Grey Matters!

Public Administration for UPSC Civil Service Exam

2012-01-16T16:04:00.000+05:30

Public Administration is highly relevant but somewhat 'not very interesting' subject. Once you get the confidence and know the 'general' approach to write answers, the preparation is over. One can definetely write 'average' answers and get good score!

The first question in the minds of pub ad students is 'list of books'. There are few books to read but definitely no 'list of books'. If one reads such a big list of books, one will become a professor in the subject instead of clearing the exam.

The 'reference' material for pub ad are;

1. Administrative Thinkers - R. Prasad and Prasad

2. New Horizons of Public Administration - Mohit Bhattacharya.

3. Indian Administration - Ramesh K. Arora & Rajni Goya

4. Second ARC Reports

Above books are sufficient to get 350 plus marks in the main exam along with a good writing practice. Even these books are only reference points to write answers and you are not expected to 'reproduce' the exact content or points from the books. Pub is all about analysis and the way you think. One needs to practice 'thinking' and 'linking' the whole syllabus/topics along with a proper sequence in any answer.

Don't try to cover full syllabus by books. Then, you may need more than 10 books to cover all the syllabus. Hence, read basic books to get the basics and also to know the 'approach' the authors take while tackling any topic in pub ad. Above three books along with 2nd ARC report is sufficient. And there is some strategy to write good answers on other topics not present in the above four sources.

Rule 1: Read few books. Ideally less than 5.

If one carefully observes any pub ad book or article, authors follow some general approach to convince the reader about the content. They take some stand on a topic or write about the topic in simple words in the beginning of a topic. Then, they use "quotes" to substantiate or certify their stand. They also use many analytical words like however, despite, though, moreover, correspondingly etc to give the content, a 'analytical' tone. Also, such keywords are largely used to link different paragraphs.

Rule 2: Use more quotes from thinkers/personalities/your own in 'certify' your stand in the answer. Use 'analytical' keywords to link paragraphs and to give the answer a logical flow. It comes through practice and proper feedback.

About the topics not present in the above four sources, what is the best approach to cover them? Obviously, one can't afford to read a book for each chapter. Revision will become a major problem if you refer more sources. The solution is any one or both of the following, depending on the time availability.

1. 'THINK' for say, 30 minutes on each question in the last 10 years and prepare a model structure/synopsis of the answer. Refer any number of books or internet to prepare such a 'structure'. Don't prepare full answer.Here, ensure you cover ALL the topics of the syllabus. Replace one 60 marks question with two 30 marks questions. Be innovative to create your own question on a topic which you have not covered in the above four sources. While thinking, your mind should scan the whole syllabus and link all the chapters to arrive at a 'RELEVANT' answer by using at least TWO quotes for each answer. This is the 'REAL' preparation for pub ad.There will be sufficient time to do this activity after prelims.

2. Prepare short notes of the missing topics by referring other books. But this is not very effective preparation since you will not know the approach to answer if the same topic comes in the exam.

The first options is very effective and is preferred.

Other tips to write a decent answer for pub ad are;

1. Write heading to each answer. It serves two purposes. First, you will convince the examiner that you are sticking to question. Second, you will also not divert away from the question. Hence, it helps in writing relevant answer. Forget what other say against giving heading. This is just another exam and you want marks and nothing else from main exam!

2. Write very relevant introduction by using the keywords asked in the question. For e.g If there is question on 'significance of policy implementation', your intro should talk about "significance" in a simple and general words. But don't write intro about 'public policy or government'. Because, each topic in pub ad is big enough to give 'relevant' introduction for that topic. "If a person asks you to introduce yourself in 30 seconds, you will have to tell about yourself instead of your parents/family in such a short time". Hope you got the point.

3. Quotes are key to score well in pub ad. Collect two or three quotes for general topics like planning, training, performance, efficiency, motivation, civil service neutrality, human rights, disasters etc. Also, collect 4 or 5 quotes from each thinker from the book. Collect from quotes from the articles of the constitution especially Part VI ( e.g. Art 39 ). Keep a separate note book for these quotes. And, literally mug them up.

4. Test series is important but without 'personalized' feedback, tests are worthless. Hence, take feedback from good teachers/seniors by approaching them personally. Just cover 60% of the syllabus, then directly start writing answers. Never wait to cover full syllabus to write answers.

5. Compulsorily, solve last 10 year previous year questions. Read a question. Imagine the answer sheet in your mind. Then, start thinking about the structure of the answer in each page. Think about the 'thinkers' concepts to be used and the quotes relevant for the answer. Just think and get a good structure. Then, write it down in a note book below the question. This is the effective preparation.

6. Think very simple and write like a student. Don't think you have to write extra points which is not present in others answers. It will be a blunder to write 'strange' points. Read normal books but write good answers by using relevant quotes and by linking all the concepts of the subject. Every question comes with an answer. Books provide you raw materials to write answers and no book can provide you full answer required for the exam. Think simple and just chill.

7. Don't ever be hesitant or afraid to 'take a step' ( eminem song! ). I mean, take a stand on the question confidently. Because, there can never be a perfect answer for pub ad. Everybody has a right to take a stand. But you should use QUOTES to certify your stand. The best thing about pub ad is the freedom to take stand. Use the concepts/keywords from the Thinkers to give evidence to your stand. And your stand is always right.

8. There will be less time after Essay/Compulsory papers for Pub Ad. You must be able to revise everything in that 'great gap'. If you don't revise, your chances to fall in a gap of one more year increases immensely! I was able to revise pub ad within a day. Needless to say, you have to revise many times before especially in the last one month of the mains exam.

9. Don't write General Studies answers for Paper 2. Write like a pub ad student. For eg, If they ask a question on 'cabinet/committes/group of minsters etc' then, just don't write GS answers. Use the 'coordination' concepts from Fayol/Follet/Bernard in your answers. For a question on the 'role of planning commission', use the sentence like "Planning is the heart of Fayol's elements of management" and 'Riggs differentiation/integration' concepts in the answers. Don't try to reproduce the text book answer. Think simple and write relevant answer.

10. Coaching class for pub ad is an option which one can definitely afford to ignore! But ensure you have some reliable person to guide in the beginning. This is 'just another exam' to get 'just another job'. So, relax. All the best.

Still, if you have questions, feel free to ask.

UPSC Civil Service Exam: Geography optional

2011-12-27T13:06:00.001+05:30

The geography optional is simply very vast but interesting; So, ‘food is more but since it is tasty, you should be able eat without leaving anything along with digesting it properly. Never forget to enjoy the taste while eating otherwise there can be indigestion.

Answers need less analysis compared to other optional like pub ad or sociology. One needs to know ‘something about everything’ and know ‘more about few things’ in the syllabus. One can’t afford to ignore any topics in the syllabus. Also, one needs to be very creative and fast in the exam hall.

First of all, never try to become professor in geography. Think simple. Simpler you think, more clear and effective your answers become. Answers are the best when one thinks like a school student. Use simple NCERT language. But without answer writing and feedback one can never score well in geography. Just observe NCERT language style. For eg: For a question on water availability- think very simple – like Water is a vital natural resource. It is essential to sustain life on earth etc; but don’t think like a professor and don’t write complex words or sentences. Just write and think like a school student.

So, what to read and how to do writing practice to score 350+ in geography?. If a candidate just writes average answers for all the questions without leaving anything 300 to 325 is assured. In that case, more you improve upon that basic rule of ‘attempting all 5 questions no matter what comes’, the more closer you get to your dream post and cadre. For eg, if one score more than 350 in geo, then even if you score 310 or 290 in other optional, you will still get good rank. To attempt 5 best questions, one needs to cover almost all the syllabus though not the complete syllabus.

Rule 1: Attempt all 5 questions no matter what comes in the exam hall
Write fast; just scribble neatly; Hand writing doesn’t matter much in geography. Just try to put creative small or large diagrams for each page or paragraph. It comes through practice. After practice, one should be able to explain the entire answer through diagrams itself. The next rule is ‘diagram for each paragraph or page’ however nonsense it may be! The examiner will be forced to give marks for diagrams. Diagrams act like certificates for your answer.

Rule 2: Diagram for each paragraph or page
Apart from this, most important activity is solving last 10 years papers. Just don’t listen to whatever others say against this. Simply solve previous years questions. Don’t think, solving is big thing and requires lot of effort. Think, it is a must and simple activity. Whoever solves PYQs sincerely and seriously, success is assured. But majority ignores this. The reason is aspirants would always get immersed in covering the vast syllabus. If you are busy in covering or making notes of all topics, then you are in a wrong path. This is the mistake even repeaters often do. Here, religiously follow ‘one source for one topic or chapter’ either book or notes.

After going though atleast 60% of syllabus, directly start solving last 10 years papers with all seriousness. THINK on each question. Just lay on bed with PYQ on your mind and THINK till you are satisfied with your answer in the brain. For eg, For 30 marks question, imagine three pages and then THINK what you will write in each page. More you think, better you get. Convert all 60 mark questions into 30 marks and make 7th question into 7(a) and 7 (b). Never prepare for full and actual answer. Just prepare the STRUCTURE and diagrams for each question. If any question repeats again, then replace that with new syllabus topics like slope development, geohydrology, social capital etc. So, most important rule for geography is

Here is the sample previous year question and structure of the answers;
1. Distinguish between the west and east coasts of India in terms of their evolution, present topography and drainage pattern. (60)
1. Introduction about Indian Coasts in general with specific lines about east and west coast
2. Map of Indian coasts
3. EVOLUTION as a heading. write about the evolution of each coast in one paragraph each. Put some very small creative diagram for each paragraph, if possible.
4. PRESENT TOPOGRAPHY as next heading. You can very easily write about this more but limit yourself. Put small diagrams' for each coast
5. DRAINAGE PATTERN as next heading. This is also very easy. Collect info about major rivers such as narmada, tapi, godavari, krishna, kaveri. Put diagrams for few river drainage pattern from each coast showing the differences.
6. Conclude it.

2. Give a critical account of the recent theories of origin of Indian monsoon with special reference to jet stream theory.
First of all, think the question as very simple and of class 12th standard. You need to give opinion about recent theories. Write in a simple and sequential manner. Recent doesnt mean 2009 or 2010. It means latest theories present in the books.
1. Intro about the theories of monsoon in general.Like " In India, even a school boy knows what is monsoon but the meteorological departments still confused about its origin". " Monsoon is a complex weather phenomenon, whose origin and dynamics are always a topics of debate and discussion. etc (But don't conclude! like "still there is no widely acceptable theory. Maga Tropiques satellite as new initiative etc - keep this as last paragraph)
2. Explain about all the theories like thermal theory, Air mass theory, flohn theory, thermodynamic theory etc in a sequential manner by interlinking each paragraph with a key words like moreover, however, also, correspondingly etc with very small diagrams for each paragraphs or theories.
3. Give heading as JET STREAM THEORY and explain about it with diagrams. You can easily put atleast 2 diagrams here.
4. Conclude it.

Here, diagrams are the key. Use very small diagrams in a box. Be very creative to generate your own diagrams. Don't hesitate to create your own diagrams. Hand writing is not very imp for geo. You can afford to just scribble through but with relevant diagrams however small it is.

Rule 3: Compulsorily THINK and solve last 10 years papers sincerely.

After all this, the most effective strategy seems to be just solve last 10 year papers BY ENSURING that each and every topic of the syllabus is covered.

Hence, the structure of the answer is the most important. What you read and how you read is immaterial here. what matters is how you THINK and STRUCTURE your answer in the exam hall within the given time.

Hence, please don't go by books or study material to prepare for geography optional. "Go by questions". Take a previous year question, break your head upon that question. Refer whatever study material you have. Come up with a good structure and diagrams for that question. This is the key.

UPSC Civil Service Exam: General Studies Stratezy

2011-12-26T16:32:00.006+05:30

The preparation plan must always take into account the last 7 days time period of the mains general studies exam. Clearly, if you don’t revise the study material at least 3 times in 7 days, you can never remember it on the exam day. So, the rule is always study the material or news, which you can revise at least 5 times before the exam. This rule must enable you to remove the waste study material which you can’t revise at least 5 times in the last 7 days.

As the exam comes closer the capacity to remember the vast GS information becomes very challenging. And such a capacity may reach the lowest levels on the day of exam. Whatever one reads in the news papers in the months of Feb/March before the prelims and Sept/Oct before the mains, it becomes very difficult to remember on the day of the exam. The reasons for such a memory paralysis are many. It includes hype and pressure created around the exam, last 15 days mental tension, also large amount of information flux into the mind especially in the last one month of the exam etc. So, what’s the solution? The answer is “repeated and rapid revision”. One should be able to revise the entire GS mains portion in one or max two days in the last few days of the exam.

The long and often mentally testing exam process seems be intentional and good also. It is intended to filter-out the mentally unstable and non-serious candidates. If an aspirant can’t bear the mental pressure, hype, euphoria and sometimes trauma for two or three years, then how can you expect the same person to withstand the enormous pressure and challenges of real administration later. Be mentally strong. Be immune to negative thoughts of weak candidates. Shield yourself against the artificial competition and hype created around you by the commercial coaching institutes.

Coaching institutes play limited and positive role in the beginning but they are not everything. They can give good orientation towards the exam. Nobody on earth can guide or ensure a person to become a civil servant except the deep internal conviction and sincere effort. Don’t blame anybody for your failure. No one deserves real praise for your success also. Nobody helps you. You are alone most of the times sailing through ocean. Keep yourself continuously motivated and high spirits. You can try becoming more devotional and religious, watch inspiring videos, read inspiring books etc to ensure high motivation and energy.

General Tips

Exam is very simple and also easy. But it is vast. Thinking should be very simple with clarity. Think the exam is just another class XII exam. Assume the questions asked in the prelims and mains are of class XII level that can be answered by a class XII student and then, start thinking in a simple and clear manner on the question. Eg. Discuss the problems of environmental degradation across India ( 150 words). Ans: first thing you have to do is to think that this is a class XII level question and NOT a Phd question. Then, start with basics like a class XII student. Here, think “what is environment? It is surrounding objects; includes land, air, water in general. What is degradation? It is degrading land, water and air. Problems due to degradation? Etc. This applies for the prelims questions also. Normally, questions are very clear and simple. Even a good school student can answer.

Always use a digital hand watch. Internet addicts should avoid browsing for more than 1 hour. There is no real use in browsing and wasting hours and hours. All material to clear the exam is already in print!

Plan everything; “What’s planned – improves”; have broad monthly plan and very detailed weekly plans. The weekly plan should be very specific with micro details– upto the pages or chapters to be studied in that particular hour; This has many benefits; It improves focus; Always you will focus on one hour period; At the end of the day, you will get good sleep because you have covered your plan and sure that you are in the right direction; Otherwise, you will be thinking what to read, when to read and also waste most of the time; Planning is a must;

When news paper lands into your hands, read with general interest like a common man. Always the news should reach your heart and make you come with critical comments; Because, only that first impression with a news item will stay in your mind forever. In the second reading, cut it and underline etc which is explained in detail later.

Develop the habit of collecting quotes for your optional and for general topics like climate change, development, food security etc; Keep a separate book for quotes;

Observe the presentation style of editorials and also NCERT books; Learn from that; For example- editorials use the words However, Moreover, Apart from this, In the above context, despite, correspondingly etc to integrate paragraphs and lines; Practice using such interconnecting words in the answers;

Avoid shortcuts; Because, except in the first attempt, you can’t take chance again in next attempts; Take surer path; Be smart in writing answers not in choosing some shortcut coaching material;

The ultimate rule is “One source for any topic”; For eg one should have only one source for polity not two; one for history not more than two; Notes or Books, always one source for a topic; This rule should be strictly applied to the optional papers also.

Just do it but don’t over do it!(preparation)

Don’t do the things which are necessary but only do the things which are absolutely necessary. I mean, one should prioritize the ‘to do’ things first. And know something of everything.

General Studies Mains Strategy

Finalize your reading material as early as possible. It will be good if you do it before prelims. That ensures more conceptual clarity for GS prelims. Also, saves time after the prelims. It is advisable to cover entire GS mains syllabus except current affairs before the GS prelims. Finalizing well in advance is required to focus and revise the study material many times before the exam day. One should not buy or read any new material after finalizing the material well in advance. This helps you to ensure sufficient revision before the exam. Here is such finalization.

Basic syllabus material according to the mains GS syllabus.
Current affairs News Cuttings(underlined and revised).
Current Affairs Notes(Short notes, which is not present in the above cuttings)
India Year Book( Only the headings and the underlined lines)+Economic Survey +Budget
GS Mains Previous Year Questions Notebook including statistics

Basic Syllabus Study material: This is like foundation of your GS preparation. Always be thorough with this much before the exam. This is mentioned in the syllabus. It is the common sense to first prepare for the exam according to the syllabus. Even a school boy knows this stratezy.More specifically, cover all the topics other than current affairs in both papers 1 and 2. Please go through syllabus. Such base topics include modern india, polity, culture, women,children, tribals, environmental issues etc for Paper 1 and India-Word, Nuclear issues, defence issues, IMF, World bank, WIPO, UNO, Robotics, Biotech, Nanotech, Space(ISRO , NASA, etc) , Statistics etc. for paper 2. One should be able to do this anytime. Better to prepare this before the prelims because you can revise this basic mains syllabus material for prelims also. It will definitely helps for prelims GS paper. For example one can answer questions regarding polity, modern India, India and world etc which are part of the mains syllabus.

Current affairs News Cuttings(underlined and revised):About 95% of the aspirants rush for the ‘latest’ current affairs in the last month before the exam. The reason is often aspirants’ fail to give more time to the current affairs after the prelims. Because aspirants get deeply involved in preparing optional or writing practice for optional. Hence, most of the aspirants resort to the last minute short cuts. Such short cuts include top coaching written noted from Delhi, other printed material or books. But they can never be reliable. Even if by chance they are reliable on that year, aspirant will not be able to revise them sufficiently or internalize the basic concept or significance of a current affairs topic.

But if you are a serious aspirant, you must never rely on such last minute theatrics. Because, there is no such thing called next time. Always rely on surer path, even if it takes little more effort to travel. A serious aspirant would never mind to put that little more effort to ensure sure success.

So, what is that surer path? It’s very simple. Read two newspapers one for general topics i.e The Hindu and The Business Standard along with the Frontline. Stick to these three only. Everyone will read newspapers. But how can be different. First, cut the important news/editorials but don’t write down whatever you cut. However make note of small news items like persons, awards etc. This also most of the aspirants do. But one important activity only successful aspirants do. That is they underline all the cut news material and REVISE them periodically. And in the last one month before the exam, one needs to separate the cut news articles into paper 1 and paper2. And just go on reading headlines and underlined lines repeatedly as many times as possible.

To come to the specifics; cut, underline and revise the news articles from the Hindu, Business standard and Frontline. Only these three sources are more than sufficient for mains. Even the internet news is not necessary. The problem with internet news like Press Information Bureau is that you can’t revise them in the last days. These three sources cover more than sufficient;

But only All India Radio (AIR) news from the radio/internet is very useful. But don’t listen for 3 times. Only afternoon news is more useful. The reason is AIR news is one of the hunting ground for upsc , the news is very official one, the important questions in the parliamentary sessions of the budget and monsoon sessions are widely covered in the AIR news. Hence, one should listen by downloading the AIR afternoon news. The problem is you can’t revise all the downloaded news files in the last 7 days of the exam. So, the solution is making notes of the important news in the current affairs notebook.

If you can revise and remember current affairs from these entire four sources i.e Hindu, business standard, frontline and AIR; nobody can know more current affairs than you for prelims and mains. Whatever you don’t know in the exam, nobody knows;

India Year Book: This is the bible for UPSC CSE exam. For both prelims and mains, there will always some topics from IYB. Even if UPSC doesn’t directly pick from the IYB, at least few questions will always be related to IYB. The reason is sheer vastness and details in the book. Moreover the book is official and authenticated. Also, IYB helps to give you good introductions to many questions both for GS and optional subjects. Hence, IYB is a must read. But the problem for aspirants is the size and vastness of the book. The approach is – not to read data and tables except the few; underlining all the relevant sentences and words in the first reading. Later, only read the underlined words and lines next 4 or 5 times. One can easily finish within 4 hours if they read only underlines part. This will be huge advantage over the students who have not read or not revised the book.

Economic Survey: This is also quite large. The safe way is to adopt same stratezy as india year book. For that one needs to buy that costly book. But don’t mind, just buy it. However, other approach of downloading and reading or making notes is not a good way. Because, if you read full economic survey in march and April, you won’t remember single word during September and October. As said earlier, give same treatment to ES as IYB. “Repeated and Rapid Revision” (RRR) only saves you. For Budget, one can download the speech of the finance minister and take printout. Other option is keep the budget speech supplement appearing in the economic news papers. Again, without RRR strategy, it will serve no purpose.

GS mains previous year question papers: Most of the aspirants, even the repeaters would laugh at preparing solutions for last 10 year GS mains PYQs. But in my experience, it serves very useful. The strategy is preparing solutions for last 10 year PYQs solution with modification of the questions and pattern to suit the latest pattern. The history questions need not be prepared in all the years. Only one history question per year is sufficient. Keep all the other geography, women, children, tribes, science and tech, theoretical India and World, statistics etc as it is from the PYQs. But replace the previous year’s current affairs with the current year’s questions. The benefits are many. It will make you familiar with syllabus. Guessing the current affairs for mains and preparing answers for them helps. Statistics and other few questions will be directly from PYQs. Most importantly, it will train the brain to the flow and requirements of the GS question paper. However, one should always prepare short answers not full and actual answers. For example, three 150 words questions in one long page. This helps you to revise this book in the last 7 days of the exam. And repeated training of the brain and will power just one or two days of the exam by browsing through these questions will helps you a lot to crack the exam.

Few words about the importance of the GS mains paper during the mains exam. Most of the times in almost all the last few years, aspirants are getting ‘shock treatment’ from the UPSC on the first day of the exam itself. And intensity of such shocks has increased more in the last three years, since 2009. The pattern has become very unpredictable and erratic. It is like puncturing the balloon of aspirants’ confidence. If you are not satisfied with your GS paper, it will definitely affect your performance in other optional papers.

                                   Especially, the first time mains aspirants are getting real shock and it will take fuel out of their tank for rest of the exam. But if you follow the above strategy and maintain calmness at the time of the exam, you will feel that, nobody could have scored more than you in GS. That confidence will give a big boost to do all other exams very well. There will not be any mental pressure to do well in the optional papers.

All you need to do “just enjoy writing good answers in the exam hall”. The whole exam is test of mental strength rather than knowledge. If you maintain high confidence, half the battle is won. More specifically, a calm and confident mind can really fetch at least 50-70 more marks than a disturbed and pressure-cooker mind with both having same knowledge. Always remember to play your natural game and just enjoy the whole challenge.

General Studies Prelims Strategy

Ideally, prelims GS prep should follow the mains GS prep. Preparing for mains GS before the prelims has many benefits. GS mains syllabus gives a strong foundation for the GS prelims making the questions more clear. Also, it would save the time after the prelims.

To begin with, don’t take NCERT books casually. Even a person with geography as optional should read the geography NCERT books religiously. NCERT books apart from giving strong basics and conceptual clarity, also help in understanding the ‘style’ and ‘approach’ of answer writing for the mains. At the end, one should be able to revise or browse through all the NCERT books in one or two hours. Often, candidates ignore NCERTs during the last few days of the exam. But with a sufficient revision one should be able to revise within few hours during the last 7 days of the prelims or mains exam.

GS prelims/mains with a new syllabus and erratic pattern of the questions has put all the coaching institutes in a utterly confused and despair state. But that doesn’t mean a candidate has to be on the receiving end. What is required is a change the status quo. Change the grand old strategies or material for the GS. For eg, there is less emphasis on history part in mains and also the questions asked in the prelims are normally not present in the text books. Should you prepare for history or leave it? Here, your line of thought should be, "there needs to be less or no focus on history. Or I will stick on the one book ie NCERT class XI Modern History book and not read any other book or material for GS history".

Hardly any factual questions like awards/persons are in prelims. Hence, be innovative and very practical and take effective and rational decisions.

To start with take GS prelims topic wise solved previous year question bank preferably ALS’s Wizard Strategist. Then, go through the all the topics like geography, polity, science etc which will give an idea about the UPSC’s mindset while framing the GS prelims question paper.

Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World should be the top most priority for the non-geography students. Also, geography students should be very clear about the concepts. The material is NCERT class 8, 9, 10 and 11(only physical geography of India along with Orient Longman or oxford atlas. Just be ready with world geography also for the prelims. This much is more than sufficient for prelims and mains GS. Coaching institutes class notes or printed material is often has more information than required and also may not be inclusive of all the concepts involved. Sometimes coaching material may make a non-geography student into a geography student. But both time and energy are precious. Hence, these 4 NCERT books are sufficient for GS and rest will be current affairs related to geography like climate change.

History of India and Indian National Movement has become less important after going through the question papers of last three year question papers. Hence, this part needs less or no focus. Class XI NCERT is more than sufficient. Forget Bipin Chandra’s books for a change. Even if you read other extra materials it may not be useful for the mains also. Stick to your decision.

Economic and Social Development which includes Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc. is the new syllabus for the prelims. Again, the relevant NCERT would be right first step. It is better to prepare notes on these few topics for the mains point of view. India Year Book and Economic Survey would cover most of the topics.

General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization is the new syllabus for the prelims. One needs to prepare one or two pages notes for each of these topics from the various books and the internet. Also update those pages with the current affairs. Magazines like Down to Earth and CSIR Science magazine can be used to update the current affairs on the environmental and science topics. There are few important chapters in the NCERT class XII Biology and chemistry at the end. Also, Class IX, X, XI and XII ICSE Environment books should be referred for preparing good topic-wise notes. Just ensure that you get enough time for revision.

For General Science, go through all the previous year questions to begin with. Then, study the class notes of Vaji ram and related NCERT of class X and Class XII Biology and Chemistry last units. One can easily prepare general science by just going through previous year questions of CS(prelims) and also last few years question papers of other UPSC exam s like CDS, NDA etc Use internet to get the basics of the latest science. To get a strong foundation, never forget to cover GS mains science and tech syllabus intensively along with Nobel Prize winning science before prelims exam.

Also, to be safer side in the prelims, Please study the Vajiram class written notes of 2011 mains (International relations, economy, current affairs, science and tech) along with the class written notes of 2012 GS prelims. Do sufficient revision. This is just to ensure some extra edge as you need to be little extensive for GS prelims.

More importantly, for the current affairs one needs to have more extensive approach for GS prelims. Some academically strong students suffer from “more and more” syndrome. They end up studying current affairs alone in the last 30 days from three or four sources. Beware of such blunders. For current affairs, apart from the 4 sources as mentioned earlier, go through the UPSC GS question papers of the exams like CDS I & II, NDA, CPF etc during April. Go through each question and cover all the information related to each question by using internet.

Here, the printed current affairs books from the leading coaching institutes are NOT effective. One should be very careful in the last month before the exam. One will be tempted to read these current affairs books. The confusion is whether to read printed current affairs books from Vaji ram or ALS or others. Most serious mistake is to spend almost all the day in reading these current affairs books in the last 30 days before the exam. These books can be skipped without any doubt. But to be safer side stick to only one. But never even think of reading two sources. What is more advisable is to prepare the new GS prelims topic wise notes more intensively with a current affairs perspective. Because, when the GS prelims questions are framed the examiner will definitely have GS prelims syllabus copy in the hand. Hence, your GS preparation must revolve around the GS prelims syllabus.

After all, one has a luxury of leaving 30 to 40 questions in the exam hall. All one needs to make sure that around 60 questions are absolutely correct with less than 10 numbers of other wrong questions. Here, keeping the total number of wrong questions less than 10 is the biggest challenge. One needs to practice during some mock tests in the last 30 days of the exam. In the exam hall, one is always tempted terribly to mark ‘looking to be easy’ yet tricky questions. One has to be utterly careful on such questions. Hence, one has to have clear strategy in those crucial two hours. Any negligence or overconfidence can make you to riot for the next two years.

The solution is regular mock tests almost every day between 9.30 am – 11.30 am and 2.30 pm – 4.30 pm in the last 30 days before the exam. Don’t worry about the quality of the questions. Just ensure question TYPE is similar to the UPSC questions. One can collect around 15 to 25 question papers for each GS and CSAT before the prelims. Then, solve them almost every day during the last 30 days of the exam. Tune your body, mind and soul to those two crucial two hours. After each mock tests analyze your performance. If you are weak in some topics strengthen yourself. If you are marking more than 10 wrong answers, gradually improve and ensure you are able to reduce the number of wrong answers to less than 10 and 15 at maximum. Anything more than 15 wrong answers is always a big risk. You will clear prelims even if you mark 70 total questions out of 100 with 60 correct and 10 wrong answers in GS paper but you will fail if you mark 90 questions with 60 correct and 30 wrong questions. Hence, reduce the number of wrong questions however you can.

Hence, you need to know 'basics of basics' of nearly 5,000 topics including your optional papers to clear the exam. Your focus should be 'how to revise and remember these 5,000 topics in the last one month before the exam". Without revising, all your effort has no worth. Your approach and state of mind during the last one month of the exam is pivotal to crack the exam. "The successful candidates are as good or bad as you". Wish you all the best of luck!

P.S: The views are entirely personal and not directed against any person or organization. The article is largely academic purpose, intended to give an orientation of the civil service exam. This is aimed at helping students present in the remote areas and other exclusive areas of India. Arid theory apart, I have tried best to give practical tips and strategy to tackle the exam. I have no benefits from the article, whatsoever.

Integrated Action Plan (IAP): A Right Step

2011-12-09T14:57:00.001+05:30

The Ministry of Rural Development has charted-down the most ambitious and path-breaking scheme to revive development in naxal-affected regions of India.

The dimension of ‘development’ was often forgotten weapon against the insurgency and social upheaval in the red-corridor of India. Fortunately, the new ‘faces’ at MoRD brought the much needed freshness and innovation in holistic development in the backward regions across India.

In simple terms, additional financial resources and autonomy along with flexibility is provided to the district administrators. More importantly, focused and determined political will to shore-up the socio-economic development has been the defining feature.

To win the hearts and minds of the socio-economically and also psychologically alienated poor is always a challenging task. Here, the solutions seem to be a mirage but they are always simple. An unrelenting focus and effort is required to discover such solutions.

An Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for 60 Selected Tribal and Backward Districts, inter-alia, including 48 LWE affected districts.The scheme is being implemented over two years i.e. 2010-11 to 2011-12 with the following Components:

(i) In the year (2010-11), a block-grant of ` 25 crore was made available to each of the 60 selected districts for which the schemes will be decided by a Committee headed by the District Collector with District SP and District Forest Officer as members. During the year 2011-12, the block grant will be raised to ` 30 crore per district. The scheme will be reviewed for implementation in the 12th Plan at a later stage.

(ii) The existing KBK plan under BRGF will continue as before with annual allocation of ` 130 crore for all eight districts put together. The eight KBK districts have also been included under the IAP and will get additional block grant of ` 25 crore per district in the current year and suitable additional amount under both State and District Components of IAP in the subsequent years.

(iii) The scheme will focus on improvements in governance and specific preconditions will need to be complied with by the States before availing of the second tranche of the proposed additional financial assistance in 2011-12 under the State Component of the IAP. However, these conditionalities will not apply to the District Components of IAP.

(iv) The scheme will focus on effective implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (Forest Rights Act).

(v) A mechanism for procurement and marketing of MFPs, including issues of manpower requirement, capacity building and development of value chain specific to MFPs would be worked out by the Planning Commission, in consultation with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The administrative mechanism for enforcement of the minimum support price for MFP in accordance with the mechanism so work out will be the responsibility of the State Government concerned.

(vi) The District Component will be administered by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the State Component by the Planning Commission.

Well, the unprecedented focus on LWE affected regions of India with a development dimension is the right step. However, the learning and constant improvement of the initiative should be kept in mind to achieve substantive results.

UPSC CSE Interview: Some Questions!

2011-12-09T12:58:00.000+05:30

1. How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor without cracking it?
Concrete floors are very hard to crack! (UPSC Topper)

2. If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long would it take four men to build it?
No time at all it is already built. (UPSC 23 Rank Opted for IFS)

3. If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand and four apples and three oranges in the other hand, what would you have?
Very large hands.(Good one) (UPSC 11 Rank Opted for IPS)

4. How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
It is not a problem, since you will never find an elephant with onehand.(UPSC Rank 14 Opted for IES)

5. How can a man go eight days without sleep?
No Probs, He sleeps at night. (UPSC IAS Rank 98)

6. If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what it will become?
It will Wet or Sink as simple as that. (UPSC IAS Rank 2)

7. What looks like half apple?
The other half. (UPSC - IAS Topper)

8. What can you never eat for breakfast?
Dinner.

9. What happened when wheel was invented?
It caused a revolution.

10. Bay of Bengal is in which state?
Liquid (UPSC 33Rank)

Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas: An Action Plan

2011-12-08T18:04:00.000+05:30

1. Institutional Empowerment;
a) Clear focus and dynamic coordination among all venerable institutions. Such institutions include,
• Tribes Advisory Council in States with Scheduled Tribes,
• National Commission for SCs
• National Commission for STs
• National Human Rights Commission,
• National Commission for Women,
• National Commission for the Rights of Children
• National Commission for Minorities and
• National Commission for Safai Karmachari

b) The Parliament should not neglect their work and recommendations.

c) Consultation among all these bodies and launching of joint initiatives for concerted and compulsory action on their joint recommendations, which should become mandatory for Chief Ministers.

d) Strengthen and re-engineer the Standing Parliamentary Committee on SC & ST.

e) National Commissions on SC & ST and National Human Rights Commission should be given power of investigation and to pass orders which they could enforce. Also, powers to make them effective in cases of violation of laws.

2. Stricter implementation of laws to check indebtedness and regulate credit through private sources.

3. All debt liabilities of weaker sections should be liquidated, in cases
a. wherein the debtor has paid an amount equivalent to the original principal amount and
b. wherein the intended benefit for which the loan was advanced has not accrued to the borrowers. The onus to establish that such benefit did accrue will be on the lending agency.The processes should be completed within six months after the notification.
c. The Government should specifically prohibit banks from putting tribal lands for auction to realize overdue debts.
d. The revival and restructuring of the Large Area Multi-purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS) and Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS), with the specific targets of meeting all credit needs of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and weaker sections, should receive highest priority.

4. Cooperative banking structure which is the most accessible to the poorer sections should be urgently revamped and revitalized. The Central legislation to enable member-controlled and member-dominated cooperative societies.

5. Need for widespread provision of Grain Banks managed by Gram Sabhas in tribal areas

6. Special provision of long-term loans for purchase of land by assetless poor and resourceless families who are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods should be arranged.

7. NREGA should be intensively implemented in the indebtedness prone areas.

8. Forest produce should be provided a protective market by fixing minimum support price for various commodities, upgradation of traditional haats, and provision of modern storage facilities to avoid post harvest losses

9. The public distribution system should be specially designed for the specific requirements of the forest dwellers.

10. The State should support the expenses relating to the infrastructure, administration and operation of Tribal Development Corporations and cooperative marketing organizations such as Girijan Cooperative Corporation, Orissa Tribal Cooperative Corporation and Trifed in Government of India and they should not have monopoly rights to procurement.

11. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 needs to be strictly operationalised in letter and spirit.The clarifications in the draft rules circulated for this Act on 19th June, 2007 for certain difficult points like “other traditional rights”, “primarily reside in and dependent on forest or forest land”, “Rights to minor forest produce” etc. for removing any ambiguity and for easy implementation, which were summarily deleted in final notification of the Rules published on January 01, 2008, should be fully restored.

12. All petty cases registered under forest related legislations against the Tribal people and other poor persons should be withdrawn.

13. The social security recommendations for workers in the unorganized sectors recommended by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector, which have been on anvil for last couple of years,should be implemented urgently by Central and State Governments with high priority in disturbed areas.

14. A serious effort must be made to continuously implement the land ceiling laws, so that the ceiling surplus land thereby obtained is made available for distribution amongst the most vulnerable sections of the landless poor. The various loop holes in the respective state to ceiling legislations have resulted in bogus claims aimed at evading the law. Such loopholes should be done away with and all cultivable land, irrespective of the legal form in which it is held, should be brought under ceiling laws.

15. The ceiling limit of lands which were earlier unirrigated but have become irrigated after the coming into effect of ceiling laws should be redetermined as per their existing status.In view of the increased land productivity under the impact of the new technology and improved agronomic practices, the ceiling limit should be refixed and implemented with retrospective effect.

16. Land Tribunals or Fast Track Courts under Article 323-B of the Constitution be set up for expeditious disposal of the ceiling cases.

17. The definition of ‘personal cultivation’ in the state tenancy law should be modified to eliminate absentee landlordism. The rights of tenants cultivating land of absentee landlords should be secured as per the prevailing provisions in the law.

18. Any transaction or transfer of land, beyond the ceiling limits,done with the intention of benefitting the transferor and / or members of his family with the intention of evading the ceiling laws, should be subject to scrutiny and annulment after due process.

19. There is an urgent need to review tenancy laws to protect the interests of tenants cultivating land of land owners on oral leases by providing them security of tenure and fare share of produce etc.

20. The interest of small and marginal farmers and tribal peasants would have to be protected against reverse tenancy.

21. All types of agricultural tenancies should be recorded and rights of tenants should be secured and the rights of such tenants should be fully secured through enforced land to the tiller policy and ensure accessibility of tenants to non-land inputs.

22. A policy and legal frame work should be put in place to enable small and marginal farmers to lease-in land with secure rights on a formal basis and at the same time to protect them against reverse tenancy of medium and large farmers and corporate agencies.

23. Modernisation of the land administration system, including a crash programme of updating of land records,computerisation of textual & spatial records, and integration of the registration office should be taken up on priority basis. Government of India should provide necessary funds for this purpose.

24. Where dispossession of land has taken place after possession was delivered, land should be restored to the allotees and proper entry made in the land records. Criminal cases should be filed against persons who had dispossessed them.

25. Where possession was not delivered after allotment of land this must be done without any delay and this must be entered in the land records.

26. Financial assistance should be provided to allotees for cultivation of land.

27. Where litigation has been responsible for loss of rights, free legal aid of beneficiary choice should be provided to the allotee to defend his rights.Several landless poor have been subsequently alienated from their lands. These lands should be restored to them and proper entries should be made.

28. Landless poor in occupation of Government land should not be treated as encroachers and should not be evicted ordinarily.

29. All eligible occupants should be regularized. In case of eviction alternative sites should be provided. Such provisions should be given statutory force. Often land assigned to the poor is illegally grabbed by the powerful.The government should restore possession to the poor. If there are lacunae in the law, these should be removed.

30. Comprehensive record of rights showing possession, ownership, etc. of all lands under cultivation should be prepared and made accessible to the people. The responsibility of the state to regularly update land records should be backed up by a law involving participatory and transparent mode of implementation.

31. Effective implementation and plugging the loopholes in the laws prohibiting transfer of adivasi lands to non-adivasis and acquisition of land by nonadivasis in Fifth Schedule areas, where such laws exist.

32. The above loopholes are adequately documented state wise but states have not amended their laws to remove them and strengthen protective measures against alienation of tribal land. This must be done as a priority national programme and action taken regularly to monitor its progress.Thereafter, all cases decided against all tribals must be reopened and disposed of afresh.

33. All the pending cases should be decided expeditiously and all alienated lands should be restored to Adivasis in a time bound manner.

34. The provisions of PESA relating to the power of the Gram Sabha in the above regard must be fully incorporated in existing legislation.

35. States having sizeable adivasi populations and not included in the Fifth Schedule shall enact suitable laws/amend existing laws for the protection of Adivais in the same manner as in the Fifth Schedule.

36. The land holdings of Scheduled Castes should be similarly protected against alienation of their land.

37. The entire Tribal Sub Plan area should be brought under the Fifth Schedule. A policy decision in this regard taken as far back as 1976 should be implemented without any further delay.

38. Whenever Government assigns land to the landless, or when pattas are given under some settlement regulations, such assignment deeds and patta shall be jointly given in the name of the husband and wife, in order to effectively protect land rights of women. Where land records are been updated, the rights of women members of the family must be recorded along with those of male members.

39. Wherever any occupation group like fisherfolk, graziers, honey gatherers and the like had customary rights over Common Property Resources and other natural resources,such rights should be statutorily protected and properly recorded and user pattas should be issued jointly for husband and wife and for female headed households.

40. Lands and/or natural resources initially occupied by eligible persons through people’s action should be statutorily regularised and owners should be compensated, whereverlegally due.

41. The effective implementation of land reforms laws should be prioritised through following measures:

a) A time bound survey is needed of all land under cultivation of SCs/STs culminating in (i) grant of title to those who do not have title,(ii) identification of land of STs alienated illegally, and restoration through Gram Sabhas under powers vested in them under provision of Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Area) Act 1995) and in an analogous manner in non-Scheduled areas.

b) The above protective shield should be extended suitably to Scheduled Castes in all areas and Scheduled Tribes beyond the Scheduled Areas, through appropriate legal provision as recommended by various Commissions and as is prevalent in parts in some States (Rajasthan/M.P). Any move to relax or dilute existing protective measures in respect of these communities should be strongly opposed.

c) The Bhoodan land still in the possession of donors or their heirs should be taken possession of as per procedure prescribed in the concerned state laws for distribution to eligible beneficiaries as per priority laid down in the national land reforms policy.

d) Temple and other endowment lands beyond ceiling should be taken over by the state for redistribution.

e) Lands abandoned by mining projects or any other industrial activity should be restored as agricultural land and utilised for redistribution to eligible categories.

f) All homeless families should be given house sites of at least five cents along with financial assistance for constructing a livable house.

g) Urgent action is needed so that they are given priority in the allocation of not just a house under the Indira Awas Yojana, but also a piece of land on which that house is to be constructed. The existing laws which confer secure rights to landless persons living on the lands of land owners should be vigorously implemented.

h) Declare all small landless poor encroachers of government land as seemed to be having pattas on as is where is basis.

42. Restoration of Common Property Resources (CPRs) by some suitable schemes and programmes

43. Panchayats have to be empowered for effective management of CPRs with requisite autonomy, legal backing, adequate resources,provision of expertise and capacity building.

44. Incorporate within the law a provision for summary eviction of ineligible encroachers of CPRs.

45. MGNREGA should be implemented in a “mission mode” to do away with the dilatory and restrictive procedures of the secretariat.

46. The common guidelines for watershed development under consideration by National Rainfed Area Authority constitute an excellent base for participatory institution building, capability development and convergence of all activities pertaining to land and water.

47. Strengthening subsidiary and supportive activities in animal husbandry, fisheries, horticulture, sericulture and poultry through establishment of quality infrastructure, supportive technical services and efficient market linkages at the village or a cluster of village level.

48. Intensive capacity building is needed in modern advances in agriculture and allied sectors for selected young farmers, especially women in every village with Krishi Vigyan Kendras acting as nodal agencies for quality training and for dissemination of knowledge and skills.

49. Merging of MGNREGA and BRGF into one single programme in the LWE affected districts for better convergence of outcomes and with two focii should be administered by one ministry.

50. Providing quality technical/vocational training facilities for a cluster of 10 secondary schools offering training in a wide variety of local/specific needs;

51. Providing at least one residential high school each for boys and girls in these districts under the pattern of Navodaya Schools, together with Bridge school facilities for slow learners and out of school children.

52. Existing ‘ashram’ schools should be upgraded to standards. ‘Eklavya’ schools should be established in each block in these districts. Thus a structure of the follow kind would emerge: ‘ashram’ and vocational schools in a cluster; ‘Eklavya’ schools in a block, and navodaya schools in a district.

53. Discontinue commercial vending of liquor and other intoxicants in terms of the excise policy for tribal areas (1974) and institutionalize control of the Gram Saba over the preparation and use of traditional drinks.

54. Anganwadis should be provided on demand to SC and ST hamlets,which are the worst provided in terms of anganwadi centres in the country.

55. Electrify all villages and habitations through creation of Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone in each block and village electrification infrastructure with at least one distribution transformer in each village/habitation or Decentralized Distributed Generation (DDG), where grid supply is not feasible, together with electrification of all unelectrified below poverty line households.

56. The scope of the clause ‘resolution of disputes’ in section 4(d) of PESA should mean Nyaya Panchayats are constituted for Fifth Schedule area. Each State law should clearly indicate the types of disputes (civil, criminal,social marriages, etc). which Nyaya Panchayats should deal with.

57. It should be made obligatory for all concerned with management and working of forests to consult the Gram Sabha resulting in consent before taking up any operation in the geographical boundary of the village.

58. It shall be the duty of the State to ensure that the full value of the minor forest produce is made available to the primary collector with out any cuts of any description whatsoever.

59. The entire marketing and transportation cost from the collection centers, which shall not be beyond half-a-day march from the Gram Sabha, shall be borne by the State as a charge on the welfare activities in the Scheduled Areas.

60. All Utilisation Certificates pertaining to all projects should be validated by GS.

Animal Husbandry at the grassroots: The Need and solutions

2011-11-22T13:08:00.001+05:30

The Government of Tamil Nadu recently, unveiled the ambitious scheme to freely distribute 60,000 milch cows along with four goats to each of the 70,000 poor families in the next five years.

Such bold initiatives are the need of the hour for poverty alleviation in India. Since, the vast population in the rural areas have been hard hit by the unmindful capitalism and unbridled consumerism, the State has to renew efforts for neo-welfarism with a focus on rural development.

          Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock. It enables poor to become self-reliant and self-sufficient. Apart from providing subsidiary occupation along with nutritional security to the poor households, AH empowers the poor to become financially independent. Moreover, AH also suits to the vast geographical area of India and even the weaker sections such as women and old age section of the population can engage themselves.

A landless labour can easily live a better life with a pair of oxen or a cow. He can rent-out his oxen for agricultural work and make a decent living. Again, the government is yet to reach effectively to such needy sections of the rural India.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (AH&D) of India has taken many steps to promote animal husbandry. However, still such steps are inadequate and less effective to bring positive changes at the bottom.

         For instance, if a lone 60 year old woman would like to rear three or four goats to secure her livelihood, what is the supporting structure from the government? Here, the challenges are many. First of all, the woman is illiterate and does not possess any knowledge about the government schemes. Even if you assume some schemes are available to help her out, how can she approach and take benefit. The middlemen, corrupt local administration, undue delay etc would prevent her from reaping the benefits from the government.

In the above context, the problems at the grassroots level are dynamic and multidimensional. In India, there is no dearth for intelligentsia, to ‘identify’ such problems and ‘criticize’ the government. However, there are few people with a ‘solution’ to such pressing problems of governance.

Such ‘out-of-the-box’ solutions to strengthen animal husbandry at the bottom may include;

1. Come up with a holistic scheme for animal husbandry in the lines of MGNREGA or provide flexibility in the guidelines of MGNREGA to provide livestock to the poor households especially landless labor, Lone old age people, women and Scheduled Caste. This is a practical and highly beneficial step.

2. A public-private partnership to set up structures and institutions to support animal husbandry. For eg: IFFCO Kisan SEZ at Nellore district, Andra Pradesh; Decision to import high yielding 3,000 cows from New Zealand. There is a need for such initiatives in every district, across India. Such a revolution would surely boost agricultural growth in a inclusive and equitable manner.

3. Providing liberal loans and incentives to Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for sustainable animal husbandry. The National Rural Livelihood Mission or Ajeevika should ensure that animal husbandry is integral part of the Mission.

4. More flexibility in the programs from the top along with reliable accountability. MGNREGA’s online management information system can guide such mechanism.

5. Simple and liberal loans to poor from the nearby banks. Micro-credit and financial institutions can play major role here. But direct access for the poor to such micro-loans from the banks is more effective. For instance, as mentioned earlier, a lone 60 year-old woman should be able to get small loan of around 5,000 rupees to buy three goats with a simple procedure at a nearby bank. The bank’s may take collaterals from the local SHG in which old woman is a member.

6. Engage grama panchayats and SHGs to increase effectiveness and outcomes. etc

Total Sanitation Campaign: The real challenges at the ground level

2011-11-21T18:24:00.001+05:30

After being part of the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) at the field level in a grama panchayat, here is the reality check of the dynamic challenges at the field level.

As a young, panchayat development officer after taking the complete charge of the grama panchayat in June 2010, the immediate challenge given by the District Administration was to, “ Achieve 100% sanitation in the panchayat within next 3 months, no matter what else you do, however you do,what ever you do”.

The target was simple. To somehow nudge or motivate nearly 800 out of the 1200 households to construct individual latrine complex in 8 villages of the panchayat. No luxury of time. The target to be achieved within 3 months. The CEO of the Zilla Panchayat would directly call almost every week asking for the status update of the progress achieved.

The CEO of the ZP asserted, “We have high expectations from the young officers like you. I have already committed to the government that, from the district 16 grama panchayats for Nirmal Grama Puraskar (NGP) Award for achieving 100% open defecation free environment in GPs. I want you to ensure nearly 800 toilets are constructed by the poor villagers in the next 3 months”

The reply was “ OK sir. I will do it”!!

Well, the government ‘assists’ poor households for constructing individual latrine rooms. Rupees 3,000 is given per family to ‘help’ them. Hence, the basic assumption seems to be that, poor households living in dilapidated houses are inherently ‘motivated’ enough to use their savings to construct a solid-brick latrine room. The perennial question is “how do we motivate a poor person to achieve sanitation?”.

The TSC assumes a community-led ‘sanitation movement’ to help motivate the poor, who struggles for two-square meals every day, construct a sanitation structure. But such a uniform guidelines with no or less flexibility at the field level pose many challenges. For instance, how will you motivate a lone 80 year old senior citizen living in a hut to construct a toilet room by using bricks and cement along with cement rings for the latrine pit?

Hence, the challenges were huge. Solutions are few. Briefly, such challenges include;

1. No clear guidelines from the top.

For eg: Multiplicity of beneficiary list; Whether Indira Awas Yojana beneficiaries eligible for TSC’s assistance?, no guidelines for solid waste management of an entire village etc

2. No flexibility in guidelines at the field level.

3. Shortage of staff for proper documentation and inspection.

4. Low levels of cooperation from the community along with low morale of local officials.

5. Absence of clear technical and accountable mechanism for accountability and monitoring.

6. Constant and regular ‘pressure’ from the top without being mindful of the ground realities. McGregor’s Theory X is literally followed by the senior officers at the district level, in dealing with the block level or village level officers.

7. Sometimes shortage of funds at grama panchayat; making local officers prone to ire of the poor people for the undue delays in payment.

8. Heavy handedness of district administration. For eg, the grama panchayats have no idea, who constructed ‘unfit’ toilet rooms for Anganwadis and Schools. Possibility of contracting out without taking the local administration into confidence.

9. Lack of adequate space in the dwelling units especially in the sub-urban areas.

10. Inadequate assistance of three thousand rupees often fails to motivate the poor. The rise of prices of the construction materials further accentuates the challenge.

There are many real life examples for each of the above challenges. However, the TSC has been the much needed initiative by the government. The key learnings and experience would help to achieve the desired outcome in the nearby future.

Anna Hazare Movement in India : a defining moment in the history

2011-09-05T22:05:00.001+05:30

The unprecedented anti-corruption movement under the leadership of Anna Hazare in India is a defining moment in the post-independent India.

The movement is a rich case study to study and analyse the socio-economic sentiments and characteristics of the new generation of pro-westren and tech-savvy urban youth. It is also a rare test for the fledgling but fast maturing democracy in India.

Non-voilent mass struggle is the most potent weapon to achieve the societal goals.The society responds rapidly and instantaneously for a just and pressing cause. The criticism on Indian youth for being ignorant to the vital issues of governance does't hold any water as of now.There is need for giving such 'mild shocks' occassionally to the people in power to remind their basic duties and obligations.

The political class suddenly realized their previleges, rights and powers. They unnanimously voiced their right to legislate the laws and rules on the floor of parliament. The legislative machinery in the country suddenly started to move 'smoothly' after a long time. They should have realized that the wrath of common man is like a wild fire can engulf anything that comes in its way. They got united to douze the fire of the movement.
Neverthless, the society at large is increasingly getting politicized with more knowledge and awakeness about governance. Such process has gained momentum in the first decade of the 21st century. The reason may be slow rise of the vast middle class, more ambitious and impatient youth in a liberalised era etc. Also, the ever-increasing roles and responsibilities of local self-goverments across India has almost 'politicised' the rural people completely. And the Anna Hazare has brought more elite, urban middle class into the political mainstream especially youth.

The political leaders should tread more caustiously than ever before now. The words, actions, and steps of the representatives will be watched more closely by the 'awakened' India. The recent anti-incumbency wave that swept across Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal is a stark reminder of the voting behaviour of the next generation.

As reported by the media, the recent acts of suppressing the dissent by the government is very disturbing. Such a counter-offensive 'witch-hunt' is against the basic tenets of the democracy.It creates a 'fear' psychosis in the minds of a common man to voice against the State. In the words of Thomas Jefferson,

"A government afraid of its citizens is a Democracy. Citizens afraid of government is tyranny!"

Hope India matures into a viable democracy than a tyrannical aristocracy of powerful elites.

Poverty in Rural India

2011-07-14T21:39:00.000+05:30

Telangana State: The demand can't be ignored any longer

2011-07-06T17:43:00.000+05:30

The demand for a seperate Telangana state has garnered an unprecented mass support within the Telangana region. The widespread voilent protests by the students and bandhs have marred the social life and economy of the region. The central government has failed to capitalise on the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere to arrive at an acceptalble political consensus till now.

The centre could have taken pro-active steps to address the socio-economic problems within the framework of an united Andra Pradesh. Such an opportunity seems to have been lost now. The tactics of 'wait-pacify-ignore' by the centre seems to be over. There is an urgent need to meet the demands of the people by taking pro-active and bold steps to address this sensitive and complex issue.

Right to e-Freedom!

2011-07-04T09:28:00.003+05:30

The internet freedom is a basic requirement of any modern democracies. The right to freedom of expression and access to information is the bedrock of our Constitution.

The Google Transparency Report 2010 notes that "the number of requests from Indian authorities for disclosure of data about Internet users and for removal of content from websites has risen sharply".

India being the largest and the most vibrant democracy, these attempts to curtail freedom over the internet is sets in a disturbing trend. The internet usage has increased dramatically since 1990s. The large population of young Indians use internet as a preferred medium as an interface with the government.

There must be freedom to express thoughts and opinions over the internet especially on the ideas and policies of the political leaders. The government can be impose reasonable restriction on the internet content which poses serious threat to the safety and security of the people.

How does MGNREGA 'legally' works?

2011-07-02T10:58:00.002+05:30

The vast majority of the people finds it difficulty to understand the intricate procedure and processes involved in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme. The Act airms to provide legal quarantee of 100 days of work per family per annum in rural India. The goal is to alleviate mass poverty and prevent distress migration among the rural households.

The detailed process involved from starting of a work to its completion is listed below:

1. Any household in a grama panchayath ( local government of a group of villages not single village) can demand for a job card. One job card is given per family. It is a legal entitlement for a rural family guaranteeing 100 days of unskilled manual work.

2. The local officer issues a job card for a family and register the family details into the online Monitoring and Information System (MIS) of the central government through Data Entry option.

3. A group of job card holders submits an apllication for work demanding for the allocation of a work from the grama panchayath.

4. The local officer allocates a work to the group by updating the MIS system. He allocates the job cards given in the 'demand for the work application form' to a particular work from a self-of-works in the MIS online.

5. The local officer takes a print-out of an attendence sheet (Blank Nominal Mustor Roll - NMR) from the MIS by giving the start and end date of the allocated work.

6. The group of workers start the work and the local officer fills the attendence sheet (NMR) till the work gets completed.

7. The officer updates the MIS system with the attendence of the workers by filling the online blank attendence sheet. The demand for the wages for the number of days worked goes to the government on submitting the attendence details. He takes the print-out of the filled attendence sheet (filled NMR)
.
8. The officer also updates the materials cost incurred for the completion of the work. It is often termed a 'Supply Bill' of the work, which goes to the contractors for supplying the materails like cement, mud, stones etc required for the work. The limit on the supply bill is 40% of the total cost of the work.

9. The government releases the money directly into the grama panchayaths bank account through online. The government assumes data and cost entered by a local officer is 100% correct.!! There is no mechanism to check the data or cost before releasing the money from Delhi to a village bank account.

10. The local officer prepares a list of worker names and their bank account number along with wages to be given to each worker. He sends the list and signed cheque to the local bank manager.

11. The local bank manager transfers the money from the grama panchayath account into the savings account of the workers accounts as per the list sent by the local officer.

12. The workers visit the bank and withdraw the wages from their saving accounts.

13. The local officer updates the cash book at the MIS.

This is the way the NREGA Act, 2005 envisages the 'legal entitlement' for the rural poor but the local elected representatives and officers are far more smarter than the Act. There are many loopholes in the above process, which are duly utilised to channel the billions into drains. I will list those loopholes next time.

The Prime Minister's inclusion in the Lokpal(Ombudsman)

2011-07-01T22:02:00.000+05:30

The Constitution of India never envisages special status to the Prime Minister. Rather PM is mere considered as the first among the equals within the comity of council of ministers. But it is still baffling the way some political leaders and retired judicial members call for the exclusion of PM from the Lokpal's ambit.

There is a urgent need for rapid reforms in governance to restore the confidence of the people. The gradually deteriorating confidence of the investors should be also be restored by the government.

After the economic reforms during 1990s, Dr Manmohan Singh high should pave the way for reforms on governance by starting with a strong Lokpal at the centre.

The New signs of Social Activism against Corruption!

2011-06-19T20:33:00.000+05:30

There is a new dynamism and awareness in the civil society of the present emerging India. The recent hunger strikes and protests against the corruption in the governance is the reflective of that new trend. The media has played a crucial role in this social activism. The civil society led by noted Gandhian Anna Hazare and yoga guru Baba Ramdev has created a widespread waves across India against corruption. The key demands were to bring a tough legislation to fight corruption and bring back the black money from the foreign tax havens. These demands are genuine and apt.

The way these fledgling civil society movements are developing is a cause of concern. These movements demand a quick fix solution for century-old problems ignoring the legal and constitutional framework to some extent. The leaders of civil society should have more patience and better organised to face the political leaders and their willy tactics. The civil society movement should garner the support of masses across India rather declaring hunger-unto-death strikes often. They should have firm and single voice with mass support. Finally, the momentum generated against the graft should carefully utilised to maintain the pressure on the government.

CONSERVATION OF MANGROVES

2010-03-28T18:56:00.000+05:30

Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants of tropical and subtropical intertidal regions of the world. The specific regions where these plants occur are termed as 'mangrove ecosystem'. These are highly productive but extremely sensitive and fragile. Besides mangroves, the ecosystem also harbours other plant and animal species.

There is 4445 km2 mangrove cover in the country. During 2005, there was increase in the mangrove areas in Gujarat from 916 sq. km. to 936 sq. . Gujarat has shown an increase in mangrove cover mainly because of plantations and protection measures. Despite increase in mangrove in certain areas, the total mangrove cover of the country has been marginally reduced, i.e.to the tune of 3 km sq.km. Thus, from 4488 km^{2 in}2003 it has reached at 4445sq.km.

There is reduction in the area in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 658sq. km. to 637 sq. km. In West Bengal it has come to 2118 sq. from 2120 sq. km. This is mainly because of the tsunami that hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 26 December 2004.

On a nation-wide basis, 38 sites have been identified as appropriate for planting of mangroves, and their conservation and management. The State –wise list is given in the table.

Under the scheme on conservation and management of mangrovs,100% Central Assistance is given to coastal States and Union Territories for implementing the approved Management Action Plans in the identified sites for components like survey and demarcation, mangrove planting restoration and regeneration, livelihood supports for supplementary and alternate occupations protection & surveillance measures and education and awareness.

38 Sites Identified for Conservation and Management of Mangroves

State/ Union	Mangrove areas
Territories
West Bengal	1. Sunderbans
Orissa	2. Bhaitarkanika
	3. Mahanadi
	4. Subernrekha
	5. Devi
	6. Dharma
	7. Mangrove Genetic Resources Centre
	8. Chilka
Andhra Pradesh	9. Coringa
	10.East Godavari
	11. Krishna
Tamil Nadu	12. Pichavarama
	13. Muthupet
	14. Ramnad
	15. Pulicat
	16. Kazhuveli
Andman & Nicobar	17. North Andmans
	18. Nicobar
Kerala	19. Vembanad
	20. Kannur (Northern Kerala)
Karnataka	21. Coondapur
	22.Dakshin Kannada /Honnavar
	23. Karwar
	24. Manglore Forest Division
Goa	25. Goa
Maharashtra	26. Achra-Ratnagiri
	27. Devgarh- Vijay Durg
	28. Veldur
	29. Kundalika- Revdanda
	30.Mumbra-Devi
	31. Vikroli
	32. Shreevardhan
	33. Vaitarna
	34. Vasai- Manori
	35. Malvan
Gujarat	36. Gulf of Kutchh
	37. Gulf of Khambhat
	38. Dumas- Ubhrat

KARNATAKA : A VALLEY UNDER SEIGE

2010-03-28T13:28:00.000+05:30

Tucked away deep in the Western Ghats in North Karnataka is Mahadeo Valley, the source of two important rivers – the Mahadei and Mallaprabha. Both these rivers and the forests in the valley face a variety of threats, which if not reversed, may have severe consequences for the ecology of the area.

The Western Ghats skirting the west coast of peninsular India, and extending from Kerala in the south to Gujarat in the north, are home to some rare floral and faunal species. The region has been included in the Global 200 Ecoregions and has come to be recognised as a biodiversity hotspot.

Its lush green forests and the high mountain ranges are the source of many perennial rivers, which include the Cauvery, Mahadei, and Mallaprabha. Most of them empty into the Arabian Sea while others like the Cauvery and Mallaprabha flow eastward.

The Western Ghats have been the subject of much debate, thanks to several controversial development projects and schemes, many of which have not only destroyed the pristine forests but also severely affected water catchment areas. This has resulted in many a perennial river turning seasonal. Mallaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna, is a classic example. Large-scale deforestation and human activity have devastated its catchment areas, drying it up during the lean season.

The source of both the Mallaprabha and Mahadei is Mahadeo valley, located in Khanapur taluk of Belgaum district, Karnataka. The rivers flow in opposite directions but run parallel to each other for some distance. Mahadei, known as the Mandovi in Goa, flows for almost 80 km before entering the Arabian Sea near Panaji.

The large-scale devastation of forest cover in the valley has severely affected the catchment areas of the two rivers. The fear is that the Mandovi, the lifeline of Goa, may go the Mallaprabha way if the destructive activities are not curbed.

One of the problems, conservationists say, is that many forest patches in the valley are privately owned (malki lands). The owners of these lands are a law unto themselves. While the Forest Act provisions are also applicable to private forest lands, "there is nothing much that can be done to prevent the owners from felling tress," according to a Belgaum-based army officer and nature lover, who has toured the area extensively. "The evidence is there for all to see. Many malki lands have been denuded of tree cover and are now being used to cultivate food and cash crops," he adds. "This is particularly true on the Goan side of the ghats where deforestation is much more rampant."

The devastation of prime evergreen forests in the area has already contributed to reduced rainfall. Coupled with the local environmental degradation by the malki landowners and private mining interests is the likely threat from water and irrigation projects said to be in the pipeline. These projects and water diversion schemes, conservationists point out, will sound the death knell for whatever remains of the "protected" jungles.

The forests in the valley are known to be the home of several endemic species of flora and fauna, including some 174 varieties of medicinal plants confined to "just one small area."

Any disturbance to the valley, the main watershed and catchment area for the two rivers, will lead to "untold" and "unimaginable" consequences on the water cycle, the weather pattern and rainfall in the area.

Ironically, the State Forest Department, which has undertaken a survey covering over 2,000 sq. km, is thinking of declaring the entire area, including the contiguous wildlife sanctuaries of Dandeli in Karnataka, Molem in Goa and Radha Nagari in Maharashtra, as a biosphere reserve. Indeed, such a step will augur well for conservation as the area is also known to be a migratory corridor for many wild animals, including the tiger. How then can anyone think of destructive projects in the area, ask conservationists.

What is particularly worrying is that the area is the only known habitat of the Wroughton’s freetailed Bat, according to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The Barapade caves are the bat’s roosting site during day time. The species is extremely vulnerable to roost disturbances and is included in the Red Data List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Similarly, the Krishnapur caves in the area are one of the three homes of another speceies of bat, Taphozous Theobaldi, the other two being in Madhya Pradesh. The introduction of any minor or major irrigation schemes will thus have both short-and long-term ecological consequences on the area. What is the solution then? First and foremost, no project harmful to the ecology of the area must be taken up. In order that no further damage is done to the forests, malki land should not be permitted for timber harvesting, except to meet local needs. This would entail strict policing of the area. Finally, monoculture must be stopped and only plantations of local variety allowed.

By C. Shekhar Nambiar

India becomes first developing country to assume Chairmanship of IPDC

2010-03-25T21:11:00.000+05:30

Shri Raghu Menon, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India was elected as Chairman of the Inter-Governmental Council of the International Programme for Development of Communication (IPDC). This is for the first time in the history of IPDC that a developing country will be in the chair of the Inter-Governmental Council of the IPDC. Since its inception, the Chairmanship had always remained with developed countries.

The candidature of the India, endorsed by Asia Pacific Regional Group and supported by countries from Africa, Arab and Lain American Region, won the election with 23 out of 37 votes against Switzerland who got 14 votes.

The Inter-Governmental Council of the IPDC was established in 1980 and implements national, regional and inter-regional projects in the areas of promotion of freedom of expression and media pluralism, development of community media, capacity building and promotion of international partnership.

The IPDC is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development in developing countries. The Programme not only provides support for media projects but also seeks an accord to secure a healthy environment for the growth of free and pluralistic media in developing countries.

In his acceptance speech, Shri Raghu Menon thanked the members of the Inter-Governmental Council for reposing faith in his leadership and assured his full commitment for strengthening programme implementation under IPDC’s mandates. Apart from media development as a vehicle for fostering good governance, democracy and transparency, he also highlighted the need for media to be inclusive so as to ensure spread, reach and coverage of media accessibility to all the citizens. Inclusiveness would result in bridging the urban rural divide, reaching economically under-privileged sections of the society and to make full use of the technological advance to provide access to information at affordable costs. Shri Menon underlined the spin-off effect of the projects under implementation by IPDC in influencing policy formulation by Member States and underlined the importance of greater generation of resources for IPDC.

India has contributed US $ 1.4 million to IPDC Programme since its inception and is strongly committed to the Fund and its programmes. India will be Chair of the Inter-Governmental Council of IPDC till its next Session in 2012.

OPENING REMARKS OF PM TO THE FULL PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

2010-03-25T20:46:00.000+05:30

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, chaired the Full Planning Commission meeting in New Delhi on 23 March, 2010. Following is the text of the Prime Minister’s opening remarks on the occasion:-

“I am very happy to open this meeting of the full Planning Commission to discuss the Mid Term Appraisal of the Eleventh Plan.

We have completed three years of the Eleventh Plan and the Mid Term Appraisal is a report card on our achievements in this period. It gives us an idea of how far we have been able to meet our stated objective of faster and more inclusive growth.

I have asked the Deputy Chairman to highlight some of the challenges emerging from the Appraisal in his presentation to this meeting. In my remarks, I will focus on the broad picture which should guide our discussions.

The Mid Term Appraisal brings out clearly the strengths of India’s economy and also the resilience it has shown during the global economic crisis. In the five years preceding the crisis in 2008-09, our economy grew at an average growth rate of nearly 9% per year. The rate of investment had increased nearly to 38% of GDP and was financed by a domestic saving rate of over 36 % of GDP. These high rates of investment and savings were accompanied by the growing dynamism and competitiveness of the private sector. Despite being hit by a global crisis of exceptional severity, we were able to maintain a growth rate averaging nearly 7% in the last two years.

Our strengths can help us return to the 9% growth trajectory by 2011-12. However, as the Mid Term Appraisal rightly emphasises, restoration of high growth should not be taken for granted.

The global environment is expected to remain difficult in the years that lie ahead and exports are likely to grow more slowly than they did before the crisis. We will need another source of demand to offset slower exports growth and that demand should ideally come from an expansion in investment in infrastructure, both in the rural areas and the economy in general.

Our concern for inclusiveness in the Eleventh Plan period is reflected in the fact that in addition to the 9% growth target, the Plan lists 26 other monitorable targets highlighting inclusiveness concerns. These include targets for agricultural growth, poverty reduction, employment generation, school enrolment, reduction in the gender gap, reduction in IMR and MMR, and access to clean drinking water.

We do not have all the data we need to measure progress in these dimensions during the first three years of the Eleventh Plan but the document before us presents a reasonable assessment of the overall position in these areas.

As far as agricultural growth is concerned, the severe drought we faced in 2009-10 has depressed the average performance in the first 3 years. However, the drought has been managed much better than in the past, with a much smaller negative effect on output. With a normal monsoon this year, we can expect a strong rebound in agricultural production. The Mid Term Appraisal suggests that agricultural growth will definitely be better than in the Tenth Plan. If we can ensure that the various schemes for supporting agriculture production, expanding irrigation and building rural infrastructure are implemented well in the remaining two years of the Plan, there is a good chance that agricultural growth may come close to the 4% target.

A very positive feature of developments in recent years is that the growth performance across states shows definite narrowing of dispersion. Data are only available upto 2008-09, but they do show that previously poorer performing states are also accelerating. Our policies have not helped only the advanced states; they are also helping the poorer states to improve their performance as well.

Our target for reducing poverty is to cut the percentage of the population below the poverty line by ten percentage points during the Plan period. This implies a pace of poverty reduction more than twice that experienced in the past. Our success in ensuring inclusive growth depends critically on how well we do in this dimension of perfomance.

The official estimates of poverty are based on the large sample NSS survey which was last conducted in 2004-05. The next estimate will be for 2009-10, based on the NSS survey which is currently being conducted. Estimates from this survey will be available by 2011. The question whether the high growth rate experienced in the period after 2004-05 has helped to reduce poverty can be answered confidently only after that.

Although we do not have data on poverty or even on employment after 2004-05, we do have assessments of the performance of the many schemes and programmes that are designed to achieve the objective of inclusiveness.

The most recent of these is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the largest Centrally Sponsored Scheme in the system with an annual outlay of around Rs 40,000 crore. The total employment generated through the MGNREG in 2009-10 is about three times the level achieved from the wage employment programmes in operation earlier in the country. The scheme has been well targeted, with more than half the beneficiaries being from the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. It is has also been well balanced gender-wise, with women constituting about half the beneficiaries.

There are many other central government schemes which seek to push the inclusive growth agenda. These include the Sarva Shiksa Abhiyan and the Mid Day Meal Scheme, the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, the Indira Awas Yojana, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Integrated Child Development Services, the National Social Assistance Programme, the Total Sanitation Campaign, the Accelerated Rural Drinking Water Programme, and two new Eleventh Plan initiatives the National Rural Health Mission and the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. In addition, there are a number of programmes specifically targeted to the needs of the Scheduled castes, the Scheduled Tribes and the Minorities.

The total expenditure in these schemes has increased steadily during the Eleventh Plan and has reached Rs.1,61,784 crore in 2010-11. I am happy to say that these efforts have produced progress towards the objectives intended. Rates of enrolment in primary schools have increased. Gender gaps in schooling are narrowing. Life expectancy rates of immunisation of children have increased. The percentage of population with access to safe drinking water has also gone up and so has village connectivity and electrification. But I must add that while there is progress, we have achieved less than what we need to.

The Mid Term Appraisal also brings out many deficiencies in the implementation of these schemes that need to be removed. Our focus must shift from making demands for more resources to expand schemes to undertaking a serious review of their effectiveness and improving the implementation on the ground.

Since all these service delivery oriented programmes are in areas that are the domain of the states, and indeed within the states in the domain of Panchayati Raj Institutions, the key to more efficient delivery lies in devolving power to the PRIs and also encouraging greater involvement of the people’s representatives in performing oversight functions and ensuring accountability.

The Mid Term Appraisal clearly brings out that while functions have been devolved in almost all states, there is little progress in the devolution of funds or even functionaries. In most states, functionaries at the PRI level are drawn from the Departmental cadres posted on deputation to the PRIs. The Appraisal brings out very clearly the need to build capacities at the local level both in the PRIs and the ULBs.

I would urge the Planning Commission to bring these issues to the forefront in the regular Annual Plan meetings with Chief Ministers

Let me conclude my observations by returning to the issue of infrastructure development. Deficiencies in infrastructure are a critical constraint on our ability to achieve faster growth and the Eleventh emphasises the role of expanding investment in infrastructure through a combination of expanded public investment combined with private investment wherever feasible.

The Plan has a target of increasing the investment in infrastructure from little under 6% in 2006-07 to 9% in 2011-12. The Mid Term Appraisal reports that total investment in infrastructure is likely do well because of a massive expansion beyond the original target in telecommunications, led by an investment boom in the private sector.

But, in all the other infrastructure areas investment will be short of the target. In some areas like power generation, the appraisal shows that private investment may exceed the target while the public sector may fall short of it. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that both the Centre and the states do well in the infrastructure sectors in the remaining period of the Plan.

To summarise, I think the Eleventh Plan made a good start which was interrupted by the global crisis. We have been able to weather the crisis reasonably well and should be able to return to a high growth path by the end of the Plan period.

I now request the Deputy Chairman to make his presentation of the specific challenges we face in the next two years.”

Ruchika's Case: The Complete Story

2010-03-04T09:19:00.000+05:30

Abuse Case Rouses India’s Middle Class

By LYDIA POLGREEN

PANCHKULA, India — She was a gifted 14-year-old tennis player who idolized Steffi Graf and hoped to turn pro. He was a senior police official and president of the state lawn tennis club. He lured her to his office with a promise of special coaching that could make her tennis dreams come true, then groped her.

This encounter set in motion a saga that has taken almost 20 years to unfold. The family of the girl, Ruchika Girotra, threatened to press charges. Shambhu Pratap Singh Rathore, a senior officer in the Haryana State Police, then waged a campaign of harassment and intimidation against Ruchika so severe that she eventually committed suicide. Her brother, Ashu, was falsely accused of stealing cars, and said he had been beaten and tortured in custody.

All the while Mr. Rathore, a flamboyant, mustachioed presence with deep ties to many of the state’s top politicians, rose through the ranks, retiring in 2002 as a state police chief.

Ruchika Girotra’s ordeal is hardly unique. Girls are molested all the time in India; powerful officials often abuse their office to avoid criminal prosecution; sclerotic courts are painfully slow and often corrupt.

But the case is emblematic of the way India’s growing middle class, egged on by a lively news media hungry for sensational stories, is increasingly unwilling to accept these seemingly immutable truths and willing to fight back.

And increasingly the courts of law and public opinion have forced the government to act against the grossest abuses of power. The fight for justice for Ruchika has become a symbol of middle-class rage at a broken system.

“This was a cute girl from a middle-class family,” said Ranjana Kumari, a leading women’s rights advocate and director of the Center for Social Research in New Delhi. “The media, the activist groups and eventually the politicians could no longer ignore it. It has become a symbol of everything that is wrong with India.”
Mr. Rathore, reached by telephone at his home, declined to discuss the case. “I am not talking to the media,” he said. “The courts will decide the issue.”

A chronology of the Girotra family’s ordeal has been pieced together from interviews with witnesses and court documents and police records.

On Aug. 11, 1990, Mr. Rathore went to the tidy home in Panchkula of S. C. Girotra, a widower and bank manager, to talk to him about Mr. Girotra’s daughter, Ruchika. The girl was a gifted player, Mr. Rathore said, and could go far with good training. The next day Ruchika went to see him at his office, bringing her friend Aradhna along.

Mr. Rathore asked the two girls to come into his office, then sent Aradhna out of the room. When she came back a few minutes later she saw Mr. Rathore pressing himself against Ruchika.

“I saw him holding Ruchika tightly,” she said. “She couldn’t even breathe.”

Startled, Mr. Rathore let go, and Ruchika ran out of the room. He turned to Aradhna and said, “Ask her to cool down, and I will do whatever she will say,” according to a police report.

Aradhna found Ruchika sobbing outside. As they walked home, they wondered what to do.

“We were really scared,” Aradhna said. “We asked ourselves, ‘Can we ignore it?’ ”

Even at that age they knew that a senior police officer like Mr. Rathore had the power to harm their families, she said. They decided to keep silent.

But the next day Mr. Rathore called Ruchika to his office again. Terrified, they told their parents. Mr. Girotra and several of his neighbors went to Mr. Rathore’s house to confront him. Mr. Girotra said that all he wanted was an apology.

But Mr. Rathore slipped away.

Mr. Girotra wrote to Haryana’s top government officials. At first everyone seemed to take the matter very seriously. The state’s director general of police, R. R. Singh, urged that criminal charges be filed against Mr. Rathore.

But the charges never materialized; under Indian criminal law the police have enormous latitude in deciding whether to open a case and did not do so. Instead, a campaign of harassment began against Ruchika and her family.

First she was expelled from school. The principal of the Roman Catholic school she attended claimed she had been thrown out for not paying her fees. Mr. Girotra tried to pay the small amount that was past due, but the principal refused to accept his money.

“I told her, ‘Look here, Ruchika is the victim,’ ” he said.

An investigation conducted years later discovered that many other girls, including Mr. Rathore’s daughter, were also behind on their tuition payments and had not been expelled.

Ruchika was hounded everywhere she went, so she began a life of confinement.

“She was such a bubbly character before all this,” said her brother, Ashu. But she folded into herself, blaming herself for the family’s misfortunes, wishing she had never told anyone about the incident.

The case against Mr. Rathore stalled. Mr. Girotra continued agitating, but he found every door closed to him.

“He was so powerful,” Mr. Girotra said of Mr. Rathore. “He had clout. All of the politicians were hand in glove with him.”

Three years passed. Ashu, by then a 19-year-old college student, was arrested on suspicion of stealing cars and imprisoned. He was beaten and fed only tea and bread for two months, he said.

“They tied my hands behind my back and hung me upside down,” he said. “They took off my trousers and beat my legs with leather belts and sticks.”

He was finally released on bail, and Mr. Girotra wept when he saw his son, wasted away and barely able to walk. Ruchika took it even harder.

“She held herself responsible for this state of affairs,” Ashu said.

Soon he was arrested again, and held for weeks without explanation. On Dec. 25, 1993, the police brought Ashu to the Girotras’ neighborhood and paraded him through the streets, battered and in handcuffs.

“The policemen told Ruchika: ‘You see the condition of your brother? The same thing will happen to your father also,’ ” Mr. Girotra said.

Three days later Mr. Girotra found his daughter unconscious in her bed, white froth on her lips. She had taken poison. She died the next day, at age 18.

Ashu was released the day after his sister’s body was cremated. A judge later concluded that the there was no evidence to support the charges against him. But the years of legal trouble shattered his dream of becoming an army officer or a civil servant.

Mr. Girotra sold his house as quickly as he could for a fraction of its value and moved with his son to another state.

As the Girotra family’s fortunes plummeted, Mr. Rathore’s career took off. He was promoted by a series of chief ministers, winning the top police post in the state in 1999.

But the Ruchika case did not go away. Ruchika’s friend Aradhna and her parents, Anand and Madhu Parkash, kept pressing for a full investigation.

“Ruchika’s death made it impossible for us to let the case go,” said Mr. Parkash, a silver-haired retired bureaucrat. “If someone is molesting my daughter’s friend today, someone will molest my daughter tomorrow.”

That decision came at a price. Mr. Rathore filed civil and criminal cases against the family. Mr. Parkash was demoted and ultimately forced to retire early at a lower pension.

But the telegenic, articulate Parkash family caught the attention of India’s flourishing 24-hour television news stations, which embraced Ruchika’s story as a crusade. The economic reforms of the early 1990s had given rise to a small but growing Indian middle class, and many families saw their own children in Ruchika.

The Parkash family waged a much-publicized battle in the courts to get charges filed against Mr. Rathore, and finally, in 1999, the Haryana High Court ruled in their favor.

In January 2000, nearly a decade after the incident, Mr. Rathore was charged with molesting Ruchika Girotra. He faced a sentence of up to two years in prison if convicted. He was placed on leave from the police force.

The trial stretched on for almost another decade. Mr. Rathore’s wife, Abha, a well-known High Court lawyer, defended him. Mr. Girotra said that the defense found endless ways to drag out the trial. There were more than 400 hearings and repeated continuances. Mrs. Rathore cross-examined witnesses for months.

Finally, on Dec. 21, 2009, nearly two decades after the crime, Mr. Rathore was convicted of molesting Ruchika. The judge gave him a reduced sentence of six months in prison after his wife argued that the long trial and Mr. Rathore’s age, 67, entitled him to leniency. He was also fined 1,000 rupees, about $22.

Mr. Rathore is out on bail as he appeals the verdict. Mr. Girotra and his son have filed new charges against Mr. Rathore for his involvement in the son’s arrest and treatment. Now the Girotra and Parkash families want the government to charge Mr. Rathore with a more serious crime, abetment to suicide, contending that he drove Ruchika to her death. That crime carries a 10-year sentence.

The government is planning changes to its criminal procedures in response to the case. Now officers will be required to file charges based on the victim’s statement alone in cases involving sexual crimes, a measure aimed at making it harder to evade investigation. It is also considering fast-track courts to deal with such crimes.

Mr. Parkash said these changes were proof that the people could take on the powerful and win.

“This is a fight against a rotten system,” he said. “We have to do our duty. I will take this case to its logical end, until the end of my life.”

Sachin Tendulkar: The Legend, The Master, The God of Cricket

2010-02-25T12:15:00.002+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar achieved a remarkable feat in the modern sport history by scoring the first ever 200* in just 147 balls with a record 25 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 136.05. This is just another new record of the master batsman of India.

He is a living example showcasing the level of success an ordinary Indian can reach by shear dedication, commitment and hardwork. He would surely inspire millions in India and also in other parts of the world.

Here is some interesting comments about the Master’s achievement from across the globe.

“I have never liked comparisons between great players, but after Wednesday’s incredible game it must be said — Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest batsman of all time. Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself.” – Nasser Hussain in Daily mail

"His record speaks for itself. I can't say I'm surprised. He's a wonderful guy and someone I not only enjoy watching on TV, but I've loved having the opportunity to play against him as well.He made his (Test) debut at 16 and he's still as good as ever, if not better. We're blessed to still have such a great player playing this game." - Australia's Michael Clarke

"I've seen Sachin play and he is perfection personified. If you could turn batting into an industrial production line it would look a lot like Tendulkar. That is why he is so mesmerising. You are watching batting on a consistently superior technical level. I never saw Bradman play but it must have been much the same. I've seen Viv Richards bat and it was brutal. Raw power. (Whenever I played that lazy looking drive off the back foot, I got caught at cover; Richards cleared the boundary without even trying.) Lara has luxurious shots and obviously can play the long innings. But Tendulkar is all classical technique dedicated to scoring runs. I'd hate to have to bowl to him".- Paul Maidment, Forbes Media

"Tendulkar's one of those rare success stories that were entirely predictable from the get-go. He was a child prodigy, breaking records as a schoolboy cricketer in Mumbai back in the late 1980s; greatness was plainly his destiny. So there are literally millions of cricket fans (not all of them Indians) who can honestly respond to every new Tendulkar record by saying, "I told you so."" – TIME

“Once again, as Sachin Tendulkar reached 150 against South Africa, my fellow sports fan at Dawn.com and I gave each other nervous, knowing looks. He said that whenever Tendulkar reaches 150 (he has done it on no less than three previous occasions!), he starts getting anxious.We stopped working when Tendulkar got to 160 and started calling and texting friends to inform them that Saeed bhai’s record was under threat from the master-blaster. And as he reached 180, with almost eight overs to spare, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that Tendulkar was on his way to another record.I’d rather have Tendulkar break Anwar’s record than any other batsman, especially if that batsman is an Indian.Watching Tendulkar break Anwar’s record was surreal. It was also heartbreaking at times. But most of all, it was fantastic! Really, Sachin ala re bhaiya!” - Hafsa Adil is a sports writer for Dawn.com from Pakistan

Comments from the South African fans

“Cograturations Proteas! You have reached a new level of embarassment. A double century in an ODI! What were you doing on the pitch???”

“I believe Smith is watching the game from underneath his bed, just incase a ball comes flying thru, he is taking extra precaution, he might just get hit on the other finger.”

“SA bowlers are getting murdered by India.Tendukar is the main culpritthen again what do you expect from some who's got 4000 runs more than his nearest rival in ODI's.”

“Im proudly South African but credit must be given where it is due. We were made to look like the mini bakers cricketers today. we need to fire our captain and the old wood. Hansie was the last best dude. the only hope we have now is Amla as captain. undoubtly the greatest batsman of all time(no one even comes close: Reason: steyn and kallis(best in the world at the moment in bowling and being an allrounder andyou still got whipped. they should name cricket after him. he holds most of the records (5 of them already).”

“First we send flowers to India instead of buck with dangerous horns. ( I wasn't the one to call them into a bunch of sissies.) Blame the anti apartheid activists who can't think further than their noses. Good thing Smith came home with a pinkie excuse. saved him the embarrassment of maybe after all having to walk the plank. Looks like a mere whitewash still won't make them (realise that Test players are NOT 50 over players. The mentality is miles apart.”

“Our man Kirsten is coaching INDIA and he is doing a REAL FINE job in RUBBING our BOYS NOSES on the INDIAN CRICKET PITCH...Smithy,Kallis, Gibbs,Boucher,Duminy,Bosman..MUST step aside...let AMLA captain the team and GET SOME NEW BLOOD introduced from MAJOLA downwards...”

“After watching todays match I personally are no longer going to watch the Proteas. The team got rid of one handicap (Smith) they then replace him with another handicap, the one and only Gibbs. #WHY?”

“Rooi-Keppie and Kerrie van Zyl seems to be at a loss. How on earth can all SA's top lefthanded batsmen consistently fail during this indian series, while rooi-keppie is the specialist batting coach and a left hander himself?? That first test win looks more and more like a fluke.
Without taking anything away from Sachin's brilliant performance, I have been an avid cricket fan for the past 50 years (and was at the 438 game at the Wanderers), but I have never ever seen a more inept, unprofessional and uninspiring performance by our supposed world beaters than I witnessed today. Where do you go to from here Mr Majola?”

“We should take batting stats with a pinch of salt if the matches were played in the olden days. Today there are TV replays for a 3rd umpire, the bowling is superior, and the fielding is far superior. I am saying here that, relatively speaking, Tendulkar's stats should be seen as equal to, or better than, that of Don Bradman... I wonder how many times bradman was NOT given out LBW because the umpires were hesitant to give him out; how many times he was given not out when he was actually caught after the ball nicked his bat; how many times he was given not out when he had actually been run out but there was no TV replay to confirm this. My position is that had Bradman played in this modern era, his test average would not have been 99.9 but more like Tendulkar's. He would play more matches which would reduce his overall average, since no player is in form in every match he plays over a 15-year period, for example... Just putting some perspective here...”

“i cant believe it... i cant... i dont... know what to say... this is... all so wrong... im just waiting to wake up... im pinching myself... IM PINCHING MYSELF... im not waking up... i cant breathe... my life is over.”

Radical Restructuring of India's Security Architecture

2010-01-30T10:07:00.000+05:30

The Union Home Minister, Shri P.Chidambaram had proposed radical restructuring of the security architecture at the national level. He unveiled the proposal while delivering the 22nd Intelligence Bureau Centenary Endowment Lecture. The topic of the lecture was “A New Architecture of India’s Security”.

As part of the plan, the Home Minister said that India must be able to set up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by the end of 2010 and once set up, NCTC must have the broad mandate to deal with all kinds of terrorist violence, directed against the country and its people.

The Home Minister also suggested restructuring of the Ministry of Home Affairs and said that the Home Minister should devote the whole of his time and energy to matters relating to security.

Following is the text of his lecture, which is hailed as one of the best piece of speech in the recent times by a political leader :

            “The Intelligence Bureau is 122 years old. It celebrated its centenary in the year 1987. Since 1988, a number of distinguished persons – political leaders, scientists, jurists, police officers and administrators – have delivered the Centenary Endowment Lecture. I find that the subjects chosen by the speakers covered a wide range. I confess that I toyed with the idea of speaking on something totally unrelated to the security establishment. However, I thought that discretion was the better part of valour and settled on a subject that is, I hope, both contemporary and futuristic. I thank Shri Rajiv Mathur, Director, Intelligence Bureau for inviting me to deliver this prestigious lecture.

Violence is Omnipresent

Humankind has, through the millennia, co-existed with violence. Hunting and gathering were marked by violence. Tribal groups employed violence to assert their authority over land to the exclusion of other tribal groups. Kingdoms were established by violence; kings were overthrown by violence. War was invariably an instrument of policy: to be a warrior was an honour and great kings were also great warriors. In the twentieth century alone, humankind witnessed two world wars and many smaller wars. About 15 million people were killed in the first World War. Nearly 60 million died in the second World War. In all the conflicts since 1945, it is estimated that nearly 30 million persons may have been killed.

It is only in the latter half of the twentieth century that the seeds were sown for a movement against war. The famous words of Pope John XXIII come to mind: “No more war, never again war.” Nevertheless, little wars were fought over territories or boundaries. Fierce civil wars were fought, and are being fought, within countries. Nations joined together to fight a despot or eject an invader or quell a rebellion. As I speak to you, there is an “official” war in Afghanistan and many more unofficial battles. A world free from war appears to be a distant dream.

While accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, the President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief of the world’s mightiest armed forces said: “We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations – acting individually or in concert – will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.”

Can war be justified? It is a debatable point. Those who justify war point to the larger objectives of a war. That was the case in the Balkans, that was the case in Iraq, and that is the case in Afghanistan. The jury is still out.

Through the twentieth century, many small wars were waged within countries. In Russia and in China, war took the name of “armed liberation struggle” in order to liberate the country from the yoke of capitalism and usher in the so-called rule of the proletariat. The main driver was ideology. Stripped of the rhetoric, it is plain that such conflicts were also driven by the desire to establish the supremacy of a leader or a party. Such ideology-driven internal wars led to the establishment of one-party States such as in China, Vietnam and Cuba.

After the second World War, there was another kind of war. It was called the Cold War. It was fought not with armies or aircraft or ships. It was fought in the shadowy world of espionage and intrigue. Its soldiers were agents and double agents. Its objectives were not very different from the objectives of a regular war. The ultimate goal was military supremacy over other countries of the world. It is said that the Cold War came to an end with the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9, 1989, but that was not the end of all wars. Just as the Cold War came to an end, we witnessed the emergence of another kind of war, namely, jihad.

Jihad is a war or struggle against unbelievers and, currently, it is waged by a number of groups owing allegiance to Islam. Unlike the original Crusades, jihad is not fought like a conventional war. Jihad employs terror as an instrument to achieve its objectives. Such terror is directed against all and sundry, its victims are usually innocent people, and its goal is to overawe and overthrow the established authority. The tactics of the jihadis have been copied by militants belonging to other groups too, not excluding militants professing the Hindu faith.

By a quirk of fate, India in the twenty-first century has turned out to be the confluence of every kind of violence: insurrection or insurgency in order to carve out sovereign States; armed liberation struggle motivated by a rejected ideology; and terrorism driven by religious fanaticism. Never before has the Indian State faced such a formidable challenge. Never before have the Indian people been asked to prepare themselves for such fundamental changes in the manner in which the country will be secured and protected.

The Agony of 26/11

Let me summarize the situation as I found it on December 1, 2008. Two days after the terrorist attack in Mumbai was repulsed – after paying a heavy price of 164 lives – the nation was in shock and anger. A billion plus people felt they had been humiliated and the country had been brought to its knees by a small band of terrorists. The security establishment was in disarray and numerous questions were being asked. Had the intelligence agencies failed? Did the first responder, the Mumbai police, prove to be totally inadequate? Was the famed National Security Guard too slow to get off the block? Did the leadership of the police let down its men? Did the security forces take too long to neutralise ten terrorists? Did the Central and the State Governments fail to provide strong leadership? Did the crisis management system collapse? Did the country pay too heavy a price before it repulsed the terrorist attack? Did the Government fail the people in not mounting a swift counter-attack on the perpetrators of terror?

These questions continue to haunt me and many others even today. I think I have found the answers to some of these questions, but I do not intend to fill this lecture with those answers. My purpose is to outline the broad architecture of a new security system that will serve the country today and in the foreseeable future.

The State of our Police

Let me begin with the foot soldiers. All the States and Union Territories put together had a sanctioned strength of 1,746,215 policemen as on January 1, 2008. Against that number, only 1,478,888 policemen were in place. There are 13,057 police stations and 7,535 police posts in the country. The ratio of available police to per 100,000 people for the whole country is about 130. The international average is about 270. There is no substitute for the policeman who walks the streets. He is the gatherer of intelligence, the enforcer of the law, the preventer of the offence, the investigator of the crime and the standard-bearer of the authority of the State, all rolled into one. If he is not there, it means that all these functions are not performed. That – the failure to perform essential police functions – is where the rot began and that is where the rot lies even today. The first step, therefore, in devising a new security system in the country is to recruit more policemen and policewomen. In my estimate, States would have to recruit over 400,000 constables this year and in the next two years in order to fill the vacancies and in order to provide for expansion of the police forces. A bad police constable is worse than no police constable. Recruitment must therefore be transparent, objective and corruption-free. The Central Government has devised and commended to the States a transparent recruitment procedure that will be totally technology-based and free of any human interference. On its part, the Central Government has implemented the new procedure in the recruitment to the Central Para Military Forces.

The police stations in the country are, today, virtually unconnected islands. Thanks to telephones and wireless, and especially thanks to mobile telephones, there is voice connectivity between the police station and senior police officers, but that is about all. There is no system of data storage, data sharing and accessing data. There is no system under which one police station can talk to another directly. There is no record of crimes or criminals that can be accessed by a Station House Officer, except the manual records relating to that police station. Realising the gross deficiency in connectivity, the Central Government is implementing an ambitious scheme called “Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS).” The goals of the system are to facilitate collection, storage, retrieval, analysis, transfer and sharing of data and information at the police station and between the police station and the State Headquarters and the Central Police Organisations.

If intelligence-gathering is the corner stone of fighting insurgency or insurrection or terror, the foot solider cannot work in isolation. He must be enabled to gather intelligence from the people as well as the representatives and quasi-representatives of the State such as the Sarpanch, the Lambardar, the village accountant etc. More often than not, intelligence is provided by the citizen who would wish to remain faceless and nameless. It is therefore important that State Governments adopt “Community Policing” and establish a toll-free service under which a citizen can provide information or lodge a complaint. It is the myriad bits of information flowing from different sources that, when sifted, analysed, matched, correlated and pieced together, become actionable intelligence. That function must be performed, first and foremost, at the police station.

To sum up, we must have more police stations and, at the police station level, we must have more constables, some of whom are exclusively for gathering intelligence. We must also have a system of community policing, a toll-free service, and a network to store, retrieve and access data relating to crimes and criminals.

Moving up the ladder, at the District and State levels, the Special Branch is the key to better intelligence and more intelligence-based operations. There should be at least one police officer in each police station exclusively for intelligence gathering. As the intelligence gathered flows up to the District Special Branch and State Special Branch, there should be an adequate number of well-trained analysts to analyse the intelligence and to draw the correct conclusions. Intelligence is a specialised function. Not every police officer is qualified to be an intelligence officer. It is therefore imperative that the State Special Branch should be restructured as a specialised and self-sufficient cadre of the State police in terms of personnel, funds and equipment. On January 7, 2009, the Central Government had circulated a proposal to restructure the Special Branch in the State police forces. The implementation of the proposal will mark the beginning of a long-haul effort to restructure the intelligence-gathering machinery at the District and State levels.

At the District and State levels, the police must also be the first responder in case of a militant or terrorist attack. 24 x 7 control rooms must be set up at the District and State levels. Quick Response Teams must be positioned in every district capital and in important towns. Commando units must be raised and placed at different locations. The Central Government is supporting and funding the conversion of two companies of selected IR Battalions into commando units. QRT and commando units should have modern weapons and equipment. The age profile of these units must be young and older men must, periodically, make way for younger men. A special Anti-Terrorist Unit should be created at the State level to pre-empt terrorist activities and investigate terrorist crimes. While States have begun to take steps on these matters, the pace is still slow. States must give a full and true picture of the tasks completed by them and their state of readiness to face any threat or attack.

The Difficult Tasks Ahead

From what I have said so far, the changes that are required to be made in the architecture are quite basic and simple. They can be done by providing more funds, tightening the administration and working to a time-bound plan. Of course, it will also require sound leadership at the political and police levels. However, when we move upwards, serious questions concerning constitutional responsibilities and division of powers will arise. Also, difficult questions would have to be posed and answered regarding the current responsibilities of different organisations. Questions concerning jurisdiction and turf would also arise. If our goal is just extracting a little more from the ‘business as usual’ model, then these questions can be brushed aside or provided ‘don’t-rock-the-boat’ answers. I am afraid that would be self-defeating. Sooner than you think, there may be another crisis like the hijack of IC-814 or another catastrophe like the Mumbai terror attacks. Hence, the time to act is now and I would spell the last word with capitals: N-O-W.

I therefore propose a bold, thorough and radical restructuring of the security architecture at the national level.
The present architecture consists of political, administrative, intelligence and enforcement elements. At the political level, there is the Cabinet Committee on Security. The administrative element is the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Prime Minister’s office and the Cabinet Secretariat. The intelligence elements are spread over different ministries: there is the Intelligence Bureau which reports to the Home Minister; there is the Research and Analysis Wing which falls under the Cabinet Secretariat and, hence, reports to the Prime Minister; there are organisations such as Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and Aviation Research Centre (ARC) which report to the National Security Adviser; and there is the National Security Council Secretariat under the NSA which serves the National Security Council. The armed forces have their own intelligence agencies, one each under the Army, Navy and Air Force and an umbrella body called the Defence Intelligence Agency. There are other agencies which specialise in financial intelligence. These are the Directorates in the Income Tax, Customs and Central Excise departments, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Enforcement Directorate.   The enforcement element of this architecture consists of the central para-military forces such as CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, Assam Rifles, SSB and the NSG. What will strike any observer is that there is no single authority to which these organisations report and there is no single or unified command which can issue directions to these agencies and bodies.

Some changes have indeed been brought about after December 1, 2008. The most beneficial change has been the operationalisation of the Multi-Agency Centre. By an Executive Order issued on December 31, 2008, the MAC was energised with a broader and compulsory membership and a new mandate. Every piece of relevant information or intelligence gathered by one of the participating agencies is brought to the table.    It is analysed and the analysis is shared with the participating agencies. The key benefit is that no one can say that his/her organisation was kept in the dark. Another beneficial change has been the extension of the reach of MAC to the State capitals and the setting up of the Subsidiary-MAC in each State capital in which all agencies operating at the State level, especially the Special Branch of the State police, are represented. Through the MAC-SMAC-State Special Branch network, the Intelligence Bureau has been able to pull more information and intelligence from the State capitals. It has also been able to push more information and intelligence into the State security system.

Another innovation is the security meeting held every day, around noon, under the Chairmanship of the Home Minister. NSA, Home Secretary, Secretary (R&AW), DIB, Chairman, JIC, and Special Secretary (IS) attend the meeting. The broad directions issued at the end of the meeting have brought about better coordination in all aspects of intelligence including gathering, analysing and acting upon the intelligence.

        We should resist the temptation to exaggerate the gains that have been made through these changes at the top. The Home Minister – and by extension the Government – is indeed better informed. The agencies involved are more alert. However, in my view, it does not mean that our capacity to pre-empt or prevent a terrorist threat or attack has been enhanced significantly. As far as responding to a terrorist attack is concerned,     we may have enhanced the capacity to contain and repulse an attack, but I think that there is still some distance to go before we can claim to have acquired the capacity to respond swiftly and decisively to a terror attack. It is this assessment which leads me to argue that the security architecture at the top must be thoroughly and radically restructured.

The New Architecture

        Some steps in this direction are self-evident. For example, there is a need to network all the databases that contain vital information and intelligence. Today, each database stands alone. It does not talk to another database. Nor can the ‘owner’ of one database access another database. As a result, crucial information that rests in one database is not available to another agency. In order to remedy the deficiency, the Central Government has decided to set up NATGRID. Under NATGRID, 21 sets of databases will be networked to achieve quick, seamless and secure access to desired information for intelligence/enforcement agencies. This project is likely to be completed in 18 – 24 months from now.

        Two more projects will commence early next year. The first is the Business Process Re-engineering of the Foreigners Division at a cost of about Rs.20 crore. The second is the more ambitious Mission Mode Project on Immigration, Visa and Foreigners’ Registration and Tracking with the objective of creating a secure and integrated service delivery framework for facilitating legitimate travellers and strengthening security. The scheme will network 169 missions, 77 ICPs, 5 FRROs and over 600 FROs with the Central Foreigners’ Bureau. It is estimated to cost Rs.1011 crore, but the rub is it is slated to be implemented over a period of four and a half years. The gaps in the visa system have been exposed in a number of cases, the most notable among them being the case of David Coleman Headley. The compelling need to create a fool-proof system cannot be overstated. Hence, it is necessary to put the project on a fast track, engage a Mission Director, beg or borrow the money to implement the project, and complete the task within 24 months.

       It is our experience that the networks of terror overlap with the networks of drug-peddling, arms-trading and human-trafficking. The agencies that deal with the latter category of crimes are scattered. For example, the Narcotics Control Bureau is under the Ministry of Home Affairs while the Central Bureau of Narcotics is under the Ministry of Finance. The Arms Act is administered by MHA. As far as human-trafficking is concerned, the primary responsibility lies with the State Governments, but anti-human trafficking cells have been set up only in 9 districts of the country. Regulation and enforcement in each of these areas require to be strengthened and brought under the overall management of internal security.

The Way Forward – NCTC

        Another major idea is the proposal to set up the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC). As the name suggests, the goal is to counter terrorism. Obviously, this will include preventing a terrorist attack, containing a terrorist attack should one take place, and responding to a terrorist attack by inflicting pain upon the perpetrators. Such an organisation does not exist today. It has to be created from scratch. I am told that the United States was able to do it within 36 months of September 11, 2001. India cannot afford to wait for 36 months. India must decide now to go forward and India must succeed in setting up the NCTC by the end of 2010.

        Once NCTC is set up, it must have the broad mandate to deal with all kinds of terrorist violence directed against the country and the people. While the nature of the response to different kinds of terror would indeed be different and nuanced, NCTC’s mandate should be to respond to violence unleashed by any group – be it an insurgent group in the North East or the CPI (Maoist) in the heartland of India or any group of religious fanatics anywhere in India acting on their own or in concert with terrorists outside India. NCTC would therefore have to perform functions relating to intelligence, investigation and operations. All intelligence agencies would therefore have to be represented in the NCTC. Consequently, in my proposal, MAC would be subsumed in the NCTC. Actually, MAC with expanded authority will be at the core of the new organisation and will transform itself into NCTC. The functions that will be added to the current functions of MAC are investigation and operations. As far as investigation is concerned, Government has set up the National Investigation Agency, and that agency would have to be brought under the overall control of NCTC. The last function – operations – would of course be the most sensitive and difficult part to create and bring under the NCTC. But I am clear in my mind that, without ‘operations’, NCTC and the security architecture that is needed will be incomplete. It is the proposed ‘operations’ wing of the NCTC that will give an edge – now absent – to our plans to counter terrorism.

The establishment of the NCTC will indeed result in transferring some oversight responsibilities over existing agencies or bodies to the NCTC. It is my fervent plea that this should not result in turf wars. Some agencies would naturally have to be brought under NCTC and what come to my mind readily are NIA, NTRO, JIC, NCRB and the NSG. The positioning of R&AW, ARC and CBI would have to be re-examined and a way would have to be found to place them under the oversight of NCTC to the extent that they deal with terrorism. The intelligence agencies of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Finance would, of course, continue to remain under the respective Ministry, but their representatives would have to be deputed mandatorily to the NCTC. NATGRID would obviously come under NCTC. So also, CCTNS would have to be supervised by the NCTC.

Given the overarching responsibility of NCTC and its mandate, it will be obvious that it must be headed by a highly qualified professional with vast experience in security related matters. Considering the structure of our services, it is natural to expect that the head of one of our organisations will be appointed to the post, by whatever name it may be called. He/she could be a police officer or a military officer. He/she must be one who has impeccable professional credentials and the capacity to oversee intelligence, investigation and operations. He/she will be the single person accountable to the country on all matters relating to internal security. At the Government level, and in order to be accountable to Parliament, it would be logical and natural to place the NCTC under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

That leaves the question of the structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs itself. MHA now handles a wide portfolio of subjects ranging from ‘freedom fighters’ to ‘forensic science’. Is this a functional arrangement to deal with the grave challenges to internal security that we face and that we will face from many more years? I am afraid not. It is true that the words ‘Ministry of Home Affairs’ have an authoritative ring, but the MHA now performs a number of functions that have no direct relation to internal security. For example, it has a division dealing with freedom fighters but it does not have even a desk for dealing exclusively with forensic science. There are other divisions or desks that deal with Centre-State Relations, State Legislation, Human Rights, Union Territories, Disaster Management, Census etc. These are undoubtedly important functions and deserve close attention. However, internal security is an equally, if not more, important function that deserves the highest attention. In my view, given the imperatives and the challenges of the times, a division of the current functions of the Ministry of Home Affairs is unavoidable. Subjects not directly related to internal security should be dealt with by a separate Ministry or should be brought under a separate Department in the MHA and dealt with by a Minister, more or less independently, without referring every issue to the Home Minister. The Home Minister should devote the whole of his/her time and energy to matters relating to security.

It is after one year in office that I have ventured to outline the new architecture for India’s security. There are two enemies of change. The first is ‘routine’. Routine is the enemy of innovation. Because we are immersed in routine tasks, we neglect the need for change and innovation. The second enemy is ‘complacency’. In a few days from today, 2009 will come to a close, and I sincerely hope that we may be able to claim that the year was free from terror attacks. However, there is the danger of a terror-free year inducing complacency, signs of which can be seen everywhere. A strange passivity seems to have descended upon the people: they are content to leave matters relating to security to a few people in the Government and not ask questions or make demands. I wish to raise my voice of caution and appeal to all of you assembled here, and to the people at large, that there is no time to be lost in making a thorough and radical departure from the present structure. If, as a nation, we must defend ourselves in the present day and prepare for the future, it is imperative that we put in place a new architecture for India’s security.

Thank you for your patience and courtesy.”

Urban Poverty in India: An Overview

2010-01-29T06:27:00.003+05:30

Poverty is pernicious and distressing feature of an economy. Urban poverty is as acute and chronic as rural poverty in India. The policy makers of urban development should always accord highest priority to alleviate urban poverty and distress.

Urban India has a high incidence of poverty despite being hailed as an engine of growth and instrument of globalization. Eighty-one million people subsist in urban areas on incomes that are below the poverty line. The pace of urbanization in India is set to increase, and with it, urban poverty and urban slums. However, public policy measures for urban India have lacked focus and proper allocation of funds. There is thus an urgent need at the national level to document the key issues in urban poverty, to assess the tasks at hand, and plan for the future.

India will have 41% of the people living in urban areas by 2030 from the present level of 286 million and 28%.

The identification of beneficiaries is a challenge in cities. This is the basic reason of many poverty alleviating schemes getting skewed and eventually getting lost in the rich history of ‘failed’ policies. There is new hope that Unique Identification Authority of India (UAIA) would help in beneficiary identification for the effective delivery of the public services to the targeted group of the society.

There is urgent need for a mission mode approach to combat urban poverty. The upgradation of the skills and training is the basic necessity to revive the livelihoods of the urban poor in a sustainable way.

In Karnataka state, an innovative initiative, Rural Development and Self Employment Training Institute (RUDSETI) was taken way back since 1982 to motivate unemployed youth to take up self-employment as an alternative career. The unique experiment of building confidence of the youth by developing skill and positive attitude among them through dedicated training was found effective.

The model has proved very successful for the past 22 years in building the morale of the youth and empowering them to acquire a productive identity by taking up self-employment ventures in their own places.

The Institute conducts more than 50 types of training programmes, which are of short duration, ranging from 1 to 6 weeks. Keeping in view the fact that most of the unemployed youth are from poor/middle class rural families, who are already burdened financially, entire training is provided free of cost including free boarding and lodging.

Replication of the model was recommended in urban areas to tackle the unemployment problem successfully and developing entrepreneurship.

Education should always be made an integral part of urban development plans. The improved literacy levels among the poor would enable them to know more about their rights and empower them to fight against the bureaucratic red tape to access public services.

Health and nutrition aspects of is often neglected aspect of the urban policy makers. The rural poor have more institutional interventions in health and nutrition compared to their urban counterparts. Nearly 13% of the urban poor sufferings from serious ailments do not receive treatment in a timely and affordable manner. The concept of ‘Primary Health Care’ facilities should be made available to improve the treatments rates among the urban poor.

The concept of social banking is yet to take firm roots in the urban India.

Nearly 77% of the microcredit clients are in the rural sector and still the SHG-Bank Linkage model remains a rural phenomenon. The microfinance intermediaries tend to move towards urban centers when the rural market moves towards saturation point.

With a rapid urbanization on the anvil, the government should focus on sustainable and inclusive development of urban areas. India needs 30-40 world class cities to be able to compete in the dynamic and globalised world economy.

The intermittent interventions will always give intangible results apart from draining the critical financial resources.

There is a need for comprehensive, holistic and integral urban development plans to achieve the desired results. The basic necessity is the genuine empowerment of urban local bodies though effective devolution and decentralization.

An Update
As per the estimates of the Planning Commission, based on the Uniform Recall Period method, the number of urban poor population has increased from 76.34 million to 80.80 million during the years 1993-94 and 2004-05;

            The Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has brought out ‘India Urban Poverty Report 2009’ containing research papers/ academic papers on key facets of urban poverty such as economic development and urban poverty, gender dimensions of urban poverty, poverty and migration, unorganized sector and urban poverty, etc.

The Report, based on study findings, reveals that (i) rural migrants into urban areas have lower probability of being poor than the local population and (ii) among migrants, the incidence of poverty is higher for rural-urban migrants compared to urban-urban migrants.

The chapter in India Urban Poverty Report on “Gender Dimensions of Urban Poverty” observes that women in urban areas are affected due to poverty and gender discrimination.

The scheme of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY), which has been comprehensively revamped with effect from 1.4.2009, is the major scheme for addressing the issues of urban poverty with focus on women.

The scheme has 5 major components:

   (1) Urban Self Employment Programme (USEP)
   (2) Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP)
   (3) Skill Training for Employment Promotion amongst Urban Poor (STEP-UP)
   (4) Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP)
   (5) Urban Community Development Network (UCDN)

Urban Women Self-help Programme (UWSP) component under Swarna Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) targets at:

Assistance to groups of urban poor women for setting up gainful self employment ventures – UWSP (Loan & Subsidy). Revolving Funds for Self-Help Groups (SHGs)/ Thrift & Credit Societies (T&CSs) formed by the urban poor women – UWSP (Revolving Fund).

Further, under the Guidelines of SJSRY, it is stipulated that the percentage of women beneficiaries under USEP and STEP-UP shall not be less than 30%.

The Female Factor in India

2010-01-28T16:34:00.001+05:30

By Heather Timmons

In New York and London, women remain scarce among top bankers despite decades of struggle to climb the corporate ladder. But in India’s relatively young financial industry, women not only are some of the top deal makers, they are often running the show.

HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Scotland, UBS and Fidelity International in India are run by women. So is the country’s second-biggest bank, Icici Bank, and its third-largest, Axis Bank. Women head investment banking operations at Kotak Mahindra and JPMorgan Chase and the equities division of Icici. Half of the deputy governors at the Reserve Bank of India are women.

In a country where parents in some areas still prize boys over girls; where overall female literacy rates are poor; and Sania Mirza, a top tennis player, said this month that she would quit playing after marriage, the banking industry’s wealth of women in management may seem surprising. But women in the industry, many of whom have also worked in London and New York, say India provided the right combination of supportive, mostly male, managers and a diverse work environment that did not require them to be “one of the boys” to succeed.

This “isn’t a golf-playing, beer-drinking homogeneous culture,” said Naina Lal Kidwai, group managing director and country head of HSBC in India and a former head of Morgan Stanley’s investment bank in India.

Male bankers and managers run the gamut from devoutly religious to devoted family men to late-night socialites.

Women “could join the workplace on their own terms,” Ms. Kidwai said. “You still have to network, you still have to work hard, but that made it easier.”

That means India is without an old Wall Street staple: Women who feel they must act like the stereotypical male banker to advance. There are no swaggering “masters of the universe” in this group. Top female managers regularly wear saris and talk openly about their children and husbands.

These women handle many of India’s biggest deals — raising $9.7 billion for the power company NTPC or negotiating Vodafone Group’s purchase of an $11.1 billion stake in Hutchison Essar.

Almost all of them are in their 40s and 50s, are from wealthy backgrounds, went to excellent schools in India and abroad, and graduated at the top of their classes before excelling at the bank they joined. So they often enjoy the same status as the men who were their competition and their banking clients.

Banking may be more of a meritocracy than other professions, women in the business say, because there is an easy way to keep score: Look at the bottom line.

“You got your next big challenge based on your performance and your potential, not whether you were male or female,” said Chanda Kochhar, chief executive of Icici Bank, where women make up 40 percent of the senior management. Mrs. Kochhar has been at the bank for her entire 25-year career, moving from corporate to retail banking, then directing the international business before becoming chief financial officer.

Women “excel when they are subject to an open competition,” said Shyamala Gopinath, one of the Reserve Bank of India’s two female deputy governors.

India operations of big global banks constitute a tiny portion of overall profits, because debt markets and deal size and volume are smaller than in developed countries. But India’s importance has grown as investment banks bet on emerging markets for growth and simultaneously move more complicated jobs to India to cut costs at home.

So sometimes these women oversee more employees than many top managers at the banks’ headquarters.

About 11 percent of HSBC’s 331,000 employees are in India, for example, and of JPMorgan Chase’s 220,000 employees, nearly 7 percent are in India.

One in five of India’s big bank, insurance and money-management companies is headed by a woman, according to a study by the headhunting group EMA Partners. By contrast, there are no women leading major American or European banks, and no woman has ever run a Wall Street investment bank.

Bosses sometimes gravitate toward women in India because they think “women are less corruptible, more straightforward and above board most of the time,” said K. Sudarshan, managing partner, India, for EMA.

In terms of compensation, none of the women interviewed said they had ever felt they were paid a different amount than their male counterparts.

“Here salary is totally nondiscriminatory,” said Usha Thorat, the other female deputy reserve governor at India’s central bank. The idea that women might be paid less for the same job as men in the United States “came as a surprise to me,” she said.

At the same time, women in banking in India say they have always felt more pressure than men.

“Always, that is a given,” Ms. Kidwai said. “It was very clear we had to perform better and work harder.”
She added that the women now heading banks had often been the first women hired in their early jobs and had been “watched like hawks.”

And they all relied heavily on a support network of family and India’s cheap labor pool to help watch their children. Some enlisted mothers and mothers-in-law for child care for months or years, and all of them employed full-time nannies and maids.

The length of maternity leave differs from bank to bank, but the average is about three months.

Meera Sanyal, head of RBS in India, started working in India at a branch office of Grindlays Bank in Calcutta, dealing with a barrage of upset corporate customers and a unionized staff that resented her for replacing an older man. She revamped the way the bank handled clients, according to profitability; learned Bengali to communicate better with the local staff; and ultimately convinced reluctant unions to accept automation, though it would mean layoffs.

She was working at Lazard in India when she became pregnant with her first child. She recalls that when she told her boss she wanted to work flexible hours after her baby was born, he said: “Are you crazy? We’ve invested a lot of money in you.”

Rather than quit, she said, she vowed to work so hard until she gave birth that Lazard would feel it had gotten its money’s worth. She wrapped up a deal on July 6 and delivered the baby a day later. After that, her boss reconsidered, allowing her to work flexible hours for the same pay. There are several men, she said, who “made it possible for me to do what I wanted to do.”

Now she is doing the same for other women at the bank. Recently, a risk manager said she needed to quit because she was pregnant and had been prescribed bed rest. Ms. Sanyal suggested that the bank set up a home office instead that would allow her to work from bed. After having a healthy baby, “she’s back at work and absolutely a star performer,” Ms. Sanyal said.

“Small things like that cost us nothing,” she added. “It is just a way of being more flexible.”

Kalpana Morparia, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase in India, had some simple advice for Western banks that are trying to increase the number of women at the top. “Just be gender neutral,” she said. “Men are just as smart as we are.”

The article was published in NYTimes on 27 January, 2010

PROVISION OF URBAN AMENITIES IN RURAL AREAS (PURA)

2010-01-22T06:51:00.003+05:30

The public policy formulation requires an enlightened political will and a mighty vision to meet the desired objectives. After the independence many novel and innovative policies were formulated as well as implemented successfully. For instance, the 'new agricultural strategy' hailed as the Green Revolution was pivotal in making India self-sufficient in food grains for the first time in the long history thereby offsetting the loss of millions of lives in the often-struck, deadly droughts and famines in India.

At the same time there are some policies like 'social forestry' with a lofty and ambitious goals but they failed miserably in reaping the desired objectives and goals.

But nothing should deter the policy makers from innovating and thinking out-of-the –box solutions to combat the daunting socio-economic problems in India.

January 21, 2010 became witness to yet another step in implementation of a path-breaking public policy. in India. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the implementation of the scheme “Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) on a pilot basis with a plan outlay of Rs. 248 crore during the 11th five year plan (2007-12).

The primary objective of the scheme is to shore-up rural economy by bridging the huge rural-urban divide. It aims to provide the urban amenities and livelihood sources in the rural areas to check mass distress migration to urban areas and rapid unplanned urbanization in India. Though the way is too long but this is definitely a well-thought first step in the right direction.

For the first time a rural development programme is envisaged to be implemented in the much talked framework of ‘public-private partnership’ (PPP). The scheme would be implemented and managed by the private sector on viability and sustainability considerations which shall be fully aligned with the overall objective of rural development. This framework of bringing together public funds and private capital into creation of infrastructure in rural areas and leveraging upon private sector expertise to manage and maintain the same during the concession period, forms the essence of the re-structured PURA Scheme.

Under the scheme there is a provision for capital grant to a maximum of 35% of the project cost. Seven to eight pilot projects would be taken up during the 11th five year plan. In order to assure constructive commitment of the stakeholders, separate agreements will be entered into between the stakeholders viz., Concession Agreement (between Gram Panchayat and private developer) and a State Support Agreement (among the Central Government, State Government and the private developer).

Well, time is the best judge regarding the success of an innovative scheme like PURA. But such bold and innovative steps are needed to zero-in on the best-suited public policy in the long run.

A Case Study: The plight of a Farmer in India

2010-01-21T09:02:00.000+05:30

I was watching Tv 9 news on January 20, 2010. A farmer committed suicide. A rather usual news item in South India nowadays. Again a farmer had fallen into the debt-trap of a leading microfinance company in India.

Umesh was living in a village near Sangolli, Belgaum district of Karnataka state. His loan amount was Rs. 2500(US $ 54.41). And he couldn’t pay the monthly installment of Rs 225 (US$ 4.90) on time. The amount urbanites usually spend for a single meal. He is survived by his 1-2 year old son and wife.

Who is responsible for the farmer’s death? The choices could be

The farmer himself
Debt-recovery mechanism of the microfinance institution
The Government
All the above.

The choice is ‘All the above’. It is true the farmer could not pay Rs. 225 per month. Obviously, his daily income is far less than US$ 1. The government is largely responsible for this situation. Assuming, the farmer is landless and illiterate; his only way of living is working on daily wages as an agricultural labour in the farms.

The agriculture is on the verge of extinction in the post-liberalization India. The multilateral capitalistic institutions like World Bank, IMF, WTO etc have succeeded in their mission of ‘neo-imperialism’ in India. There are vast inequalities of assets and income across India. Our land reforms miserably failed but China and other East Asian countries succeeded in equitably distributing the land.

Agriculture is the source of livelihood for nearly 60-70% of the India’s labour force. There is a perpetual negligence and intermittent revival of this crucial sector of the economy. This has led to the mass 'genocide' of farmers across India at a slower and invisible rate.

Microfianance is flourishing but unregulated. With the debt-recovery rates as high as 98%, these institutions have proliferated into the deep rural landscape purely for maximizing the profits. Time to check this menace and plug the loopholes in the system.

January 20, 2010: The farmer committed suicide.
January 21, 2010: My blog post with an analysis " A rather usual news item in South India nowadays"

Update on January 22, 2010

There were at least 16,196 farmers’ suicides in India in 2008, bringing the total since 1997 to 199,132, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The share of the Big 5 States or ‘suicide belt’ in 2008 — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh — remained very high at 10,797, or 66.6 per cent of the total farm suicides in the country. This was marginally higher than it was in 2007 (66.2 per cent). Maharashtra remains the worst State in the nation for farm suicides with a total of 3802. (This is just 40 short of the combined total of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.) The all-India total of 16,196 represents a fall of 436 from 2007. But the broad trends of the past decade reflect no significant change.

The national average for farm suicides since 2003 stays at roughly one every 30 minutes.

A perpetual agrarian crisis in the fast growing and emerging economy, India.

Mahadayi Water Dispute: Karnataka vs Goa

2010-01-18T07:01:00.000+05:30

The Constitution of India provided a provision to settle a water dispute between two or more states. Such was the fortitude of our forefathers and scarcity of water in India. But the water disputes among the states were never a fraternal affair but acrimonious wars.

The well known constitution expert Shri P.M Bakshi says, “Today, more than ever, water is both slave and master to the people. It has more uses than can be counted on the fingers, and it is utilised in almost every activity of the civilised man. But one important fact about water is, that while our demand for it is increasing, it is not possible to increase the supply. Viewed in this light, water must be preserved and managed properly.”

Mahadayi (Mandovi) river originates in Karnataka state, flows 29 km through the State and passes through Maharashtra and Goa where its length is 52 km, before reaching the Arabian Sea.

Karnataka had planned to utilise 7.6 tmc feet of water from Kalasa and Banduri tributaries of Mahadayi to meeting drinking water scarcity in around 100 areas of northern Karnataka, including Hubli and Dharwad.

The project envisages irrigation and supply of drinking water to Savadatti, Ramadurg taluks on Belgaum district, Navalgund in Dharwad district, Ron and Naragund in Gadag district and Badami in Bagalkot district. Mahadayi gets 200 tmc of water and Karnataka proposes to divert 7.6 tmc to Malaprabha by implementing the Kalasa Banduri Nalla project.

The farmers in Navalgund town of Dharwad district and Nargund taluk of Gadag district in northern Karnataka, which lie in the Malaprabha river command area, launched an agitation in 1980 against the government for forcibly collecting betterment levy without providing water. Shortage of water in Malaprabha was the reason for non-supply of water for irrigation. The agitation turned violent on June 21, 1980, and four persons, including two policemen, died in violence and the subsequent police firing.

The then chief minister R Gundu Rao had appointed a committee headed by the then leader of the opposition in the assembly, S R Bommai, to study the problem and suggest remedies. The Bommai Committee recommended linking of Mahadayi to Malaprabha. However, nothing moved in this connection till Bommai became the chief minister in 1989. Bommai entered into a pact with the then Goa CM Pratap Singh Rane and Karnataka signed an MoU with Goa providing for construction of a dam near Kalasa in Karnataka. According to the MoU, Karnataka would get 45 tmc of water from Kalasa stream and set up a power generation unit. Goa also used power as per the pact.

But because of the sudden fall of Bommai government and the dissolution of the assembly, the MoU remained stalled. Subsequent governments in Goa have objected to the implementation of the project citing damage to ecology. The matter was referred to National Environment Engineering Institute (NEEI) which gave a green signal to the project. Karnataka again started pursuing the project while the Goa government kept on opposing it.

H K Patil, water resources minister in S M Krishna cabinet, took up the issue and renamed the project as Kalasa-Banduri nala project envisaging diversion of 9 tmc of water from Mahadayi to Malaprabha to solve the drinking water problem in Hubli-Dharwad. The Central Water Commission cleared the project in April 2000 and the NDA government at the Centre accorded an in-principle clearance to the project.

However following objection from Goa, the Centre kept the in-principle clearance in abeyance and asked Karnataka to obtain permission from the department of forest and environment in October 2000.

Meanwhile during the JD(S)-BJP coalition rule, water resources minister K S Eshwarappa decided to start the work on the project in the non-forest area as there was no bar on taking up drinking water supply projects. The then deputy CM B S Yeddyurappa had even sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the project.

At present, almost 75 per cent of the work in the non-forest area within Karnataka has been completed and the state was waiting for environmental clearance for taking up work in the forest area.

Article 262 and Inter-State Water Disputes Act (ISWDA), 1956 provide a legal and constitutional mechanism for adjudication of water disputes between the states in India.

As per the Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, the water dispute arises among two or more State Governments when the Central Government receives request under Section 3 of the Act from any of the basin States with regard to existence of water dispute. The mechanism for settlement of water dispute is already available in the form of ISRWD Act, 1956 which provides for settlement of disputes by negotiations failing which referring such dispute to a tribunal for adjudication. Inter-state water disputes presently referred to the Central Government under ISRWD Act-1956 are related to Cauvery, Krishna, Ravi & Beas, Mahadayi and Vansadhara Rivers.

The ISRWD Act, 1956 has been amended in the year 2002 whereby the adjudication of the water disputes by the tribunal has been made time-bound. As per the provisions, the Tribunal shall forward its report and decision under Section 5(2) of the Act within a period of three years, which is extendable by a period not exceeding two years as per above Act.

The Government of Karnataka in April, 2002 requested for clearance of proposal from inter-State angle for diversion of 7.56 TMC of water from Mahadeyi basin to Malprabha basin through implementation of Kalsa and Banduri nalla schemes to meet the drinking water needs of Hubli/Dharwad cities.

The Ministry of Water Resources gave an ‘in principle’ clearance to the proposal to meet the drinking water need of Hubli/Dharwad from water availability angle on 30th April, 2002. The Government of Goa in July, 2002 took strong exception to the grant of this clearance by the Ministry and requested for setting up of an Inter-State Water Disputes Tribunal under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 for resolution of the dispute.

In view of this, the ‘in-principle’ clearance granted by the Ministry was placed ‘in abeyance’ in September, 2002 with a view to resolve the matter by an agreement between the two States, failing which by an award of the Tribunal. The two States have so far not concluded any agreement on the sharing of Mahadeyi Water.

The Union Cabinet on December 10, 2009 approved the proposal for constitution of Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal consisting of a Chairman and two Members nominated in this behalf by the Chief Justice of India from among the persons who at the time of such nomination are Judges of the Supreme Court or High Court and (ii) creation of posts of Chairman and two Members and

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal would adjudicate the water dispute among the State of Goa and Karnataka. The expenditure on the Tribunal will initially be borne by the Central Government. However, later the same will be shared by the party States in the proportion as decided by the Tribunal.

Goa had opposed the project claiming that Mahadayi was a deficit basin and water diversion would impact on the environment in the basin. Goa had approached Supreme Court seeking order, staying the implementation of the project. Central government had filed an affidavit against the interest of Karnataka. On April 30, 2008, the Supreme Court, while refusing to accede to Goa's request, has allowed Karnataka to go ahead with the project and asked it to obtain Centre's clearance before utilizing the water.

The Centre’s decision to set up a tribunal was opposed by the Karnataka government, which has been urging the Centre to try to resolve the issue through talks. The tribunal while allowing the work on Kalasa-Banduri to continue can set off 7.6 tmc from the share of Karnataka in the final award.

Goa should look beyond the local political considerations and reinstall the MoU signed between the chief ministers Pratap Singh Rane and Bommai.

The Centre should intervene in the matter and allow Karnataka to divert 7.56 tmc water from Mahadayi river to meet the drinking water requirements of Hubli-Dharwad twin cities.

India: Year of Biodiversity (2010)

2010-01-09T23:49:00.000+05:30

Biodiversity symbolizes life itself. It depicts the variety of life forms in a region.It is the need of the hour to give human face to environmental issues, empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development to conserve bio-diversity.

The Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as “the variability among living organisms from all sources [...] this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems” (Article 2, CBD).

Biodiversity manifests at three levels:
•    Species diversity which refers to the numbers and kinds of living organisms
•    Genetic diversity which refers to the genetic variation within a population of species.
•    Ecosystem diversity which is the variety of habitats, biological communities and ecological processes that occur in the biosphere.

Biological diversity affects us all. Biological diversity has direct consumptive value in food, agriculture, medicine, industry. It also has aesthetic and recreational value. Biodiversity maintains ecological balance and continues evolutionary process. The indirect ecosystem services provided through biodiversity are photosynthesis, pollination, transpiration, chemical cycling, nutrient cycling, soil maintenance, climate regulation, air, water system management, waste treatment and pest control.

The Countdown 2010 network has collected some facts and figures about the severity of biodiversity loss -

The abundance of species has declined by 40% between 1970 and 2000. Species present in rivers, lakes and marshlands have declined by 50%.
Declines are alarming in amphibians, mammals, birds in agricultural lands, corals and commonly harvested fish species.
In the North Atlantic, fish have declined by 66% in the last 50 years.
Since 2000, 6 million hectares of primary forest have been lost each year.
In the Caribbean region, hard coral cover has declined from 50% to 10% in the last three decades.
35% of mangroves have been lost in just 20 years.
The value of global ecosystem services is estimated at $16-$64 trillion.

India is one of the 17 “megadiverse” countries and is composed of a diversity of ecological habitats like forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine ecosystems, and desert ecosystems.Endemism of Indian biodiversity is significant with 4950 species of flowering plants, 16,214 insects, 110 amphibians, 214 reptiles, 69 birds and 38 mammals endemic to the country.

One of the major causes for the loss of biodiversity in India is the expansion of agriculture in previously wild areas. Other impacts include: unplanned development, opening of roads, overgrazing, fire, pollution, introduction and spread of exotics, excessive siltation, dredging and reclamation of water bodies, mining and industrialization.

In this century, the Indian cheetah, Lesser Indian rhino, Pink-headed duck, Forest owlet and the Himalayan mountain quail are reported to have become extinct and several other species (39 mammals, 72 birds and 1,336 plants) are identified vulnerable or endangered.

India with only 2.5% of the land area, accounts for 7-8% of the global recorded species. The country is divided into 10 biogeographic regions : Trans-Himalayan, Himalayan, Indian Desert, Semi-arid, Western Ghats, Deccan Peninsula, Genetic Plains, North-East India, Islands and Coasts. More than 45,000 species have been recorded and identified in taxonomy group which constitutes 11.80% of world’s flora.India is one of the eighth primary centres of origin of cultivated plants and enjoys 3 of the 34 bio-diversity hot-spot zones on Earth.

India is party to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on June-15, 1993 (Earth Summit). At present there are 191 parties to the convention.This is the first comprehensive global agreement which addresses all aspects relating to biodiversity. The Convention, while reaffirming sovereign rights of nations over their biological resources, establishes three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

In April 2002, the Parties to the Convention committed themselves to achieve by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on Earth.

This target was subsequently endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations General Assembly and was incorporated as a new target under the Millennium Development Goals.

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to raise awareness about the underlying threats to and the need for biodiversity conservation.

India is one of the very few countries to have a legislative mechanism to protect bio-diversity and has enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and the Bio-diversity Rules, 2004 but this is not sufficient. Participation from people is inevitable to solve this problem.

Referring to very wide socio-cultural-economic diversity, Dr. Subrahmanyam* added that conflicting and unequal stakeholder’s demands accelerated efforts, towards effective conservation and management of living resources, sustainable use of bio-diversity and fair and equitable sharing of benefits.

Giving details of problems, he further elaborated habitat fragmentation, over-exploitation of natural resources, desertification, unplanned change in land-use, pollution, impact of climate change and invasion of exotic species that overpower natives – through natural & anthropogenic induced actions are big threats that we have to fight.

As a mega-diverse country and as a Party to the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), India had committed itself to achieving the 2010 Biodiversity Target, adopted by the sixth Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the CBD, to significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity.

Measures Taken to Achieve the 2010 Target by India
India’s strategies for the conservation of ecosystems, habitats and biomes consist in providing special status and protection to biodiversity rich areas. Examples of efforts that have either been put in place or are in progress are listed here.

The mangrove conservation programme (1987) has so far identified 35 mangrove areas for intensive conservation and management. Project Tiger, launched in 1973, now incorporates 28 tiger reserves in seventeen states. Project Elephant was launched in 1992 to ensure the long-term survival of identified viable elephant populations in their natural habitats.

The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources has been engaged in documenting the large number of varieties of crop plants in the country. Holistic community-based sustainable forestry programmes such as Joint Forest Management are aimed at meeting the basic needs of local people. The programme is now operational on more than 17 million ha of land spread all over the country.

India has developed a Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), an easily navigable computerized database of documented information available in published texts of Indian systems of medicine, with the objective of preventing the grant of patents on non-original invention.

It is proposed in the National Environment Policy, 2006 to take measures to formulate an appropriate system for Prior Informed Consent and Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing in respect of biological material and traditional knowledge use of such biological material to enable the country and local communities respectively to derive economic benefits from providing access.

The tenth Conference of Parties (COP) to the CBD is scheduled to be held in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010. The major item for consideration at this COP is the adoption of an international protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). This provides an opportunity to biodiversity-rich countries such as India to realise benefits for its people from the use of this biodiversity.

The eleventh Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will be held in October 2012 in New Delhi. This would mark the twentieth anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit and will be called ‘Rio + 20’ CBD Conference. The hosting of this COP shows not only India’s role as a major mega-diverse country, but also its commitment to playing a global leadership role in biodiversity conservation.

Source: Press Information Bureau Government of India; Speeches of Dr. G. V. Subrahmanyam, Advisor, Ministry of Environment & Forests, India;

Height of Optimism: Corruption-free India

2010-01-07T19:53:00.000+05:30

Corruption affects the well-being of a state. It corrodes the governance system and causes untellable misery to the poor people is accessing the most basic public services. The prominent civil society, Transparency International says, “Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It hurts everyone whose life, livelihood or happiness depends on the integrity of people in a position of authority”.

In its moral dimension, it cuts at the very roots of the social and political fabric of society and increases injustice. In its legal implications, it results in disregard for the rule of law. In its developmental aspect, it tends to distort the decision-making processes on investment projects and other commercial transactions and is wasteful of resources.

Corruption is not a new challenge for us. Over four decades ago when Gunnar Myrdal wrote his famous book ‘The Asian Drama’, he identified corruption as one of the constraints on development. He argued that corruption in public life had contributed to the Indian state being a “soft state”, as he put it.

In India, corruption in the public offices has become seamlessly ingrained in the mindset of the appointed officials. Corruption in our country has become pervasive and cancerous and is multi-dimensional. It has become of the part of our ‘composite’ culture and ethos. Elimination of corruption is not only moral imperative but also an economic necessity for a country that aspire to catch up with the accelerated path of growth and development.

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), 2009 of Transparency International measured the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries and territories around the world. India was ranked 84 much lesser than South Africa (55), Ghana (69), Brazil (75) and China (79).

In 2007, Transparency International (TI) India and Center for Media Studies (CMS) took an ambitious nationwide survey covering 31 States and Union Territories. The focus was on the effect of corruption on the below poverty line households in rural areas and urban slum-dwellers.They covered five basic services – Public Distribution System (PDS), hospital, school education, electricity, and water supply - and six need-based services – police, land records, forests, housing, banking and NREGS.

In specific terms, they reveal:

• About one-third of BPL households paid bribes to avail one or more of these eleven services.

• The benefits of recent steps taken to improve delivery of public services have not substantially percolated down to the poor as yet.

• Nearly two-third of BPL households could not avail of PDS, School Education and Electricity as they could not pay the bribe or use contact or influence to avail of the service.

• The situation stands at an alarming level with regard to police and Land Record/Registration.

The Report suggested four measures to tackle corrupt - On Simplification of procedures, Streamlining of information flows, Reorienting front end staff for service provision to BPL households and Activating civil society groups to combat corruption.

The government has taken many ‘recent’ initiatives like Right to Information (RTI), National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), Citizens’ Charter, Social Audit, Ombudsman, Lok Ayukta etc.Though there are some short-term positive effects, but more time is required for percolation of the effects to the bottom of the pyramid (poor).

Entitlement of BPL households to basic services provided by the government is meaningless without knowledge of and unhindered access to such services and universal awareness of grievance redressal mechanisms.

The effect of corruption on the poor people is more severe. Even if a rural person succeeds in competing with the others, he may have to bribe the officials to get a decent public sector job. Farmers have to bribe the officials to get their land records registered or to get electricity supply to run their irrigation system. Senior government engineers fight for their share of surplus public money. Even a post-mortem report gets changed in the presence of graft. A mere Rs 100 is enough to drive without a license. Yes, all this is possible in a ‘Soft’ state like India.

One of my friend told, ‘Indian bureaucratic setup is rusted beyond repair. There is no point in becoming part of the civil service system and risk career”. Yes, the corruption is driving away many talented students from taking public services. At the same time, it is attracting others.Again, with an ugly intent to make money in the system.

But, the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh is optimistic about a prosperous and corruption-free India. He gave a ‘comprehensive stratezy’ to eliminate corruption in the key note address to conference of CBI & State Anti-Corruption Bureaus recently.

First and foremost, we must recognize the need for an integrated approach to dealing with corruption. You must have the resources to take a broader view of individual cases and be able to make a distinction between a “bonafide mistake” and deliberate “wrong-doing”.

Second, we must eliminate all discretionary controls and minimize the scope for discretion in the control and regulatory systems we cannot dispense with.

Third, we must reform our tax system, make it simple and transparent, and ensure moderate rates of taxation that enable widest possible compliance. This remains an area where most citizens encounter corruption.

Fourth, the justice delivery system has to be modernized and made more efficient and speedy. Not only must the guilty be brought to book more speedily, but the innocent must be spared the trauma of delayed justice. The assurance of integrity within the judiciary is itself a deterrent against corruption in public life. Hence, prompt action against corruption in the judiciary, at all levels, is also a necessary element of the battle against corruption in other institutions of the State.

Fifth, the reform of public procurement systems both civil as well as defence, with complete transparency in the tendering processes at all stages with publicly recorded discussions is also an integral element of a comprehensive strategy to fight corruption.

Sixth, the Right to Information Act has to be effectively utilized so that it will not only act as a deterrent but also empower citizens to bring to light any acts of corruption. In fact, non-governmental organizations and concerned groups of citizens can and should use the RTI Act to combat corruption in public life.

I also think that Public Services Users Associations can also play an active role in ensuring delivery of such services without corruption. We need a Citizen’s Charter that states explicitly the Rights of tax payers and consumers of public services. A citizen holding a ration card should be able to secure his entitlement without recourse or resort to corruption.

Seventh, the decentralization of administration and the delivery of justice can help in reducing corruption by making the system more accountable to the people they have to serve. Be it municipal authorities or public utilities, be it school teachers or doctors, whatever the service provider, greater community scrutiny and decentralization of administrative control can act as a deterrent against corruption.

In the final analysis, however, there is no better protection against corruption in public life and in public services than an alert civil society. Our Government has empowered civil society through the Right to Information Act. However, it is public minded individuals, NGOs, and the media who have to take the initiative to mobilize people against corruption.

The Union Minister for Law & Justice, Dr. M. Veerappa Moily has said that “there is an emerging global consensus that fighting corruption and building ‘good governance’ are essential for the socio-economic development of any nation”. He was giving valedictory address at the concluding session of the National Seminar on ‘Fighting Crimes Related to Corruption’. He also said that the prevalence of corruption undermines social cohesion, wider participation of citizens in economic and political processes, distorts allocation of resources and delivery of public services particularly damaging the interest of the poor and marginalized sections of the society.

The Minister suggested wide ranging reforms to curve corruption which included,

a. The scope of Prevention of Corruption Act should be widened to include:

- Gross perversion of the Constitution and democratic institutions amounting to willful violation of the oath of office.
- Abuse of authority by unduly favoring or harming someone
- Obstruction of justice
- Squandering public money
- Collusive bribery
b. The Corrupt Public servants (Forfeiture of Property) Bill as suggested by the Law Commission should be enacted without further delay.

c. Steps should be taken for immediate implementation of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act 1988.

d. There should be statutory protection for whistleblowers and victim protection.

e. A multi-member Lok Pal at the national level and Lok Ayuktas at the State level should be set up under the Constitution.

f. False Claims Act should be enacted.

g. Article 311 of the Constitution may be repealed along with the Article 310 and legislation should be passed under Article 309 to provide for the terms and conditions of service of public servants including necessary protection against arbitrary action.

h. Prior sanction should not be necessary for prosecuting a public servant who has been trapped red-handed or found in possession of assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

The Government is also intending to bring forward a Public Services Bill before Parliament. The Bill will define a public services code of ethics and management. It will also protect whistleblowers and have the overall objective of developing public services as a professional, politically neutral, merit based, and accountable instrument for promoting good governance and better delivery of services to all our citizens.

Now, after the explanations by these two pundits, Are you hopeful to see a better governance system in India?.

Corruption is a state of mind. It requires attitudinal changes. But it is meaningless to impose such behavioral changes. We have to be ‘hopelessly’ optimistic to see a graft-free governance system with such changes.The oldest text, Brihadarankya Upnishad says,

"You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny."

New Stage of India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership

2010-01-05T08:02:00.001+05:30

The compulsion of interconnected-interdependence of our times have drawn States and people into much closer patterns of internationalism and globalization. This is an age of human collectivity and global consciousness. There is an obvious need for a balanced and a mutually advantageous relation with every State particularly, the technologically advanced, economically powerful and peace-loving country like Japan.

Japan is quite a unique country in Asia. Among Asian nations, Japan was the first to achieve modernization. It is endowed with excellent technology and a mature economy. Japanese society is also endowed with values to be proud of, such as diligence and teamwork. Indian people have a great respect for the attitude and culture of Japanese people.India, alone amongst all major Asian countries, does not have a history of serious military dispute with Japan.

The ‘arc of freedom, advantage and prosperity’ in Asia finally seems to anchor strongly with the visit of Japanese PM, Yukio Hatoyama to India in December last week.

There is a civilisational bond between the two countries. The Buddhism has been a connecting bridge between the two societies for centuries. A common heritage. This is the source of the Japanese people's sense of closeness to India. It has thought Indians to be tolerant, peaceful and accommodating.

In the modern times, the economic co-operation has become bedrock of the bilateralism. There is a convergence of interests especially on democratic values, nuclear disarmament, civil nuclear energy, socio-economic development and climate change.

The modernisation of Japan based on advances in science and technology since the Meiji Restoration and the energy and spirit with which it rose after the second world war had a deep impact on the Indian leadership and policy makers.

Japan and India signed a peace treaty and established diplomatic relations on 28th April, 1952. This treaty was one of the first peace treaties Japan signed after the World War II. In the post World War II period, India's iron ore helped a great deal Japan's recovery from the devastation. Japan started providing yen loans to India in 1958, as the first yen loan aid extended by Japanese government. Since 1986, Japan has become India's largest aid donor. Today India is the largest recipient of Japanese Official Developmental Assistance (ODA) in the form of yen loans. The Japan ODA plays a significant role in India's poverty reduction, economic and social infrastructure development, tackling environmental issues and human resource development.

Former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s visit to India in August 2007, has led to the establishment of the “Strategic and Global Partnership between Japan and India” as well as the further strengthening of the bilateral relationship.

Indians have open-heartedly accepted the Japanese technologically advanced products from companies like Sony, Honda, Maruti-Suzuki, Toyota, Canon etc. They have become part of the vibrant Indian culture and psyche.

Now, Japan has agreed to develop the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Project which can change the industrial ecosystem in the western Indian. "Smart Communities and Eco-friendly Townships” are expected to flourish across DMIC. India can use Japanese bullet trains (Shinkansen) running at 300 km per hour for Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) Projects.

Japan has also agreed to develop and foster people-to-people contacts by supporting Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH).

The Japanese people have been conscious about the impact and contribution of Indians to Japanese economy and culture. Indian engineers and curry are equally respected. For example, on 3 November 2009, His Majesty AKIHITO, Emperor of Japan honoured Dr. Venkataraman Krishnamurthy, Chairman of National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council, Government of India with The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the promotion of bilateral economic relations and understanding of Japan in India.

India has a lot to learn from the approach and stratezy of Japan in combating “post-economic growth challenges” like rapid urbanization, falling birth rates etc. Japan is a like a store house of knowledge and expertise to tackle these problems. It is wise to learn the Japanese experiences and avoid committing mistakes again. Experiencing hardships earlier than other countries is one of Japan’s strengths, which in turn helps to strengthen Asia particularly India.

Japan has taken an initiative to start “East Asia Community” to strengthen its diplomacy in Asia. It stems from the philosophy of “yu-ai” (fraternity). India will be the key member in EAC. The central idea of PM Yukio Hatoyama’s “East Asian community” initiative is based upon reconciliation and cooperation in Europe (in the form of European Union). This would be based on the principle of “open regional cooperation”. Economic partnership agreements (EPAs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) are effective ways to promote such economic ties in the region under a common set of rules. The “Person-to-person contact” will be one of the significant deciding factor of the fate of EAC.

India and Japan should march together to prosper and develop mutually and towards fostering a dynamic and peaceful Asia.

Hypocrisy of Indian Media: An Example

2010-01-02T12:39:00.000+05:30

On Dec 28, 2009,I was reading an article "The Decade That Was India's" in Wall Street Journal. It was written by the Delhi-based journalist S. Mitra Kalita. The article was well-written lavishing praise on the Indian IT biz and applauding their talent and innovation. Something, that is generally expected from an Indian journalist.

But the boisterous Indian media wasted no time 'copying' and 'quoting' (a fine art) the article of 'Delhi-based' S.Mitra Kalita. The Times of India, The Hindu, The Hindustan Times etc instantaneously rallied behind the Mitra's article and feeded 'the digested food' to the people. The theme of the Indian version of the article was 'a leading US daily (wsj) has praised India'. How true?.

First of all, though Mitra's article has some weight but it has over-praised India's role and innovation in our Industries.Another article "In India, Anxiety Over the Slow Pace of Innovation" in NY Times was a direct contrast to it. The NY Times is also a leading US daily. Nobody reported it back in India.

Secondly, Mitra is an Indian. She has written an article by taking a stock of the achievements of her motherland, India over the last decade. It is not the opinion of a leading US-based Economist like Paul Krugman.

Another recent trend is Indian economists seems to be more obsessed with US economy relative to ours. They are quick to analyse the articles of US economists and comment and write 'quoted' articles on them. Do you know any Indian economist who writes a regular articles, analyzing the Indian economy in layman terms?. I am yet to find one - 'the Paul Krugman of India'.

The message is clear. We need to grow up. Dare to express our own opinions. Use our highly potential grey cells to analyse the things and disseminate them to generate social awareness.

P.S: I have not criticized, the well known journalist - S.Mitra Kalita; I am more particular about the attitude and approach of the Indian media in general.

Panchayati Raj Institutions: Democracy at the Grassroots

2009-12-30T09:28:00.000+05:30

The village panchayats are integral part of the rural socio-political and economic landscape of India for centuries. They were largely self-reliant and self-dependent units acting as tiny independent sovereign bodies at the grassroots. However, the two opposing poles of colonial interests of the British and the local developmental needs at villages failed to empower and develop Panchayats for more than 200 years.

The enlightened soul of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhiji, was quick to recognize the significance of the village panchayats. He had a vision of ‘Grama Swarajya’ (Village Self-rule) for the rapid, inclusive and equitable development of modern India. He knew that a strong and vibrant village panchayats can be a panacea for all the socio-economic evils prevailing at the grassroots. He didn’t call for a ‘new’ experiment but only reminded to ‘rediscover’ these forgotten institutions.

On October 2, 1959, the nation’s first village panchayat was established at Nagore, Rajasthan by Pandit Nehru. The year 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of this unique, unparalleled democratic experiment of the century.The year was rightly marked as the ‘Year of Grama Sabha'.

On April 23, 1992, another significant milestone was reached in the quest for vibrant local governance in India. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional (Amendment) Acts were passed to give constitutional mandate for the local-self government institutions.

Decentralization empowers new actors and creates de-jure conditions for new lines of participation and accountability.This would enhances the awareness to realise one's human capability and gain the political rights.

The political decentralization is largely successful in most of the states. There is a marked interest and enthusiasm among the people about their political rights. This has succeeded in increasing the levels of political ‘awareness’ among the people. But in some states, the PRIs are used as a mere political tools by the state leadership to secure the vote banks. This would jeopardise the authority and legitimacy of the local self government in the long run.

The fiscal and administrative decentralization is a cause of worry and has remained de-facto under the control of state governments. The states’ are reluctant to devolve more powers to build the capacity of PRIs. There are no adequate powers to levy and collect taxes, fees, duties or tolls. Panchayats should be granted appropriate powers to mobilize the local resources in a self-reliant and sustainable way.

Article 243-I of the Constitution provides for the constitution of State Finance Commissions to specifically review the financial position of the Panchayats. But the recommendations of SFCs are either ignored or implemented half-heartedly.

Grama Sabhas or Village Assemblies are the nucleus of local-self governance at Panchayats. They have wide ranging responsibilities including the power to conduct regular social audit of the government schemes. But they have not been adequately empowered to function as envisaged in the Constitution. They lack the capabilities to undertake developmental activities due the absence of adequately trained technical officials.

In the recent years, there is a significant increase in the social sector schemes like MGREGA, JNNURM to be implemented at the Panchayat levels. This is seen as a golden opportunity to be utilized by the PRIs to prove themselves as a useful local governance channels.

There is no proper mechanism of accountability and control due the absence of alert civil societies at the grassroots. The Government proposes to substantially expand the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Scheme (PEAIS) by making suitable allocations in order to empower the Panchayats and put in place accountability systems to make their functioning transparent and efficient. PEAIS is an existing scheme under the central sector plan which has been recognized as a powerful instrument to incentivize States to devolve funds, functions and functionaries and set up an institutional framework for such devolution.

Government proposes to amend Article 243D of the Constitution to raise the level of reservation for women including Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe women in Panchayats from the present one-third to at least half of the seats and offices of Chairpersons in Panchayats. This step would lend more 'voice' to the women and mitigate the problems of gender inequality in the society.

The political leadership at state and national levels should empower these critical local institutions and stop giving torrent of rhetoric.

Microcredit: Transforming Rural Economy

2009-12-28T09:24:00.000+05:30

Microcredit is a credible, institutional mechanism of lending money in small amounts and at much lower interest rates to the poorer and rural section of the society. It has been a beacon of hope for the vast rural masses in getting the credit at the critical times of their lives. It has helped them to achieve 'critical' financial security.

Microcredit is the most effective instrument to empower rural women and thereby paving the way for a assured and sustainable rural development. It has a cascading effect in eradicating the social evils like poverty, unemployment, illiteracy etc. It has become the most successful, modern institutional credit delivery mechanism.

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of ‘Grameen Bank’ is a pioneer in the field of microcredit. His visionary efforts has transformed the rural economy in Bangladesh. He saved the hapless poor from becoming the victims of exorbitant interest rates of loan sharks and money lenders. His novel concept of ‘banking for the poor’ has succeeded in the area where the conventional banks shiver to tread.He was rightly awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

More than 58% of the poor who borrowed from Grameen are now out of poverty. Nearly about 97% of the Grameen members are women. The average fertility rate among women has come from 6.2 to 3.1 in about 30 years. There are many other positive effects of the microcredit on the rural economy.

The effects are most tangible on the lives of rural women. It has earned them the respect and love they deserved in the their families and also in the society. It has helped them to come out of the fear psychosis and inferiority syndrome on their way to get integrated into the mainstream society.

To a question “As individuals what's the best thing we can do to consign poverty to museums?” Yusuf answered to the TIMES, “Make people believe that we can send poverty to museums. When I talk about it, people laugh and say, "It's impossible." But when you don't believe something, you can't achieve it. You have to imagine, and make that imagination achievable”.

Yes, the man had believed to see a successful microcredit system in the long run. Today, the Grameen Bank has 28,000 staff, 8 million borrowers and 2600 branches providing service to nearly 85,000 villages in Bangladesh. They lend over $100 million every month and a similar amount comes back into the system each month. The transactions are handled physically and locally. There is a hue and cry to for a IT-driven microfinance system in recent times.

Apart from rural upliftment, the microcredit system can be used to eradicate of slums in the large metropolitan cities. There are around 4 million slum dwellers in Delhi alone, the vast majority are excluded from the benefits of India's economic growth and are unable to access financial services. The system can solve their problems in a much more credible and sustainable manner.

According to Business Line, the appetite for microfinance is about Rs 1.30-lakh crore a year; in 2008-09, microfinance disbursements were about Rs 28,000 crore in India. The Hyderabad-based SKS Microfinance, the biggest in the business with 5.5 million borrowers and a loan book of Rs 3,400 crore, claims a recovery rate of 99.5 per cent. A good 90 per cent of the MFIs are small, serving fewer than 10,000 borrowers and they are unregulated.

The proliferation of unregulated Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) needs to be checked and monitored by the government. Money lenders should never be allowed to cash-in on the loop-holes in a microcredit system. A WSJ article notes the basic reason for proliferation of money lenders as “Peer pressure to pay back microfinance loans is intense, because microlenders almost always require borrowers to join small, tightknit groups. If one member defaults, none can get another loan. Microloans have a stellar repayment rate -- close to 100% -- and some analysts believe a hidden reason is the stopgap provided by moneylenders”. There is a call for recognising 'registered' money lenders and integrating them into microfinance management. A sustainable and inclusive microfinance should be the aim of government in the long run. There is a need to formulate an integrated and holistic policy on microcredit by taking into the problems of both rural and urban poor.

A built-in system like microfinance should be created to alleviate poverty. It’s always better teach ‘how to catch fish rather than feeding the fish’ to the poor. The schemes like Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Generation Act (MGREGA) and Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) are largely aimed at ‘feeding the fish’ to the poor. The institutions like village Panchayaths and Indian Post should be leveraged to deliver the microcredit to the door steps of the poor and thereby taking concrete steps to achieve the much required Total Financial Inclusion (TFI).

I would vote for the discovery of microcredit and Grameen bank as the one of the most significant development in the 20th century.

Carbon Taxation: Much Ignored 'Green' Policy

2009-12-24T00:44:00.000+05:30

The industries emitting gases that cause global warming should be made accountable and sensitized to adopt clean-energy mechanisms and green technologies. At present, there is no specific, integrated and holistic legislative mechanism to enable a polluter pay for the emissions in most of the countries except in some western European countries.

Carbon tax is the levied on the industries for emitting carbon into the environment. It envisages to mitigate the effects of global warming in the long run.

Border adjustments are essentially import fees levied by carbon-taxing countries on goods manufactured in non-carbon-taxing countries. It is looked as a un-ethical protectionist move by the rich countries to harp the development in the emerging economies like India and china. This may again unite the G-77 block to voice against any such moves in WTO or Climate Change talks.

Carbon tax and border adjustments mechanism take us to realize ‘polluter pays principle’ in a much more harsh and bold manner. These initiatives are difficult to realize especially in the large economies like US (carbon tax) and India (border adjustments).

Taxing the carbon emissions and thereby increasing the revenue alone would be disaster. The proceeds of the carbon tax should be invested back to the system to control the emissions. Many countries like Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden have been taxing the emissions since 1990s. But only Denmark has been successful in decreasing the emissions and thereby becoming ‘low-carbon economy’. In Denmark, the per capita carbon dioxide emissions were nearly 15 percent lower in 2005 than in 1990.

Thomas L. Friedman noted, "Denmark is the most energy efficient country in the E.U.; due to carbon pricing, through energy taxes, carbon taxes, the ‘cap and trade’ system, strict building codes and energy labeling programs. Renewable resources currently supply almost 30 percent of Denmark’s electricity. Wind power is the largest source of renewable electricity, followed by biomass."

There is a need to create a self-sustainable carbon tax cycle aimed at achieving low-carbon economy. The investments in the greener technologies should be encouraged and genuine awareness about the safer environment should be inculcated in the industries.

Monica Prasad, the author of “The Politics of Free Markets” asserts to “tax the industrial emission of carbon and return the revenue to industry through subsidies for research and investment in alternative energy sources, cleaner-burning fuel, carbon-capture technologies and other environmental innovation”.

In the large democracies like India and US, the political leadership would hesitate to impose carbon tax on the industries. The rich and powerful industrial lobbies would prevent every such ‘green’ move by the government. But the time has come to ‘re-look’ at the domestic carbon economy in a more proactive and responsible manner.

Rising Food Prices: A Threat to Food Security

2009-12-22T10:49:00.000+05:30

Inflation is the rate of increase in the prices of a chosen basket of goods over a corresponding period a year ago.The prices of the food grains and essential commodities have spiraled to a new high in the recent months across the world. The access to adequate and affordable nutritious food has been increasingly becoming a mirage for the poor section of the society.Milton Friedman had rightly quoted “Inflation is taxation without legislation”.

The reasons for the high prices of the food items are many and difficult to single-out any one. The decades of under-investment in agriculture is the most basic reason for the demand-and-supply mismatch of the food items. The variable monsoon rains have been ‘gambling’ with the food production and livelihood security of millions of poor farmers in the South Asia.

But there is no shortage for the ‘words’ of the global leaders to combat food crisis and hunger. The recent World Food Summit was an utter disappointment. The Summit failed to take any measurable steps to address the global food crisis. In the L’Aquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI) of the G-8, the world leaders committed $20 billion over three years for sustainable agriculture development and safety nets for vulnerable population looks very ‘ambitious’ to tackle the crisis. The rhetoric and reality must be analyzed and distinguished.

In India, the Wholesale Price Index(WPI) has reached a new high of 19.95% in December, 2009. The WPI index though captures the wholesale prices of the food articles(Weight 15.40%) reflects the rise in the food prices considerably.The WPI inflation data have not been adequate for monetary policy purposes. Central banks the world over have been relying on a representative consumer price index for policy purposes.

The WEO of October 2009 projects consumer price inflation in advanced countries to remain low, rising from 0.1 per cent in 2009 to 1.1 per cent in 2010. Consumer price inflation in emerging and developing economies is projected to decline from 5.5 per cent in 2009 to 4.9 per cent in 2010. In sharp contrast, in India, CPI inflation has not only remained elevated, but has indeed hardened in recent months reflecting higher food prices.The food price inflation is currently at a 11-year high of 20%, as the weakest monsoon rains in 37 years has caused a sharp drop in kharif output.

The food crisis and hunger are more severe in the poor and emerging economies. India has quarter of the population living below the poverty line. This majority of the people get directly affected by the soaring food prices as their meager real incomes can hardly meet the high prices. The challenge for the government and central bank is to take preventive measures to save the poor people from hunger and malnutrition.

The immediate short-term steps should be to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of the food grains, banning the export of food grains like rice and wheat, encouraging the import of the essential food items, seeking the support of state governments to mitigate the effects of food inflation on the poor people.

The long-term strategy should start from increasing the investment in the agriculture and empowering the rural farm households to practice sustainable agriculture. The global food co-operation and governance should be strengthened to reach-out to the affected poorest countries in the hour of need. The research should be encouraged to produce more resistant and resilient food crop varieties to suit the local needs and ecosystem. The pre-and-post harvest technologies should be developed and distributed in a more equitable and inclusive manner. The food security agenda should focus on agriculture and rural development by promoting sustainable production, productivity and rural economic growth.

The government has implemented the National Food Security Mission in 312 districts in 17 states and aims to achieve an additional production of 20 million tonnes of food grains by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan ending fiscal 2011-2012. But with the increasing variations in the monsoon and commercialization of the agriculture, NFSM will remain a dream which can never come true.

The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009

2009-12-14T16:36:00.000+05:30

The Bills intends to bring the liability for a damage due to nuclear accident or incident in India. It envisages a liability cap of not more than $450 million on the nuclear plant operator for the damage. The extra costs of a damage may have to borne by the government. This has created a huge controversy and uproar in the domestic circles.

The Bill once passed by the Parliament would open the flood gates for the foreign nuclear power and research companies. The signing of the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and a clean waiver from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) had removed the legal restrictions for a nuclear trade and helped India to come out from decades of isolation. The liability bill seems to be the last hurdle.

The Indian government seems to be in a hurry to pass the Bill to boost the foreign investment in the critical civil nuclear energy sector.

The critics want the manufacturers and suppliers of a faulty Nuclear Reactor, be held more responsible than a domestic operator.The cost of restoring the damaged ecosystem and lives exceeds far more than the proposed $450 million in the Bill. The burden may fall back on the tax payer. The liability can neither be limited nor passed on the tax payer.

Articles 21, 48-A and 51-A of the Indian Constitution provides directions and safeguards against environmental damage and degradation. The Precautionary Principle and Polluter Pays Principle are laid out by the Apex court clearly put a strict and absolute liability on the polluter. These are essential ingredients for a sustainable development of a region.

According to the Vienna convention , the plant 'operator' liability is exclusive and absolute.India should not hurry-up to sign these conventions.Many countries including US, China and Japan have not joined this convention as they have compelling domestic nuclear liability laws. The laws can be framed on the lines of US's controversial Price-Anderson Act, where a large domestic nuclear insurance pool is created. We can think of becoming an active member of the international insurance pooling system to cover the risks of a nuclear catastophe.

The government should not move the 'The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009' in a hurry to soothe the foreign investors especially from US. All the pros and cons of the proposed bill should be deliberated to strike a harmony between the international nuclear liability conventions and domestic constitutional obligations.

Quote of the Day

2009-12-10T16:16:00.000+05:30

"If Pres. Obama and his strategists really believe Pakistan will all of a sudden commit to fully supporting America's effort in Afghanistan I can sell them an invention that converts sand into oil."

By An Unknown American

Opinion of the Day: India could be a new pole of global growth - World Bank president

2009-12-04T20:06:00.000+05:30

First Published in The Hindustan Times, December 2nd, 2009

Robert Zoellick and Pranab Mukherjee

Change is the great constant of the world economy. India was still a colony when the allied powers shaped the international architecture at the end of World War Two. Today, India is a rising economic power that is contributing to world growth in new and powerful ways.

With India’s strong human capital and cutting-edge innovation, it is clear the knowledge and technology content — the real competitive smart-edge of India’s exports — is going to rise.Economic reforms in India and China, and the export-driven growth strategies of East Asia all contributed in the last 20 years to a world market economy that surged from about 1 billion to 4 or 5 billion people. This shift offers enormous opportunities. But it has also shaken an international economic system forged in the middle of the 20th Century.

The international architecture needs to accommodate India and other powers whose growth rates far exceed those of developed countries. We must recognise this reality and anticipate the future — shape it or be shaped by it.

India is already an indispensable part of the global conversation. Its voice at the G-20 table is an important force for designing a future global architecture, not least because it has well-managed the impact of the economic crisis and is helping support the world’s recovery.

Shifting influence is also reflected in the numbers. As India’s $1.2 trillion economy returns to growth rates of eight to nine per cent, we can expect it to grow not only as a market but as a supplier of a range of services and increasingly knowledge-intensive goods.

India’s increasing globalisation will be driven by the country becoming a source for some of these specialised products. As it further integrates with global production chains, it will do so not by making more of the same, but by making products of new value.

Of course, India still faces enormous challenges as a developing country yet if it can remove bottlenecks that slow its economy, then India is well positioned to become one of the new poles of global growth.

India will need innovative financing to move on its massive infrastructure agenda. I hope the World Bank Group can help to attract global partnerships for knowledge and funding. Access to finance is another area where changes will mean a difference to the lives of millions of citizens, that difference being a share in the opportunity of India’s growth.

There are also huge technology advances that India can put to work to make government more efficient, to make service delivery easier to monitor and track, and public financial flows more visible. Half a billion Indians now have cell phones.This translates into a powerful information flow to — and critically from — some of the remotest and poorest areas.

A sustainable globalisation means an India that shares some of its remarkable achievements more widely. Call it South-South cooperation or good global citizenship, India has much to offer the world: lessons from its model of economic development; cooperation between private and public sectors to generate microeconomic efficiency and macroeconomic stability; working on global financial regulation as part of the G-20 task forces; and considering ways forward on migration and cross-border labour mobility.

Everyone cites India’s Green Revolution. But I’m even more intrigued by what is known as SRI, or system of rice intensification, and I know this is also an area of interest for PM Manmohan Singh. Using smart water management and planting practices, farmers in Tamil Nadu have increased rice yields between 30 and 80 per cent, reduced water use by 30 per cent, and now require significantly less fertilizer. This emerging technology not only addresses food security but also the water scarcity challenge that climate change is making all the more dangerous. These are all lessons for our world.

India’s status as a rising economic power is closely connected with how it can create opportunity and inclusion. It’s not an option to exclude hundreds of millions of Indians from the country’s growing prosperity. One in three of the world’s poor are in India and the country has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, with 44 per cent of children born underweight. Actions to address poverty widely — and education, health, rural roads and livelihoods more specifically —have a renewed urgency.

The World Bank Group can support India through assistance with urban development, transport and power infrastructure; elementary and secondary education; and agricultural and rural development. India is now the biggest client for IFC, the group’s private sector arm, with $1 billion a year invested over the last three years. IFC is improving access to infrastructure and finance, and addressing climate change as central to its work. Working together, India and the World Bank Group can become even stronger partners as India rises both at home and abroad.

DUBAI ‘Debt’ Debacle: The ‘Oasis’ dried-up?

2009-12-01T17:06:00.000+05:30

The global financial and economic crisis found yet another new victim – Dubai, the financial dreamland in the desert land. The ashes over the smoldering embers was blown away to remind us – the worst Crisis of the century is yet to subside.

On Nov. 25, the city-state of Dubai shocked the global investment community by asking creditors of its main corporate arm, ports-and-property conglomerate Dubai World, for a six-month payment standstill on its almost $60 billion of liabilities.

Dubai World is an investment company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government.It was was established under a decree ratified on 2 March 2006.It has been the engine for much of the growth at home and abroad.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc was the biggest underwriter of Dubai World loans while HSBC Holdings Plc has the most at risk in the U.A.E., according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said, “The ripple effects of the financial crisis in Dubai will be felt in India, but the impact may not be as acute as Indian banks do not have much exposure in the region”.

The decades of efforts in building a brand for the city as a global financial hub got evaporated with the announcement of the 200 words ‘debt’ letter by ‘Dubai World’. It sent tremors across the globe luckily at lower levels of intensity.

The unregulated, non-accountable and non-transparent business in the murky state of affairs always awaits a doomsday. The fallout of speculative business in Dubai, the financial and economic backbone of UAE is just another example.

Well, the lessons and spillover effects are plenty. Investors may not believe in the probabilistic assurances like ‘someone’ will rescue their hard-earned money. It can be used to predict and mitigate the next burst in other global financial hubs like Shangai, Singapore, Bangalore etc. It may hamper the investments in the emerging economies. It may delay and demotivate the global financial recovery. And the worse, it may trigger another financial meltdown.

It is difficult to set, even the approximate time frame to regain the lost glory and trust. It calls for a more scrutiny, vigilance and ethics in the speculative business. Let’s hope to climb the slippery slope to recover from the global crisis.

POVERTY REDUCTION: India vs China vs Brazil

2009-11-29T00:30:00.002+05:30

The developing and emerging economies like China, India and Brazil have been facing an uphill task to reduce poverty and inequality in their pro-market developmental agenda.

The recent study by World Bank’s Development Research Group provides an invaluable insight regarding the poverty alleviation efforts by the three major emerging economies – China, India and Brazil.

Though the style of governance, market dynamics and attitudes of the people differ significantly between these countries, a comparative perspective is useful for mutual collaboration and partnership to alleviate the most daunting social evil – the poverty.

The lessons learnt in combating the mass poverty by these countries are plenty. Each country has many valuable experiences which can be adopted and adapted by other country. This convergence of interests in the socio-economic development may pave the way for stronger South-South Co-operation.

The Study suggests, around the time when reforms began China had one of the highest proportion of people living in poverty in the world. In 1981, a staggering 84% of Chinese people were living below the poverty line. It was ranked next to Cambodia, Burkina Faso, Mali and Uganda. But in 2005, the proportion got reduced to 16% which is far below the average 26% of developing countries. The proportionate rate of reduction over 1981-2005 was an impressive 6.6% per annum.

In Brazil, the proportion of population living in poverty fell from 17% in 1981 to 8% in 2005. The proportionate rate of reduction of poverty is 3.2% per annum, which is still impressive though not as spectacular as China’s reduction rate.

But in 2005, the headcount of poor people in India was a staggering 42% compared to 16% (China) and 8% (Brazil). During 1981-2005 periods the proportion of poor people fell marginally from 60% to 42%. The rate of reduction of poverty is 1.5% which is far below the corresponding rates of China and Brazil.

China had the highest growth rate and poverty reduction rate during the post-reform period. It achieved the long-term growth target of an impressive 9% average growth rate. The trend of growth rate in India’s GDP per capita in the period 1951-91 was under 2% per annum but it almost doubled after the reform period.
Inequality is one the major factor responsible for poverty. The rising inequality will always dampen the impact of economic growth rate in alleviating the mass poverty. The report noted the inequality as measured by the Gini Index rose over time in the low inequality countries (India and China) and fell in the high inequality countries (Brazil).

The rise in inequality is far greater in China than India. The Gini Index of Index rose from about 0.31 in 1990 to 0.33 in 2005, as compared to China’s rise from 0.29 to 0.42. India’s inequality was based on the consumption rather than income levels. This suggests that inequality in India may be higher than China. In India, there is still a marked caste and gender inequality compared to other two countries.

After 1980, China undertook series of bold pro-economic reforms. The collectives were dismantled and virtually all the land was redistributed to the individual farmers. Farmers were asked to provide fixed quota to the government and allowed to keep everything excess of the quota. This is a novel step to free the farmers from the markets and the leachy middlemen. This is the main reason for the dramatic reduction in the mass poverty in China. There is a marked coastal-interior gap in the development in China. The relatively lower levels of inequality in health and schooling provided a strong base on which the pro-market reforms flourished. But the levels of inequality increased as the reforms progressed.

In India, the benefits of the Green Revolution and the free market failed to reach the bottom of the pyramid. There is a distorted growth rate in different sectors. The modern industrial and service sectors grew rapidly compared to primary sectors like agriculture. There is a huge gap between the urban and rural growth. The globalization and commercialization of decaying agriculture have become a curse to the rural economy. The mass migration of the distressed agricultural labour to the nearest cities has become a burden on the fledgling urban infrastructure. The variable monsoons have added to the woos of the farmers. The recent rise in the prices of the essential food commodities has caused a death-trap on the poor people.

Recently our Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh told "No doubt Chinese growth performance is superior to India's growth performance. But I always believe that there are other values which are important than the growth of GDP – respect for fundamental human rights, respect for rule of law, respect for multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-religious rights"

We can’t wash off our hands by giving such hollow reasons. The poor people are more worried about food than human rights or other values. Anything can wait but not the hunger and chronic poverty of the masses. We can't afford to run behind the foreign investors and the rich industrialists for all the woos. We need learn from China, Brazil and other developing countries. The suspicion and jealousy should not come on our path for a mutual partnership and collaboration in the critical sectors.

Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. There is a glaring negligence of the sector. The ambitious land reforms failed miserably. There is a huge inequality in the land distribution. There is a perpetual exploitation of the small and marginal farmers by the big farmers and middlemen. There is no proper price mechanism to protect the interests of our poor farmers. There is a social and economical polarisation of the poor in the society.

The much-celebrated ‘gram swarajya’ (village republics) is still a dream. The village panchayats needs to be empowered by devolving more powers and providing the required physical and financial resources. Our three-level governance is highly structured and least empowered.

Democracy and pluralism should not become a curse to the poor people. The primary focus of the state should be to revive the lives of hungry masses than feeding the coffers of the rich industrialists.

Uninvited Guests ‘Dinner’ crash: Who is to be blamed?

2009-11-28T11:22:00.000+05:30

The uninvited guests to the first State dinner getting closer to the most powerful leaders is an embarrassment and a major security lapse in the recent times.

It is a major setback for the Secret Service of the Homeland Security. It is unimaginable how Michaele and Tareq Salahi of Virginia, met and shook hands with the president and the first lady in the receiving line in the Blue Room without being in the Guests List. We can’t just believe this can happen in America.

In october, FBI arrested an American David Headley, a Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative.He was involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. This raises serious concerns on the security of the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh in United States.Indian security officials needs be vigilant and alert even in US.

Secret service director Mark Sullivan apologized saying he was “deeply concerned, embarrassed”. Sullivan said: “Although these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely. That failing is ours,” he added. “We need to be right 100% percent of the time.”

The ethical and moral levels of the Salahi couple needs to be questioned. The couple should be prosecuted for breaching the security intentionally. Instead, publicity-crazy Americans may lionize and rope them to a reality TV shows.
They will be given a celebrity-status soon or later. Grow-up!

Barack Obama and Manmohan Singh : The Opening Remarks

2009-11-26T13:43:00.000+05:30

Let us briefly analyze the Opening Remarks by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama in a Joint Press Conference at the White House, Washington DC.

Well, there was no shortage of ‘niceties’ and ‘words’ to describe the fledgling Indo-US relations in a grand way. The US seemed to boost the morale of the Soft power, India largely though the ‘soft’ words and the President Obama did an excellent job as expected. Democracy, Pluralism, Value for human rights and rule of law, protecting the multi-ethnic and multi-religious society etc looked rather as usual with no major progress in the relationship. The words were plenty to strengthen the 'strong' ties between the two democracies.

India’s role was not looked though the small prism of South Asia and Pakistan. It looked to encompass major global challenges. President Obama recognized the pivotal role of India in shaping peaceful and prosperous 21st century. He stressed the need for a strong and vibrant India for the long lasting peace and stability in the World. He recognized India as a natural ally of US in all the major challenges which includes terrorism, climate change, food security etc. There was a call for more interconnectedness and dynamism between the two economies for fully exploring the mutual advantage to create jobs and prosperity. India needs to show more leadership role and maturity in the world affairs rather restricting itself to the petty political dynamics of South Asia.

There was no direct or indirect pressure on Pakistan to take concrete action on the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. There was a media expectation for a clear US stand on the issue especially after the recent breakthroughs in the investigations on the attacks. The US looked more eager to win the trust of Pakistan for clearing the Afghanistan mess and restrained from making any direct reference to the Pakistani establishment for their inaction and inability to act on terrorist elements.

Regarding Copenhagen Summit, India has agreed for a substantive and comprehensive outcome, which would cover mitigation, adaptation, finance, and technology. India should clear the air whether it has agreed for legally-binding cuts in the emissions. We must always give importance to our domestic obligations and not succumb to the powerful nations at a global stage.

The unprecedented cooperation in the areas of education, agriculture and healthcare is noteworthy. The initiatives like Barack-Manmohan Knowledge Inititative is a welcome move.It would open the flood gates of opportunities in the areas of high technology, education and research. It will enable the American companies to leverage upon the cheap and talented human capital of the subcontinent. The timing was apt especially in the aftermath of the global economic crisis and the on-going food crisis.

There was a clear indication to take the bilateral relations to a new level. But there was a conspicuous absence of any ‘major’ moves by the President Obama.Let us wait and see for any major steps in the bilateral ties between the countries.

Chitradurga Fort : World Heritage Site?

2009-11-25T22:32:00.000+05:30

The historic fort is one of the mightiest and secured marvel ever built by humanity. The Nayak Paleyagars, the legendary rulers have left many tails which celebrat their valour and heroism even today. There are countless mystic stories and unresolved mysteries about this magnificent fort. It has 19 gateways, 38 posterior entrances, a palace, a mosque, granaries, oil pits, four secret entrances and water tanks. Amidst rocky surroundings inside the fort complex on the hill are many temples. It is on a hilltop with a good view of the surrounding plains. The place is renowned for its Kallina Kote ("the place of the stone fort"), and is home to the "Fort of Seven Rounds" (ಏಳು ಸುತ್ತಿನ ಕೋಟೆ), built with large stones. In the hill fort there are temples of the Sampige Siddeshwara, Hidimbeshwara (a cave shrine), Ekanathamma, Phalguneshwara, Gopalakrishan etc., amidst thick rocky surroundings.Madakari Nayaka (1758 - 1779) was one of the bravest and most celebrated ruler.

Today, the Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Narayanasamy has said that the Govt. has not received any proposal for nominating Chitradurga Fort in Karnataka for inscription in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Moreover, as per the Operational Guidelines laid down by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, nomination of any property to the World Heritage List can only be considered if it has already been included in the Tentative List of the country concerned.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today he said, the Chitradurga Fort does not figure in the Tentative List of India approved by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO as at present.

The Karnataka government has failed to project this historic fort as a potential tourist spot at the national and international level. The State's tourism minister Mr. Janardhana Reddy should focus on the neglected wonders to restore their lost pride and respect. There is a urgent need to include this amazing fort in the Tentative List of India and mobilize the efforts to make it a World Heritage Site at the earliest.

Liberhan Report : "Double Shame"

2009-11-24T15:02:00.000+05:30

Liberhan Commission, headed by the retired SC judge M S Liberhan, was constituted on December 16, 1992. It submitted the report to the Prime Minister on 30 June 2009.

It is sad to note that the Liberhan Commission took 17 years to come out with the report yet failed to pin-point and recommend punitive action against the perpetrators of the shameful demolition. After spending nearly 8 crores of public money and 48 extensions, the people of India should not be blindfolded without justice. We can't be taken for a 'familiar' ride on this sensitive issue.

The blame should not be directed entirely towards the Commission. The cobwebs of political and bureaucratic system is largely responsible for unjustified delay and tooth-less recommendations of the Commission. It calls for a reality check of the state of governance in India.

The hue and cry over the leakage of the Report is unwarranted. The media has fulfilled the responsibility of being an effective watchdog of mal-governance. The government must clear the air by tabling the report in parliament and bringing the culprits to the justice at the earliest.

Both the demolition and the report will always be a 'double' shame on the state of affairs in the independent, secular and pluralistic India.

Let’s hope the report would at least serve an example of grim failure of governance in future.

Copenhagen Summit and India

2009-11-17T14:35:00.000+05:30

India has historical and economical reasons to deny any legally-binding targets. We need to pitch hard to force the developed countries to take more responsibility and emission targets. Green technologies should be transferred to the developing countries. India and China must unite and show solidarity. It is a golden opportunity to strengthen the much-needed South-South Co-operation.

We need to join the global efforts in mitigating the Climate Change without compromising the daunting social and economical responsibilities. The humanity should unite to seize the opportunity to thrash out a more meaningful agreement to combat the inevitable reality – Climate Change.

Hilly Regions of India

2009-11-14T20:20:00.000+05:30

There is an urgent need to conserve the fragile and vulnerable ecosystem of the hilly regions in India. This calls for being more sensitive to the local needs and resource endowments. The rapid commercialization and unsustainable ways of consumptions of the natural resources in these regions should be checked. The anthropological interferences have hastened the frequency of disasters and calamities in these regions. This has made the life and property of these regions more vulnerable. The vagaries of the monsoons and the climate change have put the lives of hilly people in a more precarious position.

The local people should be roped in developing these regions in a sustainable and equitable manner. There is a need for an integrated, holistic framework to conserve our valuable hilly ecosystems and for promoting the eco-tourism across India.

Climate Change and Indian Agriculture

2009-11-03T11:27:00.000+05:30

Agriculture has been the lifeblood of vast mass of population for centuries together. The poor farmers are the victims of anthropological and natural implications from the time immemorial.The acceleration of global warming and the imminent threat of change in climate has made the population more vulnerable and threatened their livelihood security in the recent decades.

Indian agriculture largely depends in the most dynamic, unpredictable, mysterious atmospheric phenomenon - the monsoons. The spatial and temporal variations in the monsoons has affected the lives of millions of farmers in India. There is a significant departures from the normal schedule of the rains in the recent time. There was a marked delay and rare extension of the rains. The heavy downpours in the semi-arid, inner peninsular India has caused unprecedented floods and subsequent damage in Southern India. These are the clear indications of the future course of events to come.

There is a urgent need to develop, climate change compatible crop varieties by being sensitive to the local climatic factors. The research should be strengthened on these lines. If required, the crops should be genetically modified to meet the challenges of food security, nutritional deficiency and the vagaries of climate change.

The Indian government should be more concerned about the plight of the poor farmers. There is a need for an integrated, holistic policy framework to protect the Indian agriculture from both short-term and long-term implications of the climate change. This calls for a rapid policy and institutional reforms in India to mitigate the Climate Change and usher in the much needed, Second Green Revolution.

One should be aware of the fact that, sheer rhetoric on the efforts and challenges of the climatic changes won't save our farmers and hungry masses from the harsh reality - the Climate Change.

Manmohan Singh’s Sharm-el-sheik ‘fiasco’

2009-07-27T21:45:00.001+05:30

The widespread uproar over the Indo-Pak Declaration is due to the lack of vision and responsibility among the media and the general intelligentsia of the sub-continent.

The de-linking of the composite dialogue process with the terrorism is the latest development. The inclusion of Baluchistan in the ever increasing list of issues and exclusion of Kashmir on the other side were the hot 'news' items. The opposition and media attacked both governments for one or other reason.

The main reason for the furor and confusion is the different perception and interpretation of the leaders to soothe the hardliners in the respective countries. The Indian officials claimed the willingness and acceptance of the Pakistan to bring the culprits of the Mumbai Attacks to justice as the major diplomatic victory. The Pakistanis wanted something to cheer on. They interpreted the joint declaration as the acceptance of India's hand in the Baluchistan. Unfortunately the media in India inflated the issues by their own interpretations and intensions. There is no need to question the drafting skills of the foreign officials.

The delinking of the terrorism and talks is the most important step forward. This defeats the malign intensions of the terrorists who are hell bent creating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The terrorists want Pakistan to have bad relations with India so that the Pakistan Army would join hands with them in the 'jihad' for liberating Kashmir. In case of a terrorist attack in India, the government obviously blames the Pakistan for not controlling the terrorist elements. The Pakistani establishment gets embarrassed with the increased international pressure and blames India for the allegations without any concrete evidence. This increases the tensions between the countries. Terrorists will have a last laugh of the situation and claim victory of successfully realizing their intensions.

Manmohan Singh has taken a visionary and bold decision by de-linking the dialogue process with terrorism. This ensures the much better atmosphere between the neighbors despite any future attacks on India. It enables India to press the Pakistani government to bring the terrorists to the justice very smoothly and quickly. With the minimization of the trust deficit, India can go for a signing of an Extradition Treaty with Pakistan, through which terrorists can be directly handed over to India.

There is a need for bridging the trust gap and better understanding. This can't be achieved overnight by one or two meetings. The people and the media need to have patience and show more responsibility.

At present, we expect the leaders to shoot the bull eye without proper training!

MPLADS Scheme: An assured way for engulfing the tax payers’ money!

2009-07-25T00:00:00.001+05:30

The members of parliament get united very rarely, in a much organized way. Do you know when? – To demand for an increase in the annual grants, they get under Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). The existing Rs 2 cr is too small for the babus to lead a 'normal' life. The demand for increasing to Rs.5 cr might have been the direct effect of the increasing prices of the food items in the market. It's shameful on part of the honorable representatives of the people!

The funds are meant to effectively channelize the developmental works in one's constituency. This is a unique opportunity, which should be sincerely utilized by the elected members to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the people they represent. The increase in the funds would increase the 'executive' nature of the rule at the lower levels of the administration. The Judiciary should check the growing threat to the 'de-centralization' as laid down by the Constitution.

National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and Monsoons

2009-07-24T22:20:00.001+05:30

The National Development Council launched a Food Security Mission comprising rice, wheat and pulses to increase the production of rice by 10 million tons, wheat by 8 million tons and pulses by 2 million tons by the end of 11^th Five Year Plan (2011-12).

Accordingly, a centrally sponsored scheme was launched from 2007-08 to operationalize the above mentioned resolution. The program aims achieve food security in India by bridging the gap between the production and supply of the food items.

The aim of increasing the productivity in the agriculture has been complemented by the target of achieving the overall growth of the agriculture sector. The Indian Govt. plans to an impressive growth rate of 4% per annum in the agriculture sector by 2011-12.

But still the Indian agriculture depends largely on the monsoons. The monsoons vary both spatially and temporally. This has increased the gambling of the farmers with the rains. It should be noted the large area of arable land is still rain-fed area and it is very important to bring this land under irrigation to achieve the fancy growth targets.

The climate change has accentuated the problems of Indian farmers. The monsoons have been adversely affected by global warming. The government should take bold decisions to mitigate and prevent the catastrophic effects of the monsoon failures on Indian farmers.

The research on the improved varieties of drought-resistant food crop varieties is the need of the hour.

Employee Motivation – An invaluable aspect of a firm’s growth.

2009-01-19T11:26:00.000+05:30

What drives an employee to be more productive and grow in the same firm for a long time? The answer is a hot research topic among the business scholars in the recent times. Indeed, decoding the secret of the driving force motivating people to contribute significantly to a firm’s growth has become a challenging task.

In the recent edition of Harvard Business Review, the employee motivation factor was a hot topic of debate and discussion. According to the research study, an employee is driven by four factors

1. Acquire - scarce goods including intagibles like social or corporate status

2. Bond - form connection between individuals and groups

3. Comprehend - satisfying ones curiosity and mastering the world around us.

4. Defend - protect against external threats and promote justice.

Managers attempting to boost motivation should take note, a motivated workforce means better corporate performance. But what actions, precisely, can managers take to satisfy the four drives and, thereby, increase their employees’s motivation?

At any moment, an employee will be revolving around the motivation indicators listed below

1. Engagement: represent the energy, effort and initiave employees bring to their jobs

2. Satisfaction: reflects the extent to which they feel that the company meets their expectations at work.

3. Commitment: captures the extent to which employees engage in corporate citizenships.

4. Intension to Quit: is the best proxy for employee turnover.

An organization as whole clearly has to attend to the four fundamental emotional drives, but so must individual managers, who influence overall motivation as much as any organisational policy does.

Let’s look more closely at the drivers of employee motivation; the levers the managers can pull to address them, and the ‘local’ strategies that can boost motivation despite organizational contraints.

The drive to acquire.
Everyone is driven to acquire scarce goods that bolster ones sense of well-being. This phenomenon applies not only to the physical goods like food, clothing, and money, but also to experiences lile travel and entertainment – not to mention events that improve social status, such as being promoted and getting a separate room.
The drive to acquire tends to be relative (compare what we have with what others possess) and insatiable (we always want more). This explains why people always care not just about their own compensation but about others’ as well.

The drive to bond.
Only human beings extend their bonding connection beyond family to larger entities like organization, association or nation. At work, the drive to bond accounts for the enormous boost in motivation when employees feel proud of belonging to the organization and their loss of morale when the institution betrays the m. People become attached to their respective Service lines.
This drive to bond of an employee should never be mis-used by a manager or the organization.

The drive to comprehend
We want to understand and master the things around – technical, administrative or cultural – that makes events more comprehensible. We are frustrated when things seem senseless and we are irritated by the challenge of finding a solution.
At work place, this drive accounts for the desire to make meaningful contribution. Employees are motivated by jobs that challenge them and enable them to grow and learn and they are demoralized by those that seem to be monotonous or lead to a dead end. Talented employees who feel trapped often leave their companies to find new challenges elsewhere.

The drive to defend
We all naturally defend ourselves, our property and accomplishments, our family and friends, and our ideas and beliefs against external threats. This drive is linked to fight-to-fight character of the nature and it is rootes into the basic nature of humans.

Birds Puzzle

2008-10-22T11:28:00.000+05:30

Birds were sitting on two branches of a tree.

Branch A and Branch B One of the bird of Branch A says to the birds on the Branch B "One of u come here and we will be equal."

In reply Branch B bird Say " one of u come here and we would be double compare to u."

How many birds were their on branch A and branch B

"Better to be poor in paradise than rich in Hell"

2008-10-13T00:20:00.000+05:30

One can't become rich by working for others!!
This is fact which most people ignore in the pursuit of achieving financial freedom. Some people are just not designed to work under the hawk-eye of other people. It takes lots of courage to break away from the comfort zone of constant source of income.
Factors influencing a person to stick to a mis-fit job

Financial Insecurity
Social Status
Lack of courage and proper goals
Financial obligations and commitments etc

One should not work for the sake of pay packet alone because it will take away the person's happiness in the long-run.
The intelligent person will earn money even during the sleep. The effort put under pressure by working for other people, if put for your sake; can do wonders for you.

Light bulbs problem

2007-10-31T11:33:00.000+05:30

You have three light bulbs in a sealed room. You know that initially, all three light bulbs are off. Outside the room there are three switches with a one-to-one correspondence to the light bulbs.
You may flip the switches however you like and you may enter the room once.
How should you flip the switches to determine which switch controls which light bulb?

Solution: Use your other senses. You can't figure out which light bulb is controlled by which switch if you only look at them. What you do is turn two light switches on. Then allow some period of time to pass. After a lengthy period of time, turn one switch off, leaving the other one on. The on that is on obviously belongs to the switch you left on. Now, feel the other two light bulbs. The light that is warm belongs to the switch that you turned on and off. The light bulb that is off and not warm is the switch you didn't touch.

Suicidal Monks Problem

2007-10-31T11:16:00.000+05:30

There is a group of monks in a monastery. These monks have all taken a vow of silence. They cannot communicate with each other, and all they do is pray in a common room during the day and sleep at night. As well, they have no mirrors in the compound. One day, the head monk calls them all together and says "Tonight while you sleep, I will place a black X on some of your foreheads. When you awaken, continue your normal activities.
But once you determine that you have an X, you must wait until night, and then kill yourself". So from then on, they pray together by day, and each night some may commit suicide. The question: if there are N monks with Xes, how many days does it take for the N monks to commit suicide?

Bonus Question: What happens if #Monks=1 and exactly 1 monk with an X is not loyal, and doesn't kill himself when he discovers that he has the X?

classic weighing !!!

2007-10-15T09:44:00.000+05:30

this is a classic problem which i have heard many times before. this is the "harder" of the two problems, since in this one, you do not know if the invalid item weighs more or less than the others.
solving it is only half the battle. writing up a solution that anyone including your grandma could understand, is very hard.
problem: the evil king from before sends his own assassin to take care of the evil queen who tried to poison him. of course, her trusty guards catch the assassin before any harm is done. the queen notices that the assassin is quite handsome and doesn't really want to punish him by death. she decides to test his wisdom.
the queen gives the assassin 12 pills which are all completely identical in shape, smell, texture, size, except 1 pill has a different weight. the queen gives the man a balance and tells him that all the pills are deadly poison except for the pill of a different weight. the assassin can make three weighings and then must swallow the pill of his choice. if he lives, he will be sent back to the bad king's kingdom. if he dies, well, thats what you get for being an assassin.
only one pill is not poison and it is the pill which has a different weight. the assassin does not know if it weighs more or less than the other pills. how can he save his skin?

Rotating Circles

2007-10-09T16:50:00.000+05:30

Count the black dots!!

2007-10-09T16:49:00.001+05:30

India's 60th Birthday. A Self-introspection!

2007-08-16T12:24:00.000+05:30

Hi, India celebrated 60th birthday with a bash. There were celebrations across the country. Everyone is proud to be an Indian!

There are many reasons to celebrate this unique day. India has emerged a global powerhouse in all the areas. The Software boom is the key factor, which catapulted India's glory at the global stage. Infosys, Wipro, TCS are the awesome-threesome which changed the global perspective of India permanently and they were successful in breeding the entrepreneurial desires in the young India by inspiring millions of youth.I

ndia is been hailed as the fastest growing economy consistently over the past few years. The FDI inflow has increased by significant amounts. Everyother MNC is looking at the India to reap the economic benefits. Inflation is under control. The Indian companies are thinking behind their reach and aggressively acquiring the companies abroad, sometimes much larger than their own size.

After the green revolution, India has seen the e-conomic revolution after 90's. Some of the major changes include- Telecom revolution, IT revolution, Automobile Revolution.

Everyother Indian has a mobile phone disregard of the earning-scale. The middle class people are improving their status with someone in their family reaping the benefits of the software boom. But the rural part remains the most neglected in our success story.

The Intelligentsia is busy in thinking and creating the wealth for richer section in India and abroad by working for them. Nobody thinks of an unemployed, uneducated rural Indian.

Thinking should change. India has to progress by taking rich and poor together. Politicians should behave like true leaders and thinkers. The young Indian should dream high and work hard to reach for the sky. India is the best. Indians are the best. Jai Hind!!!