Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Full HD English Editorials 11-11-2021
Full HD English Editorials 11-11-2021
BEWARE OF THREATS
— Ramnath Goenka
W
hat do little-known environmentalist
Tulsi Gowda, transgender folk dancer TULSI Professor, Economics & Chairperson, Family
Matha B Manjamma, octogenarian JAYAKUMAR Managed Business at Bhavan’s SPJIMR
Mohammed Sharif and street vendor SOUMYADIP SINHA
Harekala Hajabba have in common
I
with the late ministers in the Narendra Modi ndia appears to be on the path to from Indians employed overseas, would be affected, since global in- covery in the US. The latest devel- crunch that is affecting the coun-
government, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, recovery, as Diwali festival sales along with a decline in the net over- vestors would find it more lucra- opment of America passing a $1 try’s growth, the systemic crisis in
around the country seem to attest. seas investment income payments. tive to invest in AE bonds, affecting trillion infrastructure bill to ramp its real estate and construction sec-
or celebrities such as Kangana Ranaut and Ad-
The Confederation of All India To add to the current account sur- India’s balance of payments. FPI is up its highway, broadband and in- tors, and the government’s crack-
nan Sami? All of them are recipients of the lat- Traders (CAIT) announced an plus, high Foreign Direct Invest- not the most desirable form of cap- frastructure is likely to aid US re- down on top companies in order to
est edition of the Padma awards, among the overall sale of `1.25 lakh crore dur- ments (FDI) and Foreign Portfolio ital flow because of its volatility; covery further, creating jobs address income inequalities and
most prestigious civilian honours in the coun- ing the festival—a record sales fig- investments (FPIs) ensured that but FPI when into equity does con- and boosting that country’s make firms fall in line, business
try. Gowda has planted more than 30,000 saplings ure in the last 10 years as per the India added $31.9 billion to its for- stitute a desirable capital flow. Two, competitiveness. sentiments and consequently
in her native village, Manjamma battled poverty traders’ body announcement made eign exchange reserves in Septem- it would lead to a depreciation of Prospects of a recovery have al- growth have suffered. The Chinese
a day after Diwali. ber 2021. the rupee, with its attendant risks ready led the US to announce its de- slowdown could hit India through
and abuse to become a folk dancer, Sharif has
Consumption aside, industrial While the domestic economy of making our imports even cost- cision to start winding up some of the trade channel, given that New
performed the last rites of thousands of un- production too has witnessed seems to be well under macro-con- lier. Three, companies that depend its emergency stimulus measures Delhi’s two-way trade with Beijing
claimed dead bodies, and Hajabba set up a school growth. The quick estimates of the trol, India would need to guard on external borrowings would find introduced to tackle the pandemic- in 2021 was substantially higher
for underprivileged children with his meagre Index of Industrial Production re- against external macro-develop- their borrowing costs higher, af- led recession, starting with the ta- than the pre-pandemic levels. Bilat-
savings from selling oranges on the road. veal a 11.9% growth in August 2021 ments that have the potential to de- fecting their returns. More impor- pering of its monthly bond-buying eral trade with China was up by
Until 2017, Gowda, Manjamma, Sharif and over the corresponding period last rail recovery. We consider three tantly, a depreciation of the rupee programme. In October, the US Fed- 29.7% in the first nine months of
Hajabba, to name just a few of the ordinary and year, while the manufacturing sec- such developments that could im- would further weaken their posi- eral Reserve had indicated that such 2021, compared with the same pe-
tor has grown by 9.7%. The manu- pact India, together with the chan- tion since borrowings in US dollars tapering may commence from mid- riod in 2019. India’s exports in-
unknown citizens who won the Padma awards facturing Purchasing Managers’ nels through which such impact is would pinch them harder. November, with the Fed cutting its creased far more (by 64.5%) com-
this year, would never have dreamt of rubbing Index (PMI) at 53.7 and the services likely to be experienced. 2. Economic Recovery in Ameri- $120 billion per month bond buys pared to its imports, which rose by
shoulders with the country’s elite in the ornate Purchasing Managers’ Index at 55.2 1. Higher global inflation: Both ca: The US reported less than slowly. The Fed indicated recently 21.5%. In fact, India’s trade with
and cavernous halls of Rashtrapati Bhawan. in September 2021 indicate opti- advanced economies (AEs) and 300,000 jobless claims filed in the that it would start by cutting $10 bil- China is expected to cross the
That year, the government launched a website mism regarding economic activity. emerging market economies have week ending October 9—the lowest lion a month in Treasury bond and $100 billion mark by the end of 2021.
to receive nominations for the awards, making The Consumer Price Index- been experiencing higher infla- since the beginning of the pan- $5 billion a month in mortgage- Even for China, the growth in trade
based retail inflation at 4.35% in tionary pressures due primarily to demic. Such figures, together with backed securities—a total reduction with India has been among the fast-
the exercise transparent. But more than the
September 2021 was not only a elevated commodity and fuel pric- its inflation data that showed a 13- of $15 billion per month. Such re- est compared to its other major
nomination itself, the government changed the whole percentage point below its es. Central banks of both sets of year high of 5.4% in September covery and the resultant tapering trading partners.
selection process, expanding the bouquet of level in August 2021, but was also economies have consequently 2021, point towards economic re- would also affect US bond yields. These global macro-develop-
recipients outside the usual politicians, bureau- the lowest inflation rate in India started tightening their monetary The bond yields have already risen ments, with their potential for
crats, celebrities, Lutyens’ courtiers and lobby- since January 2021. policies to address such inflation. from 0.91% at the beginning of 2021 spillovers and spillbacks, will have
ists to include ordinary do-gooders and change- As regards the external sector, This has had the impact of increas- to 1.549 % in November 2021. The US to be cautiously monitored by In-
India recorded a surplus on its cur- ing global bond yields, especially tapering is likely to harden bond dian policymakers and factored
makers. In effect, the year marked the beginning
rent account of 0.9% of GDP. The those of AEs, including the US. yields further, with its attendant re- into policymaking, even as they
of the democratisation of the Padma awards. current account surplus recorded Higher bond yields have the poten- India’s two-way trade with China in 2021 was sults for India. pursue their goal of “maintaining
Until now, it was well known in Delhi’s elite seems robust, coming as it did tial to adversely affect India substantially higher than pre-Covid levels and 3. Chinese slowdown: China’s price stability while keeping in
circles that other than the real achievers, through a contraction in the trade through multiple channels. One, is expected to cross $100 billion by the year end. GDP growth in Q3 2021-22 slowed to mind ... growth”.
months of lobbying, networking and under-the- deficit, increase in net service re- the flow of capital into India’s stock So the slowdown there could hit our country 4.9%, which was below the 5.2% (Views are personal)
table dealings could land one the Padma awards. ceipts and increase in remittances markets through the FPI route forecast. With the massive fuel (tulsi.jayakumar@spjimr.org)
The credit for this rather revolutionary shift
has to be given to the current government. In
providing a level playing field, the Centre has
given due recognition to the work of those in
the margins. Law minister Kiren Rijiju was not FROM SPACE TO CONSCIOUSNESS: INDIC ARCHITECTURE – I
off the mark when he tweeted after the presen-
tation ceremony that the awards could now be These issues are as relevant to mal soul. This may not be quite how tus flower. Within that is a still
modern India where building ap- the ancients thought. They pro- smaller space, the human heart (hr-
called the People’s Padma. No wonder the loud-
pears to be a heedless, profiteering fessed perhaps far more integrated dayakasha). Within that space is
est applause was reserved for the likes of Gow- business. Indian urban architec- life-goals. the deepest truth.”
da, who received her honour barefooted and SHONALEEKA Associate Professor, Centre for Historical ture today displays an overwhelm- In early India, form and con- In metaphysical terms, the indi-
clad in traditional attire. KAUL Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University ing functionalism and monotony, sciousness were considered insepa- vidual atman (soul) mirrored the
apart from a confused poverty of rable, regardless of the character universal brahman (pure conscious-
form—the predominant impression of the building, and their union in- ness), and true knowledge was the
PADDY IN T’GANA & A
P
art of a quest for a culturally rooted prime force, architecture, contract- one gets from the mushrooming vested with cultural meaning and realisation of their unity, or the true
practice of architecture is asking ed and narrowed down rather than jungle of skyscraper-slums that the efficacy. Architecture was a self- nature of reality was their unity. In-
PROBLEM OF PLENTY fundamental questions such as
what did the act of building truly
expanded our lives and our sense of
reality? This is a question of both
urban core and peripheries alike
have become. While there is noth-
consciously undertaken project
which, like a yajna, was believed to
deed moksha (liberation) was not
some other-worldly pursuit but
A
mean? ‘Architecture’, from the physics and metaphysics. Ultimate- ing wrong with function and it is a be transformational, both for its jivan mukti (liberation in one’s life-
s a major agrarian crisis stares at Telan- Greek architecton (‘prime builder’), ly, however, it is perhaps a question necessary and sufficient impetus practitioners and clientele. This time) or the realisation in the here
gana, the ruling TRS and opposition BJP is fundamentally articulated space. of ethics: What is the practice of for building, the question really is two-part series draws on a couple of and now of that state of bliss arisen
are involved in a blame game rather than Or, as Aldo van Eyck evocatively architecture meant to effect in hu- what is the nature of function that central concepts of space from ear- from union with the infinite. Known
helping the farmer. Interestingly, the called it, “outlined emptiness”, the man terms? A separation or a con- is aimed at. Is it that of mere utility ly India, mandala and mandara, to as advaita (non-dualism), this trans-
problem is on account of bountiful pro- outlining performed via the action tinuum? A split or equipoise? Al- or is it that of purpose, a “lasting explore how form and spirit fused sectarian philosophy established
duction as there are better irrigation facilities of building, which encloses and ienation or belonging? human validity”; the two are vastly synergistically with a view to trans- itself as influential from very early,
contains space. These are questions that have different in terms of their social forming the individual partaker finding expression first in the Upan-
for the farmers now than in the past.
In Indic conceptions, however, agitated the minds of some thinker- and spiritual potential. and ultimately the community. ishads, then the syncretic Bhagavad
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao argues right from the first millennium architects in the West like van Eyck What may ancient history tell us Returning then to the concept of Gita (2nd century BCE), down to Adi
that the Centre has abdicated its responsibility BCE, the word for space is akasha, and Christopher Alexander, who in this regard? Scholars speak of akasha, while retaining its essen- Shankara and Vedanta (9th century
of procuring all the raw rice produced in the which implies vastness, transcend- perceived a growing crisis of mind- two broad functions performed by tial qualities of infinitude and tran- CE onwards) and the nirguna bhak-
state during kharif. On top of this, he faults the ence and a phenomenon as all-en- lessness and disembeddedness in public architecture: sacred and sec- scendence, it could be of three dif- ti saints (14th–17th century).
Centre for saying that it would not take rabi compassing as the sky. Clearly then, contemporary architecture, and ular. To these the great temples and ferent kinds: in the middle, Of course one does not have to be
space as akasha was the opposite of went on to exhort a style of con- stupas of early India and the cities citakasha, mindspace that gave rise an advaitavadin to see that it is to
paddy in future on the grounds that it yields
anything finite, bounded or en- struction that felt like a built home- and palaces, respectively, can be as- to all activity and perception; above make manifest a culturally validat-
parboiled rice, which has no demand. But Tour- closed. So in this understanding, coming, “places where we can be signed. However, this binary is it- it, paramakasha, the infinite space ed idea of reality that most knowl-
ism Minister G Kishan Reddy, who represents architecture would be the paradoxi- what we really are”, or that tapped self a separation imposed by Euro- of nameless consciousness; and edge systems of early India strove
Telangana in the Union Cabinet, denies that the cal attempt to limit the limitless, into the eternal truth in the ordi- pean modernity, which expects the deep within, hrdayakasha, the in great epistemic unison. Archi-
Centre had said it would not buy all the kharif enclose the unenclosable. Which nary and every day. sacred nowadays to have a minimal space of the human heart. What’s tecture was no exception. Vastu
paddy and asserts that it would procure all the begs the question: Is architecture a In doing so, these architects right- role and the secular, perhaps, mini- more, appearing to confound all no- texts from the first and second mil-
raw rice for which it signs an MoU every year. contradiction in terms? ly apprehended the connection be- tions of scale and hierarchy, para- lennium CE, in the midst of the
And yet, humankind has been tween the surrounding built envi- makasha was exactly replicated in plethora of technical specifications
For the 2021-22 kharif, the state had signed an building and enclosing space for ronment and the psycho-social life hrdayakasha, or rather it reposed they offer, were ultimately about
MoU for 40 lakh tonnes in August but in Octo- millennia. So what does this transi- of the individual. They believed in deep within the latter. architecture as a means to an end
ber, the state had inflated the figure to 108 lakh tion from the unlimited to the lim- the transformative potential of ar- In the Taittiriya Upanishad (cir- greater than itself—architecture as
tonnes, which he says is very unrealistic. The ited, from the transcendent to the chitecture in facilitating the over- It is to make manifest a culturally validated ca 1000 BCE) this was expressed as meditation on the true nature of
state now has the unenviable task of asking contingent, do to space? In generat- coming of contradictions that peo- idea of reality that most knowledge systems nihitam guhayam parame vyoman: reality. Thus whether it was build-
farmers to switch to other crops in the rabi sea- ing an interior and an exterior, does ple and indeed societies felt within of early India strove in great epistemic “deep within the cave [-like heart] ing an altar, a temple or a city, archi-
building not also generate an artifi- themselves, and their attainment of of man lies infinite consciousness”. tecture at its highest became an in-
son beginning in December, which is sure to unison. ... Vastu texts ... were ultimately about
cial divide and duality or splitting a relaxed equipoise instead. They Here was the microcosmic paradox: strument of liberation.
result in a political backlash. If it does not, it asunder of experience? In forcing a emphasised the overcoming of du- architecture ... as meditation on the true the secret of outermost space is to (To be continued)
would lead to a bigger problem as the farmers separation between the world with- alities—the forced separation of in- nature of reality. Thus whether it was building be found in the innermost! As the (The author is editor of Eloquent
would be saddled with rabi rice, which would in and without, and ushering with- terior from exterior—as the key to an altar, a temple or a city, architecture at its Chhandogya Upanishad described Spaces: Meaning and Community
have no takers. Either way, the TRS government in the built interiors the bulk of our wholesome and harmonious build- highest became an instrument of liberation it: “within the city of brahman (in- in Early Indian Architecture)
would be in the soup. That is probably why KCR activities, has civilisation and its ings and communities. finite consciousness) is a small lo- (shonaleeka@mail.jnu.ac.in)
is deftly turning the anger of farmers towards
the Centre as he knows paddy is a powder keg
that can go off at any time.
There is no gain from pointing fingers. It is
time now for both the Centre and the state to
Our unsafe hospitals of four newborns who were just Rains make us shudder Probing Rafale deal the people of the country, the author
come together and find a solution to the prob-
lem in the changed demand-supply scenario. As Hospitals, supposed to be a safe place for one-nine days old and yet to be named This is with reference to Just two days of Some documents relating to the alleged deserves appreciation. Theyyam—
patients to recover from illnesses, have by their parents. This bolt from the rain turn city roads into obstacle course kickbacks in the Rafale deal are said to enchanting in its content, colour and
the Centre has advised, the state could help rice become the most unsafe ( Killer blaze was blue comes soon after the inferno in for commuters (Nov 10). Rains should have reached the CBI in 2018. What steps costumes—is unfamiliar to many even
millers modernise their equipment to convert waiting to happen at MP hospital , a Maharashtra hospital. It is criminal bring cheer to the people, but Chennai were initiated based on the information in the state. Just staging Theyyam
rabi paddy into raw rice or ask the farmers to Nov 10). Political parties blame each negligence on the part of the officials residents shudder to even think that the documents revealed is not performances in art festivals for foreign
go in for alternative crops in rabi or do both. In other and enquiries are ordered, and who failed to get a no-objection of them. Besides inundating streets known. It is also not clear what prevents tourists would not make this art form
their anxiety to escape the wrath of the farm- that’s it till the next blaze. Concrete certificate from the fire department. No including main roads, the coming of the CBI or the government from pursuing popular in other parts of Kerala and the
ers, both the TRS and the BJP seem more inter- steps are needed to keep hospitals safe. ex-gratia payment can bring back the rains results in filth everywhere and a any action in the issue. rest of the country. The writer has also
N Nagarajan, Secunderabad lost children. It is high time all hospitals, foul smell in many parts of the city. The Samaga Dattatri, Bengaluru elucidated the historical, mythological
ested in blaming each other, conveniently over-
both government-run and private ones, government should be on the alert all and puranic background and touched
looking their immediate responsibility of Deaths of newborns are checked by the concerned authorities days of the year and make Chennai a Enchanting Kerala art form upon the costumes that the characters
saving the cultivators from the impending There has been another killer blaze in a for fire safety. better place to live in. For introducing The dancing Gods and wear in consonance with their nature.
calamity. hospital, this time swallowing the lives R Donjeba, Nazareth, Thoothukudi S Retnaswamy, Chennai Goddesses of Malabar (Nov 10) to Ravi Mannethu, Pullad
Deadly love
THE THIN EDGE | World leaders and intimate holding
Between two ordinary people, the hug is always Honecker (picture). So enthusiastic are both men in
simultaneously an attack and an invitation. The attack expressing their International Socialist Solidarity that at
part is both parties saying, ‘I am moving forward to first glance it looks as though they are kissing mouth to
embrace you fully,’ and the invitation part, again mouth, rather than each other’s cheeks. About a decade
mutual, is both saying, ‘I invite you to embrace me after the picture was taken, the Berlin Wall fell and the
fully.’ In the old days, the hug was the ultimate gesture Soviet empire collapsed. An artist called Dmitri Vrubel
of complete trust because either person could stab the painted a large reproduction of the Brezhnev-Honecker
other in the back while holding them tight. photo on the side of the newly breached wall with the title,
Between leaders of nations or others in high office, the My God, Help Me to Survive This Deadly Love. The
hug takes on an added significance. World leaders satire and the disgust towards the two widely-hated
usually shake hands, sometimes preceded by a hand despots were very clear in the painting as well as in the
pressed to the heart or a namaste. The hug is normally title. Brezhnev was already dead but the disgraced and
used sparingly, to indicate great warmth, familiarity ejected Honecker lived to see the photos of the painting
and special friendship between two leaders and, by spread across the world as a celebratory marker
extension, their respective nations. Since the advent symbolizing the end of a particular cluster of tyrannies.
of newspapers and photography, and carrying over There must be a tremendous adrenalin rush you experience
into televised times, the first greetings between if you’re a leader of a big country attending a world
leaders have been mindfully and carefully used to summit. In that surge of body chemicals, you would be
create an image for wider dissemination. Handshakes, aware that you need to make an impression not only with
single-handed, double-gripped, with one person your counterparts but also with the all-important media.
gripping the other on the arm or above the elbow, the You would be aware of the contradictory pull of grace and
length and warmth of contact, have all been analysed dignity on one hand and the urge to create an impression
with the forensic, slow-motion attention usually on the other. If you had a good understanding of world
devoted to a tennis player’s or a golfer’s grip. For affairs, if you knew your stuff about the issues at hand, if
instance, among the many ways the presidency of you knew you were already respected as a leader by
Donald Trump has been mapped is through a series of others, then you’d be securely confident that your impact
clips of his handshakes and hug-exchanges with other world leaders: the serve the political purposes of both leaders. Sometimes the image is created would be felt in one-on-one conversations, in negotiations, in the speech
intimate holding of Theresa May’s arm, the little arm-wrestle between through mutual co-operation, sometimes not. Khrushchev’s successor, you would give to the summit. If, on the other hand, you were a self-
Trump and Putin, the schoolboy yank Trump would deploy to pull other Leonid Brezhnev, for example, liked to plant a socialist kiss on the leaders obsessed know-nothing, with only a shallow grasp of the matters at hand, a
leaders to himself, Macron’s and Trudeau’s varied counters to that, Angela he met, not excluding the unhappy-looking US president, Jimmy Carter, bit befuddled about social dynamics when confronted with powerful men
Merkel recoiling from an attempted embrace, and so on. Before Trump, you who Brezhnev ambushed with a kiss while shaking hands on a major and women from other cultures, then, like Donald Trump or some dictator
had the admiration for the grace and style of Barack Obama’s comportment missile-reduction accord. As with Trump’s handshakes and hugs, there is a of a banana republic, you might bumble about trying to hug people who
during summits. Well before that, you had Fidel Castro and the Soviet whole series of photos of Brezhnev kissing or attempting to kiss various didn’t particularly want to hug you. You may reach for close contact with
president, Nikita Khrushchev, hugging to show socialist solidarity and, world leaders; the ones who were under his thumb in the Warsaw Pact knew strangers in the middle of an unprecedented epidemic requiring physical
then, you had the antagonistic ‘Kitchen Debate’ between Khrushchev and better than to do anything other than enthusiastically kiss back, complete distancing between the most amicable of friends. You may then help create
the then vice-president, Richard Nixon, with photographs of Nixon actually with hand on the back of the neck. Brezhnev was not to know it, but one of images that turn you into an immediate laughing stock in international
tapping Khrushchev on the chest with a pointed finger. The image created his kisses backfired spectacularly down the time. There is a famous media, images that could, further down in history, give another meaning to
by two leaders shaking hands or hugging is usually deliberately intended to photograph of Brezhnev kissing communist East Germany’s boss, Erich the phrase ‘my god, help me survive this deadly love’.
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
4
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A
severe damage to the global popula-
tion, and is therefore resulting in the
n outspoken minister in the Pramod Sawant cabinet Mi- change of the global health care settings.
chael Lobo has taken campaigning to a di�erent level Covid-19 poses a higher risk of mortality for tion of about 80% inpatient admissions. One caregiver said, “They always give
patients with severe life-limiting diseases, Some patients postponed their appoint- two options: One is admitting in the hos-
by publicly announcing candidates for Siolim, Mapusa such as advanced cancers. Patient access to ments given the risk of potential infection. pital, the other one is taking care at home.
and Calangute, leaving the party leaders red-faced and health care might be impacted if resources All ten case studies conducted at Dilasa You decide what you want. The best thing
speechless. The rider is, Lobo has refrained from using are redirected to managing the pandemic. Palliative Care Goa included patients in is that he/she is with us, and his/her last
Moreover, due to rigorous infection control the last stages of their illness who had days can be spent with family and chil-
any party name, giving BJP the shivers either way and forcing the procedures, routine cancer care is limited in been referred there as a last resort due to dren. He/she is also comfortable and hap-
leadership to engage in a “dinner diplomacy”. terms of resources and availability. the pandemic and had no access to gov- py to stay in home”
At a function in Canca, Lobo took everyone by surprise as he an- The pandemic has and continues to ernment facilities. We observed that families were grateful
cause a major disruption of cancer servic- A patient with prostate cancer said, “if for access to medicines such as morphine,
nounced that his wife Delilah Lobo will contest from Siolim, Sudhir es in India. The national lockdown has ad- any word is available above excellent you Haloperidol, etc which are not available
Kandolkar from Mapusa, besides his candidature from Calangute versely a�ected the access to cancer care for can use that word for the care they are easily, oral chemo drugs, ointments, water
those who are in real need. Social distanc- giving to me. They are not worried about beds, tubes, collection bags and catheters
constituency and was optimistic of all three winning respective seats. ing, travel restrictions and �nancial issues working hours, or duty time. They are al- for free through home care services.
Lobo le� a lot to political interpretation as he spoke about how ar- pose problems in many households. ways ready to serve the patients.” In conclusion, the severity of the COV-
eas of Verla-Canca, Assagao, Anjuna and Siolim have su�ered over There was a reduction in the number of A breast cancer patient’s husband’s ID-19 pandemic has resulted in limit-
cancer centres o�ering clinical treatments, words were, “I wish I had shi�ed her here ed provision of palliative care services
the years due to a lack of people-centric development where even ne- and several hospitals changed their proto-
Governments a little bit earlier. We received good servic- throughout the country. Physicians and
cessities like water are not met. Without taking names, he launched cols to postpone operations and chemother- must urgently es in the government medical college but nurses who trained in palliative care have
a broadside against MLAs who are not accessible and questioned apy regimens in order to reduce the risk of recognize the because of the Covid situation they re- o�en been deployed to deliver emergency
how CM’s pet project Swayampoorna Goem could succeed if legisla-
problems arising from these procedures. A role of pallia- ferred her to a palliative care centre. Now care for people with COVID-19. In the con-
number of patients may be moved from the that she is in the last stage, counting days text of resource constraints, priority has
tors failed in their basic duties. curative stage to the palliative stage because
tive care during to leave us, the palliative care team is giv- been given to interventions aimed at sav-
of the delays in diagnosis and therapy. Both the COVID-19 ing us maximum care.” ing people’s lives over palliating discom-
However, the apparent calm shown by the Calangute MLA was not situations might have a negative impact pandemic and In Kerala, we went with a palliative fort among seriously ill people and their
good enough to mask the anger inside. His electoral pitch in Canca on cancer patients’ long-term survival and ensure that home care team and visited patients in families.
comes in sharp contrast to party discipline and order, and perhaps prognosis.
these services their own homes. During the early weeks Governments must urgently recognize
Given the circumstances and the burden of lockdown some rural areas missed or the role of palliative care during the COV-
unprecedented in BJP ranks, raising spec- on the healthcare system, palliative care are integrated delayed the services of palliative care. But, ID-19 pandemic and ensure that these ser-
The BJP which is ulations that he is ready to jump ship. can help to overcome these problems. There into the health a�er a few weeks it was reinstalled and vices are integrated into the health care
defending its turf against BJP, known for its centralized chain of is growing recognition of palliative care as care system in running smoothly. system in a creative way. It is essential to
a �ery opposition an integral aspect of cancer treatment, with The words from one of the caregivers focus on designing immediate strategies
command and party discipline, has been the ability to provide uninterrupted services a creative way. was, “During lockdown time we were in for e�ective implementation of palliative
onslaught will have to increasingly witnessing internal turbu- and improve the quality of life. It will also It is essential extreme fear about where we would have care during COVID-19. It is equally impor-
rework strategies and lence lately. If we may recall, in the later prevent unnecessary hospital admissions to focus on de- to go, what we could do in emergencies, tant to plan for long term strategies be-
do a �ne balancing act. and the use of health services through home signing imme- etc. But they came to our home and ex- yond the pandemic to strengthen the pal-
part of Manohar Parrikar’s tenure of 2017 care services. plained everything to us, we got the feel- liative care services in order to deal with
Dinner diplomacies will diate strategies
not help in di�using when his health was deteriorating, senior The researchers from Goa Institute of ing that somebody is there for us.” future disasters.
partymen had gone hammer and tongs Management (GIM) conducted an in-depth for e�ective Caregivers appreciated the competen-
such a complex issue, case study among 20 cancer patients who implementa- cy of the multidisciplinary team and their (This article is based on a study conducted
and de�ance from the criticizing decisions and airing contradic- received palliative care services during the
tion of pallia- calming presence. The patient and family by a team of GIM faculty --Dr Devi Nair,
tory personal views in public. Lobo had lockdown period from Goa and Kerala. were kept informed of the pros and cons
leadership at this stage During the COVID-19 crisis, the palliative tive care during of all available care alternatives, with no
Prof Sukhathankar, Prof Sreerupa and Dr
could only cost the party been summoned to Delhi even during care center in Goa - Dilasa observed a reduc- COVID-19 compulsions to follow any particular rule.
Krishnanunni )
a self-goal Parrikar’s regime for his unsavoury utter-
ances.
Come 2022 elections, and the BJP leadership is as silent as the
depth of the night with its backroom troubleshooting failing. Against
THE INBOX >> I
the background of a heated campaign that has picked up pace, the
Tussle at Vasco �sh market shall appoint in every government estab-
reality within is frightening for the BJP, and this is where the think
can be sorted out equitably The Christian community is not impressed lishment not less than four per cent of
the total number of vacancies in the cad-
tank of Amit Shah, CT Ravi and Devendra Fadnavis faces a dilem- Most BJP leaders have termed the recent meeting of Prime Min- re strength in each group of posts meant
The tussle between the �sh wholesalers
ma. The BJP has tall and winnable leaders in Lobo, Vishwajit Rane and the market �sh vendors in Vasco has
ister Narendra Modi with Pope Francis at the Vatican as a most to be �lled with persons with benchmark
and Atanasio Monserrate who are pitching for their spouses much historic one. They have also claimed that this historic meet has disabilities.
been going on for far too long. This has �nally shown that the BJP is not at all communal but a secular The government should not deny quota
against the hardline stand taken by the party high command against a�ected the commencement of the work party from India. Well, the BJP leaders are currently looking at in promotion to those who were appoint-
for the new �sh market as the �sh ven-
‘dynastic politics.’ dors have refused to shi� to the new mar-
the recent Pope-Modi meeting purely as a political ploy to influ- ed to a post under reservation policy
ence Christian voters ahead of the Manipur and Goa assembly for people with disabilities. Once that
Party’s election observer Fadnavis had recently admitted that BJP ket shed. It is learnt that the Mormugao elections next year. They are also hoping to use the Pope as a
Municipal Council (MMC) has issued post is identi�ed, the logical conclusion
can easily sail through if it shows unity and speaks in one voice. tool to strengthen its base in Kerala. would be that it would be reserved for the
notices to �sh wholesalers operating in The BJP has supported every attack and hate speech against
Going by the situation on the ground, the BJP portrays a picture of Kharewado to stop carrying out sale of specially abled who have been promot-
Christians since the last couple of years in India. Several states ed. The government’s policy of calling
a stark contrast as legislators are jumping the gun and making an- �sh. The wholesale �sh vendors have have enacted anti-conversion laws which are in violation of the persons with disabilities as ‘Divyangjan’
nouncements. Aspiring leaders like Utpal Parrikar, Sidharth Kuncal- reportedly hit back saying that they have Constitution. The BJP government in Karnataka recently initiated
been selling �sh caught by their canoes is not going to change anything funda-
ienker and Laxmikant Parsekar have started speaking their minds. an unconstitutional survey of Christian worshipping places. mentally until and unless the govern-
and that they should not be deprived of I therefore personally feel that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ment decides to �x these lacunae in the
Lobo has said that he is ready to quit the party if he is not needed, but their livelihood. should �rst tell all state BJP governments to stop harassing the system.
It is true that while the wholesale �sh
has also added that he could win six out of the seven seats in Bardez. vendors sell their �sh in weights, the
Christian community on flimsy grounds. Yes, we Christians know
which political party is secular and which is rabid communal in KG VILOP, Chorao
The BJP which is defending its turf against a �ery opposition on- market �sh vendors sell the �sh in India.
slaught will have to rework strategies and do a �ne balancing act. shares. There needs to be a level playing Govt’s reality distortion
JERRY FERNANDES, Saligao
Dinner diplomacies will not help in di�using such a complex issue,
�eld. Hence the market �sh vendors too
need to sell �sh by weight. �eld is out in the open
and de�ance from the leadership at this stage could only cost the In business, the retail seller buys the The candidates for the Goa government
party a self-goal. goods from the wholesaler at a lower constable recruitment exams reportedly
price and sells it at a higher price thereby could not endure the normal physical
making a pro�t. The market �sh vendors ‘public authority’ despite all other Raj tests. Many developed fatigue, body pain
could buy �sh from the wholesalers and Bhavans across the country and even and renal problems. A doctor reported
sell it at a pro�t. Hence there is no ques- the Rashtrapati Bhavan being under the that 3 candidates in North Goa and one
tion of the marker �sh vendors losing purview of this law. in South Goa were referred to Health Cen-
their business. The move by Governor Pillai is most tres and were given painkiller injections
OPEN SPACE >> ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
appropriate while sending a powerful
message on the need of a citizen-centric
which only aggravated their problems!
According to the nephrologist, they had
approach of transparency, openness
Governor’s move to lift veil no past history of kidney related diseas-
If no alliances, opposition needs
and accountability in governance. It is es! This brings to fore the shocking RTI
of secrecy commendable in the best interests of our democratic
principles and the Constitutional man-
response that over 33 lakh children in
I
crecy and opening the gates of Goa Raj fuel and cascading e�ect and a packet of
f the opposition parties in Goa are to be united to prevent splitting of votes
during the elections, if there are no pre-poll alliances, at least all the oppo-
Bhavan to embrace the Right to Informa-
tion Act. As required by the transparency
Quotas needed for specially chips now costing far less that an apple
or fruit/vegetables against the propagan-
sition parties should have a pre-poll understanding in which all the opposi-
tion candidates extend support to candidates that have the potential to win by
law, the Governor’s Joint Secretary has abled for due promotions da of the government’s “reality distortion
supporting common candidates so that there is no splitting of votes.
been appointed as the Public Informa- The apex court’s instructions to the Send your �eld” view of the nation’s health projec-
Would the opposition parties not rue if they lose particular seats merely be-
tion O�cer (PIO) while the Secretary Centre for giving reservation in promo- letters to us tion, still patting themselves on the back
to the Governor is the First Appellate tions to people with disabilities at the at editor@ for hasty demonetisation, Covid lock
cause of the splitting of votes? It is thus most important for the opposition Authority under the RTI Act.
parties to support common candidates by having a pre-poll understanding.
This brings to an end my protracted
earliest will bene�t the community. The thegoan.net. down, high fuel prices.
In Goa where the size of electorate in each constituency is very small, every government has been using various The continued popularity of the Prime
vote would count if the margin of victory is very slim. litigation with our Raj Bhavan which delaying tactics to give the due bene�ts Letters must Minister for his projected decisive good
To thus reinforce one another, a comprehensive pre-poll understanding is the commenced at the State Information to the disabled community since 1995. be 150-200 intentions and booming economic
need of the hour. The opposition parties should not regret later because split- Commission and was now pending Supreme Court in its judgment had said words and recovery, hard work etc despite so much
ting of votes could lead to losing of particular seats. before the Supreme Court. For over a that instructions should be issued in mention the su�ering, vast disparities in the nation’s
decade the Goa Raj Bhavan was not sub- accordance with Sec 34 of the Rights basic citizens health and climatic devas-
ELVIDIO MIRANDA, via email mitting itself to the RTI Act by strangely of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, writer’s name tation is a fact!
claiming that the Governor was not a which provides that every government and location JOHN ERIC GOMES, Porvorim
Printed and Published by: Pramod Acharya on behalf of Fomento Media. Editor: Joel Afonso (Responsible for selection of News under PRB Act). Disclaimer: Except for the editorials above, all columns and letters represent the views of the
Printed at: Elegant O�set Printers Pvt Ltd, Plot No 2/3/4, Thivim Industrial Estate, All Rights Reserved. concerned authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of The Goan Everyday’s Editor,
Karaswada, Mapusa, Goa. Editorial O�ce: Third Floor, Fourth Estate (Kamat Metropolis), St Inez, Panaji 403 001, Goa. Publisher and Owners.
Published at: Villa Flores da Silva, Erasmo Carvalho Street, PO Box 31, Margao 403 601, Goa. Ph: (0832) 240 5950 or mail us at editor@thegoan.net For circulation issues, please call (0832) 2450000 or mail: circulation@thegoan.net
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup For advertising related queries, please call: 2405988 or mail: advertising@thegoan.net
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fWXRWXbPcPgUaTTbPeX]Vc^cWTT\_[^hTaU^aTeT]cdP[[hPR`dXaX]VP]Tf^]T
EHQW3UHVXPDEO\6LGKXPD\WDNHXSKLVZRUNDVSUHVLGHQWRIWKH3XQMDE3UDGHVK very time wages and
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E salaries of unskilled and
semi-skilled workers are
increased by the
Government, my first reaction is
one of gladness. The
Government has raised their
WKH&DSWDLQOHDYHWKH&RQJUHVVWRIRUPDVHSDUDWHSROLWLFDOSDUW\+RZHYHU6LGKXGLG dearness allowance. For long, I
QRWEHFRPH&KLHI0LQLVWHUDVKHPD\KDYHKRSHG have believed that teachers, espe-
WKHSRVWJRLQJWRDUDQNRXWVLGHU&KDUDQMLW6LQJK cially at the school level, are the
&KDQQL$IWHUWDNLQJRQ&DSWDLQRSHQO\6LGKXKDG makers of the quality of our
future society. As a consequence,
QR RSWLRQ EXW WR VXSSRUW &KDQQL·V HOHYDWLRQ the better the quality of society,
+RZHYHUKHZDVVRRQPLIIHGZKHQWKHQHZ&KLHI the higher would be our civilisa-
0LQLVWHUVWDUWHGWDNLQJLPSRUWDQWGHFLVLRQVDQG6LGKX tion. The same logic does not
IHOWKHZDVQRWEHLQJFRQVXOWHG6LGKXZDVLQLWLDOO\ apply to the wages of common
workers in India at its present
VHHQDVWKH´VXSHU&0µEXW&KDQQLWRRNVHYHUDOGHFL stage of economic development.
VLRQVLQFOXGLQJFKDQJHVLQWKH&DELQHWDQGDSSRLQW The reason is if we raise wages
PHQWRIRIILFHUVLJQRULQJ6LGKX·VUHFRPPHQGDWLRQV statutorily, the employers, espe-
'HRO·V UHVLJQDWLRQ DQG WKH FOHDUDQFH RI D QDPH cially of small and medium busi-
nesses and industries would be
DFFHSWDEOHWR6LGKXDVWKHQH[W'*3PD\FDOPKLP scared away. They can't all afford
GRZQIRUWKHWLPHEHLQJDQGXQWLOWKHQH[WWLPH to pay more, most of the time.
7KHTXHVWLRQLVZKHWKHU6LGKX·VWDQWUXPVKDYHHQGHGRUWKH6WDWH&RQJUHVVLV Regardless, we must realise
VLPSO\ZDLWLQJIRUWKHQH[WGRVH"'LIILFXOWWRVD\JLYHQKLVZKLPVLFDOLW\7KHSRLQWLV that industry or manufacturing
is an employer of machines, not
DQG6LGKXNQRZVLWZHOOKHLVEXUQLQJKLVEULGJHVIDVWZLWKHYHU\ERG\ZKRVWRRGE\ of men or women. True, it gen- not easily separate workers at the Grant Medical College. our population and the num-
KLPLQFOXGLQJWKHSDUW\KLJKFRPPDQG6RPHVHFWLRQVLQWKH6WDWH&RQJUHVVPDNH erates employment down the line when the industry runs into a This legislation added by ber of young men and women
XQFKDULWDEOHFRPPHQWVWKDWKHKDVDOUHDG\EHHQZULWWHQRIIDQGWKDWLWLVDPDWWHURI in the shape of transport, of can- slum. On top of the statutory the communist trade union seeking employment every
WLPHXQWLODIWHUWKH$VVHPEO\HOHFWLRQVZKHQKLVIDWHZLOOEHGHFLGHGRQFHDQGIRUDOO teens, of dealers of shops and wages are the trade unions. attitude led to an anti-employ- day, this kind of a free market
generally pushes the economy What the unions can be, one ment formula for India. A job for labour is required.
7KHKLJKFRPPDQGFHUWDLQO\GRHVQRWDSSHDUWREHRQKLVVLGH,WJDYHKLPDORQJ forward. But an efficient employ- would know if one has worked is better than none is our need. Remember, that agriculture
URSHZKLOHPDNLQJKLPWKH3&&FKLHIDQGKHEXUQWLWIDVW7KHOHDGHUVKLS·VPRWLYHLQ er is in constant search of reduc- in Kolkata or in Kerala. In the A person’s skill and qualifica- would be freeing more and
SURSSLQJKLPXSZDVWRHDVHRXW&DSWDLQ7KDWMRELVRYHU,WKDVVLQFHDGRSWHGWKH ing the number of heads per latter State, even the class IV tion will ensure him/her an more workers who are likely
SDWKRIOHDVWUHVLVWDQFHILQGLQJLWEHWWHUWRNHHSKLPFORVHUWKDQDIDU,WLJQRUHG6LGKX·V machine. The intent is to control workers know what the law adequate employment in any to come to industry and ser-
the unit cost of his product. The says. They do not need the case. For the rest, there should vice for jobs. At the rate we are
DQWLFVWLOOWKH\EHFDPHXQEHDUDEOHDQGSXWKLPRQQRWLFHZKHQKHTXLWKLVSRVW+H raw materials, packing, and elec- union leaders to argue for be a free market. Between a progressing, anything like full
DJUHHGWREDFNWUDFNDQG'HROZDVWKHVDFULILFLDOODPE)RUQRZKHKDVQRRSWLRQEXW tricity are supplied by others who them. person and a potential employment would remain a
WRPDNHKLPVHOIKHDUGLQWHUPLWWHQWO\LIRQO\WRLQVLVWWKDWKHZDVDPRUHGHVHUYLQJ control their respective cost of If we prefer full employ- employer there should be free- pipe dream. If the licence to set
FDQGLGDWHIRU&0WKDQ&KDQQL7KDWLVWKHRQO\ZD\KHFDQNHHSKLPVHOIYLVLEOHWLOO production. But the man to ment, a change of policy is 8=3DBCAH8B0= dom of negotiation of salary. up an enterprise is free, why
WKHWLPHFRPHVIRUFKRRVLQJWKHQH[W&KLHI0LQLVWHU
machine ratio, perhaps the required. A lot of labour pol- 4<?;>H4A>5 So that the employee is not control the wage level? That
employer is able to keep some icy has come from the treated unfairly, there should not only discourages employ-
control. The reality is that any- Industrial Disputes Act 1947, <0278=4B=>C>5 preferably be a minimum ment but also creates an
?82D1<; one who is skilled and can get a
job at C20,000 would not work
possibly the last legislation left
behind by the British
<4=>AF><4= monthly contract and a
monthly notice of termina-
atmosphere of minimum
employment.
for C19,000. The Government Government before it left after CAD48C tion. With his salary packet, An employee would expect
need not worry about his wages
and welfare. The scheme of min-
Independence. An extreme
left winger called Aneurin 64=4A0C4B he/she should get a nation-
alised bank draft payable
an increment every year.
Whereas a machine attracts
imum wages that the Bevan was in charge of Health 4<?;>H<4=C1DC exactly five years, hence for 25 depreciation which is a tax-free
Government tries to ensure, if and Labour. He gave Britain its per cent of his wage. This saving to the employer for
not enforce, is for those who are national health service which 0=4558284=C would represent his savings eventually acquiring a replace-
not easily employable; they do is supposed to provide total 4<?;>H4A like provident fund, gratuity ment machine. This practice
not have either the motivation or health care to every citizen free etc. So that the employee is alone shows a preference for
the skills to get a job on reason- of charge. Indians got the 2>=BC0=C;H assured of his dues for his a machine over man from an
able terms. By laying down a
minimum, the Government
Industrial Disputes Act on
which the entire labour ethos
;>>:B0C work life. The employer can
terminate his services with one
employer’s point of view.
More need to be said to advo-
obstructs his prospects of getting has grown. He did not realise A43D28=6C74 month’s pay in lieu of notice. cate wages that favour free
a job.
The next thing that happens
that India was not Europe and
we desperately needed
=D<14A>57403B The salary would be free and
depending on how much the
appointment without any
impediment.
is a communal consensus among employment as all underdevel- ?4A<0278=4 employee is prepared to (The writer is a well-
entrepreneurs — that it is safest oped countries do. He visited accept. known columnist, an author
to avoid labour intensive activi- Mumbai before he demitted No other complication and a former member of the
ties. For one, such enterprises are office in 1952, and I have should come in the way of an Rajya Sabha. The views
expensive, and worse, one can- heard him speak for an hour appointment. With the size of expressed are personal.)
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Sir — 'Fake news' appears to be a substan-
1bU3XU^^QYV\__Tc]Q^]QTU/ ^]0B70f^aZTab
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tial problem in India for which one can- QhcWTD?
not entirely fix the Government. However, U^^[_a^^USaPX]PVTP]SbTfTaPVTbhbcT\b 6^eTa]\T]cXbP]
in November last year, the Supreme FPcTafPhbTbcPQ[XbWTSX]]^acWTa]2WT]]PX X]bd[cc^cWTf^aZ
Court questioned the Centre to explain SdaX]VcWT1aXcXbWad[TPaTf^acWaT_[XRPcX]V S^]TQhcWT\
,QGLDKDVWRJLYHDPDVVLYHSXVKWRUHQHZDEOH its mechanism against fake news, since it
is the responsibility of any Government
U^acWTPdcW^aXcXTbR^]RTa]TS
0cPcX\TfWT]cWTR^d]cahXbP[aTPSh 2^]VaTbbVT]TaP[bTRaTcPah
HQHUJ\WRUHPDLQDORZFDUERQHPLWWLQJFRXQWU\ to have proper control over this danger-
ous phenomenon by framing rigid laws
UPRX]VWPaSbWX_b^]PRR^d]c^UcWT_P]ST\ ¯?aXhP]ZP6P]SWX
7
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KHUHLVJRRGQHZVIRU,QGLDRQWKHHQYLURQPHQWIURQW,WKDVUHWDLQHGLWVWK and taking stringent actions against the \dbcQTbh\_PcWTcXRc^cWT_a^Q[T\bUPRTS C^SPh\PaZbP
SRVLWLRQLQWKHODWHVW&OLPDWH&KDQJH3HUIRUPDQFH,QGH[&&3,DJOREDOLQGH[ propagandists. In the last few years, QhR^\\^]_T^_[TP]SSTeXbTR^]RaTcTP]S _aTRX^dbSPhX]
unfortunately social media has turned out _aPRcXRP[bcT_bP]SPS^_cPiTa^c^[TaP]RT \h[XUT0bbTa
SUHSDUHGE\*HUPDQZDWFKDQG1HZ&OLPDWH,QVWLWXWH7KHUHSRUWLVSUHSDUHG to be a massive player in shaping public _^[XRh c^fPaSb T]Ra^PRW\T]cb ^U ]PcdaP[ <P[XZP]S8cXTS
XQGHUWKHDHJLVRI&237KHLQGH[KDVWKH86RQWKHWKVSRWDQG&KLQDDWWK discourse in a democratic space. fTc[P]Sb 3d\_X]V ^U fPbcTb ^] SaPX]b cWTZ]^cc^QT
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EHURQHWZRRUWKUHHGXHWRWKHVWULQJHQWVWDQGDUGVDGRSWHGE\*HUPDQZDWFK'HQPDUN from policymakers on service/platform Pb STeT[^_TS Pb 2WT]]PX QaX]Vb X]c^ b^aah bcPcT ^U PUUPXab RP] QT PccaXQdcTS c^
providers, nothing concrete has been bWPa_U^RdbcWTVaPeXch^UcWTRaXbXbR^] fa^]V [P]S dbT _PccTa]b d]bdbcPX]PQ[T
WHFKQLFDOO\LVDWWKHIRXUWKVSRWDQG,QGLDDWWKEXWDFWXDOO\,QGLDKDSSHQVWREH built up towards the accountability of the =^QT[[PdaTPcT
bXSTaX]VcWPcXcXb]^cP]Tf_WT]^\T]^] daQP]XbPcX^]UPX[daTc^RdaQWTPehT]Ra^PRW ¯<P[P[PH^dbPUiPX
WKHVHYHQWKOHDVWFDUERQHPLWWLQJQDWLRQ7KHFRXQWULHVDUHMXGJHGRQIRXUSDUDPH user or platform proprietors. Lack of pol- 5^a P R^PbcP[ RXch cWPc Q^Pbcb ^U P WXVW[h \T]cbPa^d]SfPcTaQ^SXTbP]SfTc[P]Sb
WHUV³ *UHHQKRXVHJDVHPLVVLRQXVHRIUHQHZDEOHHQHUJ\LQQRYDWLYHWHFKQLTXHV icy implementation or laws which could STeT[^_TS \PaZTc fWTaT ]PcdaP[ fTc[P]Sb 4g_Tacb_aTSXRccWPccWTP]]dP[PeTaPVTcT\
either curb fake news or hold the per- 8³\TgRXcTSc^aTcda]
IRUORZHULQJHPLVVLRQDQGWKHSROLF\GHFLVLRQVWR petrator accountable for their action have
PQ^d]SP]ScWTaTP[TbcPcT\PaZTcXbQ^^\ _TaPcdaTfX[[aXbTc^" STVaTT2T[bXdbQh
X]VXcXbbW^RZX]VcWPcSd\_X]V^UfPbcTP]S ! CWT \TbbPVT Xb [^dS P]S R[TPa U^a c^=TcU[XgP]SQTP
ORZHUFDUERQIRRWSULQW,QGHHGLWLVDQDFKLHYHPHQW only made the situation complex and _[PbcXRb^]SaPX]bPaTRW^ZX]VcWTbTfTaPVT 2WT]]PXP]S^cWTaU[^^S_a^]TBcPcTb)PRc _Pac^UPR^\_[TcT[h
WKDWZHKDYHIRXQGDSODFHLQWKHWRSGHVSLWH challenging. Responsible users have [TPSX]Vc^fPcTa[^VVX]V0fX]S^fc^cWT ]^f^a_TaXbW SXUUTaT]cVT]aT
WKH SDQGHPLF ,W DOVR YDOLGDWHV RXU FRUUHFW time and again raised the issue to review
_PbcWT[_bdb[TPa]Ua^\cWTTg`dXbXcTP]S EXYPhBX]VW0SWXZPaX| =PX]XcP[ fWXRWfX[[WPeTPdSX
and amend the existing laws to meet the
DSSURDFKLQWKHTXHVWIRUGHYHORSPHQWZKLFKXVX challenges of spreading fake news, but
T]RTbX]b_[Xcb
DOO\OHDGVWRPRUHFDUERQHPLVVLRQ,QGLDSHUIRUPHG efforts by both policymakers and civil solutions in a time bound manner. The Dassault Aviation for ‘facilitating’ the sale
0Rc^a
RQDOOSDUDPHWHUVH[FHSWWKH´SXVKIRUUHQHZDEOH societies have not been enough to controversy over thirty one border villages of Rafale jet fighters between 2007 and
¯BdaeTT]2WPf[P
HQHUJ\µFDWHJRU\7KHFRXQWU\VWLOOKDVUHODWLYHO\ address this lacuna within the overpow- along the Andhra-Odisha border, the 2012 lends a new twist to the scandal and
ering digital space. issue of utilisation of eight TMC of makes it an involved deal needing more
ORZSHUFDSLWDHPLVVLRQV+RZHYHUZHZRXOGKDYH Ranganathan Sivakumar | Chennai Janjavathi river and other issues do need unravelling. The fact that the payoffs were B^UPacWT?PZXbcP]
WREHH[WUDFDXWLRXVWRUHWDLQWKLVUDQNLQJ a little bit of cooperation between these paid during the UPA tenure inclines us cTP\WPbaTP[[hS^]T
7KH8QLWHG1DWLRQV6HFUHWDULDWKDVDGRSWHGD D85CD1D5C=ECDD1<;9D?ED two. Clearly, a mutually agreed decision to wonder if it were not an ‘all-party scam’. fT[[P]SX\_aTbbTS
QHZ\HDU&OLPDWH$FWLRQ3ODQ,WZDQWVWRDFKLHYH Sir — The meeting held between Chief will yield huge dividends for the States in We find it hard to reconcile to the justi- dbfXcWXcbR^]bXb
Ministers of two neighbouring States — terms of growth and development. It fication that no defence deal is clinched cT]c_TaU^a\P]RTb
DSHUFHQWUHGXFWLRQLQJUHHQKRXVHJDVHPLVVLRQVE\JHQHUDWLQJHOHFWULFLW\IURP Odisha and Andhra Pradesh — to find would be a win-win situation for States without kickbacks and the depletion of the
UHQHZDEOHHQHUJ\VRXUFHVE\&KLQDZLWKKLJKFDUERQHPLVVLRQVDQGYHU\ amicable solutions for long drawn issues and its people if they continue the dia- nation’s coffers in this way.
SRRUHQHUJ\HIILFLHQF\UHPDLQVDPRQJWKHKLJKHVWFDUERQIRRWSULQWFRXQWULHV,WLV is a right step towards reaching mutual logue meaningfully. It could not have been the case that ?21RWPXa\P]
KRZHYHUGRLQJSUHWW\ZHOORQWKHUHQHZDEOHHQHUJ\IURQWZKLOHLWLVDJUH\DUHDIRU benefits. These two States share not only DVG Sankararao | Vizianagaram middleman kept all the bribe proceeds to ¯AP\XiAPYP
borders but also unfulfilled dreams of themselves and did not distribute it to ‘other
,QGLD0HDQZKLOHWKH86SHUIRUPDQFHKDVLPSURYHGDIWHUWKH-RH%LGHQDGPLQLV development, apart from the rich histo- D8541CC1E<D451<G1C´B1619<µ entities’, read political leaders in power- FXcWX]cWT]Tgc
WUDWLRQPDGHVRPHKHDGZD\LQUHGXFLQJFDUERQIRRWSULQW,QODVW\HDU·V&&3,WKH ry. The decade old controversy over util- Sir — We can now say with certainty that cum-decision-makers. The Congress
UTffTTZbfTfX[[
86ZDVDWWKHERWWRPEXWWKLV\HDULWFOLPEHGVL[UDQNVWKRXJKLWVWLOOUHPDLQVYHU\ ising river water of Vamsadhara could the Rafale deal was shady and it was not should disclose what clout Sushen Gupta,
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have easily been solved and the available free from the taint of kickbacks. The lat- who was allegedly close to Amit Shah and
ORZ7KRXJK,QGLDDWWKHPRPHQWLVKDSSLO\SODFHGDPRQJWKHWRSLWZRXOGQHHG 115 thousand million cubic (TMC) of est revelation by the French investigative Arun Jaitley, had with the UPA _[TcTcWT_a^RTbb
WRGRDORWPRUHWRUHWDLQWKLVVSRWLQIXWXUH,WKDVWRJLYHDPDVVLYHSXVKWRUHQHZ water could have effectively been utilised portal Mediapart that 7.5 million euros Government for Dassault Aviation to hire ^U<Tca^caXP[P]S
DEOHHQHUJ\ZKLFKLVFXUUHQWO\ODFNLQJ%HVLGHVWKHSUHVVXUHVRIGHYHORSPHQWDQG with equal share had the proposed Neradi were paid as bribe, euphemistically called or continue him as a middleman. VTcXc[Pd]RWTSU^a:P]_daXcTb
ULVLQJSRSXODWLRQPD\SXVKLWVFDUERQHPLVVLRQPDNLQJLWIDOOLQWKHUDQNLQJV,QGLD·V Barrage been constructed. ‘consultancy fees’, to middleman Sushen G David Milton | Maruthancode
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he COP26 climate meet is full of
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T promises as the desertification
threat to India and the world
increases. The meet is less on
concrete terms to bring down tempera-
ture but high on verbosity.
WKDWPDOQXWULWLRQEHJDQPRQWKVRU\HDUVDJR³EXWWKHRWKHUFDXVHRI Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
WKHLUGHDWKVZLOOEHDGLIIHUHQWNLQGRIIUHH]H struck the right chord. He has taken time
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$IJKDQLVWDQ smothered by the reticence of the devel-
oped world. He says that the commitment
7KHUHZDVDGURXJKWLQ$IJKDQLVWDQLQWKHODVWFRXSOHRI\HDUVRI to climate has a cost and the rich nations
WKH$PHULFDQRFFXSDWLRQVRPDQ\SRRU$IJKDQVZHUHDOUHDG\YXOQHU are not meeting out their pledge of pro-
DEOHEHIRUHWKHHYHQWVRIODVWVXPPHU%XWWKHSUR[LPDWHFDXVHRIWKH viding $100 billion a year to developing
LPSHQGLQJIDPLQHZDVWKHFKDRVRIWKH86HYDFXDWLRQLQ$XJXVW nations by 2020 as agreed at the climate
$VWKHSDQLFSOD\HGRXWRQ$PHULFDQVFUHHQVDQGWKHVHQVHRIKXPLO conference in Copenhagen in 2009. The
LDWLRQPRXQWHGWKH%LGHQDGPLQLVWUDWLRQPDGHRQHWKLQJFOHDU$Q\&HQWUDO target has not yet been met.
%DQNDVVHWVWKH$IJKDQJRYHUQPHQWKDYHLQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVZLOOQRW The commitment is significant to cli-
mate financing negotiations and the
EHPDGHDYDLODEOHWRWKH7DOLEDQVDLGDQDGPLQLVWUDWLRQRIILFLDORQ steps by rich countries, which till now
$XJXVWDQGZLWKWKDWIDPLQHEHFDPHLQHYLWDEOH have not met their pledge of providing
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VXQGHUVWDQGDEOHWKDWWKH86JRYHUQPHQWDQG86GRPLQDWHGLQVWL $100 billion a year.
WXWLRQVOLNHWKH:RUOG%DQNDQGWKH,QWHUQDWLRQDO0RQHWDU\)XQGVWRSSHG Nations like Saudi Arabia, Japan and
Australia on the other hand are asking the
UN to play down the need to move away
from fossil fuels. The Inter-Governmental
panel on Climate Change says that 32,000 the need for limiting temperature and other sensitive zones leading climate model simulations suggest
submissions have been made by govern- C746;>148B between 2 degrees to 1.5 degree to serious crisis. About 97.85 mil- that rainfall, when it does occur,
ments, companies and other interested F0A<8=6D? Celsius before 2100. India's and lion hectares (29.7 percent) of will be more intense for almost
parties to dilute the issues of fossil fuel. 50BC4AC74 China's commitment has increased India's total geographical area the entire world, potentially
They are arguing that that the world 2;8<0C4270=64 hopes that zero emission is possi- (TGA) of 328.72 mha underwent increasing the risks of soil erosion.
does not need to reduce the use of fossil 8BC>05542C ble by 2070 but that again does not land degradation during 2018- Projections indicate that most of
fuels as quickly as the current draft of the remain a certainty. 19. In 2003-05, 94.53 mha (28.76 the world will see a 16 to 24 per-
report recommends. A West Asian coun- A08=50;; The globe is warming up faster. percent of the TGA) underwent cent increase in heavy precipita-
try's oil ministry has sought removal of ?0CC4A=B0=3 The climate change is to affect land degradation. The number tion intensity by 2100.
phrases like the need for urgent and accel- F0A<4A rainfall patterns and warmer increased to 96.40 mha (29.32 per- So, desertification means that
erated mitigation actions at all scales. The 0C<>B?74A4 atmosphere can lead to more rain- cent of the TGA) in 2011-13. there is overall land degradation
issue of temperature reduction by 2 20=;403C> fall in some areas and drought in About 83.69 mha underwent in water-scarce parts of the world.
degrees may remain on paper as they many others. It is expected to desertification in 2018-19. This Since large business lobbies are
press for slower action and temperature <>A4A08=50;; increase global poverty as water in was greater than the 81.48 mha in engaged in such activities, it has
SRXULQJDLGLQWR$IJKDQLVWDQDIWHUWKH7DOLEDQWRRNSRZHU7KDWSRVHGD
limit be reduced to 1.5 degrees. 8=B><40A40B excess or shortage would play 2003-2005 and 82.64 mha in become difficult for any govern-
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Australia does not accept the conclu- 0=33A>D67C8= havoc with human development. 2011-13. India witnessed an ment across the globe to stop
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power plants is necessary, even though the 8C8B4G?42C43 expected to expand as the climate cation in 28 of 31 states and Union tion of the economic productiv-
LVGHSRVLWHGZLWK$PHULFDQDQGRWKHU:HVWHUQEDQNVELOOLRQIRU CoP26 objective is to end the use of coal warms. Various projections on territories between 2011-13 and ity of the land and its ability to
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wants deletion of the UN conclusion that B7>AC064 lands could be 50 to 56 percent of laws for increased "develop- resources or wildlife. Each of it
RP\KDVYLUWXDOO\FROODSVHGEXWWKHUH
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DFFRXQWVWRSD\IRULPSRUWHGIRRGWKDWZRXOGVHHPLOOLRQ$IJKDQV energy sector needs to move rapidly shift- F>D;3?;0H cent rise, by 2021. The arid regions felling and water erosion also is livelihood.
WKURXJKWKHFRPLQJZLQWHUZLWKRXWPDQ\GHDWKVIURPVWDUYDWLRQ6RZK\ ing to zero-carbon sources and actively 70E>2F8C7 will expand over southwest of causing heavy erosion as con- Director of research at the
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&\QLFVZRXOGVXJJHVWWKDWLW
VEHFDXVHWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVQHYHUIRU Many developing countries are not 34E4;>?<4=C Africa and Australia, the ing. The Centre's commitment College, London, Joeri Rogelji,
JLYHVJRYHUQPHQWVDQGFRXQWULHVWKDWVXFFHVVIXOO\GHI\LWDQGSRLQWWR comfortable with the zero emission. Mediterranean and South and the states' priorities often says that various pledges at differ-
&XEDDV([KLELW1XPEHU2QHDVL[W\\HDUWUDGHHPEDUJR%XWF\QLFLVP Argentina, Norway and OPEC also chal- America. clash and the later play havoc at ent climate meets are still not suf-
lenge the contention. Norway argues the Now at Glasgow CoP 26, the ground level. ficient to meet the goals of the
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plants running. implemented due to domestic other countries, more airports are Agency is unhappy with what the
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(The writer is a senior
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otwithstanding the crit- smuggled to Sri Lanka from British Rule, Chandrababu and the help of the satellite images. from January 1 till October ganja smugglers. We are
N icism by main
Opposition the Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) and Jana
Visakhapatnam, the Union
Home Ministry had to alert
the state to take stringent
his party leaders are trying to
paint a picture as if the ganja
issue has just cropped up now
In 2014 and 2015 the
Visakhapatnam police arrest-
ed 1,150 persons and seized
end this year.
At a time when the State
government has intensified its
observing zero tolerance
towards smuggling of ganja,
drugs and any other sedatives
Sena, the fact remains that the action. A meeting of DGPs of during YSRCP rule. The TDP over 50 tonnes of ganja and a operations and are trying to which cause harm to health
history of ganja or hemp in the four states held in leaders are conveniently forget- number of vehicles, however, end the menace, TDP is trying and spoil career of youngsters,"
North Coastal tribal belt in Bhogapuram of Vizagapatam ting the fact that their party no kingpin was then arrested. to show figures provided by said Director General of Police
Andhra Pradesh and neigh- 1=1B34ED;0?0;;8 district on October 10, 2016, Minister Ch.Ayyanna Patrudu While this is the scenario the police department to twist D Gautam Sawang.
bouring Odisha goes back to took note of the age-old ganja openly raised his voice against during 2014 and early 2019 in and say that ganja smuggling Police have filed more
centuries. transportation. The media Officers responsible for the top another minister and found Andhra Pradesh, within a few is thriving under YSR rule. cases in 2020 and 2021 com-
Police records and the published stories and analyses Administration in fault with the latter for con- days after YS Jagan Mohan Misinformation with regard to pared to previous years. On a
cases booked by the Narcotics on how ganja was being smug- Vizagapatam districts contain- ducting review meetings on the Reddy assuming charge as seizure of drugs in Mundra number of occasions, the DGP
Control Bureau, clearly estab- gled from the Andhra-Odisha ing the present three North steps being taken to eradicate new Chief Minister, the state port is also being spread by the has made it clear that ganja
lishes ganja smuggling from border during 2014 and in coastal districts of AP and five ganja smuggling ignoring the government took a firm stand opposition TDP. Despite cultivation has been prevalent
tribal areas on the borders of early 2019 during the TDP border districts of Orissa realities that the kingpins to suppress the ganja gangs. Central government agencies in the neighbouring States of
AP and Odisha even during rule. (under Madras Presidency) behind the smuggling were not The AP police have registered associated with the investiga- Odisha, Chhattisgarh and
the TDP rule led by N During the British Rule in were among over eleven hun- being booked. 2,040 cases under the tion of the case as also the Jharkhand and the contra-
Chandrababu Naidu in the India, the then administration dred witnesses who appeared At least people of the state Narcotics Drugs and DGP categorically clarifying band is being transported
undivided state of Andhra had appointed the Indian before the Commission and cannot forget the decision Psychotropic Substances that AP has no links to the from the border areas.
Pradesh and also in the resid- Hemp Drugs Commission. gave evidence as well as sug- taken by the then police heads (NDPS) Act against ganja seizure of drugs, the TDP The police department is
ual State after bifurcation of AP (The writer is Advisor, national The purpose of the gestions to overcome the prob- to take stringent action against smugglers and paddlers so far continues to carry out the working on a specific strategy
into two States. media and interstate affairs, Commission was to ascertain, lem. The Commission later the hemp cultivators in the this year. A total of 270 tonnes propaganda. to weed out ganja smuggling
During TDP rule, as ganja Government of Andhra Pradesh.
The views expressed are amongst others, the extent to published its conclusions. Visakhapatnam agency pock- of ganja has been seized by "The increasing number from the State with the coop-
smuggling was going on personal.) which the hemp plant is cul- Despite all these facts and ets on AOB and even decided arresting 5,415 persons of NDPS cases is an indication eration of the National
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup
unchecked and also being @English_epaper_Backup
tivated in the provinces. records available right from to destroy the weed fields with involved in the smuggling that police are acting tough on Investigation Agency (NIA).
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2021 07
SARANYA SIRCAR AND
KRISHNAN SRINIVASAN Why Glasgow must India with 17 per cent of the
world's population is one among the
largest emitters of GHG and con-
100 YEARS AGO
T
OCCASIONAL NOTE
be a game changer
he 26th Conference of Parties tributes about five per cent of global
(COP 26) to the United emissions. But India is fourth in
Nations Framework Conven- installed renewable energy capacity The scheme of an International Health
tion on Climate Change and non-fossil fuel energy has Organisation which was proposed by the
(UNFCCC) presently underway at increased by 25 per cent over the past Assembly of the League of Nations less
Glasgow is hailed as the most impor- seven years and at present is 40 per than a year ago, and which, I was hoped,
tant climate-related conference to cent of the total energy mix. would bring administrative health author-
date. Stalled for a year due to the India has been arguing for the ities in different countries into closer rela-
Covid-19 pandemic, this summit is controversial Common but Differ- tion with each other and facilitate the
significant as it has the primary entiated Responsibilities and institution or revision of international
objective of setting rules for the Respective Capabilities principle agreements for administrative action in
implementation of the Paris Agree- that the onus should be on the matters of health, has not yet been put
ment of 2015, which as a legally bind- developed countries, who need to into operation as fully as was intended,
ing and universal treaty was a land- accept their responsibility for the but it has done more than justify its exis-
mark achievement in over 20 years of majority of human emissions since tence. In connection with it an Epidemic
the UN’s climate negotiations. 1850 and who need to advance their Commission has been established which
According to the UN’s Emissions net-zero targets, draw up plans for has already achieved results of great value
Gap Report, the world is headed for a shorter-term climate goals, and in preventing the spread of typhus fever
2.7-degree Celsius (°C) rise in global deliver the finance essential for the and other epidemic diseases from Russia
temperature above pre-industrial lev- developing countries to adjust to cli- to Western Europe. The grave risks of the
els by 2100, which would result in mate action. spread of cholera from the parts of Russia
calamitous changes in the Earth’s cli- At COP26 India will underscore now affected by famine is recognised and
mate and disaster for most living the necessity to address climate it is proposed that representatives of the
species. The latest Intergovernmen- change in a way that incorporates Commission should pay a short visit to
tal Panel on Climate Change report equal allocation of carbon space, Russia in order to obtain first-hand infor-
reveals that emissions of greenhouse assistance for mitigation and adap- mation and evidence. It has been decided
gases (GHG) from human activities tation and resilience-building to organise at once a general service of
are responsible for roughly 1.1°C of actions, climate justice, mobilisa- epidemiological intelligence and public
warming since 1850, and unless there tion of investment, technology health statistics and to consider the best
are immediate, rapid and large-scale transfers and the importance of a way of disseminating such information. A
cuts in GHG emissions, controlling sustainable lifestyle for green and provisional committee has also been
global warming to 1.5°C or even 2°C comprehensive growth. Mr. Modi is appointed to ascertain approximately
will be out of reach. given to grand promises on the what are the amounts of opium, mor-
In Glasgow the attempt is to global stage, but his pledges will phine, cocaine, and other drugs enumer-
restrict temperature rise to 1.5°C, require almost instant shifts in the ated in the Opium Convention that are
which means that countries have to quality of governance, massive re- required for legitimate purposes in vari-
commit to reduce far greater emis- skilling, and making India much ous countries, with the object of devising
sions than they pledged at the Paris more attractive as an investment more effective measures of control.
CoP21. We receive warnings con- destination. Provided these aspects
stantly about climate change-induced can be delivered – and it is a huge NEWS ITEMS
extreme weather events: heat waves, ask - India can be a global beacon in
cyclones, floods, droughts and wild-
fires. The previous decade was the
arresting and reversing climate
change and ensuring sustainable PORT DEVELOPMENT
warmest on record and globe-warm-
ing emissions have risen faster than
development.
At the COP26 summit, the IN SOUTH INDIA
anticipated. In order to limit the world’s nations have possibly the Madras, Nov 10
impact of climate change within tol- final opportunity to tackle global Though the report of the firm of marine
erable levels, global emissions need warming and commit to appropriate consulting engineers, Messrs. Wolfe, Barry,
to be halved by 2030 and net-zero tems with resilient infrastructure; methane emissions by 30 per cent by capacity to 500 gigawatts by 2030; GHG mitigation targets to keep the Lyster and Partners, on the question of
should be accomplished by 2050.? 3) Mobilising finance. Devel- 2030 from 2020 levels, and a Defor- � Meeting 50 per cent of energy 1.5°C goal alive. Whether the Paris port development in South India has not
oped countries to promise to raise at estation Pledge to stop and reverse requirements from renewables by Agreement will turn out to be a suc- yet been published in India, according to a
Four aims are sought at Glasgow: least $100billion annually to finance deforestation and land degradation 2030; cess depends on what transpires in Home correspondent it is understood that
1) Securing global net-zero by mitigation measures in the Third by 2030. � Reduction in the total project- Glasgow, while Covid-19 has provid- the experts in their recommendation to
mid-century and keeping 1.5° within World; ed carbon emissions by one billion ed an opportunity to build the global the Madras Government favour the selec-
reach with ambitious 2030 emissions 4) Working together for acceler- Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonnes from the present till 2030; economy with emphasis on a green tion of Tuticorin for extension as a deep
reductions; ated action on climate change has proposed a five-point � Reducing carbon intensity of recovery path. water port. The Arabian Sea ports were
2) Protecting communities and through collaboration. climate action strategy for India, the economy by less than 45 per cent excluded on account of the proximity of
The writers are, respectively, a Consultant at
natural habitats, restoration of Thus far, the two outcomes from namely, from 2005 levels by 2030; ICRIER, New Delhi, and a former foreign the Western Ghats. Negapatam has been
ecosystems, building warning sys- Glasgow are to curtail global � Taking non-fossil energy � Achieving net-zero by 2070. secretary. eliminated as offering no natural advan-
tages and the ports on the east coast south
of Madras are dismissed as only open
T
here weren’t too many objec- by population appeared to be enter- precepts — which unfortunately won colony wrested from Italy. of sexual violence — that have been offences they had committed, and their
tions when Ethiopia’s rela- ing a more hopeful phase. But the it Soviet and Cuban support — so did That sowed the seeds for drawn- committed by both sides in Ethiopia readiness to abstain from agitation in
tively recent leader Abiy Ali illusion of a new trajectory was shat- the rebels in Tigray. out separatist endeavours that cul- during the past year. future. The Punjab Government has
Ahmed was awarded the tered a year ago, when the relatively Even though the TPLF represents minated in Eritrea’s independence in There’s no telling how or when therefore been pleased to withdraw the
Nobel Peace Prize two years ago. On new government went to war against little more than six per cent of the 1990s. Decades earlier, Ethiopia the current bout of violence will end. prosecution on receiving from each a
the face of it, he seemed to represent its Tigray province. Ethiopia’s ethnic diversity, it was the was seen as a stalwart in Africa’s fight One can only hope that it does, and written apology, in which he admitted his
a significant break from the nat-ion’s Tigrayan belligerence ostensibly dominant component of the coali- against European imperialism. The in circumstances that offer scope for guilt and gave an undertaking as to his
divisive past. Political prisoners were served as a provocation, but it didn’t tion that succeeded Mengistu until monarchy under Haile Selassie wasn’t a peace that current generations have future conduct in the following terms:- I
freed, and conciliatory gestures made come out of the blue. The Tigray Peo- Abiy emerged as a potent force out to antagonise the West, but rarely experienced. recognise that my action was foolish and
to poli-tical rivals. The Nobel citation ple’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was a whose initial measures earned global nonetheless offered support to liber- mischievous, and I ask for pardon in
specifically cited Addis Ababa’s peace key component of the coalition that accolades. The sense of relief after ation movements — including a Dawn/ANN. order to escape from the punishment
agreement with Eritrea, until the ousted the ostensibly left-wing gov- decades of conflict initially appeared passport that allowed Nelson Man- which I have deserved. I promise that I
early 1990s a part of Ethio-pia and ernment of Mengistu Haile Mariam to have some justification, given the dela to travel before his incarceration. will take no part in agitation against the
Government in future.
CROSSWORD NO 29077
VICEROY PRAISES
ACROSS 22 Like net company associated with
socialist, Sidney, in past (8)
7 Disadvantage of French river this
person's admitted (9)
INDIAN PRINCES
1 Suitable to include Royal Society in
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTION describing this clue (5)
27 4A 9 most often in military store (7) 8 Child's turn? Yes, go freely (9) Delhi, Nov 10
28 Slight problem in Herts town from 1A 13 Gossip is too much for former East
4 New opening for old Lancashire mill
4A 7A (7) German (4) A large and distinguished gathering,
town creates competition (2,3)
29 It is briefly part of treatise (3) 14 Source, average over time, becoming including 28 Ruling Princes in all their
7 Period noted regularly in diary (3)
9 They succeeded Wrens in shake-up (7)
30 One dining getting attention, anxious to please (4-5) Eastern splendour, were guests at a ban-
10 Godlike spirit of strange mountain?
welcoming note? (5) 15 Some lacking cover having trust as at quet given last night at Maiden’s Hotel by
31 Starts to recall eagerly in Maidenhead, outset new insurance arranged (9)
Not quite (7)
splendid bubbly place (5) 16 Evasive conclusion of article on His highness the Maharaja of Bikaner,
11 Shape of shop, dire, unfortunately (8)
cathedral city (4) Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes, in
12 Sort dropping English at home with DOWN 17 Drink knocked back first of December honour of His Excellency the Viceroy. The
good keyboard skill (6)
14 1A 4A 9 having answer rewritten, to
1 Enthusiast, hugging wife with son, at sea maybe? (4,5) party numbered 95 and besides members
cringes to seek favour (5) 21 Small amount at one time limiting
accommodate the German (9)
2 Managed Church farm (5) university (5) of the Viceroy’s Executive and other high
17 Clumsy writer going wrong way in
3 Disturbing spectre enveloping man 23 Parent losing head something else! civil and military officers, included several
Italian (5)
18 Chance introducing American water
leading to these? (3,6) (5) distinguished non-officials. The Maharaja
lily (5)
4 Ancient Roman calendar showing 24 Faith in Jedi, a habit brought up (5) of Bikanir proposed the toast of “the
period without food on island (5) 25 Americans' military vehicles'
19 4A 9 in 2021, famous jockey said (9)
5 With great care, search clubs mob temperature turning to variable (5) Viceroy,” but beyond thanking all for
20 Moral, reforming willingly in beginning
organised (4) 26 Uninteresting form of horse racing (4) accepting the invitation, he did not make
in Bucks town from 1A 4A 7A (6)
6 Little money for girl (5) any speech because, he said, he reserved
all he wanted to say for a similar future
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London) occasion when the Viceroy was shortly to
pay a visit to his State.
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | THURSDAY | 11 NOVEMBER 2021 | NEW DELHI
pg 5
Subhani
11 NOVEMBER 2021
E
(JPC) be established forthwith in order to show that the government’s hands are lections, at politics of exercising been based on the state governments and may be poor but not
clean. Keeping silent, as in the Pegasus case, is likely to strengthen suspicions. every level, are power at the Centre, has regional/non-national
The Congress and the BJP have been slugging it out in the media. The CBI has going to be a always been based on the idea of a big, strong parties had to find new weak”. Now it is clear
remained silent. ED is silent. Interestingly, in France, a judicial probe into the series of con- idea of a big, strong ‘national’ party... ways to ensure that they that the chief minister
Rafale affair was instituted in June this year, based on “Mediapart” investiga- frontations over “national” party with a too have programmes
tions. Those who actions will come under scrutiny in France are former president political cultures right up sufficient majority in the Gandhi. Non-national recognised by the voters isn't as strong and
Francois Hollande, whose government inked the Rafale deal with PM Narendra to the mother of all battles Lok Sabha. Even when parties in opposition to in the most distant polling assertive as he claimed
Modi’s government, present president Emmanuel Macron, who was then econo- in 2024. That much is clear the party in power at the the BJP and to the booths as customised to be. It is well-known
my and finance minister, and then defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, now from Prime Minister Centre was fragile and Congress have reasons to schemes that meet their
France’s foreign minister. Such high dignitaries have not shied away from being Narendra Modi’s needed allies to survive, be wary of the two big most immediate needs that Mr Sidhu is an ego-
probed, but leaders of our democratic system remain cool to the idea of being ques- harangue at the BJP’s the model remained of a names. and fulfil their tist. But what of the
tioned. How good does that make India look? national executive meet big party with weak The Congress, as the expectations.
convened after a two-year satellites. reigning party across In almost every state CM? Both should be
gap in hybrid mode, with Aiming to win a third India, the original model election between now and changed forthwith.
Cricket: Turning a new leaf some attending in person
and others virtually.
After propounding the
term, the BJP is still
attached to the old strate-
gy of defending itself
of “double-engine
sarkar”, created the
precedents that underlie
2024, the territorially
“non-national” or region-
al parties will be locked in
N. Sadhasiva Reddy
Bengaluru
I
nstalling Rohit Sharma at the helm, Team India is hoping to move on from the idea of cooperative feder- against a challenger with the centralisation of survival wars over
lows of the T20 World Cup. As a captain with an admirable IPL title winning alism way back, when Mr “national party” status. power and the practice of defending the right to rep-
record with Mumbai Indians, Rohit was the natural successor to Virat Kohli in Modi was India’s bright Its principal political tar-
get has been and is the
shifting responsibility resent the people living in
separate states within a
SET AN EXAMPLE
the white ball game at least and the appointment of K.L. Rahul as his deputy means new hope, the relation- and accountability to the
the line of succession has also been made clear. This means the adventurous crick- ship between the Centre Congress, as it simplifies states. The BJP has mere- multi-party system. What REALISING THAT due justice will
eter Rishabh Pant is not regarded as ready for additional responsibilities but then and states, in the BJP’s the fight into a past versus ly deepened the divide it boils down to is a ran- not be rendered in the Lakhimpur
he would have to demonstrate that he can cut out extravagant strokes he plays in assessment, has sunk to future contest or an elite between the Centre and dom example that illus- Kheri cold-blooded murder case
rushes of blood at the batting crease. Of course, this is not to forget that cricket is labelling the Opposition versus proletarian leader states by undermining the trates the nature of the involving the main accused Ashish
a game of chance and opportunity and that positive play is more often rewarded in of “family” parties as race. The model of two institutions of dialogue confrontation — the Mishra, son of Union minister Ajay
the white ball game. “enemies”, who peddle national parties compet- and accommodation like Centre’s rejection of the Mishra, in the Yogi’s state, the
Team India has much to do to restore its image across formats as its inability to “hate.” This hostility is ing helps the BJP dress up the Planning Commission Aam Admi Party’s Supreme Court has rightly pro-
measure up to the big occasions like the World Test Championship final has been reciprocated by the its Hindutva, hard-right, once was, or the Inter- request to clear its posed to appoint a retired high
well recorded. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to call them the biggest Opposition and its new nationalist agenda. State Council recom- scheme of doorstep deliv- court judge who served outside the
chokers of the game currently. Their record of failures in six T20 World Cups after and perhaps unabashedly By recognising the mended by the Sarkaria ery of food rations on the state to monitor the investigation.
winning the inaugural edition in 2007 and in the last two 50-overs World Cups self-nominated messiah, Opposition as “family- Commission as a conces- grounds that the Food In view of the blatant murderous
since winning on home soil in 2011 in the Sachin Tendulkar era would bear that Mamata Banerjee. led” parties that peddle sion to the idea of Security Act does not attack on the hapless farmers and
out. Notwithstanding fine performance in the Test arena, particularly in Her description, and it’s hate and enmity, Mr Modi federalism and shared sanction such measures. the violence that erupted subse-
Australia, for too long it has been a story of failure to deliver when it matters probably a shared belief has acknowledged there’s responsibility. To concede defeat to the quently, it is paramount on the
most. among parties opposed to a new kind of challenge to There is, however, a BJP/Centre over improv- part of investigating agencies to act
Among the reasons spelt out for Team India’s miserable showing against the BJP about the current the BJP. In claiming the clear difference between ing access and establish- with conscience and see that the
Pakistan and New Zealand in Dubai was their attitudinal failure in preferring IPL status of the relationship, lead role in an Opposition the older and increasingly ing entitlement to some- murderers be given exemplary
over national duty as in prestigious multilateral events like World Cups. The IPL that it’s not a federalism assault on the BJP, state obsolete idea of a bunch of thing as basic as food safe- punishment. This becomes very
is far from the gold standard to judge cricketers by considering how they shorten of “partnership”, mean- by state, starting with Goa chaotic regional parties, ty by states will mean the important in view of the clout the
the boundaries to amp up the glamour quotient of big hitting superstars. As Team ing between equals, but that goes to be polls in family led as most of them beginning of the end of the main accused wields as the son of a
India move on with Rahul Dravid in the coach’s seat, it engenders hope that prej- it’s a hierarchy of “subor- February 2022, and then are, trying to forge an idea that regional parties minister.
udices will be shed in selection and that the team will shape itself into a better dination,” followed up by Tripura in 2023, Mamata alternative to challenge are better at identifying Tharcius S. Fernando
fighting force, particularly against teams which challenge them in less than her attack that the BJP Banerjee has taken the the national party in and fulfilling voters’ Chennai
favourable conditions in which grit is called for besides game skills. government at the Centre bull by the horns. power at the Centre and needs. Such schemes are
dishes out “step-mother- Accusing the Congress of the Opposition parties in not “populist”, buying
ly” treatment, is sufficient being indecisive, power in several states for voter programmes as old- WINNING COMBO
warning that the run-up inevitable given its failure decades. Tamil Nadu, style politicians invari-
the 2024 war will be a to identify a leader, she Odisha, West Bengal, ably and derisively label HATS OFF TO our selectors, who
series of battles fought in justified her pre-emptive Andhra Pradesh and them. These are intelli- have done a reasonably good job in
states due to hold elec- bid as a remedy to her Telangana, and off and on gent investments in build- selecting performing youngsters to
tions between now and question: “Why should Bihar and Karnataka ing human capital that play against the visiting New
then. Unless the the country suffer?” (this isn’t a full list) have have high rates of return Zealand team in the T-20 series.
Opposition’s fightback The Opposition may not been run for decades by in the long term, as econo- The best move is to rest some of our
state by state, as seems have met in a conclave to parties that are “non- mists like Gary Becker tired seniors and dropping the
the strategy now, collaps- endorse Ms Banerjee as national” in the sense that demonstrated, and fill the unfit Hardik Pandya. If only they
es either under the weight the face to fight Mr Modi they are based in specific gap between the Centre’s had taken this decision prior to the
of its own contradictions in 2024. But the geographies. In these grand programmes and a World Cup, our team could have
or buckles to the pressure Opposition has also not states, the ruling parties more granular response stayed back in Dubai. Anyway, bet-
of politically targeted shot down her launch of have fought off the to perceived gaps in ter late than never. We wish our
THE ASIAN AGE raids and investigations the Trinamul Congress in Congress or the BJP as access and delivery. In the new head coach and Rohit
by Central agencies. Goa, Tripura and Uttar challengers. run-up to 2024, state elec- Sharma’s young guns the best
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR Each election between Pradesh. Misgivings that In each of these states, tions will be fought by against New Zealand, the probable
Editor Printer & Publisher
now and 2024 will chal- “Modiji is going to be there is a commonly regional parties in World Champions.
THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: lenge the old federal more powerful because of shared agenda, of finding defence of a multi-party, N. Mahadevan
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: design of authority, the Congress” are evident new routes to interface multi-location system of Chennai
(011) 23211124. power, responsibility and in the lack of enthusiasm and connect with voters democratic politics.
Published and Printed on behalf of and for accountability. Though among Opposition parties that both short-circuits
◗ Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg,
India doesn’t have a two- or non-national parties and bypasses the ever Shikha Mukerjee is a Every Monday the best letter of
New Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301.
◗ London: Quickmarsh Ltd, 8th Floor, Block 2, Elizabeth House, 39 York Road, London, SE1 7NQ. party system, the politics invited to the August more centralising politics senior journalist in the week wins `500. Email:
RNI Registration number: 57290/94 of the Union, that is the meeting called by Sonia of governance of the two Kolkata asianage.letters@gmail.com.
D
uring the height of the Covid-19 wave be submitted to chief secretary Iqbal Singh the hearing of the petition from the Nainital retire or be given an extension. Such deci-
last year, the Gujarat government Bains soon. bench to the principal bench in Delhi. The sions are usually known only close
deployed top IAS and IPS officers However, the medical community fears that high court has said it saw no reason to the D-Day. In terms of seniority though,
who held a degree in medicine to such appointments will not improve the con- for the case to be transferred since all bench- the current high commissioner to
Dilip Cherian tackle the pandemic in the worst-affected
areas. The move to use officers with adminis-
ditions of medical colleges in the state but
rather make matters worse.
es are equal and it cannot be suggested that
the principal bench in Delhi is a superior
the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, is in line to step
up. But, these days nothing can be taken for
trative as well as medical skills worked well bench. granted, as Mr Jaishankar himself knows too
Dilli Ka Babu for the state given the emergency-like
situation.
SANJIV CHATURVEDI WINS
HIS DAY IN COURT
Much of Mr Chaturvedi’s career has been
spent in courts or battles with various state
well.
The current round of postings is focused on
However, a proposal by the Madhya Embattled Uttarakhand whistleblower governments and the Centre. He was a the Middle East region. Pavan Kapoor who is
Pradesh government to appoint IAS officers Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who is a 2002-batch whistleblower in the forestry case in ambassador to the UAE will now be our
to run 13 medical colleges in the state has not Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer, current- Haryana and later in the capital when ambassador to Russia. Mr Kapoor has been
been welcomed by the doctors. While senior ly posted as the chief conservator of forests in he was the chief vigilance officer of AIIMS replaced by Sanjay Sudhir who was the high
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
EDIT
DECCAN
DECCAN CHRONICLE | ANANTAPUR | THURSDAY
CHRONICLE | RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM | 11 NOVEMBER
| THURSDAY 2021 2021
| 11 NOVEMBER
SJ
Subhani
11 NOVEMBER 2021
E
(JPC) be established forthwith in order to show that the government’s hands are lections, at politics of exercising been based on the state governments and would have been rendered
clean. Keeping silent, as in the Pegasus case, is likely to strengthen suspicions. every level, are power at the Centre, has regional/non-national
The Congress and the BJP have been slugging it out in the media. The CBI has going to be a always been based on the idea of a big, strong parties had to find new jobless.
remained silent. ED is silent. Interestingly, in France, a judicial probe into the series of con- idea of a big, strong ‘national’ party... ways to ensure that they Govardhana Myneedu
Rafale affair was instituted in June this year, based on “Mediapart” investiga- frontations over “national” party with a too have programmes Vijayawada
tions. Those who actions will come under scrutiny in France are former president political cultures right up sufficient majority in the Gandhi. Non-national recognised by the voters
Francois Hollande, whose government inked the Rafale deal with PM Narendra
Modi’s government, present president Emmanuel Macron, who was then econo-
to the mother of all battles
in 2024. That much is clear
Lok Sabha. Even when
the party in power at the
parties in opposition to
the BJP and to the
in the most distant polling
booths as customised AMICABLE MEETING
my and finance minister, and then defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, now from Prime Minister Centre was fragile and Congress have reasons to schemes that meet their The meeting between Chief
France’s foreign minister. Such high dignitaries have not shied away from being Narendra Modi’s needed allies to survive, be wary of the two big most immediate needs Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
probed, but leaders of our democratic system remain cool to the idea of being ques- harangue at the BJP’s the model remained of a names. and fulfil their and his Odisha counterpart
tioned. How good does that make India look? national executive meet big party with weak The Congress, as the expectations. Naveen Patnaik to find amicable
convened after a two-year satellites. reigning party across In almost every state solutions for long-pending issues
gap in hybrid mode, with Aiming to win a third India, the original model election between now and between both their states is a right
I
nstalling Rohit Sharma at the helm, Team India is hoping to move on from the idea of cooperative feder- against a challenger with the centralisation of It is heartening that both states
lows of the T20 World Cup. As a captain with an admirable IPL title winning alism way back, when Mr “national party” status. power and the practice of defending the right to rep- have agreed to form an institution-
record with Mumbai Indians, Rohit was the natural successor to Virat Kohli in Modi was India’s bright Its principal political tar- shifting responsibility resent the people living in al mechanism with both chief sec-
the white ball game at least and the appointment of K.L. Rahul as his deputy means new hope, the relation- get has been and is the and accountability to the separate states within a retaries at helm to find solutions to
the line of succession has also been made clear. This means the adventurous crick- ship between the Centre Congress, as it simplifies states. The BJP has mere- multi-party system. What their problems. The controversy
eter Rishabh Pant is not regarded as ready for additional responsibilities but then and states, in the BJP’s the fight into a past versus ly deepened the divide it boils down to is a ran- over 31 border villages along the
he would have to demonstrate that he can cut out extravagant strokes he plays in assessment, has sunk to future contest or an elite between the Centre and dom example that illus- AP-Odisha border, the issue of util-
rushes of blood at the batting crease. Of course, this is not to forget that cricket is labelling the Opposition versus proletarian leader states by undermining the trates the nature of the isation of eight tmc ft of Janjavathi
a game of chance and opportunity and that positive of “family” parties as race. The model of two institutions of dialogue confrontation — the river water among others need
Among the play is more often rewarded in the white ball game. “enemies”, who peddle national parties compet- and accommodation like Centre’s rejection of the cooperation.
reasons spelt out Team India has much to do to restore its image “hate.” This hostility is ing helps the BJP dress up the Planning Commission Aam Admi Party’s K.R. Srinivasan
reciprocated by the its Hindutva, hard-right, once was, or the Inter- request to clear its
for Team India’s across formats as its inability to measure up to the
big occasions like the World Test Championship Opposition and its new nationalist agenda. State Council recom- scheme of doorstep deliv-
Secunderabad
miserable showing final has been well recorded. In fact, it would not be
against Pakistan an exaggeration to call them the biggest chokers of
and perhaps unabashedly
self-nominated messiah,
By recognising the
Opposition as “family-
mended by the Sarkaria
Commission as a conces-
ery of food rations on the
grounds that the Food WINNING MATCHES
and New Zealand the game currently. Their record of failures in six Mamata Banerjee. led” parties that peddle sion to the idea of Security Act does not This refers to your editorial
Her description, and it’s hate and enmity, Mr Modi federalism and shared sanction such measures.
in Dubai was their T20 World Cups after winning the inaugural edition
in 2007 and in the last two 50-overs World Cups since probably a shared belief has acknowledged there’s responsibility. To concede defeat to the
‘Ansals jailed, justice served’ (Nov.
10). The Uphaar cinema case,
attitudinal failure winning on home soil in 2011 in the Sachin among parties opposed to a new kind of challenge to There is, however, a BJP/Centre over improv- which has been dragging on for the
in preferring IPL. Tendulkar era would bear that out. Notwithstanding the BJP about the current the BJP. In claiming the clear difference between ing access and establish- last 24 years, appears to be nearing
fine performance in the Test arena, particularly in status of the relationship, lead role in an Opposition the older and increasingly ing entitlement to some- a just closure after prison terms
Australia, for too long it has been a story of failure to deliver when it matters that it’s not a federalism assault on the BJP, state obsolete idea of a bunch of thing as basic as food safe- were awarded to cinema owners
most. Among the reasons spelt out for Team India’s miserable showing against of “partnership”, mean- by state, starting with Goa chaotic regional parties, ty by states will mean the and real estate plutocrats for
Pakistan and New Zealand in Dubai was their attitudinal failure in preferring IPL ing between equals, but that goes to be polls in family led as most of them beginning of the end of the manipulating the evidence.
over national duty as in prestigious multilateral events like World Cups. The IPL it’s a hierarchy of “subor- February 2022, and then are, trying to forge an idea that regional parties Dr C. Ghanshyam
is far from the gold standard to judge cricketers by considering how they shorten dination,” followed up by Tripura in 2023, Mamata alternative to challenge are better at identifying Visakhapatnam
the boundaries to amp up the glamour quotient of big hitting superstars. As Team her attack that the BJP Banerjee has taken the the national party in and fulfilling voters’
India move on with Rahul Dravid in the coach’s seat, it engenders hope that prej- government at the Centre bull by the horns. power at the Centre and needs. Such schemes are
udices will be shed in selection and that the team will shape itself into a better dishes out “step-mother- Accusing the Congress of the Opposition parties in not “populist”, buying
fighting force, particularly against teams which challenge them in less than
favourable conditions in which grit is called for besides game skills.
ly” treatment, is sufficient
warning that the run-up
being indecisive,
inevitable given its failure
power in several states for
decades. Tamil Nadu,
voter programmes as old-
style politicians invari-
50 YEARS AGO IN
the 2024 war will be a to identify a leader, she Odisha, West Bengal, ably and derisively label
series of battles fought in justified her pre-emptive Andhra Pradesh and them. These are intelli-
DECCAN CHRONICLE states due to hold elec- bid as a remedy to her Telangana, and off and on gent investments in build-
KAUSHIK MITTER K. SUDHAKAR tions between now and question: “Why should Bihar and Karnataka ing human capital that
(GLWRU 3ULQWHU 3XEOLVKHU then. Unless the the country suffer?” (this isn’t a full list) have have high rates of return ,QGR6RYLHWWUHDW\
Opposition’s fightback The Opposition may not been run for decades by in the long term, as econo-
DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at: state by state, as seems have met in a conclave to parties that are “non- mists like Gary Becker
V\PERORIFORVHWLHV
the strategy now, collaps- endorse Ms Banerjee as national” in the sense that demonstrated, and fill the By a staff reporter
Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad - 500 003, Ph: 040-27803930-4; Fax : 040-27805256 es either under the weight the face to fight Mr Modi they are based in specific gap between the Centre’s HYDERABAD, Nov. 10.
Vijayawada: No.C-3 & 4 Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.), Ph: 0866- geographies. In these grand programmes and a
of its own contradictions in 2024. But the THE historic Indo-Soviet
2555284/2555287; Telefax: 0866-2555234
Visakhapatnam: Survey No.1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony, or buckles to the pressure Opposition has also not states, the ruling parties more granular response Friendship Treaty which symbol-
Visakhapatnam - 530 017 (A.P), Ph: 0891-2552333/2552334; Fax: 0891-2755285 of politically targeted shot down her launch of have fought off the to perceived gaps in ises the growing cordial relations
Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawaleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry, Ph: 0883-2417618/2417208; Telefax: 0883- raids and investigations the Trinamul Congress in Congress or the BJP as access and delivery. In the between the two countries and
2417208 by Central agencies. Goa, Tripura and Uttar challengers. run-up to 2024, state elec- their determination to help main-
Anantapur: Thapovan colony, Bangalore By-Pass Road, Anantapur - 515004, Ph: 08554-276903; Fax: Each election between Pradesh. Misgivings that In each of these states, tions will be fought by tain enduring peace, has been
08554-276904 now and 2024 will chal- “Modiji is going to be there is a commonly regional parties in welcomed spontaneously in both
Karimnagar: Survey No.1341, Vavilalapally Colony, Jagityala Road, Karimnagar - 505 001, Ph: 0878- lenge the old federal more powerful because of shared agenda, of finding defence of a multi-party, the countries.
2228908; Telefax: 0878-2220433 design of authority, the Congress” are evident new routes to interface multi-location system of This is the confirmed view of a
Nellore: Survey No.527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemmudugunta Panchayat, Nellore, democratic politics.
power, responsibility and in the lack of enthusiasm and connect with voters three-member Soviet delegation
Ph: 0861-2348581/82; Telefax: 0861-2348580
Chennai: SP-3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032, Ph: 044-22254747/ 48/50/51; accountability. Though among Opposition parties that both short-circuits that arrived in city today in con-
Advt Fax: 22254765/22254766/42305325 India doesn’t have a two- or non-national parties and bypasses the ever Shikha Mukerjee is a nection with the celebration of
Coimbatore: 77, Vivekananda Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore - 641 009, Ph : 0422 2231255 party system, the politics invited to the August more centralising politics senior journalist in the Indo-Soviet Treaty month.
Gram: CHRONICLE Postal registration no: No. H/SD-348/2006-08 of the Union, that is the meeting called by Sonia of governance of the two Kolkata
D
uring the height of the Covid-19 wave be submitted to chief secretary Iqbal Singh the hearing of the petition from the Nainital retire or be given an extension. Such deci-
last year, the Gujarat government Bains soon. bench to the principal bench in Delhi. The sions are usually known only close
deployed top IAS and IPS officers However, the medical community fears that high court has said it saw no reason to the D-Day. In terms of seniority though,
who held a degree in medicine to such appointments will not improve the con- for the case to be transferred since all bench- the current high commissioner to
tackle the pandemic in the worst-affected ditions of medical colleges in the state but es are equal and it cannot be suggested that the UK, Gaitri Issar Kumar, is in line to step
Dilip Cherian areas. The move to use officers with adminis- rather make matters worse. the principal bench in Delhi is a superior up. But, these days nothing can be taken for
trative as well as medical skills worked well bench. granted, as Mr Jaishankar himself knows too
Dilli Ka Babu for the state given the emergency-like
situation.
SANJIV CHATURVEDI WINS
HIS DAY IN COURT
Much of Mr Chaturvedi’s career has been
spent in courts or battles with various state
well.
The current round of postings is focused on
However, a proposal by the Madhya Embattled Uttarakhand whistleblower governments and the Centre. He was a the Middle East region. Pavan Kapoor who is
Pradesh government to appoint IAS officers Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who is a 2002-batch whistleblower in the forestry case in ambassador to the UAE will now be our
to run 13 medical colleges in the state has not Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer, current- Haryana and later in the capital when ambassador to Russia. Mr Kapoor has been
been welcomed by the doctors. While senior ly posted as the chief conservator of forests in he was the chief vigilance officer of AIIMS replaced by Sanjay Sudhir who was the high
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
millenniumpost
NEW DELHI | THURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER, 2021 Editorial 7
EDITORIAL Battle begins at home
A flawed policy? Nexus of Good An IAS officer in Pune crusaded to end domestic violence through mobilising ground-
T
he Bihar government is currently finding itself
level voluntary forces towards a ‘social revolution’ with ample political support
R
in a mess, where even its own allies are demand-
ing a review of the liquor ban policy of the state. outine noises of yell- by saying that “those who tor-
Five years down the line since the Nitish govern- ing and screaming, ment women during the lock-
ment passed one of the most stringent alcohol consumption accompanied with down would be institutionally
laws in the country, the tragedy in Bihar has come to haunt clatter of leather quarantined” — a departure
the conscience of people as around 35 people have been belt hitting a human being, from the Domestic Violence
killed in several districts of the state due to consumption were common sounds that Act, 2005 where the victim is
of low-quality alcohol. Though very unfortunate, the Bihar the neighborhood had grown shifted to a safe location. The
hooch tragedy reflects only the flashpoint of the problem. A used to in some parts of the news caught the imagination of
no less intense tragedy has been unfolding within the state ANIL SWARUP pristine hills surrounding Pune the people during the eventless
over the past five years in the form of a bootlegger economy city in Maharashtra. There was days of the lockdown and saw
— hitting the poor the most and depriving the state of the almost a set protocol that fol- its ‘15 minutes of fame’ in the
superfluous revenue it used to earn in the pre-ban period. lowed. After the cries had died form of memes featuring wives
Numerous news reports and analyses have borne testimony down, women from the neigh- warning their husbands of pos-
to the flourishing illegal economy on account of liquor trade borhood would gather to help sible institutional quarantine.
in the state. Now this problem is not restricted to Bihar only. the victim woman and nurse Senior political leaders, includ-
In fact, Bihar’s failure story appears to be a mere repeti- her bruises, but never once did ing MP Supriya Sule, held a
tion of that of other states like Gujarat, Haryana, Mizoram, they question her fate because, Facebook live session on the
Nagaland and Lakshadweep. Bihar certainly has failed to almost every day, one woman issue, and over five lakh people
learn a lesson from the past experiences of other states. The or the other seemed to have the attended it. News in media and
case of the state is now itself a subject of study, from which bad omen of suffering that fate social media focused on the
other states intending to go for similar measures can learn. at the hands of her husband or issue of domestic violence and
Bihar government’s experiment can safely be termed as a in-laws. raised public awareness about
failed initiative as it could not achieve its prime objective of But that evening, during the this sensitive issue. It also moti-
eliminating the evil of liquor consumption in the state half a Covid-induced lockdown, a vated thousands of women vol-
decade since its inception. Though the incidences of domes- group of three women quickly unteers in each village to work
tic violence against women In Bihar has fell since the impo- assembled and gathered cour- more diligently on the issue,
sition of the ban, it is not certain whether it is linked to the age to knock on the door while as they felt they were part of a
ban or not. As reported by the Indiaspend in October 2020, Around the yelling and screaming was larger mission to bring about a
cases of domestic violence under Section 498A of the Indian gathering pace. By knocking Women in each village worked more diligently as they felt they were part of a larger mission social revolution.
Penal Code (cruelty by the husband or his relatives) had 21,000 women on the door, they startled both During the last six months,
fallen 37 per cent since the ban, while the crime rate against intervened in the victim and the tormentor. interfering in households of group of elected Zila Parishad societies, to prevent domestic and several thousand docu-
women fell 45 per cent. Countrywide, during the same There was a deafening silence another caste. Undeterred, members, asking if there was violence and render support mented and undocumented
period, cases rose 12 per cent and the crime rate rose three
over 6,000 for a moment. The women at roughly 21,000 women inter- an increase in domestic vio- to the victims. Accordingly, a interventions later, a safe envi-
per cent. In any case, the fact remains that liquor consump- cases of the door knocked again. A vened in over 6,000 cases of lence in the peri-urban and three-member team — con- ronment for women has been
tion in the state continues to thrive in an economy that is domestic man in his early 30s opened domestic violence in the dis- rural areas of the district. sisting of an elected member created in their homes — a
not on records, that leaves almost no data — making it hard the door while holding a belt in trict and brought about a quiet There was no response for a from Panchayati Raj, an angan- place where most of them not
to be curbed. To have a rough glimpse of this economy, its violence in the his hand. The women began by social revolution in over three day. The message was posted wadi sevika of the woman & only live, but also work and
supply side can be split in two parts — one, the liquor com- district and asking him why he was beat- months, leading to the imple- again the following day. Several child welfare department and which is the core of their social
ing through illegal imports from neighboring states, and ing his wife. Too embarrassed, mentation of the Domestic members were either unaware a woman leader from a self- interactions. Many women have
two, low-cost hooch manufactured locally within homes brought a quiet the man stepped out of the Violence Act of 2005, as part as their focus was more on help group in the village — narrated that they have found
and at the village / town outskirts. On the demand side, it social revolution house and walked away. They of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao infrastructure development was constituted in each ward. strength to voice their concerns,
must be understood that to many consumers, alcohol is nei- went behind him as the neigh- campaign. works rather than social issues. They were trained through a without the fear of being physi-
ther a necessary commodity nor a luxury. Its demand stems in over borhood stepped out of their Indrani Misra, a leading Some opined that there was series of zoom calls. WhatsApp cally assaulted. A small but sig-
from addiction which is very complex to curb. Since the
supply side may be dotted with a large number of power-
three months closely cluttered homes to see
the unfolding drama. He ran
pediatrician found an oppor-
tunity to broach this sensi-
no such problem in Pune Dis-
trict. The same day, the home
groups were created at the vil-
lage, cluster of villages, taluka
nificant change for equality has
begun from the home!
ful intermediaries, who would bypass legal barriers — thus into the darkness of the fields. tive issue of domestic violence minister of the state posted a and district levels to give them What a young, dynamic
claiming their own profit margins — the price of the alcohol The women returned back with her husband, Ayush video on social media, warn- a sense of community as they and visionary officer like Ayush
naturally multiplies several times. At the same time, amid to find the victim surrounded Prasad — a young IAS offi- ing against any form of domes- were geographically dispersed Prasad could do is a wonderful
increased prices and constrained supplies, demand for alco- by other women from the cer posted as chief executive tic violence. and the lockdown hindered example of Nexus of Good. He
hol remains very less deterred. In general, if a dividing line neighborhood and some men. officer, Zila Parishad, Pune. Impressed by the works group interactions. They were demonstrated that small but
is drawn to demarcate those who can afford alcohol in this The victim was very angry at She spoke rather passionately of ASHA workers during and instructed to work as an exten- significant and scalable steps
bootlegger economy and those who can’t, it may give some the group of three women for about the shadow pandemic before the pandemic, Ayush sion to women protection offi- can be taken by civil servants
idea as to how the consumption pattern and pocket burden ‘interfering’ in their household during a walk in their garden thought of taking forward the cers in each taluka, who were despite all the problems and
of the consumers is impacted after the ban. Since alcohol matter and for embarrassing and told him that authori- vision of the state government recruited during the previous limitations. Such officers also
consumption is mostly an addiction, it is very likely that her husband; and questioned if ties in Australia had made and effectively implementing decade. display how media can be lev-
people will go for alcohol to the maximum extent possible. they had never been beaten by arrangements for women suf- the Domestic Violence Act, The next step was to utilise eraged and politicians could be
So, the low-income consumers would probably consume their husbands. In some places fering from domestic violence 2005. He considered building the media to convey a few mes- taken into confidence to con-
low-quality harmful alcohol while paying more. While those in the district, the objection to to stay in hotels. Later that eve- a voluntary force of women in sages. While answering a ques- vey positive messages that can
who can well-afford alcohol consumption would continue the intervention also became ning, this was posted as a mes- each ward of gram panchayats, tion to the local press about lead to social transformation.
their routine consumption, again after paying extra price. about caste – women of a caste sage by Ayush on a WhatsApp and in townships and housing the initiative, Ayush responded Views expressed are personal
It can be summed up that a blanket ban on alcohol forces
U
on liquor in 2014-15. Now, if alcohol consumption in the
state reportedly continues to exist despite the ban, where is K Prime Minis- More sustainable means
the revenue going? It is apparently clear that intermediar- ter Boris John- Meat supply per person, 2017 more healthy
ies and neighboring states from where liquor is allegedly son launched the Average total meat supply per person measured in kilograms per year Healthy and sustainable
imported may be dividing these shares. It is perhaps a time CoP26 climate diets broadly overlap: Diets
when the Bihar government should look forward to revis- summit in Glasgow with the with small amounts of red and
iting its liquor ban policy. While its intent may have been EMMA GARNETT mantra of “coal, cars, cash and processed meat and high in
clear at the time of formulating the policy, and its action trees”. But thus far, the sum- vegetables, wholegrains and
may even have yielded certain positive dividends, it is clear mit has largely ignored the ele- pulses. There are some impor-
that there have been serious negative fallouts. Laws and pol- phant in the room. Or rather, tant exceptions: Oily fish ben-
icies are of dynamic nature and these must keep evolving. the cows, pigs, chickens and efits health but the fuel used
fish. by fishing boats means it gen-
The global food system is erally has higher greenhouse
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MUMBAI
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THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 11 • 2021
0
xyz
W
ith India yet to devise a formal on the train itself. For a bulk of the
R SRINIVASAN long stretch from my suburban sta
resolution mechanism for dis
tion to the Chatrapati Shivaji Maha
tressed banks, an early warning ON THE OTHER HAND raj Terminus, I was the sole passen
system is much needed to alert ger in the first class compartment.
the regulator to slippage in bank performance for In all my years in Mumbai, this had
T
timely intervention. The Reserve Bank of India’s his column is being writ never happened before. Not on hol
ten in Mumbai, a city idays or bandh days, not during
(RBI) Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework, where I spent nearly two even really bad rain days and not on
devised to do this nearly a decade ago, has how decades of my working the last or first services, both of
ever proved only partly effective. In the case of a life but am visiting after a gap of a which I had used frequently, given
few private banks such as YES Bank, RBI was forced few years. I am a huge fan of Mum my peculiar work timings as a
bai’s public transport systems. Both journalist. But this time, the train
to supersede the bank’s Board even without repor the bus service — aptly named BEST was nearly empty, heading towards
ted numbers breaching PCA thresholds — man — and the suburban rail network arguably India’s densest office ag
agement churn in such cases, offered better ad are the best and most efficient in glomeration and an area where the The nudge Both doses of Covid vaccines are mandatory for travel on Mumbai suburban trains EMMANUAL YOGINI
vance warning of stress. In the case of public the country, while the ubiquitous State government’s principal of
‘kaali-peeli’ — the black and yellow fices are also located. On a working doses delivered and around 70 per itaters into accepting the vaccine livelihood. The ‘no salary’ order is
sector banks, RBI has been criticised for sweeping
taxi — remains the only cruising, day and during office hours to boot. cent of the eligible population will now require a new approach. another, something which other
too many of them under PCA based solely on their metered urban taxi system which Was it because of the lockdown covered with the first dose — we are Simply making it available, or ex governments as well as private em
weak reported numbers, despite minimal risk of works. And is also affordable. induced pivot to workfromhome still a long way off from total cover horting the masses through mass ployers can emulate.
failure given their Government backing. RBI’s So when I had to travel to Nar in most organisations? Not quite. age. media or public announcements, At the same time, we also need in
latest tweaks to the PCA framework, set to take ef iman Point at the southern tip of Most offices, both public and Overall, less than 30 per cent of won’t be enough. centives. A free suburban travel
Mumbai from my distant suburban private, have resumed at least par the adult population has been fully pass for a month or a quarter with
fect from January 1, 2022, are to be seen in this con lodgings for an appointment, I nat tial work from office, as has the gov vaccinated. Mumbai, the city that Thane Corporation’s move the second dose can be a great in
text. urally headed to the suburban train ernment. The roads were also never stops — indeed, cannot stop — Which is why a recent move by the centive to comply.
The revised rules propose changes on three station. clogged with traffic. It was only the is one of the best performers Thane Municipal Corporation Elsewhere, we could look at travel
fronts — the triggers to invoke That is because even at the best of train service which was seeing thin among large metros, with 40 per (TMC) caught my eye. Thane is Ma or subsidy (DBT or PDSlinked) in
times, the suburban train crowds. cent of the adult population (offi harashtra’s largest district but the centives. These have the dual bene
Scan & Share PCA against a bank, the man was the only system Mumbai’s suburban cially around 92.4 million) had eponymous city, across the creek fit of being both welfare measures
datory actions RBI may take Scan & Share
which gave you an accur train system used to carry been fully vaccinated with two from Mumbai, is practically a sub as well as growth boosters. The
after it and conditions for a ate estimate of travel 80 lakh passengers per doses. urb of the maximum city. On more the number of people who
bank to exit it. Rules currently time between Point A and day during normal times. But 60 per cent is a very large Monday (November 8), the TMC de can get back to work (remember, 90
Point B in the city. By road Currently, the ridership is number. And closing that gap may creed that those of its employees per cent of the workforce is in the
allow RBI to invoke PCA, if a
— regardless of whether hovering around 3032 prove more difficult. For one, the who had not received at least one informal sector), the better it is for
bank’s capitaltorisk weighted you were in a bus, a black lakh per day. So what ac fear of Covid which prompted dose of the vaccine will not be paid the economy.
assets ratio and Tier 1 capital andyellow or your Mer counts for the missing many to take the first dose appears salaries. For good measure, the or A combined carrot and stick
ratio, Return on Assets (ROA), net NonPerforming cedes — there was no predicting the five million passengers? There is of to have evaporated. There is also der also said that those who had policy (most countries which have
Assets and leverage fall well short of statutory travel time because of traffic flows. course the devastation wreaked by considerable vaccine hesitancy, par taken one dose but failed to take the achieved high vaccination have
Now, with most of the city dug up the pandemic, which has shuttered ticularly among the poor. And then second within the stipulated used incentives, if not disincent
thresholds. Under the new regime, a negative ROA for either the metro or the pro tens of thousands of small busi there are those Mumbaikars who period (a worryingly large number) ives) is required, along with a
(effectively, a reported loss) will no longer be a posed coastal road, it has become nesses. There is also work from have already fallen through the will also not be paid. massive education drive to now
trigger for a bank to invite corrective action. This an even bigger game of chance. home, but that applies only to the cracks — itinerants and the Unions and activists are already reach the goal of full vaccination
appears sensible because the accounting profit creamy layer of Mumbai’s salaried homeless. up in arms. But the TMC move is a for all. And the more the number of
Maximum city workforce who have both devices Vaccine hesitancy is going to be a good thing. We need disincentives people fully vaccinated, the better it
for a bank is the residual sum left over after provi I was surprised to find that one and network access. real hurdle in achieving universal to ensure that there is a real cost at is for society. After all, as UN Secret
sioning for bad and doubtful loans. A bank that could only buy a ticket to travel on The rest, I believe, has been be coverage. Without universal cover tached to behaviour which puts the ary General Antonio Gutierres poin
proactively provisions for possible NPAs and the suburban network if one could cause of the vaccination require age, there is always the fear of a society at large at risk. The railway ted out, “No one is safe until all are
maintains high provision coverage may report produce a vaccination certificate, ment. Despite the impressive num fresh resurgence or a new variant, travel requirement is one such. safe.”
that too with the final dose having bers achieved under India’s or worse, of the disease becoming Without the ability to commute, a
losses, but is better protecting the interests of its
been taken at least 14 days prior. vaccination drive — over one billion endemic in India. Pushing the hes lot of Mumbaikars will lose their The writer is a senior journalist
stakeholders than a bank that skimps provision
ing to show a profit. Some of the corrective ac
tions to be taken by RBI once a bank falls under
PCA, have been left to its discretion instead of be
ing mandated. Today, PCA rules require RBI to en
force higher provisioning norms and cap man
agement compensation. The new rules allow it to
Why a bad bank needs a sunset clause
take a discretionary call, perhaps to avoid denting
depositor confidence. The existing curbs placed Without this there will be a problem of moral hazard. The core problem of wilful defaulters remains to be tackled
by the RBI on PCA banks lending to lowerrated or SUDIPTA SEN/PRASENJIT CHAKRABARTI nonperforming assets (GNPA) to The history of successful ARCs in the form of a sunset clause; a bad
unsecured borrowers have been diluted and re total asset ratio globally. Postcovid across the world like Resolution bank for perpetuity will pose long
O
placed with more generic powers, which is n October 4, the Reserve stress scenarios estimated by the Trust Corporation in the US, Se term risks to the financial stability
Bank of India gave li RBI pegs it at an aggregate GNPA ra curum in Sweden, Danaharta of of a country, like Huarong in China.
welcome.
cense to National Asset tio in the range of 12.5 14.7 per cent. Malaysia shows that the effective Moreover, there should be a fair
Overall, while the new framework rightly af Reconstruction Com ness of ARCs hinges on: (i) a focused and transparent mechanism while
fords RBI greater flexibility in resolving stressed pany Limited (NARCL), popularly Role of bad banks mandate for setting up the ARCs, (ii) setting the haircut on the stressed
banks on a casetocase basis, the roadmap it offers known as a bad bank. The role of the bad bank is to estab limited lifespan of the ARC, (iii) mar assets by the NARCL.
for a bank’s exit from PCA appears to run counter The role of the bad bank is to es lish a liquid market for NPAs with a ketbased resolution of NPAs. The pricing mechanism should
tablish a liquid market for Non Per promise that banks will be able to ensure that the net asset value (NAV)
to this. While such exit was earlier left to RBI’s dis forming Assets (NPAs) with a under sell their NPAs at a fair value. The pitfalls of the SRs is fairly priced, which will
cretion, the new regime requires a bank to stay lying belief that banks will be able to As a part of its NPA recovery mech NARCL seems to have a focused boost the participation and liquid
above mandated capital, NPA and leverage sell their NPAs at a reasonable price. anism, India already has a slew of mandate as stated in its proposal to ity in the SR market.
thresholds for four consecutive quarters to apply NARCL, through its service com measures like the debt recovery acquire ₹2 lakh crore worth of While setting up a bad bank in the
pany/operational entity India Debt tribunals under the Recovery of stressed assets, but the absence of a form of NARCL is a step in the right
for exit. This may be a rather high bar. A troubled Resolution Company Ltd (IDRCL), Debts Due to Banks and Financial In Bad bank The ifs and buts /ISTOCKPHOTO clause about the lifespan of NARCL direction towards financial sector
bank can mend its capital adequacy or leverage will manage the resolutions of stitutions (RDDBFI) Act in 1993, asset may lead to a moral hazard prob reforms; NARCL is just a palliative; it
quickly with infusion from its promoter. But these NPAs. reconstruction companies (ARCs) The main reason for the limited lem. Public sector banks (PSBs), who is neither a cure nor does it prohibit
resolving legacy NPAs often requires it to pursue The NARCL will acquire these as a part of the Securitisation and demand is the average low debt re own 51 per cent stake in NARCL, may bad loans.
stressed assets through 15 per cent Reconstruction of Financial Assets covery rate of only 27.8 per cent, continue buying their own stressed Unless there is a strong political
business growth or marginimproving strategies
cash and 85 per cent security re and Enforcement of Security In with the most recent 201920 show assets through NARCL leading to will to recognise bad loans and sup
that may not be possible while its hands are tied ceipts (SRs) in a phased manner, of terest Act (SARFAESI Act) in 2002, ing a debt recovery rate of 26.7 per the propagation and evergreening port legal infrastructure to address
by PCA. which ₹90,000 crore of the asset and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy cent. of bad loans. wilful defaulters, setting up a bad
will be managed in the first phase. Code (IBC) in 2016. The NARCL is essentially an ARC Additionally there are question bank may become a moot point.
A government guarantee will The secondary market of the Se with only two distinguishing fea marks over the government guar
back the SRs for a maximum curity Receipts (SRs) issued by the tures — (i) NARCL is intended for antee of ₹30,600 crore in providing Sen is Assistant Professor, Jindal School of
amount of ₹30,600 crore, and the existing ARCs is quite illiquid. There dealing in big sized tickets, and (ii) liquidity and creating a market for Banking & Finance, O.P. Jindal Global
POCKET: On Climate Change RAVIKANTH
guarantee will be valid for a resolu
tion period of five years.
is a dominance of the sellingbank
in holding SRs, resulting in a limited
NARCL has a partial government
guarantee.
the NPAs.
To increase the effectiveness of
University, and Chakrabarti is Assistant
Professor, IIM Ranchi, Accounting &
Currently, the Indian banking sys demand for SR by other qualified in This raises an important ques the NARCL, the government should Finance Area. Views expressed are
tem has one of the highest gross vestors. tion: will NARCL be effective? address the lifespan issue of NARCL personal
LET TERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters by email to bleditor@thehindu.co.in or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.
Financial inclusion and ATMs without levying any charges not ised the government’s predica sector though is increasing with Don’t be complacent
Apropos ‘Banks operators hopeful only in rural areas but also in cit ment and have therefore not pro ₹5,753 cr allocated for FY 202122 Apropos ‘Coffee growers turn
of RBI's review of penalty for dry ies. Notwithstanding the trans tested higher fuel prices, the but the same is not in tune with cautious despite 25% rise in Arab
ATM's (November 10), thanks to port problems in loading cash on political opposition’s noise the mammoth plan and the target ica prices’ (November 10) is a long
the government’s financial inclu ATMs, a minimum penalty must notwithstanding. which is being envisaged now. term advisory to Arabica growers
sion initiative crores of small be charged on banks if their ATMs The edit has also rightly called The Centre needs to review and in view of the fact that such price
savers, farmers etc have opened run dry. for greater prudence on the part of broaden the scope of attracting fluctuations have occurred many
bank accounts with ATM cards. Katuru Durga Prasad Rao State governments. The culture of more domestic and FDI towards times in the past.
The reduction in customers Hyderabad freebies and giveaways to even the RE sector. Importantly, Arabica growers
flocking at bank branches is expec those who can afford to pay, at the With a view to accelerating fin must not become complacent
ted to help bankers focus on lend Rationalise govt expenditure expense of honest taxpayers, must ancing and investing in RE related and become unmindful towards
ing. Though financial inclusion is The editorial ‘Fisc on track’ end. segments, setting up of an exclus input costs, which seldom comes
still a work in progress, poor (November 10) has rightly called V Vijaykumar ive ‘Green Bank’ on the lines of down and becomes an unbear
people/farmers have cultivated for a step up of capital expendit Pune erstwhile Bharatiya Mahila Bank able burden when prices drop
the habit of drawing cash from ure while avoiding wasteful rev for catering women community, drastically.
nearby rural centres through enue expenses. The Centre’s India’s climate commitments would be ideal. At the same time the drop in
ATMs. prudent management of its fin Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Centre has to take all States and Robusta and black pepper prices,
One can imagine the plight of ances in the first half of 202122 has the Glasgow Summit declared the UTs into confidence in implement another lifeline for growers, may
these people who go a long way to possibly been on account of the ex five point declaration of achieving ation right from migrating all not be eternal and the growers
draw cash and find that ATMs have tra tax revenues from motor fuels. netzero emissions by 2070, 500 street lights and tagging them to must find a fair balance between
run out of cash. This is a problem This was necessary in the face of GW fossil fuels by 2030, reducing solar power and in boosting usage the crops, with the inclusion of
that people living in cities too en unprecedented expenses on ac carbon emissions by 1b tonnes, of EVs and in adopting to the usage more supplementary crops and
counter. This is a problem that count of the pandemic — free ra cutting carbon intensity by 45 per of ethanol blended fuel etc to activities to meet fiscal viability,
needs to be addressed both y the tions, free vaccinations, etc., and cent and climate finance. reach the ultimate goal of netzero in view of the uncertainties of
banks and RBI immediately. likely higher defence expenditure Except climate finance, all other emission. weather.
They should also increase the due the prevailing geopolitical goal points are actionable items. RV Baskaran Rajiv Magal
number of ‘free’ ATM transactions situation. Surely citizens have real The budgetary allocation for RE Chennai Halekere Village (Karnataka)
Published by N. Ravi at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002 and Printed by N. Vaidyanathan at Dangat Media Pvt Ltd, No. 22, Dighe MIDC, Vishnu Nagar, TTC Industrial Area, Dighe, Navi Mumbai-400701 on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD., Chennai-600002. Group Editorial Officer: Krishna Prasad. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). ISSN 0971 - 7528
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THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 THINK 5
T I C
he formal/informal dicho should force policymakers to realise n 2020, India’s capital market issu sionals to manage the process. ryptocurrency is a digital cases, often relies on fossil fuels, partic
tomy has governed Indian that by perpetuating the dichotomy, ances were approximately $250 bil Expedite infrastructure financing: currency that can be used to ularly coal.
policymaking for decades. our economic outlook is not anchored lion, raising India’s rank to ninth on India’s $2 trillion National Infrastruc buy goods and services. To To put things in perspective,
What the dichotomy fails on ground realities, and that we may McKinsey’s Asian Capital Markets ture Plan requires excellence in infra secure transactions, it uses Deutsche Bank analysts estimated that
to understand and encapsulate is the not be accounting for a very large sec Development Performance Index. Com structure financing. Stakeholders could blockchain technology, which is es if Bitcoin was a country, it would use
vastly changed economic models that tion that has the potential of changing pared to other Asian countries, India’s identify bankable projects by sector, size, sentially a gigantic database of inform about the same amount of electricity a
have come into existence and are now our economic outlook dramatically. performance improved steadily in five cost, economic benefit, and ease of im ation that cannot be altered or year as Ukraine.
deemed legitimate economic struc In fact, the most visible example of years, with growth in private equity (PE) plementation, and create a ministry tampered with. In March 2021, Bitcoin’s electrical
tures. The gig/platform economy in this unrealistic perspective is in policy investments, corporate bond issuances, wise framework to continuously mon There are lots of different cryptocur footprint was a little over 75 per cent of
particular, is one such model that has design, especially those policies that domestic mutual funds and equities, itor priority projects. rencies around — Dogecoin, Ripple, Netherlands’ entire energy produc
cemented its position over the last dec aim to elevate members of the informal and foreign portfolio investments. They could improve project develop Ethereum, etc — but Bitcoin is the most tion and about 9 per cent of that of
ade, strengthened by its criticality in economy to the formal. For example, a But how do India’s capital markets ment with a task force that monitors and popular. It was the first decentralised Russia. Similarly, there are various
the homebound year we have all exper platform worker may not be in need of compare with those of developed eco removes bottlenecks from highpriority cryptocurrency introduced in 2009. other researchers that claim how dis
ienced. So why is it that when economic a Jan Dhan account, as any monetary nomies? Most have a financial depth projects, empower central regulatory Bitcoin has inspired hundreds of imit astrous the virtual coin is to the envir
savants or even our own statisticians transaction over the platform already over 2.5 times that of India’s, with soph agencies’ investor cells to implement ators, but it remains the largest crypto onment. According to reports, one Bit
measure India’s economy, this new requires a formal banking process. isticated markets and better fundraising best practices in governance and com currency by market capitalisation. coin transaction takes 1,544 kWh of
paradigm is swept under, so to speak, The worker in this instance is exhibit for productive investments. India’s cap munications, and run a faster dispute Public blockchains like Bitcoin are energy, which is equivalent to the
the dichotomy rug? ing characteristics of the formal eco ital markets show relative stability, mak resolution process. Finally, they could ac extremely transparent. The nature of power that can keep an average US
In its most simplistic definition, the nomy (paying taxes on assets, availing ing it possible to deepen them by taking celerate project financing through blockchain technology means that all household running for 53 days.
platform/gig economy straddles the formal credit, etc.) but is still con on more risk without suffering crises of funds from domestic institutions, for of the data is immutable, traceable With the high energy consumption,
edges of both the formal and the in sidered a member of the informal eco volatility or liquidity. With six broad eign sovereign wealth funds and pen and permanent, meaning anyone can the virtual currency’s mining pro
formal, attracting millions, who do not nomy. With a growing number of strategies, India could cross $700 billion sion funds rapidly set up the Credit see the balance and transactions of duces a large amount of ewaste (elec
want the baggage that people opting for flexibility in issuances by 2030. Guarantee Enhancement any wallet address. tronic waste).
comes along with being a of the gig economy, policies Sustain the longterm Corporation, and recycle as Nobody, not the govern As the life span of the
member of either side of being designed to formalise growth of mutual funds: In sets by reducing the min ment, not even advanced devices that Bitcoin miners
the dichotomy. In fact, this our economy without re dia’s mutual fund industry imum holding period for hackers can challenge, al use is only about 18
dichotomy hurts the most cognising this cohort of grew five times its size from concessionaires. ter or delete what you own months, a lot of hardware
vulnerable section of work workers, is for all intents 2010 to $480 billion in 2020, Digitise financial assets: on the blockchain. is used quickly and eventu
ers, the most. and purposes, a wasted ex and could continue growing As of December 2020, the es ally becomes ewaste. The
Which is why dismant ercise. by widening distribution, timated market value of Complex process researchers claim that the
ling this binary system is Policy planning has al particularly to tier 2 and 3 cit gold in India was $1.6 trillion In the world of cryptocur ewaste produced by Bit
also necessary to smoothen ways attempted to target a ies, with costeffective tech — a major opportunity to tap rency, ‘mining’ is done by coin per year (24 kilo
frayed labour relations of specific audience for a spe nologyled distribution and physical asset classes. Gold complex highpowered tonnes) is equivalent to
the past few decades. cific purpose. partnerships with retail monetisation could create computers. Bitcoin miners that produced by the
Dismantling the dichotomy of franchises and ecommerce firms. In up to $100 billion in liquidity for long run complex computer rigs to solve Netherlands.
Reinforcing inequalities formal and informal and adding the novative new products and structures tenor and affordable funding. India complicated mathematical puzzles, Bitcoin mining consumes a hu
Policymaking targeted at retaining layers created by new models such as could further diversify investor portfo could also reduce its yearly import bill called proofofwork (PoW), in an effort mongous amount of energy which
these categories as separate only serves the platform/gig economy will allow lios — example, funds that invest in high by $4 billion with gold ecommerce. to confirm groups of transactions leads to a bigger carbon footprint with
to reinforce inequalities and yet again policymakers to determine what inter rated ESG securities and international Seizing this opportunity requires sev called blocks; upon success, these every passing year. As the value of Bit
fails to appreciate the changing realit vention is needed where, based on a securities. eral measures, including welldefined blocks are added to the blockchain re coin increases so does its mining,
ies, aspirations and desires of a bur better understanding of the character Enhance therole of private capital:At regulatory architecture and standards cord and the miners are rewarded which means the puzzles become
geoning workforce. istics of different groups. For example, its present growth rate, India’s PE mar to provide clear direction and supervi with a small number of Bitcoins. Other more complex and the companies in
But in the larger picture, such in the gains made in formality from 7.6 ket is the posterchild for India’s capital sion, while simultaneously promoting participants in the Bitcoin market can vest in computing power.
equalities are further exacerbated by its per cent in 201112 to 9.3 per cent in 2017 markets. For this to continue over the market development — example, tax in buy or sell tokens through cryptocur While Bitcoin has been criticised for
pervasiveness in economic thinking 18, are coincidentally in the same era next decade, a welldefined product centives. rency exchanges or peertopeer. long for its negative environmental
and policymaking, across the spec where the platform economy emerged strategy is essential, i.e., low volatility Grow sustainable finance: India’s Bitcoin has been booming and its impacts, its defenders still say a switch
trum. Our economy today is judged on and flourished. The recent recognition fixed incomeoriented products for tra sustainable funding requirements price exceeded $60,000 in October to renewable sources would reduce its
the lines of formal and informal, un of platform workers as a separate cat ditional institutional investors, and could top $2 trillion by 2030 — calling for 2021, but its use of computer hardware carbon emissions. But the truth is, Bit
willing to recognise the grey area that egory in the new labour codes is per high riskreturn products for ultrahigh new ways to finance and invest in ESG and energy is huge. Here are some of coin still uses a colossal amount of
the gig/platform economy brings to the haps a sign that this may be dawning net worth individuals, such as long initiatives. the reasons why Bitcoin is bad for the energy.
table. on some. The longer we allow this now short equity strategy, distressed assets, India could reduce ESG funding costs environment. Cryptocurrencies need to be more
The 90.7 per cent to 9.3 per cent ratio defunct dichotomy to define how we etc. by lowering riskweight assets, and man To quote Elon Musk, “Energy usage sustainable. They cannot ignore envir
(as per PLFS) is less applicable, with a view the Indian economy and sub Accelerate the rate of disinvestment date public funds to enhance exposure trend over past few months for crypto onmental considerations if they want
growing section of the Indian economy sequently design policies, we risk ig in public sector companies: Disinvest to ESG securities. currency is insane.” Musk was refer to gain wider adoption, and that
finding its place between the two. noring the changing dynamics of the ments could be made more efficient by ring to the amount of energy required newer and greener cryptocurrencies
The uniqueness of the platform eco Indian economic outlook. identifying a strong pipeline for disin The writers are, respectively, Senior Partner for the creation of “mining” of Bitcoin, will eventually eclipse Bitcoin.
nomy, where some parts are formal vestment, creating an efficient ap and Senior Expert, McKinsey & Company, which is mined by highpowered com
(that is, payments and credit access) The writers are with Ola Mobility Institute provals process, engaging early to build Mumbai and New Delhi puters that compete to solve complex The writer is founder of Smiling Tree
POCKET RAVIKANTH
BusinessLine
TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY
November 11, 2001
Deal struck on Kyoto climate accord
World environment and energy ministers struck a
lastminute deal on Saturday on the details of the landmark
Kyoto pact to limit global warming, paving the way for its
implementation next year. Brushing aside rejection by the
world’s biggest polluter — the US — earlier this year,
proponents of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol convinced waverers
Russia and Japan to agree to work towards ratification. The
accord provides a detailed rulebook governing the complex
treaty aimed at limiting humanity's negative impact on the
Earth’s climate.
Sterlite bid for HZL rejected
The Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment today rejected
Sterlite Industries’ bid for Hindustan Zinc Ltd but accepted
bids for two properties of Hotel Corporation of India (HCI)
which were put on the block under the disinvestment
programme. While the bid by Sterlite was rejected as it was
below the reserve price, the CCD accepted the lone bid of ₹153
crore by Mr Ajit Kerkar's Tulip Company for HCI's Juhu
Centaur Hotel. It also accepted a bid of ₹ 6.51 crore by Impact
Travel for Centaur’s 30bed property at Rajgir.
'Globalisation' a bad word: Chomsky
The word ‘globalisation’ is a misnomer, says Prof Noam
Chomsky, renowned linguist and political analyst. Contrary
to popular belief, ‘globalisation’ does not mean international
integration but concentration of unaccountable power in
private hands, he said while speaking on ‘September 11 and its
aftermath: Where is the world heading?' Prof Chomsky said
the “neoliberal” economic policies pursued by powerful
forces in developed countries are a threat to the existence of
millions around the world.
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup
CM @English_epaper_Backup .. .... .. . ...BM-BME
YK
16 THURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2021
NEW DELHI VIEWS LIVEMINT.COM
the Constitution, and not a religious Gandhi had figured out a way to reach
book? He pursed his lips, shook his head moral clarity. In 1939, when B. Pattabhi
again, and left. Sitaramayya, a candidate most closely
Two things were apparent from our aligned with Gandhi’s thinking, lost
exchange. For the student, the basis of the Congress presidency to Subhas
what was right and what was wrong, or Chandra Bose, Congress leaders aligned
what was just and what was fair, was with Gandhi resigned. Gandhi told
rooted in faith, his own faith, and not in Bose that since Bose had a different
national law or international standards, approach, or different means to attain
SALIL TRIPATHI nor in reason. That would be fine up to a independence, those who felt loyal to
is a writer based in New York. Read point, but just as most faiths have good Gandhi should not encumber Bose, but
Salil’s previous Mint columns at points such as strictures against lying, allow him the freedom to constitute his
www.livemint.com/saliltripathi cheating, stealing and so on, they also team as he saw fit. In the end, Bose
have uniquely unjust aspects embedded stepped down. Gandhi wrote to Bose,
A
t the campus of an Indian law defend those injustices; those with wishing him well. He pointed out their
school a few years ago, after I slightly more evolved thinking insist profound differences. They must inevi-
ended my talk about the human- that it is misinterpretation and the ones tably sail in different boats, Gandhi
A
quarter century ago, fire in a fatality rate. At over 10,000 deaths a year, India argument justifying either, and the those texts that evaluated ideas by knew that the path he would not take
closed hall was emblematic of must perform better. Our safety guidelines, response would depend on the context. challenging them. The opposite of faith may appear to take him to a destination,
The student sought his answer from a is not necessarily ‘reason’; that would but it was not where he wanted to reach.
the case against free speech as an where they exist, are sketchy, while adherence literary epic that is revered by many be too binary. The opposite of faith, as Freedom obtained by spilling blood was
absolute right: yelling ‘fire’ in and enforcement are both weak. Even a small devout Hindus. But seeking guidance Salman Rushdie writes in The Satanic not the freedom he wanted. Violence
an enclosed space packed with sample would reveal that builders comply too from a faith-based text that’s important Verses, is doubt. It is doubt that compels would only breed more violence, and
people could cause stampede variably with our National Building Code of to many but not all people was puzzling, us to think through things and examine violence used to justify a goal, however
fatalities. In mid-1997, a real blaze at a Delhi 2016, on which state-level codes were to be especially for a law student. evidence before arriving at a conclu- desirable, would convince others in the
So I said that Gandhi had said both sion. Before embracing Buddhism, future that their goals too should be
movie theatre called Uphaar took 59 lives in a modelled. Though upmarket constructions ends and means are important and I’d Babasaheb Ambedkar explored all obtained through violence. That is why
tragedy held up back then as a sign of much often get all their clearances and go beyond the suggest he turn to Gandhi. He shook his faiths. While undergoing his appren- the ends did not justify the means.
that was wrong with Indian civic security. The list of must-dos, many still falter on keeping head vigorously. “I am a Hindu, sir, I ticeship towards mahatma-hood in To be sure, the Indian Constitution is
tragedy led to a trail of revelations, with sundry inbuilt safety systems in working condition. want to follow only my books,” he said. South Africa, Mohandas Gandhi read not a philosophical treatise. But it shows
lapses and word of jammed fire exits sparking a Routine checks and drills are conspicuous by But Gandhi was a Hindu, I reminded about all faiths and learnt from tradi- the path the nation must take, and the
him, and there are many Indians who are tions that were new to him. rules it must abide by, to honour the
furore, and was followed by a judicial spectacle their scarcity. We must update all codes to not. So what should they do? I asked. Gandhi learnt enough to keep the inalienable rights of every Indian,
that scorched the Ansal Group of developers mandate vulnerability audits and enforce the He kept shaking his head. He would windows and doors of his mind open; he regardless of language, sex, caste or
behind the cinema hall and was interpreted as closure of gaps. The need for hospitals to store follow his books, not others’ books, he made sure his feet were planted firmly faith. That’s the broader identity that
a wake-up call that India badly needed. It was oxygen, for example, puts them at higher risk. said quite firmly. on the ground and he would never get envelops Indians. However well written
an abject lesson: playing fast and loose with Protocols must therefore be calibrated by But you are a law student, I reminded swayed by the breeze. This was not and well intentioned, religious epics are
him. Shouldn’t you follow the law, and obstinacy; it was unshakeable because inevitably narrower.
safety norms was playing with fire. Urban rules varied levels of exposure to fire mishaps. The
were tightened and legal consequences played top court had asked for fire-safety audits of all
up. On Monday, a local court held Sushil and covid facilities, but it is unclear if it was done.
Gopal Ansal of the real-estate group guilty of Audit-wise, special attention must be paid to
tampering with evidence in the Uphaar case electrical wiring, jumbles of which are a hazard
and handed each a 7-year jail term and fine of that too many estate managers would rather
₹2.25 crore. In 2015, our apex court had fined camouflage than address. Casual disregard for www.livemint.com New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh*, Pune* Friday, November 11, 2011 Vol.5 No.268 `3.00 32 PAGES
them ₹30 crore each for criminal negligence loose ends and electric sparks is so observably Q&A: FM has been extremely
supportive, says Sebi’s Sinha >14
TELECOM: Telemarketing firms work around new
The special ops guys
and released them from prison, where they common in the country that we have even
rules for bulk SMSes >12
VIEWS: A story of farmers on holiday >31
EXCLUSIVE PARTNER BANKING: S&P assessment differs with Moody’s
outlook on Indian banks >6
and firefighters around
had spent a few months. In the latest twist, a attained global notoriety for it. Some years ago,
SENSEX 17,362.10 ® NIFTY 5,221.05 ® DOLLAR `50.18 ® EURO `68.14 ® GOLD `28,765 æ `60 OIL $112.49 æ $2.03
ERANGA JAYAWARDENA/AP
separate charge was upheld. Yet, whether we we responded with indignation to a joke on unity govt as
RIL’s troubles
B Y A PPU E STHOSE S URESH
U TPAL B HASKAR
·························
&
dreams
T hese are the days of
bonhomie between
India and Pakistan. The
are generally safer today than 24 years ago this cracked by a British royal, but it rang true. EU dithers
hydrocarbons (DGH) has met in the Maldives
expressed concern on the sale and one cannot miss
of condensate from Reliance the “good chemistry”
Industries Ltd’s (RIL) lucrative between the two of them.
D6 block in the Krishna-Goda- One way to test how
vari basin to the company’s real this new friendship
own refinery in Jamnagar. is to see what happens
Ex-ECB official to head cials continued to dither and The development may bring in the South Asian
Greek crisis cabinet; pass the buck on how best to further trouble for the Mukesh Association for Regional
remains doubtful. Sadly, it still does. What our authorities should ‘Slow is smooth, and smooth
fight the worsening sovereign Ambani-promoted company Cooperation (Saarc).
European leaders, debt crisis. that is already under the lens The regional group
officials warn about Three senior ECB policy- for alleged irregularities in its has not realized
makers rebuffed pressure from development of the D6 block. its economic and
dangers of split in EU investors and foreign govern- DGH’s opinion was sought political potential as
ments to intervene massively by the ministry of petroleum the shadow of Indo-Pak
B Y P AOLO B IONDI & as a lender of last resort on and natural gas after state- ties has marred the
L EFTERIS P APADIMAS bond markets to shield Italy owned Hindustan Petroleum working of the group.
························· and Spain from rapidly spread- Corp. Ltd (HPCL) complained While individually,
On the same day as the Ansal ruling, four fix most urgently, however, is their neglect of
ROME/ATHENS ing financial contagion. to its parent ministry about the India and Pakistan enjoy
I taly moved closer to a na- “We have gone pretty far in manner in which RIL had cordial relations with
infants lost their lives to a fire at Bhopal’s Kamla fire services. Across the country, they are
meltdown. tral bank chief, said bond-buy- opinion, the ministry also ask- yet to deliver meaningful
After four days of chaotic ing only had a temporary ef- ed the petroleum planning and gains. If peace is not
haggling, former European fect. ECB has bought more Talking peace: India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands analysis cell to estimate the a distant dream, then
Central Bank (ECB) vice-presi- than €180 billion (around with his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of fair price for the condensate, the first step India and
accomplished in my
dent Lucas Papademos was `12.4 trillion today) of periph- the Saarc summit in Addu, the Maldives, on Thursday. Declaring their of which an estimated 10,000 Pakistan should take is to
appointed to head an interim eral euro zone bonds and trad- intent to open ‘a new chapter’ in ties, both the leaders noted ‘positive’ tonnes a month is being pro- strengthen economic ties
crisis cabinet charged with ers said it was active again in movement in their efforts to re-engage each other for economic between Saarc nations.
saving Greece from default, the market on Thursday, but cooperation. See Page 8 TURN TO PAGE 4®
bankruptcy and an exit from the purchases have failed to
Nehru Hospital. Shortly earlier, 11 people died understaffed, poorly funded and ill equipped
the euro zone. lower borrowing costs durably.
In Rome, former European Stepping up the scale of
Commissioner Mario Monti
emerged as favourite to re-
bond-buying would eventually
force ECB to start printing
Bad loans of DAMP DIWALI services that can be sold. Ac-
cording to media analysts, ad-
place Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi within days
money with the risk of stoking
inflation, which was why the listed banks top
`1 trillion, may
Media firms prepare vertising yields have fallen
10-15% over the last three-four
similarly in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar Dis- for our vastly transformed urban spaces. In
ment long delayed reforms of ECB executive board mem- tives expect advertisers to re-
pensions, labour markets and ber Peter Praet said it was not duce spending over the next
business regulation. the task of the central bank to two quarters, as recession
Sources in Berlusconi’s con- intervene “when there are fun- B Y J OEL R EBELLO & B Y A NUSHREE C HANDRAN &
UNDER PRESSURE clouds loom over Europe and
party said he was now con- damental doubts about the sus- R AVINDRA S ONAVANE A BHILASHA O JHA the US, and high inflation, ris-
vinced it would be better not to tainability of some countries”. ························· ························· Advertising revenue growth for both ing interest rates and slowing
call elections at the moment, Outgoing ECB chief econo- MUMBAI MUMBAI/NEW DELHI print and television could end up in economic growth at home
single digits
an abrupt reversal.
The billionaire media mag-
mist Juergen Stark earlier re-
jected calls for the central R ising interest rates, ad-
verse regulatory environ- A year that looked bountiful
in January, and even in Ad revenue for television and print
media for the end of 2011 was pegged
dampen domestic consumer
sentiment.
trict Hospital. As many as 55 deaths within 10 2019, the Centre issued a model bill on these of that attitude.
nate has agreed to resign with- bank to act as lender of last re- ment in some businesses such April, is now beginning to look “Advertising follows eco-
at 14.6% and 13.5%, respectively,
in days after parliament ap- sort like the US Federal Re- as mining, and migration to a stark for media companies, by the Ficci-KPMG Indian Media nomic growth. It all depends
proves long-delayed economic serve or the Bank of England. computerized calculation of with poor sentiment and the and Entertainment Report, 2011 on how global developments
reforms demanded by Europe- In Brussels, a euro zone offi- bad debts have led to the gross slowing economy resulting in a impact India’s GDP (gross do-
High inflation, rising interest rates
an partners. cial said there were no plans to non-performing loans (or non- fall in demand and, conse- and slowing economic growth have mestic product) growth,” said
Political and economic tur- use the bloc’s €440 billion res- performing assets, NPAs) of quently, advertising. dampened consumer sentiment Ajit Varghese, managing direc-
moil in Italy has spurred fears cue fund to help Italy, even listed Indian banks crossing `1 Worse still, the Diwali sea- A liquidity crunch is forcing
tor at Maxus, GroupM India
of a possible break-up of the with a precautionary credit trillion in the quarter ended son, which usually sees a spurt advertisers to be cautious Pvt. Ltd, who expects advertis-
euro zone, with borrowing line. September. in advertising, didn’t seem to about ad spends ing revenue to grow 12-15%
months can be traced to hospital flare-ups in services for states to adopt. It had a few wel-
costs for Europe’s third-big- “Financial assistance is not Gross non-performing loans be as big as it usually does, over last year.
gest economy at unsustainable in the cards,” the official said. A for 36 listed banks have and, over the past few months, “It may not touch the utopi-
levels and the 17-nation cur- second official said: “ECB will swelled to `1.07 trillion, up average yields for most media and broadcast companies. It an expectation of 18% and
rency bloc unable to afford a be drawn like every one else by 33% from last year. More im- companies have been on their was not a great Diwali for more, as some media owners
bailout. the weight of gravity (to act).” portantly, the rise in bad loans way south. many of the media firms,” said had thought at the beginning
German Chancellor Angela Italian 10-year bond yields has been the fastest, quarter- Most news channels usually Nikhil Vora, managing director of the year,” he said.
Merkel, Europe’s main pay- steadied at around 7%, a level on-quarter, in at least the past do not have airtime to sell in of IDFC Securities Ltd. The print media business
master, called for broad politi- seen as unquestionable in the five years. the Diwali season given the “Advertising follows con- has been affected by negative
cal support for reforms in long term, due to signs that the Data for the 36 banks ana- surge of advertising, said Avi- sumer behaviour,” said Abdul trends in other businesses that
that state. All-India official records show that come tweaks, but financial outlays to upgrade
Greece and said she believed political deadlock may be eas- lysed by Mint shows that they nash Pandey, executive vice- Khan, senior vice-president at significantly contribute to its
Italy was winning back confi- ing. Rome paid less to sell one- added `14,273.62 crore of bad president and head of revenue Tata Teleservices Ltd. “The revenue, said Rajiv Verma,
dence, but political clarity was year treasury bills than many loans in the July-September at Star News, the news channel high rate of inflation, rising chief executive officer of HT
still needed in Rome. had feared. period, up 15% from the quar- run by Media Content and petrol prices, etc., have made Media Ltd, publisher of the
JE F F B E ZOS
She rejected talk of a possi- But European stocks turned ter ended June. Communication Services (In- the Indian consumer go into Hindustan Times and Mint.
ble shrinking of the currency lower in choppy trade. Wall This is the fastest increase in dia) Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture his shell. He wants to hold on Many businesses, including
area, saying: “We only have Street pared gains after open- bad loans since the quarter between Star group (a subsid- to his savings, and brands real estate, banking and auto-
one goal, that is to bring about ing in the green. Asian indices ended June 2006, according to iary of News Corp.) and want to hold on to their ad mobiles, have been hit by poor
a stabilization of the euro zone slumped earlier on Thursday Anandabazaar Patrika (owned spends. It’s a vicious circle.” sentiment arising from factors
while our total count of fire accidents fell 40% fire departments have stayed insufficient.
in its current form.” TURN TO PAGE 5® by ABP Pvt. Ltd). “This year, Yield is a measure of profit- including inflation, high fuel
European Union (EU) offi- TURN TO PAGE 5® this wasn’t the case,” he added. ability used in businesses such prices and rising interest rates,
ALSO SEE “There is absolutely no as aviation, hospitality and ad- he explained.
Mint is also available for R6 with ALSO SEE >Govt puts strict terms on doubt that this year yields are vertising, where there is a fi-
Hindustan Times under a combo offer >WSJ: Dividing the tab prolongs pain >P23 pumping capital into PSBs >P6 under pressure for most print nite availability of products or TURN TO PAGE 4®
from 2015 to 2019, we still had much too high a This, too, amounts to playing with fire.
THEIR VIEW
T
he US Congress has just taken an lem that can be left to the market, notwith- But the point applies equally to invest- to expire at the end of the year. CBO calcu- share of GDP—wait for it—falling from
important step towards implementing standing the existence of network effects ment in social infrastruc- lations project that the 102.7% this year to 102.6%. In other words,
President Joe Biden’s fiscal plans, by (bit.ly/307kGPx)? ture: Pre-K and lifelong deficit as a share of GDP there is no immediate crisis in the US of
passing a signature $1 trillion infrastructure Recent debates remind us that there is less learning yield a more pro- Spending hawks will fall (bit.ly/3D49DVF) debt sustainability (bit.ly/3H7dCmK).
bill (nyti.ms/3C2wmAn). Now we will see than full agreement on the desirability of ductive workforce. It also from 13.4% this year to Prudent governments budget for sur-
whether the Congressional Budget Office such programmes. But where there should applies to investments in should realize 4.7% in 2022. prises. An energy shock or geopolitical
(CBO), in its non-partisan wisdom, agrees be agreement is on how best to finance climate-change abatement This is an alarming event could precipitate a recession. There
that the companion plan for $1.75 trillion in them. And here the debate has been derailed and adaptation insofar as
that much state degree of ‘fiscal drag’. could be another novel coronavirus. Inter-
is professor of economics at
social and climate-related spending is fully
financed by additional taxes and other “pay
by warrantless fears of fiscal disaster.
Republicans and so-called moderate
these expenditures pre-
vent destructive climate
expenditure can Everyone seems fixated on
inflation and the US Fed-
est rates could rise faster than expected. It
has happened before. It is entirely appro-
the University of California,
Berkeley and author of many
fors”, as moderate Democrats evidently
require.
Democrats insist that neither physical nor
social infrastructure should be deficit-fi-
events that cause eco-
nomic output to fall.
pay for itself by eral Reserve’s moves, but
perhaps they should be
priate for governments to borrow to finance
essential spending during an emergency.
books, including the At one level, this is precisely the debate the nanced. Having doled out trillions of dollars The debate about these raising overall asking how, with the gov- And once the emergency has passed, it is
forthcoming ‘In Defense of United States needs. It is a debate, funda- in pandemic relief, the US now has yawning programmes tends to be ernment vaporizing 9% of equally essential for governments to restore
Public Debt’. mentally, about what kind of society the US deficits and crushing debts. In the view of framed in terms of values. output capacity GDP, this lost spending and enhance their ability to borrow so that
should be and about the appropriate role of opponents, it cannot afford more. But it should also be a will be made up. they can deploy the same fiscal resources
government. Should government, to address What this argument misses is that here debate over rates of return But isn’t debt spiralling when the next crisis hits.
inequality, provide more support for child- the debate is about public investment, not and about which investments pay for them- out of control in the US? Having rocketed The challenge for the United States is to
care (bit.ly/3wymYD6) because it enables only transfer payments and public con- selves. European countries, including Ger- past 100% of GDP, public debt in the hands do so gradually, so that consolidation of
women to enter the labour force and fosters sumption. Productive public investments many, are currently having this discussion of the public is at unprecedented levels. Yet, public finances does not aggravate an
healthy childhood development, especially pay for themselves if they grow the denomi- (econ.st/3H7vpKJ). Why the US is not having debt service as a share of GDP has barely already existing problem of fiscal drag. And
among disadvantaged youth? Or should it nator of the debt to gross domestic product it is something of a mystery. Or maybe it’s budged since the turn of the century, that means not sacrificing productive pub-
avoid this, as some argue, because taking (GDP) ratio. This is most obviously the case less a mystery than yet another indication of because interest rates today are just a third lic investments that more than pay for
childcare out of the household weakens of physical infrastructure that makes it eas- the difficulty of having any rational, as high. On current law, the CBO sees pub- themselves. ©2021/PROJECT SYNDICATE
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
LIVEMINT.COM VIEWS THURSDAY, 11 NOVEMBER 2021
NEW DELHI 17
THEIR VIEW M I N T C U R AT O R
Problems like climate change are best tackled with models of self-adaptive systems that account for human ethics and follies
ISTOCKPHOTO
ANJANI TRIVEDI
is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering
industrial companies in Asia.
ARUN MAIRA
is chairman, HelpAge International and author
of ‘Transforming Systems: Why the World
Needs a New Ethical Toolkit’
W
hat a joke. The world’s biggest
car markets and automakers
won’t commit to a deal to elimi-
S
cientific advances since the European nate new vehicle emissions over the next Vehicular emissions are a problem that
Enlightenment in the 17th century and two decades. Volkswagen, BMW and must be tackled on priority HT
the technologies that have followed have Toyota Motor are unlikely to get on board
given humans the hubris that they can with an emissions pledge expected to be have plans to do this before 2035. In a
master the very nature that created unveiled at the CoP-26 climate summit in detailed evaluation of the commitments and
them. The poet Robert Frost prays: Glasgow because key governments are actions made by automakers that represent
“Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I’ll reluctant, the Financial Times reported. It 80% of the market, Greenpeace found they
forgive Thy great big one on me.” The big joke that includes a commitment to “work towards weren’t doing nearly enough. The activist
God played on humanity, Frost implies, is to make all sales of new cars and vans being zero group notes that as countries and regions
humans believe they can be like gods, invent tech- emission globally by 2040, and by no later adopted stringent regulations on emissions,
nologies, and use nature and other species as eco- than 2035 in leading markets”, according some car manufacturers—under pressure—
nomic resources for their ‘rational self-interest’. to a version marked “final”. As of Tuesday, “formulated plans to deal with stricter laws
The Nobel Prize for Physics in 2021 has been Germany, China and the US, which and rules. But none of these plans is pro-
awarded, according to the citation, to Syukuro together represented 59% of global vehicle gressive enough to match the ambition of
Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi sales in 2019, hadn’t signed up to it. the Paris Agreement.”
for “groundbreaking contributions to our under- This lack of commitment is absurd. The Meanwhile, a Washington Post investiga-
standing of complex systems”, and for “the physical transport sector is responsible for about a tion published this week found that several
modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variabil- quarter of the globe’s emissions. Passenger countries under-report their greenhouse
ity and reliably predicting global warming, and the vehicles are the largest chunk of this, releas- gas emissions to the UN. The gap, the news-
discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctua- ing about 45% of carbon dioxide. If no meas- paper found, ranges from at least 8.5 billion
tions in physical systems from atomic to planetary ures are taken—which may end up being to as high as 13.3 billion tonnes a year—
scales”. The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded the case—annual greenhouse gases in 2050 enough to have a meaningful impact on the
to Joshua Angrist and Guido Imbens for improving will be 90% higher than last year. The three planet’s temperature. So the problem is not
economists’ tools for understanding complex sys- countries avoiding these commitments even being measured correctly, and that
tems and to David Card for insights into wages and engineer, the weather and climate are dynamically us: such as the ‘cultures’ in which live. account for around 50% of the world’s CO2 means we’re in danger of chasing a moving,
labour markets using those tools. Thus, the awards adaptive (and potentially chaotic) systems. The third category of systems is ‘complex self- from burning fossil fuels. or even misguided, goal that may do little to
in both physics and economics are for contribu- A common feature of both, engineerable complex adaptive systems’, within which human agency is As the summit in Glasgow continues, the mitigate the damage already done.
tions to methods of modelling complex systems. systems and complex adaptive systems, is the a principal force. Humans have self-consciousness inability of the most important players to Policymakers are relying on big bold
Complex systems fall into three broad categories. exclusion of human intentionality as a primary and a capacity for deliberate action. With human look beyond their individual goals shows headlines, yet few are looking for focused
The first is ‘engineerable complex systems’ which force of change within them. Climate change has agency come complications of egos and ethics. why we’ve made so little progress on one of solutions to immediate problems. Those in
can be objectively understood. An engineer views a been caused by misguided human interventions. Humans want to have power over nature and over the biggest crises of our time. We hear about progress are not getting enough attention
system from outside it. He improves its design and Mankind’s “little jokes” are backfiring on the other humans too. Even when their actions are well- melting ice caps, floods and loss of lives con- or money. The days of overarching goals are
cleverly finds levers in the system to make it more survival of humans themselves. An accurate model intended, they are ill-informed because they do not stantly. At the same time, we read about bil- over: We need clear outcomes and targets
efficient in converting inputs into outputs. Systems of climate change must include human agency as a understand the system. This is the problem with lions of dollars of commitments and techno- that address specific problems, with a
models developed at Massachusetts Institute of force within the model. ‘scientific’ solutions for climate change based on logical innovations. Yet, we are not making defined way to finance them.
Technology and other engineering schools are A hundred years ago, path-breakers shook models of only the physical and biological world. significant progress. We must also work out what is getting in
suitable for mathematical computation because physics out of its Newtonian paradigm that had Macro-economists’ tend to model economies Even the most basic objectives are out of the way of EV adoption and manufacturing.
they do not include fuzzy, qualitative forces such ruled this academic discipline for two centuries. as machines, with inputs and outputs, and with reach right now. The CoP-26 meeting is Leaving it to the market is no longer an
as human emotions. In the Newtonian world-view, the universe is a nature and human labour as resources, and with about setting clear targets to make sure we option, and forcing regulatory deadlines is
The second category of systems is ‘complex machine composed of distinct parts. Einstein, levers to increase economic growth by pulling reach the commitments of the 2015 Paris a bit draconian at this point. Getting a better
adaptive systems’. Engineers can design systems on Planck, Heisenberg and Bohr took physics into the these (like the cost of finance). However, complex Agreement, the last meaningful climate handle on what automakers’ issues are—
clean sheets of paper. They can predict what the realms of relativity, uncertainty and unknowability. socio-economic-ecological systems are not summit. Chief among those is limiting rises whether it’s cost, technology, manufactur-
system they design will do because they can control Whereas these path-breakers had pointed out a machines whose all-round well-being can simply in global temperature to below 1.5° Celsius ing at scale or margins—would be a good
its starting conditions. Moreover, their models are need to understand the relationships among be improved with a universal goal for carbon and hitting carbon neutrality by 2050. In starting point. Should emissions become a
bounded; they are limited to the machine they are various parts, including human minds, a large reduction and by fixing a price of carbon, for September, United Nations Secretary-Gen- public infrastructure and urban planning
designing. On the other hand, processes of biologi- stream within physics continues to search for a example. Policies to solve systemic problems and eral Antonio Guterres warned that the issue where administrations encourage
cal and ecological evolution don’t begin with clean ‘final explanation’ of the universe within the com- achieve Sustainable Development Goals must be planet was on a “catastrophic pathway” to fewer vehicles, regular or electric? How do
sheets of paper. They are ‘path dependent’: what position of its tiniest particles (wondering whether guided by models of self-adaptive systems that 2.7° of heating, “breaking the promise made we nudge consumers to get on board? A few
was there before determines what follows. Farmers they are infinitesimal lumps, waves or strings). factor in the egos and ethics of human beings as six years ago.” million EVs may help but governments and
must understand the potential of their land and A search for an ultimate explanation of how well as the limitations of our minds. It’s staggering that key stakeholders companies should also address real fears
its surroundings to improve its productivity sustain- humans think, in the physics of the brain and the New insights in physics, as Nobel laureates noted won’t vow to do one of the most basic things. and anxieties. Public capital must guide pri-
ably. Moreover, natural systems are not bound flows of chemicals and pulses within it, has infected a 100 years ago, had already been expressed in Consider the new car emissions pledge: To vate money to priority areas.
tightly: what is around any subsystem affects what the science of the mind too. A century ago, para- ancient Vedic and Buddhist knowledge traditions. reach targets, road transportation needs to These are questions that few firms and
is in it. Plants and pests in neighbouring farms affect digm-changing winners of physics’ Nobel prizes Humans are only parts of complex ecological sys- be entirely decarbonized by 2050, accord- countries are addressing in their big picture
the conditions of a farm. The weather is an even had proven that the human mind can never fully tems; human perspectives are always subjective; ing to Greenpeace. fantasies. We must identify roadblocks to
more open system, with weather in close-by areas understand reality. Because it is a very small part of and it is never possible for humans to be detached Companies need to phase out internal real industry action and remove them
dynamically affecting the weather in our area. a vast system that shapes it. The ways we think are observers. The time has come for another modern combustion engine vehicles over the next before it’s too late. Or we’ll find ourselves at
Also, what the weather will become in a few hours formed by our histories—they are ‘path dependent’. enlightenment founded on ancient wisdom to save decade to get there. However, seven out 10 yet another summit, talking about yet more
depends on what the weather is right now. To an They are also shaped by what is happening around the world from a scientific apocalypse. of the biggest automobile groups don’t even ambitious goals. ©BLOOMBERG
THEIR VIEW
I
am now a member of the staff of this bank. issued against the ex-chairman (that is, eight too many businessmen think they have the What is the way out? The government has that a retired banker faced with allegations
Its interests are my interests. Psmith, the years after he retired), following a case filed right to borrow and not a big role to play, with a doesn’t have to run around in search of a
individual, ceases to exist, and there by the defaulter at a local court. The banker repay as they’re doing the new ‘bad bank’ being set up lawyer. If the person is in service, the bank
springs into being Psmith, the cog in the is arrested, and granted bail, but faces the nation a service. Never We must assure to take on the bad loans of would make the legal arrangements, but
wheel of the New Asiatic Bank; Psmith, the quadruple trauma of losses of reputation, lib- mind that when they do banks. Against the back- post-retirement cases need support too.
link in the bank’s chain; Psmith, the Worker. erty, health and money, as such cases can go well, their profits go to bankers a safety drop of the former banker’s Third, all such cases should be routed
I shall not spare myself.” on and on. This is a warning bell for bankers. shareholders and not the woes, will any bank will- through the ministry of finance, where a
This is a rather droll extract from PSmith They are not safe even after retirement. government. The typical
net against risks ingly sell its NPAs if deal special division should be created to ensure
is an independent economist
in the City by P.G. Wodehouse, who gave his
readers a flavour of what banks and bankers
This particular case highlights the risks
borne by a banker who is on the lending side
argument given is that the
economy has done badly
entailed by their values can be disputed in
court and bankers are at
order. Presently, the predominant view held
is that a government cannot intervene once
and author of ‘Hits & Misses:
The Indian Banking Story’
are like. The charm has definitely gone and
been replaced with trepidation. Behind the
or heading the organization. We have seen
several bankers in the dock following the
and so their business got
affected.
work if India’s personal risk? The govern-
ment needs to create a new
a case is sub-judice. Therefore, there must
be a pre-emptive mechanism in place to
doors of banks, the letters of the English high-profile default cases of Nirav Modi and It is clear that such cases banking reforms rule book to incentivize acquire prior knowledge of such a problem
Alphabet denote different words. While ‘A’ Vijay Mallya. Here, the supposed wrongdo- will be a reality, going bankers, or else they may before it arrives at the doorstep.
can be assets and ‘B’, banks, the letter ‘C’ ing was in disbursing credit. The focus was ahead, and there is a need are to succeed find procrastination the A safety net is required if banking reforms
leads to stumbles, as the acronyms of CBI, more on the bankers than the defaulters. But to protect bankers. best solution, especially are to succeed. There has been a lot of enthu-
CIC, CVC and CID come up. Yes, the new no one knows what happened to the bankers Banks are run on com- since heads of banks have siasm in setting up the new bad bank, which
world of banking in India remains humbled who faced a quadruple trauma. The present mercial lines. Today, this is also true of PSBs. fixed tenures and would rather not take may be a non-starter if the present case is not
and bankers continue to have a hard time. case is even more bizarre in this theatre of The idea of privatization hinges on these decisions that can haunt them years later. resolved soon. Also, progress on India’s
The recent case involving an ex-chairman the absurd because the defaulter has been banks turning profitable and thus into good First, just the way the government runs Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code could suf-
of a public sector bank (PSB) lays bare the heard on a case involving an asset sale by a purchases for prospective buyers. At the insurance programmes for health, life and fer further setbacks if bankers’ fears are not
trauma of being a banker. The bank lends bank to another company, but the person same time, PSBs have to carry out various farmers, we need a new ‘Prime Minister’s calmed. The current NPA case emboldens
money to a hotel in 2007. The loan turns into singled out is a retired banker who was not social-agenda programmes of governments Banker Bima’ scheme, under which banks defaulters, and, as aggrieved parties, banks
a non-performing asset (NPA) in 2010. In even on the scene when the sale took place. to ensure alignment with larger goals. They must pay premiums to insure their person- will likely get more defensive.
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
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8 EDITORIAL DELHI
The case of demonetisation in India
Five years on, the trajectory of the policy demonstrates that popular narratives can trump economic facts
demonetisation story in India is al er assets. However, the way the ceiving end of the state and its re
so based on popular myth, the narrative was framed made it hard presentatives, the impact of demo
Investigate the deal folklore of black money and its as
sociation with physical cash. The
for critics to explain their opposi
tion. To denounce it outright
netisation would be one more
blow in a series of blows with
idea of demonetising large denom would suggest that they have a which they had to perforce deal.
The role of middlemen in both the bid process ination currency as a tool to flush vested interest in defending black At least in this instance, there
and the Rafale sale agreement must be probed Kaushik Jayaram out undeclared hoards of cash was money and corruption. would seem to be a measure of jus
not new. It was done on two pre When it became clear that the tice if the rich really did suffer
M
ore than a year following the arrival of the first
batch of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France, the vious occasions, in 1946 and 1978, cancelled currency was being re more.
P
opular narratives play a with poor results. But, unlike the turned to the banks in larger num Despite the overwhelming evi
V. RAJU
controversy over L’affaire Rafale refuses to die
much bigger role in econom limited impact of the previous bers than expected, the narrative dence to the contrary, five years af
down, notwithstanding the high quality of the planes ic policymaking than econo events, the demonetisation in changed focus from black money ter the event, the Government
and their fit to the requirements of the Indian Air Force, mists and policymakers acknow 2016 caused widespread disrup panies it is easily recognised and and fake currency to digital/cash does not acknowledge any failure,
which has been desperate to augment its fighter squa ledge. If, indeed, these narratives tion in the economy, whose costs understood by the common peo less payments, the latter being ele or have even a smidgeon of doubt.
drons. Mediapart, a French portal, has now published a are grounded more in myth than are still to be properly reckoned. ple, who witness corruption in vated to some higher purpose Noticeably, however, there have
set of alleged fake invoices, and claimed that Dassault reality, the impact of such policy Five years later, most observers daily life and see it play out in the than what it actually is, a mere been no tall claims of success
Aviation paid middleman and defence contractor Sush can be devastating. The demoneti have concluded that this policy cinema, newspaper stories or in technological change. either.
sation of highvalue currency in In was a failure. Very little of its de daily conversation over the years.
en Gupta over €7 million in kickbacks between 2007
dia in 2016 is a classic case of poli clared objectives — of eliminating The very term, black money, is a Linked subthemes A selfinflicted shock
2012, when the Congressled UPA was in power, and has cy based on faulty narratives. black money, corruption, moving loaded phrase, where the specie it A key point in selling the story was Most of the studies, opinion polls,
claimed that the CBI had proof of this since October Paradoxically, the failure of the towards a “less cash and more dig self acquires a symbolic and a sub to introduce complementary sub media reports and anecdotal evi
2018. Earlier investigations, including by The Hindu, policy does not appear to dent the ital economy”, or increased tax stantive form. The wealth, repre themes to reinforce the main nar dence showed an overwhelming
had revealed procedural violations, raised questions narrative and, consequently, there compliance — were achieved. Ex senting illgotten gains, is rative and, at times, to obscure the support for the policy. Despite
over the high price of the fighters, the choice of offset is very little price to pay for its pectations of windfall gains of perceived to be accumulated inva facts on the ground. Virtue signall personal hardship, long queues,
partners, the removal of anticorruption clauses, waiv failure. some ₹2 trillion3 trillion failed to riably in stacks of currency notes ing was key: appeals to national and the loss of income and sav
materialise as more than 99.3% of and gold, hoarded in safes, boxes, ism and patriotism are always han ings, there was a degree of ambi
ing the requirement of a bank guarantee among other
Across time, the impact the cancelled notes returned to or ingeniously concealed dy, while modernity and change guity in criticising the decision.
issues related to the IndiaFrance InterGovernmental Narratives are often intertwined in the banks. If black money had ex cupboards. are implied as means to progress Most tended to distinguish the in
Agreement (IGA) signed in 2016. Mediapart’s articles the cultural belief systems of the isted as stockpiles of illegal cash, The idea of dramatic action and towards some form of technologi tention from the reality. That the
point to the dubious role of middlemen both in the pro society. Thus, the Great Depres clearly all of it was very efficiently the striking of a powerful blow cal utopia. policy was good but perhaps not
posal to buy 126 aircraft that was withdrawn, and later sion of the 1930s came to be asso laundered. If the objective was to against this wealth is deeply satis The call to sacrifice has deep re implemented well seemed to be
in the IGA for flyaway aircraft in 2016. In April 2021, Me ciated with the excesses of the register a permanent upward shift fying psychologically. It is the stuff sonance in India, as elsewhere. the main theme. This effectively
diapart had detailed that the French anticorruption “roaring twenties”, though many in the tax base, it failed miserably. of epics. The spectre of black mo The act (of demonetisation) was insulated the original sin — that the
agency had found that Dassault had accounted for pay economic factors were responsi Perhaps the most telling evidence ney has been invoked frequently an act of collective sacrifice. The very design of the policy ensured
ble. The Weimar hyperinflation of of the failure is that the cashincir in Indian politics, sometimes people in long queues were re its outcome.
ment of over a million Euros to a company run by Mr.
192124 is so deeply embedded in culation has now exceeded prede truthfully and more often cynical minded of the sacrifices of the sol The case of demonetisation de
Gupta for the manufacture of 50 models of the Rafale — the German consciousness, that monetisation levels. ly. The narrative of black money is diers guarding the nation’s bor monstrates that popular narra
the company does not specialise in making models — even now, nearly 100 years after almost always couched in deeply ders and not to think of their own tives can trump economic facts.
besides paying several million Euros in secret commis the event, German society trea Touching a chord moral terms. suffering. Indeed, there was satis It is clear that where narratives
sions to offshore accounts and shell companies. It had sures financial stability and dis And, postCOVID19, reliance on It does not matter, as repeatedly faction in being told that the rich succeed there is very little political
also alleged that he had supplied classified documents trusts public debt. Fiscal conserva cash is much higher, and with emphasised in several economic had it worse. In reality, the sacrif cost. A failed policy that carries no
related to the IGA to Dassault Aviation even as talks bet tism remains the dominant more higher denomination notes studies, there is nothing to distin ice called for was somewhat cost is likely to generate more such
narrative and has inhibited the in circulation. By every measure, guish black or white money, ex skewed in its impact, and the suf policies. Unlike most economic
ween Dassault and the Indian negotiating team were
post2008 recovery in Europe. demonetisation as economic poli cept in the way it comes into be fering of the poor was dispropor shocks, which could be traced to
deadlocked over the key issue of benchmark pricing. Though the recent novel coronavi cy was a gross failure. But, as a nar ing. Although income from tionately greater. endogenous or exogenous causes,
In its priceredacted audit report on the Rafale deal, rus pandemic crisis has led to Key rative, it was presented and re corruption or criminal activities is The real irony lies in the fact demonetisation was an entirely
the CAG report, tabled in Parliament in February 2019, nesian remedies on steroids in ma ceived in an altogether different by definition black money, most that the moral high ground selfinflicted shock, which was ve
while examining the earlier bid process between 2007 ny countries, there is already a light. Despite its manifest failure, black money is earned through claimed by the demonetisation ry likely carried out as much in a
12, had pointed out procedural violations in defence murmuring of fiscal imprudence the power of the narrative was perfectly legal activities though narrative worked better than con sincere belief in the narrative as in
procurement — Dassault’s technical bid was rejected fuelling inflation. such that it succeeded in creating a not declared to the tax authorities. testing narratives of observed real cynical political calculation.
Indeed, narratives in econom favourable or positive view of the More importantly, black money is ity. It worked because it under
and later it was allowed to incorporate Indiaspecific en
ics, as in other social sciences, policy. not really kept in cash except in stood the nature of the moral Kaushik Jayaram is a former central
hancements to meet bidcompliant qualitative require create myths which endure des The folklore of black money small quantities but mostly accum economy of the poor. For the banker who worked for many years in an
ments. The report also unequivocally stated that the de pite rational appeal to facts. The and the vivid imagery that accom ulated through real estate and oth poor, long used to being at the re international financial organisation
fence acquisition process needed reforms and
The red truth of China’s ‘Common Prosperity Discourse’
streamlining — points that are buttressed by the new re
velations that shed light on the role of defence middle
men in mucking up the procurement process to favour
a particular vendor. At the very least, investigative agen
cies such as the CBI and the ED must probe Mr. Gupta’s
Rather than making a radical break and realigning social relations, it seems intended to sustain the existing system
role in the bid process and the IGA. The Government transformation” of the country, in lighting the need to avoid welfa existence in unfamiliar cities and
cannot just wish away the questions that are repeatedly achieving prosperity for all people rism, which he views as a trap for workplaces, in the process, con
emerging about the Rafale deal and must open an inves in their material and spiritual (and nurturing lazy people, Mr. Xi’s po fronting mental challenges that ac
FILE PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
tigation into the procurement process. After all, de moral) lives. It seeks to tame the sitioning is in sync with the neolib company their physical disloca
excesses generated by the over eral logic that views redistribution tions from home. Further, his
fence preparedness and national security interests dic
four decadelong Reform and as anathema to economic growth. criticism of ‘involution’ and ‘lying
tate that operational readiness goes handinhand with Opening Up (gaige kaifang). Des Laying emphasis on the require flat’ — recent popular phenome
Anand P. Krishnan
procedural propriety in defence procurement. pite achieving industrial transfor ment of highquality workers for non, of rejecting the hypercom
mation and technological growth, highquality development, Mr. Xi’s petitive culture of overwork by
Death by hospital fire
F
rom a regulatory crackdown widening inequality (income, prioritisation of the development tech workers and urban youth —
on tech unicorns to clamp wealth, and regionbased) and un pilot experiments for five years be and upgradation of human capital reveals the discouragement of and
While catering to demand during COVID19, down on private tutoring, balanced, or inadequate develop fore national implementation). for productivity is indicative of the intolerance against the online re
from exhorting the rich to redistri ment are characterised as negative This drive desires to tighten the Partystate’s calculated relation sistance of whitecollar workers
hospitals must ensure operational fitness bute wealth to fintech companies byproducts that need fixing. Chi Partystate’s control over mono ship with labour that is rooted against the gruelling ‘996’ work
T
here is no greater betrayal than when what peo forming unions for their work na’s Gini coefficient as per availa polies, regulate the private sector, purely in the extraction of value. schedules (9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six
ple believe to be safe havens turn into killing force, a series of verbal assertions ble figures, have remained bet expand the size of the middle In fact, this is also an extension days a week).
fields. The large number of hospital fires being re and administrative measures have ween 0.46 and 0.49 for the last class, and check wealth accumula from his political report at the 19th
been upending people’s lives in two decades. Being abreast of hap tion. There is an emphasis on Congress of the CPC: ‘build an In a nutshell
ported in the last couple of years in the country, taking
China over the last few months. penings around the world, the Par equalising access to basic social educated, skilled, and innovative That the success of the Chinese
victims at their most vulnerable, could well be a case of The common thread binding these tystate is anxious about social dis services but going by past expe workforce, foster respect for mo economic development model is
criminal negligence and apathy. At least four infants are disparate actions together is the integration and political riences, its effectiveness remains del workers, promote quality built on labour repression is a
reported to have died in Monday’s fire in the special term, Common Prosperity (gong polarisation, which would end up uncertain. workmanship, and see that taking grim reality. The topdown author
newborn care unit of Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital tong fuyu). destabilising its authoritarian rule pride in labo[u]r becomes a social itarian system offers concessions
in Bhopal. Early November, 11 patients died in a fire that and question its legitimacy. Redistribution and labour norm and seeking excellence is va from time to time to mitigate un
broke out at the COVID19 ward in Ahmednagar, Maha From start to present Parsing through the speech, it is lued as a good work ethic’. Putting rest but severely cracks down on
Common Prosperity is not an en Roots in CPC congress notable that the commitment to the onus on the workers for self any bottomup workers’ selforga
rashtra. In March this year, 10 people were killed in a
tirely new term, having figured in The building blocks for this cam Stateled capitalism is intact, and improvement, these formulations nising (even the recent guidelines
fire that broke out in Sunrise Hospital, Mumbai. These all political reports at different paign lie in Mr. Xi’s political report the pursuit of larger economic are reminiscent of the vocabulary allowing unions among gig work
are only the latest in a series of hospital fires that have, congresses of the Communist Par at the 19th Congress of the CPC in goals also remains steadfast. There used in the corporate human re ers, it is the tech companies who
as per some estimates, led to the deaths of over 120 pe ty of China (CPC) since 1992. Ho 2017, where he identified the is little to no criticism of the phe sources management ecosystem. are forming them rather than
ople, most of them COVID19 patients. Several minor wever, it has acquired momentum change in the principal contradic nomenon of conspicuous con In imparting such a vision, the Par through any initiatives of work
and major fires have been started in hospitals, the form under China’s President Xi Jinping tion in Chinese society from ear sumption. Mr. Xi continues to en tystate elides its responsibility for ers). Mr. Xi has identified Common
er causing damage to property and anxiety for patients, as a special campaign. He unveiled lier years — between unbalanced courage people getting rich albeit workerscentric reforms at a Prosperity to be a long, arduous,
its action plan in his speech at the and inadequate development and in a more controlled manner as systemiclevel. and complex process. However,
and their loved ones, while the latter proved to be dead
10th meeting of China’s Central the people’s evergrowing needs dictated by the Partystate. from the perspective of redistribu
ly for patients but also for some hospital staff. In most of Committee for Financial and Eco for a better life. In fact, several as Though he wishes to divide the On the margins still tion and labour — as evidenced by
these cases, hospital staff also had to see to the imme nomic Affairs in August this year; pects mentioned in the speech on cake well, he is silent on simulta Once again, the longpending re the increasing precariousness of
diate shifting of patients to other safer units. its text was published in the CPC’s Common Prosperity also figure in neously increasing its size. He form of the household registration workers and their continued polit
The link that has been made out between rising hos theoretical journal, Qiushi, in Oc that political report — rather, Mr. specifies that the action plan system (hukou) — to integrate rural ical disfranchisement — this (Red)
pital fires and the burden of COVID19 cases is not artif tober. Like with Mr. Xi’s various Xi has chosen to give some extra should not be equated with egali migrant bluecollar workers into “New Deal” looks more rhetorical
icial. Hospital administrators and forensic analyses signature political concepts, the push to a few of them to hasten re tarianism, and that excessive gua cities and giving them access to ur than being substantive. Rather
have laid the cause for the historically high number of theoretical design for this ‘New sults (such as a proposed law on rantees be not provided even if ban services — may very well conti than making any radical break and
Deal’ — as has been characterised property tax to regulate the highly China reaches a higher level of de nue to remain unfulfilled given the realigning social relations, it ap
cases that hospitals have had to deal with. With the
in some quarters — is believed to speculative real estate sector; the velopment and acquires stronger strong pushback from city offi pears to be intended to strengthen
number of cases rising in the first and second waves of have been provided by Wang Hun first step in that direction is the financial resources in the future. cials. Despite being the backbone and sustain the existing system.
the pandemic, demand far exceeded capacity. Hospi ing, member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Nation In doing so, he has signalled that of China’s economic metamorpho
tals tried to expand their facilities to accommodate as Standing Committee of the CPC. al People’s Congress of the Peo the government would continue sis, the rural migrant labour (nong Anand P. Krishnan is Visiting Associate
many patients as possible, while there was scarcely any The topdown campaign is ple’s Republic of China authoris its nonintervention in substantive mingong) will continue to nego Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies,
time for infrastructure expansion. While beds and mat aimed at engineering a “profound ing the State Council to initiate welfare redistribution. In high tiate their second class, lonely New Delhi
tresses could be marshalled at short notice, and oxygen
cylinders, sometimes, with herculean effort, hospitals LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
could not add extra power lines, or distribute the load
with additional transformers or power units. Ventila Rafale ghost is back ■ There is clearly a lack of businessmen alleged to have conforms to the real story of democratic organisations
To read more letters
online, scan the QR code
tors were also pushed into use 24 by 7, certainly not the With the new revelations transparency in defence been a part of the chain of a socially committed lawyer, and progressiveminded
norm before COVID19, and with high power require made by the French deals, and in India, various kickbacks. a stellar judge and an upright political parties had made an over the management of
ment for this, it naturally pressed existing infrastruc investigative portal, investigative agencies are Janga Bahadur Sunuwar, police officer who combined indelible impression flooding in Tamil Nadu and
ture into overdrive. Single air conditioner units were al Mediapart, of kickbacks in puppets in the hands of Bagrakote, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal to take the case to its logical enabling the lawyer to Chennai city and the
so operating full time. These resulted in electrical short the Rafale deal, one only governments. While the conclusion. Conforming to conduct the case with deep “measures that the AIADMK
wishes that the Supreme Congress ought to have Jai Bhim’s message this story, the director and social commitment. It is such and the DMK have
circuits, and possibly aided by the presence of flamma
Court of India which had cancelled the deal in full, the The movie, Jai Bhim, has the actors have all played grassrootslevel organisations undertaken”. Going by
ble substances — alcoholbased sanitisers, high oxygen earlier given a clean chit to BJP has not cleared doubts rightly attracted a lot of remarkable roles close to that have to be fostered and reports and visuals, it
and PPE kits — sparks grew into fullscale fires. It is es the deal reopens the case raised by the Opposition appreciation. A movie is one reality. The movie presents strengthened. Therein lies appears that the ruling party
sential for hospitals that pulled more than their share of and orders a thorough about the cost structure of which moves people and Jai the positive role played by the success of a society. in Tamil Nadu is trying to
the weight during COVID19 to not only do fire safety au investigation. This is very the deal which only Bhim falls within that the lawyer, judge and the N.G.R. Prasad, alleviate the suffering of the
dits but also electrical audits, to ensure operational fit much required in view of escalated. The Government exception. It is not a police officer but the ground Chennai downtrodden. The Chief
ness, and specifically to ensure there are no fires. States the huge amount of tax has also not made it clear commercial venture. Second, reality is oftentimes Minister has been seen
may mandate it, or incentivise such a procedure in or payers’ money involved how the choice of certain it carries a strong message different. Unless people draw On the ground almost everywhere.
and, more importantly, private entities was made in about the conditions of the inspiration from the movie in Finding fault frequently, However, for the long term,
der to draw it up the priority list of smaller and medi national security and the connection with the various deprived sections of society that spirit, it would just without rhyme or reason, there needs to be a
umsized hospitals. Hospitals, after all, must remain interests of the defence offset deals. It remains to be and the atrocities remain entertainment which and hurling barbs are a part worldclass storm water
healing zones, and to ensure that fire accidents are forces. seen what action can be perpetrated on them by it ought not to be. and parcel of politics, drainage system in place.
avoided, must be a nonnegotiable requirement. Tharcius S. Fernando, taken against the French those in power. But beyond all this, one especially in Tamil Nadu. Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai company and high profile More than anything else, it should not fail to see that The newest round now is Chennai
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Does India have a right to burn fossil fuels? A slogan no longer sectarian
Chalking out a greener path to development will help India rather than arguing for more coal production ‘Jai Bhim’ is inspiring various marginalised communities
and not just Dalits to bring about transformative change
more ways than one. Such an injus
tice is not at the level of the nation munities and often tried to build social and
states alone; there is such injustice class alliances to contest the incidents of so
between the rich and the poor within cial injustices. Suriya’s character represents
nations and between humans and this social comradeship between Left acti
nonhuman species. A progressive vists and the Ambedkarite political agenda.
Rohit Azad & Shouvik position on justice would take these On Chandru’s wall, we see a mural of Karl
Chakraborty injustices into account instead of nar Harish S. Wankhede Marx. In other scenes, various symbols of
rowly focusing on the framework of the communists (such as red shawls and
nationstates. Moreover, it’s a double flags, a small statue of Lenin) are shown to
There has been quite a lot of debate whammy of injustice for the global Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is often seen only suggest the hero’s close affiliation with Mar
on India’s dependence on coal South when it comes to climate as a Dalit icon. And ‘Jai Bhim’, a slogan xism. However, the film does not address the
against the backdrop of the Confe change. Not only is it not primarily coined by Babu Hardas, a firebrand Ambed issue of class and social injustice through po
rence of the Parties (COP26) meet responsible, but the global South, es karite working class leader from Nagpur, is pulist Left rhetoric such as workers’ strikes
ing. While the coal lobbyists may pecially its poor, will unduly bear the usually considered as a sectarian greeting. and mass mobilisation. It resists antiesta
have obvious interests in continuing effect of climate change because of However, this salutation, which displays the blishment preaching. While the film critical
that dependence, it comes as a sur its tropical climate and high popula reverence that the deprived sections have for ly demonstrates that state institutions such
prise when the progressive circles al tion density along the coastal lines. Ambedkar’s contribution to their emancipa as the police and the judiciary have failed to
so provide theories to justify this. So, arguing for more coal is like tion, is emerging as a political slogan. It con safeguard the rights of the Irulars, it avoids
Despite the Environment Minister shooting oneself in the foot. It is true nects and inspires diverse marginalised com populist mainstream solutions to tell the re
adopting a similar position on the that mitigation from the South alone munities towards social and political action. maining story. In the end, we see the court
eve of the COP26, the Government of will not make the difference required reprimanding and punishing the conserva
India has, for the first time, made a to stop this catastrophe but burning Towards Ambedkar’s vision tive social elites and the police for assaulting
commitment to achieve the net zero more coal will not necessarily solve Actor Suriya’s film, Jai Bhim, reasserts the and exploiting a vulnerable tribal people.
target by 2070. It remains to be seen the problem either. validity of this slogan and extends its applica Chandru does not have a ‘saviour com
whether the government will indeed But none of this answers how the tion to other subaltern groups. Based on a plex’. Instead, he emerges as an Ambedka
walk the talk since the experience on wrongs of the past will be righted, reallife incident, the film demonstrates the rite hero who struggles to protect the life and
this count (or other issues) does not the basic premise we started with. everyday crises in the lives of the poor and il dignity of the tribal people by adopting de
necessarily inspire that confidence. A couple fills sacks with coal at the edge of the Jharia coalfield in Dhanbad, We have argued in this very new literate Irulars of Tamil Nadu. We see that the mocratic and legal apparatuses. Further, the
The crux of the theoretical argu Jharkhand. AP *
spaper that one of the ways in which police illegally arrest Rajakannu (K. Mani film presents the victim Senggeni not as a po
ment is that India needs to develop, this can be done is by making the glo kandan) and his relatives on a false com werless and wretched spectator but as a dig
and development requires energy. er forms of energy available, why and choice of techniques to address bal North pay for the energy transi plaint of theft. His pregnant wife Senggeni nified claimant of equal rights and justice. It
However, since India has neither his persist on the usage of coal? Normal the issue of surplus labour. India tion in the South. Chalking out an in (Lijomol Jose) watches helplessly as the pol equally focuses on her brave struggle against
torically emitted nor currently emits ly the argument in favour of coal is didn’t quite resolve the two issues in dependent, greener path to ice torture him. She finds a Left activistla the powerful establishment and promotes
carbon anywhere close to what the on account of its cost, reliability and its attempts of importsubstituting in development may create conditions wyer Chandru (Suriya) who fights and wins her as a parallel protagonist of the story.
global North has, or does, in per cap domestic availability. Recent data dustrialisation which worsened dur for such negotiations and give the her case in the Madras High Court (the cha
ita terms, it has no reason to commit show that the levelised cost of elec ing the postreform period. But it can South the moral high ground to force racter is inspired by Justice Chandru who Beyond ghettos
to declining dependence on coal, at tricity from renewable energy sourc address both today. The abundance the North to come to the table, like fought the case). Her victory restores the Though Ambedkar’s name is cursorily men
least in the near future. If anything, es like solar (photovoltaic), hydro of renewable natural resources in the South Africa did at Glasgow. The cur faith of vulnerable communities in the law. tioned in the narrative, it is Chandru’s com
the argument goes, it should ask for a and onshore wind has been declin tropical climate can give India a head rent lack of action against climate Ambedkar had envisaged that indepen mitment and Sangenni’s zeal to achieve jus
higher and fairer share in the global ing sharply over the last decade and start in this competitive world of change both in the North and South dent India would safeguard the fundamental tice that brings them close to Ambedkar’s
carbon budget. There is no doubt is already less than fossil fuelbased technology. SouthSouth collabora has been maintained by dividing the rights of the marginalised people. He cau vision of social justice. Thus, the title of the
that this carbon budget framework is electricity generation. On reliability, tions can help India avoid the usual working classes of these two regions tioned that democracy would collapse if in film assumes meaning. It inspires diverse
an excellent tool to understand glo frontier renewable energy technolo patterns of trade between the North — the North justifying operating coal stitutions failed to do so. Ambedkar dis marginalised groups to also stake claims in
bal injustice but to move from there gies have managed to address the and the South, where the former mines since the South continues to agreed with the Marxists for undermining modern institutional mechanisms that have
to our ‘right to burn’ is a big leap. It is question of variability of such sourc controls technology and the latter emit more and the South negotiating liberal democratic principles and criticised been governed so far by caste elites.
like arguing that since India was colo es to a large extent and, with techno merely provides inputs. And the for a higher share in carbon budget the Socialists for neglecting the political With the expansive rise of the rightwing
nised, it has a right to do the same logical progress, it seems to be highemployment trajectory that the based on the past emissions of the claims of the ‘lower’ castes and the socalled today, the fairness and legitimacy of state in
and stopping the country from doing changing for the better. As for the ea green path entails visàvis the fossil North. This is a deadlock. The need ‘untouchables’. He assumed that India’s stitutions are being compromised. The judi
that is injustice. sy domestic availability of coal, it is a fuel sector may help address the is of the hour is a global progressive modern institutions would be accommodat ciary and the police are often obliged to fol
For development, do the coun myth. According to the Ministry of sue of surplus labour, even if partial agenda that does not pit the working ing of the deprived sections and protect their low the dictates of their political masters and
tries in the global South necessarily Coal, India’s net coal import went up ly. Such a path could additionally class of the North against the South social and political interests. serve the interests of the social elites. Also,
need to increase their share in the from ₹782.6 billion in 201112 to provide decentralised access to clean but the working people of the world Till the recent past, the Left leadership LeftSocialist organisations, except in select
global carbon budget? Thankfully ₹1,155.0 billion in 202021. India is energy to the poor and the marginal as a whole resisting the global ruling kept a subtle distance from Ambedkar’s pol regions, have failed to inspire the poor, vul
the answer is ‘no’ and it does not among the largest importers of coal ised, including in remote regions of elite in its aggressive and dangerous itical ideas. They viewed the sociocultural nerable and depressed classes in achieving
come at the cost of development, in the world, whereas it has no India. So, it simultaneously address model of competitive emissions. symbols of the Dalits as disturbing working political and economic transformation. In
even in the limited sense as develop dearth of solar energy. es the issues of employment, tech Even if one is pessimistic about this class unity. However, it is within the space of such a context, the slogan ‘Jai Bhim’ is mov
ment is defined generally. Two, why should the global South nology, energy poverty and path of righting the wrongs of the local Left activism, especially in Tamil Nadu, ing beyond caste/regional ghettos and mobi
be aping the North in the develop selfreliance. past, at the very least, it is better than Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, that en lising marginalised communities, the youth
The question of development ment model it wants to follow? Dur the status quo. gagement with the Dalit question began. The and intellectuals to bring about transforma
One, there is no doubt that economic ing the debates of postcolonial deve Types of injustice Left in these States acknowledged the contri tive change in social and class relationships.
development requires energy but lopment in the Third World, there Three, the framework of addressing Rohit Azad teaches economics at JNU, New bution of anticaste leaders like Jyotiba
Delhi, and Shouvik Chakraborty is a research
that does not translate into energy by were two significant issues under dis global injustice in terms of a carbon fellow at the Political Economy Research Phule, Periyar and Ambedkar in building so Harish S. Wankhede is an assistant professor at the
burning coal. If there are other clean cussion — control over technology budget is quite limiting in its scope in Institute, Amherst, U.S. cial consciousness among the deprived com Centre for Political Studies, JNU, New Delhi
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STATE OF PLAY DATA POINT
thehindu.com
facebook.com/thehindu
twitter.com/the_hindu
instagram.com/the_hindu
767
total appearances by
2.4 35 250
in degree Celsius, the rise in % is India's gross fiscal million is the number of
1.89
is the number of times
global temperature by the deficit in the first half of by which Paytm’s IPO reported COVID19 former club talisman and
end of this century, even if FY22 as a % of its annual was oversubscribed at infections globally as of ace midfielder Xavi, who
new national pledges to Budget estimate. The Union the close of the final November 9. Cases are has now been named as
tackle climate change are Government consolidated its day of the sale. The still rising in 55 out of the coach of the FC
followed, according to the Climate fiscal position in the first half of FY22 company, which had already raised $1.1 240 countries, with Russia, Ukraine Barcelona team at a difficult moment.
Action Tracker report on Tuesday. “Even by limiting the gross fiscal deficit at billion from anchor investors, received and Greece at or near record levels of This is second only to Lionel Messi's 778
with all new Glasgow pledges for 2030, ₹5.3 trillion. In absolute terms, the $2.64 billion worth of bids for the reported cases since the pandemic appearances for the club. Barcelona
we will emit roughly twice as much in deficit was the lowest in the last four remaining shares on offer. Institutional started. The daily average number of stands a lowly ninth in the Spanish La
2030 as required for 1.5 degree Celsius,” years. It was possible primarily on investors bid for 2.79 times the shares cases has fallen by 36% over the past Liga and is precariously placed in the
the report said, referring to the account of the buoyancy in tax reserved for them, while retail three months, but the virus is still UEFA Champions League. Xavi was hired
aspirational goal for warming since collections. But it also came at the cost investors bid for 1.66 times. infecting 50 million people worldwide as coach after a stint with Qatar's Al
preindustrial levels set down in the 2015 of lower transfers to the State Lossmaking Paytm, formally called every 90 days due to the Delta variant. Sadd football club, where his team was
Paris Agreement. Greenpeace called on Governments and a slow pace of One97 Communications, offers a range By contrast, it took nearly a year to quite successful. Xavi as a player had
countries to agree to update their 2030 expenditure by the Union Government of services such as banking, shopping, record the first 50 million COVID19 won 32 trophies, second only to Andres
targets. REUTERS itself. CMIE movie and travel ticketing and gaming. cases. REUTERS Iniesta among Spaniards.
REUTERS
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EXPLAINER
THE GIST
B When there is adverse
The story so far: PostDeepavali, Delhi —
and many of the cities in the adjoining
National Capital Region — have been
enveloped in a familiar pall of particulate
matter pollution. The Air Quality Index (AQI)
weather, the effect of key in several cities has breached the 450mark
sources of particulate on a scale of 500. Anything above 400 is
matter pollutants that are categorised as ‘severe’.
everpresent through the
year become amplified. How bad is the situation?
Air quality for over a week has been
B The smoke from crackers calamitous in most of north India. With the
as well as the metals they retreat of the southwest monsoon, moisture
contain have been identified levels have reduced and the cold dry air that
as key contaminants.
results from the overall drop in temperature
Stubble burning on
Deepavali also contributes
with the advent of winter starts to settle
to more than 40% of the down. There is also a significant drop in
overall increase in pollution. windspeeds during this time. When
windspeeds are over 1015 kmph and
B The need for a jointfront
temperatures are warm, fine particulate
has led to the formation of matter rises and is goes into the higher
a Commission for Air Quality recesses of the atmosphere. But once the
Management monsoon retreats, and windspeed reduces,
pollutants take much longer to disperse. The
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Farmers in Punjab and Haryana have
been incentivised to abstain from
burning stubble and there are
stringent fines to rein in errant ones.
entire IndoGangetic plain, covering large
parts of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and eastern
Uttar Pradesh, constitutes an air shed,
meaning that roughly the same atmospheric
conditions prevail. Therefore, when there is 38% in barium levels in 2020 compared to Pradesh on a single day — during Deepavali that no State can control pollution in Clearing the smog: Public Works
adverse weather, the effect of key sources of previous years’ levels. However, there has week. Meteorological forecasts, before isolation. But it has been difficult to get all Department workers sprinkling
particulate matter pollution — road dust, been no significant improvement in Deepavali, had said that in spite of a rise in States on board. Farmers in Punjab and water from the tankers to curb
vehicle exhaust from transportation, from particulate matter pollution as many cities stubble burning these fires were unlikely to Haryana have been incentivised to abstain the air pollution in New Delhi
the burning of wood for heat and cooking such as Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata and Bhopal contribute more than 5% of the pollution from burning stubble and there are stringent last week. R.V. MOORTHY
*
EXPLAINER
THE GIST
K. Venkataramanan
The designated bank will inform particular branch of a bank with the
The story so far: The Supreme Court authorities about any foreign remittance objective of preserving national interest.
has reserved its judgment on petitions with details about its source and the It is also inconvenient as the NGOS might
challenging the validity of amendments manner in which it was received. be operating elsewhere. They have also
introduced in 2020 to the Foreign In addition, the Government is also cited the recent Supreme Court judgment B The FCRA sought to
Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, authorised to take the Aadhaar numbers on the alleged use of Pegasus spyware to consolidate the acceptance
aimed at tightening the curbs on NGOs of all the key functionaries of any argue that ‘national security’ cannot be and utilisation of foreign
allowed to receive foreign funds. While organisation that applies for FCRA cited as a reason without adequate contribution and to prohibit
such contributions from
NGOs that have termed the amendments registration or for prior approval for justification.
being used for activities
as harsh and arbitrary, the Government receiving foreign funds. Another change detrimental to national
has argued that its intended to streamline is that the portion of the receipts allowed What does the Government say? interest.
the flow of funds and to enhance as administrative expenditure has been The Government has contended that the
transparency and accountability. reduced from 50% to 20%. amendments were necessary to prevent
B NGOs questioning the law
foreign state and nonstate actors from
consider the prohibition on
What is the background to the 2020 to introduce some new restrictions. that NGOs find too restrictive. An What is the criticism against these interfering with the country’s polity and transfer arbitrary and too
amendments? The Government says it did so because it amendment to Section 7 of the Act changes? internal matters. The changes are also heavy a restriction.
Foreign donations received by individuals found that many recipients were wanting completely prohibits the transfer of NGOs questioning the law consider the needed to prevent malpractices by NGOs
and organisations in India have been in compliance with provisions relating to foreign funds received by an organisation prohibition on transfer arbitrary and too and diversion of foreign funds.
B The Government has
regulated by law since 1976. The Act was filing of annual returns and maintenance to any other individual or association. heavy a restriction. One of its Preventing possible diversion of funds is maintained that the changes
since repealed and reenacted with fresh of accounts. Many did not utilise the Another amendment mandates that consequences is that recipients cannot also the reason cited for reducing the are needed to prevent
measures and restrictions as the Foreign funds received for the intended every person (or association) granted a fund other organisations. When foreign administrative expense component, as malpractices by NGOs and
Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. The objectives. It claimed that the annual certificate or prior permission to receive help is received as material, it becomes some organisations tended to inflate the diversion of foreign funds.
law sought to consolidate the acceptance inflow as foreign contributions almost overseas funds must open an FCRA bank impossible to share the aid if the actual expenditure incurred.
and utilisation of foreign contribution or doubled between 2010 and 2019. The account in a designated branch of the recipient NGO does not have the means The provision of having one
foreign hospitality by individuals, FCRA registration of 19,000 organisations State Bank of India in New Delhi. All to distribute on its own. Even the court designated bank for receiving foreign
associations or companies, and to was cancelled and, in some cases, foreign funds should be received only in wanted to know whether this means that funds is aimed at making it easier to
prohibit such contributions from being prosecution was also initiated. this account and none other. However, one organisation funding other monitor the flow of funds. The
used for activities detrimental to national the recipients are allowed to open organisations for designated activities is Government clarified that there was no
interest. How has the law changed? another FCRA bank account in any completely prohibited. need for anyone to come to Delhi to open
The FCRA was amended in September There are at least three major changes scheduled bank to which they could Lawyers have argued that there is no the account as it can be done remotely.
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thursday, november 11, 2021
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| II
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
A literal
melting pot
A discussion on five books
that explain climate change
and the road forward
Sudipta Datta
Amid a raging pandemic, a
biologist Edward O. Wilson proposed that
“only by committing half of the planet’s sur
face to nature can we hope to save the im
mensity of lifeforms that compose it”. Unless
humanity learns a great deal more about glo
bal biodiversity and moves quickly to protect
changing fiscal framework
it, we will soon lose most of the species com
posing life on Earth, he writes. “The Half
Earth proposal offers a first, emergency solu
tion commensurate with the magnitude of
the problem: I am convinced that only by set
ting aside half the planet in reserve, or more,
can we save the living part of the environ
The Government’s announced fiscal policy stance and the fiscal regime it is running seem contradictory ment and achieve the stabilization required
for our own survival.” The Pulitzer Prizewin
produce a variety of essential services. With Economic Survey, propose a different viewpoint ning Wilson said setting a goal of protecting
THE GIST
Dipankar Dasgupta
annual output shrinking by an estimated 7.7%, it is altogether. Debt financed fiscal spending, half the earth is necessary because “people
Recently, the Government cut excise duty on straightforward to conclude that unemployment according to them, could well be a driver of understand and prefer goals”.
petrol and diesel by ₹5 and ₹10, respectively, to has risen significantly. And the accompanying growth. It can improve the standard of living of In her 2021 book, Under the White Sky
ease inflation and give consumption a boost. In price rise will be the unemployed persons’ worst the entire population, without necessarily (PRH), Elizabeth Kolbert is critical of techno
B The Economic Survey this piece dated February 24, 2021, Dipankar nightmare. The result will be severe inequality. removing inequality. logical interventions to bring nature back.
proposed that debt financed Dasgupta argues how high tax burdens showed a A Government’s fiscal expenditure, Professor She blames the human species of the Anthro
fiscal spending could be a contradiction between the Government’s fiscal Changed philosophy Blanchard points out, has stronger multiplier pocene epoch of having an unprecedented
driver of growth without policy stance (favouring expenditure to boost As far as shrinkage in output is concerned, it is the effects during recessions than during booms. In power over the planet and yet doing everyth
necessarily removing growth) and its actual regime (high indirect unavoidable lockdown that needs to be blamed an economic boom, state expenditure may crowd ing to take ecosystems to the brink of col
inequality. lapse. The book, written at a time when the
taxes). Edited excerpts: rather than the Government’s mismanagement of out private expenditure on account of a rise in the
There used to be a time — and this was well the economy. The associated inequalities though interest rate. During recessions, private average global temperature is over a degree
B Noted Economist Olivier before India began to globalise — when each expenditure is low in any case, on account of a Celsius above preindustrial temperature, is a
Blanchard states that the Union Budget announced sales tax increases on CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC rise in precautionary savings and the grim state of result of field trips Kolbert took to places
debttoGDP ratio can be where the situation is calamitous. The only
tobacco products, especially cigarettes. The According to the Economic Survey, India’s longterm expectations. The Government’s fiscal
prevented from exploding if
demand for cigarettes being somewhat inelastic, expenditure produces positive growth and this in option in these places is a technological inter
the rate of growth of GDP average interest rate and growth rate over
happens to be higher than the rise in tax was expected to be a shot in the turn can generate a feel good factor for the private vention, which Kolbert is uneasy about. The
the last 25 years (leaving out FY 2020-21) question she asks after each trip is whether,
the sovereign rate of arm for the revenuestarved Government of our sector over time. What will prevent the
interest. poor country. have been 8.8% and 12.8% respectively Government from sinking into a debt trap? after doing so much damage, we can change
India is less poor now, having risen to the rank Professor Blanchard shows that the debttoGDP nature to save it.
B Excise duty increases go
of an emerging market economy. Yet, COVID19 cannot be delinked from policy and, as political ratio can be prevented from exploding if the rate Amitav Ghosh has tackled the climate
against the very principle of has ushered in a cataclysm. As opposed to a opponents will argue, COVID19linked income of growth of GDP happens to be higher than the question in two books, the justreleased The
Blanchard’s argument which Budget estimate of 3.5% for fiscal deficit, the inequities ought to have been addressed through sovereign rate of interest. Nutmeg’s Curse (Penguin) where he links glo
emphasises maintainable revised estimates show a 2.7 times larger deficit of higher taxation of the rich. Even though such According to the Economic Survey, India’s bal warming to colonial policies, and The
debt and expenditure as the 9.5% for FY 202021. Moreover, a comparison of criticism does not lack wisdom, it appears that the average interest rate and growth rate over the last Great Derangement (Chicago University
vehicle of development. the Government’s revised Budget estimates with philosophy underlying the Government’s 25 years (leaving out FY 202021) have been 8.8% Press, 2016), where he examines our inability
the original Budget estimates reveals a fall in economic policy framework has changed. and 12.8% respectively. Hence, Professor to grasp the scale of the problem at the level
receipts from every source of taxation except In this context, it is well worth our while to Blanchard’s condition is satisfied, so that debt of literature, history and politics. “My ances
excise. The revised Budget shows a rise of pursue Volume 1 of the Economic Survey 202021. financing of recession ought not to raise FRBM tors,” he writes, “were ecological refugees
₹94,000 crore on account of excise duties alone. Chapter 2 of the document considers the basics of issues involving fear of future taxation to address long before the term was invented.” Ghosh
Presumably, the increase comes from the fiscal policy with reference to Olivier Blanchard’s past debts. The philosophy of the Economic narrates a story he heard from his father: one
muchdebated excise duty increases on petroleum 2019 presidential address to the American Survey appears to be that expenditure causes day in the mid1850s, the great Padma river
and diesel. As far as the Budget documents go, the Economic Association. Professor Blanchard’s view growth, rather than distributional equality. [now in Bangladesh] suddenly changed
excise duty rise will hardly compensate for the may appear to run counter to our own Fiscal This, of course, is not to support excise duty course drowning the village and forcing the
huge falls in other tax revenues. It is not Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) increases, for it goes against the very principle of inhabitants to move west. He says he later
surprising, therefore, that despite the excise rise, Act, according to which the fiscal deficit must be the Blanchard argument, which emphasises realised that an energy surrounds us, an all
the fiscal deficit continues to be higher than the capped under 3.5% or so. The idea underlying the maintainable debt and expenditure as the vehicle encompassing presence that may have its
Budget estimate. prescription was that a fiscal deficit automatically of development as opposed to increased tax own purposes about which we know nothing.
Given the nature of the products on which the transformed to Government debt. Such debts burdens. Therefore, there appears to be a As he researched for a book on the Sundar
excise duty has gone up, prices of commodities along with their servicing liabilities have a contradiction between the Government’s bans, he jotted down in his notebook: “I do
will rise in general, directly or indirectly. This is tendency to magnify over the years, thereby announced fiscal policy stance and the fiscal believe it to be true that the land here is de
because all these commodities fall either in the imprisoning Governments in debt traps. This regime it is actually running. But then, Professor monstrably alive…” Portents of change could
category of final goods, which individuals leaves little room for growth enhancing Blanchard’s argument requires the growth rate to be seen in receding shorelines and a steady
purchase for personal consumption, or in the expenditure. exceed the rate of interest, which was not the case intrusion of sea water into lands that used to
category of intermediate goods, which are used to Professor Blanchard, and following him the in FY 202021. be cultivated.” If you travel around the islands
of Sundarbans, the villagers always point to
wards a receding river or at a village which
was either nearer or further away.
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In The Nutmeg’s Curse, Ghosh uses a com
mon spice – nutmeg, believed to cure plague –
THE DAILY QUIZ to link violent colonial ambitions which
Today's quiz is based on newspapers and newspaper editors. erased languages and a way of life to ecologi
cal devastation.
“It is worse, much worse, than you think,”
warns DavidWallace Wells in his 2019 book,
1 A former editor of The Hindu, this person was
also the general secretary of Swaraj Party for a
short while in the 1920s and was part of the
4 India's oldest running periodical first started
as a weekly in 1822, ran as a biweekly paper
from 1832 to 1855 and has been a daily since. It is
F Name this newspaper that
was started by Mahatma
Gandhi in South Africa in 1903
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life after Warming
(PRH). “We are currently adding carbon to
delegation in the Second Round Table Conference published in Gujarati and was set up by a and was later edited by his son the atmosphere at a considerably faster rate,
along with Mahatma Gandhi in talks with the ParsiZoroastrian scholar, Fardunjee Marzban. Manilal Gandhi.
Name the newspaper.
by most estimates, at least ten times faster.”
British in 1931. Name him.
2 The title “Sardar” was not only used to
address the freedom fighter and India's first
Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, but another
5 Among the members of the Oversight Board,
created by Facebook to regulate its content
and policies with a mandate to even overturn the
statesman and journalist also. This person was company’s decisions, is a former editor of a
briefly the editor of Hindustan Times and much prominent newspaper. The newspaper, under his
later after Independence, served as the editorship, broke several investigative stories, Please send your answers to
Ambassador to China. Name him. including the Wikileaks’ released Cablegate stories dailyquiz@thehindu.co.in
and the Edward Snowden whistleblower
Previous day’s answers to the
3 The editor of one of the United States' most
respected and bestselling newspapers for
nearly a decade from 2012 to February 2021, this
revelations. Name the journalist and the
newspaper. daily quiz : 1. Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad, 2. Alexander
journalist was also featured in the Oscarwinning Kerensky, 3. B.N. Rau, 4.
film Spotlight. The film sheds light on an intensive
investigation led by The Boston Globe into H.N.Kunzru, 5. Tukaram Omble,
systematic child abuse by Roman Catholic priests 6. V.R. Krishna Iyer
in the Boston area. Name the journalist who was
Early Birds
also managing editor of The Boston Globe when
the investigations took place. Rahul Panwar | Husain
Zoopdiwala | RahulSai
Veyikandla | Murtuza Qureshi |
Compiled by: Srinivasan Ramani Sidhant Saurav
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup
CM @English_epaper_Backup S ND-NDE
YK
4 EDIT DELHI THURSDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2021
LETTERS
BJP, TRS indulging in petty politics AP should give up its adamant attitude
W ho is right and who is wrong? The
state claims that Centre is not co-
keting season (KMS) 2021-22 till Mon-
day including Telangana benefitting
nal MoU with the State government its
commitment was to buy 40 lakh MT of
cation due to availability of water for irri-
gation, improvement in underground wa-
I t is very surprising to know about the one hour protest by the TDP
cadres against petrol prices. is doesn't serve any purpose. Aer the
Centre cut the petrol and diesel prices, many states volunteered to reduce
operating in purchase of paddy. Centre 11.57 lakh farmers. The paddy procure- rice. When the crop was midway the ter levels etc. But what one cannot agree their VAT in order to give some more relief to consumers. But some states
says farmers across the country includ- ment is progressing smoothly during State government realised that the yield is that farmers in Telangana are very like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are adamant in this regard for the
ing Telangana benefited in Kharif mar- KMS 2021-22 at MSP from farmers, as could be 108 LMT and hence the centre happy and are buying cars as claimed by reasons well known. In AP, Jagan govt is following the footsteps of their
keting season to the tune of Rs was done in previous years, the union would first fulfil its commitment of buy- the chief minister? predecessor in this regard. Hope the opposition party will act in a wise
41,066.80 crore. government said. ing 40 lakh MT. Can the state refute every day we are seeing reports that manner and play a constructive role to get real benefit to people.
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao But here the two main political par- this? farmers rue lack of amenities at market Venkata Seshasai Deevi, Narasaraopet
thundered that they will hold massive ties TRS and BJP are locking horns and The Centre also says that the State yards. At enumamula, one of the biggest
rallies in 12 constituencies with lakhs they seem to transgress all limits of de- has given in writing that it will not sell agricultural market in Asia, farmers are
of farmers (No Covid rules apply here) cency as far as the language is con- parboiled rice in future and promised not able to find accommodation in the Judiciary is the saviour
and if need be will go to Delhi and stage
dharna to protect the interests of the
farmers.
cerned. CM calls BJP leaders ‘dogs’, BJP
leaders says they will put the CM in jail.
‘Touch me and State will be on boil’ re-
to set up rice bran oil mills and upgrade
equipment to fortify rice kernels so that
they do not break into small pieces during
market and surrounding areas. Some
farmers have committed suicide waiting
at the market yards.
A er dragging for a pretty long time, ie. more than two decades,
Uphaar case has reached at an incisive conclusion. Not only the
families of the victims will heave a sigh of relief ; but the verdict will go a
Politically, such statements may en- torts CM. processing. If the State feels that the centre Seeing all this, it appears that the BJP long way making everyone comprehend and discern how dangerous
thuse the rank and file, but such acts Both the parties are in power one at is discriminating against TS and was not and TRS want to keep the poll heat on till could be the tampering of the documents and evidences in a sub-judice
do not lead to resolving any problem. Centre and one in State. Can’t they come speaking truth, what can be a better way ensuing MLC elections under local body case. As any disregard and inadvertence for the law and malfeasance with
Governments holding dharnas sounds straight with facts minus rhetoric and than putting before the people’s court as quota are over. Another scenario could the judicial system can really be perilous, should be sternly dealt with. In
illogical and does not help in any way. present their case effectively before the to what is the reality and how the centre be that the BJP is creating a situation for a country like that of ours only judiciary is the saviour.
The Centre claims that it had procured people and leave it to their wisdom to was cheating the people of the state? TRS to turn against it just as it did with Dr Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana
over 210 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of decide who is right and who is wrong? Undoubtedly the area under paddy cul- TDP during last general elections and
paddy from 13 states during kharif mar- The Centre says that as per the origi- tivation has increased in TS after bifur- leading to its near decimation.
M
y granddaughter, Gay- on the other, serve as striking exam-
athri, recently told me ples of a similar paradoxical situa-
that she along with two
other classmates had begun to take
tion. Hitler relied on the so called
superiority of Aryan race as the in- Welcome steps by AP, Odisha
lessons for those belonging to jun-
ior classes in her school at Hong
Kong. According to her, she was
spiration for the campaign of perse-
cution and genocide against the
Jews. And faith was the source which
T he meeting held between chief ministers of neighbouring states,
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to find amicable solutions for long
drawn issues is a right step towards reaching mutual benefits. ese two
not only finding it an interesting guided Teresa in her efforts to spread states share not only borders but also unfulfilled dreams of development,
task, but also a process of learning. the message of peace, joy, love and apart from rich history. e decade old controversy over utilising river
e ‘teachers’ apparently found the compassion while providing succour waters of Vamsadhara could have easily been solved and the available
younger ‘students’ much brighter and help to millions of people. 115 tmc of water could have effectively been utilised with equal share,
than they themselves were at that While I was serving as a Joint Sec- had proposed Neredi barrage been constructed.
stage! retary in (what was then known as) It's good that both parties agreed to form an institutional mechanism
at conversation really set me the Ministry of Agriculture, and at with both chief secretaries at helm to find solution in a time bound man-
thinking. If, at that tender age, the behest of the then Secretary ner.e controversy over thirty one border villages along Andhra Odisha
these girls can begin the process Agriculture Kamal Pande, I started border, the issue of utilisation of eight tmc of janjhavathi river waters,
of sharing the fruits of their expe- an innovation, in the shape of an in- and other issues do need a little bit of cooperation between these two, but
rience with younger people, how ter-division ‘flyer’, called ‘care to will have huge dividends in the form of development. It would be a win
much more of that could be done, share’? It lasted only for a short while. and win situation for both states to continue the dialogue meaningfully.
I asked myself, by people much But, while it did, it proved to be an Dr D V G Sankararao, Nellimarla
older and with far more exposure? effective method, of disseminating
“Shared joy is a double joy; to my colleagues, information re-
shared sorrow is half sorrow” goes garding matters of interest to them, Police still induce fear in public
a Swedish proverb. ere are say-
ings, in almost every language in
the world, conveying the same
which I had picked up from various
sources. And, very oen, the re-
sponses received from them, in
D r. Suravajjula's Moot Point on 'Jai Bhim' (THI,Nov.10) is worth read-
ing, albeit like a movie review, and the quote, 'In order to uphold
democracy, now and then one must be authoritative' is inspiring. In the
spirit. Similar to joy and sorrow Living in the digital era, with the advantage of having easy turn, enriched my knowledge of the days of absurd movies this movie has an introspection into the society
are experience and wisdom. ey subject. and the suffering of the oppressed and the oppressor.
come with exposure and efflux of
access, not only to contemporary technology, but also We are all familiar with the saying Whatever be the form, obviously the police carry the infamous and
time. Always provided, of course, devices such as mobile phones and computers, makes which says that, if you give a fish to notorious image as brutes who stand for custodial deaths. e police
that one is not, as the saying goes, a hungry person, you only give him ethos and ethics have gone into wild and infamous police and politician
’a rolling stone that gathers no preparatory research much quicker and with far less a meal; but if you teach him to fish, nexus is true as we see everywhere. e custodial death of Dalit
moss’! drudgery. From the comfort of one’s home, and without you give him a livelihood, or em- Mariyamma pricks any conscientious citizen. In India aer 75 years of
About ten years aer relinquish- power him with the ability to feed Independence 'Jai Bhim' Ambedkar should be turning in his tomb.
ing office as a Member of the Na- the hassles of travel, one can reach out to a larger number himself, and others, in the future. Dr T Ramadas, Visakhapatnam
tional Disaster Management Au-
thority, (a five year tenure
of people, in a greater number of places, than ever before us, much more can be shared,
than merely concrete and material
following my superannuation from things, such as food or money.
thehansreader@gmail.com
service), I began to mentor young as an administrator, as well as and without the hassles of travel, teacher frequently finds his original Knowledge and experience,
people preparing for the civil serv- those constructed theoretically), one can reach out to a larger num- source of knowledge enriched by when shared, can go that much far-
ices examinations. Soon, what be- improved considerably, as a result ber of people, in a greater number the act of sharing. e same is also ther, and have a more lasting and
gan as a device for filling spare of the process of interaction be- of places, than ever before. true of the sources of wisdom and sustainable impact. A Prophet can
time, (which one finds in abun- tween teacher and pupil. And the Having been a student of math- experience we had discussed in ear- preach, a teacher educate, a trainer
dance aer retirement), became an
absorbing and demanding task.
icing on the cake was that, one was
not doing the whole thing gratis.
ematics, and an aficionado of cos-
mology, I feel that a teacher’s wis-
lier pieces, such as the Holy Books
of religions, the lessons from the lives
impart skills and a philosopher
show the path to enlightenment,
THE
Rather than the pastime, which Not, mind you, that money mat- dom is comparable to the ‘negative and times of great people and leg- to thousands of followers, students
it was originally meant to be, it be- tered anymore. Still, one tended to energy reservoir’ postulated by J.V. ends and sayings in different lan- or trainees, the process enriching
came a passion and a source of im- be that much more serious, and Narlikar and Fred Hoyle in the guages. at once, both giver and taker.
mense satisfaction and happiness. sincere, in preparation, as well as context of their famous (but dis- An unfortunate aspect of this (The writer is former
e most interesting part was that,
all the experience earlier gained,
performance, with the feeling that
one was being compensated for the
carded, later in light of subsequent
developments), Steady State e-
phenomenon we are discussing is
that the qualities of love and hatred
Chief Secretary, Government
of Andhra Pradesh)
Bommai leaves for Delhi to
and knowledge acquired, notwith-
standing, I had actually begun to
effort.
Clearly, people are prepared to
ory of the Universe.
e more you took out of the
also appear to share the same pro-
clivity. Both multiply upon being
(The opinions expressed in this col-
umn are that of the writer.
discuss election strategy
learn much more, in order to be pay for what you know. One can original source, the more it had to shared. e Holy Bible and the Holy The facts and opinions expressed here BeNGALURU: Chief Minister
able to perform effectively. combine the desire to keep active, give. e more I dig into my past Quran, for instance, have been cited do not reflect the views Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday
Questions that arose during the and the satisfaction, and fulfil- for sharing with the students, the as inspirations the most noble and of The Hans India) le for New Delhi to meet top BJP
leaders and discuss strategies on
elections to the state Legislative
https://t.me/English_epaper_Backup @English_epaper_Backup
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OPINION 9
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Carbon tariffs 2020, and about 4 per cent lower than in 2017-18, itself
a very bad year for the employment and labour force
participation. Furthermore, both CMIE data and var-
India’s attitude at the WTO needs to be constructive ious micro surveys indicate that average earnings
amongst the re-employed were significantly lower
T
he 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) than in pre-Covid times.
is fast approaching. It is to be held from November 20 onwards in Various organisations (such as Azim Premji
Geneva, and will focus on a new agreement regarding fishing sub- University and Pew Research Centre) have estimated
sidies; progress on pandemic-related intellectual property issues and sharp increases in the number of India’s poor as a
trade restrictions; and questions on how to incorporate climate change-related result of the Covid shock, ranging from 75 million to
issues into trading norms. Of course, broader questions about WTO reform, over 200 million at different points in 2020-21. Because
discontents
have shot up to 30-35 per cent in 2020-21, with sharper
days to relaunch the US-India Trade Policy Forum after a four-year gap during increases in rural poverty rates than urban. But such
the Donald Trump administration in Washington. Ms Tai will reportedly seek conjectures would have to await validation (or rejec-
to mend fences with India on issues as wide-ranging as digital policies, tariffs, tion) through large sample surveys of household con-
and regulatory barriers; if progress is achieved, India might well be re-admitted sumption. Qualitatively, it is clear that poverty
to the crucial Generalised System of Preferences programme, which would Employed vs jobless, formal vs informal, urban vs rural—the increased greatly during the ongoing tragedy of Covid
allow barrier-free access to US markets for Indian exporters. Environment- and the associated lockdowns, with many millions of
related trade questions may also be on the agenda. pandemic has exacerbated the divide, with lasting non-poor slipping into poverty.
Thus, in these fundamental dimensions of income
The intransigent attitude of Indian trade negotiators might be in line with
historical precedents but does not take into account a changed world, new
consequences for the economy and consumption, Covid has substantially sharpened
economic dualism in India. It has also quite clearly
technology, and the possible benefits of greater market access. The question of
I
ndia has been characterised by significant eco- 12 and 2017-18 recorded by the official, published worsened economic dualisms associated with
incorporating environmental concerns into trading rules is a perfect example nomic dualism and disparities over many years. employment/labour force surveys for those years. employed vs jobless, formal vs informal, urban vs rural
of an issue where greater imagination and initiative are required from the The fundamental divide between the income, These showed a tripling in overall unemployment as and asset-rich vs asset-poor. It has also hurt education
Indian bureaucracy. For decades, India — alongside other developing econ- wealth and life chances of the rich minority versus well as in youth unemployment rate and a massive deeply, with greater damage to the non-rich, who have
omies — has opposed the incorporation of labour or environmental standards those of the far more numerous poor households is decline in female labour force participation. been unable to participate effectively in various chan-
into multilateral trading rules. This was for good reason, as these could translate a result of several other dimensions of economic Then came the Covid pandemic and the nation- nels of online education as schools and colleges have
into protectionism by rich nations with higher such standards. But the world dualism, including: Urban vs rural; formal vs infor- wide lockdown imposed in late March 2020, which struggled to revive education.
has moved on since the contentious GATT negotiations decades ago. Lowering mal; land (and other assets)-owning vs landless; led to the April-June 2020 quarter GDP plummeting The substantially increased economic dualism in
employed vs jobless; well-educated vs ill-educated; by 24 per cent and the full fiscal year GDP dropping our already dualistic economy is likely to exert lasting
tariffs on crucial environmental goods — such as, say, solar panels — to zero
and rich vs poor states. Overlaying these largely eco- by 7.3 per cent, according to official (probably opti- negative influences on our economic and social tra-
may well not be in India’s interests and those of other emerging economies.
nomic dimensions of disparity are social ones such mistic) estimates. This was associated with unem- jectory in the medium and long run. These might
But the broader claim that sustainability has no role to play in the trading as high caste vs low caste, majority ployment soaring above 20 per- include a reduced potential for economic growth; the
architecture is insupportable in the age of climate crisis. The high political Hindus vs minority Muslims and cent in April and May and labour persistence of a very weak employment and poverty
leadership will have to remind India’s negotiators that the national interest is males vs females. Economic dual- force participation also declining situation; rising social and political discord; and height-
wider than they imagine. This was, after all, what happened at COP26. ism is obviously multi-dimensional, sharply, cumulating to over 100 ened vulnerability to geopolitical challenges.
The fact is that, unless India is in the room where these decisions are with the trends in the various million people losing their liveli- There are no easy solutions to these problems.
being made, they will be made without India’s interests in mind. Consider dimensions changing over time. hoods in those months, according But economic and social policies can clearly ame-
the question of “border adjustment” mechanisms, which essentially put a Broadly speaking, the acceleration to data from the Centre for liorate the situation. The central focus of remedial
tax on the implicit carbon emissions in imports. The European Union has of economic growth and structural Monitoring the Indian Economy policies has to be the expansion of job opportunities
already moved towards imposing such a tax, which may become a fait accom- change since the 1980s reduced the (CMIE). The loss of jobs and earn- in both the formal and informal segments of the
minimally defined headcount ratio of ings was disproportionately economy. Higher rates of employment will raise
pli whatever India’s position at the WTO would be. Other markets will inev-
absolute poverty from above 50 per focused on the non-agricultural incomes and consumption, possibly with a positive
itably follow suit, and India will be left out in the cold. This is a sub-par out- cent in the 1970s to around 20 per cent informal sector, comprising casual feedback loop, reduce poverty and strengthen over-
come. India’s negotiators need to be primed with facts and figures regarding
the structure of fuel taxes in India and the implicit price of carbon this
in 2011-12, the last year for which offi-
cial poverty estimates based on large
A PIECE OF labour and small and micro enter-
prises in manufacturing and serv-
all economic growth. In broad terms, the best ways
of increasing employment are well-known. They
implies. They should also present positive and constructive suggestions sample surveys of household con- MY MIND ices and contact-intensive service include: Strengthening rural employment guarantee
about how such national taxation can fit into a broader trans-national carbon sumption expenditure conducted by SHANKAR ACHARYA sectors generally (both formal and programmes; encouraging labour-intensive man-
pricing scheme. Just saying “no” at the WTO will not pay India any dividends. the National Sample Survey are pub- informal) including retail trade, ufacturing for both domestic and external markets
It must strive to turn the conversation to its advantage. licly available. A survey of household hospitality, travel and tourism. The through better policies; enhancing learning out-
consumption was done by the National Statistical phased lifting of the national lockdown from June comes in schools and overall skill-development;
Office (NSO) in 2017-18 but the results were not pub- facilitated a fairly swift recovery of output in many removing regulatory impediments to employment
Fencing farm risks lished. Newspaper reports based on a leaked version sectors, especially among the larger, more formal
indicated substantial increases in rural poverty in sev- enterprises. Official data suggests recovery of
eral major states and an overall increase in the poverty quarterly GDP to the pre-Covid levels by the end of
expansion in all areas; strengthening programmes
for public health and basic health care; raising the
national tax to GDP ratio to undertake more expen-
Ways must be explored to ensure reasonable returns ratio for the first time in four decades. This was not at 2020, only to be followed by another plunge during diture on public goods like education, health, roads
all surprising given the slow economic growth in the the second Covid wave of March-June 2021, and and some other forms of infrastructure; and, of
E
ven as the international prices of agricultural commodities are ruling last years of the United Progressive Alliance govern- again followed by a smart recovery thereafter. course, improving the business climate to nurture
high, the freshly harvested summer (kharif) crops in India are selling ment and twin shocks of demonetisation in late 2016 However, the recovery in jobs and earnings was higher private investment.
at below the government-fixed floor prices. The official farm prices and the painful transition to goods and services tax in much slower, especially in the preponderant informal
data for October indicates that most kharif crops were traded, on aver- 2017-18. Furthermore, a rise in the poverty rate was sector, accounting for around 85 per cent of national The writer is honorary professor at ICRIER and former chief
entirely consistent with the well-documented sharp employment. So, while India’s stock markets enjoyed economic adviser to the Government of India.
age, up to 33 per cent below their respective minimum support prices (MSPs).
deterioration in employment conditions between 2011- an extraordinary boom and unicorns proliferated, the Views are personal
Cotton and sugarcane were among the only few exceptions. The rates of some
oil-bearing crops like groundnut and soybean also tended to look up in recent
months, but the trend was blunted by the government by gradually lowering
G
of the two main demands of the protesters; the other being the annulment of urgaon, the city that accounted for a signifi- raphies many time zones away, creating the begin- state does not have an unemployment problem.
the three new controversial farm laws. The softening of farm prices, though cant amount of Haryana’s GDP long before it nings of the bustling, chaotic urban agglomeration. Combating CMIE’s data that showed an unemploy-
conducive to keeping inflation down for the benefit of consumers, denies fair became Gurugram, is unlikely to see an Unlike the well-planned, well-lit, manicured Noida, ment rate of 35.7 per cent for the state, Manohar Lal
immediate mass exodus of businesses following the the eastern extreme of the area designated the National Khattar claimed the correct figure was 9 per cent. And
returns to the growers, thus, disturbing the much-desired balance between the
notification of this troublesome law mandating 75 Capital Region, Gurgaon offered a view of the extremes if, according to him, the fact that many employed
interests of the consumers and producers. It also affects farm incomes, which per cent of locals in private enterprises from January of new India. Singapore-style glass and concrete struc- youth registered on the exchanges for better jobs, the
determine the rural demand for goods and services. 15 next year. That’s because the law applies to new tures soared on roads that reflected Gurgaon’s recent real number would be 4-5 per cent.
The situation, as it exists today, has put the very concept of support prices hires earning up to ~30,000 and having lived five years status as a village. Grid power remains so problematic So if there is no employment problem as such, then
in the dock. What is the point in routinely announcing — and even regularly or more in the state. But with the example of another that no self-respecting facility comes up without a gen- the labour reservation imposition on the private sector
hiking — the MSPs for over 20 crops if these are to remain only on paper? The vibrant metropolis that declined on erator. Near non-existent public is redundant. If it is aimed at Jat youth who have been
national agricultural situation report, released by the National Statistical Office the back of a headlong flight of cap- security has meant that exclusionary demanding inclusion in Other Backward Class to gain
recently, shows that only 24.7 per cent of the total crop produce is traded at ital, Calcutta before it became gated communities pushing up government jobs, it is even more pointless. These
higher than the official benchmark prices. Such a state of affairs is avoidable, Kolkata, it is possible to imagine a against the slums whose denizens youth, erstwhile agriculturalists facing diminishing
especially given that over half the country’s total households rely fully or partly similar future for the millennium city serve them have become the leitmo- returns from shrinking land inheritances, are unlikely
from here on out. tif of the city. to work in the factory, clerical, wait-staff or menial jobs
on agricultural income for their livelihood. Besides, the government is commit-
Militant labour policies com- Yet, against the odds, unlike implicit in the salary cut-off of the reservation law.
ment-bound to ensure 50 per cent profit to the growers over their paid-out costs
pounded a poor security environ- orderly Noida or the functional dis- Still, any new outfit setting base in the state or one
and the imputed value of family labour (A2+FL formula). ment for capital in West Bengal and cipline of Chandigarh, it’s Gurgaon that’s looking at expanding will have to waste time try-
No doubt, the demand for making MSP a legal right cannot be conceded. It encouraged the business community that attracts the big names from ing to find locals to fill these jobs or convince a state
is neither practical nor economically feasible. The government cannot be to relocate, taking with it that unique around India and the globe, inspector that they cannot find them. When Gurgaon’s
expected to purchase the entire marketable produce at the MSP. Nor can private progressive multiculturalism that is recording more foreign presence weak infrastructure is factored in, the attractions of
trade be mandated to do so. But denial of reasonable returns to the farmers is feted nowadays in a thriving cottage
industry of nostalgia on social media.
SWOT per square km — corporate and res-
idential — than any other city in
Delhi and Noida as attractive alternative options will
suddenly grow. Worse, when the policy will inevitably
also economically unfair and socially ill-advised. Ways and means need to be
explored to ensure reasonable returns for the farm produce. From this viewpoint, Labour policies in the shape of a KANIKA DATTA India. Migrants from all over India make little difference to local employment, expect
it may be worth considering the resurrection of the farmers’ income protection new hiring law is likely to provoke a crowded in for jobs from the most riots of the kind that saw Indian citizens from the east
scheme, floated in 2018 but set aside without giving it a fair trial. Named imagi- similar exit of capital from Gurgaon. menial to most sophisticated, adding to its dyna- fleeing Mumbai and Bengaluru not so long ago.
The development of Haryana’s golden goose has mism. That has brought in its wake the boom in Gurgaon has suffered the depredations of state gov-
natively the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-ASHA),
thrived despite reflecting all the worst contradic- goods and services. Where upscale restaurants first ernment policy in the past. In the late nineties, it was
the scheme was aimed essentially at hedging the growers’ marketing risks. It tions of post-liberalisation India. It isn’t the state opened in Delhi and then followed with Gurgaon prohibition that cost the state so much revenue that it
had three components, two of which still seem worth trying after suitable capital but it is certainly its principal city, contrib- branches, the sequence is often reversed now. brought down a government. In the early noughties it
revamping. These include procurement-based market intervention by public uting the bulk of the state’s revenues. Its proximity This fin de siècle scenario is very much a pre-Covid- was a chief minister who appropriated Gurgaon’s reve-
sector agencies in select areas for key crops, as is being done today; and the to the National Capital and the booming real estate 19 phenomenon. Today as the glittering facades of nues for his own constituency, which cost the city
price deficiency payment system to recompense farmers for the shortfall in expansion led by DLF created a bustling metropolis Cyber City echo with the emptiness of employees still decent civic infrastructure. Somehow, none of this
price realisation compared with the “model prices” based on region-specific by default. Here, where decent-sized property could working from home, malls struggle to attract footfalls made a material difference to the hectic pace of cor-
production costs. Unless some workable mechanisms are evolved to make farm- be acquired without the cumbersome power-of and massive towers along the newer reaches of the porate activity. But constraining the private sector’s
ing economically viable, it may be hard to pacify the irate farmers. attorney route and sky-high costs of a New Delhi city lie empty, stoking jobs and demand should be the right to hire freely could well be the coup de grace . As
realty deal, foreign companies set up their back first thing on the mind of the state government. Yet with Calcutta/Kolkata, it will probably take a decade
offices and IT-enabled services hub to serve geog- two months ago, Haryana chief minister claimed his for Gurgaon/Gurugram to feel the difference.
H
umans yearn for a simple world. Marshall did in 1910, that “if India had a marriage, or a same-sex relationship or papers want to know Publisher: and finance last! As the new CEO, Mr Joly writes, “A
The reality is that we coexist with score or two of men like Mr Tata, India uses an Urdu expression for a Hindu about the plans for HBR Press What if these company fighting with its majority
opposites: The humble and the would soon be a great nation.” festival, then from the dark recesses of rationalisation, ideas were applied shareholder seemed crazy to me.” So, he
pompous, the good and the bad, the Hubert Joly’s new book, The Heart of obscurantism, there emerge forces and aircraft Pages: 304 to the Air India met Dick Schulze, schmoozed with him
greedy and the generous. According to Business, is of the goodie variety. It is voices that disapprove, threaten, and refurbishment, Price: ~1,250 turnaround? The until Mr Schulze softened. After
the Chinese, those who conquer the about how corporate leaders can create damage that firm’s property? Recall a route optimisation, current loyal but establishing a relationship, Mr Joly drew
opposing yin-yang, conquer the world by humane and passionate companies, public functionary in Madhya cost cutting, badly bruised the line of control with Schulze, “I am
combining complementarity between which, as a byproduct, achieve Pradesh, shamefully and openly retrenchment, and employees may really good at taking input, but I am
opposing forces. impressive growth and great profits. disapproving of a company’s other blood sports. What if the Tata plan initially be stunned, curious thereafter, terrible at taking directions, as, I suspect,
Research on corporate goodies and Unfortunately, do-good stories interest advertising approaches; worse still, he is to start the turnaround with people, and hugely energised to make a tidal you are.” By the time Hubert Joly retired
baddies abound. Opinion is divided people less than baddie stories. Look at gets away with his shenanigans end with people, and, in the process, wave of the turnaround efforts. Time in 2019, the total shareholder return to
between two extremes: One is that all the Netflix menu of offerings, or, for that because his chief minister would not generate human energy? In a sense, that will tell. When I took over as Chairman shareholders was 335 per cent compared
corporations are greedy bloodsuckers, matter, a morning newspaper anywhere. speak up. Such reality tests Mr Joly’s has been the Tata DNA for over a century, of Unilever Arabia, the first to 104 per cent for Standard & Poor’s.
and another is that corporations are a In an insanely bad-deeds world, conviction so far as India is concerned. isn’t it? However, left-brained, analytics- appointment I made was not the It has been a delight to review
positive force for human good. During Mr Joly’s book stands out—to me, like a Mr Joly is right, but which firm wants driven commentators could find such Operations or Marketing Director, it this book and taste the soft
my career, I have been involved with my lone candle in a dark room. Much of the to risk damage to its properties? human-driven gibberish as soft. The Joly was the Human Resources Director! marshmallow inside.
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6 comment & analysis the daily guardian
thurs day | 11 november 2021
new delhi
alaRming
V
irtually every school every now and then. thorities governing schools and harmonious schools
in the nation closed Our kids have come out must recognize and respond What students missed during Covid-19 waves are not only for mental health wellness
in March 2020, re- of the toughest times on the to the diverse mental well- of children, who are crucial
placing in-person school- planet and have been doing ness needs of the students academic classes but, sports activities, field trips, musical demographic dividend and
ing with online piecemeal the best they possibly can, accommodating both differ- activities, while handling anxiety and economic precarity all the most important national
education programmes. physically and mentally, for ent styles/rates of learning asset.
The learning setbacks over the little time they’ve been and different states of men- throughout. Now, they must leap into the future, with the school’s Lastly, about policy and
the last one and half years on this earth. Now that the tal health they’re in. Thereby practices of mental health,
range from grave for all kids are returning to school, ensuring not only quality
help. We now need professionals or trained personnel to teach India is yet to develop a
groups of students to cata- we must know that the role education but guiding them the children ways to improve their moods/minds— practicing comprehensive approach to
strophic for poor children. of schools need to be reimag- develop mental resilience school mental health promo-
As a parent of two school ined and enhanced. School to counteract stressors of yoga, meditation and most importantly teach them the concept tion. Currently child mental
going kids, from the start I in a student’s life is not just life; and these all should be health policy is non-existent
have felt that the elected of- academic, it’s also about enabled through an appro-
and ways to bring in mental resilience to stressors of life. in spite of the dire conse-
ficials had been more con- overall development— life priate curriculum, teaching quences of the COVID times.
cerned about reopening skills, social and emotional strategies and resource sup- The five year plans until re-
bars and restaurants than intelligence. The COVID port. leap into the future, with the mental resilience to stressors There’s a need for a mis- cently, have set aside only a
Photo by Anna Shvets for
safely reopening schools that control measures have tak- What students missed school’s help. We now need of life. Schools should make sion/drive to provide help to Pexels. few crores for mental health
hold the futures of millions en a toll on the children, and during COVID waves are professionals or trained available a space within middle and high-schoolers of the entire country with the
of children in their hands. we have the mental health not only academic classes personnel to teach the chil- the school premises where deal with challenges and the damage kids have suf- child’s mental health pro-
This continues to be pain- statistics from WHO which but, sports activities, field dren ways to improve their youngsters can immediately build social connections. fered during the pandemic. motion receiving a very low
fully evident as the states paints a bleak picture. trips, musical activities, moods/minds— practicing find a counsellor or trained Community programs of Schools have the role and priority. Lot of complexities
enter yet another pandemic WHO stated that 20% of while handling anxiety yoga, meditation and most adult to talk with who can both government and non- opportunity to contribute exist in multiplicities of laws
school year without enforc- children and adolescents and economic precarity all importantly teach them the identify problems such as govt agencies must mobi- to development of children related to mental health and
ing public health policies for suffer from a disabling men- throughout. Now, they must concept and ways to bring in depression and anxiety. lize helping hands to repair and adolescents and pro- the associated disabilities.
PERSPECTIVE
REGIONAL SECURITY
Delhi meeting sent out ‘hanDs off afghanistan’ message to Pak, China
An interesting endorsement the two coordinated the eration and coordination” given by the NSA meeting to walk into Afghanistan in
of the regional security move, especially since the among these countries to to a United Nations role in the name of providing aid
meet on Afghanistan, held very next day, on Thursday, ensure a “peaceful, secure Afghanistan assumes im- and building the BRI, and in
in New Delhi on Wednes- China is scheduled to attend and stable Afghanistan”. portance. the process turn that coun-
day, came from unexpected a meeting being hosted by There was strong condem- As for China, it is obvious try into their vassal state,
quarters—from the Tali- Pakistan on Afghanistan. nation of terrorism and that the countries that par- whose sole reason for exis-
ban. Taliban spokesperson The meeting is also being consensus that Afghan ticipated in the New Delhi tence is to provide tribute to
Zabihullah Mujahid told the attended by the US, Russia territory should not be meeting recognise that the the “emperor” in Beijing.
media in Kabul that their and a representative of the used for sheltering, train- Chinese are getting into The NSA meeting also has
“Islamic Emirate” was op- Taliban government. ing, planning or financing Afghanistan to serve their to be seen in the context of
timistic about the regional In fact, information is any terrorist activities; that own interests—to ensure the meeting in Islamabad
meeting being hosted by that attempts were made there should be “collective that the Uyghur militants the very next day, which is
India. He said this even by the Chinese side to dis- cooperation” against “radi- operating from the north- one way of telling the US
though the Taliban gov- suade Russia from partici- calisation, extremism, sep- ern parts of Afghanistan in particular that without
ernment was not invited pating in the meeting and aratism and drug traffick- do not foment trouble in Pakistan there cannot be
for the meeting, as India thus stop Afghanistan’s ing”; that any government Xinjiang province, home to peace in Afghanistan. It is
and the other countries Central Asian neighbours, in Afghanistan should be China’s Uyghur population; also an attempt to send out
attending the meeting do on whom Russia has a inclusive, with represen- Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the NSAs of seven countries including five Central Asian and to extract the $1 trillion the message that the Delhi
tation from “major ethno- countries, Russia and Iran, in New Delhi on Wednesday. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval worth mineral reserves that meeting is at best a side-
not recognise the “Islamic huge hold, from visiting chaired the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan. ANI
Emirate”. It looks like that New Delhi. The plan was political forces”; that the Afghanistan has including show, and the “big boys”
even the Taliban, at least in clear—to ensure that no Afghan population, which quite open about the role Minister. Observers will not ing of Pakistan and their possibly the world’s largest will be in Islamabad. How-
public, are unwilling to toe one participated and thus is facing a humanitarian cri- it played in defeating the easily forget the trips that “overtures” to India asking deposit of lithium, which is ever, the Islamabad meeting
the Pakistani—and thus India was humiliated. But sis, should be provided with United States in Afghani- the ISI chief, Faiz Hameed, Delhi to resume commercial the most important min- may have attendance, but
automatically Chinese— the fact that Russia and the help in an “unimpeded, di- stan by using the Taliban. undertook to Kabul to calm flights to that country, apart eral needed for batteries will it be able to chart out a
line that India does not Central Asian republics, as rect and assured manner”. Its role in harbouring and things down after the clash from reinstating scholar- for IT devices. China has road map for peace? How-
matter in Afghanistan. The well as Iran participated in Importantly, the joint nurturing the Taliban on its between the followers of ships for Afghan students, offered $31 million in aid to ever much the arsonist may
meeting hosted by National the conference, proves that statement emphasised on own territory has been an Baradar and Sirajuddin would not have gone down the Taliban government. It claim to be the firefighter, it
Security Adviser Ajit Doval they are willing to carve a the need to have “respect open secret; or how it pro- Haqqani, in which Bara- well with GHQ. Whether is not known how much of will still remain the arson-
saw participation from Ta- foreign policy independent for sovereignty, unity and vided the Taliban with both dar himself was injured; or not India decides to have that aid reached the people ist. Left to Pakistan, and
jikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ka- of Chinese-Pakistani inter- territorial integrity and men—read, terrorists—and while also ensuring that diplomatic relations with of Afghanistan. The cash China, Afghanistan will
zakhstan, Uzbekistan and ests and influence. It also non-interference in its materiel to fight the Afghan Pakistan’s “proteges” get the Taliban government in starved Taliban, who ap- become an even bigger se-
Turkmenistan, apart from showed that they believe (Afghanistan’s) internal af- government, and later the important portfolios in the the future will be a matter of parently do not even have curity threat not only to the
Russia and Iran. Pakistan that there is no solution to fairs”. It was a message to Resistance force at Pan- Taliban government. From discussion and debate, but fuel to run their vehicles, region, but also to the rest of
did not participate, with its the Afghanistan problem both Pakistan and China to jshir valley. In fact, post the all accounts, the govern- at present it should try and have been saying that China the world. It is to pre-empt
NSA, Moeed Yusuf dismiss- without India playing a stop treating Afghanistan as fall of Kabul on 15 August, ment in Kabul is controlled provide humanitarian aid to is one of their most impor- such a situation that New
ing the possibility of attend- part in bringing peace to their backyard to nurture Pakistan went to the extent by the Haqqanis, and is the people of Afghanistan tant allies and have been Delhi hosted the security
ing the meeting by stating “a that war-torn country. terrorists and use it for their of derailing the US choice thus under the thumb of and take the lead in ensur- largely silent about China’s meet and found resonance
spoiler (India) cannot be a The message from the own strategic goals. That for Prime Minister, Mullah Rawalpindi General HQ. ing that the aid is distrib- ill-treatment of the Muslim from other countries in the
peacemaker”, while China Delhi meeting was clear: the Taliban are in power in Baradar, apart from install- However, there is also spec- uted under international Uyghur population. It is region.
stayed away citing schedul- that there should be “close Kabul today is because of ing its pet terrorist, Sirajud- ulation that the Taliban supervision. It is in this expected that the Chinese
ing problems. Obviously, consultation, greater coop- Pakistan, which has been din Haqqani as the Interior are not completely trust- context, that the emphasis will take this opportunity Joyeeta Basu
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t h e su nday gua r dia n
t h u r sday | 11 nove m b e r 2 0 2 1
new de l h i legally speaking 7
Crime & soCiety
W
omanish foeti- was passed in 1994, making have a preference only man- tably easy task for parents. 4) Parents must be fined fine to life imprisonment. ment of either description prisonment of either de-
cide is one of the coitus-picky revocation ille- ly child. Several religious, Impact of womanish foeti- who want to kill their girl 3)Section 312. Causing Mis- for a term may extend to ten scription for a term which
most sensitive gal. It was also amended in social, fiscal and emotional cide on the coitus rate- baby. carriage times, and shall also be liable may extend to ten times.
and burning issues not only 2003 holding medical pro- are the reason for wom- Coitus rate denotes the rate 5) Juggernauts and forums Whoever freely causes a to fine.
for India but for the whole fessionals fairly responsible. anish foeticide. Thus, the of ladies to males in a specific should be regularly held to woman with child to mis- Still, shall be penalized CONCLUSION
world. It’s a general suppo- Still, the PCPNDT Act has time has been changed now region. Numerous practices apprehensive of youthful carry, shall, if similar con- either with ( imprisonment Forthcoming is the name
sition that advanced coun- been inadequately executed much still, numerous rea- like womanish foeticide couples. finement be not caused in for life) or with the disci- of your girl child; history
tries with better knowledge by authorities. sons and beliefs are ongo- and womanish infanticide ( 6) Women should be ap- good faith for the purpose pline above mentioned, If is the name of your mama.
rate may have better coitus Womanish foeticide is the ing in some families. Some killing a baby girl after her prehensive so that they can of saving the life of the the act is done without the This is the reality that NO
rate but this supposition is aborting of a girl foetus in main reasons for womanish birth) have had a contrary be more attentive to their woman, be penalized with concurrence of the woman. PRESENT, NO PAST, NO
questioned if one looks at the womb before its com- foeticide are influence on the coitus rate. rights. imprisonment of either de- Explanation-It isn’t essen- FUTURE WITHOUT GIRL
the data.This process began plete growth. Why? This is 1) Generally, parents do Therefore, it rises and pro- scription for a term which tial to this offence that the CHILD. Womanish foeticide
in the early 1990s when because that it’s womanish? not want a girl baby because motes numerous social im- VARIOUS LAWS may extend to three times, lawbreaker should know is self-murder. So, save the
ultrasound ways gained Womanish foeticide has they’ve to give a big quantum moralities. IN INDIA FOR THE or with fine, or with both, that the act is likely to beget girl child and secure the fu-
wide use in India. There come a shy and shocking as a dowry at son’s marriage. As per the decennial In- FUTURE and, if the woman be quick death. ture. There will be the dan-
was tendency for families verity of our nation. In India 2) There’s a faith that girls dian tale, Coitus Rate of In- 1. Section 312 of the Indian with child, shall be penal- Section 315. Act done with gerous results of the wom-
to continuously produce a strong fondness for sons are always consumer and dia is107.48. It means107.48 Penal Code 1860 read with ized with imprisonment of intent to help child being anish feticide. Demography
children until a manly child over son. People ask lower boys are the only patron. males per 100 ladies in the Medical Termination of either description for a term born alive or to beget it to die reports advise India that in
was born. This was primar- families with comparatively Therefore, Parents under- 2019. Thus, India has 930 Gestation Act, 1971 where which may extend to seven after birth. Whoever before the coming twenty times
ily due to the large sexist lesser sons by abuse medical stand that son will earn plu- ladies per 1000 males. So, all the restrictions assessed times, and shall also be li- the birth of any child does there will be a failure of mis-
culture that exists in India technologies. It’s one of the tocrat for the whole life and India has48.20 womanish therein, including the time able to fine. Explanation-A any act with the intention ters in the marriage request
against women. This is re- main motives for declining watch their parents still girls population compare to51.80 limit of 20 weeks, other than woman who causes herself of thereby precluding that substantially because of the
flected by knowledge rates coitus rate. will get married a day and manly population. the bones to insure good to miscarry, is within the child from being born alive adverse coitus rate.
Crime investigation
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8 policy & politics the daily guardian
thurs day | 11 november 2021
new delhi
CommerCe
T
he Minister of Com- Startups and IT Solutions, Global sentiments are
merce and Industry the Minister said that to- changing from ‘why India’
Piyush Goyal today day, Indian services have to ‘why not India’, he said.
said that India is poised to the twin power of univer- Observing that India
achieve services export tar- sal acceptance & universal has transformed from be-
get of $1 trn by 2030. attraction. ing the ‘Back office’ to the
He was addressing the Lauding India’s commit- ‘Brain office’ of the world,
gathering at the ‘Services ment to enable ‘work from Shri Goyal said that today,
Export Promotion Council- Home’ during the pan- India’s Services export etc. prefer India for herit- eral-free Automatic Loans ing States in formulating He appreciated the sector said. He also said there is a
Global Services Conclave demic, Shri Goyal said that, largely comprise of IT/ITes age, art and culture studies. for Businesses, including a comprehensive export for not pursuing incentives need to expand markets for
2021” in New Delhi today. while services trade re- and stressed that we need The Minister assured that MSMEs. Rs. 56,027 Crore strategy with districts as but standing on its competi- Legal/Accounting profes-
The Minister said that mained depressed in other to focus on other potential the Government was ac- was released under various Export Hubs. tive strength. sionals.
Services are a key driver of countries, India’s services growth sectors. tively pursuing market ac- Export Promotion schemes. Piyush Goyal said that the Charting the way forward, Quoting Shri Atal Bihari
India’s economic growth. sector showed immense The Minister listed certain cess opportunities (FTAs) He spoke of India’s initia- Government as a facilitator the Minister said that we Vajpayee, Shri Goyal said
He added that services resilience. crucial sectors which can and working on a scheme tives in Skill development, and enabler, helped Indian must introduce more stand- that “Our aim may be as
sector provides employ- “Sectors like tourism, hos- catapult India’s services alternative to SEIS. especially in emerging ar- Services to grow & touch ards & improve quality. We high as the endless sky, but
ment to nearly 2.6 crore pitality, etc. which suffered sector on a high growth tra- He said that the Govern- eas like AI, Big Data, Ro- lives across the globe. He must move up the value we should have a resolve in
people and contributes ap- due to COVID-19 is show- jectory such as higher Edu- ment supported service botics, etc. emphasized that Zero Gov- chain in services and pick our minds to walk ahead,
proximately 40% to India’s ing revival signs” he added. cation. He observed that sector through Aatmanirb- The Minister also high- ernment interference has areas where our strength hand-in-hand for victory
total global exports. He Appreciating the spirit students from US, Canada har Bharat Package, collat- lighted the need for assist- enabled IT sector to excel. lies and expand on that, he will be ours”.
ideas
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t h e da ily gua r dia n
t h u r sday | 11 nove m b e r 2 0 2 1
new de l h i medically speaking 9
DEADLy BrAIN CArE
Drugs MAy WOrsEN DIsEAsE by senior author Gen-Sheng HCC is the most common hepatocytes -- a major cell
CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
A
recent study led by School of Medicine and of type of cancer in the world. matically accelerate HCC reproductive health has been reporting a worsening in
an international molecular biology in the Di- It is also among the deadli- growth. disrupted as a result of the pre-menstrual symptoms
team of researchers vision of Biological Sciences, est. The overall prognosis They found that inhib- psychological burden of the and 54 per cent experienc-
reveals a previously unreal- reveal a previously unreal- for survival is grim, with a iting Shp2 induced an COVID-19 pandemic, and ing reduced sex drive.
ized complexity in cancer ized complexity in cancer five-year relative survival unexpected complex im- affected women need addi- Rates of severe depres-
development, one that raises development, one that raises rate of just 18.4 percent. mune-suppressive envi- tional medical and psycho- sion, anxiety and poor sleep
concerns and caution about concerns and caution about The causes and progression ronment in the liver, which logical support. were more than double those
targeting Shp2 in oncological targeting Shp2 in oncologi- of HCC are multifactorial, disturbed clearance of The findings indicate that from pre-pandemic levels for
treatments. cal treatments. complex, and poorly un- tumor-initiating cells in the stress and sleep disturbance women of reproductive age.
The findings were pub- “This finding will have derstood. Treatment is dif- early stage of disease and related to the pandemic Menstrual cycle distur-
lished in the journal Cell Re- a profound impact in the ficult and limited, making it exacerbated tumor progres- has had adverse effects on bances were associated with
ports. In recent years, much cancer field, as both the increasingly urgent to find sion at later stages. women’s menstrual cycles. increased levels of men-
scientific effort and funding pharmaceutical indus- new therapies. “These unanticipated The study suggests that fur- tal distress and poor sleep
have focused on developing try and research labs are By creating genetically results may shed light ther studies are necessary amongst the women sur-
drugs that target an enzyme Shp2 has also been shown to promote the growth and survival putting huge efforts and engineered mouse models on understanding tumor to establish the longer-term veyed.
of many types of cancers.
with the unwieldy name of resources into searching and doing single-cell RNA- recurrence, the primary impact of the pandemic on Dr Maher asserts, “Our
Src homology 2-containing also been shown to promote a tumor cell is introduced for and making chemical sequencing, Feng and col- reason why most cancer female reproductive health. findings highlight a real need
protein tyrosine phospha- the growth and survival of into it. Drugs that inhibit compounds to target Shp2. leagues found that Shp2 was patients die. Many cancer The COVID-19 pandemic to provide appropriate medi-
tase 2 or more briefly, Shp2. many types of cancers. Shp2, the thinking goes, We believe a new, effec- required by tumor cells for patients respond well to pri- has had a detrimental ef- cal care and mental health
Shp2 is a phosphotyro- Indeed, Shp2 is the first would attack cancer cells in tive therapeutic strategy HCC development, which mary treatment, which often fect on the lives of our global support to women affected
sine phosphatase; its job identified oncoprotein in a way different from other must address the second- validated and reinforced gives patients and doctors population. by menstrual disturbance,
is to remove phosphates the family of tyrosine phos- therapies, providing new ary tumor-promoting mi- thinking that Shp2 present- an initial sense of excitement Negative impacts on our given the unprecedented psy-
from protein tyrosine resi- phatases. Oncoproteins are hope for cancer patients. croenvironment generated ed an ideal target for new or hope. But once a tumor mental health have been chological burden associated
dues, aiding and abetting proteins encoded by an on- But in the new study, re- in response to the primary cancer therapies. relapses, hope dims and compounded by significant with the pandemic.”
signal communications cogene, which can cause the searchers at the University (Shp2) targeting com- But they also discovered disappointment arises,” said changes to our daily lifestyle, This is the first study to
within cells. But Shp2 has transformation of a cell into of California San Diego, led pound.” that removing Shp2 from Feng. eating, and exercise hab- demonstrate that women
its. Stress is a known factor continue to experience repro-
that can disturb women’s ductive health disturbances
DIABETEs menstrual cycles by affect- one year into the pandemic
ing hormone levels, as well and that this is associated
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4
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net
log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday The Goan (Playstore) Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday Thursday November 11, 2021
A
severe damage to the global popula-
tion, and is therefore resulting in the
n outspoken minister in the Pramod Sawant cabinet Mi- change of the global health care settings.
chael Lobo has taken campaigning to a di�erent level Covid-19 poses a higher risk of mortality for tion of about 80% inpatient admissions. One caregiver said, “They always give
patients with severe life-limiting diseases, Some patients postponed their appoint- two options: One is admitting in the hos-
by publicly announcing candidates for Siolim, Mapusa such as advanced cancers. Patient access to ments given the risk of potential infection. pital, the other one is taking care at home.
and Calangute, leaving the party leaders red-faced and health care might be impacted if resources All ten case studies conducted at Dilasa You decide what you want. The best thing
speechless. The rider is, Lobo has refrained from using are redirected to managing the pandemic. Palliative Care Goa included patients in is that he/she is with us, and his/her last
Moreover, due to rigorous infection control the last stages of their illness who had days can be spent with family and chil-
any party name, giving BJP the shivers either way and forcing the procedures, routine cancer care is limited in been referred there as a last resort due to dren. He/she is also comfortable and hap-
leadership to engage in a “dinner diplomacy”. terms of resources and availability. the pandemic and had no access to gov- py to stay in home”
At a function in Canca, Lobo took everyone by surprise as he an- The pandemic has and continues to ernment facilities. We observed that families were grateful
cause a major disruption of cancer servic- A patient with prostate cancer said, “if for access to medicines such as morphine,
nounced that his wife Delilah Lobo will contest from Siolim, Sudhir es in India. The national lockdown has ad- any word is available above excellent you Haloperidol, etc which are not available
Kandolkar from Mapusa, besides his candidature from Calangute versely a�ected the access to cancer care for can use that word for the care they are easily, oral chemo drugs, ointments, water
those who are in real need. Social distanc- giving to me. They are not worried about beds, tubes, collection bags and catheters
constituency and was optimistic of all three winning respective seats. ing, travel restrictions and �nancial issues working hours, or duty time. They are al- for free through home care services.
Lobo le� a lot to political interpretation as he spoke about how ar- pose problems in many households. ways ready to serve the patients.” In conclusion, the severity of the COV-
eas of Verla-Canca, Assagao, Anjuna and Siolim have su�ered over There was a reduction in the number of A breast cancer patient’s husband’s ID-19 pandemic has resulted in limit-
cancer centres o�ering clinical treatments, words were, “I wish I had shi�ed her here ed provision of palliative care services
the years due to a lack of people-centric development where even ne- and several hospitals changed their proto-
Governments a little bit earlier. We received good servic- throughout the country. Physicians and
cessities like water are not met. Without taking names, he launched cols to postpone operations and chemother- must urgently es in the government medical college but nurses who trained in palliative care have
a broadside against MLAs who are not accessible and questioned apy regimens in order to reduce the risk of recognize the because of the Covid situation they re- o�en been deployed to deliver emergency
how CM’s pet project Swayampoorna Goem could succeed if legisla-
problems arising from these procedures. A role of pallia- ferred her to a palliative care centre. Now care for people with COVID-19. In the con-
number of patients may be moved from the that she is in the last stage, counting days text of resource constraints, priority has
tors failed in their basic duties. curative stage to the palliative stage because
tive care during to leave us, the palliative care team is giv- been given to interventions aimed at sav-
of the delays in diagnosis and therapy. Both the COVID-19 ing us maximum care.” ing people’s lives over palliating discom-
However, the apparent calm shown by the Calangute MLA was not situations might have a negative impact pandemic and In Kerala, we went with a palliative fort among seriously ill people and their
good enough to mask the anger inside. His electoral pitch in Canca on cancer patients’ long-term survival and ensure that home care team and visited patients in families.
comes in sharp contrast to party discipline and order, and perhaps prognosis.
these services their own homes. During the early weeks Governments must urgently recognize
Given the circumstances and the burden of lockdown some rural areas missed or the role of palliative care during the COV-
unprecedented in BJP ranks, raising spec- on the healthcare system, palliative care are integrated delayed the services of palliative care. But, ID-19 pandemic and ensure that these ser-
The BJP which is ulations that he is ready to jump ship. can help to overcome these problems. There into the health a�er a few weeks it was reinstalled and vices are integrated into the health care
defending its turf against BJP, known for its centralized chain of is growing recognition of palliative care as care system in running smoothly. system in a creative way. It is essential to
a �ery opposition an integral aspect of cancer treatment, with The words from one of the caregivers focus on designing immediate strategies
command and party discipline, has been the ability to provide uninterrupted services a creative way. was, “During lockdown time we were in for e�ective implementation of palliative
onslaught will have to increasingly witnessing internal turbu- and improve the quality of life. It will also It is essential extreme fear about where we would have care during COVID-19. It is equally impor-
rework strategies and lence lately. If we may recall, in the later prevent unnecessary hospital admissions to focus on de- to go, what we could do in emergencies, tant to plan for long term strategies be-
do a �ne balancing act. and the use of health services through home signing imme- etc. But they came to our home and ex- yond the pandemic to strengthen the pal-
part of Manohar Parrikar’s tenure of 2017 care services. plained everything to us, we got the feel- liative care services in order to deal with
Dinner diplomacies will diate strategies
not help in di�using when his health was deteriorating, senior The researchers from Goa Institute of ing that somebody is there for us.” future disasters.
partymen had gone hammer and tongs Management (GIM) conducted an in-depth for e�ective Caregivers appreciated the competen-
such a complex issue, case study among 20 cancer patients who implementa- cy of the multidisciplinary team and their (This article is based on a study conducted
and de�ance from the criticizing decisions and airing contradic- received palliative care services during the
tion of pallia- calming presence. The patient and family by a team of GIM faculty --Dr Devi Nair,
tory personal views in public. Lobo had lockdown period from Goa and Kerala. were kept informed of the pros and cons
leadership at this stage During the COVID-19 crisis, the palliative tive care during of all available care alternatives, with no
Prof Sukhathankar, Prof Sreerupa and Dr
could only cost the party been summoned to Delhi even during care center in Goa - Dilasa observed a reduc- COVID-19 compulsions to follow any particular rule.
Krishnanunni )
a self-goal Parrikar’s regime for his unsavoury utter-
ances.
Come 2022 elections, and the BJP leadership is as silent as the
depth of the night with its backroom troubleshooting failing. Against
THE INBOX >> I
the background of a heated campaign that has picked up pace, the
Tussle at Vasco �sh market shall appoint in every government estab-
reality within is frightening for the BJP, and this is where the think
can be sorted out equitably The Christian community is not impressed lishment not less than four per cent of
the total number of vacancies in the cad-
tank of Amit Shah, CT Ravi and Devendra Fadnavis faces a dilem- Most BJP leaders have termed the recent meeting of Prime Min- re strength in each group of posts meant
The tussle between the �sh wholesalers
ma. The BJP has tall and winnable leaders in Lobo, Vishwajit Rane and the market �sh vendors in Vasco has
ister Narendra Modi with Pope Francis at the Vatican as a most to be �lled with persons with benchmark
and Atanasio Monserrate who are pitching for their spouses much historic one. They have also claimed that this historic meet has disabilities.
been going on for far too long. This has �nally shown that the BJP is not at all communal but a secular The government should not deny quota
against the hardline stand taken by the party high command against a�ected the commencement of the work party from India. Well, the BJP leaders are currently looking at in promotion to those who were appoint-
for the new �sh market as the �sh ven-
‘dynastic politics.’ dors have refused to shi� to the new mar-
the recent Pope-Modi meeting purely as a political ploy to influ- ed to a post under reservation policy
ence Christian voters ahead of the Manipur and Goa assembly for people with disabilities. Once that
Party’s election observer Fadnavis had recently admitted that BJP ket shed. It is learnt that the Mormugao elections next year. They are also hoping to use the Pope as a
Municipal Council (MMC) has issued post is identi�ed, the logical conclusion
can easily sail through if it shows unity and speaks in one voice. tool to strengthen its base in Kerala. would be that it would be reserved for the
notices to �sh wholesalers operating in The BJP has supported every attack and hate speech against
Going by the situation on the ground, the BJP portrays a picture of Kharewado to stop carrying out sale of specially abled who have been promot-
Christians since the last couple of years in India. Several states ed. The government’s policy of calling
a stark contrast as legislators are jumping the gun and making an- �sh. The wholesale �sh vendors have have enacted anti-conversion laws which are in violation of the persons with disabilities as ‘Divyangjan’
nouncements. Aspiring leaders like Utpal Parrikar, Sidharth Kuncal- reportedly hit back saying that they have Constitution. The BJP government in Karnataka recently initiated
been selling �sh caught by their canoes is not going to change anything funda-
ienker and Laxmikant Parsekar have started speaking their minds. an unconstitutional survey of Christian worshipping places. mentally until and unless the govern-
and that they should not be deprived of I therefore personally feel that our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ment decides to �x these lacunae in the
Lobo has said that he is ready to quit the party if he is not needed, but their livelihood. should �rst tell all state BJP governments to stop harassing the system.
It is true that while the wholesale �sh
has also added that he could win six out of the seven seats in Bardez. vendors sell their �sh in weights, the
Christian community on flimsy grounds. Yes, we Christians know
which political party is secular and which is rabid communal in KG VILOP, Chorao
The BJP which is defending its turf against a �ery opposition on- market �sh vendors sell the �sh in India.
slaught will have to rework strategies and do a �ne balancing act. shares. There needs to be a level playing Govt’s reality distortion
JERRY FERNANDES, Saligao
Dinner diplomacies will not help in di�using such a complex issue,
�eld. Hence the market �sh vendors too
need to sell �sh by weight. �eld is out in the open
and de�ance from the leadership at this stage could only cost the In business, the retail seller buys the The candidates for the Goa government
party a self-goal. goods from the wholesaler at a lower constable recruitment exams reportedly
price and sells it at a higher price thereby could not endure the normal physical
making a pro�t. The market �sh vendors ‘public authority’ despite all other Raj tests. Many developed fatigue, body pain
could buy �sh from the wholesalers and Bhavans across the country and even and renal problems. A doctor reported
sell it at a pro�t. Hence there is no ques- the Rashtrapati Bhavan being under the that 3 candidates in North Goa and one
tion of the marker �sh vendors losing purview of this law. in South Goa were referred to Health Cen-
their business. The move by Governor Pillai is most tres and were given painkiller injections
OPEN SPACE >> ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
appropriate while sending a powerful
message on the need of a citizen-centric
which only aggravated their problems!
According to the nephrologist, they had
approach of transparency, openness
Governor’s move to lift veil no past history of kidney related diseas-
If no alliances, opposition needs
and accountability in governance. It is es! This brings to fore the shocking RTI
of secrecy commendable in the best interests of our democratic
principles and the Constitutional man-
response that over 33 lakh children in
I
crecy and opening the gates of Goa Raj fuel and cascading e�ect and a packet of
f the opposition parties in Goa are to be united to prevent splitting of votes
during the elections, if there are no pre-poll alliances, at least all the oppo-
Bhavan to embrace the Right to Informa-
tion Act. As required by the transparency
Quotas needed for specially chips now costing far less that an apple
or fruit/vegetables against the propagan-
sition parties should have a pre-poll understanding in which all the opposi-
tion candidates extend support to candidates that have the potential to win by
law, the Governor’s Joint Secretary has abled for due promotions da of the government’s “reality distortion
supporting common candidates so that there is no splitting of votes.
been appointed as the Public Informa- The apex court’s instructions to the Send your �eld” view of the nation’s health projec-
Would the opposition parties not rue if they lose particular seats merely be-
tion O�cer (PIO) while the Secretary Centre for giving reservation in promo- letters to us tion, still patting themselves on the back
to the Governor is the First Appellate tions to people with disabilities at the at editor@ for hasty demonetisation, Covid lock
cause of the splitting of votes? It is thus most important for the opposition Authority under the RTI Act.
parties to support common candidates by having a pre-poll understanding.
This brings to an end my protracted
earliest will bene�t the community. The thegoan.net. down, high fuel prices.
In Goa where the size of electorate in each constituency is very small, every government has been using various The continued popularity of the Prime
vote would count if the margin of victory is very slim. litigation with our Raj Bhavan which delaying tactics to give the due bene�ts Letters must Minister for his projected decisive good
To thus reinforce one another, a comprehensive pre-poll understanding is the commenced at the State Information to the disabled community since 1995. be 150-200 intentions and booming economic
need of the hour. The opposition parties should not regret later because split- Commission and was now pending Supreme Court in its judgment had said words and recovery, hard work etc despite so much
ting of votes could lead to losing of particular seats. before the Supreme Court. For over a that instructions should be issued in mention the su�ering, vast disparities in the nation’s
decade the Goa Raj Bhavan was not sub- accordance with Sec 34 of the Rights basic citizens health and climatic devas-
ELVIDIO MIRANDA, via email mitting itself to the RTI Act by strangely of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, writer’s name tation is a fact!
claiming that the Governor was not a which provides that every government and location JOHN ERIC GOMES, Porvorim
Printed and Published by: Pramod Acharya on behalf of Fomento Media. Editor: Joel Afonso (Responsible for selection of News under PRB Act). Disclaimer: Except for the editorials above, all columns and letters represent the views of the
Printed at: Elegant O�set Printers Pvt Ltd, Plot No 2/3/4, Thivim Industrial Estate, All Rights Reserved. concerned authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of The Goan Everyday’s Editor,
Karaswada, Mapusa, Goa. Editorial O�ce: Third Floor, Fourth Estate (Kamat Metropolis), St Inez, Panaji 403 001, Goa. Publisher and Owners.
Published at: Villa Flores da Silva, Erasmo Carvalho Street, PO Box 31, Margao 403 601, Goa. Ph: (0832) 240 5950 or mail us at editor@thegoan.net For circulation issues, please call (0832) 2450000 or mail: circulation@thegoan.net
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2 AHMEDABAD THURSDAY 11/11/2021
Editorial
From
Editors Uttarakhand-Culture and Traditions
Desk Uttarakhand having
strategic location has a
unique landscape.High eco-
logical, cultural, religious,
sa ‘Kedarkhand’ and
‘Himvant’.
There are sufficient ref-
erences in the great Indian
ditions, language, dialect,
fair, festivals, customs, be-
liefs, Rituals, values, food
habits, dresses, ornaments,
and beliefs provide oppor-
tunities of integration. Apart
from worshipping the natu-
ral elements people also
Dhauli, Birahi , Nayyaar,
Saryu, Ramganga , Pindar,
Kosi, and Kali river valleys .
Rituals of Mahabharat re-
invites participation of more
than 35, 00000 devotees,
covers a distance of 280 kms
in the higher Himalaya, tak-
spiritual values, rich worship the su- lated narratives take place ing a trekking time period of
biodiversity, myths, pernatural powers only in the river valleys situ- 22 days. Festivals like Maun,
folklores, unique including the ated in the Ganga and mass fishing festival, draws
socio-religious dead of their own Yamuna valleys. a crowd of 30000 village
Chennais distress mountains, thick of the folk deities dominant faith systems ini- tain political value which
forest cover, plant appear in the hu- tially were Shaiva and can benoticed through the
species make it a man body and this Shaakta cults. With the pas- specific routes marked for
Shubhra Ranjan IAS embraces tech., eyes expansion NASA delays human lunar landing to 2025
NASA “reserved the right to thorough evaluation of roughly 40,000 miles past
targets to double number of centres and treble student enrolment by FY24 Washington,
Hit by legal challenges, make multiple awards, a NASA’s source selection pro- the Moon, before returning
Shubhra Ranjan IAS billion-dollar industry, there says Shubhra of the seats in UPSC during the US space agency said on single award, or no award at cess for the human landing home. “Going forward,
(SRIAS), one of the most re- are only a handful of coach- Deshmukh,Co-Founder & the last three years. Wednesday it is pushing all”. Amazon founder Jeff system (HLS), and we have NASA is planning for at least
nowned coaching institutes ing institutes with compe- Executive Director, Shubhra The Institute has been back its goal of returning Bezos’ space venture Blue already resumed conversa- 10 Moon landings in the fu-
for Civil Services Examina- tent faculty members. Most Viraj EduTech Private Lim- streaming classes livefrom humans to the Moon, eye- Origin finally lost out on its tions with SpaceX,” Nelson ture, and the agency needs
tions conducted by UPSC,is of them, unfortunately, are ited. its flagship Delhi centre to ing a crewed lunar landing lawsuit against NASA. said.“It’s clear we’re both ea- significant increases in
planning to double its foot- concentrated in Delhi. There A pioneering feature all the regional centres. in 2025 instead of 2024 as The judgement by the ger to get back to work to- funding for future lander
print from 20regional cen- is a genuine demand for that sets SRIAS apart from Teachers also conduct sepa- part of its ambitious Artemis US Court of Federal Claims gether and establish a new competition, starting with
tres to 40 centres in tier 2 quality UPSC coaching in other providers in the rate Q&A sessions across all mission. The US space last week put an end to Blue timeline for our initial lunar the 2023 budget,” said
and tier 3 cities to provide a tier 2 and tier 3 cities in In- coaching industry is that it centres to clear the students’ agency was expected to Origin’s quest to develop a demonstration missions,” he Nelson. In the meantime,
fair learning opportunity to dia. Technology has enabled offers aspirants offline doubts. SRIAS has also pick two lunar lander proto- lander for the space agency, added. Prior to the surface there are efforts to reduce
every civil services aspirant us to bridge that gap to a coaching, online coaching launched Tablet Courses types (including one of Blue while upholding NASA’s se- mission, NASA is focused on costs and streamline opera-
in India. With its eyes set on certain extent, but we want as well as a combination of wherein studentsare pro- Origin’s) but funding cuts lection of SpaceX to develop the Artemis I uncrewed and tions underway. NASA has
$25 million revenue by to go the extra mile and both. The unique hybrid vided a Samsung Galaxy Tab from the US Congress led and demonstrate a modern Artemis II crewed flight tests issued a request for informa-
FY’24, SRIAS is also targeting democratise access to lead- model combined with its A7 Lite Tablet (WiFi+LTE, 32- the agency to select Elon human lunar lander. around the Moon. tion to industry to maximize
an increase in enrolment ing-edge content, peda- distinctive mentoring GB)exclusively configured Musk-run SpaceX over Blue In a fresh statement, Nelson announced the efficiencies in the Space
from 9,000 students to gogy and mentoring for stu- programme launched in the to use the Shubhra Ranjan Origin. In retaliation, Blue NASA Administrator Bill Orion spacecraft develop- Launch System (SLS) enter-
16,000 UPSC & 10,000 SPSC dents all across India.Our wake of the Covid pan- Tablet App.The course lec- Origin applied to the US Nelson admitted that owing ment cost now is $9.3 billion prise and also has asked in-
aspirants. multi-modal learning ap- demic, proved itself when tures are relayed on the tab- Government Accountability to “recent lawsuit and other from fiscal year 2012. dustry partners to build
“There is ahuge de- proach offers students flex- SRIAS’ students bagged 8 of let, followed by Q&A ses- Office (GAO) in April, and factors, the first human land- The Artemis II mission spacesuits and provide
mand-supply imbalance ibility and choice to enrol for the Top 50 ranks in the re- sions. Hundreds of course put SpaceX’s lunar lander ing under Artemis is likely includes sending astronauts spacewalk services for Inter-
that exists today in the Civil courses through our tradi- cent UPSC CSE 2020 results. lecturesare also available in contract on hold for 95 days. no earlier than 2025.” aboard Orion farther into national Space Station and
Services coaching industry tional classrooms, our tab- SRIAS’ students have consis- recorded format on the tab- The GAO squashed its “We’re pleased with the space than any humans Artemis programme mis-
in India. Despite it being a lets or our regional centres,” tently secured almost 10% let. challenge, arguing that US Court of Federal Claims’ have ever travelled before, sions.
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Indian Express, Financial Express, The Hindu, Business Line, The Times of India, The Economic Times,
Hindustan Times, Business Standard, First India, Mint, Greater Kashmir, Greater Jammu, The Himalayan,
The Tribune, Brill Express, The Sikh Times, Avenue Mail, Western Times, Millennium Post, The Statesman,
State Times, The Pioneer, Hans India, Free Press, Orissa Post, Mumbai Mirror, Mid-Day, Deccan Chronicle,
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दै निक जागरण, राजस्थाि पत्रिका, दै निक भास्कर, ह द
िं स्
ु ताि, िवभारत टाइम्स, त्रिज़िस स्टैंडडड, अमर उजाला,पिंजाि
केसरी, उत्तम ह न्द,ू जिसत्ता, लोकसत्ता, ररभूमम, द पायिीयर,जागरूक टाइम्स, राष्ट्रीय स ारा, दै निक हरब्यूि, युवा
गोरव, भारतीय स ारा, स्विंतिंि वाताड, सीमा सिंदेश, दै निक सवेरा,एक्शि इिंडडया, मदरलैंड वॉइस, दे शििंध,ु ह माचल दस्तक,
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6 EDIT INDORE / BHOPAL | THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 11, 2021
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Life laughs at you when you are unhappy. Life smiles
at you when you are happy. But, life salutes you when you make others happy."
— CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Identify bribe-takers Insight ways that outsiders cannot grasp. The showy
lifestyles of the uber-rich few obscure the dis-
tress of the indebted many. The desperation to
unemployment rate higher than the national
average. Punjab is one of the five worst states
in this respect. Nor have governments invest-
affect the outcome of the elections. Farmers
are not a homogenous class and have different
concerns, so they vote along lines of caste,
T A
he Bofors and Rafale deals have one thing in common. s the curtain lifts on the 16th episode of one symptom of the malaise. The trouble is that the political discourse in With the Congress in shambles, the AAP is
In the case of the former, it was Swedish Radio which re- ‘Punjab assembly elections’, a mud- The deindustrialisation of Punjab was a Punjab revolves around agriculture, because the frontrunner. If anyone can usher in the
ported first that a bribe was paid to Indian politicians, dled scenario presents itself. Four sig- tragedy foretold. At a time when other states politics is dominated by the land-owning Jat elusive ‘hope factor’, it is Arvind Kejriwal, a
bureaucrats and middlemen by the Swedish gun manufactur- nificant players are in the fray. None of them were wooing industry with incentives like tax Sikh community. Industry gets short shrift, genuinely ‘new’ face and the only one with a
er in a deal worth $1.4 billion. Nobody questioned the utility of has a distinctive agenda. The mood is dark, holidays, cheap power, low-cost land, capital and rarely figures in assembly debates, be- good track record in governance. But at the
the 410 field Howitzer guns India purchased. They played a sig- and the ‘hope factor’ is missing. Can a hero subsidy and ease of doing business reforms, cause it is of no concern to legislators from ei- end of the day, he is an outsider. The Congress
nificant role in the Kargil war. In the case of the Rafale deal un- emerge and infuse a sense of optimism in a Punjab was going in the opposite direction. ther the opposition or the ruling party. is relying on the ‘dalit’ factor, courtesy Chief
der which 36 fighter aircraft were bought, a French media com- state that has been in steady decline for over High power tariffs and rates of taxation esca- Power tariffs for industry are high because of Minister Charanjit Channi, but will have to
pany, Mediaport, has reported that a bribe of €7.5 million was two decades? lated the costs of business. Add to that the on- the overriding compulsion to provide free pow- contend with AAP and the SAD-BSP alliance,
paid to middlemen by aircraft manufacturer Dassault Avia- Whether it is the resurgent AAP, the ruling slaught of cheap Chinese goods. er to the agricultural sector. Cesses intended for which appeal to the same bloc. It has gone to
tion through some firms in Mauritius between 2007 and 2012. Congress, the marginalised BJP, the frag- The SMEs that could afford to relocate, left. development are used to meet the ever-increas- great lengths to appease maverick PCC chief
When the Rafale deal was struck on September 23, 2016, mented SAD or the ‘martyred’ Captain The once-thriving industry of Punjab became ing subsidy bill. As arrears mount, so do bor- Navjot Singh Sidhu, in the hope that he will
mainly at the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Amarinder Singh (still the tallest leader in the a wasteland. Garments shifted to Madhya rowings and debt servicing charges, leaving bring in Jat votes.
Congress had alleged that kickbacks were involved. However, state), the rhetoric is the same: preserve the If the alliance between Captain Amarinder
the party could not come up with any evidence whatsoever to
pin down the government. The Supreme Court also refused to
Panth, repeal the Farm Laws 2020, wave the
‘Khalistan’ bogie, tackle drug abuse and most
Four significant players are in the fray for the Punjab assembly Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and the BJP
pans out, a resolution to the farmers’ stir is es-
intervene, forcing the Opposition to sulk on the sidelines. In of all, continue and expand the freebie cul- polls but none of them has a distinctive agenda. The mood is sential. After all, the Captain was the first CM
the meantime, the aircraft proved itself a deterrent in the re- ture of Punjab. to speak out against the Farm Laws and still
cent showdown India had with China in the Leh sector. No- The inconvenient truths of a state-on-the- dark, and the ‘hope factor’ is missing maintains that he is opposed to them.
body, not even the Congress, questions the usefulness of Rafale brink have no place in electoral grandstand- Then there’s Punjab’s historic anti-cen-
to strengthen India’s air defence. ing. As the head of the sixth state finance com- Pradesh, pharmaceuticals to Haryana, steel very little for capital investment. trism. The Captain’s strong nationalist streak
The question is whether a bribe was paid to strike the deal. mission recently observed, Punjab has the to Chhattisgarh. Machine tools, sporting The agricultural sector’s dependence on free on the one hand, and commitment to federal-
Mediaport even specifies the amount paid. Now, there is a full- highest per capita expenditure on salaries and goods, woollens - all have suffered. Hero Cy- power stems from the fact that most farmers ism on the other, appealed to voters. While he
fledged war of words between the Congress and the BJP. The pensions, the highest per capita debt and debt cles, synonymous with Ludhiana, is among are locked into the water-intensive wheat-pad- is on the same page as the BJP on the former,
ruling party has called the Indian National Congress (INC) as servicing charges, and the lowest capital ex- the handful still soldiering on. dy cycle. The social costs of agricultural prac- he will have to convert the latter to anti-Con-
an ‘I Need Commission’ party. What lends credence to the penditure. And no amount of moustache- Punjab was already at a geographical disad- tices in Punjab are profound: diminishing wa- gressism. He carries the burden of anti-in-
BJP’s attack is that the period when the bribe of Rs 65 crore twirling or chest-thumping by politicians can vantage, as a landlocked border state without ter tables, pollution of soil, water and air and cumbency and non-performance, but could
was paid was between 2007 and 2012 when the Congress was in obscure these harsh facts. easy access to a major port. Raw materials rural indebtedness. R&D in agriculture focus- well prove a spoiler for the Congress.
power at the Centre. The deal was struck two years after the Earlier this year, the state government was and goods must be transported over great dis- es mainly on new varieties of wheat and rice, One can only hope that at least one of the
Modi government came to power in 2014. severely jolted by a NITI Aayog report that tances, so freight costs are high. Another pain rather than crop diversification. parties or alliances in the fray will produce a
One possible scenario is that commission was collected from said Punjab’s per capita income had fallen be- point for industry is the lack of adequate in- Rolling back or even rationalising farm sub- meaningful manifesto with a credible plan for
the French company when the negotiations for purchase of 126 low the national average, and indignantly frastructure. Successive governments have sidies would be the kiss of death for any politi- an economic turnaround, and belie the pre-
Medium Multiple Combat Aircraft were initiated. The Man- contested the figures. Whether Punjab is be- failed to address these issues. cal regime bold enough to join the dots between vailing sentiment that no matter who wins,
mohan Singh government wasted nearly seven years without low or marginally above the national average, So, Punjab is simply not competitive vis-a- competitive sops and the state’s economic col- Punjab will continue to lose.
buying a single aircraft. The Congress also has a point — why there’s no getting around the unpleasant vis other states and shows no desire to make lapse. Farmers are determined to maintain the
does the government not order an inquiry into the kickbacks truth that it trails behind Haryana and Hi- the transition to high value-added products status quo, and thus, are easy prey to rumours The writer is a senior journalist with 35 years of
paid by Dassault Aviation? The slugfest over Bofors cost the na- machal Pradesh, states that were carved out and services. Forward-looking policy initia- that output and input subsidies in the form of experience in working with major newspapers and
tion enormously, yielding precious little. Nonetheless, the Me- of its territory. tives like industrial parks and development of MSP, power and fertilisers, will be phased out. magazines. She is now an independent writer & author
diaport revelation necessitates an inquiry to identify and pun-
T
he exasperation of the Supreme Court over the way the It was populism that stunted the apparel the world has opted to use more MMF fibres.
Uttar Pradesh government has been tackling the
Lakhimpur Kheri killings is apparent in its loud think- Watch industry in India and prevented the setting up
of integrated facilities under one roof.
Protection works in strange ways to ren-
der industries uncompetitive. India appears
ing. The Bench headed by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana As a result, the industry moved to other to have specialised in the formulation of
plans to entrust the task of monitoring the investigation to a for-
�RN Bhaskar countries. As Arvind Subramaniam points such policies.
mer judge of another high court. The court is upset over the out in his brilliant talk on the Indian econo- There are many who praise the textile parks
lackadaisical manner in which the state has been dealing with When people learn no tools of judgment my, India failed to grow even when China be- policy and the PLI scheme for T&A. The best
the case and its own inability to bring the investigation back on and merely follow their hopes, the seeds of gan moving out of textiles. China had recent- analysis of the disadvantages of the PLI
track. What is happening is a reflection of the limitations under political manipulation are sown. ly vacated businesses worth around $150 bil- scheme can be found in the speech by Arvind
the division of powers between the executive and the judiciary. — Stephen Jay Gould lion on account of higher wages. India, at Panagariya. Arvind Subramaniam too refers
True, the Supreme Court is, as the name itself suggests, the best, gained just 15 per cent of that. to the short-sightedness of the PLI scheme.
B
supreme judicial institution. However, it can only issue orders y every reckoning, Indian legislators Such findings were also borne out by No- Already WTO data shows India’s share of ex-
which have to be implemented by the executive. In the instant should have known that business should mura in 2019. It too pointed out how -- that of ports slipping.
case, it is local police who have to investigate the case and pun- be left to businessmen. Each time, sagac- the 56 companies that sought to move out of Textile analysts have another complaint
ish the guilty. There are two main cases, one in which a convoy ity was abandoned in favour of populism. China as labour costs were climbing -- only about the PLI. Is this incentive meant to sub-
of vehicles led by the son of a Union Minister, which deliber- So, it was with the rationing out of capital three opted to come to India. India’s allure sidise capital expenditure? The PLI does not
ately ran over a gathering of farmers blocking the road at for industry, the licences required for enhanc- was fast fading. promote labour-intensive sectors. Currently,
Lakhimpur Kheri. Five persons, including a journalist, were ing production, the quota system for doling Flawed policies: Just look at the numbers. In- the subsidies and incentives make the strong
crushed to death. out export rights to the favoured, the import dia’s share of the textile and apparel (T&A) It was populism that stunted the stronger, and the weak weaker. Already, both
In an instant violent reaction, the farmers lynched three of the duties to protect a few favoured domestic pro- export market (in 2019) was just 3.4 per cent. apparel industry in India and GST and other policies (like MMF pricing)
BJP workers to death. While one was a deliberate attempt to ducers, and now the rules behind the PLI (pro- China’s was 31 per cent. Even Bangladesh had have caused the textile industry to shrink.
overawe the farmers and “teach them a lesson”, the other was a duction-linked incentives). It was always the performed better than India at 8.5 per cent prevented the setting up of Finally, the PLI gives the bureaucrat more
spontaneous, though unacceptable, reaction to the attack. The
minister’s son was present in the convoy and he allegedly wield-
same story. Policymakers thought they knew
how business ought to be done. The result, in-
and is still growing. A closer look shows that
China continues to remain strong despite
integrated facilities under one power to decide who should be on the list and
with what benefits. It queers the pitch for al-
ed a gun. Yet, police refused to arrest him initially. It was only af- variably, was loss of business, industrial sick- higher costs. What hurts India is the absence roof. As a result, the industry location of capital that businessmen are bet-
ter the Supreme Court’s intervention that Ashish Mishra was ness, and consequently, loss of market share. of an ecosystem that failed to develop because ter at deciding.
arrested. The attempt is more to protect him than to punish Babus as gods: It was logical that apparel of flawed policies.
moved to other countries As for textile parks, analysts believe that the
him, though there is forensic evidence that his gun was used, ei- should have become the most profitable sec- The government’s inability to enter suitable best thing that the government could do is to
ther for self-protection or to scare the mob. tor for the textile industry, with the highest FTAs (free trade agreements) with importing few chosen industrialists, it has begun pro- get the same consultants who helped set up
The apex court has fears that the one-man inquiry commis- value added. Instead of allowing the industry countries is one factor. Bangladesh, Vietnam, tecting domestic industry by increasing tar- the textile parks in Vietnam. Not a single In-
sion headed by former judge of the Allahabad High Court, Jus- to climb the value chain, India made low- and even Pakistan, have extremely favourable iffs. India has one of the highest tariffs dian textile park comes close to that model. In-
tice P K Srivastava, which has been tasked with submitting an hanging segments more attractive. So, small- FTAs as far as T&A exports are concerned. In- among T&A exporting countries. One of the stead, like the infamous SEZ (special econom-
inquiry report into the October 3 incident, might not be able to er cottage enterprises flourished. They were dia needs to move fast on this front. items that has seen tariff increases is man- ic zone) policy announced by the previous
do justice to the task. It is a moot point whether the retired content with making simple apparel like kur- Its inability to stomp out the recourse to made fibres (MMF), which is a key input in government, this too will become more of a
judge of another high court is better equipped to do the tas. The move into more capital-intensive and reservations without merit has only encour- garment exports. real estate play than an industry asset.
job when police and the administrative machinery are con- sophisticated apparel-making (of items like aged many states to clamour for sons-of-the- Protectionism: As a result, while India is com- Can India’s garment exports see a boost?
trolled by those very persons who want to protect the guilty. A shirts and jackets) was retarded. Policymak- soil reservations. fortable with cotton and silk – it is the largest Best to keep your fingers crossed.
better option would be for the apex court itself to monitor the ers wanted to play god. They wanted to decide The government’s penchant for populism producer of both – the policy on MMF has
case on its own. which promoter should be allowed to expand goes even further. To curry favour from a hurt the textile industry. The author is consulting editor with FPJ
G
lobalisation has been seen as a planetary only a fraction of the society.
phenomenon, which has always appeared As everyone knows, globalisation is only a small
under several aspects: informational, cul- bit of economic philosophy or policy, and one must
tural, economic or political. Although some ana- know the all-inclusive worldview or philosophy of
lysts consider it a beneficial phenomenon, other which it forms a part. Without viewing it in the full
analysts have called it into question for its disas- context, one may have an erroneous view of it.
trous effects on developing nations. During the last Like, the globalisation of business and trade with-
two decades, there has been a growing trend to- out a global view of the society as a global family
wards globalisation of trade and commerce and a would lead to social tensions and economic strife,
free-market economy. Academic economists be- which we are experiencing today.
lieve that these steps would give a spurt to forces of Also, globalisation in economics is an outward-
competitiveness, efficiency, better job opportuni- looking view. If it has no corresponding inward-
ties and generation of more wealth and prosperity. looking view, it would unleash bitter competition.
But one has to consider not just these benefits but In the absence of the inward-looking balancing
also the overall consequences of globalisation and forces, it would lead to stark materialism and com-
free play of market forces. No one can deny that mercialism, diminishing or setting at nought the
every human action emanates from a person's values of sympathy, kindness, compassion, world-
awareness of a set of values — right or wrong, and brotherhood, co-operation and so on.
so also globalisation, too, is based on a set of val- Thus, it would not only destabilise the financial
ues. Competitiveness, efficiency, etc., form just one markets but create disharmony in human rela-
set of values. One has to see what kind of forces tions as well. It would then become a potent an-
these values further set in motion and what is the tithesis of the moral and spiritual view. Hence it
overall effect or result of these forces on the socie- should be clearly understood that globalisation in
ty as a whole and not just on the businessmen and business and trade, without its spiritual counter-
industrialists and their employees who constitute part, would be a distorted value.
(Spiritual organisations keen to be featured in this space contact : features@fpj.co.in)
Chinese set up posts in Ladakh area ONE FLEW OVER THE NEST #FoamingYamuna THURSDAY’S SWIPE
THE FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI, AUG. 26: Greatest environmental irony, ground water used in Delhi to settle the foam over surface
water, of polluted river Yamuna. Yamuna is in ICU and it's been offered paracetamol by
Prime Minister Nehru disclosed in the Lok Sabha today that Delhi Jal Board, height of misgovernance and falsehood.
Chinese were virtually in control of the 20 kilometres Vimlendu Jha@vimlendu
demilitarised zone in Ladakh, where India had not established
civil or military posts. I'd think declare a code Red. No swimming. Definitely no dipping in the water. Stop
using it for any sort of water for the city. And immediately set up an enquiry panel to
He said that the Chinese had set up a number of civil and report back in a given period. And set up constant monitoring teams. Also somebody
military posts in that region. In the NEFA area India had some needs to resign.
civil posts. One Big Zero@OBZ_dechen
He also officially disclosed that since April this year, the Chinese
All govts are spending billions of Rupees to appease masses for vote bank. Why they are
had made 10 intrusions into our territory and also committed an ignoring environment because masses don't care for environment. When a common person
equal number of violations on our air space. Protests had been will prioratize env for his health over freebies then only govts will be serious to care for it
lodged with the Chinese Government on these provocative akrawat@akrawat2003
activities and the Colombo Powers were also informed about the
Cleaning Yamuna needs coordinated effort on part of Delhi, Haryana and UP govts. On
matter. The Prime Minister also confirmed that the Chinese the Delhi side, AAP has started the process rolling of cleaning Yamuna. At the moment
officers were touring Pakistan border areas. they are trying to keep the toxic foam and effluents out through barricades and boats.
Pak denial Andolanjeevi Cauliflowerputri@Sun_e_strokes
However, he said Pakistan Foreign Office had issued a denial.
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