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THE HINDU

8 Saturday, June 29, 2024

Editorial Delhi

Preaching consensus, provoking confrontation


O
n June 4, 2024, the verdict of our unhesitatingly and unequivocally. That less than surprising given the communal invective and
country’s electorate was delivered three years later the party that was humbled in blatant falsehoods that the Prime Minister
A fresh start clearly and resoundingly. It signalled a
personal, political, and moral defeat
March 1977 was returned to power, with a
majority never achieved by Mr. Modi and his
inflicted on the people during the election
campaign. He provocatively escalated the
The GST Council must not lose sight for a Prime Minister who had awarded himself a party, is also very much part of that history. rhetoric out of fear that the election was slipping
divine status during the campaign. The verdict away from him, showing complete disregard for
of broader reforms negated not only such pretensions, but it was also Sonia Gandhi Issues that need extensive debate the dignity and maryada of his position.

T
he Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council an unequivocal rejection of the politics of Member of We need to look ahead. The bizarre and In February 2022, the BJP and its allies got a
was convened last week for the first time divisiveness, discord and hatred, a repudiation of Parliament (Rajya unprecedented suspension of 146 Members of convincing majority in the Assembly elections in
in nearly nine months. With 11 new State both the substance and style of governance of Mr. Sabha), is Parliament, who were legitimately demanding a Manipur. Yet, within 15 months, Manipur began
Ministers on board and a recalibrated NDA go- Narendra Modi. Chairperson of the discussion on a deplorable breach of Parliament’s to burn — or should it be said was allowed to
vernment at the Centre, the Council began afresh Congress security, was clearly a way of ensuring that three begin to burn. Hundreds of people have been
with a loaded agenda of clarifications, tweaks, The fading of accommodation Parliamentary Party far-reaching criminal justice laws could be passed killed and thousands dislocated. Social harmony
forbearances, and other procedural changes, Yet, the Prime Minister continues as if nothing without any discussion. Several legal experts and in this most sensitive State has been shattered.
based on industry feedback and vetted by offi- has changed. He preaches the value of consensus many others have expressed grave concerns Yet, the Prime Minister has not found either the
cials, that awaited its nod. Acknowledging that it but continues to value confrontation. There is not about these laws. Should these laws not be kept time or the inclination to visit the State nor to
could not conclude deliberations on all that had the slightest evidence that he has come to terms in abeyance till they have undergone fuller meet with its political leaders.
accumulated on its plate, the Council has re- with the electoral outcome, or understood the Parliamentary scrutiny in keeping with accepted It is no wonder that his party has lost both the
solved to meet again in August to take up the rest verdict and has reflected on the message sent to parliamentary practice and especially since the Lok Sabha seats there, but this does not seem to
of the items. Yet, it is quite creditable that the him by millions of voters. The first few days of the electoral verdict of 2024? have had any impact on his most insensitive
Council could, over an afternoon preceded by 18th Lok Sabha have, sadly, been far from Similarly, amendments to forest conservation handling of the crisis that has engulfed Manipur’s
Union Budget consultations with States, arrive at encouraging. Any hope that we might see a and biological diversity protection forest laws variegated society.
a consensus on a flurry of issues aimed at easing changed attitude has been dashed. Any hope that were pushed through last year when there was The Prime Minister diminished himself by the
the lot of taxpayers, reducing litigation, and even a new spirit of mutual respect and uproar and chaos in Parliament. An ecological campaign he ran for over 40 days. His words did
providing tax relief on some items. To help stu- accommodation, let alone camaraderie would be and humanitarian disaster is awaiting us as the untold damage to our social fabric and to the
dents, hostel accommodation costing up to fostered, has been belied. Great Nicobar project is pushed through. Should dignity of the office he is privileged to hold. It is
₹20,000 a month has been exempted from GST I would like to remind readers what the INDIA they also not be revisited to give meaning to the for him to reflect and introspect and recognise
altogether, along with railway services availed by bloc parties told the Prime Minister when his Prime Minister’s stated desire for consensus and that in rejecting his call for 400-plus
passengers. A uniform 12% rate has been ap- emissaries sought unanimity for the post of for passage of laws after full debate and parliamentary seats, crores of our people — to
proved for packing cartons, milk cans, and solar Speaker. The response was simple and discussion? whom he promises sabka saath, sabka vikas —
cookers, doing away with confusing classification straightforward: we said that we would support On the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test sent a powerful message, that they had had
differences based on material or technologies. the government — but in keeping with convention (NEET) scandal that has wreaked havoc on the enough.
Apart from several industry-specific measures, and tradition, it was only fair and to be expected lives of lakhs of our youth, the immediate
a few of which will kick in with retrospective ef- that the post of Deputy Speaker would be given to response of the Education Minister was to deny The Opposition will reflect India’s voice
fect, the Council also opted to waive interest and a member from the ranks of the Opposition. This the magnitude of what has happened. The Prime The INDIA bloc parties have made it clear that
penalty on tax dues for the first three years of perfectly reasonable request was found Minister who does his ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ has they do not seek a confrontationist attitude. The
GST, provided they are paid by March 2025. Mo- unacceptable by a regime that, it bears recall, had been conspicuously silent on the leaks that have Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has
reover, it lowered the stipulated pre-deposits for not filled the Constitutional position of Deputy devastated so many families across the country. offered cooperation. The leaders of the
filing appeals, including those that will be filed Speaker in the 17th Lok Sabha. The inevitable ‘high power committees’ have constituents of the alliance have made clear that
with the upcoming GST Appellate Tribunals, and And then, the Emergency was dredged up by been constituted, but the real issue is how the they are looking to being productive in
approved a new form for taxpayers to correct er- the Prime Minister and his party — astonishingly, There is no professionalism of educational institutions such Parliament and to impartiality in the conduct of
rors or oversights in previous returns. Beyond even by the Speaker whose position is evidence that as the National Council of Educational Research its proceedings. It is our hope that the Prime
nitty-gritties, the Council also signed off on end- incompatible with any public political stance the Prime and Training, the University Grants Commission Minister and his government will respond
ing the anti-profiteering clause that required other than one of strict impartiality. This attempt Minister has and universities themselves have been so deeply positively. The initial evidence does not augur
firms to pass on any tax cut gains to customers, to divert attention away from the assault on the come to terms damaged in the last 10 years. well, but we in the Opposition are committed to
and mandating biometric-based Aadhaar authen- Constitution, on its foundational principles and with the Meanwhile, the campaign of violence and restoring balance and productivity in Parliament,
tication for all GST registrations in a phased man- values, on the institutions it has created and intimidation against India’s minorities has once to ensure that the voice of the millions who have
electoral
ner across India. The former will quell a difficult- empowered, does not augur well for the smooth again intensified. In Bharatiya Janata Party sent us there as their representatives is heard and
to-implement industry irritant, and one hopes functioning of Parliament. outcome or has (BJP)-ruled States, bulldozers are again their concerns are raised and addressed. We live
the latter will effectively ease the registration pro- It is a fact of history that in March 1977 the reflected on the demolishing the homes of minorities based on in hope that the Treasury benches will step
cess that some say has become cumbersome in people of our country gave a categorical verdict message sent to mere allegations, violating due process, and forward so that we can fulfil our democratic
recent times, while curbing fraud perpetrated on the Emergency, which was accepted him by voters inflicting collective punishment. None of this is duties.
through fake invoicing. The ground-level impact
of these moves may depend on the fine print that
may follow, but the intent to simplify and declut-
ter the seven-year old indirect tax regime is clear.
It is refreshing that the Council also plans to take
stock of the 2021 plan to rationalise the multiple-
Tuning into the narratives in the American election
rate GST structure, that has been in cold storage

I
for a while, when it meets next. The apex GST bo- n this year of successive world-wide the two are sharply divided. De-industrialisation, place in society has been taken over by
dy must not only revive and expedite GST rate re- elections, the issues in the United States deregulation since the 1990s, job losses, and evangelical movements and gun lobbies, which
forms but also incorporate a road map to bring presidential election, to be held in agribusiness suffering have affected the rural attract strong support among rural communities.
excluded items such as petroleum and electricity November, have not yet aroused considerable areas deeply and magnified these differences. Support for unions appears still high among the
into the GST net while rejigging tax rates. scrutiny. Yet, 1892 was the last time an President Biden has tried to rectify this but has American public, and Mr. Biden was the first U.S.
immediately former President was contesting not received any credit for his initiatives because President ever to join a picket line, but this factor
with his successor incumbent. The election’s Krishnan the rural and semi-urban areas remain feeling is not likely to help his campaign for a second

Debt trap main issues will cover immigration, democracy,


foreign policy, abortion and Donald Trump’s
Srinivasan
a former Foreign
discriminated against. Mr. Biden knows very well
that the rural vote needs more attention, but it
term.

Kenya must find ways to service its debt indictments. In the current deeply polarised Secretary will take decades for such a divide to be properly Factors now present
setting, opinion polls show that supporters of the rectified. Four danger signals seem key to the future of
without punishing its people former Republican President, Donald Trump, will In industry, employment levels are good but American democracy: extreme partisan
do so again; and the same applies to the current inequality is still grave. A great deal of current polarisation; social questions of ‘belonging’, such

T
he Kenyan President’s decision to rush
through Parliament an IMF-backed fi- Democrat President, Joe Biden’s followers. investment goes into hi-tech, high-skilled, as anti-immigration and racism; high economic
nance Bill that sought to increase taxes high-salaried jobs, but many of these projects are inequality and executive aggrandisement,
on everything from imported sanitary pads and The economy, the perception long term in gestation. Republicans tend to avoid namely, when a leader expands his/her power
tyres to bread and fuel backfired, with protesters The economy has become an important issue in involvement in the economy, but, here too, beyond the customary checks and balances.
storming a section of the Parliament on Tuesday. the November presidential elections; normally, Republican opinion seems to be changing. Mr. Some experts feel that all four factors are now
After the protests, which rights groups said had the economy should be decisive since history Trump has been talking of a 10% across-the-board present in the United States.
left at least 23 people killed and 200 injured, Pre- shows that a sitting President with a strong tariff but this will add to inflation and increase Mr. Trump was unwelcoming to immigrants,
sident William Ruto announced that he would economy gets re-elected. But different economic each family’s expenditure by $1,500-$2,500 every and by the end of his term, public support for
not sign the Bill. The Kenyan government could indicators are travelling in different directions; year. immigration had risen. Mr. Trump’s policies on
have avoided this bloody confrontation had it some are positive, with low unemployment and a immigration will prove inflationary since he
paid more attention to the public mood. The go- rising stock market, but negatives also appear in The approaches to trade wishes to deport thousands of low-wage earners.
vernment’s plan was to raise an extra 200 billion the high interest rate which affects everyone In trade policy, there are clear differences Mr. Biden is more welcoming, but perhaps more
Kenyan shilling (some $1.55 billion) in taxes. Ear- using credit. The rate of inflation has not come between the Biden and Trump approaches. Mr. so than the American public at large wanted, and
lier this year, the country had reached a deal with down, nor have prices even after the COVID-19 Trump is no believer in multilateralism, and he mismanaged border issues.
the IMF to secure $941 million in additional lend- pandemic, though incomes have gone up. during his tenure used tariffs to leverage better This is now a contentious issue even among
ing. In subsequent talks in Nairobi, they agreed to The good aspects of the economy take time to bilateral trade deals. Mr. Biden retained some of Democrats and will be another factor going into
reforms, including tax increases, to stabilise the impact the public, unlike the negatives. Mr. Biden these tariffs but lowered others for Europeans, the elections. Mr. Biden tried to outflank the
country’s debt-battered financial situation. The is considered a better economic manager than for example, to block Chinese steel and Republicans with a bipartisan bill that the
IMF deal triggered street protests. But the go- Mr. Trump, and 65% of the electorate appears to aluminium in order to limit the high carbon used Democrats would not normally have agreed to,
vernment still went ahead with the plan to im- think that the economy is in good or very good to make these in China. The age of neo-liberal but Mr. Trump gave Mr. Biden a lifeline by
pose additional taxes on the country of 54 million shape. But whether this will be a steady trend or fundamentalist Democratic policies seems to be opposing it; Mr. Biden will now lose fewer votes
people, a third of whom still live in poverty. only a momentary reaction cannot be In the Biden over, while on the Republican side, the debate as a result.
The government argues that its hands were anticipated, remembering that Mr. Trump’s versus Trump continues; the libertarians are very powerful but Opinion polls suggest that Democrat support
tied as the country struggles to repay its huge pre-pandemic economy was quite strong. Most face-off, the core there are nascent signs of rebellion against them. among minorities such as African-Americans,
debt burden — domestic and foreign debt was a voters are not focusing on the economy — at least Regarding the unions, in some regions Latinos and Asian-Americans is slipping. But all
issues to shape
staggering $80 billion last year, accounting for for now. blue-collar workers have become newly these polls have a small sample size and the shifts
Polarisation in American society covers social the November unionised at a time when the recent trend has could be small, and more marked among men
nearly three-fourths of its GDP. The government
spent more than half of its revenue servicing issues as well as the urban versus election exist seen the union movement decreasing. Unions than women. Nevertheless, they give cause for
debts last year. The crisis is an indictment of the rural/semi-urban divide. The latter since the but have still to have been helpful socially and assisted the the Democratic candidate in a few key States to
development model Kenya and several other 1990s are Republican, the former Democrat and stir up scrutiny Democrats, but with de-industrialisation, their be worried.
countries in the continent follow. Kenya, one of
the fastest growing countries in Africa, has bor-
rowed heavily from multinational lenders such as LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
the World Bank and the IMF as well as bilateral
partners such as China, to finance its infrastruc- Talking about Emergency history instead of debating engaged in cutting the roots was certainly a need to of February, with the 1,000 government seats
ture projects. But growth tanked and expenses The President of India contemporary issues. of democracy. keep India’s memory alive notification in late January. available across India. Our
rocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic years. mentioning the Emergency Kshirasagara Balaji Rao, Pulipaka Moorthy Kumar, to an event that highlights The authorities went ahead cause always goes
The Ukraine war has led to a spike in global food that was imposed by the Hyderabad Nazerpet, Tenali, Andhra Pradesh the downside to the with the exam despite a unnoticed as we are not
and energy prices, hitting African economies. Congress-led government in temptations of power. That court ruling that the exams considered to be an
When the advanced countries increased interest 1975, in her first address to I am 85 years old and have It is not necessary for the the Congress, the claimant of NEET MDS and NEET PG important part of the
rates to fight inflation, the payment burden of Parliament after the 2024 worked in the central BJP to illuminate the to India’s oldest political should be conducted medical fraternity.
debt-ridden countries ballooned. In Africa, Zam- general election, was government. The attempt to Congress’s dark past. The tradition, chose to go on the around the same time as Gayathri,
bia and Ghana defaulted on their payments, and unusual (Page 1, June 28). harp on the Emergency is party has faced the defensive, is a reminder the counselling process. The Thiruvananthapuram
then reached agreements with their creditors to There is no doubt that the unwarranted. That Mrs consequences of its actions. that remorse is a rare recent developments of
restructure debt. Mr. Ruto, who came to power in Emergency episode was a Gandhi was re-elected after The ruling party seems to emotion in politics. paper leaks, the NTA’s Fourth bridge collapse
2022, has promised to address the debt problem. nightmare but most people the Emergency must not be be unable to digest the Jayanthy Subramaniam, deeds and indefinite Reports of bridges
But he has been unimaginative and conventional, in India have forgotten forgotten. The leader also changed composition of the Mumbai postponement of NEET PG collapsing in Bihar are proof
letting the unpopular IMF dictate one-sided poli- about it. Though the speech expressed her regrets over Lok Sabha. The way 2024 lead one to question of the extent of corruption.
cy measures. Now that the Bill has been with- had the line, “My the events. The people of parliamentary conduct has NEET MDS, counselling the decision to declare that When loot is the norm,
drawn, he will have to tread carefully. He has yet Government is continuously the country understood changed from day two is I had appeared for the NEET the counselling for NEET there is more in store for us
to spell out his next measures, besides saying that working for lasting peace in what had happened and evidence of this. MDS 2024 which was MDS will begin from July 1. (Inside pages, June 27).
austerity measures would be rolled out. He will the North-East”, there has acted. I do wish the people P. Paramasivan, conducted despite protests Unlike NEET PG which is V. Lakshmanan,
have to strike a balance between his people’s been no mention of the of this nation now recognise Chennai from aspirants of there attempted by around two Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
needs and Kenya’s creditors. Multinational and burning strife in Manipur. It the wolves and the power being inadequate time lakh people, the MDS exam Letters emailed to
bilateral lenders should help the debt-laden is a pity that the ruling mongers of today, who, On the anniversary of the between notification and has around 25,000 aspirants letters@thehindu.co.in
countries in Africa come out of this trap without party and its government at tactfully and with political dark event in the evolution examination. It was every year, in the backdrop must carry the full postal
punishing their poor populace. the Centre talk about ingenuity, are clandestinely of democracy in India, there conducted in March, instead of there being less than address.
CM M ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Saturday, June 29, 2024 9
GROUND ZERO
Delhi

We never imagined that Reddy would try and


shift the capital. Regardless of who the Chief
Minister is, they should ensure continuity of
governance.
GADDE TIRUPATI RAO
Managing trustee of Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi

lem, and Rushikonda.


“People wanted to purchase flats or sites when
the capital announcement was made, assuming
that the prices would see a drastic increase when
the capital work began,” says Koteswara Rao, a
realtor from the city.
The government formed a committee to select
suitable places for the offices of various depart-
ments, head offices, and the camp office of the
Chief Minister. It recommended using existing
structures as temporary offices. Some engineer-
ing colleges were also proposed to be used as go-
vernment buildings.
The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corpo-
ration and Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region
Development Authority developed roads in the
wards of the Bheemunipatnam Assembly Consti-
tuency, which had been neglected for years.
Residents say there were regular inspections
by government officials, YSRCP ministers, and
MLAs in the region. “They used to check the de-
velopment of roads and the feasibility of con-
structing some government blocks in the sur-
rounding areas of Rushikonda and
Bheemunipatnam,” says one resident. The
YSRCP government reportedly planned to make
the existing IT Towers and Special Economic
Zone region temporary office blocks.
“The present Greater Visakhapatnam Munici-
pal Corporation office was to be used as a Munici-
pal Administration and Urban Development De-
partment office. In contrast, a new office for the
Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation
was being allotted at the outskirts,” says a senior
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu inspects the Amaravati capital region. G.N. RAO roads and buildings department official.
Government officials and ministers began

The promised land


es that his wife, a computer operator working on looking for apartments in Madhurawada and
contract in the Thullur Mandal Revenue Office, Yendada, which are located close to Bheemuni-
lost her job because of the YSRCP. “Our child had patnam. The YSRCP government organised sev-
dressed up as Lord Venkateswara during the eral meetings, including an Investors Summit, to
protests against the capital shift. They fired her attract investments to Visakhapatnam.
on finding that out,” he says. In 2021, a major controversy erupted when the
Hundreds of farmers describe January 10, YSRCP government demolished the government-
The victory of Chandrababu Naidu has breathed life into Amaravati, his dream project that had turned to dust 2020, as “an unforgettable day”. This was when owned Haritha Resorts on Rushikonda Hill in
they embarked on a journey to the Kanaka Durga Bheemunipatnam Assembly Constituency, claim-
under the previous regime. However, it has also led to decreasing land prices in Visakhapatnam, which was temple in Vijayawada on foot to pray that Amara- ing that the space would be developed as a five-
touted by Jagan Mohan Reddy to be the administrative capital, and caused resentment in Kurnool, which was vati be retained as the capital of Andhra Pradesh star resort for tourism. The TDP, JSP, and BJP al-
proposed as the judicial capital. V. Raghavendra reports on public sentiment in Andhra Pradesh and were stopped by the police. “Several women leged that the YSRCP government was construct-
were injured in the clashes,” recalls Gottipati ing the Chief Minister’s residence by destroying a
Lakshmi, a farmer who was part of the protest. hill.
Besides affecting the people, the AP Capital Last October, a committee appointed by the
n Thullur in Guntur district of coastal And- mendations of a panel headed by the Minister for Development Authority Repeal Act, 2020, and YSRCP government said that the construction on

I hra Pradesh (AP), people still wince when


they remember the sound of armed police
personnel marching through the narrow
lanes of the village about four years ago.
Aluri Pavani, a farmer in her 50s, remembers
Not a single
day would
pass without
Municipal Administration, P. Narayana. The next
year, on October 22, the Prime Minister laid the
foundation stone for Amaravati at Uddandarayu-
nipalem village in Thullur Mandal.
A petition questioned the role of the Centre in
the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Develop-
ment of All Regions Act, 2020, which were in-
tended to split the capital into three parts,
sparked a major legal battle.
The Rajadhani Rythu Parirakshana Samithi, an
Rushikonda would be suitable for the Chief Minis-
ter’s camp office. When the YSRCP lost the elec-
tions in June this year, TDP and JSP leaders
barged into the site and alleged that the YSRCP
government was constructing the Chief Minis-
the time vividly. In early 2015, she had given 2.75 the police the State’s capital decision. The Supreme Court association of aggrieved farmers from the capital ter’s residence-cum-camp office at a staggering
acres of land to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) go- said the setting up of the capital city was within villages, along with other entities challenged the ₹500 crore.
cracking
vernment, headed by Chandrababu Naidu, the State government’s discretionary powers. YSRCP government’s decision in court soon after
which had announced its plan to build a new cap- down on Naidu was thrilled. He involved the Governments Reddy proposed the idea of three capitals. Optimism once again
ital, Amaravati, for AP. farmers who of Singapore and Japan and renowned architects On March 3, 2022, the YSRCP government was Now, with the TDP back in power, Amaravati has
The previous year, the combined State of AP spearheaded such as Foster + Partners to lend their expertise forced to beat a hasty retreat after the High Court come alive again. The sounds of more than 100
had been bifurcated into two, AP and Telangana, the agitation. in designing and building the capital city, which ruled that the government had no legislative earth-movers clearing the jungles and doing civil
and Hyderabad was stipulated to be the joint cap- A. RAJANI was to be spread over 217 sq km and span the competence to shift or even split the capital. The repair work have broken the eerie calm that has
ital for 10 years. From 2024, according to the Farmer erstwhile Guntur and Krishna districts. Court issued an order saying the government prevailed for the last five years. Farmers have
Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, AP “The TDP government had invited tenders should develop Amaravati as the capital within gone by foot to Tirumala to express gratitude to
would have its own capital. Amaravati, an impor- worth ₹48,000 crore for Phase-I of the capital ci- six months. Lord Venkateswara for TDP’s return to power.
tant centre of Hinduism and Buddhism in India, ty project and even made payments amounting However, during its hearing of a Special Leave Naidu says he intends to rebuild the capital as
was Naidu’s dream project. He said in 2015 that to nearly ₹9,000 crore for works that had been Petition filed by the YSRCP government against soon as possible on the basis of the old master
he envisioned a “smart, green, and sustainable completed,” recalls Narayana. the High Court order dated March 3, 2022, the Su- plan. “At a high-level review meeting, the govern-
city” that would be a “symbol of pride for the pe- Several villas and high-rise buildings were preme Court observed that the High Court was ment will arrive at the estimated cost of recon-
ople of Andhra Pradesh and India”. constructed to house judges, bureaucrats, elect- “not a town planner or engineer” to say that Am- struction,” says Narayana.
The project went on smoothly until early ed representatives of the State, and gazetted and aravati should be developed in a particular time Gadde Tirupati Rao, managing trustee of Ama-
2019. However, in May that year, the YSR non-gazetted officers in Amaravati. An interim frame. The Special Leave Petition is pending final ravati Parirakshana Samithi, a group of farmers
Congress Party (YSRCP) assumed power and government complex came up at Velagapudi, adjudication by the apex court. affected by the proposed capital shift, points out
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy proposed about 20 kilometres from Vijayawada. that the lands were given not to Naidu, but to the
three capitals instead — Visakhapatnam as the ex- All eyes on Visakhapatnam government. “We never imagined that Reddy
ecutive capital, Amaravati as the administrative A ghost city Meanwhile, with Reddy announcing Visakhapat- would try and shift the capital. Regardless of who
capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital. However, in 2019, all this came to a grinding halt nam as the executive capital, hectic political ac- the Chief Minister is, they should ensure conti-
The 28,736 farmers who had parted with a when the YSCRP government rode to power. tivity and infrastructure development began in nuity of governance,” he says.
combined 33,000 acres of land, as part of a Land Reddy believed in decentralisation. His govern- the coastal city in 2019. While TDP and Jana Sena The fact that the original Capital Region Deve-
Pooling Scheme in which they would be given a ment passed the Andhra Pradesh Capital Deve- Party ( JSP) leaders from other parts of the State lopment Authority Act of 2014 was restored by
developed plot of land in return, for the capital of lopment Authority Repeal Act, 2020. Promptly, questioned his decision, local TDP and JSP lead- the YSRCP government as a consequence of the
Amaravati were furious. all the new buildings constructed by the previous ers welcomed it given the public sentiment in High Court order has offered no solace to farmers
“Trying to stage protests on the streets be- TDP government were abandoned except the in- Visakhapatnam. as the dispute has still not been solved in the Su-
came the ‘new normal’ for us,” recalls Pavani. terim government complex. Amaravati turned There were several debates over where the ex- preme Court.
The police imposed Section 144 of the Code of into a ghost city overnight. Until June this year, ecutive capital should be located. After a series of With the YSRCP reduced to just 11 MLAs in the
Criminal Procedure, which prohibits the assemb- pipes, cables, and other construction material inspections, the YSRCP zeroed in on the Bheemu- 175-member Legislative Assembly, Naidu is likely
ly of four or more people in an area. “They made could be seen everywhere, gathering dust. Roads nipatnam region, located in south Visakhapat- to face little resistance to his ambitious plan. In
our lives miserable,” she continues. “We had to were lined with weeds. Dense vegetation had nam district, which is also considered the gate- the 2024 Assembly elections, the YSRCP was de-
confront the police all the time. The situation was grown around high-rise buildings. way to Visakhapatnam. feated in both the Mangalagiri and Tadikonda As-
so bad that we had to show our Aadhaar cards to Many people in the region say they lost a great The decision led to an increase in land prices. sembly constituencies in which Amaravati falls. It
step out of our homes.” deal due to the agony of the changing circum- Construction activity boomed in many parts of also did not win a single seat in the three urban
A. Rajani, a farmer from Thullur, says, “Not a stances. P. Bharat, a farmer who gave 2.5 acres of the city, especially Hanumanthuwaka, Arilova, constituencies of Visakhapatnam, and Kurnool.
single day would pass without the police cracking land for the capital to the TDP government, alleg- Marikavalasa, Madhurawada, Kommadi, PM Pa- One major challenge Naidu faces is the finan-
down on farmers who spearheaded the agitation cial crunch in the State. However, the Centre may
that went on for more than 1,600 days.” come to his aid as it is obliged under the AP Reor-
The people of Thullur, one of the 29 villages ganisation Act to extend financial support for
that constitute the capital region of the State, are capital development.
today hopeful because Naidu has come back to
power, but the cases booked against some of Resentment in Kurnool
them for violating the police curbs have not yet While Amaravati has begun to spring back to life,
been closed, they say. there is disappointment in Kurnool, which will
not become the judicial capital in the changed
Naidu’s dream capital circumstances.
AP has been grappling with the question of a cap- Lawyers say Naidu should fulfil his election
ital ever since bifurcation. In 2014, the Union Mi- promise of creating a High Court Bench in Kur-
nistry of Home Affairs set up the Sivaramakrish- nool, now that their hopes of having the principal
nan Committee to study possibilities for a new seat of the High Court in Kurnool are dashed gi-
capital for the State. The Committee said there ven the government’s plan of establishing a single
was no need for a “single super capital city” and capital city, Amaravati. The Reddy government
favoured decentralisation. It opposed a green- had established “quasi-judicial institutions” such
field capital as it believed that the costs of build- as Lokayukta and Human Rights Commission in
ing it were too high. However, the Committee ad- Kurnool as a prelude to its much-publicised slo-
ded that if the government still wished to gan of making Kurnool the judicial capital. The la-
construct a greenfield capital, it should search wyers hope that the two institutions will be al-
for locations where large parcels of government lowed to continue in Kurnool. “This is all we ask
land were available. now,” they say.
Notwithstanding the recommendations of the
Committee, in September 2014, Naidu finalised With inputs from Harish Gilai in Visakhapatnam
Amaravati as the capital on the basis of recom- A view of the Haritha Resorts on Rushikonda Hill in Bheemunipatnam Assembly constituency. V. RAJU and K. Uma Shankar in Kurnool
CM M ND-NDE
YK
6 . bl . think
DELHI

businessline.
SATURDAY - JUNE 29 - 2024

SATURDAY - JUNE 29, 2024

The vastness of
Sense of the House
Govt, Opposition should forge consensus in Parliament Mahalanobis’s
I n the first address of his third term as Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi talked about
consensus and the Opposition pressed on
about Constitutional values. But within the first
idea of data
week of the opening of the newly-elected Lok Sabha,
it appears that neither side seems to have actually A VISIONARY. The Father of Statistics in India not only
meant what they said. It is doubtful whether the pioneered the use of large-scale sample surveys but also laid
government’s stance will be more conciliatory in its the foundation for the integration of tech in statistical analysis
new avatar.
It has carried on as if it still commands a
brute majority in the House as was defining international standards, developing methodologies for the Mahalanobis once wrote, “Statistics
reflected by the election of the pro-tem concepts and methodologies in Official objective and representative collection must always have purpose, either in the
Speaker and the Speaker. The government Statistics. China, India’s ambitious of national-scale data between 1937 and pursuit of knowledge, or in promotion of
neighbour, who was also vying for a seat 1944. His innovative use of human welfare.” In 1931, when
overlooked the senior most MP, eight-term in the Commission, once had keen randomization in selecting units for monsoon floods were common in
Member K Suresh, for appointment as interest in the Indian Statistical system, sampling remains a cornerstone of eastern India, he conducted systematic
PRASU JAIN
pro-tem Speaker and appointed BJP MP PRAKHAR GARG which can be highlighted by the visit of modern statistical practices. He is also statistical studies on rainfall and floods
from Cuttack, Bhartuhari Mahtab. It was their then Prime Minister, Chou En Lai known for developing the Mahalanobis in Odisha and Bengal, leading to the

I
clear that hostilities of the just-concluded n a world riddled with algorithms, to the ISI, Kolkata, in 1956. D-square, a statistical measure of construction of the Hirakud Dam in
more than being humans, we PC Mahalanobis founded the Indian distance between two groups of objects, Odisha and the Durgapur Barrage in
Lok Sabha elections were being carried have come to be defined as data Statistical Institute (ISI) in 1931 which which is widely used in various scientific West Bengal for flood control.
into the House. Then came the election of points, universally categorised conducted numerous agricultural and and industrial domains. Mahalanobis was instrumental in
the Speaker. Indeed, of the last 17 Lok according to our data sets. Much socio-economic surveys back in the day. orchestrating different aspects of
Sabhas, the post of the Speaker has been like Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, which These efforts led to the establishment of ASSOCIATION WITH TAGORE planning in newly-independent India,
hasn’t been contested even by the most the National Sample Survey Office Mahalanobis’s contributions to statistics including the Second Five-Year Plan.
decided by election only three times. For brilliant minds in the last two hundred (NSSO), which continues to play a extended far beyond his initial work, as Recognising the importance of
the rest, the tradition has been to appoint a years, we started with a single digit ‘0’, crucial role in nationwide data collection he used data in unprecedented ways that technological advancements, he ensured
presiding officer based on consensus. But then onto binary, and finally evolved into for developmental planning. remain unmatched to this day. His that the ISI procured India’s first
both the government and the Opposition a myriad of complex mathematical Mahalanobis’s advocacy also led to the interest in statistics began almost by electronic digital computer in 1956,
problems, known as ‘algorithms’. Should creation of the Central Statistical Office, chance in 1915 when a delayed voyage followed by the second in 1959. His
forced an election by voice vote and that the joke be stretched too far, humans, in earning him the title of the Father of from England to India allowed him to foresight in embracing technology laid
signals the end of mutual respect and the end, are just numbers. But that is not Statistics in India. explore the subject. However, it was the foundation for the integration of
understanding that the Prime Minister had how it always has been Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Rabindranath Tagore who played a technological tools in statistical analysis.
so eloquently talked about. Apparently, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis Programme Implementation (MoSPI) pivotal role in steering Mahalanobis, In today’s era of Big Data and AI/ML,
there were efforts from the government foresaw decades ahead, beyond these released a detailed report on the then a professor of physics at Calcutta’s where data is considered ‘the new oil’,
numbers, and influenced the ways of the Household Consumption Expenditure Presidency College, towards formal Mahalanobis’s work is more relevant
side led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh world by converting us, data sets into Survey 2022-23 (HCES), designed to statistical activities. In 1917, Tagore than ever. His ideas have given birth to an
to avoid an election. According to the able tools of nation building and giving collect information on household introduced him to scholar Brajendranath India that is determined to look after its
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, much impetus to India’s socio-economic consumption patterns. The HCES data is Seal, who asked Mahalanobis to analyse people using data, a public good, as a tool
the Opposition was amenable to the idea of growth at a time when even the idea of it crucial for understanding consumption the examination records of Calcutta of nation building.
was far-fetched. He once wrote that patterns and socio-economic disparities University. This marked Mahalanobis’s The theme for this year’s National
having the Speaker elected unopposed “data are not just numbers, they speak in India but it was Mahalanobis himself first statistical venture with real-life Statistics Day is ‘Use of data in decision
provided the government let it choose the volumes.” His stature needs no who pioneered the use of large-scale data. making’ which is what he advocated for
Deputy Speaker. But the government, he introduction but his contributions and sample surveys such as HCES, Although his long association with and worked towards all his life.
claimed, remained non-committal on the legacy must invoke a renewed sense of Tagore is well known, few are aware that Mahalanobis was, above all, a great
introspection in this Indian age of digital Mahalanobis served as Tagore’s private visionary statistician, dedicated to using
issue. The Opposition put up its own transformation. Mahalanobis’s ideas have secretary during his foreign visits. He good data and good intentions to change
candidate and it led to a voice vote election In January 2024, India started its given birth to an India wrote a series of essays titled Rabindra the world.
of the Speaker. four-year term as a member of the Parichay for the prestigious Bengali
It remains to be seen what the United Nations Statistical Commission, that is determined magazine Probashi and authored a book, Prasu is an officer of the Indian Statistical Service,
government intends to do about the winning 46 out of 53 votes, after a gap of to look after its people Rabindranath Tagore’s Visit to Canada in currently posted as Assistant Director at Price Statistics
nearly two decades. This has highlighted 1929. Notably, Mahalanobis was also Division, MoSPI. Prakhar is Communication Assistant with
appointment of the Deputy Speaker, a post India’s history of statistical prowess and using data, a public good, present when Tagore met Einstein in CEED, at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics,
that has traditionally gone to a member of expertise, thus pushing its boundaries in as a tool of nation building. 1930. Pune. Views are personal
the Opposition. This tradition continued
till the 16th Lok Sabha when an MP of the
AIADMK was Deputy Speaker. However, in
the 17th Lok Sabha, the post remained
empty for an unprecedented entire term. It
remains to be seen how the government
Developing robust AI safety policies
responds to the Opposition’s demand for Regulations must be flexible enough to adapt to tech changes, and global best practices
appointing the Deputy Speaker from
among their ranks although the indication policies could stifle innovation, while lax developers conduct thorough safety
M Muneer regulations might leave the door open for assessments before deploying AI in
is that the NDA is likely to keep this post
too within its fold. potential risks. Although Indians are high-risk domains like healthcare or

E
arlier this year, a reported data largely ignorant of privacy concerns, banking.
The government needs to be mindful of breach at DigiYatra put thousands policymakers must adopt the best Transparency and explainability:
the reality that the Opposition now has the of high-flying executives at risk, practices from Europe. The data privacy Promote the development of AI systems
numbers to stall crucial legislation and with their private and facial recognition bill needs to be strengthened further for that are transparent in their
disrupt proceedings. Cooperation and data out there with criminals. While it is better data governance. The AI safety decision-making processes. This can help
widely believed that AI may not directly policy will need to align with this stakeholders understand how AI systems
consensus have to be found for day-to-day cause any safety hazards, a National framework to ensure responsible data arrive at conclusions and identify
running of the new government. For its Institute of Standards and Technology collection, use, and storage. A CHALLENGE. Making AI policies safe potential biases.
part, the Opposition needs to understand report says that facial recognition Athird critical challenge is about Human oversight and control:
that the mandate is for ensuring proper algorithms from major tech companies addressing algorithmic bias. Our diverse Policies should emphasise the
exhibited significant racial and gender population raises concerns about this countries’ regulations. Consider global importance of human oversight in
scrutiny of legislative business and not bias. bias. The policy should address how to best practices and ongoing efforts development and deployment. Humans
constant disruption, as was the case in the The average financial costs per data mitigate this in areas like facial towards AI governance frameworks for should be in the loop for critical
past. The greater strength that it now has breach is estimated at a minimum of ₹36 recognition, social benefits or loan policy finalisation. Collaboration with decision-making processes, especially in
in the Lower House should be used to crore. In addition, enterprises will have approvals, ensuring fairness and other countries can bring a more high-risk scenarios.
enforce accountability and pin the to hire AI cyber security experts and inclusivity. comprehensive and coordinated The government can refer to the best
probably upgrade the tech systems to approach to AI safety, especially in areas practices outlined in the the European
government down to meaningful debates. ward off more damage in the future. SHORTAGE OF SKILLS like deepfakes. Governments worldwide Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act and
These costs are comparably much less India faces a shortage of skilled are actively involved in formulating South Korea’s Ethical Guidelines for AI
than the losses due to a data theft. The professionals in AI safety and ethics. The policies and India can take the lead just as Development and Use and, of course, the
stakes for government are far higher, government needs to invest in training it had in digital money. Consider the Singapore Model AI Governance
POCKET RAVIKANTH with much bigger losses as well as programmes and capacity building to following while developing it: Framework to set the initial pace for the
credibility with the citizens. create a workforce equipped to Focus on human values:Policies policy.
India’s burgeoning AI sector is well implement and enforce AI safety policies. should ensure AI development aligns Developing robust AI safety policies is
aware of the need for a robust AI safety One key challenge as with most with fundamental human values like an ongoing challenge. Regulatory
policy. But are the policymakers clear on regulations in India is the weak fairness, transparency, and frameworks need to be flexible enough to
this? And there are many challenges they enforcement mechanism. Developing accountability. This means establishing adapt to the rapid evolution of AI
should be cognisant of. Balancing robust enforcement mechanisms such as ethical guidelines for data collection, use, technology. International collaboration
innovation and regulation is the first. An establishing clear lines of accountability and potential biases within AI is crucial to ensure a level-playing field
evolving AI ecosystem like ours needs and outlining penalties for algorithms. and prevent a fragmented global
more flexibility in regulation. Striking a non-compliance are crucial for AI safety Prioritise risk management: approach to AI safety.
balance between pushing much-needed regulation. Consider frameworks for identifying,
innovation and implementing stringent The last challenge policymakers must assessing, and mitigating potential risks The writer is a Fortune-500 advisor, startup investor and
regulations is crucial. Overly restrictive consider is alignment with other associated with AI systems. Ensure co-founder of the non-profit Medici Institute

LETTERS TO 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.

Hesitancy to pay taxes for increased willingness to comply. Spreading awareness on the benefits perseverance and vigil. that there has been no concrete
This refers to ‘The civic duty Also, there should be fairness and of natural farming and changing the As systemic stability in financial perspective planning there.
disconnect’ (June 28). It is true that equity in levy of taxes, whether it is a mindset of the farmers are the two sector is vital, the RBI make sure However, India cannot do much
there is hesitation to pay or desire to central or local tax. big challenges foreseen. weak NBFCs and cooperatives are about it.
avoid tax especially when Kasiraman Ramachandran Crop loss and reduced income on strengthened. What it can at least do is that it can
infrastructure or other civic facilities Chennai account of poor yield occurring MG Warrier thoroughly explore foreign markets
are poor. We pay property tax but during change-over period need to Mumbai and plan its export-import policies.
the roads, sewage systems and Natural farming be compensated. Achieving self-reliance in all goods
storm-water drains are not This refers to 'Shifting to natural RV Baskaran Disinflation worries and services is impossible. But it can
maintained properly. farming' (June 28). During the Green Chennai This refers to ‘China disinflation can minimise the imports and maximise
The quality of roads is so bad that Revolution, chemical fertilizer was hurt India’ (June 28). India, one feels, the exports to record favourable
they require relaying every year, after used as a quick method of increasing Credit to RBI should diversify its imports as well as balance of trade and balance of
rains. Obviously, the authorities will production. Its continuous usage has Apropos the report ‘With low NPAs exports because it is very difficult to payments. After all, the world is big.
claim insufficiency of funds. When it had deleterious effects such as and robust earnings, banks can predict the economic scenario in Also, it is imperative that India stops
comes to State/local taxes, effective declining soil quality and chemical absorb shocks’ (June 28), both the other countries. the flooding of substandard goods
collection mechanism is largely residue in crops. Switching over to RBI and the government can claim Disinflation in fact is more dangerous from China or other countries in the
missing and thus the revenue to the traditional natural farming or organic credit for putting back scheduled than inflation. That China is domestic market.
government is reduced. farming can help undo these commercial banks back on track experiencing a fall in aggregate S Ramakrishnasayee
There must be visible development negative impacts. which is the result of a decade of demand and prices clearly suggests Chennai

Published by Nirmala Lakshman and Printed by Praveen Someshwar at HT Media Ltd. Plot No.8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P.201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT. LTD. Chennai-600002. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRP Act). ISSN 0971 - 7528

CM
YK . . . . . . . . ND-NDE
>
NEW DELHI | SATURDAY, 29 JUNE 2024 OPINION 9

The risky business of standing up to Beijing ing between the two sides. Any rappro-
chement would need to be carefully
managed, so as not to rile up a domestic
audience upset by what it views as a very
ing weeks, according to the Washington
Post. The US should help Manila by reg-
ularly patrolling the waters, and enlisting
the support of Japan, South Korea and
but not capitulate to Chinese demands. The stakes aren’t just about the have sovereign rights to explore, utilise, public humiliation of Filipino forces. Australia, which have significant forces
Doing so would set a precedent for other Philippines’ sovereignty. They are also conserve, and manage natural resources Another proposal is for the in the region and similar strategic aims.
claimants with stakes in the waterway about what lies under the waters: Huge in their economic zones, and Beijing Philippines to push ahead with a law of If your neighbourhood cop only comes
that would be next to impossible to row reserves of oil, gas and fish. Security and should end its interference, she said. its own in the South China Sea that out to police the surroundings every few
back from. trade in the Indo-Pacific is part of the That’s obviously not how China sees would allow it to affirm its jurisdiction months, one retired admiral told me,
The challenge for Manila now is to US’s multi-pronged strategy of engaging it — it lays claim to almost all of the under the auspices of the United how safe will your home be?
balance its economic interests with with partners and allies, which is why it South China Sea, and earlier this month Nations. The process for the bill to These are all good measures. The key
China without ceding its territorial is pushing for freedom of navigation put in place new regulations that effec- become law is quite far advanced by all focus now is to ensure that Manila can
rights. The latest incident in the con- there. About 60 per cent of maritime tively allow it to treat any foreign vessels accounts, and just needs to be signed by assert its rights in the contested water-
tested waterway, on June 17, between trade passes through the Indo-Pacific. as trespassers in its waters. It takes cou- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In way, without being dragged into a dan-
KARISHMA VASWANI Filipino sailors on a resupply mission to Maintaining an international presence rage to stand up to Beijing: It is now the theory, it would allow the Philippines to gerous conflict that would almost defi-
the BRP Sierra Madre, and the Chinese is essential, or else the territory risks number one trade and investment part- closely monitor vessels entering its ter- nitely involve the US and its allies. This
Coast Guard was among the more being controlled wholly by China. ner for many countries in the region, ritorial seas and block those illegally round may have gone to China, but this

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he clash between China and the aggressive recently. It’s not as much that That was the pitch that US although foreign direct investment flows entering, Jonathan Malaya, assistant will be a long and drawn out fight.
Philippines in the South China Beijing has won this round — the Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay to the Philippines have fallen in recent director general of the National Security There’s still time to win the next one.
Sea is on everybody’s lips in resupply mission was aborted — but Carlson made at the East-West Center years, according to Arsenio M Balisacan, Council, told me. This would provide
Manila. Prayers broadcast on the radio that Manila bungled the fallout with var- International Media Conference in secretary of the National Economic and Manila with the legitimacy to defend The writer is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist
plead to a higher power for provocateurs ious departments at odds about what Manila this week. She called on China to Development Authority. itself against Beijing’s claims. covering Asia politics with a special focus on
to be kept out. Tensions are high, and actually happened. There appears to be cease its “bullying behaviour,” and Manila doesn’t want to stop working Additionally, more frequent joint China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia
the Southeast Asian archipelago needs a greater degree of unity now, and that “harassment of the vessels operating law- with China, officials have told me during naval exercises between the US and the presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia
to work with both Beijing and is critical as the country attempts to fully in the Philippine Exclusive my visit, and there are already efforts Philippines would also help to deter and South Asia for two decades.
Washington to lower the temperature, manage the China threat. Economic Zone.” All countries should underway to arrange a diplomatic meet- China. There is one expected in the com- ©2024 Bloomberg

ILLUSTRATION: BINAY SINHA

A new paradigm
(Filling up vacancies in government is
no solution to the real crisis.)
Then we need smart sectoral policies.
First, identify labour-intensive sectors in
manufacturing and services where we

for creating jobs have the wage advantage to be major


players in the global market. We have to
give up the dated belief in the natural
endowment of competitive advantage. In
the contemporary high-technology
It would be prudent to take up a few sectors global economy, firms create the compet-
itive advantage. Governments can help
initially, get the policy instruments right, and put firms to create this advantage. They can
also pursue foreign direct investment in
in the critical mass of resources to achieve a sectors where a large number of jobs
self-sustaining inflection point would be created. To do this, pragmatic
sector-specific policy instruments need
to be evolved in consultation with market

T
he belief that we need higher GDP attention it deserves. There has been a players. To illustrate, PLI for smart
(gross domestic product) growth consensus among economists in the phones has resulted in Apple making
rates and employment generation world that an appreciation in the real India a manufacturing hub for the global

Navigating the hype-reality divide would follow is crumbling. We have had


high GDP growth rates but have not been
creating the jobs that we need. The focus
now has to be on job creation with GDP
exchange rate has an adverse effect on
domestic value addition and job crea-
tion. India has been experiencing real
exchange rate appreciation without an
market. In just a few years about 150,000
jobs have been created. The Apple exam-
ple gives us an idea of our potential.
The key would be to put in place the
run slower than the earlier versions, and bump-up in formal GDP data, while the growth becoming the consequence. increase in productivity and exports that measures that begin yielding results in
the technologically advanced safety fea- shutdowns of informal businesses have This needs a fundamental change in normally lead to a strengthening of the the next two to three years. These would
tures don’t prevent accidents. Even shown up in unemployment, rural dis- our mindset. We need to move beyond the currency. This has been the result of the need to be specific to the sector selected.
berths collapse. In the interest of gener- tress, and a K-shaped recovery. “Washington Consensus”, which we unusual combination of increasing A policy instrument that is not in viola-
ating more revenues, the Railways have Money — household savings fun- embraced with the economic reforms in remittances and large capital inflows into tion of our treaty obligations should not
also reduced lower-class capacity, caus- nelled through systematic investment 1991. The state should limit its role to our stock markets. Our policy has been be off the table; provision of concessional
ing overcrowding. plans — has gone into the stock market maintaining sound macroeconomic fun- to let the markets determine the finance, cheap land, public investment,
The stock market and startup boom because folks who would have earlier damentals, providing better physical and exchange rate. This has been hurting us. government procurement with stipula-
has funnelled large investments into an looked to open small businesses don’t social infrastructure, and It is time for a change tion of domestic value addition, increase
economy that is supposedly growing at see opportunities. That’s a working improving the ease of and for the Reserve Bank in import duties, etc. What would work
VIEWPOINT great speed. But I wonder how much of
that is hype, and how much of the invest-
hypothesis which gels with anecdotal
evidence. (Digitisation certainly helped
doing business. Free mar-
kets would then deliver.
of India to intervene in
the markets to prevent
for a breakthrough in garment exports
would be different for what tourism
DEVANGSHU DATTA ment is dependent on a lack of alter- by making it easier to invest ) The limitations of this real exchange rate needs. The Taj Mahal Hotel of Delhi is a
native investment avenues. Watching the World Cup, the Euro approach are best seen if appreciation. The East good example of public-private partner-
Starting with demonetisation and the and the T20 World Cup has also meant we compare ourselves Asians actually prac- ship (when the phrase had not yet come

I
t has been an education watching the goods and services tax (GST), policy looking at a lot of ads. The composition with China. In 1991, we tised artificial deprecia- into usage) where the New Delhi
T20 World Cup and the Euro on my changes have led to a shrinking of the is revealing. There’s an obsession with were on a par in per cap- tion to industrialise Municipal Council and Delhi
mobile. I’ve been travelling, in North informal economy. This has shown up in bodily functions, or personal care as it’s ita incomes and technol- faster. Development Authority provided land
India and in Bengal, and often using 4G. the micro, small and medium enterprises known in management circles. ogy. They are now five The second is to and the building structure with the Tatas
Connectivity has ranged from okay to sector, which has shrunk in size, and Feminine hygiene products, toilet clean- times ahead. Instead of AJAY SHANKAR reduce the cost of doing investing in finishing and furnishing and
terrible, making streaming a challenge. I struggled to generate enough activity to ers, shaving kits, condoms et al seem to leaving market forces business. A poor, devel- entering into a long-term revenue shar-
use multiple service providers and provide employment. occupy centre stage. alone, the state in China oping economy con- ing contract. These were highly profit-
devices and there seem to be few places That is why unemployment trumped There are no big-ticket white goods steered industrialisation and success in strained for resources resorted to pricing able investments for both sides.
where all three private service providers religion in resonance in the elections. on display. There are no mobiles, even exports, making China “the factory of the distortions in the pre-reform era through It would be prudent to take up a few
offer fast, stable connectivity. Using a Demonetisation and GST have also led though India is a big assembler of hand- world”. The Chinese learnt and improved cross-subsidies and extremely high tax sectors initially, get the policy instru-
VPN to stream the Euro for free is a joke to formalisation, and I suspect the for- sets. There are no cars. There are no fin- on the policies adopted by South Korea rates on “luxury” items. In an open econ- ments right, and put in the critical mass
given the latency. malisation masked the extent to which techs, or other startups offering innova- and Japan, which had succeeded earlier. omy these stubborn legacy distortions of resources to achieve a self-sustaining
Apart from streaming sports, another the informal economy compressed. tive services, and few mutual funds or The Indian state now needs to assume impose a cost disadvantage beyond the inflection point. Spreading resources too
hobby that demands low latency is play- Prior to November 2016, the informal credit card/ banking service providers. greater responsibility for job creation. control of a firm. Our costs of logistics thinly would be a mistake. After initial
ing Blitz Chess. That too suffers from lags economy was somewhere around 35-40 The ads are all old economy, small- But for this, we have to first believe that are about 50 per cent higher than those success, there would be greater state
and disconnects and I can’t play bullet (60 per cent the size of the formal economy. ticket, and by brands, which have been the state can craft smart policies and of our competitors. Ideally diesel should capacity and confidence for taking up
seconds/ game) at all. On occasion, when I don’t know if any serious attempt has around for decades. This contrasts with implement them to get the private sector be in the low or at best medium slab of more sectors. Success in the domestic
I’ve had to make Zoom/ Meet/ Teams been made to gauge the size of the infor- earlier years when sports channels were to invest in creating the jobs that we goods and services tax (GST). But it is market and in exports has to move in
calls, I’ve had to switch off video. mal economy circa 2023-24, but I sus- flooded with ads for mobiles, fintechs, need. Leaving markets alone is no longer taxed at almost twice the highest rate of tandem as we are part of the globalised
By global standards, digital India’s 4G pect it’s a lot smaller in relation to the consumer electronics, vehicles, crypto an option. We underperformed till 1991 GST. Reducing the cost of business economy. Reverting to a protectionist
networks aren’t up to the mark. This formal economy. and e-commerce/ quick commerce serv- by believing in centralised planning and requires greater priority than improving and closed economy is neither desirable
lacuna in telecom infrastructure is part of Demonetisation caused a collapse in ices. I presume the ad mix reflects the ability of the state to micro-manage the ease of doing business. The produc- nor an option. A political-economy tran-
an endemic problem: Making large claims small businesses, and the GST launch in changes in consumption. What’s hap- the economy. After the reforms of 1991 tion-linked incentive (PLI) scheme is the sition in favour of the producer who
where the reality doesn’t match hype. mid-2017 led to further pressures on busi- pened to all the startups and all the big- we have underperformed by accepting result of the acceptance that our higher creates jobs and workers with their inter-
India claims great airport connectiv- nesses that couldn’t handle the paper- ticket consumption? that the state should not try to steer mar- costs need to be mitigated by budgetary ests getting precedence over those of
ity, but terminal roofs are collapsing. work. Covid and the lockdowns led to All this is anecdotal, of course, but it ket forces to get desired outcomes. support. Since all production cannot be consumers and traders is essential for a
India claims excellent road networks but more compression. does paint a consistent picture of an There are two macro-level policy supported by PLI, it would be better to breakthrough in job creation.
bridges give way and road surfaces crack The informal businesses that could economy where there’s some distance changes that are essential but not suffi- take decisions needed to lower the cost
within months of inauguration. transition to GST did so and joined the between hype and reality. Will that dis- cient for success. First is the real of doing business if we are to succeed in The writer is former secretary, DIPP,
India also has fancy new trains, which formal economy. This resulted in a tance widen or contract? exchange rate, which does not get the getting private investment to create jobs. Government of India

Attracting Netravalkars Three elections, three mistakes


EYE CULTURE another domain —cricket. Over time,
there have been several stereotypes
language skills, ability to seamlessly
integrate with the local population,
likely to elect new leadership
in the coming months. In all
Liberals this time. Labour,
meanwhile, has played a cau-
populist right-wing bloc. That
bloc was centred around
VISHAL MENON attached to Indians in the US. They and diverse array of talents in other three, the incumbents seem to tious game, choosing to com- Preston Manning of the Reform
are known as the techies from Silicon domains, make them an ideal fit. have been guilty of horrific mit to nothing rather than in Party, and it is Britain’s own

T
he average Indian male loathes Valley, or that random dude who runs Netravalkar’s spectacular career misjudgements. President any way disturb its 20-point Reform Party, centred around
Saurabh Netravalkar. At 21, the the mom-and-pop store in the trajectory is a case in point. But it Biden, clearly, should have lead in the polls. Nigel Farage, that threatens the
Mumbaikar was selected to locality. Contrary to popular belief, could change. started planning for a succes- This situation has been Tories with extinction.
study computer engineering at the Indian immigration to the US did not The US government is planning a sion years ago: Few expected caused by 14 years of poor gov- Meanwhile, in France,
prestigious Cornell University in the begin after the tech boom in the 1970s rule tweak that would significantly in 2020 that he would want to ernance by the Conservatives. Emmanuel Macron may finally
United States. Years later, he joined and 1980s. The earliest arrivals were increase costs of companies hiring serve a second term in office, But the magnitude of the loss have made a mistake after years
Oracle as a software engineer in
California.
Punjabis, Gujaratis, and Telugus who
arrived in clusters at the turn of the
foreign tech workers on H-1B and L-1
visas. This proposal by the
TICKER and assumed he was just run-
ning for a single term to stop
is also down to the poor judge-
ment of Mr Sunak, who chose
of balancing left and right
expertly. Mr Macron unex-
Netravalkar’s accomplishments do 20th century. The liberalisation of the Department of Homeland Security MIHIR S SHARMA Mr Trump from re-election. to call an early election before pectedly called an early elec-
not end here. He is an international US immigration law in the 1960s and the US Customs and Border Yet at no point since has Mr his party was really ready and tion. It looks now like this was a

J
cricketer who won a crucial T20 World attracted skilled Indian professionals Protection, if passed by the Senate, oe Biden had a disastrous Biden either built up the pro- well in advance of improving major miscalculation: His cen-
Cup game in the Super Over against in droves. would require employers to pay an evening on the debate file of his vice-president, economic news. Inflation is trist bloc may be a weak third
Pakistan, plays the ukulele like a pro, In the utterly compelling book, The additional fee when extending the stage on Thursday. He Kamala Harris, or allowed an finally declining, and rates in elections, and lose many of
and is an accomplished singer with a Other One Percent: Indians in America, visas of these workers, on top of the may still be a more reliable open or even covert leadership might be cut in the fall, boost- its seats. His Prime Minister,
mellifluous, honey-dipped voice. If he authors Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh fees already paid for the initial President than Donald Trump, contest within his party for a ing growth. Mr Sunak could Gabriel Attal, will almost cer-
sets his mind to it, he could ace the Kapur and Nirvikar Singh write that a applications. three years younger than he is successor. Choosing to run have waited for this tailwind to tainly lose his job. Mr Macron
Scripps National Spelling Bee majority of Pakistani and Bangladeshi Capping the H-1B visa goes against — but that says more about Mr again — which, in the US party the economy before going to calculated, perhaps, that the left
competition as well. immigrants in the US today identify the ethos of what the US stands for— Trump than anything else. Nor system, means that the party the polls. But, for no reason would not be able to repeat the
Indeed, Netravalkar is the guy every themselves as Indians because it has a welcoming country known for will it be easy to convince automatically rallies to you out that anyone can discern, he alliance it stitched up before the
girl would like to introduce to her made their lives “much easier.” attracting talent and fostering American voters that Mr Biden of loyalty — was clearly a griev- chose to go early instead. last elections; and that the right,
parents. The Cornell-educated- “That is, they were born in innovation.These curbs is worth voting for at this stage. ous error. The consequences for the which has multiple contenders,
turned-software engineer-turned- Bangladesh or Pakistan, but identified notwithstanding, a sizeable portion Yet replacing someone on In the United Kingdom, world’s most successful politi- would be in disarray. Signs of
international cricketer is part of the themselves as Indians by race (even of the economically sound second and the ticket at this late stage is meanwhile, the Conservative cal party might be dire. Some this dissension did in fact
growing tribe of Indian immigrants when the census allowed them to third-generation Indian Americans not easy in the United States. Party under Prime Minister parties can survive complete emerge early on: But they have
who have made the US their home identify themselves as Bangladeshi or may not have the same attachment to It is just one way in which the Rishi Sunak is staring at a wipeouts. But they are never largely been buried as the cam-
through talent, grit, and hard work. Pakistani by race),” the authors say. their homeland as their fathers US’s constitutional system is defeat on July 4 — a defeat that the same again. The Congress paign continued. The centre
Netravalkar is among the scores of “Interestingly, most of these people and grandfathers. poorly adapted to the modern may be of historic proportions. in India is back near 100 seats may practically disappear when
Indians settled in the US on an H-1B were born after the Independence of In the future, they could integrate age. The comparison with, say, Some projections suggest that in Parliament from 44 in 2014; the election results are
visa. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant India and Pakistan, and the Partition in with the American mainstream, so the United Kingdom — which they might not even be the sec- the Pakistan Peoples Party col- announced on July 7.
visa that typically allows US 1947,” they write. much so that the notions of identity has several times been able to ond-largest party in Parliament lapsed to 42 seats in the The xenophobic, populist
companies to employ foreign workers According to a report by the US crisis that their previous generations change how leaders of its par- once the elections are done, National Assembly in 2013, and right may seize control in
in speciality occupations that require Immigration and Citizenship Services have grappled with may become a liamentary parties, and thus with the centrist Liberal has never recovered its vote France, will likely storm to
theoretical or technical expertise. in January this year, of the 4,40,000 H- thing of the past. Prime Ministers, are chosen — Democrats energetically share since. Worse is possible. power in the United States, and
They are essentially America’s white- 1B applications that were approved in Nevertheless, the US needs to is worth noting. The US has far assaulting Tory strongholds in The Conservatives’ counter- might replace the traditional
collar coolies. 2022, nearly 73 per cent (3,20,000) were understand that it could potentially more rigid institutions and southern England and aiming parts in Canada were wiped out right in the United Kingdom. In
Netravalkar secured an H-1B visa from Indians. There are other reasons lose out on attracting several precedents. It is thus, paradox- for more than 50 of these seats. in the 1992 federal election each case, a single major mis-
based on the fact that he is a software why so many Indians bag the H-1B visa Netravalkars in the future if it curbs ically, far more likely to elect a Constituencies that have there — with a massive 27-point calculation by leaders of the
engineer. Given his multifaceted every year. the influx of such industrious would-be dictator. stayed Conservative for more swing against them — and the centre-left or centre-right must
nature, he has now excelled in Their technical expertise, English Indian immigrants. Three large democracies are than a century might go to the party was replaced by a more bear a large part of the blame.
20 NEW DELHI
SATURDAY
JUNE 29, 2024

Opinion

{ OUR TAKE }
E S TA B L I S H E D IN 1 9 24

Recalibrating
The debate on relations with
US presidency
Joe Biden’s disastrous performance on
Thursday has left Democrats shaken.
China, Pakistan
A confident and economically remains frozen.
Donald Trump is now the clear frontrunner An outright Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vic-
powerful India can explore tory would have made it a kind of legacy term.

O
n Thursday, as American voters tuned in to
their television sets and devices to watch the ways to end the impasse in But even as the head of the NDA coalition, Nar-
endra Modi remains a powerful leader who will
presidential debate, two questions dominated ties with its major neighbours be conscious of his policies from the point of
public consciousness. Was Donald Trump stable view of legacy. His past has made it clear that

A
striking thing about a general he is not doctrinaire when it comes to hostility
and disciplined enough to deliver a performance on stage election is that each one shifts the with Pakistan or China. He has attempted to
for 90 minutes, without being a bully and alienating paradigm of governance in some make peace with both of them at various points
swing voters in swing states? Was Joe Biden physically way or the other. When a ruling in time. Do we have a combination of circum- It is important to address the border issue if India and China want stable relations AFP
party loses, the shift is marked. stances that could help him come up with new
healthy and mentally coherent enough to communicate But even when a party wins suc- initiatives? deal depends on what Beijing is after. Officially, was always to advance “peace, security and
effectively, and show that he could be trusted with one of cessive elections, there can be a shift, though a Prime Minister (PM) Modi’s most definitive as President Xi Jinping noted after his meeting prosperity”, but it can happen only in an atmos-
the world’s most high-pressure jobs for another four concerted effort is on to affirm continuity in remarks on relations with China came out in an with Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit phere free of terror and violence. Sharif’s con-
policies in the National Democratic interview with Newsweek magazine in in Johannesburg in 2023, China believes that gratulatory message after the swearing-in cere-
years when he would be 86? By the end of the first Alliance (NDA)’s third consecutive April, when he spoke of the impor- improving relations between the two nations mony of the new Cabinet in Delhi was some-
presidential debate, the voters had tentative answers. term in office. tance and significance of India-China serve their common interests and “contributes what mealy-mouthed and ungenerous.
Trump’s record and rhetoric remain deeply Two areas that could benefit from relations and the need to “urgently to peace, stability and development of the Once again, the issue is of the two hands
policy shifts are in relation to Pakistan address the prolonged situation on our world and the region”. Since 2017, China has clapping, and to figure out what Islamabad
disturbing. By one account, he lied over two dozen times and China. In both cases, New Delhi’s borders so that the abnormality in our embarked on a build-up along the Line of wants and what its fragile ruling coalition is in
in the 90-minute debate on issues ranging from his recent approaches have been the Manoj bilateral interactions can be put Actual Control from Arunachal Pradesh to a position to deliver. Making peace with the
economic and foreign policy record to abortion and equivalent of walking on a treadmill Joshi behind us”. Ladakh. India has countered this. However, civilian establishment in Islamabad is relatively
— moving, but effectively staying at India’s stepping on China has been there has been little progress in their efforts to easy, but how to get the Pakistan army estab-
immigration. He refused to either accept the 2020 the same place. In the past four years careful. Geopolitics and geoeconomics work out a border settlement through their lishment on board? The last time the two were
election results and condemn the attack on the US or so there has been little or no effort are taking it close to the United States special representatives (SRs). The last round of united was when Pervez Musharraf was both
Capitol or commit to accepting the outcome of the 2024 by any of the three parties which neighbour and the West. It is a member of Quad, but it has SR talks, the 22nd, took place in 2019. And nei- the president and army chief, and between
each other to take new initiatives. There seems ensured that the Quad agenda is about dealing ther have they been able to achieve the status 2004-2007, both countries came close to work-
election results. He had little to say on some of the to be a touch of indifference or lethargy. Can with the climate crisis, disaster management, quo ante in Ladakh as of March 2020, when the ing out an arrangement on Kashmir.
world’s most pressing challenges, particularly the the 2024 general elections in India change strategic technologies, supply chain resilience, Chinese blockaded Indian posts in Eastern Perhaps the way out is a restoration of the
climate crisis. Instead, he defended his decision to walk things? health security and counter-terrorism. Modi Ladakh. old composite dialogue wherein all outstanding
Recall that the 2019 election revolved around has pointed to India’s participation in BRICS The 1993-2020 experience has taught us that issues can be discussed. The South Asian Asso-
out of the Paris climate accord and sought to bracket the Pulwama terror attack and India’s Balakot and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to setting aside the border issues to develop rela- ciation for Regional Cooperation (SAARC),
Russia, China and India in the same category as climate strike. But in 2024, little has been heard about note that Delhi is willing to work with like- tions in other areas is no solution. As Modi has which has been in the doldrums since the
freeloaders while suggesting that the agreement Pakistan, which though enveloped in a polycri- minded countries on any shared positive indicated, it is important to address the border Indian boycott of the summit after the 2016 Uri
sis, continues in smaller ways to stir up trouble agenda. issue if India and China want stable relations attack, could be revived. The restoration of
mandated the US to have responsibilities, which is a lie. in Kashmir. Given some of the anti-Muslim It can’t be more specific than that. But, of with each other. However, the Chinese insist statehood in J&K could possibly be used to
Trump didn’t explain how an across-the-board tariff rhetoric that has dogged the elections, it would course, it takes two hands to clap and a great that the boundary question “is a historical restore trans-LoC links. Back-channel diplo-
increase that he has promised if elected would help have been easy enough to target Islamabad, but issue” and does not represent the “entirety of macy could help.
that has not happened. Perhaps, that no longer NARENDRA MODI REMAINS A China-India relations”. Their spokesmen have The elements of a new paradigm could
either the American economy or conform to global resonates with the electorate. insisted that the resolution of the boundary emerge on a template where our economy has
trading rules. And the former president did not have On the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and
POWERFUL LEADER WHO issue was separate from the issue of “peace and reached a transformative point and India
specific answers on how he would end the war in Kashmir (J&K), the ceasefire of 2021 holds WILL BE CONSCIOUS OF HIS tranquillity” in the border areas. Their move to appears as an island of stability and confidence
good. There have been no serious terrorist inci- POLICIES. HIS PAST HAS send an ambassador to India after 18 months in an otherwise disturbed world. Having dealt
Ukraine, except to brag that he would do it by January. dents with Pakistani footprints. But there have MADE IT CLEAR THAT HE IS was another intriguing piece of the way Beijing successfully with major security challenges, the
He also offered little clue of what he thought of Israel’s been somewhat desultory attacks in the operates since it happened in May amidst the country now needs to cement its success with
war in Gaza, or even if it should end at all. Yet, and this is Poonch-Rajouri area, the latest in Reasi hours NOT DOCTRINAIRE WHEN IT general elections. some effective neighbourhood diplomacy.
before Narendra Modi was to be sworn in for COMES TO HOSTILITY In the Newsweek interview mentioned ear-
the remarkable feature of American politics at the the third time. But the reality is since the abro- WITH PAKISTAN OR CHINA lier, Modi had noted that he wished the new Manoj Joshi is a distinguished fellow,
moment, Trump won the debate. He won because, gation of Article 370, India-Pakistan diplomatic Pakistan PM, Shehbaz Sharif, well on his Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.
irrespective of the nature of one’s ideological ties have been downgraded and bilateral trade assumption to office, and that Indian policy The views expressed are personal

agreements or disagreements with him or views on his


political rhetoric, the 45th US President seemed like he
was in control. It seemed like he was attuned to the
concerns of American citizens on immigration, inflation Weaponising law and a lie to THE TRUTH IS THAT THE
ARCHITECTURE BUILT BY
THE MUSLIM MONARCHS
its processes — only this time, against its own
citizens and to destroy its own heritage.
Architecture is our easiest access to history
and frustration with external entanglements. He was, by and the site of our future imaginations. Arche-
his dismally low standards, disciplined as he kept his
performative volatility under check.
attack Indo-Islamic heritage IN INDIA — INDO-ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE — IS OUR
ology allows for an interpretation of the past
and construction provides a canvas for the
future. Hence, architecture becomes the subject
Biden lost. And the 46th President of the US lost not as n June 21, Jannat-ul-Firdaus Mosque in is not Indian. Out of this undesirable category, COLLECTIVE HERITAGE AS of some of the most violent political conflicts. It
much because of the substance of his policies as his utter
failure to articulate his worldview and record. From his
wobbly walk to the stage to his meandering sentences,
from his weak rebuttal of Trump to his inability to even
O Delhi was demolished citing legal vio- colonial structures are appropriated —
lations. Sunehri Bagh Masjid and a renamed and redeveloped — in a language of
madrasa in Sarai Kale Khan also face decolonisation. This appropriation allows colo-
demolition, and earlier this year, the Delhi nial infrastructure to be used while furthering
Development Authority (DDA) demolished a partisan politics of anti-colonial reclamation.
SOUTH ASIAN PEOPLE

of a notified reserve forest in the region. Similar


municipal laws and building by-laws have been
was precisely to safeguard heritage from such
political conflicts that the UNESCO World Heri-
tage Sites category was developed and adopted
between 1965 and 1972 by the United Nations.
The idea of World Heritage recognises that con-
Akhonji Masjid in Mehrauli. These Language plays a key role in this used to destroy other gravesites, mazars and temporary politics decides the preservation or
leverage issues on which Democrats score high such as demolitions have happened despite othering. The RSS has promoted the mosques in a language of encroachment and destruction of heritage, and that it can be done
abortion, Biden’s performance will go down as a case DDA’s assurance to the Delhi High idea that Muslim monarchs of South illegality. This instrumentalisation of law “legally” by sovereign nations at their will, and
study of what not to do at debates and how not to Court in September 2023, that it will Asia were invaders who disrupted and allows destruction of Indo-Islamic heritage by therefore, needs universal protection. India has
not demolish any mosque or legiti- destroyed a thriving “Indian” civilisa- law, not despite it. The bulldozer is, today, a adhered to the convention and its norms, is a
communicate in politics. In President Biden’s case, this mate Waqf properties in Delhi. The tion. Therefore, to reclaim the glory of political symbol in India — explicitly signifying member State, and enjoys great capital-flow
failure is a direct product of his age, which will lead to submission came in response to a Fahad India, the markers of their presence a politics of erasure and hatred. and soft power from its 42 World Heritage sites.
even swing voters growing sceptical of his ability to petition filed by the Waqf Board fear- Zuberi and their culture must be erased. The The use of law also allows for an argument of The truth is that the architecture built by the
ing that such demolitions would take land of India must be purified so that a “the necessity of violence”. In this logic, vio- Muslim monarchs in India — Indo-Islamic
complete a second term. Being the American president place in the name of removing new era of Hindu-led development can lence is justified to achieve a greater good. Once architecture — is our collective heritage as
requires exercising judgment on the most difficult encroachments. How does DDA be ushered in. This language features particular settlements have been painted as South Asian people and as members of a collec-
issues, all the time. And if American citizens don’t destroy Indo-Islamic heritage with such impu- in the speeches of elected politicians as well as unwanted, they can make way for the develop- tive humanity. We do not find Sultanate or
nity? in mainstream discourse whereby Indo-Islamic ment of a “pristine forest reserve”, as DDA Mughal architecture anywhere in the world but
believe that a candidate is mentally sharp enough to The destruction is achieved through first, a monuments are often called “tombs of invad- claims in the stated cases, or cleaner cities, as in the Indian subcontinent. However, politics
exercise that judgment, that’s a problem. If he truly lie: The lie that this architecture does not ers”. While temples are promoted as desirable municipal bodies have justified while demol- that seeks supremacy of an identity and erasure
believes that Trump’s candidacy represents a threat to belong to the people of India and is not their catalysts of development by reconfiguring them ishing mosques in the name of removing of the other will first assign a past — an
heritage. This popular consciousness is into hubs of tourism and universal spirituality, encroachments. The proposal to demolish the unwanted one — to the other and then erase it
democracy, Biden must voluntarily step aside, free his achieved by redefining “Indian Heritage”. Over Indo-Islamic architecture is painted as an Sunehri Bagh Masjid in New Delhi for better in a spectacular display of violence and
delegates and, let the Democratic Party choose a the last decade, we see extensive and exclusive undesirable memento to a victimised past. This flow of traffic follows a similar logic. Scholar- destruction. Let us not forget that it was the
candidate at the convention through an open electoral promotion of temples and occasional Buddhist undesirability is then exploited to demolish ship has shown that such laws were used to destruction of a mosque that generated decades
and Jain shrines as Indian heritage. Even tem- architecture with impunity and legitimacy. demolish architecture of the “natives” by the of political propulsion in India.
process. It is late. But shaking up the race late may help ples that are constructed recently or are still To enact and legalise destruction, the law is British as well — including in the aftermath of
Democrats to galvanise their base and put up a contest under construction get comfortably narrati- weaponised. In case of the demolition of the rebellion of 1857 when neighbourhoods in Fahad Zuberi, trained as an architect,
in November. Otherwise, they can get ready for Trump’s vised as heritage. Everything else — the build- Akhonji Mosque in Mehrauli, for example, Old Delhi were flattened in the name of public is Indira Gandhi Radhakrishnan Scholar of
ings built by Muslim monarchs and by the Brit- DDA referred to a 1994 notification under the hygiene and sanitation. The State of India South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford.
return to the White House. ish — is, by exclusion, defined as heritage that Indian Forest Act, 1927 that marked the extents seems to be repeating this colonial doctrine and The views expressed are personal

Goodbye to greed-centric for example, although not to the tune humans, with a right to thrive and be pro- { EDITOR’S PICK }
required, has only become possible after tected.
HT’s editors offer a book recommendation every Saturday, which provides history,
realising the impact it is having and is It is time for this shift from an anthropo-
context, and helps understand recent news events
going to have on us. centric approach to an eco-centric one.

conservation paradigms Apart from mitigation, it is focussed on


how we may adapt to its adverse effects.
But do we really think about the impact
Conserve by understanding what is in the
best interest of the species and not what is
in the best interest for humans. Conserve
MAPPING THE MONSOON
e humans are known for our are being applied as it is the easiest way to that our climate actions, let alone the cli- because each and every species has a right The monsoon is India’s lifeblood. On Friday, Delhi

W greed. Our greed for more, bet- convince decision-makers to undertake


ter, faster, and cheaper has, conservation efforts. This involves setting
throughout history, led to cas- an economic value to a species to deter-
cading damages on the planet and
other species we coexist with. So
mine the financial viability of its
conservation. For if something
mate crisis itself, have on other species?
Changing our perspective on nature is
the priority. We must not consider nature
to be a separate entity from whom we must
reap benefits, but consider ourselves a part
on the planet as much as we do. Conserve
because it is the right thing to do. Conserve
because that is the humane thing to do.
Conserve for the sake of conservation.
Do we want future generations to look
woke up to inundated colonies, with the city’s infra-
structure brought to its knees at many locations,
thanks to a record quantum of rain over a short
duration. Over this weekend, monsoon would have
covered most of India.
much so that greed has become a doesn’t have an economic value or of nature itself, as much as any other spe- back at us and ask how and why we did This week, we revisit a classic of travel literature,
part of our basic instinct. serve our greed, why should it cies on the planet. this to nature? It is time for humans to be Alexander Frater’s Chasing the Monsoon (1991), that
Yes, I know. I have heard all the exist at all? The Supreme Court in Centre for Envi- known for “humanity”, which must extend maps the passage of Indian monsoon through vignettes
excuses. “We are the apex species This is where humans are ronmental Law (CEL), WWF-India v. Union not just to our fellow humans but also our from the places it passes through — Kerala, where it
and our activities for our growth Tejas Singh headed. We do not want to work of India laid down the “species best inter- fellow Earth inhabitants. Let’s change the announces its arrival, to Meghalaya, where its abun-
are bound to have an impact on Kapoor towards conservation for conser- est” standard and emphasised that “our narrative and let history remember dance is most felt. Frater, a travel writer for Observer,
other species.” “Survival of the fit- vation’s sake but only for the eco- approach should be eco-centric and not humans for being humane, not greedy. undertook the eponymous “chase” in 1987. While the
test. Each species is responsible nomic benefit conservation brings anthropocentric”. The court also stated science of the phenomenon often dominates monsoon
for their own survival.” But the to us that “species (have) equal rights to exist on Tejas Singh Kapoor is a lawyer currently analyses, Frater’s book focuses on people’s experiences
most common question asked is “What’s in And it doesn’t end here. When we, this earth”. Similarly, “rights of nature” is working in the capacity of Programme Officer of the rains (or the lack thereof) and how it shapes life,
it for us?”. humans, decide to work towards conserva- being adopted internationally, starting for the Centre for Environmental Law through conversations with poets, waiters, and babus. Chasing the Monsoon:
Due to this mindset, anthropocentric tion, most often, it only materialises after with Ecuador in 2008, under which nature (CEL) at WWF-India. This book is more about the magical experience of the Alexander Frater
approaches such as “ecosystem services” realising its impact on us. Climate action, is given legal recognition, equivalent to The views expressed are personal monsoon, not dry statistics. Year: 1991

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��� �����
Prejudice is a burden that confuses
the past, threatens the future and Maya
renders the present inaccessible Angelou

06 HYDERABAD SATURDAY 29 06 2024


� �

T
he new Lok Sabha started Parliament is run on strict rules. A few stem from British a separate resolution can be adopted
with the president addressing unanimously by the Houses thanking
INDIAN EXPRESS IS NOT AN both Houses of parliament. practices, others were moulded post independence. Revisiting the president for the address.
INDUSTRY. IT IS A MISSION. Article 87 of the Constitution some of them might improve the working of the legislature Thus, the ignominy of amending
— Ramnath Goenka provides for this address, the motion can be avoided, and

A RELOOK AT
which contains details of the a more dignified way of expressing
government’s programmes their gratitude to the head of the
for the year. It is repeated every year. state can be adopted.

HEED RBI’S WARNING This practice was adopted from Brit-


ain, where the monarch addresses the THE RULES OF Both Houses have equal rights in
the matter of passing laws. The only

ON RISING HOUSEHOLD Houses of Lords and Commons jointly


at the beginning of the year.
THE HOUSES
exception is in Money Bills, which are
defined in Article 110. Any Bill that

DEBT, FALLING SAVINGS


The interesting thing about this deals with taxation, withdrawal of
address is that it is prepared by money from the Consolidated Fund,
the government and the president only gover nment borrowings, etc is a

T
reads it. The president cannot make Money Bill. The Rajya Sabha has no
HE latest round of banking stress tests confirm that any changes in this address. The power to pass or reject a Money Bill. It
bad loans will likely settle at a multi-year low of 2.5 reason is that in the parliamentary can only make a recommendation,
percent this fiscal, provided there is no fresh trouble. form that we have, the government P D T ACHARY Former Secretary General, Lok Sabha which may or may not be accepted by
is accountable to parliament and, the Lok Sabha. Thus, only the Lok Sab-
According to RBI’s Financial Stability Report released
therefore, it is responsible for whatever ha has the final say on money Bills.
Thursday, bad loans as a proportion of overall loans is said in the address. Under Article 110(3), it is the Speaker
touched a 12-year low of 2.8 percent in 2023-24, but could rise Parliament is run on rules. No one who certifies a Bill as a Money
to 3.4 percent under severe stress. As for sectors, agriculture can raise a matter in the House without Bill. Such a certificate becomes
saw the highest impairment ratio in the previous fiscal, while the support of the rules. The rules be- crucial when the ruling party does not
retail loans saw an across-the-board reduction in gross non- ing followed today are, in a way, a con- have a majority in the Rajya Sabha.
performing assets (NPAs). The industrial sector, too, saw its tinuation of the standing orders of the In the 16th Lok Sabha, even an
Central Legislative Assembly of Brit- amendment to the Representation of
asset quality improve across multiple sub-sectors. A key in- ish India that have been suitably modi- the People Act, 1951 was certified
dicator of asset quality, the ratio of special mention ac- fied since independence. There is a as a Money Bill, thus escaping
counts—where payments are overdue by 60-90 days—is show- view among parliament watchers that the scrutiny of the Rajya Sabha.
ing relatively low levels of potential impairments. On balance, some of the rules need to be revisited The Supreme Court is seized of
domestic financial conditions are buttressed by healthy bal- to give more freedom to the members this matter, but it has not moved to-
ance sheets across financial institutions, improving asset and to dilute the absolute discretion wards a resolution on it. It is necessary
vested in the Speaker without, of to review Article 110(3) as well as
quality, adequate provisioning and robust earnings.
course, compromising his authority in the gamut of provisions relating to
It’s heartening that banks have enough capital buffers to over- any way. A few examples can be cited. the role of the Rajya Sabha in
come any macroeconomic shock, while their earnings remain Rule 43, relating to questions, says financial matters. We have just fol-
robust. In other words, the Indian banking system is well-posi- that a question can be disallowed when lowed British practice in this regard.
tioned to spur credit growth. However, it’s the demand that the Speaker feels “it is an abuse of the But our Rajya Sabha is unlike the
needs to pick up pace. While the growth in the services sector, right of questioning or is calculated to House of Lords, whose financial
obstruct or prejudicially affect the pro- powers were taken over by the Com-
especially in retail loans, seems unstoppable, a rise in industrial
cedure of the House”. It’s not clear mons in a century-long confrontation
credit remains elusive. Banks also seem to be wary of large what those words mean. Rule 41 lays with the lords, who are not elected.
borrowers or handing out big-ticket loans, which actually led to down a plethora of conditions that gov- Voting procedure in parliament
a disproportionate rise in bad loans just a few years ago. But it’s ern the admissibility of a question. So, MANDAR PARDIKAR needs to be revisited. On most occa-
also true that such caution has helped lower the gross NPA ra- in the normal course, a question that sions, the Houses decide issues by voice
tios. According to the RBI, the sustained reduction in the gross conforms to these conditions should be revocation of Rule 43(1) of the Rules of a motion named ‘Motion of Thanks’ in vote, which is not clearly sanctioned by
bad loans since March 2020 has been primarily due to a persist- admitted. In other words, an MP has Procedure in the Lok Sabha. each House. It is odd that the Motion of the Constitution. Article 100 says that
the right to have a question admitted if Now, if a question is disallowed, Thanks to the president is subject to all questions shall be determined by a
ent fall in new NPA accretions and increased write-offs. it conforms to these conditions. the MP has no right to make a repre- amendments. This time, there was a majority of votes of the members
But unlike in the past, when the RBI would warn about ris- Then why should the Speaker have sentation to the Speaker. It is an irony case of amending the motion by the op- present and voting. This article implies
ing stress in industrial loans, this time the central bank raised the power to disallow any question on that the Constitution gives the right to position in the Rajya Sabha because that all questions should be decided by
red flags over household debt. With overall household savings the vague grounds laid down in every person to make a representation the ruling party did not have a major- recording the votes. Majority can be
declining and financial liabilities increasing, it noted that Rule 43? It must be remembered that to an authority, but MPs are not al- ity. This can be seen as being rude to determined only in terms of numbers.
household debt warrants close monitoring from a financial the right to ask questions in parlia- lowed to make a representation to the president. In fact, this procedure It is a matter of crucial importance.
ment flows from Article 75 of the Con- the Speaker if his or her question has described in the rules is not in con- The new Lok Sabha is unique in
stability perspective. Households’ financial liabilities shot up stitution, which says the Council of been disallowed. (M N Kaul and formity with Article 87 of the Constitu- that the opposition has 234 members.
post-pandemic, while their savings declined to 18.4 percent of Ministers shall be effectively responsi- S L Shakdher, 6th edition, Page 504) tion, which simply says the Houses A large dose of wisdom would be need-
GDP in 2022-23, down from an average of 20 percent during ble to parliament. The Speaker’s dis- After the president has delivered the shall discuss the matters referred to in ed to navigate the House through tur-
2013-22. The government had attributed the decline to a rise cretion to disallow a question address, it is customary for both Hous- the address. It does not mention any bulent waters. If the politicians
in physical and financial assets. That could be true; but it’s may be seen as a case of infringement es to debate it. Article 87(2) mandates Motion of Thanks. By this article, a de- act wisely and with tact, this Lok
also essential to prevent any build-up of reckless lending. of a constitutional right of MPs. such a debate on matters referred to in bate can be raised on the address with Sabha can create history.
Therefore, a case can be made for the the address. This debate takes place on or without a motion. After the debate, (Views are personal)

CPM CANNOT AFFORD


ANOTHER MISSTEP MICRO RACISM 2.0:
IDLI-DOSA VS PANI-PURI
I
T was a political murder that had rocked Kerala. The rip- Discipline, decorum
ples from the brutal killing of T P Chandrasekharan, a Ref: Cooperation needed to end continued
paralysis of parliament (Jun 28). High-pitched
former CPI(M) leader who had floated a new party called
battles, showmanship and acrimonious

I
the Revolutionary Marxist Party, in Vadakara in 2012 are T’S nice to see a coalition gov- debates that result in paralysing the
yet to calm down. The allegation that the CPI(M) leader- ernment in Delhi led by PM functioning of parliament should be avoided.
ship was somehow involved in the murder—despite the Narendra Modi’s BJP taking It is the responsibility of leaders to inculcate
party leadership’s steadfast denial—is very much alive. The power with critical support from discipline and decorum in their members.
opposition has used the case to corner the LDF every elec- the TDP under Nara Chandrab- MADHAVAN Senior journalist Rajarao Kumar, Bengaluru
tion since then. The fact that K K Rema, Chandrasekharan’s abu Naidu. This should augur NARAYANAN
well for south-north relations. Opposition’s responsibility
wife, is now an MLA backed by the Congress-led UDF has I put south before north with deliberate The editorial aptly highlighted the equal
also kept the politics around the murder alive. It is indeed a
subject the ruling CPI(M) would prefer to forget.
intent. Mathematics teaches us that a per- REVERSE SWING responsibility of both the ruling alliance and
mutation is not a combination; the former the combined opposition. The opposition has
The LDF government was again caught on the wrong foot involves a sequence that has its own mean- conversation is getting batter and batter. swing from the south, which is new. more onus than the government, since this
as officials from the Kannur Central Jail sought police re- ing. It’s time to apply that concept in our We heard some news of unwelcome de- Politics has become extra-sensitive. Con- time people voted for more legislators from
ports on CPI(M) workers undergoing life sentences in the social, political and cultural life, just to get terrence in this matter earlier this year, gress MP Shashi Tharoor walked into hard the INDI Alliance. Instead of conflicts, there
a hang of what things were, are and could when a DMK minister taunted Tamil retorts from the BJP earlier this week after ought to be consensus and conciliation on the
case to grant them early remission as part of Azadi ka Amrit
be. Saying south-north relations instead of Nadu’s governor for asking southerners to sharing on social media a meme on Uttar proceedings. That the Speaker had to adjourn
Mahotsav. While handing out life sentences to the 12 convicts the other way should help us understand learn Hindi for better prospects. “While Pradesh linked to its exam paper leaks. the Lok Sabha after the ruckus over NEET
this February, the high court had said that nine of them how equations work in a world where per- English is an international language, The joke mocked UP as one where answers issue does not augur well.
would not be entitled to remission before completing 20 spectives differ by points of view. Tamil is a local language. We were told that are known before they get questions. R Sridharan, Chennai
years of imprisonment. The move by the Kannur prison The provocation is a story about actor It should not surprise us touchy folks
Shruti Haasan, who shut down a request from northern states are no longer amused Hamas attacks
officials is a blatant violation of this order. The opposition
during a live session on Instagram. It by the academic acronym, BIMARU. The Ref: How the Gaza fallout is coming closer to
created a ruckus in the assembly claiming that it indicated
seems she was asked by a follower to say term, coined by demographer Ashish Bose India (Jun 28). The author talks of the horrific
the government was trying to protect the criminals. Rema something in a south Indian accent and in the mid-1980s, was created from the first violence Israel let loose in Gaza, but he has
alleged that the jail superintendent, on his own, could not she called it an act of “micro racism”. This letters of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajas- no word against Hamas’s savage attacks
have taken such a decision without the backing of the chief is what she said in Insta-slang: “So, this than and Uttar Pradesh. Used academically on Israel that triggered Israel’s defensive
minister, who is also in charge of the home department. sort of micro racism is not OK. And it’s not to denote states that ranked low on income offence. Paradoxically, while he underscores
The state government has been denying any hand in this OK when you look at us and say idli-dosa- and human development indices, it also be- the importance of India’s foreign policy, he
ever since the controversy broke out. Insisting that none of sambar either. And no, you don’t imitate us came a pejorative as southern states eulogises Rahul Gandhi for keeping away from
well, so don’t try and be funny.” marched forward in economic terms. talking about it.
those convicts are being considered for remission, the govern- Point taken. Let me add that we Indians But these Hindi states were and are po- U Atreya Sarma, Hyderabad
PTI

ment has also ordered the suspension of the prison officials have a strange way of describing south- litically crucial. With the economically
who had initiated the move. The opposition alleges that the erners as ‘south Indians’. Can we drop that Actor Shruti Haasan recently prosperous south also becoming politically EVM doubts
government is trying to save face by scapegoating the offi- ‘Indian’ bit? It kind of states the obvious. shut down a fan’s request to say significant, we may as well question head- Ref: Quietening those who cast doubts on
cials. The CPI(M) is not in a position to afford one more politi- Perhaps there is a post-colonial interpreta- something with a southern accent, lines that describe Hindi-speaking states EVMs (Jun 28). The doubts over EVMs in India
cal misstep after the recent election rout. If the party and the tion to this—about seeing one’s own self as the ‘heartland’ of India. always depend on where the parties sit. When
from an outsider’s POV. That may be an calling it “micro racism”. After We may gently point to how southern- the present ruling party faced defeat twice,
government do not learn lessons from its mistakes, it might decades of being lampooned as the
excellent practice spiritually, but perhaps ers, Sikhs, Bengalis and even northern Bi- they not only had doubts, G V L Narasimha
not take much time to disintegrate in the state as it did else- not in a socio-political sense. idli-dosa people, southerners have haris have been routinely lampooned in Rao wrote a book, Democracy at Risk: Can We
where. The leadership must realise that the party no longer What Haasan did was a rare act of a Bollywood for their accents. The current Trust Our Electronic Voting Machines? Might
started calling those north of the
has the sturdiness to withstand yet another faux pas. southerner retorting in a firm manner. It pani-puri pushback pales in comparison. be worth a read.
represents a new pushback from the south Vindhyas as the pani-puri people. Decades after its release, Mehmood’s os- N Nagarajan, Secunderabad
of the Vindhyas against what one has ex- Both are best avoided tensibly Tamilian accent in Padosan
Q U I C K TA K E perienced in the north for decades. As a stands alongside its memorable music as a Ecosystem’s importance
kid growing up in New Delhi, I was used to learning Hindi could land us with jobs. Is stark reminder of idli-dosa politics. Ref: Don’t politicise effort to save flora & fauna
DEBATE STIRS A WORRY southerners being called ‘Madrasi’,
mocked in supposedly funny accents and
that so? You go and see in our state and in
Coimbatore. Who are those people who sell
To get the point across, I may as well use
a line from a Bollywood hit set in UP, Tanu
(Jun 28). Due to extraction and its effects
on flora and fauna, there is a visible change

M
OST observers of American politics described Friday’s described in idli-dosa idioms. Social media pani puris?” the minister said in a refer- Weds Manu Returns: “Kya Sharma ji! Hum in climate as well as the environment. The
debate between Joe Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 78, as has turned the southern annoyance into ence to northern migrant workers. thode bewafa kya huye, aap to badchalan government should take notice of this issue. We
amusement, with jibes flying both ways. The harsh fact is that ‘pani-puri’ is now ho gaye.” (What is this, Mr Sharma! I must realise the importance of the ecosystem.
“unwatchable” or “excruciating”. From the blue corner Southern retorts are often targeted at the an oft-used expression in Tamil Nadu to turned just a tad disloyal, whereas you Aditya Kamble, Kalaburagi
came the incumbent US president’s often-incomprehensible so-called ‘national’ TV news channels describe migrants from the north. When have become characterless.)
jabs in a raspy voice, and from the red corner came the based in the north that frequently play southerners went north soon after inde- The rise of southern micro racism, Opening performance
former president’s bluster. Biden’s former chief of staff Ron down southern issues or reveal a pendence to seek jobs in the national capi- much like its northern part, is best nipped The Indian cricket team’s management is
Klain once said, “While you can lose a debate at any time, superficial understanding of them. Such tal, they were mocked as migrants, not as in the bud. The occasional pani-puri refer- making a mistake by making Virat Kohli play
you can only win it in the first 30 minutes.” By that measure, media outlets have been suitably dubbed employees of a new republic. The boot is ences stand against decades of northern as an opener. During this tournament, his
by a humourist as ‘Amit media’, with Amit on the other foot now. stereotyping of southerners. The south is performance as opener has been pathetic. He
Biden lost. A televised debate between top leaders is a tradi-
serving as a catchphrase for a typical The Hindutva-Dravida divide in ideolo- no longer going to watch this standing by is better at one down. Hope the management
tion worth emulating. But seeing the two main contenders northern name, much like idli-dosa. If I gies is aiding tensions that reflect in idly. Or should that be idli? looks into this and Kohli’s batting order is
for the world’s most powerful office falling short of the role may be allowed a somewhat micro- the streets as micro-racist humour. Jibes (Views are personal) changed for a better performance.
requirement is a cause for worry. racist pun on north-speak, this idli-dosa and memes are seeing a reverse (On X @madversity) Durga Prasad Chirala, Vijayawada

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O Aung San Suu Kyi
spent yet another
birthday in prison,
as she completed 79
and stepped into her 80th year.
No one knows where she is.
Even her son, Kim Aris, has not
DOFULWLFDOLVVXHVDQGDFKLHYHPHQWV1RWDEO\LWKLJK heard from her since receiving a
thank-you note from her in
OLJKWHGLUUHJXODULWLHVLQH[DPLQDWLRQVDQGWRXFKHGXSRQ January this year for a package he
WKHKLVWRULFDOFRQWH[WRIWKH(PHUJHQF\LPSRVHGLQ had sent her. Yet not a squeak was
7KHUHIHUHQFHWRWKH(PHUJHQF\ZDVIURZQHG heard from leaders of Western
XSRQE\WKH&RQJUHVVZKLFKGXEEHGLWDVDQHIIRUWWR democracies who were, not so
long ago, condemning her incar-
GHIOHFWDWWHQWLRQIURPWKHFXUUHQWSROLWLFDOVFHQDULR ceration and Myanmar's ruling
+RZHYHUWKHJODULQJRPLVVLRQRIWKHHVFDODWLQJYLR junta which had usurped power
OHQFHLQ0DQLSXUVWRRGRXWVWDUNO\3UHVLGHQW0XUPX through a coup on February 1,
DGGUHVVHGWKHWURXEOLQJWUHQGRIH[DPLQDWLRQSDSHU 2021, and unleashed savage
repression as protests surged
OHDNVDFNQRZOHGJLQJWKHLPSDFWRQWKHFUHGLELOLW\RI throughout the country. Clearly,
DFDGHPLF SURFHVVHV 6KH HPSKDVLVHG WKH JRYHUQ Myanmar is no longer visible on
PHQW V FRPPLWPHQW WR WUDQVSDUHQF\ DQG UHIRUP LQ the radar of the democratic often, the imposition of sanc- Operation 1027, on October Among the latest gains by the
H[DPLQDWLRQV\VWHPVXQGHUVFRULQJWKHQHHGIRUVWULQJHQWPHDVXUHVWRHQVXUHIDLUQHVV world's concerns. tions. Not all countries, how- 27, 2023. Comprising the resistance forces, Mohinga
There are doubtless possible ever, react this way. Given the Myanmar National Matters lists the Chin
DQGLQWHJULW\7KHPHQWLRQRIWKH(PHUJHQF\UHIHUUHGWRDVWKH ELJJHVWDQGGDUNHVWFKDS explanations. Member countries dynamics of global power play, Democratic Alliance Army Brotherhood Force's capture of
WHURIGLUHFWDWWDFNRQWKH&RQVWLWXWLRQ ZDVDVWUDWHJLFPRYHWKDWGXJXSWKHKLVWRULFDO of the North Atlantic Treaty some countries, mainly autoc- (MNDAA) operating in the the junta's battalion station 304
EOXQGHU7KLVUHIHUHQFHZKLOHDLPHGDWKLJKOLJKWLQJWKH*RYHUQPHQW VFRPPLWPHQWWR Organisation (NATO) are racies themselves, do not join Kokang Special Region of in Chin State's Matupi town-
GHPRFUDF\VWUXFNDQHUYHZLWKWKH&RQJUHVVUHPLQGLQJWKHPRIDSHULRGWKH\ZRXOG engrossed with the war in the chorus of outrage. Northern Shan State, the ship on June 17, 2024, and the
Ukraine and the possibility of the Rather, they rally behind the Ta'ang National Liberation KNLA's capture of Sukali mil-
SUHIHUWRGLVWDQFHWKHPVHOYHVIURP7KHPRVWFRQWHQWLRXVDVSHFWRI3UHVLGHQW0XUPX V latter turning into a wider usurper. Mostly thanks to Army (TNLA), also active in itary station, south of
VSHHFKZDVWKHRPLVVLRQRIDQ\GLUHFWPHQWLRQRIWKHYLROHQFHLQ0DQLSXU7KH3UHVLGHQW V European War, if not World War them, the sanctions do not Shan State, and the Arakan Myawaddy city, on June 18.
VSHHFKGLGDFNQRZOHGJHWKHJRYHUQPHQW VEURDGHUHIIRUWVLQWKH1RUWKHDVWFLWLQJLQFUHDVHG III. Liberal elements in several work. The junta that had Army, based in the Rakhine The Junta's growing despera-
DOORFDWLRQVIRUGHYHORSPHQWDQGLQLWLDWLYHVXQGHUWKH$FW(DVW3ROLF\EXWWKLVZDVVHHQ European countries are alarmed staged the coup carries on. C749D=C0B State in the country's western tion is reflected in the stern
by the gains made by right-wing New developments on the part, it has been acting in close measures it has been taking
DVLQVXIILFLHQWE\PDQ\7KHH[FOXVLRQRIWKH0DQLSXUYLROHQFHIURPWKH3UHVLGHQW VVSHHFK forces in the recent elections to global scene consume the 6A>F8=6 cooperation with the National against those it regards as sur-
ZDVSHUFHLYHGE\WKH2SSRVLWLRQDVDQDWWHPSWWRGRZQSOD\WKHFULVLVDQGDYRLGDFFRXQW the European Parliament. Prime attention of countries con- 34B?4A0C8>=8B Unity Government's military rendering or deserting, the
DELOLW\7KHVSHHFKGLGQRWDGHTXDWHO\DGGUHVVWKHFRQFHUQVRIWKHGD\DQGFDOOIRUDFWLRQ Minister Rishi Sunak of the demning the coup. The junta arm, the People's Democratic killing of all suspected oppo-
IURPWKH2SSRVLWLRQUHJDUGLQJYDULRXVSUHVVLQJLVVXHV(QJDJLQJZLWKWKHVHFRQFHUQV United Kingdom and President is replaced by another entity as A45;42C438=C74 Force (PDF), and other ethnic nents and heightened efforts at
Emmanuel Macron of France the principal target of outrage. armies like the Karen National conscription given the refusal
DQGRXWOLQLQJDFROODERUDWLYHDSSURDFKWRUHVROYHWKHFULVLVFRXOGKDYHIRVWHUHGDPRUH are facing elections. Growing Slowly, opposition towards it BC4A=<40BDA4B8C Liberation Army (KNLA), the of people to serve in its forces.
FRQVWUXFWLYHSROLWLFDOGLDORJXHDQGGHPRQVWUDWHG*RYW·VZLOOLQJQHVVWRZRUNDFURVVSDUW\ popular anger over Israel's con- declines and there is a gradual 70B144=C0:8=6 Karen Liberation Army Indeed, those sentenced to
OLQHV tinuing offensive in Gaza, which trudge towards normalization (KNA), the Karenni death include Brigadier-
has caused around 40,000 deaths, of ties, particularly if the uni- 0608=BCC7>B48C Nationalities Defence Force General Zao Myo Win for
a large part of whom are women formed dictators relax their (KNDF), and one of the coun- surrendering to the MNDAA.
?82D1<; and children, is worrying govern- tyranny a little while retaining A460A3B0B try's most powerful armed The junta has also killed a
ments that continue to support
the Netanyahu regime.
their grip on power.
Is this what is going to happen
BDAA4=34A8=6>A ethnic organisations, the
Kachin Independence Army
highly respected Buddhist
monk, Bhaddanta
President Joe Biden's worries in Myanmar? One does not 34B4AC8=6C74 (KIA). Manindabhivamsa, who has
range from Israel's war, the con- know. It will, however, be of no According to an analysis in the been strongly critical of it by
flict in Ukraine, immigration, and credit to the world's democra- :8;;8=6>50;; website The Irrawaddy, date- shooting at his car on June 19,
fending off the challenge posed by
Donald Trump in the November
cies if this does not happen and
the people of Myanmar are
BDB?42C43 lined June 22, 2024, the junta
has lost, since its coup on
Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday.
Given its faltering conscription
presidential elections in the US. able to overthrow the junta >??>=4=CB0=3 February, 2024, to the resis- scheme, the junta has report-
Whatever the reasons, the fact is forcibly, which, by the look of tance forces one Military edly been planning to con-
that Myanmar is no longer the things, is by no means a 74867C4=43 Regional Command, three script women in some parts.
global concern it was.
Such things have happened
remote possibility. The Sit-Tat
(which, and not Tatmadaw, is
455>ACB0C Military Operational
Commands, seven headquar-
Needless to say, all this only
serves to swell the tide of
before. Public and governmental the real name of the junta's 2>=B2A8?C8>= ters of the Border Guard Police anger against it sweeping the
spans of attention are proverbial- army), has been suffering Battalions, and 63 of the 545 country. Time is running out
ly ephemeral. It is this transience reverse after reverse ever since 68E4=C74A45DB0; military battalions besides for Myanmar's uniformed
that mostly sustains autocracies.
There is a perceptible process. The
the opposition Three
Brotherhood Alliance (hence-
>5?4>?;4C>B4AE4 more than 2,500 frontline
bases including tactical and
tyrants.
(The author is Consulting
initial response to a coup is con- forth the Alliance) launched its 8=8CB5>A24B frontline bases of military Editor, The Pioneer. The
demnation by democracies and, current offensive, codenamed divisions. views expressed are personal)

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4YbUSdYfU_^T_Sd_bcVUUc Madam —The alarming unemployment
rate and the availability of cheap labor in
India enable multinational companies to
dictate terms and exploit poor gig work-
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ers with low wages. Over the years, there
has been significant outcry in the U.S. and
Europe about companies like Amazon,
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which have been fined and investigated for
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nent employees. These commercially dri-
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er welfare.The National Human Rights PRcX^]b P]S bTeTaT _d]XbW\T]cb U^a cW^bT
appu Yadav, an inde- rupees, with no standardiza- Commission (NHRC) has taken cog- aTb_^]bXQ[TU^acWTbTbRP\bATTgP\X]PcX^]b^][h

P pendent Member of
Parliament from Purnia
in Bihar, has sparked a heat-
tion or oversight. The Indian
Medical Association (IMA)
and the Medical Council of
nizance of the dire working conditions in
Amazon warehouses, where workers are
forced to endure inhumane conditions
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ed debate by instructing doc- India (MCI) have largely without breaks, often in extreme heat. Xbd]STaX\\T]bT_aTbbdaTU^[[^fX]VXaaTV XbbdTbaPcWTacWP]Tg_[^XcX]VcWTbXcdPcX^]U^a_^[Xc
tors in his constituency to cap abdicated responsibility, citing Despite regulations like d[PaXcXTbX]cWXbhTPa³b=44CD6\TSXRP[=4C XRP[VPX]CWTh]TTSc^R^^_TaPcTP]S_a^_^bTR^]
their consultation fees at 500 the "Clinical Establishments The Contract Labour (Regulation and cTPRWX]V P]S 944 T]VX]TTaX]V TgP\b CWT bcadRcXeTb^[dcX^]bc^cPRZ[TcWXbdaVT]c\PccTaCWT
rupees. This directive has not Act" as a reason for their inac- Abolition) Act, which aims to ensure the _[XVWc^UcWTPUUTRcTSRP]SXSPcTbfW^_aT_PaTS bcPcTb\dbcR^[[PQ^aPcTfXcWcWTRT]caP[V^ecc^
only caused an uproar in tion. safety, health, and social security of con- U^a\^]cWbP]ScaPeT[TS[^]VSXbcP]RTbc^cWTXa aTbc^aTcWTX]cTVaXch^UcWTTSdRPcX^]bhbcT\
medical and political circles Meanwhile, unethical prac- tract laborers, the situation remains dire. TgP\RT]cTabXbWTPacQaTPZX]VCWTh]^fUPRTcWT Dimple Wadhawan | Kanpur
but has also highlighted a tices persist, such as govern- To meet unrealistic and dangerous targets,
long-ignored issue: the regu- ment doctors running private unemployed youths are compelled to od remain grim reminders for D85C@51;5BC5<53D9?>
lation of doctors' fees for clinics during official hours, work under miserable and unhealthy con- many.Nevertheless, the citizens, under Madam — The election of Om Birla as
patient consultations.Amid exacerbating the problem.In ditions. Consumer indifference further the leadership of selfless figures like Speaker was a foregone conclusion, serv-
the political backlash and sight.Adding to the problem attempted to ban private prac- Bihar, the issue is particular- exacerbates the situation, allowing such Jayaprakash Narayan, acted decisively to ing merely as a formality to placate oppo-
ongoing arguments, several is the unethical practice of tice for government doctors, ly severe, with government exploitation to continue unchecked. restore democracy. Similarly, when N.T. sition parties. The tradition of allotting the
critical questions arise: Who government doctors running the medical community has doctors often neglecting their Regulatory agencies and consumer aware- Rama Rao's elected government was top- Speaker's post to the ruling party and the
sets the consultation fees for private clinics, sometimes reacted with strong opposi- duties in public hospitals to ness can make a significant difference. It's pled in Andhra Pradesh, the people again Deputy Speaker's post to the opposition has
doctors? even during official hospital tion, organizing protests and treat patients privately. crucial to recognize that the gig economy rose to action and restored it. been abandoned.
Is there any mechanism to hours. In Bihar, it is common strikes, which have left many Attempts by state govern- relies on underpaid employees, whose In the last decade, India has been experi- Although AICC President asserted the
control the exorbitant fees that knowledge that government patients without care. This ments to regulate this practice rights and well-being should be central to encing an undeclared emergency, charac- INDIA. bloc would not withdraw its can-
doctors often charge? What doctors often skip their hos- ongoing struggle highlights have faced fierce opposition national development. terized by a subdued press, with the didate, Jairam Ramesh admitted they did
roles do the Indian Medical pital duties to treat patients the urgent need for regulato- from the medical communi- Vijay Singh Adhikari | Nainital country ranking 161st out of 180 in the not seek a division. Consequently, the
Association (IMA) and the privately. Many of these ry reform in the medical sec- ty, leading to protests and Global Press Freedom Index, the killing of opposition has forfeited its right to demand
Medical Council of India patients had initially visited tor to ensure fair and ethical strikes that disrupt patient @B5C5BF9>745=?3B13I9>9>491 five journalists in a year, and over 200 the Deputy Speakership.
(MCI) play in regulating these them at government hospi- treatment for all patients. care. This situation reveals a Madam — This refers to the article, "The injured. Numerous individuals have been The trust deficit between the treasury
fees?Unfortunately, the tals. Despite this rampant The controversy ignited by critical need for comprehen- Dark Days of India's Emergency" (27-6-24). imprisoned for extended periods without benches and the opposition necessitated
answers appear bleak for issue, the IMA has not imple- Pappu Yadav’s directive to cap sive reforms to ensure fair and When India achieved independence, many charges simply for expressing dissent. the election. Ideally, an agreement could
patients. The IMA has dis- mented any regulations to consultation fees at 500 ethical medical practices. By doubted its ability to sustain a democrat- Arbitrary manipulation of election results, have been reached where the opposition
tanced itself from the respon- curb this behavior, instead rupees underscores the urgent addressing these challenges, ic republic for long. However, the Indian such as in the Chandigarh mayoral elec- conceded the Speaker's post to the ruling
sibility of setting doctor's fees, deferring the matter to state need for regulatory reform in regulatory bodies can create people have consistently demonstrated tion, and the use of central agencies to party in exchange for the Deputy
citing the "Clinical governments, stating they India's medical sector. The a more equitable healthcare their wisdom, commitment to democra- silence opposition voices are reminiscent Speakership. This trust, if honoured,
Establishments Act" as a rea- will follow any rules set by the outcry from both political and system that prioritizes patient cy, and their ability to resurrect it when- of the Emergency era. While MISA was would have exposed any ruling party's
son for their inaction. In states regarding private prac- medical circles highlights the welfare over profit, ultimate- ever it has been threatened. Indira Gandhi’s used by Indira Gandhi, UAPA serves a sim- deception.
reality, doctors charge consul- tice.In Bihar, however, such long-standing issue of ly fostering a more just and declaration of the Emergency, despite ilar purpose today. The people possess the KV Seetharamaiah | Bengaluru
tation fees ranging from 500 rules are frequently disre- unchecked and exorbitant efficient medical landscape. being an act that stifled democracy, power to protect democracy as evidenced
to 2,000 rupees per visit, with garded. Historically, whenev- consultation fees, which often (The author is a columnist, required considerable boldness. by the results of the recent election. BT]Shh^daUUTTSQPRZcc^)
no standardization or over- er a state government has range from 500 to 2,000 views are personal) The hardships endured during that peri- AG Rajmohan |Anantapur [TccTabc^_X^]TTa/V\PX[R^\
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FIRSTCOLUMN
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vide him with a statutory position under
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WKHILUVWPDQIOXPPR[HGDQGVSHHFKOHVV Sabha.In contrast, the Congress has
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WKHEHDUGHG=HQ0DVWHU7KHURRPZDVGLPO\OLWEXWWKHYLUWXRXVRQH from 52 to 102 MPs, including three
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IXODQGDVNHGWKHVHFRQGPDQ:KDWZDV\RXUROGWRZQOLNH" may emerge in Parliament: if the BJP’s
7KLVPDQEOHVVHGZLWKDFKHHU\GLVSRVLWLRQH[FODLPHG2K0DVWHU,W "shouting brigade" attempts to silence
ZDVZRQGHUIXO(YHU\RQHZDVEULPPLQJZLWKFRQILGHQFHDQG]HVWSHR Rahul Gandhi, Congress MPs may
SOHZHUHIULHQGO\DQG,ZDVMROOLW\SHUVRQLILHG5LJKWQRZ,DPLQWHUHVW respond by disrupting the Prime
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GZHOOLQJ mentary balance of power has shifted as
well. The combined strength of the NDA
7KH=HQ0DVWHUQRGGHGKLVKHDGDQGZLWKDWZLQNOHLQKLVH\HUHSOLHG (BJP and its allies) will be reduced to 294,
7KLVWRZQLVYHU\PXFKVLPLODUWR\RXUROGRQHDQG,DPSRVLWLYHWKDW down from 336 in the previous term.
Meanwhile, the Congress-led UPA has
increased its seats from 90 to 234,
including several new additions, posing strating robust leadership in par- Meeting these expectations will Emergency's dark era. In the late
a significant challenge for the ruling liamentary debates and public be key to Gandhi’s effectiveness 1960s, she was derisively called
party. forums are crucial for gaining as LoP. "Goongi Gudiya" (Dumb Doll) by
Challenges as Leader of the Opposition public trust and support. Rahul Gandhi may also gain an her detractors, which ultimately
As the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Responsibilities as LoP important position as the chair- helped her emerge strong and
in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi will face Holding the G overnment man of the Public Accounts bounce back to power in 1980.
numerous challenges requiring a dedi- Accountable: Gandhi will lead Committee, which primarily Similarly, Rahul Gandhi's rejuve-
cated and full-time commitment. The the opposition’s efforts in holding examines reports from the nation as a credible LoP in 2024
role cannot be managed on an ad hoc the government accountable. This Comptroller and Auditor General comes after being dubbed
basis as it demands continuous effort and
strategic planning. Key responsibilities
A07D;60=378 involves articulating the opposi-
tion’s stance on various issues,
(CAG). The PAC has a majority
of government nominees and
"Pappu" by the BJP.
At this juncture, experts suggest
and strategies include: <0H0;B>608= participating in debates, and typically decides issues by vote. that the common people wit-
Regular Interaction with Allies: Gandhi ensuring effective representa- Additionally, as LoP, Gandhi nessed a privileged member of
must engage regularly with leaders of 0=8<?>AC0=C tion. would be part of various col- the Gandhi family walking in

\RXZRXOGIHHODWKRPHLQWKHQHZWRZQVKLS:HOFRPHDERDUG
allied parties to formulate strategies
aimed at cornering the weakened BJP-
?>B8C8>=0BC74 Rallying Opposition Parties:
He will need to rally opposition
legiums alongside the Prime
Minister and Chief Justice of
scorching heat and biting cold,
highlighting their problems. This
/LIHLVIXOORIYLFLVVLWXGHV7KHUHDUHKLJKSRLQWVDQGORZRQHV7KHILUVW led alliance in Parliament. Building and 2708A<0=>5C74 parties, build consensus, and India (or government nominees), might have changed their opin-
maintaining strong relationships coordinate their efforts. This can responsible for selecting the ion about him, leading them to
PDQIDFHGFRQVWDQWPLVDGYHQWXUHLQKLVROGWRZQVKLS+HVTXDEEOHG
ZLWKKLVZLIHVQDUOHGDWKLVFKLOGUHQDQGZDVDWRGGVZLWKKLVVXSHUL
with diverse political groups will be ?D1;82 be challenging given the diverse heads of key investigative and perceive him as a "Bechara
RUV MXQLRUV DQG SHHUV +H ZDV QRW DW SHDFH ZLWK KLPVHOI ZLWK KLV
essential.
Aggressive yet Mature Approach: It will
022>D=CB ideologies and interests of differ-
ent parties.
transparency agencies including
the C entral Bureau of
Shehzada" (Poor Prince), earning
their sympathy and contributing
HQHUJ\SUDQDFKLOHYHOVDWDORZHEE be crucial for Gandhi to demonstrate 2><<8CC44 Effective C ommunication: Investigation (CBI), Lokpal, to the BJP's undoing in the 2024
:KLOHWKHVHFRQGSHUVRQDFFHSWHGDOOVLWXDWLRQVDQGSHRSOHDVWKH\ZHUH aggression balanced with maturity, par- Gandhi must communicate effec- Central Vigilance Commission polls.
7KLVUHVRQDWHVZLWKRQHRIVXWUDVRIWKH$UWRI/LYLQJ$FFHSWSHRSOH ticularly when highlighting issues of F7827?A8<0A8;H tively within and outside (CVC), Chief Election The NDA government’s focus
DQGVLWXDWLRQVDVWKH\DUH6XFKSHRSOHGRQRWILQGIDXOWZLWKDQ\VLW public importance. His ability to address
these issues effectively in Parliament will
4G0<8=4B Parliament. His speeches, state-
ments, and interactions with the
Commissioner/Election
C ommissioners, and Chief
on Hindutva, anti-Muslim
rhetoric, and tall promises failed
XDWLRQDQGDUHDWSHDFHZLWKWKHPVHOYHV7KLVEHFRPHVWKHVWDWHRIWKHLU
PLQG
be key to his success. A4?>ACB5A>< media will shape public percep- Information Commissioner to address people's real issues.
Unifying a Fragmented Opposition: tion and influence political dis- (CIC). Prime Minister Modi can be
7KLV=HQVWRU\SLYRWVRQWKHLGHDRINDUPD:KDWHYHUKDSSHQVWRDQ\ One of the most significant challenges C74 course. Historical Parallels: Indira credited for popularizing the
RQHLVWKHUHVXOWRIWKHLURZQDFWLRQV:HPD\WUDYHODURXQGWKHZRUOG
LQWKHKRSHRIHVFDSLQJDOLIHZHFRQGHPQHG:KDWZHZLOOILQGLQVWHDG
will be unifying a fragmented opposi-
tion. The diverse political ideologies and
2><?CA>;;4A Strategic Decision-Making:
Making strategic decisions
Gandhi and Rahul GandhiAn
amended version of Karl Marx's
term "Shehzada" (Scion) for
Rahul Gandhi, but this cam-
LVWKDWZHFRQWLQXHWRFDUU\RXUEDJJDJHZLWKXVZKHUHYHUZHJR9HULO\ regional interests create a complex land- 0=30D38C>A regarding when to cooperate quote suggests that history paign ultimately transformed his
LWDSSOLHVWRDSRVLWLYHPLQGVHWWRRLQWKDWKDSSLQHVVLVDPDWWHURIRQH V scape, making consensus-building a with the ruling party and when to repeats itself first as tragedy and image from "Pappu" to a credible
FKRLFH critical yet difficult task. 64=4A0; oppose them requires astute not necessarily as farce; hence its national leader.Overall, Rahul
C ountering the Ruling Par ty's political judgment. Balancing recurrence has ended up enhanc- Gandhi’s leadership as LoP will
8SRQUHDGLQJWKH=HQVWRU\WKHPDQZKRVHOLIHZDVOLNHWKDWRIWKHILUVW Narrative: Despite the BJP's reduced these choices will be crucial. ing Rahul Gandhi's prestige as significantly impact India’s polit-
LQGLYLGXDOGHFLGHGWRPDNHDPHWDPRUSKRVLVLQKLVOLIHDQGRSWHGWREH majority, countering its dominant nar- Master y of Parliamentar y LoP. Political observers note two ical landscape. To effectively rep-
SRVLWLYHOLNHWKHVHFRQGPDQ+HPDGHDGHJUHHWXUQLQKLVWKRXJKW rative remains a formidable challenge. Procedures: Understanding par- stark similarities between the resent the opposition in
SURFHVVDQGEURNHWKHJODVVFHLOLQJRIQHJDWLYLW\DQGDFFHSWHGDOOFKDO The ruling party's stronghold on media liamentary rules, procedures, and late Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s come- Parliament, he will need to rise to
OHQJHVLQOLIH,QYRNHWKHYDORXULQ\RX-XVWVD\ 2ND\ZKDWHYHUFRPHV and public perception necessitates a tactics is crucial. Gandhi will back in 1980 and Rahul Gandhi’s these challenges, demonstrating
,DPJRLQJWRWDNHLWDVDFKDOOHQJH :KHQ\RXLQYRNHWKLVHQHUJ\IHDU strategic and compelling opposition need to master these to effective- recent resurgence.Indira Gandhi strong leadership and a commit-
YDQLVKHVVD\VWKHVSLULWXDOPDVWHU*XUXGHY6UL6UL5DYL6KDQNDU narrative. ly challenge the government. earned the title "Bechari" in the ment to addressing the concerns
Scrutiny of Leadership Style: Gandhi's Raising Critical Issues: People eyes of the people due to the of the Indian people.
7KHZULWHULVWKH&(2RI&KKDWWLVJDUK(DVW5DLOZD\/WGDQG leadership style and communication expect the LoP to raise critical excesses and humiliation inflict- (The writer is a senior journalist
&KKDWWLVJDUK(DVW:HVW5DLOZD\/WG+HLVDIDFXOW\RIWKH$UWRI skills will be under constant scrutiny. issues, propose alternatives, and ed on her by the Janata Party after and a policy analyst; views
/LYLQJ9LHZVDUHSHUVRQDO Establishing his credibility and demon- offer constructive solutions. losing power, a fallout of the expressed are personal)

8QLRQEXGJHWQHHGVWRDGRSWDOOLQFOXVLYHDSSURDFKWRKHDOWK
/TJOGTKKJYZUYVKTJSUXKUTOTLXGYZX[IZ[XKJK\KRUVSKTZOTTU\GZOUTGTJGIIKYYOHOROZ_LUX[TO\KXYGRNKGRZNIU\KXGMKH_
s India anticipates the would be the formulation of a sitate immediate government care accessible to all, especial- essential for achieving UHC, is key in this regard. According sustainable healthcare busi-

A unveiling of the first


comprehensive Union
Budget under the Modi 3.0
roadmap to boost public
healthcare expenditure to 3%
of the GDP. According to the
intervention. Incorporating
advanced treatment methods
into the Ayushman Bharat
ly in rural regions where the
need is most pressing. Physical
infrastructure along with the
particularly in addressing the
dual burden of non-commu-
nicable and communicable
to the World Health
Organization (WHO), UHC
means access to essential
ness model that integrates pri-
mary, secondary, and tertiary
care systems is crucial.
government, the healthcare Confederation of Indian Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya human resources is essential diseases.Health insurance is a health services, including Such a model should empha-
sector finds itself at a crucial Industry (CII) and Reserve Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and for delivering quality health- vital component in the journey affordable medicines and vac- size affordability and high
crossroads. The interim bud- Bank of India estimates, encouraging private health care. toward "Health for All." With cines, without financial diffi- quality, enhancing the reputa-
get has set a preliminary healthcare expenditure needs insurance companies to adopt Rational regulations and poli- low insurance coverage, many culty. Strengthening health tion of Indian
roadmap, yet achieving a to grow at a compound annu- similar practices can signifi- cies are critical to supporting individuals face substantial systems and essential infra- healthcare.Substantial support
transformative overhaul of the CE71>4807;DF0;80 al growth rate (CAGR) of cantly enhance healthcare India’s aspiration to achieve out-of-pocket expenses when structure is vital for achieving for the hospital sector is also
healthcare ecosystem requires 18.9%. The current goal is to accessibility for these UHC by 2030. Such regula- seeking healthcare services. UHC. necessary, including a combi-
a robust and unified effort. private sector investments, achieve 2.5% public expendi- groups.The government must tions should enable seamless Implementing mandatory The private sector's invest- nation of investments and tax
It is imperative to prioritize which are vital for the devel- ture on healthcare by 2025-26 also place a strong emphasis on collaboration among all stake- health insurance and gradual- ments in healthcare infra- reliefs, to build infrastructure
increased funding for health- opment of state-of-the-art and 3% by 2030-31. rural healthcare in its budget holders, ensuring that quality ly expanding coverage to structure and training health assets and provide top-tier
care infrastructure, innova- healthcare facilities across the While these targets are ambi- allocations. healthcare services are acces- include self-employed profes- workers are significant contri- healthcare services across the
tion, and accessibility to create country. tious, they require meticu- Direct investments in health- sible to all citizens, regardless sionals and other currently butions toward this goal. country. Bridging the rural-
a new ecosystem that can sup- Additionally, extending inter- lous planning and strategic care infrastructure and med- of socio-economic status. excluded groups can pave the Achieving the goal of urban divide in critical care
port India’s ambitious health- est rate subventions for med- execution to be realized.The ical personnel, along with tar- This approach will help way for a more equitable Healthcare for All by 2030 in facilities is imperative to reach-
care objectives.One of the pri- ical equipment could alleviate economic burden of healthcare geted incentives to attract doc- address health disparities and healthcare system. India presents numerous ing the goal of Healthcare for
mary expectations from the the financial strain on hospi- costs is a major concern for the tors and hospitals to under- improve overall health out- This strategy would ensure opportunities but also requires All by 2030.
forthcoming budget is the tals, facilitating the moderniza- lower and middle-income served areas, are critical. This comes in the country.The pri- that all citizens have access to overcoming significant barri- (The author is Chief Strategy
reclassification of hospitals as tion of technology and groups in India. High out-of- approach will expand health- vate sector has a pivotal role in essential health services with- ers. A multi-faceted approach Officer at Indian Spinal
infrastructure investments. improvement in service deliv- pocket expenditures, coupled care coverage and spur inno- delivering quality healthcare out financial hardship.Access is essential for increasing Injuries Centre, New Delhi.
This reclassification has the ery.A significant step forward with escalating healthcare costs vation in insurance products, services. Bridging the critical to quality healthcare is funda- access to and delivery of qual- The views expressed
potential to attract substantial for India's healthcare system and insurance barriers, neces- making comprehensive health- gaps in service delivery is mental for everyone, and UHC ity healthcare. Developing a are personal)

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