sasikala’s special privileges weeks ago. Ms. Roopa has submitted the

footage, presumably taken from a surveillance camera focussed on the prison’s entry point,

to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which wanted proof of her earlier charges about rampant

corruption among prison officials. Ms. Roopa had been transferred out from the post after

she made the sensational allegation that the Director General (Prisons) and other top

officials had taken a Rs. 2-crore bribe to extend these privileges to Sasikala. The former DG

(Prisons), H.N. Satyanarayana Rao, who rejected the charges as baseless, has since retired.

The Karnataka government has ordered an inquiry headed by Vinay Kumar, a retired

bureaucrat, into irregularities in the prison, while the Anti-Corruption Bureau is examining

the corruption charges. These investigations should not be mere formalities as prison

corruption poses a great danger to society. It is not only influential politicians but also

offenders jailed for serious charges, such as Abdul Karim Telgi, the kingpin of the stamp

paper racket that rocked the country over a decade ago, who are the beneficiaries of a

37

suborned system. Overcrowding, ill-treatment, lack of infrastructure and inadequate

facilities are some of the problems that the country’s prison system has been facing for

years. In recent years, newer vices have been added to the list of problems: availability of

drugs, for instance, and access to mobile phones to prisoners to beat the communication

protocol. Any inquiry into Ms. Roopa’s charges cannot be limited to the facilities that one or

two prisoners may enjoy, but should comprehensively address all these issues. Failure to

curb the illegal facilities allowed to some prisoners will ultimately lead to the loss of

whatever deterrent value a jail term has. To paraphrase Shakespeare, one must not make “a

scarecrow of the law” that is set up to scare away birds, but lets “custom make it their perch

and not their terror”.

38

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

BUSINESS LINE, AUG 18, 2017FinMin issues guidelines to Central govt offices to install energy-efficient appliancesV RISHI KUMAREESL to bring in Rs. 1,000-cr investment, to cover 10,000 govt/private buildingsSaurabh Kumar, MD, EESL arranged pic

The Finance Ministry has issued guidelines for mandatory installation of energy-efficient appliances in all Central Government buildings across the country.

It has said that usage of LED-based lightings and energy-efficient cooling equipment such as fans and air conditioners in government buildings will lead to savings in the long run through reduction in energy consumption. The Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance will enlist the services of Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) on nomination basis to assist various ministries and departments to retrofit energy-efficient appliances in all their premises.

Under the programme, EESL intends to bring in investment of around Rs. 1,000 crore covering more than 10,000 large government/private buildings by 2020.

Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, EESL, in a statement said:, “Any Central government office can now directly reach out to us on nomination basis for retrofitting of inefficient appliances with efficient alternates. We assure our complete support and cooperation in carrying out audits and retrofitting of appliances, whenever any ministry or central government department approaches us with such tasks.”

Currently, EESL is the implementation agency for the Buildings Energy Efficiency Programme, which was launched in May by Power Minister Piyush Goyal.

About one crore LED lights, 15 lakh energy-efficient ceiling fans and 1.5 lakh energy-efficient ACs will be retrofitted by EESL in these buildings. Apart from retrofitting, EESL also aims to widen its services in areas like centralised AC systems, energy audits, and New Generation Energy Management System in buildings.

Retrofitted buildings

EESL has already retrofitted energy-efficient appliances in a number of government buildings including that of the NITI Aayog, Nirman Bhawan, Sardar Patel Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, J&K Assembly, Jammu Secretariat, Vidyut Bhawan, and Rajiv Chowk Metro station.

(This article was published in the Business Line print edition dated August 18, 2017)

39

RAILWAYS

TRIBUNE, AUG 22, 2017Avoidable negligenceRailways slipping up on the basics

A casual surfer on the net would not be able to recognise the Indian Railways under Suresh Prabhu: a separate railway budget is history, soon private companies will run slick express trains, line surveys for fast trains are on in every part of India, a gourmet platter is a click away and many stations will take on a glitzy avatar under private ownership. This vision clashes with the ground reality revealed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India: surveys are not leading to anywhere; there is excreta in food; railway beddings are storehouses of infections; and, as Junaid Khan’s lynching and the Rs 10 lakh theft in Rajdhani Express showed, even a valid traveller feels his safety is compromised.  

As Prabhu strives to paint the railways in the vivid colours of the free market, the basics are being neglected. The Railway Minister has done well by sending three of the top brass on leave, besides suspending several officers down the line. The audio clip and the tools found at the accident site have made it clear that non-communication between two railway departments allowed an express train barrel over an under-repair track at over 100 kmph with predictable consequences. However, the first reflex action of trying to brush the real cause under the carpet was not encouraging. Before an audio clip emerged to nail the negligence of the staff, the conversation on social media was being pushed into the direction of a sabotage theory, as has been the case with recent accidents. 

Amidst all the talk of turning around the railways, the angry wall writing in the marshalling

yards reflects a workforce in a state of mental agitation. The government has claimed a quantum

leap in rail sector infrastructure over the past three years. Its surveys speak of a satisfaction spike

in railway services. Mr Prabhu is entitled to get captivated by his drum beat. But for the ordinary

person, train travel is still an ordeal, slowly getting expensive, and unsafe in the bargain. The

staff and the common travelling public need equal attention along with the overseas purveyors of

fancy train sets.

40

HINDUSTAN TIMES, AUG 22, 2017Utkal Express derailment: Why is our rail safety so appalling?

Mindsets need to change and an overall focus on safety must be tightened. To his credit, railway minister Suresh Prabhu has made an effort to bring about a transformation in the way the transporter does its business

By cracking the whip after Saturday’s dreadful train accident in Muzaffarnagar, railways

minister Suresh Prabhu has addressed what had remained a crying need: Of holding the top rail

bureaucracy accountable for its acts of omission and commission.

Only on two occasions in the 70 years of the country’s Independence has administrative action

been initiated against the Grade-A officers of the Indian Railways after an accident. The last time

such a development happened was in 2010, when a divisional railway manager was suspended

following a train tragedy. Strangely, the suspension order was revoked within two days of the

order.

Section 175 of the Railways Act of 1989 insulates Class-I category officers from culpability in

train accidents, as it holds rail employees such as permanent way inspectors or supervisors as

being responsible for accident ‘violations’. It can be argued that certain accidents could have

been prevented, had the senior rail bureaucracy — from the general manager downwards — been

more vigilant or particular in adhering to the schedule of on-line inspections.

Mindsets are an issue; but there are other serious challenges to rail safety. In the 64-year period

from 1950 to 2016, passenger and freight traffic grew by 1,344% and 1,642% respectively, while

the network increased by a mere 23% — causing huge network congestion. With the time

available to carry out routine repairs (overhead signaling systems or tracks) having shrunk, short-

cut methods — of the kind that caused the Muzaffarnagar accident — are being routinely

resorted to.

41

The situation has worsened on account of the low spending on safety works. In 2009-10, for

instance, Rs 1,102 crore was allocated for safety works (revised to Rs 923 crore), while the

actual spending was Rs 906 crore. The following year, Rs 1,302 crore was allocated (revised to

Rs 998 crore), while the actual spending was Rs 911 crore.

Manpower shortages have also not helped. Against the total sanctioned strength of 746,676

employees, 122,736 safety category posts (or 16% posts) are vacant; official records show. The

need for setting up an independent safety regulator has also remained unaddressed.

To his credit, Mr Prabhu has made an effort to bring about a transformation in the way the

transporter does its business. A rail safety fund with a corpus of Rs 1 lakh-crore has also been

created. But, until these initiatives begin to bear fruit, the threat of a possible repeat of the

Muzaffarnagar kind of mishaps will continue to hang.

STATESMAN, AUG 22, 2017Endless death roll

A time is not far off when demands will be made for every railway ticket to carry a statutory warning ~ like on cigarette packs or liquor bottles in some states ~ on the hazards of train travel. For if a tally were made of lives lost on the Indian railway it would probably reveal more fatalities and injuries than those inflicted by terrorists and criminals.

Another 23 have just been added to that “black-list” at Muzaffarnagar after the catastrophic derailment of the Hardwar-bound Utkal Express.

While there is a shameful, cynical, element to the Congress presenting a head-count of railway mishaps since the Narendra Modi administration assumed office (would the party spokesman dare to furnish comparative figures for the UPA regime?), one thing is undisputable ~ Acche Din has eluded the railway system, and Suresh Prabhu is not more competent than any of his recent predecessors.

If is, of course, unfair to single out Prabhu: few of his ministerial colleagues have exhibited the management capabilities of, for example, Amit Shah in a different context. If only the government devoted as much attention to quality governance as electoral success. For the unending spate of rail mishaps adds credence to the criticism that this government is strong on “style”, weak on substance.

42

It is a moot point if the action taken against eight senior officials after the criminal laxity at Muzaffarnagar will have the desired trickle-down effect. Railway safety begins with the “gang men” who patrol the tracks, those entrusted with track maintenance etc; and the need to motivate them, enhance their job commitment cannot be overemphasised: so too the signalmen, station-masters at remote locations etc. Unless all of them feel they are equal partners in the operation, the “chain” is bound to develop weak links.

As happened in Muzaffarnagar, when track maintenance operations were undertaken without the requisite posting of cautionary signals. Examples of similar negligence can be discerned in almost every derailment ~ the prime cause of mishaps. Has any thought been spared for the working conditions of gang men, permanent way inspectors and their “mates”.

They inhabit a different world from Rail Bhawan and the zonal headquarters. Or Raisina Hill. Hard decisions will have to be taken. For all their self-confidence Narendra Modi, Arun Jatley & Co. must accept that there are limits to headline hunting and put “on hold” fanciful attempts at bullet-trains, luxury coaches and reducing travel-time.

All that is the icing on the cake, the bread and butter needs immediate attention ~ clean trains that adhere to schedule, palatable food, sanitary conditions at railway stations and a manipulation-free reservation mechanism would be good starting points.

And not too trivial for ministerial attention, for in the long run they will not only upgrade rail travel but also attract voters: dead passengers cannot press buttons on EVMs.

43

WATER SUPPLY

DECCAN HERALD, AUG 22, 207Prioritise groundwaterBy Dr Shrihari Chandraghatgi×

Groundwater has been the lifeline for millions across the country. As much as 80% of rural and 50% of the urban population of India depend on groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes. Karnataka is not an exception. As much as 99% of the state is covered by hard rock aquifer, except in coastal areas where alluvial aquifer dominates. Erratic rainfall, over extraction of groundwater for agriculture and natural and man-made pollution has endangered this precious source of water, prompting urgent need to form strict regulation to protect, preserve, harness and improve the groundwater table.

The water table is rapidly falling in several parts of Karnataka because of over-exploitation of groundwater, mainly for irrigation. The Central Groundwater Board data shows the groundwater in as many as 82 taluks are in either over-exploited, critical or semi-critical stages — that means, in several parts of the state, more groundwater is being extracted than it is being recharged by rains. The result is eye-popping: groundwater level across 70% of the state falls rapidly in the post-monsoon season, leaving many of the dug wells dry.

The groundwater problem is being worsened by toxic natural and man-made contaminants. Salinity, chloride, fluoride, iron and arsenic are the predominant natural contaminants in the state. Fluoride, the cause for bone deformities and fluorosis, is found exceeding permissible limits of 1.5mg/litre in the samples collected in 20 districts by Central Groundwater Board. Raichur has the worst fluoride concentration, followed by Kalaburagi and Ballari.

Agriculture not only uses more than 80% of the groundwater extracted but also adds nitrate, phosphate, pesticides and herbicides. As many as 25 districts have nitrate exceeding critical limits of 45 mg/l. Too much nitrate in drinking water poses a risk to infants under six months of age, causing “blue baby syndrome.” Bacteria which are present in an infant’s stomach can convert nitrate to nitrite (NO2), a chemical which can interfere with the ability of the infant’s blood to carry oxygen. No data is available for other more potentially toxic compounds such as pesticides.

Experience in the industrialised world shows that industries are the major sources of contaminants. Various industries manufacturing cars, textiles, polymers, electronics, electroplating, paints, dry-cleaning, glass, chemicals, etc., use a wide range of chemicals in their processes. Many a time, these chemicals are released into the soil because of improper handling, leakage of pipes or underground tanks and accidental spillage, etc. Unfortunately, some industries illegally inject untreated industrial effluents into the groundwater. Even mining and petroleum exploration activities release various metals and hydrocarbons.

44

No major systematic study is undertaken to estimate groundwater contamination due to industrial activities, although reports about the issue periodically surface in the media. A Central Groundwater Board report and a survey by the Karnataka Pollution Control Board in Bengaluru’s Peenya industrial area have found hexavalent chromium — a common chemical used in the electroplating process — contamination in 20 out of 72 borewells. The extent of chromium, a known carcinogen, in some wells was found to be 600 to 700 times above the national permissible limit of 0.05 mg/l. The abandoned gold mines at Mangaluru and green stone belt of Yadgir district were reported to have arsenic as high as 30 times WHO standards. Nearly 60% of people in Kirdali Tanda village near the gold mine were found to be suffering from arsenical symptoms.

These reports are just the tip of the iceberg. Surprisingly, data published in the Groundwater Year Book of Karnataka by the Central Groundwater Board for 2015-16 shows 97% of the samples are within permissible limits for drinking water. But these surveys, conducted by government organisations, confine themselves to some narrowly selected parameters, such as arsenic, fluoride, nitrate and iron and totally miss more toxic and carcinogenic substances such as chlorinated organics, metals (chromium, mercury, lead, selenium, etc.), petroleum hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylene, etc.), phenolic compounds, PCBs, dioxins, cyanides and pesticides. They are known to cause cancer, kidney failure, liver damage, birth defects, etc.

Further, most of the data obtained are from open wells or hand pumps. Groundwater monitoring wells properly installed in the potential contamination sources such as industrial areas must be selected and the analytical parameters should cover chemicals specific to the industrial area. Lack of such initiatives show the urgent need to educate the regulating bodies and even leading research institutes in the country about the contamination problem and site investigation techniques.

In India, groundwater is a state subject. Although the central government can form broad guidelines, it is the state government that can pass law and implement the same. The state cabinet has approved the “Karnataka Ground Water (Regulation and Control of Development and Management) Bill, 2007, to regulate and control the development of ground water. However, it does not cover groundwater pollution. Several countries around the world, including in Asia (Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and China), have formed strict groundwater regulations. India is miserably lagging behind in recognising these critical environmental issues.

Karnataka can become the first model state in the country to bring in proper regulation on groundwater contamination, which will prevent injecting any substance into groundwater, define critical limits for a range of contaminants and hold industries responsible for polluting the public resource. It could also create provisions to educate regulatory authorities in the state and local bodies about the contamination problem and on various remedial technologies available around the world.

Unless the Karnataka government takes firm steps to protect and preserve this public resource,

45

the state may run out of potable water within a few decades. Industrialisation and environmental protection should go hand in hand. Otherwise, future generations will hold us responsible for destroying nature.

(The writer, an agricultural microbiologist and expert on groundwater remediation, is president & CEO, EcoCycle Corporation, Japan)

46

WOMEN

DECCAN HERALD, AUG 21, 2017Gender gap in paid work is worrying

Gender inequality continues to be one of the main features of employment worldwide. According to World Employment and Social Outlook (WESO): Trends for Women 2017, brought out by the International Labour Organisation recently, the global labour force participation rate for women in 2017 is just over 49%, nearly 27% lower than that for men. India is among the countries with the widest gender gap in employment. Surveys of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) reveal that participation of women in employment is higher in rural areas than in urban areas and that female employment has declined over the past decade. The situation in South Asia is worrying. The gender gap in employment is higher here than in any other region. Unlike South Asia, East Asia is doing fairly well with regard to ensuring women’s participation in paid employment. The region showed a participation rate for women of 61.3%, the second highest globally.

India and the rest of South Asia need to reduce the gap between male and female participation in employment. Paid employment for women will empower them. An employed woman is economically more independent. It increases her bargaining power within the family and improves her say in decision-making. Apart from her earnings contributing to the family income, it is important for her personal well-being and development, too. Raising female participation in employment makes eminent economic sense not just for the individual and her family but for the economy, too. The ILO report says that if the gender gap in employment is reduced by 25% it would boost the global economy by $5.8 trillion. Much of this increase would be in emerging and developing economies. India’s economy, for instance, would gain around $1 trillion if the gap is reduced by 2025. Thus there are multiple incentives for individuals, families, governments and the world to increase participation of women in paid employment.

Women’s participation in employment can be increased by removing the barriers to their working outside the home. Lack of security at the workplace and on streets is an important deterrent. Providing women with a safe work environment and putting in place strong measures to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace and enroute to work would increase women’s participation. While India has put in place legislation to fight sexual harassment at work, workplaces need to make this a reality on the ground. Employers should provide affordable childcare facilities and put in place family-friendly policies at work. Equal remuneration for males and females for the same work done should become the norm. Women are an important economic asset to this country. Indian workplaces must tap into their potential. An inclusive growth will ensure sustainable economic growth.

47

STATESMAN, AUG23, 2017A blessing for Muslim womenSunil Gupta

The Supreme Court’s judgment on triple talaq or instant divorce will end the pain inflicted on many Indian women in the garb of faith. The practice has been held unconstitutional by a majority vote of 3:2. The court also ruled that this is not an integral part of Islam. Fortunately, there were plenty of signals to indicate that a large cross-section of people across the country wanted this primitive and medieval practice to be quashed as early as possible.

The five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court, which delivered its historic verdict on triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat), polygamy and nikahhalala, was headed by Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar. Justices Kurian Joseph, Rohinton Fali Nariman, Uday Umesh Lalit and S Abdul Nazeer made up the bench.

After hearing prolonged arguments, the bench had reserved its verdict on a clutch of petitions, including the one by Shayara Banu, who challenged the Muslim Personal Law and its retrograde practices.

The court had already indicated that the fundamental rights, as well as human rights of an individual, cannot be exploited in the name of religion or on the basis of gender. Last December, the Allahabad High Court had ruled that the right of Muslim women, or anyone for that matter, could not be infringed upon even if it is dictated by personal law.

Asserting that divorcing a woman by merely uttering the word talaq three times in quick succession is unconstitutional, the High Court observed that no Muslim husband should give divorce in a manner that would put a question mark on equal rights. The case in the Supreme Court and the arguments put forth increased awareness among Muslim women about their rights. These arguments also exposed the hollowness of the stand taken by the Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) that triple talaq was sanctioned by the Quran, the holy book of Muslims.

Most Muslim women had thus far kept quiet assuming it was a religious obligation, as prescribed in their holy book. But it can unequivocally be said that they must have breathed a sigh of relief with the practice having been held contrary to the Indian Constitution.

Over six days during the summer vacation, the Supreme Court heard arguments by several parties, which included the Centre, the All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and various others. During the hearing, the bench asked “how can a sinful practice be said to be a matter of faith”? They also noted that the “system itself says it is horrendous and bad” and that other Islamic countries have abandoned the practice of triple talaq.

Asserting that if it is bad in theology, it cannot be accepted in law, the bench observed, “What is morally wrong cannot be legally right. What is not fully moral, cannot be legal.” Arguing that triple talaq cannot be integral to Islam, Shayara Banu’s advocate Amit Chadha said many

48

schools of thought do not recognize the patriarchal practice of triple talaq in a male-dominated community.

It is an undesirable, bad, and sinful practice and violates constitutional guarantees of Muslim women, he added. According to senior lawyer Anand Grover, who was appearing for an organization opposing triple talaq, most Sunni Muslim women were not only against this practice, but the AIMPLB was not giving a correct perception to the Supreme Court.

Arguing for the All India Women Personal Law Board, Islamic scholar and lawyer Arif Mohammad Khan, who is also a former Union minister, strongly objected to the submissions of the AIMPLB. He said that Islam cannot have any room to dictate to any person and the Quran says that killing an innocent person was like killing the entire humanity.

Khan, who had resigned from the Rajiv Gandhi cabinet over differences in handling the Shah Bano case, further said that Shariat law had been distorted. Stating that Shariat is the holy Quran and not the opinion of clerics, he said since the Quran considers the importance of family, it prescribes four steps before pronouncement of divorce.

The bench after hearing the arguments said it would examine whether the practice of triple talaq is fundamental to Islam. It had also said it would not consider polygamy and ‘nikah halala’ for the time being but would take them up at a later stage.

The Supreme Court had taken suo moto cognizance of the question whether Muslim women faced gender discrimination in the matter of divorce or due to polygamy. The Centre had earlier said that triple talaq is neither integral to Islam nor a “majority versus minority” issue, but it is rather an “intra-community tussle” between Muslim men and deprived women.

“It is not only not an essential part of the Muslim religion,” lawyer Chadha said, “it is not a part of religion at all. On the contrary, it is deprecated by Islam”. He was responding to AIMPLB’s assertion that triple talaq, though sinful was a matter of faith for the Muslims.

The court had also taken note of repeated submissions by the AIMPLB and former Union Minister and senior lawyer Salman Khurshid, who was assisting it in his personal capacity, that triple talaq is not mentioned in the Quran and is “sinful”, “irregular”, “patriarchal”, “bad in theology” and “undesirable”. But he argued that court should not examine it. Citing the current scenario where Muslim women are protesting against instant triple talaq, Grover, who was appearing for Zakia Suman, cofounder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, questioned the AIMPLB’s claim that they were discouraging the practice of triple talaq among Muslims. Grover also contested AIMPLB’s claim that its voice was representative of the Muslim community.

Pointing out that talaq-i-bidat is not an essential part of the Sunni Muslim faith, he emphasized that it had been changed in several Sunni-majority countries. It is apparent that even AIMPLB realizes that triple talaq cannot be continued as it is being practised today.

49

That is the reason why it told the court on the last day of arguments that it had decided to issue an advisory to qazis (Islamic judges) to give an option to all Muslim women to opt out of instant triple talaq before giving their consent for marriage.

The clerics’ body was well aware of the mass petition by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) demanding a ban on triple talaq. It was signed by more than 50,000 Muslim women and men. The petition also sought the National Commission for Women’s intervention to end this “un-Quranic practice”.

The Mahila Andolan collected signatures from across the country, including in such states as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, MP, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. According to the Association, 92 per cent of Muslim women want an end to instant divorce.

The court was aware of the fact that Muslim women are subjected to unjust, unilateral divorces. Often, talaq is pronounced over the phone, through text messages, over social media or via email. In such circumstances, women have no recourse to justice. The divorced women have no legal rights, and the qazis always support the men. This formed the very basis of the landmark judgment. In September 2016, the clerics’ body argued that the provision of triple talaq actually protected women since it removed the need for husbands to kill their wives.

“If there develops serious discord between the couple, and the husband does not want to live with her, legal compulsions of time-consuming separation proceedings and expenses may dissuade him from taking the legal course. In such cases, he may resort to illegal, criminal ways of murdering or burning her alive,” it said in an affidavit. In Pakistan, for a man to obtain a divorce, he has to send a notice in writing to the chairman of the local council with a copy to his wife.

He has to wait for 90 days during which time an arbitration committee tries to bring about reconciliation between the parties. Turkey, another Muslim-majority country, abolished triple talaq in 1926.

The island country of Cyprus too followed suit. In Egypt too triple talaq is illegal. Since all this information is in the public domain, Muslim women in India are aware.

So they chose not to sit quietly and fought to free themselves from this oppressive and retrograde tradition which is being perpetrated by the Orthodox clergy.

The key takeaway of the judgment is that even the judges in a minority wanted the practice to be banned for six months till the government passes new legislation while keeping in mind the demands of all stakeholders. The judgment also comes as a major win for the ruling BJP which stood firm in its stand to back Muslim women in a backdrop where many political parties chose not to publicly oppose this tyrannical practice inflicted in the garb of faith.

(The writer is a chartered accountant and former member of the boards of public sector banks and corporations.)

50