LIST OF NEWSPAPERS COVERED

ASIAN AGE

BUSINESS LINE

DECCAN HERALD

ECONOMIC TIMES

HINDU

HINDUSTAN TIMES

INDIAN EXPRESS

PIONEER

STATESMAN

TELEGRAPH

TRIBUNE

TIMES OF INDIA

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CONTENTS

AGRICULTURE 3

AVIATION 4

CIVIL SERVICE 5-11

DEFENCE 12-14

DISABLED PERSONS 15-16

EDUCATION 17-21

ELECTIONS 22-26

EMINENT PERSONALITIES 27-29

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 30-34

LANGUAGES 35

NATIONALISM 36-37

OMBUDSMAN 38-40

PASSPORT 41

POLICE 42

POLITICAL PARTIES 43-45

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 46-49

SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY 50-51

TRANSPORT 52-54

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 55-57

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AGRICULTURE

ASIAN AGE, APR 18, 2017Govt announces scheme to hike farmers’ income

Mumbai: Amid demands for farm loan waiver in the state, the government has announced ‘Advanced Farming – Enriched Farmer’ scheme, with an aim to increase farmers’ income by cutting production cost and increasing the output. The scheme will be launched in the upcoming kharif season.

Under the initiative, the government has declared each tehsil in the state as a unit where planning will be done for agri-development. The major tasks that would be undertaken are: raising production of major crops (up to the level of its genetic yield potential), diversification of crops, introducing marketing techniques, uniting farmers through farm producers’ companies and making them financially stable.

The government has come up with a resolution in which it is said that each tehsil will be given target of production. The district agricultural department is asked to coordinate with farmers and their societies about the target of production. They will plan for the crop according to the soil, water conservation, loans being distributed in tehsils, etc.

According to the GR, the government has also decided to spend 60 per cent of the fund available for mechanisation of farming on tractors, power tillers, transplant, and machines for packaging. The government has also decided to deposit the grant in the account of farmers directly, which would be linked through AADHAR.

The government’s move follows protests taken out by opposition parties across the state over the farmer loan waiver demands. But chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that while his government wants to waive off the loan, a decision affecting the same will be taken only at “the right time” and not based on the Opposition’s demands.

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AVIATION

BUSINESS LINE, APR 18, 2017Air India move to fine unruly passengers may not fly, legally

Air India is formulating new rules which could see an unruly passenger being asked to pay anything between ₹5-to-₹15 lakh for delaying a flight.

The airline’s legal department is whetting a proposal on whether Air India can seek compensation of ₹ 5 lakh from an unruly passenger who delays a flight by up to an hour. The penalty will increase to ₹15 lakh if the delay is for more than two hours.

The fine amount is structured on the cost incurred by Air India due to the delays it suffers in its operations.

However, it is likely that the proposal might not see the light of day. Pradeep Rai, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, told BusinessLine that the airline will have to initially “establish that there has been no service deficiency on its part.”

Rai cautions the airline that it should not spend ₹ 50 lakh or more in lawyers’ fees while trying to recover ₹5 lakh from an unruly passenger.

Government sources also indicated that there was no “legal backing” for what is being planned by the state-owned airline. However, the thinking in the airline is that if hotels on the roadside can have boards saying ‘Right of Admission Reserved,’ the airline must have a procedure for handling unruly passengers.

The move comes in the wake of some Members of Parliament including Dola Sen from the Trinamool Congress delaying a Delhi to Kolkata flight by about 40 minutes as her mother who was in a wheel chair was not allowed to sit in the emergency exit seat.

A few days before the Dola incident, Member of Parliament Ravinder Gaikwad from the Shiv Sena delayed an Air India flight by 90 minutes at Delhi airport and assaulted an airline staffer as he was not given a seat in business class. The delay led to consequential delays for other flights.

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CIVIL SERVICE

INDIAN EXPRESS, APR 20, 2017Civil Services exam: Jharkhand tweaks rule to give quota candidates a ‘fair chance’

Jharkhand Public Service Commission and JSSC conduct a three-stage exam involving prelims,

mains and an interview for recruitment to various Class-III and Class-II posts, including that of

state civil services.By: Express News Service | Ranchi | Updated: April 20, 2017 9:43 am

THE JHARKHAND Cabinet has cleared a modification in recruitment rules for competitive

exams through which all candidates from reserved categories who score more or equal marks

than the last successful general (unreserved category) candidate in a preliminary exam will be

considered eligible for the mains.

Jharkhand Public Service Commission and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission conduct a

three-stage exam involving prelims, mains and an interview for recruitment to various Class-III

and Class-II posts, including that of state civil services.

Secretary (Appointment and Personnel) Nidhi Khare said, “The new rule will not apply to

recruitment exercises where the exams have reached midway (stage), like the interview. It will

apply for new exams at the prelims stage.”

HINDU, APR 22, 2017Perform, Modi tells civil servantsPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said anonymity was one of the greatest strengths

of civil services, cautioning government officials that the use of social media should not

lead to a decline in this strength, even as social media and mobile governance were

leveraged for connecting people to benefits and government schemes.

At the Civil Service Day function, Mr. Modi also assured the civil servants that he would

stand by them if they took decisions with an honest intention and in public interest.

Different era

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He said the conditions prevailing today were quite different from about two decades ago and

would evolve much further over the next few years.

While earlier the government was almost the sole provider of goods and services, which left

a lot of scope for ignoring one’s shortcomings, people now very often perceived that the

private sector offered better services than the government. The Prime Minister said with

alternatives now being available in several areas, responsibilities of government officials

had increased in terms of the challenges, not the scope of work.

Emphasising the importance of competition, Mr. Modi said it brought a qualitative change.

He said that the sooner the attitude of the government would change from a regulator to an

enabler, the faster the challenge of competition would turn into an opportunity.

Describing the day as one of “rededication”, Mr. Modi said the civil servants were well

aware of their strengths and capabilities, challenges and responsibilities.

He said while the absence of government in a sphere of activity should be perceptible, its

presence in a sphere of activity should not become a burden.

Jump in applicants

Noting that there was a quantum jump in the applications for Civil Service Day awards,

from less than 100 in 2016 to over 500 this year, the Prime Minister said that the focus

should now be on improving quality, and making excellence a habit.

He also urged senior officials to ensure that experience did not become a burden stifling the

innovation of younger officials.

Mr. Modi said while “political will” was needed for reform, which he did not lack and may

be had a bit extra, the “performance” part must come from civil servants and that

“transformation” was enabled by people’s participation.

He said the civil servants should ensure that every decision was taken keeping national

interest in mind, and this should be their touchstone for taking a decision.

Recalling that 2022 would mark 75 years of Independence, he urged the officials to play the

role of catalytic agents in fulfilling the dreams of the freedom fighters.

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HINDUSTAN TIMES, APR 22, 2017PM Modi to babus: Don’t use social media for self-promotion or spend too much time onlineSaubhadra Chatterji 

Use social media for public service and not self-promotion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told bureaucrats on Friday, even as he pulled up a section of officials who he said spent too much time online.

“If the social media is used for announcing the date for the anti-polio vaccination then it’s very

good,” Modi said in his address to bureaucrats on the 11th civil service day, asking officials to

make better use of online interaction tools.

“But giving two drops of polio vaccine and then circulating the photo through social media

should not be done,” he added.

Modi has more than 29 million Twitter followers with whom he constantly interacts besides

using the 140-character interface to highlight government programmes.

The Prime Minister said the power of social media should be used only for people’s welfare and

public causes.

“I see officers of district level so busy on social media that most of the time is spent on this

(social media),” Modi said.

Modi said he was aware of the power of social media but added that at his meetings with

bureaucrats through video conferences, he has often seen them busy taking pictures of the

meeting on their mobile phones.

TRIBUNE, APR 22, 2017State faces shortage of IAS officers, working takes a hit

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151 officers on the job Against the total authorised strength of 212 IAS officers, Haryana has 151 officers, according to

information gathered from the office of Chief Secretary The situation has gone worse over the years due to delay in promotion of HCS officers to IAS

and a fewer number of direct recruits joining the state cadre in comparison with those retiringSushil ManavThere is a severe shortage of IAS officers in the state. Several bureaucrats have been burdened with dual charge or in some cases the work of more than two departments, seriously hampering the functioning of government offices.

The situation has gone worse over the years due to delay in promotion of HCS officers to IAS and a fewer number of direct recruits joining the state cadre in comparison with those retiring.

Against the total authorised strength of 212 IAS officers, Haryana at present has 151 officers, according to information gathered from the office of Chief Secretary.

Among these, Ashok Lavasa, KK Jalan, YS Malik, Surina Rajan, Jyoti Aroa, Rajiv Arora, Tarun Bajaj, TVSN Prasad, Vivek Joshi, Arun Kumar, G Anupama, Deepti Umashankar, Pankaj Yadav, Ajit Balaji Joshi, Anurag Agarwal, PC Meena, CG Rajinikanthan and A Mona Srinivas are on deputation either to the Centre or to some other states or Union Territory, Chandigarh.

Vijay Singh Dahiya is on long training while Sandeep Garg is under suspension since April 23, 2016.

Sources say eight officers would retire this year, and 14 more would reach superannuation in 2018 and 2019.

They say among administrative secretaries, KK Khandelwal, Rajni Sekhri Sibal and Sanjeev Kaushal, Devender Singh, TC Gupta, Amit Jha, Rajesh Khullar, Anil Kumar, Sumita Misra, Ankur Gupta, Anurag Rastogi and Raja Shekhar Vundru have the charge of two or more departments.

Commissioner of Ambala Range Shrikant Valgad is also looking after Haryana Housing Department, D Suresh is Commissioner for Gurugram and Faridabad divisions and Chander Prakash is Commissioner for Rohtak and Karnal.

At the Director level, V Umashankar, Suresh Goyal, Vijender Kumar, Vikas Gupta and TL Satyaprakash, Ashok Sangwan, Ashima Brar, Shekhar Vidyarthi, Saket Kumar, Vivek Attrey, J Ganesan and Pankaj are burdened with the charge of two or three departments.

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The sources say the official functioning suffers more at the director level due to fewer visits of officers because administrative secretaries normally have to operate from one office only. The court work of Commissioners, too, is suffering due to dual charge as all three bureaucrats are manning five administrative divisions.

The situation is so bad that officers often find themselves in a piquant situation because of two ministers calling meetings on the same date and at the same time.

The sources say Haryana has been getting two to five new IAS officers every year while promotion of HCS officers to IAS is pending after the select list of 2011.

PIONEER, APR 19, 2017NO INTERVIEW FOR CLASS III, IV POSTS IN HIMACHAL

Taking a step towards bringing transparency in recruitment, Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to do away with interviews for Class III and IV posts. After the nod of Himachal Pradesh Cabinet, the notification in this regards was issued by Governor Acharya Dev Vrat.

As per the notification, the state government would discontinue or dispense with the process of holding interviews in respect of direct recruitment for making recommendations for Class-lll and IV posts or services under the State Government with immediate effect.

The selection to all Class-III and IV posts or services under the State Government should be made on the basis of merit of written examination or prescribed educational qualification followed by evaluation based on other prescribed parameters.

As per the notification, for appointments where skill test and physical test, different from the interview, are the requirement of recruitment these tests shall continue and only be of qualifying nature. 

Making the decision to be implemented from the date, the appointments, where the process of recruitment has been advertised but yet to be completed, it has been decided to re-advertise the posts and conduct the recruitments as per new notification.

Making this arrangement, the notification says, “for already notified vacancies by the recruiting authorities prescribing personal interview, which have not been completed as yet, either the posts shall be re-advertised to the extent of dispensing with the personal interview and parameters as above may be adopted

OR selection process shall be completed by May 31, 2017 by the respective recruiting authorities. ln case(s) where advertisement for filling up of vacancies has been issued by the recruiting agencies but the written examination hasn't been held in such cases, the recruiting agencies will issue supplementary advertisement immediately clarifying that after written examination no interview will be held and the above parameters will be applicable for selection.”

The Government has also made arrangements for giving preferences to the candidates on the basis of their financial or physical circumstances.

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Candidates belonging to notified backward area or panchayat would be given one percent marks for both categories, and landless family poor family having land less than one Hectare would get one marks for Class III and two for Class IV.

Non-employment Certificate to the effect that none of the family members is in Government or

semi-Government job would be given one and 2.5 marks, differently abled persons with more than 40 per cent impairment or disab ility or infirmity one mark to both category.

NSS, NCC, Medal winner in National level sports competitions 1 to get one marks .

BPL family having family annual income from all sources below Rs 40,000  per annum would be given 2 and 2.5 marks. Widow or divorced or destitute or single woman will also get 1 or 1.5 marks.

Single daughter or orphans would also be given one mark.

ECONOMIC TIMES, APR 19, 2017No proposal to change working hours for employees: Government

It was also stated in the news report that the holiday of Saturday will also be done away with for the central government employees.

NEW DELHI: The central government is not considering any proposal to change office hours for its employees, the Personnel Ministry said today.

In a statement, the ministry referred to a news item that claimed that central government employees' working hours will be changed and scheduled from 9 AM to 7 PM. It was also stated in the news report that the holiday of Saturday will also be done away with for the central government employees.

It is clarified that there is no such proposal under the consideration of the central government, it said.

"The media news regarding the extension of working hours and abolition of holiday on Saturday for central government employees is false and baseless. There is no oral or unwritten order issued in this regard," the ministry said.

DECCAN HERALD, APR 18, 2017Dynamic fares in Rajdhani, Shatabdi acceptable under LTC: Govt

The move comes after references were received from various segments seeking clarification on the issue of admissibility of flexi-fare while booking the tickets of these trains for the purpose of LTC. Deccan Herald file photo

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Dynamic or flexi-fare in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains will be admissible under the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) allowance. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued a directive in this regard to all central government ministries.

The move comes after references were received from various segments seeking clarification on the issue of admissibility of flexi-fare while booking the tickets of these trains for the purpose of LTC.

Ministry of Railways have introduced a flexi-fare system in Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains, where the base fares will increase by 10 per cent with every 10% of berths sold subject to a prescribed ceiling limit.

"The matter has been examined in consultation with Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and it has been decided that flexi fare (dynamic fare) applicable in Rajdhani/ Shatabdi/Duronto trains shall be admissible for the journey(s) performed in these trains on LTC," the DoPT said.

This dynamic fare component shall not be admissible in cases where a non-entitled government servant travels by air and claims reimbursement for the entitled class of Rajdhani, Shatabdi and Duronto trains, it said. "Such Government servants will get reimbursement of fare after deducting the dynamic fare component," the directive said. As per norms, a government employee gets to-and-fro journey cost reimbursement when he avails LTC, in addition to paid leaves.

TELEGRAPH, APR 8, 2017Govt posts

New Delhi, April 17 (PTI): All new posts of joint secretary and above will need cabinet approval and those below the finance minister's nod, according to a government order.

The measures, which supersede earlier instructions, are aimed at limiting public expenditure.

"Only the finance minister (for posts below joint secretary level) and the cabinet (for posts of JS and above) would be the competent authority for creation of posts," the expenditure department said. The order added that only the cabinet, and no other standing committee, was competent to clear such posts, except in cases of national security.

According to the "office memorandum", all posts, except newly created ones, kept in abeyance or vacant for more than two years in any ministry, department or statutory body, will be considered "deemed abolished" unless an exemption was given at the time of sanctioning them.

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DEFENCE

HINDU, APR 20, 2017Cabinet approves leave encashment for military between 1991-99Cabinet approves leave encashment for militaryThe Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved encashment of accumulated leave for military

personnel who died or were invalidated out of service between 1991 to 1999. “The Cabinet

chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved leave encashment up to 180 days in respect of

those Defence personnel who died or were invalidated out of service between December 12,

1991 to November 29, 1999 with less than 15 years of service,” the government said in a

statement.

TELEGRAPH, APR 19, 2017Trial by the media- Discrediting Pakistan's military justice system will not help Jadhav's case

Diplomacy: K.P. Nayar

Kulbhushan Jadhav's life can be saved. But there are several pre-conditions to achieving this objective. First of all, New Delhi has to comprehensively bury any sense of false pride. In doing so, India can learn from Israel: in Tel Aviv, no matter which party is in power, bringing back its soldiers - and civilians - captured by the 'enemy' is a commitment almost akin to practising their faith.

Israel - like India these days - has habitually talked loftily about not making any concessions to terrorists and about isolating states, which use proxies for violence or practise terror as an instrument of foreign policy. But quietly, behind the scenes, Israel will do anything - literally anything - to bring back alive its soldiers and civilians in 'enemy' hands.

There are many instances where the Jewish State has bent over backwards till breaking point to have dead bodies of its soldiers repatriated home. It has often walked many extra miles to dig up and bring back the mortal remains of its men and women in uniform long after they were killed by adversary states or died in combat with non-State actors outside Israel's borders.

The second precondition to saving the life of the retired navy commander, Jadhav, through tough, difficult and perhaps out-of-the-box negotiations, if need be, is that domestically New Delhi has to prepare the nation to accept that like India, neighbour Pakistan, too, has domestic compulsions in anything to do with this country. This may prove more difficult than the first precondition because for at least five years, if not longer, informed debate on Pakistan has been replaced in this country by rabble-rousing.

Just follow the public discussions - especially in the electronic media - since Pakistan

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pronounced the death sentence on Jadhav and it will dawn on those with even a moderate sense of judgment and understanding how much our pundits have already done to damage the former navy commander's case.The reality is that what is written and heard in the Indian media has consequences in Pakistan. China, too, reacts to what figures in the Indian media at times, albeit rarely saying so in public. The more a nation lacks an unfettered press as the 'fourth estate', the more a country pines for the free press it sees flourishing in a neighbouring state like India.

Diplomacy and Statecraft mandate that the ministry of external affairs should describe as "farcical" and run down the way Jadhav was tried in Pakistan and sentenced to death. But when this country's media latch on to that theme and go on for days without providing any new light - as responsible media are required to do - on how the former navy commander was tried in a kangaroo court, it only puts up Pakistan's back and makes the job of getting Jadhav back home more difficult.

Many moons ago, three Indian truck drivers were kidnapped in Iraq. That was a time when this country's electronic media were beginning to display their power to make decision-making in government difficult. The quest for ratings was tempting enough to report rumours as facts and air unsubstantiated reports.

One day, Shyam Saran, who became foreign secretary 10 days after the kidnapping, appealed to the media with folded hands at a press briefing on the issue to be accountable in their reporting or else the three drivers could be killed by their abductors. The channels complied and their cooperation contributed to the release of the three Indians unharmed.

It would be very interesting now to know how many of our pundits - who hold forth on the latest issue of contention with Rawalpindi - have read the Pakistan Army Act of 1952, which is the legal basis for trying Jadhav in a "Field General Court Martial" at an undisclosed location across the border. This is especially true of several retired Indian diplomats who once dealt with Pakistan and have now joined the bandwagon of raising the heat on Indo-Pakistan relations in the full knowledge that if they appear conciliatory, they are unlikely to be invited repeatedly by television channels, which pander to raw emotions about Islamabad than to reason.

We may not like it, but the fact is that the military is Pakistan's most durable institution. There is a saying that every country has an army but in Pakistan, the army has a country. It could even be argued that the army is perhaps the only stable institution in Pakistan. The Inter-Services Intelligence, no doubt, engages in rogue activity, but so does America's Central Intelligence Agency and Russia's Federal Security Service - FSB as it is known by its Russian acronym - in areas of Moscow's security interests like Ukraine and Georgia.

There are still enough whiskey-drinking, English-speaking officers in the Pakistani army who are at ease at Sandhurst or at West Point military academies to prevent this institution from surrendering to the theocratic rigours of those who sport flowing beards and display their Islamist devotion over accepted Western conventions that modern defence forces hold dear.

If our pundits and Pakistan-bashing retired diplomats had bothered to read the neighbouring

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country's Army Act of 1952, they would have informed the Indian public by now that in November 2015, Islamabad made crucial amendments to this legislation. The amendments to Section 2 of this law were made so that military courts holding in-camera trials are now legally permitted, among other things, to keep secret the names of an entire range of court officials engaged in such trials "for the protection of witnesses, president, members, prosecutors, defending officers and other persons concerned in court proceedings".

We may not like it as a people and the Indian government has every right to challenge and discredit the trial of the retired navy commander in Pakistan. But in the court of public opinion abroad, we would be weakening our efforts to bring back Jadhav if we do not recognize that he was tried under the Pakistan Army Act of 1952. The amended Section 2 of this Act legally allows Pakistan to keep everything about such trials secret.

When the amendments were discussed in Pakistan's National Assembly and its Senate in 2015, there was considerable disquiet among members about the draconian new provisions. But the terrorist attack on an army-run school in Peshawar had just killed an estimated 132 children, an incident widely regarded as a turning point in the attitude of the Pakistani people towards terrorism as an instrument of State policy. So an approach of zero tolerance towards anything that was seen as undermining Pakistan's security met with the approval of the National Assembly and the Senate.

International law experts have defined the amended law as a war-time legislation. Jadhav is not the first person to be sentenced secretly under this law. From Pakistan's point of view, this law has aided its army operations in tribal areas. That American army generals have praised Pakistan's anti-terror operations in testimony after testimony on Capitol Hill is proof that while India may not like it, Pakistan's allies like China and the United States of America approve of the logic behind it and what it has brought to the counter-terrorism table. In any case, the Pakistan Army Act of 1952 is derived from its original British source. So the United Kingdom is unlikely to disfavour it either.

Jadhav was kidnapped in Iran, where he had a legal business and taken to Pakistan for his trial. Because of the allegations that the army general headquarters has made against him, domestic compulsions in Pakistan make it imperative that he should be made an example of. The death sentence against him reflects those domestic compulsions.

India's single-minded effort should be to ensure that Jadhav is brought home safely. It feels good in drawing-room discussions to discredit Pakistan's military justice system but that will not rescue the Indian from the hangman's noose and repatriate him to where he belongs. India must be prepared for a grand bargain with Pakistan in this instance. The country owes it to Jadhav both as a citizen and as someone who once donned its naval uniform. The grand bargain will probably happen by the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, in Astana in June at the time of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. But it cannot be negotiated through the media and the less that is said about the case in public the better will be its chances for a resolution in private.

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DISABLED PERSONS

STATESMAN, APR 19, 2017Disabled still have many miles to goDebomita Chakraborty and Suchismita Goswami

According to the World Bank, about 15 per cent of the world's population which amounts to one billion people, suffers from some form of disability. Developing countries or low and middle income countries (LMIC) have higher occurrence of disability. Usually developing countries fail to provide proper infrastructure to people living with disabilities in the form of accessibility to public places, public transport, work place, educational institutions and information and communication technology.

According to Census 2011, about 26.8 million people in India are living with disabilities and this, according to some prominent disability rights activists, is a huge underestimation. India also fails to address the issue of disability inclusive space due to lack of efficient and effective policies in place.

India is one of the 173 countries which ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). In this convention, people with disabilities were for the first time, recognised as capable beings with “rights”, who can claim their own rights and take appropriate decisions for themselves based on “free and informed consent”. Since ratifying CRPD in October 2007, India is obliged to enforce it in its national laws and policies.

We present some points related to access to employment and education for people suffering with disabilities, based on the data from Census 2011 and the steps taken by the government so far.

In the HRD Ministry's All India Survey of Higher Education (2014-15), it was found that 64,289 persons with disability (PWD) are enrolled for higher education. Even though the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act promises inclusive education, it fails to provide children with disabilities access to education majorly due to absence of infrastructure of schools and universities for providing better access to people with disabilities, lack of strong interest from the government and administration and due to closed mind-set.

The Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016 recognised the need for sign language and Braille in schools and universities but in order to excel and make education inclusive for PWD students, it is important to also compulsorily introduce other modern technologies for learning in the school. More resources are required for spreading awareness about new provisions under this Act, especially the clause which says that books, learning materials and assistive devices will be provided to students who are dealing with benchmark disabilities, free of cost up to the age of 18 years. In the same Act, reservation for PWD students in higher educational institutions was raised from 3 to 5 per cent. Yet in reality, in spite of a number of PILs, very few institutions have been able to make their campus inclusive for the PWDs.

In the age group of 5-19 years, there are 6.5 million children with different types of disabilities. Fifty-four per cent children with multiple disabilities have never attended educational

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institutions. 797,000 children with different types of disabilities attended educational institutions but dropped off eventually while 1.75 million differently abled children never attended schools. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of children (1.2 million) in the age range of 5- 19 years who have some form of disability. Of these, 40 per cent are not attending any educational institution. Maharashtra has 684,000 disabled children, the second highest number in the country, and 30 per cent are not attending schools. Daman and Diu has less than 500 disabled children in the age range of 5-19 years but 55 per cent do not attend school. Apart from Goa and Kerala, all states and UTs have more than 30 per cent disabled children who are not attending any educational institutions.

According to Census 2011, there are 15 million people with disabilities who are in the working age group of 15-59 years. Out of this 58 per cent are male and 42 per cent female. There are 20 states/UTs where more than half the disabled population of working age is unemployed. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of people with disablities in the age group of 15-59 years, at 2.3 million and 52 per cent of these people are unemployed. In rural areas, out of all the disabled men who are employed, 74 per cent are main employees as opposed to 54 per cent of disabled women. In urban areas, 87 per cent of employed disabled men are main employees while 72 per cent of disabled women are employed as main workers. Disabled women are employed more than men for marginal jobs that last for a duration of 3-6 months or less than 3 months, in both rural and urban areas.

The state-wise distribution of employed disabled men and women shows that in all the states and UTs in India, the percentage of employed women with disablities is less than that of men with disabilities. Delhi has the highest disparity with the percentage of employed disabled men being higher than that of women by 43 per cent. Nagaland is the only state to have a difference of less than 10 per cent between the percentage of employed men and that of employed women with disabilities.

Previously only seven types of disabilities were recognised by institutions but under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 21 different kinds of disabilities are recognised. This would instantly increase the number of people to be considered as living with disability by the government. In the past decade, some well intended legislations and judgements came out to improve the situation for PWDs. Firstly, under the Rights of Persons with disability Act, government job reservation for people with disabilities was increased from 3 to 4 percent and in another instance last year, the Supreme Court of India, in one of its progressive judgements, declared that the disability quota can be used for promotions in government jobs. Yet we are not very optimistic about the implementation due to the deep-seated apathetic approach towards bringing in change within the system for PWDs. According to reports from Economic Times Intelligence Group (ETIG) in 2015, most of the public sector entities failed to meet the 3 per cent required work force reservation for PWDs and very few private sector entities in their survey were eager to include PWDs in their workforce.

The only way to reverse the situation, along with progressive judgements, is vigilant citizen's groups and civil societies. Proper implementation, usage of funds and filling up of quotas reserved for the PWDs can be possible only if proper awareness is raised by the groups and coalition working for disability rights.

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EDUCATION

ECONOMIC TIMES, APR 19, 2017HRD forms panel on implementing 7th pay commission's recommendations in educational institutionsJavadekar has also urged the teachers to refrain from going to strike in view of the examination time and to avoid any disruption in the academic functioning of the varsities.

NEW DELHI: The HRD Ministry has formed a committee to review the recommendations made by a UGC panel on implementation of the seventh pay commission's recommendations in educational institutions.

The development comes against the backdrop of teachers' associations of various universities threatening to go on strike over the "delay" in implantation after the UGC panel submitted its report earlier this year.

"Seventh Pay Review committee for implementing the recommendations (of the 7th pay commission) in educational institutions, universities and colleges has submitted its report to the Ministry. I have constituted a committee headed by Higher education secretary to study them," Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

The committee will have officials from Finance Ministry and other relevant offices and it will submit its final recommendations which will go to Cabinet, he added.

Javadekar urged the teachers to refrain from going to strike in view of the examination time and to avoid any disruption in the academic functioning of the varsities.

"I appeal to everyone not to stage any protests as exams are around the corner and the Ministry will ensure that justice is done to everyone.

"Those who had some doubts whether government is moving in this direction, let me dispel their doubts that we have already started action and soon they will get good news," he added.

The pay review committee of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which was formed last year and was headed by it member VS Chauhan, had recommended scrapping ad-hoc and temporary appointments of teachers across universities.

The panel had also suggested that pay of teachers should be in accordance with the seventh central pay commission, which means the overall salary of teachers would also go up if the suggestion is accepted by the human resource development (HRD) ministry.

Linking grants to universities to the vacant posts filled by them was also among the recommendations made by the committee.

TIMES OF INDIA, APR 22, 2017

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NCERT books to make classroom inclusiveManash Pratim Gohain

NEW DELHI: To allow students with special physical needs to read a book along with regular

students in a classroom, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

unveiled a series of 40 booklets on Friday. The council will study the impact of these books to

determine if the technology used in these booklets can be transferred to textbooks so that all

students can read from the same book and in the same classrooms.

Each of the 40 booklet comes in both print and digital versions, the latter for the hearing

impaired, while the one meant for the visually challenged has Braille and tactile components.

These will enable children with learning disability, speech or language disorders, visual

impairment, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cerebral palsy to follow the same

reading assignment as the other students.

Till now, students with physical and other limitations used to have different study materials as

well as separate classrooms. "To improve the quality of education, students should learn

together, but so far children with special educational needs were learning in isolation," said

Hrushikesh Senapaty, director, NCERT. The introduction of the special books addresses the

issue of an inclusive classroom.

The project has been started on a pilot basis and keeps all the principles of universal design for

learning in mind. The printed content has been released under the Barkhaa Series, a

supplementary graded reading series originally developed by the Department of Elementary

Education at NCERT.

The new series has 40 illustrated story booklets covering five themes — relationships, birds-

animals, musical instruments, games and toys and food —and four reading levels, aimed at

helping children in learning at the foundation level. "The reading series is a paradigm shift in the

way the teaching-learning material is conceived or prepared," elaborated Hemant Kumar,

spokesperson, NCERT. "It is a first-of-its-kind series for early readers. This can be seen as a

significant platform for true inclusion in primary classrooms."

Anupam Ahuja of the Department of Education of Groups with Special Needs at NCERT added, "Our motto is one book for all. We do not want to label children and these books are a baby step in the direction of having classrooms where children share the same space and same books,

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without feeling insecure or discriminated against." Defining this series as a "beginning", the NCERT director said that the eventual objective of the exercise is to scale it to the textbook level.

STATESMAN, APR 19, 2017

CBSE Hindi signal

Basant Kumar Mohanty

New Delhi, April 18: President Pranab Mukherjee has endorsed a proposal to make the learning of Hindi compulsory up to Class X in Central Board of Secondary Education schools but rejected a similar suggestion for state board schools, sources have said.

Hindi is now compulsory till Class VIII in CBSE schools virtually everywhere in India, as in state board schools in the Hindi-speaking states. But in Classes IX and X, when CBSE students have to study only two languages instead of three, Hindi becomes optional.

CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma declined comment on the latest proposal. A human resource development ministry official said the recommendation would be examined.

Parliament's committee on official languages had recommended "serious efforts" to make Hindi compulsory in schools, suggesting a beginning be made with CBSE schools.

×But it also suggested that a proposal to make Hindi compulsory up to Class X be introduced in Parliament, which, if passed, would have covered all schools in the country.

The President, however, advised that compulsory Hindi teaching in state board schools should remain confined to the Hindi belt, sources said.

A home ministry resolution has cited the President's directions to say the panel's recommendation has been "accepted with (the) modification" to limit compulsory Hindi teaching to "Region A", and that the Centre "should formulate a policy after consultations with the state governments".

"Region A" covers Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and the Andamans.

Some school principals criticised the idea of making Hindi compulsory up to Class X. "There may be unrest; the parents may not want it," said Usha K., principal of the CBSE-affiliated Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kochi, Kerala.

A former CBSE chairman said that language, being a sensitive subject, should not be forced down one's throat but its learning should be encouraged. "If imposed forcibly, it can be

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counterproductive," he cautioned.

HINDUSTAN TIMES, APR 22, 2017Delhi: St Stephen’s to go ahead with autonomy, top body gives nodShradha Chettri 

St Stephen’s College principal has circulated a letter by the chairman of the governing body asking him to proceed with the application of autonomy to the college. The letter was shared with the teachers on Friday.

The governing body of the college had, on March 25, decided that the college will apply for

autonomy.

Autonomy means that the college will no longer be a constituent college of the Delhi University.

It will be free to take its own decisions in framing syllabus, fee structure, starting new college

branches and others. Students and teachers of the college have protested the decision saying it is

being done without consultation.

On March 3, St Stephen’s principal John Varghese had assured the staff and students of the

college that he would write to the governing body seeking permission to have discussion with

stakeholders before application.

The letter by the chairman of the governing body to the principal, dated April 14, read, “The

governing body is the sole decision making body of the college on policy and governance. I

therefore advise you to proceed as per the decision of the governing body. In this regard, the

governing body has authorised you to execute and sign all necessary proposals, documents,

applications, forms, letters, undertakings to the university, University Grants Commission and

make requests for requisite grants in aid.”

However, teachers and students said that no discussion has taken place in this regard and the

letter is now being circulated. The teachers in the college said that with this letter, the principal is

retracting from what he had promised.

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“There has been no consultation and no discussion on the autonomy issue,” said a teacher.

Varghese could not be reached for comment on the matter.

The chairman has also stated in the letter that he was invited by the dean of colleges to discuss

the offer of autonomy, which is a scheme of the University Grants Commission.

“The university ordinance does not have legal provision for dean of college to invite colleges to

apply for autonomy. How can they do this?” said a senior teacher of the college.

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ELECTIONS

STATESMAN, APR 17, 2017Optics in Bengal

An assembly by-election in a rural constituency would not have been of much moment were it not for the striking psephological swing, as evident in West Bengal’s Contai South constituency.

By any reckoning, the victory of the Trinamul candidate, Chandrima Bhattacharya, with a margin of 42,526 votes has strengthened the party’s fort, given the three percentage-point increase in the voteshare in comparison with the verdict in 2016.

The other critical facet is the decimation of the CPI-M in an East Midnapore segment that was once its bastion. Whether or not the party’s potential and/or traditional voters have switched their preference to the Bharatiya Janata Party ~ as Mamata Banerjee claims and Biman Bose affirms ~ can only be speculated upon at this juncture.

Suffice it to register that the Marxists will have to contend with a 24-percentage point decline in electoral support. As critical as the Trinamul victory is the fairly spectacular surge in support for the BJP ~ from a vote-share of 8.76 per cent in the Assembly election last year to 30.97 per cent now.

Even its critics will readily concede that the approximaterly 22 per cent surge in the span of a year is nothing short of remarkable. In the net, the saffronite party is the runner-up, and the Left will have to accept that it has finished the race in the also-ran category. In terms of optics, the BJP is the winner.

From zero representation in the assembly till a few years back, the party will now emerge as a strong contender for the position of a pivotal Opposition entity. If Contai South is held up as a case-study, the BJP has registered quite a surge from its position of a fringe player in Bengal’s electoral stakes.

Having said that, it is early days to speculate whether the BJP will be able to graduate to the position of the state’s principal Opposition party. But the process towards a possible “graduation degree” has predictably been viewed with consternation by the CPI-M.

There is little doubt that Banerjee’s social sector schemes ~ notably Sabuj Sathi, Kanyashree, and cycles for school students ~ have yielded dividend at the hustings. And the pitch has been reinforced if her whirlwind visits over the past few weeks to the districts of North and South Bengal are any indication.

Suffice it to register that the patron-client relationship has benefited Trinamul, as it once did the CPI-M through the panchayati raj and Operation Barga. For now, the ascendancy of the BJP, if on a limited scale, lends a new dimension to West Bengal politics.

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Elections aside, its performance on Ram Navami was suitably robust. But it would be premature to imagine that Bengal politics is set to be redefined. Unpredictable is the swing of the pendulum.

DECCAN HERALD, APR 19, 2017Centralised panel for varsity recruitmentTaking note of several malpractices reported during recruitment for universities, the state government is all set to form a centralised recruitment committee. 

Following the formation of the committee, even autonomous universities will not have the liberty for recruitment. This committee will be the sole body to take decisions on recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff of all the universities in the state. 

Vice chancellors of all 25 universities of the state are set to have a meeting in the city on Wednesday in this regard. The Karnataka State Universities Act 2000 will be amended to change the recruitment guidelines for universities. The name of former VC of Gulbarga University V B Coutinho, is being recommended to head the committee.

HINDUSTAN TIMES, APR 19, 2017Govt readies to scrap no-detention policy, but students of classes 5-8 to get second chanceNeelam Pandey 

Students of classes 5 and 8 who fail to pass their annual examinations might get another

opportunity to pass even if the existing no-detention policy is scrapped as proposed in the Right

to Education (RTE) amendment bill.

As per the existing no-detention policy, students are promoted automatically to higher classes

every year till the eighth grade. A key component of the RTE Act, the no-detention policy

unveiled by the UPA government came into force on April 1, 2010 with the intention of ensuring

that every child aged between 6 and 14 received school education. However, for the past many

years concerns have been raised about the negative impact of the policy on the academic

performance of the students.

According to HRD minister Prakash Javadekar, an enabling provision is being made in the RTE

amendment bill that will allow states to conduct examinations in class 5 and class 8 and detain

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students if they fail. States will, however, have the discretion to give another opportunity to these

students to pass.

Explaining how the system will work, he said in case a student takes the annual exam in March

and is unable to pass, he/she will get another opportunity in, say, June. Before sitting for the

exams once again, the students will be asked to attend ‘remedial classes’. Once the new system

comes into force, the onus would be on the states to decide whether to hold examinations in

classes 5 and 8.

These amendments are likely to be taken up by the Union Cabinet this month. Once approved, it

will be taken up for parliamentary approval.

Under the Right to Education no child till class 8 can be detained. After holding consultation

with states in the Central Advisory Board of Education meeting last year it was decided to give

states the right to decide whether they want to have no-detention policy or not. This requires

amending the RTE Act. The move will allow states to evolve their own policy of detention from

Class 5.

Many states, especially Delhi, have been vocal about the flaws in the no-detention policy that has

affected quality of education.

However, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have opposed the proposed amendment to the policy. The

policy is likely to come into force from 2018.

ECONOMIC TIMES, APR 17, 2017Only graduates, those with up to 2 kids may get to fight Assam pollsBy Rakesh Mohan Chaturvedi "We are going to recommend to Parliament soon that those contesting elections in Assam should not have more than two children," Sarma said.

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BHUBANESWAR: The BJP government in Assam is considering a law to fix a minimum education criterion for contesting elections in the state, be it for local bodies or state assembly, education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.

The minimum education qualification could be graduation, Sarma told ET on the sidelines of the BJP National Executive Meeting here. “For the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe there will be some relaxation like being a matriculate,” he said.

Sarma, who is also the health minister of Assam, had earlier announced that those having more than two children should not be given government jobs or allowed to become MPs and MLAs.

A law to this effect is in the works in Assam, he said. “I had made this suggestion first in 2009 as the health minister in the Congress government in Assam. The Tarun Gogoi cabinet had approved it then and I had moved a resolution on the issue in the Assam assembly,” he said.

He underlined that such a law will have to be “humanised” in some special cases like a couple having twins or in case of death of a child or any such untoward incident.

“We are going to recommend to Parliament soon that those contesting elections in Assam should not have more than two children,” Sarma said, hinting that this may be started with the local bodies. Haryana and Rajasthan already have such a provison.

Asked about the charge from some quarters that both these plans — minimum educational qualification and two child norm- would affect Muslims the most — Sarma said, “Muslims would be the worst sufferers as most of the migrant Muslim families in Assam have 7-8 children. But the intended law is not being made to target Muslims. Even our tea garden workers (who are mostly Hindus) have 4-5 children,” he said. Sarma lamented that some of the educated Muslim families have gone for big families and said only Hindus seem to follow the two child norm.

In reply to a question on whether BJP would get the support of Congress on these issues, Sarma said he is “counting on it just like we did on the GST Bill”. He said the idea of two child proviso was first mooted under the previous Congress government.

On the controversy over beef consumption and cow vigilantism, Sarma said most people in Assam “are in tune with what RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has stated”. Bhagwat has called for all-India ban on cow slaughter.

“As an individual I feel Bhagwat has not said anything which is not a part of the Constitution. This is mentioned in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Constitution. Mahatma Gandhi had also called for cow protection,” Sarma said.

However, he conceded that some states in the North-East have sizable number of people who consume beef. “The party needs to respect cultural diversity. But our main focus in the North-East is to reduce regional diversity and ensure development of the region,” he said.

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Sarma maintained that the issue of cow slaughter is being unduly highlighted by some people to stir a controversy

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EMINENT PERSONALITIES

TELEGRAPH, APR 17, 2017Airbrushing the radical- Ambedkar's writings are still an indictment of India

Manini Chatterjee

Sometimes it takes an outsider to hold up a mirror to ourselves, to our festering sores and our unsightly warts, especially when a far more illuminating indigenous mirror is sought to be camouflaged under layers of guileful gloss.

In a newspaper article some days ago, Samuel Jack, the president of the Association of African Students in India, wrote of the racism Africans faced routinely in India - in the way they were treated when seeking extensions for their visas, in the problems in getting accommodation, and in the general treatment of being viewed with suspicion.

He went on to write: "To an outsider like myself, when I begin to process this blatantly discriminatory attitude, I find that this racism is linked to the prevalent caste system which is very hierarchical. Black people, Dalits and untouchables somehow seem to be linked to this caste system which is discriminatory and excludes people."

Unwittingly perhaps, Samuel Jack was paying a more sincere tribute to Dr Bhimrao 'Babasaheb' Ambedkar than all the official hosannas showered on the "framer of the Indian Constitution" on his 126th birth anniversary on April 14. In two short sentences, the African student had captured the essence of Ambedkar's thoughts, echoed Ambedkar's scathing indictment - moulded by decades of scholarship, erudition, bitter personal experience, and sustained activism - of Indian society and the Hindu caste order, a trenchant critique that is being systematically airbrushed out of mainstream consciousness where it never had a central place to begin with.

×The irony, of course, is that Ambedkar is anything but obscure. Statues of the man in the blue suit, a copy of the Constitution in one hand and the other upraised with the forefinger pointing towards an egalitarian future, are everywhere - more ubiquitous than those of any god, goddess or Gandhi. Without doubt the most radical of India's founding fathers who refused to be co-opted by - even when he cooperated with - the Congress-led national movement before Independence, Ambedkar became a much bigger icon for the erstwhile 'untouchables' and other oppressed castes in the years after his death and is today their veritable deity. Since Ambedkar was an 'untouchable' himself, and his words and thoughts provide a virtual ideological armoury, his deification among the victims of India's caste system is only too understandable.

Less ingenuously, every political party and stream, even those who reviled him in his lifetime, is today reverential towards him. But none comes close to the Narendra Modi government in appropriating Ambedkar's name - only to disembowel his legacy. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party have always shown a penchant for co-opting national leaders - most of whom were hostile to the Hindutva ideology - into their saffron pantheon. After coming to power in 2014, Narendra Modi has taken this appropriation zeal to new heights

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- first targeting Mahatma Gandhi, and then turning to Ambedkar.

If Gandhi has been shorn of his ideals of satyagraha, ahimsa and Hindu-Muslim amity and reduced to a mere ambassador for "Swachh Bharat", the disservice to Ambedkar is arguably much greater: India's most incisive social critic has been turned into Modi's mascot for a cashless economy, the BHIM app named after him.

Anyone with even a passing acquaintance with Ambedkar's writings will find the RSS-BJP's efforts at appropriating Ambedkar not simply political opportunism but something quite obscene. For Ambedkar, more than any other thinker of the modern age - more than Jawaharlal Nehru or Subhas Chandra Bose, more than the socialists or the communists - relentlessly opposed both the theory and praxis of Hindu religion, believing till the very end of his life that an utterly inhumane caste system was not just integral to the religion but scripturally sanctioned by it.

"Caste," he wrote, "is the natural outcome of certain religious beliefs which have the sanction of the Shastras, which are believed to contain the command of divinely inspired sages who were endowed with a supernatural wisdom and, whose commands, therefore, cannot be disobeyed without committing sin... The Hindus hold to the sacredness of the social order. Caste has a divine basis. You must therefore destroy the sacredness and divinity with which Caste has become invested. In the last analysis, this means you must destroy the authority of the Shastras and the Vedas."

The RSS's vision of a Hindu rashtra may for the moment be targeting the minorities, but its larger goal of reviving the "ancient glories" of Bharatvarsha can only fill Ambedkar's true followers with a sense of dread and horror - particularly if they read his writings on the treatment of Shudras even under the mythic Ram rajya.

Yet, to see Ambedkar solely as a challenger to Hindutva or the inequities of the Hindu religion is to diminish his profound insight into the fundamental ill that plagues Indian society and infects us all - whether we think of ourselves as liberal or secular, agnostic or spiritual.

This insight relates to the concept of "graded inequality" ingrained in the caste system and perhaps unique to it. According to Ambedkar, "The social system based on inequality stands on a different footing from a social system based on graded inequality. The former is a weak system which is not capable of self-preservation... the low orders can combine to overthrow the system."

In a social system based on graded inequality, on the other hand, "the possibility of a general common attack by the aggrieved parties is non-existent. In a system of graded inequality, the aggrieved parties are not on a common level." The Brahmins are at the apex, and below them come the Kshatriyas, and then the Vaishyas and then the Shudras and at the bottom the outcastes.

"The higher is anxious to get rid of the highest, but does not wish to combine with the high, the low and the lower lest they should reach his level and be his equal... In the system of graded

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inequality, there is no such class as completely unprivileged class except the one which is at the base of the social pyramid. The privileges of the rest are graded... Each class being privileged, every class is interested in maintaining the social system."

The " chatur varna" system spawned thousands of jatis or sub-castes, fragmenting society into insular units, and stunting both the individual and the collective.

Ambedkar, who set great store by the French Revolution ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, also repeatedly pointed out the absence of all three under the Hindu social order - and particularly rued the lack of fraternity between Indians caught in the mire of narrow and rigid caste identities.

The Constitution he helped write nearly seven decades ago may have abolished untouchability. Shastric injunctions on caste may not be as obtrusive as they once were, Dalits and Shudras may have more political power than before.

But look around you: the dominance of upper castes in most professions continues; the antipathy towards affirmative action in form of reservation for scheduled castes/ scheduled tribes/ other backward classes has only deepened; the idea of offering a level playing field through common State schooling has become a pipedream with private schools mushrooming even in the countryside; and the pervasive lack of fraternity, the ingrained habit of being either obsequious towards or obnoxious to fellow citizens depending on their 'status' still comes naturally to even the most educated Indians.

That is why Ambedkar's polemical writings - and not just his contribution to the Constitution - continue to remain relevant and should be made compulsory reading for anyone interested in deepening democracy and strengthening social justice, and knowing the bitter truths about our present as much as our past.

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

DECCAN HERALD, APR 19, 2017China announces 'standardised' names for 6 places in Arunachal

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war. The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute. Reuters file photo

Upping the ante, China has for the first time announced "standardised" official names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh, days after it lodged strong protests with India over the Dalai Lama's visit to the frontier state. The state media here said the move was aimed at reaffirming China's claim over the state. China claims the state as 'South Tibet'.

"China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on April 14 that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of six places in 'South Tibet', which India calls 'Arunachal Pradesh', in accordance with the regulations of the central government," state-run Global Times reported today. The official names of the six places using the Roman alphabet are Wo'gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoidêngarbo Ri, Mainquka, Bümo La and Namkapub Ri.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). While China claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, India asserts that the dispute covers Aksai Chin area which was occupied by China during the 1962 war. The two sides have so far held 19 rounds of talks with Special Representatives to resolve the boundary dispute.

China's move comes just days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, which was seventh since he fled from Tibet through Tawang and sought refuge in India. During the 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader's Arunachal Pradesh visit, China had warned India that it will take "necessary measures" to defend its territorial sovereignty and interests. Commenting on the standardisation of the names of six places, Chinese experts said that it was a move to "reaffirm the country's territorial sovereignty to the disputed region", according to the daily.

"The standardisation came amid China's growing understanding and recognition of the geography in South Tibet. Naming the places is a step to reaffirm China's territorial sovereignty to South Tibet," Xiong Kunxin, a professor of ethnic studies at Beijing's Minzu University of China, was quoted as saying. Xiong said that the legalisation of the regions' names is a part of the rule of law.

"These names have existed since ancient times, but had never been standardised before.

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Therefore, announcing the names is like a remediation," Guo Kefan, a research fellow at the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences, said. Standardising the names from the angles of culture and geography could serve as a reference or leverage when China and India negotiate border issues in future, Guo said."The South Tibet region is located alongside China's southwestern border and India's north-eastern border where Sino-Indian border disputes are cantered," the report said. It claimed that India "abruptly announced that it was officially designating the region as 'Arunachal Pradesh' but the Chinese government has neither recognised India's occupation of the region, nor the legitimacy of the province".

During the Dalai Lama Arunachal Pradesh visit, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju, who accompanied the Tibetan spiritual leader, had asserted that that Arunachal Pradesh is "an inseparable part of India". China had lodged a diplomatic protest with India over the visit and warned that it would have a negative impact on the efforts to resolve the border dispute.

After the nine-day visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had said that India should not use the Tibetan spiritual leader to undermine China's interests. 

"We urge the Indian side to observe its commitment on Tibet related issues and implement our consensus namely they should not use Dalai Lama to undermine the interests of China," Lu had said.

"Only in this way can we create a good atmosphere to the settlement of the boundary question," he had said.

This is not the first time that the Dalai Lama has visited "South Tibet" or referred to the region as Indian territory, which means he is committed to separating the nation, Zhu Weiqun, head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told Global Times.

TRIBUNE, APR 17, 2017India and big power playM.K. Bhadrakumar

New strategic thinking is needed if India has to counter the US-China-Russia triangle and tackle redistribution of global power. While Pakistan has multiple options available to it, India will have to safeguard its interests in the region by recalibrating the US-centric strategy.

THE Indian policymakers witnessed through the past week an extraordinary display of kinetic force in the United States-Russia-China triangle, which has been at the core of the strategic pattern of the contemporary world. The triangle remains a key variable in the emerging

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redistribution of global power. Its dynamics can potentially impact Indian interests in regional security. Life is always simpler when clear-cut options are available and sharp choices can be made. But what makes the triangle intriguing is that it is no longer possible to attribute to it a pattern of zero-sum gaming, as in the Cold War era. 

In the current mode of the US-Russia-China triangle, contradictions and conflicts go side by side with common interests. Equally, economic globalisation and political multi-polarisation deprive that triangle of the exclusivity it had previously enjoyed. The Indian strategist faces an intellectual challenge to reset his US-centric foreign policy compass to adjust to the new trail for major country relations.Each of the three protagonists in the US-Russia-China triangle enjoys in geopolitical terms varying degrees of strategic depth so that even a teaming up of two of them against the third will not necessarily result in complete triumph. Small-time players walk in and walk out of the stage all the time, too, adding to the unpredictability in regional security environment.

The Russian-Pakistani "thaw", Russia-Taliban proximity, Russian-Iranian strategic cooperation, Russia's "return" to Afghanistan — these are symptomatic of the new challenges — and opportunities, too  — that Indian strategists are encountering already. The meeting between the US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida (April 7-8) and the visit by the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow (April 11-12) put new signposts on the trajectory of the US-Russia-China triangle. The summit in Florida principally underscored that the US and China can engage in successful dialogue and place stress on the stability of their relationship. A four-pronged high-level dialogue mechanism was established as an expression of shared interest to follow the "principles of non-confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” as the Chinese side puts it. The US-China Comprehensive Dialogue will henceforth be overseen by the two Presidents, who also established a new cabinet-level framework for negotiations and decided to give themselves 100 days to discuss the issues in trade. Clearly, the path is opening for a more serious strategic Sino-American understanding. There is already some evidence that the US and China supplement each other's efforts to pressure the North Korean regime against conducting more nuclear tests. Trump announced last week that he no longer proposes to label China as a “currency manipulator” and, interestingly, he explicitly linked this decision to China's helpful role in the North Korean problem. The government-owned China Daily commented that Trump's decision "provides further proof that China and the United States are warming to each other."Again, Trump openly complimented China for its abstention last week in the UN Security Council vote on Syria instead of joining Russia in vetoing the western draft resolution. 

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Suffice it to say, the world's two dominant powers sense that their long-term interests lie in the deepening of their ties. The bottom line is that neither can lead the world order alone. China understands that although the US may be a depleted power, it is the number one world power and China's interests lie in not choosing to be against America. For the US too, cooperation with China maximises American influence. 

The well-known American strategic thinker Zbigniew Brzezinski recently summed up the paradigm: "To the extent we have worked together (with China) over the years since the normalisation of relations, it has not been for the evil purpose of war or conquest, but for the good of enhancing the security and stability required for each to pursue their own interests... To put it in sharper, if seemingly paradoxical terms, if America tries to go it alone in the world without China, it will not be able to assert itself.” 

On the contrary, Tillerson's talks in Moscow brought out that US-Russia ties are at their lowest point since the Cold-War era. Both sides say they are dissatisfied with this state of affairs. But any significant improvement in the relationship will need much dedicated effort and may take time, given the pervasive Russophobia within the Washington establishment. The talks in Moscow didn't gloss over the fact that stark differences exist on a number of issues ranging from Russian military backing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Ukraine to “colour revolutions”, from cyber crimes, hacking and data thefts to election interference. While Trump continues to sound a hopeful note that relations with Putin and Russia might one day improve, his once-warm embrace of Russia has appeared to chill. 

What is there in all this for India? For a start, it will be a disservice to the Indian interests if Trump fashions a policy in which China becomes the US' partner both in the quest for regional and wider global stability— even if it is with an eye on the far less predictable Russia, which looms large in the American calculus as the likely rival to overreach in near term. Of course, the probability is low that China would lend its shoulders for the US to isolate Russia, because Beijing and Moscow also jointly push back at American hegemony. But then, Chinese pragmatism is legion and the present Chinese leadership's burning desire to become America's leading partner globally cannot be underestimated. Put differently, Indian interests will be profoundly affected if a crucial segment of China's regional geopolitical outreach — its close relations with the Central-Asian states, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran — also become targets of a global Sino-American accommodation. What cannot be overlooked here is that there is no serious conflict of interests involved here. In particular, the US can learn to live with China's growing presence in Afghanistan — unlike the spectre of Russia's “return” to Afghanistan haunting Washington — or to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. 

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Simply put, China and the US are potentially stakeholders in Afghan settlement and in Pakistan's stabilisation, which of course is also linked to Pakistan's tensions with India. 

New thinking is needed on India's part to anticipate the evolution of the US-Russia-China triangle. This does not seem to be happening yet, if, for example, its recent unwarranted foray into the "Tibet-related issues”, which China regards as affecting its core interests, is any indication — or, for that matter, our so-called “muscular policy” toward Pakistan, which is a nuclear power with multiple options open to it in the geopolitical realignment. 

The writer is a former ambassador.

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LANGUAGES

ECONOMIC TIMES, APR 17, 2017President Pranab Mukherjee okays call for all speeches to be in HindiBy Aman Sharma As per the President’s orders, all government and semi-government organisations will need to mention products’ names in Hindi.

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee has accepted the recommendation of the Committee of Parliament on Official Languages for speeches to be delivered only in Hindi by all dignitaries, including the President and ministers, if they can read and speak the language.

The decision comes six years after the committee made 117 recommendations on how to make Hindi more popular and extensive Centre-state deliberations on the matter. The President’s notification has been sent to all ministries, states and the Prime Minister’s Office for compliance.

Mukherjee’s term ends in July and the next President could be making his speeches in Hindi alone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cabinet almost invariably speak in Hindi.

Other recommendations accepted by Mukherjee include usage of Hindi on Air India tickets and having Hindi magazines and newspapers on board for passengers as Hindi is "grossly neglected by airlines." The civil aviation ministry has been asked to restrict this only to the state-owned airline, though the recommendation was to enforce it for all Indian carriers.

Rejected recommendations include mandatory use of Hindi for correspondence in public shareholding companies and all private companies to provide product information in Hindi and product name in Devnagri. However, as per the President’s orders, all government and semi-government organisations will need to mention products’ names in Hindi.

Fixing a minimum level of Hindi knowledge for getting government jobs was rejected.

The committee also sought to extend Hindi being a compulsory subject from class 8 to class 10 in all CBSE and Kendriya Vidyalya schools. The President has "accepted in principle." The Centre can do so in category A Hindi-speaking states but only after consultations with states and formulation of policy.

Universities in non-Hindi speaking states will be asked by the human resource development (HRD) ministry to give students a Hindi language option in examinations and interviews.

The government will also compile a dictionary of transliterated English-to-Hindi words and avoid difficult language in government correspondence. For instance, with a "word like demonetisation, vimudikaran or a word popular in public parlance, notebandi, can be used."

The Committee of Parliament on Official Language has given nine reports to the President so far

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since 1959, the last one in 2011. Former finance minister P Chidambaram was chairman of the committee when it submitted its report to government in 2011.

NATIONALISM

HINDU, APR 17, 2017Nationalism then and nowG. SampathOn the difference between Indian and Hindu nationalism

Indian nationalism and Hindu nationalism are two different things. While the former is

unconcerned with a person’s religious or cultural identity, the latter imagines the nation as

an exclusive community of Hindus. From the time of Independence till now, this distinction

has never been in doubt.

But today there is a move by flag-bearers of Hindu nationalism to equate it with Indian

nationalism. What exactly is the provenance of these two nationalist ideologies? Who were

their earliest proponents? What role did either play in India’s freedom struggle? These are

some of the questions that author and dramatist Shamsul Islam dwells on in Hindu

Nationalism and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh , a fine primer on the history and dynamics

of Hindu nationalism.

Islam cites extensively from the works of historians and thinkers who themselves are part of

the Hindu nationalist canon, such as R.C. Majumdar and V.D. Savarkar, to interrogate many

of its claims. For instance, he shows how Majumdar contradicts the Hindu nationalist claim

of India being a ‘primordial nation’, given the historian’s observation that the idea of India

“had no application to actual politics till the sixties or the seventies of the nineteenth

century.”

Indian nationalism was born in opposition to British colonial oppression. Its most significant

moment of resistance was the 1857 mutiny, in which Hindus and Muslims battled together

against foreign rule. Islam cites Thomas Lowe, a British army commander, who observed

that “the cow-killer and the cow-worshipper, the pig-hater and the pig-eater” fought

together.

But this nascent Indian nationalism that was composite in nature underwent a process of

bifurcation in the “third quarter of the nineteenth century”, notes Islam. Two things played a

role in this: a ‘divide and rule’ policy adopted by the British, and the bickering between the

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elites of the two communities “for securing a favourable place in the eyes of the victor”.

Together they created a “scenario in which only competitive Hindu and Muslim varieties of

nationalism could flourish.”

Islam’s book also raises interesting questions: If Indian civilisation is more than 3,500 years

old, why is it that only a period of 500 years (the period of so-called Muslim rule) is closely

scrutinised by Hindu nationalists? What about the period before?

It might be interesting to read Islam’s book alongside his primary sources: V.D.

Savarkar’s The Indian War of Independence of 1857 and R.C. Majumdar’s Three Phases of

India’s Struggle for Freedom.

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OMBUDSMAN

HINDU, APR 22, 2017Waiting for the LokpalAnjali Bhardwaj Amrita Johri

When will the government operationalise the Lokpal law, even in its diluted form?

In a hearing recently regarding non-operationalisation of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act,

more than three years after the law was enacted, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi

reportedly argued in the Supreme Court that the court has no powers to direct the

government on when and how the law should be enforced.

Failure to implement the Lokpal law by the Bharatiya Janata Party government is an

indication of how the party is reneging with impunity on its poll promise of a corruption-

free India. A lack of will on the part of the government to implement the anti-corruption law

can be inferred from its various actions and inactions in the last three years.

With the government’s refusal to recognise anyone as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP)

after the general election in 2014, the appointment of the Lokpal became an immediate

casualty as the selection committee of the Lokpal includes the recognised LoP. In order to

operationalise the law, the government had its task cut out — introduce a Lokpal

amendment Bill in Parliament substituting the recognised LoP in the selection committee

with the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha. In fact, a similar

amendment was required in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act for the appointment

of the CBI Director; it was introduced by the government and passed expeditiously.

However, for the Lokpal law, instead of bringing in a single amendment to alter the

composition of the selection committee, the government introduced a 10-page Bill which

proposed to fundamentally dilute the original law. Given the controversial nature of

amendments, it was referred to a parliamentary standing committee. The Bill continues to

languish in Parliament.

Diluting asset disclosure

The Lokpal Act stipulated that by July 31, 2016, Section 44 related to disclosure of assets of

public servants was to be operationalised irrespective of appointment of the Lokpal. To

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prevent the asset disclosure provision from taking effect, the government introduced another

amendment Bill. This Bill, which completely whittled down the asset disclosure

requirement, was resolutely pushed through by the government in Parliament and passed

within 48 hours of its introduction. MPs from various political parties, who expressed

concern that the amendments would dilute the original law, were assured by the Minister

that once the Bill was passed it would be referred to a parliamentary standing committee for

deliberation. It is significant that the Bill, pushed through in unprecedented haste, did not

modify the composition of the selection committee which was needed to appoint the Lokpal.

The law was thus diluted even before it could be operationalised. The Lokpal Amendment

Act, 2016, did away with the statutory requirement of public servants to disclose the assets

of their spouses and dependent children provided for under the original law. It also

dispensed with the need for public disclosure of these statements and empowered the

Central government to prescribe the form and manner of asset disclosure. This was a critical

blow as the Lokpal was established to act on complaints under the Prevention of Corruption

Act (PCA); one of the grounds of criminal misconduct under the PCA relates to a public

servant or any person on his/her behalf being in possession of pecuniary resources or

property disproportionate to known sources of income. Since illegally amassed assets are

often handed over to family members, public declaration of assets of the spouse and

dependent children of the public servants was necessary to enable people to make informed

complaints to the Lokpal.

Further, the response to a query under the RTI Act revealed that the Minister had misled

Parliament. Despite the Minister’s assurances on the floor of the House, the Lokpal

Amendment Act, 2016, passed by Parliament was never referred to any parliamentary

standing committee for deliberation.

Permission for prosecution

The government’s intention to subvert the Lokpal law was further confirmed when through

proposed amendments to the PCA, it sought to usurp critical powers of the Lokpal.

Experience in India has shown that the requirement for seeking prior sanction from the

government for prosecuting government officials is a critical bottleneck and results not only

in huge delays but also, and often, in the accused never being prosecuted. To address this

problem, the Lokpal Act vests the power of granting sanction for prosecution in the

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independent institution of the Lokpal. Instead of reinforcing this provision, which insulates

the prosecution process from government influence, the PCA amendments strengthen the

requirement to seek the government’s permission before prosecuting a public servant by

increasing cover to even retired public officials. By requiring the Lokpal to seek permission

from the government before it can prosecute officials in cases of corruption, the proposed

PCA amendments make a mockery of the independent institution and render the entire

exercise of demanding an empowered Lokpal futile.

So when can the people of India reasonably expect the Modi government to operationalise

the Lokpal law, even in its diluted form? Perhaps not anytime soon, if the statement of the

Attorney General in the Supreme Court is anything to go by, wherein he cited the Delhi

Rent Control Act which has not been implemented for 30 years.

Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri are members of the National Campaign for Peoples’

Right to Information

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PASSPORTS

PIONEER, APR 18, 2017AUSTRALIA ABOLISHES VISA PROGRAMME USED LARGELY BY INDIANS

Australia today abolished a visa programme used by over 95,000 temporary foreign workers, majority of them Indians, to tackle the growing unemployment in the country.

 The programme known as 457 visa allows business to employ foreign workers for a period up to four years in skilled jobs where there is a shortage of Australian workers.

 "We are an immigration nation, but the fact remains: Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs, so we are abolishing the 457 visa, the visa that brings temporary foreign workers into our country," said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

 The majority of the visa holders were from India followed by the UK and China.

 "We will no longer allow 457 visa to be passports to jobs that could and should go to Australians," he said.

 He said Australia will adopt a new 'Australians first' approach to skilled migration.

 As at September 30, there were 95,757 workers in Australia on primary 457 visa programme, ABC reported.

 The programme will be replaced by another visa programme, with new restrictions.

 "It is important businesses still get access to the skills they need to grow and invest, so the 457 visa will be replaced by a new temporary visa, specifically designed to recruit the best and brightest in the national interest," Turnbull said.

 Turnbull said the new programme will ensure that foreign workers are brought into Australia in order to fill critical skill gaps and not brought in because an employer finds it easier to recruit a foreign worker than go to the trouble of hiring an Australian.

 

Turnbull's announcement comes days after he visited India where a range of issues, including national security, counter terrorism, education and energy, were discussed and six agreements were signed. 

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POLICE

DECCAN HERALD, APR 20, 2017UP govt shunts out 626 'tainted' police personnelSanjay Pandey

Uttar Pradesh government has shunted out over 600 police personnel, including seven inspectors, deployed at various police stations across the state on charges of alleged connivance with criminal and mafia elements.

According to the official sources here on Wednesday those who have been shunted out also included 65 sub-inspectors and around five hundred constables.

Sources said that many of the cops, who were acted against had been stationed at their current place of working for the past several years.

''We had reports that these police personnel were involved in contract business and had nexus with criminal and anti-social elements'', said a senior police official here.

A majority of those, shunted out had been sent to the police lines or attached with district and state headquarters, sources said.

The official said that it was only the first step toward cleansing the police stations of tainted cops. ''We will also take disciplinary action against them after a thorough probe'', he added.

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POLITICAL PARTIES

STATESMAN, APR 18, 2017Delhi civic polls: Congress manifesto focuses on urban poor

The Delhi Congress on Monday released the first of its three-part election manifesto for the upcoming civic polls, announcing a slew of measures for the upliftment of the urban poor, including setting up of a Department of Urban Poverty Alleviation.

"The party would also introduce health and accident insurance for daily-wage labourers in Delhi if it comes to power in the civic polls," Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken told reporters here.

Maken said it was only the first phase of the party's election manifesto and that it would announce the rest of its "plans and roadmap" for Delhi's development in two more phases on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday), we would release our manifesto on urban infrastructure, which would talk about house tax, parking issues and other matters of developed areas of Delhi.

"It would be followed by our 'youth manifesto', which would be launched day after tomorrow (Wednesday) near the Delhi University," Maken said.

Municipal polls for 272 wards would be held on April 23 and the results would be declared on April 26.

Dismissing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a minor player, Maken said it would be a straight contest between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Talking about his party's proposed schemes for urban poor, especially daily-wage labourers, Maken said the municipal corporations under the Congress rule would ensure three months' salaries for them in case they did not find work.

"For domestic workers, which are one of the most neglected sections, we would create a helpline number. We would also establish a comprehensive system for their formal registration, their verification and ensure their welfare," he said.

Maken also promised to issue five lakh licences for street vendors, so "they don't have to pay bribes every day to set up their stalls".

"For unauthorised colonies, we would set up a separate development fund worth Rs 2,000 crore," he said.

The Congress leader said all this would be accomplished by boosting the revenue inflow of the three -- East, North and South Delhi -- municipal corporations.

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"We have done elaborate analysis and made concrete plans to boost revenue of the three civic bodies by an additional Rs 5,200 crore every year," he said.

In the run-up to the April 23 civic polls, the Delhi Congress has earlier released its roadmaps for sanitation, public health and education.

It promised to transfer all municipal hospitals to the Delhi government in exchange for primary healthcare centres, saving Rs 652 crore every year.

It also promised improving education standards and infrastructure as well as filling vacancies of teachers in municipal schools.

HINDU, APR 18, 2017Challenges to party democracySrinivasan Ramani

The alternatives populism and technocracy offer

In the 21st century, among countries where there is electoral democracy, the dominant form

is representative democracy. Daniele Caramani’s paper, published in the American Political

Science Review, titled ‘Will vs. Reason, the populist and technocratic forms of political

representation and their critique to party government’, explores the challenges to

representative democracy — defined as party democracy — from populism and

technocracy.

The paper explores representative democracy beyond the ideal expectations from a party

democracy and classifies the ideal forms of populism and technocracy, the differences

between the two forms (and their distinctions from party democracy), and their inter-related

similarities. Considering that populism has increasingly been on the rise in mature

democracies, it is necessary to understand its conceptual bases, while looking at its

purported counterpart, technocracy.

Caramani defines party-based representative mechanisms as one where parties fulfil the

function of linking citizens and representatives by articulating their interests and of

governing responsibly by putting forth political personnel. The populist critique is that this

ideal form of party representation has been weakened by the reduction of party as being

representatives of the state rather than of the people, while the technocratic critique is that

parties, by constantly seeking legitimacy, focus more on elections rather than governance.

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In contrast, populism and technocracy are anti-politics and anti-party specifically. Populism

reduces representation as the leadership’s identification with the people as ‘one of (all of)

them’, while technocracy places rule by a group of experts who are authorised to decide on

the people’s behalf. Both types have a non-pluralistic view of society and seek to unitarily

represent society to pursue an external common good as opposed to party representation’s

subjective aggregated good, and are anti-ideological. Populism’s legitimacy is based on the

‘will of the people’; technocracy on ‘rational speculation’. But plurality is reductive for

both: for the former, it is the opposition between the people and the elite; for the latter, it is

between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. The author suggests that populism and technocracy can be

constructed as theoretical ideals and thus exist as a challenge to party democracy. But the

latter’s resilience in places where parties are mature will lead to its adapting itself to

populism and technocracy by incorporating features from both.

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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

ECONOMIC TIMES, APR 18, 2017Govt redressed 99% of record 11.92 lakh complaints: DoPTBy Aman Sharma

In 2014, when the Narendra Modi government took office in May, the Centre had received just 2.7 lakh complaints against its departments.

NEW DELHI: The central government has said that it redressed 99% of citizens' grievances in 2016, even as the number of complaints grew 35% over the previous year to the highest ever.

In contrast, the state governments managed to dispose of just 15% complaints, the Department of Personnel and Training said in its annual report for 2016-17.

The report said that the Centre received a record 11.92 lakh complaints against its departments in 2016 while another 2.86 lakh grievances pertaining to state governments were sent to the states for redressal.

The Centre is now planning to adopt 'Twitter Sewa' facility to monitor grievances on social media too, the report said. In 2014, when the Narendra Modi government took office in May, the Centre had received just 2.7 lakh complaints against its departments.

Officials attributed the spike in the number of complaints subsequently to faster disposal by the Modi government and its efforts to enhance awareness among citizens in this regard.

"We do not mind the increasing number of grievances. It only shows the faith among the citizens in the Modi government that a complaint if made will be resolved. We have shown our resolve by solving 99% of the complaints we got last year," a senior government official told ET on condition of anonymity.

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The Centre disposed of 11.82 lakh complaints in 2016-17, with the four departments topping the charts including the telecom department, financial services (banking division), railways and the human resource development ministry. To reduce the number of grievances, reforms have been introduced such as automatic refunds on cancellation of train tickets, single-window pension through disbursing banks, e-verification of income tax returns and expediting income tax returns up to Rs 50,000, the report said.

STATESMAN, APR 22, 2017Transformed governanceTuktuk Ghosh

Holding simultaneous elections for different tiers of governance across the country has been advocated by the President and Prime Minister and has found favour with the Election Commission of India and many political commentators. However, it will be supremely naive to expect the reform to see the light of day anytime soon, notwithstanding its intrinsic merit. Elections to five State Assemblies have just concluded. In 2018, seven States go to the polls ~ Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Mizoram and Karnataka. Serious preparations are already underway for the 2019 General Elections. Winning these new-age battles through ballots is the most prized goal and understandably so.

It is, therefore, not surprising that, badly bruised from the dismaying, pundit-defying electoral battering, almost all the political parties which lost out, have shimmied on to the EVM controversy bandwagon that is needlessly hogging centre-stage. VVPATs (voter verified paper audit trails) are being touted as robust rectifiers of a system supposedly gone spooky. Old-fashioned ballot boxes have, strangely enough, found many votaries, the dark history of its brazen distortion having been most conveniently forgotten. Follow the developed western democracies is the shrill rationale now, specious as it is. Fund constraints and upcoming judicial pronouncements, of course, make the path ahead unpredictable and challenge-laden. What is difficult to understand is why the alternative proposed by the eminent, insightful losers is not more hi-tech and at least more eco-friendly. Maybe the theme for a mega hackathon by the ECI should be on this conundrum, on the lines organised recently by the Government of India to address problems confronting select Ministries. This is no facile suggestion ~ and not to be confused with the reported dare to tamper the machines ~ as we must get out of the time warp some netas have deliberately attempted to hustle the experts into, with motives which are clearly not above board.

In this scenario, where no major changes appear feasible in the immediate future, it becomes that much more important to ensure that elections are truly instrumental in deepening democracy and not mere supersonic shuttles to unbounded power and ill-gotten pelf. Among the most effective markers of accountability is the periodic Report Card of the elected Government. At the Central level, the Government, ahead of its third anniversary in power, has already asked all Ministers to submit five major achievements that have benefitted people, including three key reforms related to process, policy, functioning, programmes, etc., two striking success stories, substantiated with robust comparative data, reflecting tangible progress made. These are to be compiled in a booklet and published before 26 May, the day the NDA-2 was sworn in. Ministers have also been advised to communicate directly with the people on the positive changes, countering alongside,

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the negative narratives on less than promised employment generation, alleged threats to freedom of expression and our priceless pluralistic heritage as well as the perceived emboldening of fringe hard line elements, aggressively, often violently, pushing their own fanatical ideological and religious agendas.

In addition, at the recent BJP National Executive meeting in Bhubaneswar, the Prime Minister rolled out the road map for a New India free from socio-economic disparities. Raj nahi, samaj badalna chahiye. Enhanced in translation it means, mere change of power is not enough, total transformation is needed. Politics of performance is how it has been described, girded by the P2 G2 formula of pro-poor, pro-active good governance, with clear timelines of deliverables to coincide with the 75th anniversary of our Independence. His road shows thereafter, e.g. in Gujarat, are more than ample proof that this is a more direct, ready-to-be-answerable brand of democracy at work than we have been witness to in a very long time.

Apart from electoral victories which the party in power has worked on successfully, to sustain the unassailable political will, what is super critical is impeccable performance by the bureaucracy. In the final analysis, they have to shoulder the responsibility of delivering on the electoral promises, undoubtedly with requisite popular support. For the 11th year in a row, Civil Services Day is being celebrated on 20th and 21st April. The theme this year is “Making New India”. This, in fact, goes beyond the electoral promises of 2014 and is an interesting evolution of democratic processes, where dialogue, samvaad on growth and development is ongoing. It no longer is a once-in five-years ritualistic affair. People’s investment in governance is sought to be real and palpable. For this to be meaningful and translate to real transformative experiences on the ground, human capital management in the Government has to be accorded highest priority. It is one of the selected topics for the CSD, which according to the MoS, Personnel, Dr Jitendra Singh, is above all else, a stimulating and inspirational event showcasing excellence in public service.

While there must be occasions such as this to celebrate accomplishments, especially of bright young officers at the cutting edge, Government should also consider institutionalising mechanisms to understand better the “black spots” of governance and move, here too, in mission mode, to address them squarely. The Roundtable organised by ISB ( Indian School of Business) in Delhi on “Administrative Reforms: From Vision to Action”, with six former Cabinet Secretaries as panellists, explored why India does not have an enviable track record of implementing good ideas, in spite of Government taking them on board.

According to a disturbing media report, up to 50 per cent of posts in core sectors of the Government are vacant. These include health, education, judiciary, law enforcement and defence. There is a shortage of around 3000 IAS, IPS and IFS officers, around 22 per cent of the sanctioned strength. When there is under-reach by one wing, overreach by another is inevitable. Judicial overreach looming large over the Executive under- reach was taken up in Parliament during the historic Budget session. It is another matter that it did not lead anywhere , other than providing a platform to vent much pent-up angst.

One of the strategies to get around the inherent and endemic problems governance systems and structures are crucified to, NITI Aayog has come up with new rules that pave the way for lateral

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entry from outside the Government, which may become a model for other organisations. Career bureaucrats are expected to compete with outside experts for posts at different levels. Salaries have been made competitive. This is not the first such instance.Parameswaran Iyer, who had a long stint with the World Bank after he resigned from the IAS, as a sanitation expert, was brought in last year as Secretary in the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and has worked wonders in the sector. This is indicative of a definite shift from the present thinking of confining the talent pool inhouse.

It may come as a surprise but it is a step which has been welcomed by many civil servants who are confident hum kisi se kum nahi! More strength to them. To be sure much more needs to be done to shore up the system, sagging and frayed in parts, but the resolve is unequivocal. If the PM is on duty 24/7, others cannot be far behind. It is all about democracy being for the people. You are either part of it or out of it.

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

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SMALL SCALE INDUSTRY

TIMES OF INDIA, APR 22, 2017When small is not beautiful: Will India’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector ever grow up?Dipankar Gupta 

Units that begin their lives in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector must want to grow up and leave the nursery one day. If they forever remain small that would defeat the purpose of supporting them in the first place. Yet most of them live and die trailing a toy truck without real ambitions to adult life.

This tendency is overlooked, even considered precious, because of the general belief that “small is beautiful”. Consequently, instead of gaining in maturity and muscle tone, MSME share in the national economy is, in fact, declining. Their contribution to total manufacture in this country fell from 42% in 2006 to 37.3% in 2013, and is slated to go down even further. During this period, importantly, MSME’s addition to the total GDP also dropped – from 7.7% to 7%.

At the same time, take a look at this paradox. In terms of the number of units, it is estimated that 18.7% more have been added to the MSME sector between 2014-15 and 2015-16. The number of employees in them too has shot up from 81 million to 117 million between 2006-07 to 2015-16. But as unregistered micro units are roughly 13 times the number of registered ones, the average employment per enterprise is just about three persons, maybe lower. A higher admission rate, all right, but a persistently poor pass out grade!

Obviously nobody wants to leave school, or come out of their baby clothes. Instead of numbers rising in the higher classes, such as in the medium and small sector component, it is the micro industries that keep burgeoning and yet contributing so little to the economy. In addition, there is hardly any transit from unregistered to registered units either. Nor is it that they are falling sick routinely as the incidence of ailing units in MSMEs came down quite impressively in the last decade or so.

The unchanging nature of the MSME sector ought to have set off alarm bells. Various committees were established from time to time, but their directions left the static structure of MSMEs intact. Even the Prime Minister’s Task Force in 2010 did not alter the format. At the end of the day, these experts really recommended more of the same, and little else. It is as if they were holding their noses and in a hurry to get out.

That most MSMEs should continue to remain micro sized and macro inefficient was, obviously, of little concern to them. Instead the Task Force asked for renewed efforts to revive those units in the sick bay by a transfusion of overdrafts.

For the record, there is a routine nod towards technical upgrading, but neither the mechanisms for it nor incentives to go that way are spelt out. Consequently, the easiest option is to search for sub-contractors which, as we know, leads to greater evasion of employment and environmental

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laws. The other is to look sideways when bank loans are not paid up because most of these enterprises are barely ticking.

So once in the MSME box the exit signs are hard to find; they’ve probably never been painted. As a result textiles, food and beverages dominate our MSME sector, for they are low technology items.

But there are institutions tasked with upgrading, like the MSME Development Institute, the NSIC, BCSB, SIDBI, NIMSMI, MGIRI and so on. Put together the acronyms read like an optician’s eye chart, yet the small and medium outfits are hard to find. If these developmental agencies are not delivering, it is because there is neither real pressure, nor appropriate incentives for MSMEs to take that route.

The Reserve Bank of India did attempt to break this mould when it raised a concern over the lack of supervision when implementing the credit guarantee schemes. Its most telling recommendation, among the many that fell like meteors, was that banks should continue credit support for three additional years to those units that grow out of being MSMEs.

Along the same lines, one could also think of interest subvention to those ventures that move from micro to small and small to medium. This would put the bit between the teeth of micro industries and spur the demand for higher technology and more employment.

As the small and medium are hardly visible in India’s MSME sector the 40% it contributes, in terms of gross value added to our economy, is primarily from the micro units. This keeps a huge chunk of our industry technologically inefficient, with fewer jobs and no afterglow. Looking towards Europe might help in this regard. Growing big is not a sin, nor is it necessary that the larger the unit the fewer the employment opportunities.

For example, Germany’s MSMEs contribute 57% of gross value added, but when disaggregated we find that as much as 35% is from the small and medium sectors. Employment-wise too, the small and medium units do better than the micro ones. While 79.3% of Germany’s MSME are micro, they only employ 18.8% of the work force. On the other hand, small and medium units comprise only 13.5% of total enterprises in the country, yet they employ over 47% of the total work force; way above what the micro units do.

Examples from Norway, Finland and Denmark show similar trends. But the most important point is that small is almost always not beautiful.

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TRANSPORT

PIONEER, APR 20, 2017VIP CULTURE OF BEACON LIGHTS TO END FROM MAY 1: GADKARI

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Seeking to end VIP culture, the Union Cabinet today decided that beacon light will be removed from all vehicles, including that of Prime Minister, from May 1.

"In a historic decision, the Cabinet has decided that beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles, barring emergency services vehicles, from May 1," Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

Gadkari is the first minister to remove the beacon from his official vehicle.

The minister said "this government is a government of common masses and has decided to abolish VIP culture of beacon lights and sirens".

The notification in this regard will be issued soon, he said, adding that the decision is a democratic one. 

 TELEGRAPH, APR 22, 2017Off with the lights- Fits of morality that alter nothing are part of the passing show

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

All VIPs are equal but some are more equal than others. They know the beacon ban is as deceptive as demonetization. Ashoka pillar on the fender and flag on the bonnet to say nothing of screeching motorcycle pilots and escort cars will always advertise the high and mighty. Good wine needs no bush but movers and shakers who need distinctive symbols to counter their inferiority complex can be provided with a monogrammed jacket. This being a strictly "Make in India" project, hundreds of weavers will work the monogram into costly fabrics. Destroying the loom afterwards, as was done for the Manchu emperors so that lesser mortals didn't dare flaunt the same cloth, would create even more jobs. Extravagance can be virtuous.

Since Arun Jaitley made Wednesday's revolutionary announcement, it might seem to be a purely fiscal measure. Perhaps he will be landed with the job of finding some use for thousands of dismantled lights and sirens. But with the prime minister himself chairing the meeting, the decision must mean much more. Obviously, one purpose was to upstage Amarinder Singh who dispensed with beacons a month ago. The Bharatiya Janata Party could ignore Mamata Banerjee's pioneering precedent: the people's princess who threw a spanner in the works of the people's car until Narendra Modi salvaged it is a Bengali phenomenon rather than a national threat. But Amarinder Singh is another matter. He is no tuppenny-ha'penny political faqir to pick up his jhola and depart. He doesn't need a designer jhola or to depart by special plane. Like Simeon II of Bulgaria and Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, he has reigned as head of state and ruled as head of government. Some still revere him as "His Highness Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia, Mansur-i-Zaman, Amir ul-Umara, Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar, 108 Sri Maharaja-i-Rajgan, Maharaja Captain Amarinder Singh, Mahendra Bahadur, Yadu Vansha

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Vatans Bhatti Kul Bushan, Maharaja of Patiala". More important, Punjab is the most important state under Congress rule. It could spearhead the revival of what Modi used to deride as the Delhi sultanate, transforming his shahzada into shah, thereby exposing the great ideological theft.

When Lee Kuan Yew feared the BJP, all set then to win the 1996 election, might abandon the liberal policies P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh had espoused, Atal Bihari Vajpayee assured him that the Congress had stolen the BJP's clothes. The wheel has turned full circle. Busily parading as the people's leader to make the lotus bloom from panchayat to Parliament, Modi can't afford scepticism about the Garibi Hatao mantle he has snitched from Indira Gandhi. If a Congress chief minister can do without special car lights, a BJP chief minister should dazzle voters by doing without a car at all. That's asking too much, as Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan, weaned in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at the tender age of 13, and now lording it over hill and jungle, demonstrated the other day. I can do no better than cite Sudipta Bhattacharjee's vivid article, "The Kanha Circus", which appeared on this page on Thursday. Bhattacharjee wrote, "The wildlife at Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh had a gleaming, silver visitor a few days back: a helicopter ferrying chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan landed in the park's buffer zone. A noisy, high-speed convoy drove him and his wife to the core area where they spent the weekend in the forest rest house. Blue-beacon vehicles drove at top gear through the speed-restricted zone to pay obeisance: the park's director, the collector, the superintendent of police... the entire gamut of administrative and police machinery hotfooted it to Kisli's Khatiya gate, heralding a circus that VIPs in this country are ringmasters of."

Given this fondness for exhibitionism, Modi's austerity drive might provoke a revolt even in his party's rigidly obedient ranks. The elevation of the Adityanaths, Vijay Rupanis, Raman Singhs and others in the baker's dozen of BJP chief ministers recalls the probably apocryphal tale of a delegation of Bengali scholars and students asking Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, when he was appointed governor of West Bengal in 1947, to surrender Raj Bhavan for the newly-renamed National Library then in cramped Esplanade quarters. With his blistering honesty and puckish sense of humour, Raja ji is believed to have asked the delegates not to drive him out of the house he had achieved after decades of struggle. He probably chuckled to himself all the while for they didn't know he was moving the following year to an even grander palace in New Delhi.

With that palace soon to fall vacant again, a flutter of ambition is rippling the saffron ranks. True, the president may also be without a flashing red light and wailing siren. But the custom-built presidential Mercedes stretch limousine leaves the world and his wife in no doubt that Mukherjee no longer rides an Ambassador. That also applies to the luxurious BMW the prime minister uses despite his "Make in India" rhetoric after reportedly spurning a revamped Scorpio. His preference is blamed on the Black Cats who are supposed to decide the cost of poverty for today's politicians. They might even be accused of recommending a replication of the horse-drawn buggy Indira Gandhi once chose, ostensibly to conserve petrol, regardless of the security car following in low gear, if the spin doctors say it will impress voters.

There's a reason beyond politics for such posturing. It has nothing to do with either the public menace of privileged vehicles or the colonial British who were far less flamboyant. It's that no Indian with money or power wants to be anonymous. India is a land of exceptions. Everyone

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wants to be special. Press stickers are an occupational necessity but one feels sorry for those poor folk who paint "Vice-Chancellor" or even "Advocate" on their rear windows. If beacons go, we will see many more job descriptions on vehicles proclaiming the political, bureaucratic or corporate dwija inside. Perhaps an announcement of status is essential not only for parking attendants but to cope with avaricious policemen who nowadays clamp a Rs 200 premium (bribe?) on every largely fictitious traffic violation fine of Rs 100. One reason why corruption is so rampant and pervasive is that the norm is so abysmal that only the exceptional can survive comfortably. The police, like all other institutions, demands its cut.

That is something Lee didn't grasp when he lectured Maharashtra's legislators, administrators and tycoons on the benefits of anonymity. Contributing 40 per cent of India's income tax, Bombay had the potential, he said, to develop into a dynamic New York or a self-governing Shanghai whose mayor has the same powers as a provincial governor. He told them that one reason why Singapore abolished emblems of rank for cars was that familiarity bred contempt and ruling parties whose leaders are recognizable from special number plates, bonnet pennants and red lights tend to lose elections. "So in Singapore no minister flies a flag. Our cars are not specially numbered." Political calculation owed something to a puritanical streak in Singapore's founding father: in 1959 Lee drove his own Mercedes Benz up to the governor's palace to be sworn in as the first prime minister.

He abhorred ostentation. All those high officials who are now worried about keeping appointments and parking with hoi polloi should have heard him telling a high-powered Bombay audience, "We share the trials and tribulations of the populace." Newspapers reported that the packed hall listened with rapt attention. It applauded fervently. Then his listeners drove away in their chauffeur-driven official cars with distinctive number plates, flags fluttering bravely in the sea breeze, red lights flashing overhead and, in many cases, sirens also screaming. India may be "incredible" and "shining" but it is also in some respects unchanging. Periodic fits of well-advertised morality that alter nothing are part of the passing show.

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URBAN DEVELOPMENT

HINDU, APR 17, 2017Will transform Delhi into Smart City: BJP manifestoJatin Anand

‘Protection extended to stray cows, no new taxes and scheme for hawkers’

Promising to transform Delhi into a “Smart City as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra

Modi” and conforming to the “views” of its national president Amit Shah, the State

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its Sankalp Patra (Commitment Paper) here on

Sunday for the upcoming municipal polls.

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In addition to announcing that it would not increase existing taxes or levy new ones, and

make Delhi “100% garbage-free”, the party promised “good governance and transparency”

by doing away with inspectors and a time-bound scheme to benefit hawkers.

Populist measures

A slew of populist measures — such as the provision of meals costing Rs. 10 for the poor,

and welfare schemes for ex-servicemen, rickshaw drivers and labourers — also characterise

the manifesto, which has also sought to extend “protection to stray cows” and dealing with

stray dogs.

The 27-page manifesto was released by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari in presence of several

senior faces from the party’s leadership, including his predecessor Satish Upadhyay who,

according to sources, “has contributed to it significantly” at the Constitution Club.

Union Ministers Harsh Vardhan and Vijay Goel, star campaigner and actor Ravi Kishan,

senior leader Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Members of Parliament Ramesh Bidhuri,

Meenakshi Lekhi, Udit Raj, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta

and media in-charge Praveen Shankar Kapoor were also present.

“Delhi is mini-India. The municipal elections have a special significance and will decide

whether the next five years will be years of administrative deceit and anarchy or of

development as visualised by Mr. Modi,” Mr. Tiwari said.

‘Kejriwal’s cough’

“To others it may look like an election manifesto, but for us it is a commitment paper

towards the people of Delhi. [Delhi Chief Minister] Arvind Kejriwal is trying to scare the

people [through alleged propaganda]. We will neither levy any new tax nor hike rates, nor

allow anyone else to do it,” he further said, adding that the BJP would spruce up parks in its

jurisdiction to such a degree that Mr. Kejriwal could “sit in them to cure his cough instead

of going to Bengaluru.”

Nepotism sagas

The booklet, which is divided into three parts, begins with quotes from Pandit Deendayal

Upadhyay, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah, followed by a list of

achievements of the three municipal corporations of Delhi under the BJP. This is followed

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by a 41-point charter for the future and the “corruption and nepotism sagas” of the Aam

Aadmi Party and the Congress.

Other scheme-related highlights from the manifesto include the Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi

Yojana, under which the civic bodies will provide meals priced at Rs. 10, exemption from

getting building plans approved for plots measuring up to 105 square metres to be extended

to plots measuring up to 500 square metres and working for direct transfer of funds from the

Centre to the municipal corporations.

Insurance cover

An insurance cover of Rs. 10 lakh for students in civic-body run schools, promoting

enterprises run by women under the Centre’s Startup India scheme. Toilets for autorickshaw

and taxi stand drivers also find a mention.

Manifesto committee convener Pravesh Verma said implementation of the promised

schemes would be monitored twice a year by the State leadership.

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