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Vol. 15 Issue 04 Pages 52 November 2013 Aashwayuja – Kaarthika PRICE ` 20

Politicians Have Their Mind Set on Hyderabad

To vote or not… SC’s directive throws up some vital issues

The

MALALA story

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IN THIS ISSUE

Move Over, Cyclists

A Cancer Called Paid News Can Anyone Cure?

South China Sea: India Should Remain Firm on Oil Exploration 16

To vote or not…

SC’s directive throws up some vital issues

Case Against the Ordinance to Protect Criminal Legislators

The MALALA story When 16-year-old Defeats Taliban…

Thrown to sharks Rank Saudi Injustice to Immigrants

No let-up in inflation Tight monetary policy regime to stay Food inflation on the whole moved around the 18% in September with continuing strains on the supply side. The consumer price index (CPI) is also moving around double-digit, making it difficult for RBI to bring down interest rates

IN THIS ISSUE

Transcending Boundaries Volume: 15 Issue: 04 November 2013 Aashwayuja – Kaarthika (Vijaya)

Published & Printed by NARAYAN SEVIRE for and on behalf of the owners JNANA BHARATHI PRAKASHANA, Mangalore.

It all started following a statement by a local astrologer Shobhan Sarkar. who said he has enough documents to substantiate his claims and is even ready to be punished if no gold is found under the said site.

Heritage Tourism Goes Virtual What about Touring the Country Online?

Woes of the Elderly Many are left to fend for themselves

Jailed Politicians Lalu Prasad Not Alone in Jail

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Move Over, Cyclists

ll over the world, governments and authorities are struggling to contain the ever- increasing number of vehicles on the roads. Vehicles are a burden on the roads, they pollute the air and they make us lazy. In fact, many governments are encouraging their citizens to use cycles instead of cars and bikes as they don’t pollute the environment, keep the road less congested and keep a person fit and healthy. But not every government organisation thinks so. Kolkata, a city with one of the highest pollution rates in the country, has gone the reverse way. The city administration has banned cycles on more than 174 of its busy roads, effectively making it a blanket ban. The city administration would like us to believe that this is being done to allow other motorists in the city to ply faster. And with this, Kolkata has taken away the last means of transportation available to the poorest of the poor in this country so that the rich can move faster. Apart from the health conscious upper class, the cycle is main-

At a time everybody is looking at ways to reduce carbon footprint, Kolkata has banned cycling on much of its roads. Cycling eases the traffic and reduces pollution. But the Mamata Banerjee Government says cyclists are the main cause of accidents on Kolkata roads. What a tragedy for the city that almost crawls because of endless traffic jams and high burden of vehicles on the roads… !

ly used by the labourers, milkmen, laundry guys, vegetable vendors, and by other poor people. Now, they will either have to walk on the pavements of the city or get vehicles by applying for loans. This means it will either delay the supply of essential items like milk and vegetables or will result in price spiral, as these vendors will have to buy vehicles and invest their hard earned money in it. Dilip Kumar Adak, Deputy Commissioner of traffic police in Kolkata, says bicycles have been banned because of ‘lack of space’ on the Kolkata roads. Interesting, as the city has all the space in the world for bigger cars and trams and buses, but when it comes to the little, unassuming bicycles, the administration suddenly remembers its woeful shortage of space on its roads. The West Bengal Government has put its foot firmly down and stated that the blanket ban on bicycles is here to stay. This means that numerous poor workers in the city, who have no other option other than bicycles, will have to suffer. Many of them are

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paying fines on a regular basis, which range from Rs.100 to Rs.300 for being ‘caught’ with their bicycles! Ironically, the rest of India thinks exactly in the opposite. The Government of India formulated a transportation policy in 2006 that encourages support for cyclists. In recent years, bike lanes have begun to appear in cities such as New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Pune. Delhi has been at the forefront of this with the Delhi Master Plan 2021 recommending cycle tracks for all roads. Mumbai inaugurated its first 12-km cycle track in 2011 to encourage people to use bicycles to commute to work, and ease congestion on the roads. Even Chandigarh had built 160-km cycle paths between 2001 and 2003. Kolkata has a well-developed public transit system, with trams, buses and a subway. Eleven per cent of the population uses bicycles as their main mode of transport, with about 2.5 million bicycle trips a day, according to government statistics. About 8 per cent drive cars, 54 per cent mainly use public transport, and 19 per cent walk. Alongside bicycles, the new notification prohibits all forms of non-motorised transport like tricycles, vans and hand pull carts. The notification restricting “slow vehicles” was issued by the Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha “with a view to providing safe and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic.” There is no provision of fines or seizure in the notification, implying the penalties collected by plainclothes policemen are illegal. Also, statistics show that the cyclists are hardly the party to blame for accidents and mishaps on the roads in Kolkata. Kolkata is the only Indian metro where trips by cycle outnumber trips on cars. Only 1.5 per cent of road accidents happen because of fault of cyclists compared to 71 per cent due to drivers of motor vehicles, and the government has gleefully banned bicycles from the roads!

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The Cycles of cycle ban T

his is not the first time Kolkata has introduced a ban on bicycles. The city first prohibited bicycles on about three dozen streets in 2008. This measure has only been recently expanded. Although bicycle travel will be allowed on some streets after business hours, activists say the new restrictions are tantamount to a ban on cycling in the entire city. They say the measure makes no sense at a time when traffic and air pollution are worsening in Asia. The air is so bad in Kolkata, for example, that the city’s most famous monument, Queen Victoria Memorial, has turned yellow from fumes and smog.

The city is fuming over these unpopular measures of the government to curb traffic jams. Recently, a crowd of about 200 gathered in the heart of Kolkata to protest the city administration’s clampdown on cycles. Avid cyclists complete with head gear came holding placards that said, “Let’s recycle Kolkata”. They were joined by milk vendors, vegetable vendors and newspaper delivery boys for whom cycling is tied to earning a living.

To vote or not… SC’s directive throws up some vital issues The landmark directive of the Supreme Court to provide for ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) provision to enable citizens to express their disapproval of the candidates who they think are not fit to be elected will work only if there is a provision for compulsory voting, according to some analysts. But that may pose certain imponderables and the Apex Court has to work out a formula to tackle this issue. However, the Election Commission has expressed its willingness to provide this option in the forthcoming general election. Voting has been made compulsory in many countries and India too may be moving in that direction.

• By Hemalatha Hegde

ollowing the Supreme Court's judgment, many people are asking whether they have now the right to reject candidates in the upcoming elections. Some of them are terming it as a 'Vote to Reject.' To be precise, it is not a ‘Vote to Reject’ but ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option. In other words, the citizens don't have the right to call for a re-election blaming the political parties for fielding “useless” candidates. All they can do is to disapprove the candidates who are contesting the elections. The Supreme Court has asked the Election Commission to add one more

button to the voting machine, naming it ‘None of the Above’. A voter who presses this button will indicate that he/she dislikes all the candidates and none of them deserve his/her support. Analysts say the NOTA option can be enforced only if voting is made mandatory. That's why they are hoping that the Supreme Court will make an announcement to this effect in the near future. Negative voting is prevalent in 13 countries and even in India MPs are given the option of abstaining from voting in Parliament, the court has said. But every voter in this country has long been allowed to abstain

from voting. As a result, we are seeing a large majority of educated class choosing not to vote in every election. NOTA is prevalent in Greece, in the US state of Nevada, Spain, Ukraine, Russia and Colombia. Even Bangladesh introduced it in 2008. Pakistan introduced it this year, but stayed away from implementing it immediately. Unlike the mandatory voting, NOTA has not been successful in cleaning up politics in any country where it is in force. Even though the majority of voters disapprove of the candidates, that may have no effect whatsoever. In the state of Nevada, the next highest total wins, regardless of voters exer-

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cising this option. In other words, the candidate who gets more votes will be declared the winner. The Election Commission had in fact informed the Supreme Court in 2009 that it wished to offer the voter the ‘None of the Above’ option. Of course, the government had opposed such a move. The talk about NOTA died down until a Delhi-based NGO filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking a formal ruling. Such a ruling is out today. The judges said that this "would lead to a systemic change in polls and political parties will be forced to project clean candidates." But analysts are arguing that it can be successfull only if the Election Commission makes voting mandatory. The key reason to say so is that the negative votes are never counted.

Valid & invalid votes T

he Aam Aadmi Party has termed NOTA the ‘Right to Reject’. But the ‘Right to Reject’ is a little variant of the ‘None of the Above’ option. Under RTR, election is recalled and parties are told to nominate different candidates in the event of a majority rejection. Former Election Commissioner Quraishi clarified that it was NOTA and it would carry no effect on the electoral outcome. All you can do is to disapprove of the candidates. Negative votes are not counted in the first place. So there will be no question of knowing how many people cast negative votes.

Compulsory Voting C

ompulsory voting has proved to be successful in Australia. There every eligible voter has to attend a polling station on the voting day. Those who don’t turn up will be fined and denied civic services. In India, people who don’t want to vote do not go to the polling station. As a result, the national voting average has never exceeded 78 %. That means 20% of the population never vote. Compulsory voting systems bring in a higher degree of political legitimacy, because they result in increased voter turnout. The victorious candidate represents the majority of the population, not just the politically motivated individuals, some of whom are sent to the polling station by candidates with money or muscle power. In Australia, voting is generally held on a Saturday or Sunday to ensure that working people can cast their vote. People who cannot vote on the polling day can mail their vote and/or

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participate in pre-poll, which is conducted at a mobile polling booth. Compulsory voting encourages voters to research the candidates’ background more thoroughly. As they have to vote anyway, they read and watch every bit of information about their candidates. This means the candidates will be forced to appeal to a more general audience, rather than a small section of the community. In today’s India, if fewer people vote, then it becomes easy for smaller sectional interests and lobby groups to herd a small section of the people to the polling booth and thereby control the outcome of the election. More than anything else, political parties will no longer need to shell out a huge sum of money to lure voters to the polling booth. Today, politicians spend an awful lot of money on elections and look for ways to get back their money once they are elected. Under the compulsory voting system, smaller campaign funds are needed to goad voters to the polling

booths and the role of money is minimised. Secondly, compulsory voting forces people to educate themselves on politics, leading to creation of a better informed society. There are more than 10 countries that have enforced compulsory voting. Switzerland, the rich country of Europe, is another success story of compulsory voting. In the South American country of Brazil, voters have to provide a legitimate reason for having failed to participate in voting. In Argentina, those who were ill on voting day have to submit doctor’s certificate. In Belgium, those who are travelling abroad on the polling day can empower others to cast votes on their behalf. Most of these countries impose small or nominal penalties. But in Singapore and Belgium, voters who frequently fail to vote lose their voting rights for ever. In Peru and Greece, such voters are denied government services. In Brazil, people who fail to vote in an election are barred from obtaining passports. In Bolivia, voters who fail to participate in the election are blocked from bank withdrawals for three months.

Case Against the Ordinance to Protect Criminal Legislators • By Dr. A Surya Prakash, Distinguished Fellow, VIF (Abridged version of the article published in Vivekananda International Foundation. The full article is available on the net)

n July 2013 the Supreme Court passed a landmark judgment that disqualified those MPs and MLAs who are convicted and sentenced to two years of imprisonment from continuing as members of Parliament or state assemblies. It also barred persons in jail from contesting elections, because such persons lose the right to vote. Significantly, the court struck down Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1951, which enabled those who have been convicted to continue their tenure in

Parliament or state assemblies if they filed appeals against their conviction in a higher court. However, it did not disable the provision of the Act not to bar those politicians who are chargesheeted from contesting polls. These decisions were aligned with the spirit of democracy in the background of a long history of recommendations by the Constitution experts. In 2002, the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), headed by the former Chief Justice of India, Mr. M. N. Ven-

katachalaiah, had recommended that the election law be amended to bar any person charged with an offence punishable with imprisonment of up to five years from contesting elections to Parliament and state assemblies. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by Mr.Veerappa Moily, a member of the Union Cabinet, recommended that Section 8 of the RP Act be amended “to disqualify all persons facing charges related to grave and heinous offences and corruption,” with the modification sug-

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gested by the Election Commission. About 14 years ago, the Law Commission had suggested that mere framing of charges by a court with regard to election-related offences should by itself be a ground for disqualifying a person from contesting an election. About 16 years ago, the Election Commission decided that candidates for Parliament and state assembly elections should file affidavits about their convictions in cases covered by Section 8 of the RP Act. The commission was of the view that conviction by a trial court was sufficient to attract disqualification “and even those released on bail during the pendency of their appeals against their convictions are disqualified from contesting elections.” In September, 1997, the Chief Election Commissioner wrote to the Prime Minister and pressed for immediate amendment of the law to deal effectively with the malaise. The Election Commission’s efforts to keep criminals out of electoral politics were stonewalled by successive governments at the Centre for 16 years. The Supreme Court decision was in line with all these expert opinions. The Union Cabinet’s first response to the Supreme Court verdict was to amend the RP Act, 1951, in order to save the seats of criminal legislators. At its meeting on August 22, it approved two amending Bills to negate the Supreme Court verdict on disqualification of convicted legislators. The first amendment sought to add a proviso to Sub-section (4) of Section 8 of the RP Act stating that the convicted member shall continue to take part in the proceedings of Parliament or state legislature but he or she shall neither be entitled to vote nor draw salary and allowances till the appeal

The UPA government had to take a U-turn with regard to the ordinance that it wanted to promulgate to protect the MPs and MLAs who have been convicted of criminal charges despite the Supreme Court’s path-breaking verdict disqualifying them from contesting elections. This has sent a clear message to the citizens of the country that the political class is willing to accommodate even those with criminal records, which is a none-too-flattering commentary on the state of affairs of a nation that flaunts its high democratic credentials. As the author says, “The latest decision of the Union Cabinet exhibits its utter contempt for the opinions of some of the best legal minds in the country…”

or revision is finally decided by the court. The other amendment said an MP or MLA will not lose his right to vote if under arrest even for a short duration and thereby would retain his right to contest a poll. However, despite the government’s desperate efforts during the monsoon session of Parliament, it could not effect these changes because a key amending Bill was referred to a parliamentary standing committee. The latest decision of the Union

Cabinet exhibits its utter contempt for the opinions of some of the best legal minds in the country. The political class has almost unanimously decided to take legislative measures to undo parts of the apex court’s order. An all-party meeting convened prior to the monsoon session of Parliament supported the government’s move to protect criminal politicians. The government introduced a Bill to amend the Representation of the People’s Act, and the Rajya Sabha cleared this amendment first. Only a few political parties had the courage to oppose this atrocious move to protect criminal politicians. The two main Communist parties opposed the ordinance. The Bharatiya Janata Party sent a delegation to the President urging him not to sign the ordinance. Law Minister Sibal made an extraordinary claim that the political class was the most accountable class in the country and that the politicians were accountable to Parliament, to the Election Commission, to the country and to the people, to whom they go every five years. It was strange to hear this from the Law Minister of a government that wants to overturn the Supreme Court verdict. But the strangest development of all was the manner in which Mr.Rahul Gandhi, the Congress Vice-President who virtually slept through all the governmental moves since mid-July to bail out criminal-politicians, suddenly woke up and publicly rebuked his own government for bringing the ordinance. Realising that the President, Mr.Pranab Mukherjee, was reluctant to sign on the dotted line, Mr.Gandhi has tried to salvage his own image at the cost of the Prime Minister and members of the Union Cabinet.

About the Author Dr. A.Surya Prakash is a journalist and a leading commentator on Indian politics and constitutional and parliamentary issues. He has held key positions in several print and electronic media organisations. He was Chief of New Delhi Bureau - Indian Express (1988-93), Political Editor - Eenadu Group (1994-95), India Editor of Asia Times, Executive Editor of The Pioneer (1998-2000), Editor of Zee News and Founder Director of the Pioneer Media School. He is now a Consulting Editor of The Pioneer. He is the author of “What Ails Indian Parliament”, published in 1995 by Indus, an imprint of Harper Collins.

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Thrown to Sharks

Rank Saudi Injustice to Immigrants â&#x20AC;˘ Raju Shanbhag

he death of the Indian immigrant worker Haroon Rashid in Saudi Arabia while working in a private construction company has once again brought to the fore the inhuman working conditions prevalent in that country for immigrant workers. Unfortunately, this is not the first case of abuse of an immigrant worker in Saudi Arabia, and this will not be the last either. After the untimely death of Haroon Rashid, his fellow Indian immigrant workers staged a protest. The Saudi Government acted swiftly, and imprisoned 40 of them! Family members of Rashid, whose younger brother has also been jailed, had earlier submitted a memorandum to several ministers and informed the Embassy of Riyadh, but they did not get any reply from them, the memorandum claimed. Among the detainees, 22 workers are from Bihar, 12 from Rajasthan, 4 from Uttar Pradesh and the

rest two, each from Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. The plight of immigrant workers in Saudi Arabia has been documented for a long time now. But in spite of that, Saudi Arabia continues to receive immigrants from countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and India (1.5 million from each country) as well as from Egypt, Sudan and the Philippines (1 million from each). Most of these countries have a very high rate of unemployment and most of the workers who land in Saudi Arabia end up doing menial jobs. The Indian Government has done precious little in Haroon Rashidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case to get justice to the deceased. JD (U) MP Ali Anwar Ansari has appealed to the government after the family members of the jailed Indian workers met him and submitted a memorandum to him. But little progress has been made in the case. While the Indian Government is doing hardly any-

That there is gross exploitation of immigrant labour in Saudi Arabia is known for many years, but the sad fact is that no government of the country from where these unfortunate people land there is willing to take it up with the Saudi authorities and find out a solution. Atrocious working conditions, sexual exploitation of female workers and a highly biased law that turns a blind eye to such glaring injustices all make the life of these workers miserable. In fact, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be an exaggeration to say that they are made to work like slaves in a country where slavery was quite common even until the early part of the twentieth century.

thing to protect its poor citizens, the Saudi Arabian Government is going all out to safeguard its rich citizens. Even though a large part of Saudi households and companies rely on cheap immigrant labour, the laws that govern these immigrant labourers are usually biased against them. Many a time, the fraud begins at the time of applying for work. Many workers are made to land in Saudi Arabia with forged documents by the agencies

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that have taken money to send them to Saudi Arabia from their respective countries. Even if their documents are genuine, the law of the land states that a visa can only be issued to a foreign worker through a Saudi citizen sponsor who offers a guarantee for the immigrant. Such a Saudi citizen is called ‘Kafeel’ in Arabic. This simply means that the visa and other related documents will be with the employer (read master) and the immigrant worker is enslaved for the period he/she is working with that employer. Because of the ‘Kafeel’ law, the Saudi Government is usually indifferent to the point of being careless when it comes to attending to the Kafeels’ atrocities. Also, the business of buying and selling these visas is a very lucrative one by which the Saudi travel agents make millions. There are more than 10 million foreign people in Saudi Arabia working on visas issued by big companies. Human rights organisations working in this region state that the immigrant labourers are made to work for long hours – up to 140 hours a week without break with little food and recreation. The contracts they sign are usually in Arabic and the workers do not have the luxury of a translator. Apart from such inhuman working conditions, what puzzles the observers most is the apathy of the Saudi Government towards them. In spite of a large number of its elite citizens and companies depending on cheap labour, the Saudi Government refuses to draft any law that gives them at least some basic human rights. While Saudi citizens are assured basic wages, holidays and other constitutional rights, the immigrant workers have none of them. Sexual exploitation of female workers in Saudi households is a common problem. Under Sharia law, a woman needs four female or two male witnesses to prove sexual abuse. How and from where can these oppressed women find these witnesses? This constant abuse and the lack of an unbiased judicial system often force many workers to resort to violent

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A Class Divide O

ne may think that all Saudi nationals own huge oil wells and all of them are filthy rich. This is not the case. In fact, there is an alarming wealth gap in Saudi society with a handful of very wealthy individuals from the royal family while the mass are deprived of even basic necessities. Officially, unemployment is 12% and youth unemployment is 32%. Two-thirds of the population is below the age of 30, while three quarters of the unemployed are around the age of 20. It is estimated that the oil wealth is shared by just 15,000 Saudis of the royal family and 2,000 of them have the lion’s share of this wealth. In December 2011 three journalists -- Feroz, Hassam and Khalid -- were imprisoned for several days for releasing a ten-minute film that depicted the poverty in the kingdom. According to the filmmakers, 22 percent of the Saudi population is forced to live below the poverty line and 70 percent don’t own a house.

ways to make themselves heard. According to reports, there are over 45 maids from different countries who are on death row in Saudi Arabia. This list also includes maids from India. According to the Human Rights Watch, the actual numbers are difficult to get as the Saudi authorities never disclose the exact data. The Indian Government will have to take some proactive measures to stop

the exploitation of immigrant workers. It can start by strictly regulating the agencies and agents who are sending workers to Arab countries. The government should also initiate a dialogue with the Saudi Government to ensure better living and working conditions for its citizens who are working in Saudi Arabia.

• Raghavan Shole

he fourth estate is floundering. A few days ago, the Standing Committee on Information Technology submitted a shocking report to Parliament in which it gave a detailed account of how media has sunk seadeep in the trap of paid news. The news, which we read, see and listen to; may not be as unbiased as we would love to believe. What exactly is paid news? A news agency, be it print, television, radio, or internet, is supposed to report news in an unbiased manner. But the committee has reported that some let their professional integrity get clouded at the sight of money. So, paid news steps in when a publication agency or an individual journalist receives money to cover news in a positive manner. A paid news piece is different from advertising. Readers know which is advertising when they see one. But they may not be able to recognise the ‘paid news’ even when they are reading one, and therein lies the inherent deceit of such news pieces. If advertising is truth well told, paid news is showing only a positive side of the story for some material gains. Today, we are surrounded by various forms of news agencies. There are about 93,985 registered publications, 850 permitted television channels out of which 413 are under News and Current Affairs category and 437 under non-news category. Doordarshan runs 37 channels. Besides, there are over 250 FM radio stations and numerous internet websites. We see and listen to news all the time. In such a situation like this, the impact of paid news can be worse than one can imagine. But what is wrong if an agency takes money to print news in its own

publication? This is unprofessional because media, which is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy, acts as the repository of public trust. News, according to the Press Council of India (PCI), is meant to be factual, neutral, fair and objective, whereas the information and opinion from advertisements are paid for by corporate entities Governments,

extent to which the paid news menace has engulfed the publications in our country. The report states that, “malpractice has become widespread and now cuts across newspapers and television channels, small and large, in different languages and located in various parts of the country. What is worse, these illegal operations have become “organized” and involve

A Cancer Called

Paid News

Can Anyone Cure?

The fourth estate is floundering. A few days ago, the Standing Committee on Information Technology submitted a shocking report to Parliament where it gave detailed account of how media sunk sea deep in the trap of paid news. The news, which we read, see and listen to may not be as unbiased as we would love believe. organisations or individuals and the publication concerned cannot stand guarantee for their veracity or claims. Paid news, on the other hand, blurs the difference between factual news reporting and advertising, and the reader doesn’t even know the difference. Imagine if a political party or a business house bribes a powerful media house to publish some favourable news. Many unsuspecting readers will believe this to be true news and this in turn will help the perpetrator to benefit immensely. Recently, PCI submitted a report to the government where it revelaed the

advertising agencies and public relations firms, besides journalists, managers and owners of media companies. Marketing executives use the services of journalists – willingly or otherwise – to gain access to political personalities. So-called “rate cards” or “packages” are distributed that often include “rates” for publication of “news” items that not merely praise of particular candidates but also criticise their political opponents. Candidates who do not go along with such “extortionist” practices on the part of media organisations are denied coverage. Sections of the media in

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India have willy-nilly become participants and players in such practices that contribute to the growing use of money power in politics which undermines the democratic processes and norms – while hypocritically pretending to occupy a high moral ground.” More damaging, specific cases of paid news have been surfacing in the last few years. The PCI’s fact finding team on Gujarat election (2012) revealed some of the very damaging findings on paid news. The report, submitted to the committee, states that at least 444 suspected cases of paid news were reported in Gujarat and soon after conclusion of the second phase of polling on 17th December, 2012, 126 confirmed cases of paid news were identified, with 61 candidates in poll fray admitting to have paid for such news in electronic and print media. But the paid news phenomenon is not only limited to elections. Ev-

ery day, we are subjected to a variety of paid news. For example, if a company is launching a new car, various positive articles are published by alleged photographers and journalists ‘covering’ that car and generating interest in the minds of the public. This is more rampant in the case of Bollywood films. Various ‘interesting’ articles and news pieces, even juicy scandals are published about the stars of the film to keep them, and subsequently their film in the limelight. Interestingly, the media, which has au-

thorized itself to criticise and bisect the functioning of three other pillars of the society, that is, the government, the legislature and the judiciary, is largely silent on the cancer of paid news. What is more baffling is the fact that even the government, which has the authority to take action in this issue, is not very serious in rooting this cancer out of the system of our society. Or maybe, the issue of not all that baffling, as various sections of the government could benefit unimaginably from this paid news phenomenon. Media is the common man’s gateway to knowledge about the other three pillars of society. If they report biased news piece and stop being the watchdogs of society, it opens up new avenues of corruption that are neither easy to detect, nor easy to cure.

To Publish, or not to Publish M

oney can also be extorted from powerful businessmen and politicians for not running a particularly damaging piece of news against them. Recently, Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal released a video accusing Zee TV of extortion. Jindal did a reverse sting operation on Zee TV, showing the media giant demanding advertising commitments in exchange of bury-

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ing negative coverage on Jindal’s company. Jindal released a video at the press conference showing Zee Business Editor Sameer Ahluwalia demanding money from Jindal’s company, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, for stopping the sting operation from being aired. Jindal has filed a criminal case against Zee TV for alleged extortion.

South China Sea

India Should Remain Firm on Oil Exploration

• By Maj Gen (Retd.) P K Chakravorty (Abridged version of the article published in Vivekananda International Foundation. The full article is available on the net)

hina has disputes with a number of ASEAN countries over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which is a highway for trade, shipping and telecommunications supporting 33 percent of the world trade and 50 percent of world’s traffic in oil and gas. The region has proven oil reserves of about seven billion barrels. Oil production in the region is currently around 2.5 million barrels per day. Natural gas reserves are estimated at about 266 trillion cubic feet. Being an enclosed area, there are many conflicting claims in the region.

Principal claimant The South China Sea contains over 250 small islands, atolls, shoals, reefs and sandbars, most of which have no indigenous people. Many of them get submerged during the high tide and some of them are permanently under water. There are numerous territorial issues in this region. Some of them have been settled or what could be termed as partially settled. China is the principal claimant and in the last two years it has become more assertive. The Natuna Islands, which have Indonesia’s natural gas fields, became disputed when China released an

official map with maritime boundaries including these islands. Indonesia responded by conducting a large naval exercise in the region in 1996. Similarly, Malampaya and Camago natural gas fields of the Philippines are claimed by the Chinese. Further, many of Malaysia’s natural gas fields

located offshore Sarawak are also claimed by them, but Malaysians are drilling with no objection from the Chinese. Vietnam also has problem with China regarding the Paracel and Spratly group of islands. Parcel Islands were occupied by China in 1974 when Viet-

NOVEMBER 2013

China has border disputes with most of its neighbours and it has been adopting all along an aggressive posture with regard to its territorial and maritime claims. The latest that has grabbed headlines is its disputes with its neighbours over the South China Sea, where there are groups of islands rich in oil and natural gas reserves. Its attempt to wave off India from entering into collaboration with Vietnam on oil and gas exploration in South China Sea has met with stubborn defiance by India. We should stick to this firm stand, says the author in this insightful article.

nam was fighting a war with the United States and this was a big surprise for Vietnam. Both these island groups are disputed and are claimed by the countries of the region. Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam claim sovereignty over parts of the Paracel and Spratly islands. China and Taiwan claim sovereignty over all the maritime features in the South China Sea. The map shows the Chinese claims based on the nine dash line. China has been aggressively pursuing her claims in the South China Sea. Its claims are based on the eleven dash line drawn in 1947 by the Kuomintang Government. Later, under changed conditions, China reduced the boundary to the current nine-dash line. Thereafter, it moved into the Paracel Islands in 1974 despite strong opposition from Vietnam.

NOVEMBER 2013

In early February 1988, the Chinese launched the construction of NO.74 observatory on Yongshu reef. Vietnam opposed firmly and China responded aggressively. About 80 Vietnamese soldiers were killed in this skirmish. Thereafter, the PLA occupied several reefs in the Spratlys. Vietnam occupied other islands on the reef and the Chinese war ships withdrew to avoid escalation. Issues kept simmering and in May 2011, Chinese naval ships attacked and cut the cable of a Vietnamese exploration ship.

Chinese objection to Indian oil exploration On 22 July 2011, INS ‘Airavat’, India’s amphibious naval assault ship, was on a friendly visit to Vietnam. The ship was repeatedly contacted at a distance of 45 nautical miles from

the Vietnamese coast on an open radio channel by a vessel identifying itself as Chinese Navy which warned the Indian ship that she was entering Chinese waters. Indian Navy clarified that no ship or aircraft was visible from INS ‘Airavat’ and the ship moved on without paying any heed to the cautionary warning. Further, India clearly stated that she supported freedom of navigation in international waters, including the South China Sea. India and Vietnam signed an agreement seeking to contain a dispute over the South China Sea in September 2011. The Oil and Natural Gas Commission’s overseas investment arm ONGC Videsh Limited had signed a three-year deal with Petro Vietnam for developing long-term co-operation in the oil sector. Further it had accepted Vietnam’s offer for explora-

tion in specified blocks in the South China Sea. This was met with stiff opposition from China which claimed that no exploration could be undertaken in areas over which China has sovereign rights. The Government of India correctly responded by stating that while China had concerns but India was going by the agreement signed with Vietnam. The Chinese claim was rejected by both India and Vietnam. As per the UN, the area of exploration belongs to Vietnam. India has firmly stated that ONGC will continue to explore oil in the South China Sea. India has also clarified that the entire Indian Ocean region stretching from East African coast to South China Sea remains crucial to its foreign trade, energy and national security. Vietnam has remained steadfast on the issue and in July 2012, the National Assembly of Vietnam passed a law demarcating Vietnamese sea borders to include the Paracel and Spratly islands.

Creation of Chinese township of Sasha The latest development is the setting up of a prefecture by China by the name Sasha in the Paracel islands in July 2012. The city has a runway capable of handling the Sukhoi Su-30 of the PLA Air Force. While Vietnam strongly contends that Paracel and Spratly islands are their territory, the

Chinese have left no stone unturned to build infrastructure for militarily occupying these islands.

About the Author

Summary The new Chinese leadership has been assertive on both the East Sea and South China Sea claims. Vietnam and Japan have strongly opposed China’s aggressive behaviour on these disputes. Both these countries are developing intense strategic partnerships with India to counter China’s assertive posturing. India, on her part, has spoken of freedom of navigation in the high seas. Further, Vietnam insists that India continue offshore drilling in the blocks allotted despite Chinese opposition. Other courntries like the Philippines have not confronted China to avoid possible escalation. Resolution of disputes in the South China Sea would depend on China’s keenness to clarify its claims and peacefully negotiate with other claimants. This would possibly occur once oil exploration results are available, may be in about five years. India has taken a correct stand to explore oil in the region and should remain firm on this aspect. This would send a signal to China that it is dealing with a country that can stand up to it for projecting her energy interests. Currently all claimants must be patient and wait for China to see issues in the correct perspective.

Major General (Retd.) P K Chakravorty served in the Indian Army for 38 years as an artillery officer. Graduated from the Defense Services Staff College, Wellington, and the Delhi-based National Defence College, he obtained his M.Sc in February 1986 and an M. Phil in April 2011 from the Madras University. He served as the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of India, Hanoi, Vietnam, from where he was monitoring the Chinese military and was providing insightful analysis. Later he was appointed Additional Director General, Artillery, at the Army headquarters. He is academically inclined with an inherent flair for research. He is an independent researcher, an acclaimed writer and an active participant in contemporary seminars.

SOURCE http://www.vifindia.org/article/2013/october/03/south-china-sea-india-should-remain-firm-on-oil-exploration

NOVEMBER 2013

The

MALALA story

When a 16-year-old Defeats Taliban… NOVEMBER 2013

• By Rakesh Shukla

alala Yousafzai has become a lasting symbol of women’s resistance to the Taliban who are committing unparalleled atrocities against women folk in Pakistan’s tribal region. There it has bombed out hundreds of schools in the name of imposing Sharia, the strict Islamic law. The 16-year-old girl, who addressed world leaders in the United Nations, looks nothing less than a celebrity, with reporters from even top newspapers and television channels standing in queue to interview her. But in Pakistan, a large number of people believe that the West is using Malala as a stick to beat them with. The Pakistan government, on the other hand, appears voiceless. Its silence even when the European Union nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize was deafening. Pakistan is in a real dilemma today. Praising Malala will anger the Taliban – the ragtag army of Islamic militants formed to wage a guerilla war against the Soviet army in neighboring Afghanistan in early ’70s. The Taliban has been on the run ever since the US intervened in Afghanistan following

the 9/11 terrorist strike in New York. But now this militant organisation is growing from strength to strength in Pakistan. In 2007, the terrorist outfit got out of its hideout and swooped

down on the Swat Valley, Pakistan’s lawless tribal land bordering Afghanistan. They killed policemen, bombed schools and imposed the Sharia law. One such school was where Malala was studying.

The Taliban tried to silence Malala with a single bullet, but ironically just the opposite has happened. The brave 16-year-old survived her traumatic experience and has now become literally the voice of thousands of girls who are denied education and freedom of movement not only in Pakistan but in other parts of the world where Muslim fundamentalism is reigning supreme. Her bold espousal of their cause, clear agenda and articulation of her ideas with extreme precision and clarity have caught the attention of not only veteran journalists but even the seasoned statesmen and diplomats the world over. She has a clear vision before her: to be a politician and take her country, Pakistan, to great heights, freeing that country from the loadstone of religion that has been grossly perverted and misinterpreted by a section of fundamentalists.

Malala cannot return to Pakistan. If she does, she may have to live under the shadow of death. Taliban has made it clear that it would try to kill her once she goes back to Pakistan. It has accused her of seeking joy in renouncing Islam. Not just Malala, anyone linked to her will also be killed, says Pakistani media quoting the Taliban militia. The incident has uncovered the extent of Taliban’s threat in that country. Malala was in fact an anonymous blog writer for the BBC’s Urdu version. The broadcaster had chosen her to write about the plight of students in the tribal region under Taliban. The radicals did not bother in the beginning, but they grew angry as Malaya’s father went on criticising Taliban in radio debates. Soon, they issued a ‘Fatwa’ against Malala. In early morning on October 9, 2012, two gunmen flagged down a school bus in Swat Valley and sought to identify Malala. “Tell us who is Malala, else we will kill you all,” roared the gunmen. Malala raised her hand, and they instantly shot her in the head. The terrorists left assuming that she was dead. But Malala was shifted to a hospital, where doctors removed a bullet from her head and soon she was transferred to England for further treatment. It was in London she became a hot subject of discussion and a symbol of Taliban’s brutality. But a large major-

ity of residents in Swat Valley continued hating her, accusing her of being an “American agent”. In July, when she spoke at the United Nations, Pakistan felt tormented. Thousands of youths on social media described her action as an attempt to gain cheap publicity. Malala was born and raised in Swat Valley, less than 100 miles from Islamabad. The valley was once a popular tourist destination, but everything changed in 2007 when the Taliban swept in. Hundreds of soldiers died a year later in an attempt to beat back the militants into their hideout. The

Taliban went underground and today they are ruling behind the scenes. They have their own radio stations and men on the ground to carry out their orders. The problem is that people there do not dare criticise the Taliban openly, because the radical group believes that it is the custodian of Islam. That means hating Taliban is hating Islam. It issues ‘fatwas’ in return for criticism as they did so even against the 16-year-old Malala. But elsewhere in Pakistan, there were several rallies to condemn Taliban’s attack on the girl. A week af-

NOVEMBER 2013

ter the attack, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a ‘fatwa’ against those who tried to kill her. It is easy to issue a ‘fatwa’, but who will carry it out? Taliban later reiterated its intention to kill Malala and her father too. Pakistan appears to be realising that it cannot kill off the Taliban it invented in early ’70s to chase the Russians out of Afghanistan. Now its own child has turned against it. A Taliban suicide bomber killed Benazir Bhutto a few years ago. Her People’s Party came to power in the following election, but it could do nothing against the Taliban. Unfortunately, Pakistan has yet to realise that it is easy to set a fire but not so easy to douse it before it consumes its own creator. Today, though Malala has become a household name in the Western world, people in Swat Valley are afraid of taking side with Malala, let alone praise her campaign for women’s education in Pakistan. In Swat Valley, the Taliban has banned television and music and prohibited women from going alone for shopping. Under their rule, decapitated bodies of policemen were a com-

NOVEMBER 2013

mon sight in town squares. In the case of Malala, the Taliban justified its attack as part of religious scripture, stating that the Quran “says that people propagating against Islam and Islamic forces would be killed” and “Sharia says that even a child can be killed if he is propagating against Islam.” In the meanwhile, the American celebrities have joined hands with Malala in her education campaign. Singer Madonna dedicated her song “Human Nature” to Malala at a concert in Los Angeles and actress Angelina Jolie wrote an article explaining why those men think they needed to kill her. Jolie later donated $200,000 to The Malala Fund for girls’ education. Former president George W Bush’s wife Laura wrote an op-ed piece in ‘Washington Post’ in which she compared Yousafzai to the Holocaust diarist Anne Frank. Indian film director Amjad Khan has announced that he would be making a biographical film based on Malala. Taliban cannot be killed with bullets, but the weapon of Malala seems to have made headway in exposing Islamic fundamentalists.

No Let-up in Inflation Tight monetary policy regime to stay High inflation is hurting every household across the country, especially the poor, and this has driven the UPA government to a tight corner since it will be a key issue in the upcoming state elections as well as in the general elections in 2014. Food inflation on the whole moved around 18% in September with continuing strains on the supply side. The consumer price index (CPI) is also moving around double-digit, making it difficult for RBI to bare interest rates â&#x20AC;˘ By CP Nambiar

he scene on the economic front is none too encouraging. Inflation has become a problem that is defying easy solution. The wholesale price index (WPI) has soared to a seven-month high of 6.46% and consumer price index is threatening to hit double digits. It has already touched 9.84%. The trend is far from being encouraging to the consumer as well as to industry. The latter has been pressing for a cut in interest rates, but the RBI will find it difficult to accede to their persistent demand. It is expected to announce its monetary policy on October 29, but given the present trend, it is quite unlikely that there will be any marked reduction in the rates. As it is, industry is facing a slowdown and the economic growth has dropped to 4.4% in the first quarter of this fiscal and the industrial growth was a mere 0.6% in August. Food inflation has been mainly due to a sharp rise in the prices of onion, according to the latest data released by the government. Onion prices rose by a whopping 323% year on year, though the other vegetables did not reach such levels, but as a group,

their prices were up by 90% year-onyear in September. Food inflation on the whole moved around the 18% in September with

continuing strains on the supply side. The consumer price index (CPI) is also hovering around the double-digit mark, making it difficult for RBI to bring down interest rates. As a matter of fact, food prices have remained high for the last three years, hurting the economy of households. The inflation will have serious political implications for the UPA govern-

ment, since it will be a key issue not only in the upcoming state elections but also in the general elections in 2014. Some of the increases in vegetable prices could be attributed to seasonal fluctuations, but strained supplied have kept overall food prices high. Retail inflation accelerated to 9/84% in September from the previous monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 9.52%. The consumer price index of food and beverage rose by 11.44% on an annual basis during the month. The corresponding provisional inflation rates for rural and urban areas for September 2013 were 9.71% and 9.93% respectively.

Growth pegged at 4.25% Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its latest World Economic Outlook (WEO), has estimated that the Indian economy will grow at 4.25% in 2013-14 owing to the dismal performance of the manufacturing and services sectors and

NOVEMBER 2013

slowdown in demand due to monetary tightening. Several multilateral agencies, economists and brokerages have scaled down India’s growth projections for the current financial year after the April-June quarter f data showed the economy expanded at its weakest pace in four years at 4.4%. The IMF estimate is well below the 5-5.5% growth that the government expects in the current fiscal. The Indian economy slowed to a decade low of 5% in 2012-13, prompting calls for urgent measures to boost growth and revive sentiment. The IMF scaled down India’s growth to 3.8% for 2013, but expects it to rebound to 5% in 2014, helped by an easing of bottlenecks in supply and higher exports. The 3.8% estimate is in terms of GDP at market prices, while Indian estimates are based on factor cost. In those terms, the IMF projection would be 4.25%. A report by the OECD said that the economic outlook for emerging Asia (Southeast Asia, China and India) remains robust over the medium term, anchored by the steady rise in domestic demand. GDP growth in emerging Asia is projected to moderate e gradually but stay resilient over the 2014-18 period, with an average annual growth of 6.9%, though less than the 8.6% registered before the global financial crisis (2000-07). Meanwhile, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has questioned the methodology adopted by the IMF for its growth projections for India. He has said that it was high time the long-pending governance and quota reforms in the Fund was given a concrete shape, as the delay was impacting the credibility and legitimacy of such organisations. Touching upon the subject of growth projections at the IMF Plenary meeting at Washington D.C., Mr. Chidambaram spoke about some aspects of growth estimation by the organisation, which, in some cases have been revised downwards significantly within a few months. “For example, India’s growth rate, which was projected at 5.6 per cent

NOVEMBER 2013

(at market prices) in the WEO July Update, has now been revised significantly downwards to 3.8 per cent. I would like to ask, respectfully, what is the information that IMF has gathered between July and September, that we do not have, that has impelled the Fund to drastically change the estimate? We do not share this pessimistic outlook. We also believe there is a need for review of the meth-

odology for growth projections as in the past, IMF projections have often been at divergence with final growth numbers,” he remarked. Referring to the recent developments in the financial markets, the Minister said an important question is why ongoing IMF surveillance failed to foresee the market impact of exit from unconventional monetary policy. “The IMF’s failure to identify certain risks and give clear warnings has demonstrated yet again the weakness of its surveillance framework. It also questions the relevance and usefulness of the IMF exercise with regard to policy settings of member countries, because repeated downward revisions could significantly influence market expectations besides spreading gloom,” he stated. He expressed disappointment over delay in governance and quota reforms in the IMF and the World Bank to give greater voice to the emerging economies, saying the delay would impact their credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness. “We are disappointed that the deadline for the 2010 Quota and Governance Reform of the Fund has not been met. There is no clarity, even af-

ter the passage of a year, as to when this will be finally achieved. The delay in ratification of the 14th Quota Review will only mean that the reliance on borrowed resources will increase. This is not desirable,” he added. There is, however, some room for cheer as the country’s current account deficit was narrower than expected at $21.8 billion, or 4.9 per cent of gross domestic product, in the June quarter, data released by the Commerce Department showed. Still, it was wider than the $18.17 billion, or 3.6 per cent of GDP, in the three months ending in March, on a

seasonal slowdown in exports and firm imports. Five economists had predicted the June quarter current account deficit would rise to $23-$25 billion. However, economists expect the gap to ease in subsequent quarters as government steps to increase the import duty on gold have constricted imports of the metal, while improving global demand and a weaker Indian currency are expected to help exports.

eration of Indian Industries Associations’ Council (CII Ascot), industrial growth in the three months ended September 30 remained dismal despite the government introducing a number of reform measures to boost the economy. The survey, which took stock of 91 industrial sectors in the domestic economy, revealed that the number of sectors reporting contraction in the quarter rose sharply to 38.46% from 15.5% in the year-ago period. The number of sectors that saw contraction in terms of revenue in the second quarter of 2013-14 went up to 35 from 16 a year ago. The number of sectors that showed excellent growth, or growth in excess of 20%, rose marginally to 4.39% from 3.8% a year earlier. The high growth sectors (showing 1020% growth) fell to 10.98% in the September quarter from 29.1% a year ago. Some of the sectors that have shown excellent growth include television sets and hydroelectric power. High growth sectors included twowheelers, refrigerators, air-conditioners and washing machines. Sectors that saw shrinkage included utility vehicles, bus and truck tyres, newsprint, cellular services and natural gas. Low growth sectors (growing up to 10%) comprised nuclear power, railway equipment, cement, alcoholic beverages and electric fans, among others.

Dismal industrial growth According to a study by the Confed-

NOVEMBER 2013

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Transcending Boundaries

The Lure of Property

Politicians Have Their Mind Set on Hyderabad â&#x20AC;˘ Narayan Ammachchi

passing glance at the ongoing protests in Andhra Pradesh makes you to assume that the Telugu speakers want to live together in a single state rather than two states. But a thorough assessment of the political drama will convince you that the protest is the creation of politicians who have a larger stake riding on this plan to split the state. Telangana is being carved out just the way Haryana was carved out of Punjab decades ago. Chandigarh is the capital for both the states even to this date. What did

NOVEMBER 2013

they lose out of the split? Such splits will always benefit the common man, because that leads the governments to focus on a small portion of their subjects. The losers are political parties and politicians, the likes of Jag Mohan Reddy and Chandra Babu Naidu. This is bound to happen in a state where people have mixed their business career with politics and political career with business. In today’ Andhra, like the politicians in Karnataka’s Bellary district, almost every politician runs a business. Worse still, they are heavily dependent on the political power to see success in their business. Ever since the Union Cabinet put forward the plan to divide Andhra Pradesh, property prices in the city of Hyderabad began to slide. Indians love land and gold. Nowhere is this love more widely visible than in Andhra Pradesh. Here, some people spend their whole life dreaming to wear gold rings on all their fingers. Over the past years, a large number of Anchorites have purchased sites in Hyderabad hoping that property prices will go up and up. Analysts say that Hyderabad’s property market is a heavily speculated one. The real estate market becomes speculated as people go on buying sites in the hope of selling them once the prices go up further. With property prices going down, they are slipping deeper and deeper into the debt trap. Today, these landlords appear to have joined hands with political parties to oppose the new Telangana state. Remember, Satyam collapsed only after it lost crores of rupees in the real estate market in the aftermath of the 2008 recession. The software firm had borrowed heavily from banks to buy lucrative sites in Hyderabad. When the recession hit hard its outsourcing business, the company was forced to default on loan repayment. It was then Sat yam’s Raju told the truth (‘satyam’), admitting that he had manipulated his balance sheet. Soon, its stock crashed and Raju was sent to jail along with his associates. The story of Raju could well be the story of many people in today’s Andhra Pradesh. The speculated markets crash like castles built on sand. Remember, in 2008, the US housing market went bust and plunged the entire economy into recession. Bangalore’s property market rose as Infosys started bringing in the dollar money, putting the city on the global map. Similarly, IT companies drove up the property prices in Hyderabad. If Hyderabad is included in Telangana, nearly 10 percent of high-tech companies might decide to move out of Hyderabad.

NOVEMBER 2013

It is said that Hyderabad holds key to the rise and fall of politicians in Andhra Pradesh, for it is here they have invested crores of rupees and it is here they have to test their political skill in order to survive. Take any politician of some standing and he has substantial stake in this city. They have invested heavily in land anticipating higher and higher returns, but now the bubble is about to burst with the roiling political situation impacting on all fronts, including the real estate in Hyderabad.

And that is enough to burst the property bubble. A real estate crash will not only wipe off all the value of the land people have purchased over the past years but will also destroy the business prospects of many prominent politicians in the state. Analysts say almost every politician in the state, however small his charisma, owns property in Hyderabad. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s politics is so ruthless and brutal that leaders with a little money cannot win tickets to contest, let alone win the election. Analysts say these politicians are instigating violence and coaxing people to join hands in the name of saving Andhra. In the meantime, the government is planning to raise Rs.23,000 crore by selling its real estate as-

sets. Given the weak market, the government is less likely to meet its target. That may in turn deal a deathly blow to the already bloated market. For companies like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Deccan Chronicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is under a mountain of debt, selling land assets in Hyderabad is the only option to repay the loan. Falling prices will push these companies deeper into a debt trap. Under the chief ministership of YS Rajsekhar Reddy, the government handed out a number of irrigation projects to political businessmen. The winners of these contracts include Jagan Mohan Reddy, the son of YSR. Such investments will go down the drain if the Telangana party wins power in the newly formed state.

NOVEMBER 2013

Politico-businessmen Investing Crores and Crores on Telangana

amky Group’s Ayodhya Rami Reddy, accused of investing Rs.10 crores in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Jagati Publications in exchange for a lucrative SEZ site in Hyderabad, has two major irrigation projects in Telangana. In Andhra, what distinguishes politicians is the political parties they are aliened with, but they work together when it comes to business dealings. For example, this Rami Reddy is the brother of TDP MP Modugula Venugopala Reddy, who too has stakes in Ramky. The project Ramky is carrying out in the Telangana region is worth about Rs.2,536 crore. According to ‘FirstPost’, Union Textile Minister and Congress MP Kavuru Sambasiva Rao’s Progressive Constructions is the joint venture partner for Ramky in these irrigation projects. Sambasiva Rao offered his resignation

NOVEMBER 2013

minutes after the Cabinet agreed to create Telangana state. Filmmaker and Congress MP T Subbirami Reddy’s Gayatri Group is handling three irrigation projects worth over Rs.2,413 crore in Telangana. Most of these projects have stuck half way through due to dis-

putes over land acquisitions. Another Congress MP Komtaireddy Rajagopal Reddy’s family, which runs Sushee Group, is working on three projects worth Rs.2,618 crore, says ‘First Post’, citing of-

ficial documents. In addition, fiveterm Congress MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao’s Transtroy India has Rs.1,364 crore worth of irrigation projects in Telangana. Telugu Desham Party MP Nama Nageswara Rao-owned Madhucon is working on three irrigation projects worth Rs.1,448 crore. Another TDP MP CM Ramesh, a confidante of Chandrababu Naidu, has got three projects worth Rs.4,200 crore. Leaders are worried that all the money they have invested in these projects would go down the drain if TRS comes to power in the newly formed state. In Andhra’s volatile political landscape, political life is something like walking on razor’s edge. Those who walk carefully achieve success and the careless end in a deadly political chasm.

• By Shankar Ramachandra

t’s no secret that India takes its saints and seers seriously, sometimes very seriously. But even to those observers who have been witnessing the rise and rise of various self-styled godmen, the latest gold rush in Daundia Khera village in the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh has come as a great surprise. Reports say that a popular seer in that region, Shobhan Sarkar, dreamt that more than 1,000 tons of gold was buried in that village long ago and that they can now be dug up to end India’s “economical woes”. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right granted by our Constitution

and seers and selfstyled astrologers have been using it to good effect. We will know how deep Shobhan Sarkar’s visions will go only after proper excavations at the site. But what is already evident, without digging much, is that the government is willing to employ an army of archeologists and various other public machinery, merely on hearsay. The story of how Shobhan Sarkar came to know about this gold is as exciting as the possibility of discovering such a large quantity of gold itself. The swami has claimed that the spirit of King Rao Ram Baksh Singh,

who was hanged in 1858 after an uprising against the British, appeared before him in a dream and asked him to take care of the treasure hidden beneath a fort in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. India is full of stories of kings and emperors hiding their wealth in secret places to save them from marauders. Stories have been passed on from generation to generation about the hidden treasures beneath the ruins of the temples all across India. But neither the government nor the archeological department takes these stories seriously and they have been going by their own scientific methods of excavations until now with a swami telling them to do otherwise.

The seers or sages do get weird dreams which they narrate to their devout followers in all seriousness. The latter hear them with rapt attention and begin to spread the ‘news’ by word of mouth and soon the gullible public get carried away by these visions and predictions. The latest in this series is the dream of a seer in an unknown village in northern Uttar Pradesh. He has dreamt of a huge buried treasure (read gold) beneath a fort, and surprisingly enough the government machinery has been quick to respond to it with excavations which are going on at feverish pitch. But, as yet no gold has been found; all they have come across are some old earthen pots!

NOVEMBER 2013

Shobhan Sarkar was born in a Tiwari Brahmin family in a village called Shuklan Purva, an area under Shivli police station and Maitha block of the district Kanpur Dehat in Uttar Pradesh. His father’s name is Kailash Nath Tiwari. He studied at the BPMG Inter-College in Mandhana town in Kanpur Nagar district. According to some people in Mandhana, in his free time, Sarkar used to study the Gita and Ramcharitmanas sitting under a tree. The seer, who is in the glare of publicity with his ‘golden statement,’ says he has enough documents to substantiate his claims and is even ready to be punished if no gold is found under the said site. According to him, the gold was looted by some freedom fighters, led by Maulvi Liyaqat Ali, from the fort of Allahabad on June 14, 1857. Ali was a relative of the zamindars of Chail Pargana in Allahabad and also close to the talukdars of different estates between Allahabad and Faizabad. He had declared major parts of Allahabad as independent from British rule during the Mutiny of 1857. He handed over the looted gold to Nana Sahib Dhondu Pant, the adopted son of Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II and chieftain of Bithur, to hide it somewhere. When Brigadier General James George Smith Neill started searching for this gold, it was brought to Daundia Khera and buried some-

where on the campus of the fort of Rao Ram Baksh Singh. Ali was captured and awarded life imprisonment in 1872. He was sent to jail in Port Blair while Rao Ram Baksh Singh, who was captured by the British, was hanged to death. It appears that the government sprang into action with surprising speed at the behest of Charan Das Mahant, a junior minister in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries,

who had received news of the godman’s vision through a mutual acquaintance, another swami. Mahant was apparently so influenced by Sarkar’s prediction that he visited him twice. He then asked the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to arrange a survey of the site by another government agency. This task has been entrusted to the Archoeological Survey of India (ASI).

Nothing Dreamy About It W

hile the nation debates the appropriateness of acting on a seer’s dream, a 12-member team comprising archaeologists, geologists and workers that has begun digging a mound has downplayed the seer’s prophecy angle, saying the excavation was planned after the Geological Survey of India had noted the presence of some valuable metals beneath the earth at the fort. While the nation waits for the dreamy wealth with

Initial reports on excavations have been promising. The geological and archaeological officials who surveyed the area have found evidence of metal about 20 metres deep. Interestingly, the long-forgotten relatives and heirs of the fort have started materialising from every part of the country to stake their claim to the treasure, which is yet to be discovered. While Daundia Khera village is witnessing an unprecedented flow of curious onlookers and a large number of claimants to the wealth, Shobhan Sarkar is making fresh claims. He says his vision is to make India a gold-rich country and thereby stabilise its economy. The Central government may or may not find gold in this area. But by acting on the alleged dreams of a swami, the government has surely opened a Pandora’s box. God men are dime a dozen in our country, and until now their predictions have only been the subject of coffee table talks. From the fortunes of the Indian cricket team to the life and death of famous personalities, these seers have been making various predictions. There may be people who take their claims seriously, but if the government starts acting the dreams and predictions of every god man, the government machinery will surely have some busy days ahead.

bated breath, the archeologists claim that there could be other types of wealth, not usually appreciated by the general public. For example, even old earthen pot can be very valuable for archaeologists. According to the archeological department, the presence of a non-rocky substance at a depth of 20 metres noticed during the geological survey, was the only “proof” that prompted the excavation.

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See Them at Home Heritage Tourism Goes Virtual

t’s the classic case of modernisation meeting medieval times. In a first of its kind project in the country, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Google India have come together to create virtual walkthroughs for more than 100 heritage sites of India. A virtual walkthrough helps a user to ‘digitally’ visit any historic place he wants, provided it is available in the list, from the comfort of his home.

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So, in the near future, visitors from all over the world will be able to virtually visit some of the most iconic heritage sites in India from their own countries. No visa, no travel, no hassles. While the project is new to India, it’s not new to Google, which keeps trying such adventurous technological innovations time and again. The company has already put iconic global landmarks like France’s Eiffel Tower, America’s Grand Canyon and

Japan’s Mt Fuji, among others, alive on the Internet through its immersive “visual walkthroughs.” With its new adventure in India, heritage sites like Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Khajuraho and the Ajanta Ellora caves is available in 360-degree imagery. The government claims it is undertaking this project to invite more people to come and explore the rich cultural heritage of India. Once published, the imagery of these Indian heritage sites will be available on Google Maps and on the World Wonders site within the Google Cultural Institute so that people across the world can virtually view and explore these areas While Archaeological Survey of India’s attempts to take the heritage sites of India to the world are laudable, there are many questions that arise about the future of tourism industry with such moves. Tourism in India is already in tatters. India is continuously being projected as an unsafe place for foreign tourists after the rape of many foreign tourists in the country. In such a situation, if tourists from all over the world and within the country get a chance to visit famous Indian heritage sites from the comforts of their homes, it is likely to affect the tourism industry negatively. This digital tourism will most likely affect the inflow of foreign tourists. This is because digital tour requires the availability of high bandwidth and internet is still in its infancy in India. So many people may not be able to enjoy the 3D imagery that pops out of these sites because of slow or unreliable internet. But in developed countries, the broadband is available in 4G and Google imagery works like a charm, and at least a percentage of tourists will be content with these images being flashed on their screens rather than visiting the actual tourist spot. Also, however good they are, virtual tours are never the same as the real ones. For a genuine traveller, a tour is never complete with just the imagery. He would love to step into the place,

World heritage sites are now at your doorsteps. The wonders of science have opened up the vista of virtual online tourism. Those historical sites that India is proud of can now be seen with astonishing clarity on your computer, thanks to the ‘virtual walkthroughs’ created by the Archaeological Survey of India and Google India. But there are fears that this digital tourism will affect the inflow of foreign tourists, though a genuine tourist won’t get the real feel of the place where he would like to visit with digital imagery.

Virtual Tour The Eiffel Tower Way

he way Google’s team has worked on Eiffel Tower can provide us with a glimpse of things to come in our country. At Eiffel Tower, the site is first and foremost a virtual visit of the monument: every inch is photographed 360° by the Google team with the help of their custom-built camera trolley, a technology already used in streets all over the world with Google street view. Over the course of two days, the 2nd and 3rd floors, as well as the summit, were pored over by the Google technicians. This was also the perfect opportunity to take some spectacular shots of Paris. Google also provides online access to the monument’s visual archives, with images dating back to the inauguration on May 15, 1889, and beyond. The story of the construction, the first visitors…the quality of these images, etc. put you right back in the late 19th century.

smell the air, and soak into the atmosphere to really feel the essence of the place he is visiting, And that’s where the government should aim at. Rather than using this technology as an alternative to real tourism, it can use this virtual tourism as a precursor to the actual tour. It can make use of this technology to highlight the finer points of these heritage sites and convince travellers all over the world to come to India and

experience these wonderful heritage sites in person. The government or anyone else cannot shy away from a technology. Instead, we have to use them in ways that are profitable to us. Google’s virtual tour has not dented a tourism industry in Italy or Japan, where Google has provided virtual tours. In fact, both these countries have witnessed a steady inflow of tourists even after the introduction of virtual tourism by Google.

NOVEMBER 2013

Woes of the Elderly Many are left to fend for themselves

urs is a country which prides itself on its old traditions and practices. We touch the feet of our elders for their blessings, and their presence is considered auspicious on important occasions. But when it comes to taking care of them, are we cultivating a new, shameful tradition? Vrindavan, hailed as the temple town of India, is a grand reflection of our glorious past. With numerous temples and umpteen visitors, the town always showcases some of the most beautiful traditions of ancient India. But very few know that this town unwillingly reflects a very unhealthy custom rising in recent years in our country. Not every one knows that Vrindavan is home to a large number of widows. There have been many cases of the sons and daughters of these unsuspecting widows bringing them to Vrindavan on the pretext of Teertha Yatra and then deserting them. They are simply abandoned there to wait for their death. As inhuman as it may appear, there are children of these unfortunate women who wantonly do it, because their parents are a burden for them. Unlike the US and many other developed countries, India has no social security plans. Many of these widows are illiterates; they must have worked most of their lives inside their homes as housewives. They have no bank accounts, and even if they have, they would not have enough money in it to lead a respectable life. India is rated as a “young country”, but the number of elders is steadily rising. According to the “World Popu-

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We bow before our elders, touch their feet and invoke their blessings. But when it comes to looking after the old and infirm, it is a different story. The condition of the widows especially is worse, with their children – sons or daughters – abandoning them in some holy places where they are taken on the pretext of pilgrimage. In the absence any social security plans, they lead a miserable life until death comes as a great relief for these unfortunate ones.

lation Prospects: The 2010 Revision”, that the number of elderly people in the country is likely to increase to

320 million by 2050 from 88 million in 2009. The population of elderly is expected to increase by 360 percent

from 2000 to 2050. As of now, the government has no plan to provide them with any type of reliable support. The Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS), a national old age pension scheme, grants a royal INR 200 per month per person from 60 to 79 years. If they survive beyond that age group with the given pension, INR 500 per month per person is given for those who are 80 years and above. Of course, the states are supposed to contribute an equal amount. This scheme is grossly inadequate for any elderly person who has nowhere to go. They are supposed to pay their rents, buy food and even pay for their health care with this measly amount. Apart from abandoning the elderly, the Indian society has also been witnessing the reprehensible rise in the number of violence against the elders. The latest report from Health Age India states that one in three elderly people are abused in the country. Also, 50 percent of the abuse emanates within the family and in 56% of the cases, the abuse was from their sons. In one of the leading metros, only 52.7 percent of children assist their elderly parents during sickness. The number of old age homes has exponentially increased across the country and more importantly, there are a large number of elderly people who can neither go to an old age home nor live in peace in their homes. It’s not as if India is the only country in the world where elders are abandoned at an age when they need all the support they can get. Every country in the world has this shameful tradition. But India is a country where the elderly command high respect. And when such issues crop up in our society, it is definitely a matter of great concern for all of us.

India ranks 73rd in

Elderly Care T

he country, with the second-largest aged population in the world, has been ranked amongst the poorest of nations to grow old in a global survey. Global Age Watch Index (GAWI), developed with the UN fund for population and development, which was released on International Day of Older Persons, ranks India a poor 73 out of the 91 countries sampled. India’s ranking is woefully low compared to neighbour Sri Lanka that has been ranked 36, while Nepal (77), Pakistan (89) and Afghanistan (91) score even worse. The ageing index, calculated using 13 indicators under four domains, namely, income security, healthcare, employment and education and an enabling environment, ranks Sweden as the best country to grow old followed by Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada while the US languishes at eighth place. Many experts point out that global studies do not take into account the social, psychological and financial security to the elderly by the families. Between 1996 and 1997 and 2005 and 2006, the total government spending on health was stagnant at about 1% of the GDP and the public expenditure elasticity with respect to GDP was at 0.94, lower than the average for low-income countries. Despite efforts to increase public spending after 2005-06, including the adoption of the National Rural Health Mission, the expenditure has increased only marginally to 1.2% of the GDP in 2009-10. Several advocacy groups have been asking the government to bring in a law for universal pension for the elderly and health insurance for all. “The elderly pension given presently is too less, ranging between Rs 200 and Rs 500. Our demand is that the government should give at least Rs 2,000 monthly to the elderly. Also, universal health coverage or insurance is a must,” said Manjira Khurana, head of advocacy and communication at Help Age India.

NOVEMBER 2013

Jailed Politicians Lalu Prasad Not Alone in Jail As recent events have proved, the country is not short of corrupt politicians as it is not short of poverty-stricken citizens. Shockingly enough, at least 30% of our law makers are law-breakers! This is the dance of democracy that we are witnessing even after six decades of independence. The latest to go to prison is Bihar’s Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is having a good time there with all the comforts of his home. • By Narayan Ammachchi

fter Lalu Prasad Yadav’s departure for jail, perhaps time has come to count the names and number of politicians staying behind bars across the country. Lalu cannot feel bored in the jail as he has been provided with sufficient comfort and there are many politicians for him to chat with. In India, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms, as many as 30 percent of elected representatives are facing criminal charges ranging from murder to corruption. Don’t be surprised if the Union Cabinet decides to improve their living conditions inside the jail. Here is a list of a few nationally known politicians who are either in jail or out on bail having spent considerable time behind bars (The list, however, is not inclusive of politicians jailed for murder or other kinds of criminal activity other than corruption).

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Amar Singh

Shibu Soren

Arrested on: September 6, 2011

Arrested on: November 28, 2008

Charge: Corruption

Charge: Murder

Position held: General Secretary & Spokesperson of its parliamentary board, Samajwadi Party.

Position held: Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

A master backroom operator, Amar Singh spent more than two years behind bars. He was caught discussing bribes and ways of bending government policies to force more number of people to pay under the table. Amar was a celebrity politician until 2006, when a CD containing his conversation with Bollywood actors surfaced. He won a stay from courts to prevent these conversations from being made public. But the Supreme Court vacated the stay. Thus Amar was caught in his own trap. Today, there are several corruption cases pending against him. Having spent a lot of time in prison, he is currently on bail and is battling for life in a hospital in Dubai.

Son of a tribal family in Jharkhand, Shibu Soren is known for rough and illogical politics. He was sent to jail a few years ago after he was accused of involvement in the murder of his own secretary Shashinath Jha. The victim was reportedly kidnapped in Delhi and taken to a village near Ranchi, where he was killed. Soren was once the coal minister. Today, the coal scandal is raging and threatening to uncover many more irregularities. Jharkhand is a mine-rich state, and there are several politicians who are already behind bars on charges of looting the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mineral wealth. Soren is currently out on bail.

Lalu Prasad Yadav Arrested on: July 30, 1997 and again in October 2013.

Sukhram

Charge: Corruption.

Arrested on: November 18, 2011.

Position held: Ex- chief Minister of Bihar, Ex-Union Railway Minister.

Charge: Corruption. Position held: Former Union Telecommunications Minister. Sukhram was arrested and put behind bars for awarding contracts to private telecom firms for buying cable at inflated price. One day, CBI raided his residence and found Rs.3.5 crore in hard cash. Later a telecom firm accused him of accepting Rs.3.5 lakh as bribe. Sukhram was the telecom minister under former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao. In 2011, Delhi Court sent him to five years in prison. He is less likely to get out of prison shortly, because he has also been convicted of possessing money beyond his known source of income.

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In politics, he is known for his populist showmanship. One day, during the course of the trial, he arrived in the court in a bicycle rickshaw, surrounded by a throng of adoring supporters. In 2000, he had left jail on the back of an elephant. In October 2013, the CBI court convicted him of pocketing the money allocated for the purchase of fodder for cattle and sentenced him to five years imprisonment. When he rose to limelight in early 90s, Lalu Yadav was billed as the rising superstar of Bihar. The decade that followed uncovered his real stature. He proved that he is nothing better than Deve Gowda when he positioned his wife Rabri Devi on the chief ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chair before being arrested in 1997.

Kanimozhi Karunanidhi

A Raja

Arrested on: May 20, 2011

Arrested on: 2nd February 2011.

Charge: Corruption

Charge: Corruption.

Position held: Member of Parliament representing Tamil Nadu in Rajya Sabha

Position held: Ex-minister of communication and information technology.

Daughter of Tamil Nadu’s political heavyweight Karunanidhi, Kanimozhi is suspected to be hiding crores of rupees earned in the notorious 2G scam. She is accused of using her power to aid A.Raja, the then minister of communications and information technology, to undersell 2G radio spectrum. She was sent to jail soon after the CBI found Raja diverting a huge sum of money to her NGO. She is, however, out on bail. But her future appears to be as bleak as Lalu Yadav’s.

A.Raja is facing the charges of manipulating laws related to allocation of wireless spectrum. He has spent more than two years in Tihar Jail and is currently maintaining a low profile somewhere in his native place in Tamil Nadu. But the case against him appears to be pretty strong. Some analysts say if he goes to jail for the second time, he will go there along with a few family members of Karunanidhi. And his second jail term is likely to last long.

Suresh Kalmadi Arrested on: April 25, 2011. Charge: Corruption. Position held: Member of Parliament from Pune. Many people do not know that Suresh Kalmadi is a politician. Yes, he is. Kalmadi is a Congress MP from Pune. He is accused of taking crores of rupees in bribe for handing out the contracts for preparing the country to host the Commonwealth Games. CBI arrested him in 2011 in connection with awarding a contract to a Swiss firm for TSR systems. He has already served 10 months in prison. While most politicians strive for gaining a ministerial post, he focused on rising through the ranks of the Olympic Association. Investigation into Commonwealth Games blew his cover and he finally lost the position he loved most: president of Indian Olympic Association. He claimed to be suffering from dementia while in Tihar jail, Medical tests, however, did not prove so. He has not been convicted yet and is currently out on bail.

Janardhan Reddy Charge: Corruption/ Illegal Mining. Position held: Minister of Tourism, Karnataka. In early 2000, several people became billionaires almost overnight in Karnataka’s Bellary district. They built railroads to their mining site, purchased helicopters and got elected to Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly. One among them was Janardhan Reddy, who openly claimed that he was instrumental in forming the first BJP government in South India. He brushed aside all the allegations for years and welcomed the court order to investigate into mining scandals. His luck ran out when CBI arrested him and sent him to prison in Hyderabad. Things worsened when a judge supervising his case was suspended on charges of receiving money to bail him out. Illegal mining and money laundering are the main charges he is facing.

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Madhu Koda Arrested on: 10 October Charge: Corruption Position held: Ex-Chief Minister of Jharkhand Believe it or not, Madhu Koda is the symbol of corruption in this country. He had thrown almost every rule to the wind to award mining contracts. He corrupted things so brazenly that a raid at his residence found him possessing crores of rupees. On October 9, 2009, the ex-Chief minister was charged with money laundering. His ill-gotten wealth is estimated at about Rs.4,000 crores. Worse still, he is facing the charges of sharing his ill-gotten wealth with Maoists, who are killing innocents in his Jharkhand state.

Balakrishna Pillai

Om Prakash Chautala Arrested on: January 2013 Charge: Abuse of Power Position: Former Chief Minister Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala is today languishing in jail along with his son Ajay Chautala, after he was convicted of abusing his power to select hundreds of teachers for primary schools. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Chautala has appealed to the Supreme Court to commute the sentence considering his old age. He once wept in the jail saying he is diabetic and wants to spend time with his grandchildren. This three-time chief minister has been facing half a dozen charges of corruption. Many of his former collogues were also convicted along with him and are in jail today.

Arrested on: February 10, 2011. Charge: Corruption. Position held: Minister of State for Transport and Electricity. 78-year-old Balakrishna Pillai is today out of jail though the Supreme Court convicted him of abusing his power to award contracts related to Edamalayar hydro-electric project in his native state of Kerala. He was a senior Congress leader, so the party helped him get out of the jail. In November 2011, barely 10 moths into his imprisonment, the State Cabinet decided to pardon him and released him from jail. That’s the special power every state exercises on the Republic Day. Analysts, however, tease him saying he was ‘electrocuted’ on his way to empower himself from power projects. His biography was written even before he was convicted. Maybe now that has to be re-written.

NOVEMBER 2013

Is Russia Persuading India to Delete Laws Obstructing Nuclear Deals?

long dominated by Russian defense equipment makers. The two countries, however, signed a series of deals to boost cooperation in fighting global terrorism. “Both sides affirmed the need to join efforts of all states to defeat terrorism. They condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and agreed that there should be no tolerance for sheltering, arming, training or financing of terrorists,” a joint statement says. Prime Minister Singh stated that “no country has had closer relations with India and no country inspires more admiration, trust and confidence among the people of India than Russia.”

Study: Slavery Still Lives on in India

ussia appears to be asking India to invalidate a legal provision that calls for holding developer of nuclear power plant responsible in event of a disaster. India was supposed to sign a key deal on seeking Russia’s help in setting up two nuclear plants in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. The deal did not go through but the two countries say they will continue the talks. This is of course a good news for Tamil Nadu where a large number of people are opposing construction of a nuclear power plant in Kudankulam that was partially submerged when tsunami hit the area nearly a decade ago. India decided to hold private firms responsible after Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, which was seriously damaged following an earthquake and tsunami, shut down amidst growing fears over a potential disaster. In other words, the liability law stipulates that nuclear firms aiming to set up plants in the country will have to pay huge sums of money in case of an accident. Russia has long been a major supplier of defense goods to India. The trade between the two countries reached and all-time high during the cold war period. Today the geopolitical equation has changed and Israel is increasingly making inroads into the market

he Global Slavery Index 2013, compiled by Australia-based rights organisation Walk Free Foundation, says India has the highest number of people - nearly 14 million - living in conditions of slavery. It is indeed surprising that the country has the dubious distinction of being home to half the number of modern day slaves in the world. Slavery is a crime under the law, but that lives on

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as the slaves are unable to fight it in a court of law. Bonded labour, sex trafficking, child labour, domestic servitude, ritual sex slavery, bride trafficking and harvesting organs are considered the different forms of slavery. In the Index, India is closely behind China, but the sheer number of people regarded as slaves in the country is just shocking. The Australian institution says that Dalits are still being treated as slaves in some parts of the country. India has a wide variety of rules to safeguard the interest of Dalits, but most of them are either ineffective because of bureaucratic corruption. Some of these rules have been misused by a small portion elite Dalits.

Punishment for Calling Sonia `Unhealthy’

wo members of the Congress Party are on a hunger strike in Uttar Pradesh after they were suspended for putting up a billboard carrying remarks about the health of party president Sonia Gandhi. The billboard, which has now been pulled down, was meant to urge Sonia’s daughter Priyanka to join politics but the move backfired because it described the Congress chief as “ailing”. One of the suspended members Haseeb Ahmad, who is fasting at the Anand Bhavan (the ancestral home of the Nehru-Gandhi family in Allahabad city), told local media that the billboard had been approved by senior party leaders. The billboard referred to Sonia Gandhi, who travels occasionally to the US for medical check-ups, as “ill” and urged her daughter Priyanka to join politics. “The mother is often ill nowadays, and the brother (Rahul Gandhi) is overburdened. Priyanka, become the candidate from Phoolpur (constituency) and campaign for the party. Help the Congress get elected for a third time,” said one of the billboards. The Congress is sensitive about any comments about is ruling dynasty, that too at a time five states are going to poll in few days time. But Sonia’s son Rahul Gandhi is partly to be blamed for erecting such a billboard. While address-

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ing a campaign rally in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, Rahul said despite illness Sonia took a keen interest in pushing the Food Security Bill through parliament. Sonia was taken ill during the debate on the Bill in parliament and she was later taken to hospital for treatment. Sonia Gandhi often visits the United States for treating some kind of illness. She was admitted to a cancer hospital in the United States for a long time. But the party never confirmed what she is suffering from, nor does it say why she often visits the United States. This perhaps angered these members to erect such a billboard. But they have paid the price for commenting against their leader. Analysts say it was an act of cronyism that went awry. Now more cronies have joined together to make political capital out of it. They are demanding that the police should file an FIR against these members and put them behind bars.

Will you Vote or Not?

survey conducted by Internet search engine giant Google Inc has found that 42% of urban Indians are undecided on whom to vote in next year’s general elections. The report goes on to say that 94 percent are certain that they would vote in the coming Lok Sabha election.

Plan to Increase rhinosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Population

The Urban India Voters Study also said 85 per cent of urban residents, who are internet users, have already voted at least once in the past. That means they are not first time voters. The survey covers 65 constituencies and 7,042 respondents, and was carried out online. In another analysis, Google said Narendra Modi is the most-searched person in India, followed by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Among parties, the BJP is at the top, followed by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. Respondents appear to have considered political parties as important as the candidates they field, with 35 per cent saying their vote is determined on the basis of the party and 36 per cent on the basis of the candidate. As much as 11 per cent of the respondents said the prime ministerial candidate of a party would play an important role in their final voting decision. The majority of respondents expectedly said they want the candidates to disclose every information online. Fifty-six per cent said they would like to actively engage with politicians online, and politicians should allow citizens to comment online and also respond to their comments on social media platforms. Interestingly, 39 percent of respondents said they would like to volunteer for party work.

ive countries, including India, have come together to protect one-horned rhinos and increase their population by at least 3 percent. These countries include Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal. But their meeting to join together on this ambitious plan was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia. Endless poaching has been blamed for the decreasing population of the one-horned rhinos in the country. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why these countries are now devising strategies to step up security in national parks, where most of the rhinos are believed to be living. It is estimated that there are about 3500 rhinos in these Asian countries, with most of them inhabiting the hill ranges of the Himalayas. There are reports that the Manas National Park in Assam lost five of its 18 rhinos, while over 20 of them were killed in neighboring Kaziranga National Park. India is likely to set up a coordination committee to draft a national rhino conservation plan, and the committee would consist of chief wildlife wardens, managers of protected areas and concerned enforcement agencies, including state police and other officials, besides representatives from the National Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and members from the Environment Ministry.

NOVEMBER 2013

Rasheed Masood: The First Wicket to Fall

ongress leader Rasheed Masood has become the first politician to lose his Parliamentary seat after the Supreme Court handed down its historic judgment, debaring the elected representatives convicted and sentenced to more than five years in prison from holding public office. Rasheed, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, was recently convicted by CBI court on charges of abusing his power to allocate medical seats to a few rich students in Tripura. In other words, he was found guilty of fraudulently nominating undeserving candidates for MBBS seats allotted to Tripura. Masood was the Health Minister under VP Singh Government. Last month, special CBI judge JPS Malik held the 66-year-old leader guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Soon after the judgment, the Union Cabinet tried to overturn the SC verdict by issuing an ordinance. But that was scut-

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tled following the intervention of Rahul Gandhi, who openly criticised his own party’s decision as “non sense”. Masood, who stood trial for more than 16 years, says he is an acute diabetic and is taking insulin several times a day. The CBI court has also sent to jail two public servants-- Gurdial Singh, a former IPS officer, and Amal Kumar Roay, then secretary to Tripura’s chief minister. The court has also convicted nine students in the case, sentencing each of them to one year in prison. They were released on bail to file an appeal against their conviction in the higher courts. Two of the nine students convicted, including Masood’s nephew, were juveniles at the time of the offence and their case was transferred to the Juvenile Justice Board on January 25, 2007. Sachidanand, one of the three students who secured admission in medical college through Masood, has also been held guilty of conspiracy, cheating and forgery.

Kedarnath-Badrinath Yatra Resumes

fter nearly three months, pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath temples has finally resumed. The first batch of nearly 200 devotees have paid obeisance to the presiding deities of these two holy shrines. This is the first pilgrimage in this region after the horrific memories of the mid-June deluge that killed numerous people. The decision to allow resumption of pilgrimage was made at a meeting of the Kedarnath-Badrinath temple committee chaired by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Vijay Bahuguna. The ‘yatra’ to these shrines was suspended after the flash floods that had caused large-scale damage in the area. The state government has concentrated on restarting pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath, the two major destinations in the ‘char dham’ circuit. To avoid pressure on the newly-built infrastructure in the area, only 100 devotees are currently being allowed to undertake Kedarnath Yatra every day after registration at Guptkashi. The number of travelers may be gradually increased. For the convenience of the devotees, arrangements for food and lodging have been made at Bhimbali and Lenchauni between Gaurikund and Kedarnath. Devotees will be allowed to set out on

pilgrimage to these shrines only after a free medical check-up. A team of doctors will be posted at Kedarnath and Badrinath and at major halts for this purpose. The devotees have to travel a distance of 17 km on foot from Munaktya to Kedarnath to reach the shrine. The second batch of 40-50 pilgrims, including two foreign nationals, is likely to arrive at Kedarnath soon. Pilgrimage to Badrinath has also formally resumed after a gap of over three months. Free food and lodging have been arranged for the pilgrims by the temple committee. If the number of pilgrims increases, additional community kitchens will be set up. The funds to be spent over food and other arrangements will be provided to the district administration by the Mandir Samiti.

SC Questions Govt Policy on Radio Channels

he Supreme Court has asked the Centre why it cannot allow private radio stations, including community radios, to broadcast news when the same is allowed for television channels. An NGO named Common Cause had filed a PIL in this regard. A bench, headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, asked what problem the government has in allowing news broadcast by private radio stations. In fact, these stations are more accessible to the masses, particularly the poor. There are some restrictions specified in the Policy Guidelines of FM Radio Services (Phase II & Phase III). They specify that no news and current affairs programmes are permitted under the Phase-II guidelines, but Phase III guidelines allow FM radios to disseminate news bulletins of All India Radio without any addition or modification. The court issued a notice to the Centre on a PIL seeking a direction to the government to allow pri-

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vate radio stations, including community radio stations, to broadcast news. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, contested that unlike television channels, none of the 245 private FM channels and 145 community radio stations in the country were allowed to broadcast their own news and current affairs programmes, which is the monopoly of the government broadcaster Prasar Bharati. Radio is accessible to everybody. In this regard,

the court has issued notice on the issue to the Central government, returnable in two weeks. There should be no problem for the government in the case of TV channels. Thinking on the same lines, the court has asked Centre to clarify as to why private radio stations should not be allowed to broadcast news. India is perhaps the only democracy where dissemination of news and current affairs programmes on radio remains the monopoly of the governmentowned broadcaster, which owns and operates All India Radio/Akashvaani. Separate guidelines for community and FM radio impose restrictions on the broadcast of news and current affairs programmes by them, especially when TV channels and the print media are not subject to such prohibitions.

Films Lyrics to be Censored

ow an expert committee has recommended that lyrics of film songs need be cleared by the Cen-

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sor Board. The committee took this stand in view of various objections to vulgar wordings. The recommendation was made by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry-appointed committee tasked with reviewing the functioning of the Censor Board. This was done after taking note of the anger among a section of society over the wordings of some of the so-called ‘item songs’. The committee has recommended that while the visual content and the dialogues which precede and succeed such songs are subject to certification, it would be logical to include the lyrics of the song within the ambit of scrutiny. It has also been suggested that the definition of ‘film’ in the Cinematographic Act should be changed to specifically mention the songs, lyrics and advertising material. The panel was headed by former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice (Retd) Mukul Mudgal. It has stated that while the Cinematograph Act of 1952 was enacted at a time when there were fewer cinema halls, the medium of cinema has now undergone a radical transformation. In the past, successful screening of the film was the sole criterion. Now, there are numerous parallel events associated with the film, and ‘audio release’ of the film songs was one of them. The rationale behind the suggestion to include lyrics under the ambit of certification is simple. The panel has stated that while film viewing is restricted to age specific audience in theatres, songs are promoted and broadcast in public domain to persons of all ages on radio, at public functions and restaurants. The panel has also stated that legislation related to sanctioning of films for exhibition is in the domain of the Central government and suggested adding provisions in the Cinematograph Act to make it clear that state governments ought not to pass orders to suspend exhibition of films.

Narendra Dhabolkar

- A Visionary Who Fought Superstition N arendra Dhabolkar, a doctor by profession but an uncompromising social reformer, was brutally murdered near the Omkareshwara Temple in Pune on August 20. It is sad that the murderers of such a revolutionary thinker are not arrested yet, even after two months of the murder. Here is a brief description of Narendra Dhabolkar, who dedicated his life for the betterment of society. Narendra, who was born in an ordinary family in Satara in Maharashtra, was an intelligent student right from the beginning. He completed his primary education in Satara’s New English School and then his secondary education in Sangli’s Willingdon High School. He earned his medical degree from the Medical College at Meeraj in 1970. It was at this time that Narendra Dhabolkar wanted to do something about the bad customs and traditions that had engulfed our society. This thought process made him the ‘doctor of the society.’ Important Juncture He came into contact with B. Dayanand, a social activist from Kerala who exposed the tricks behind the ghosts and witchcraft. Narendra, along with others who were impressed with Shri Dayanand’s progressive thoughts, started an organisation called the Akhila Bhartiya Andha Shraddha Nirmulana Samiti. The committee split after 4-5 years and Narendra Dhabolkar headed one fraction which was named Maharashtra Andha Shraddha Nirmulana Samiti. Narendra’s campaign against superstitious beliefs was not easy. He had to travel the length and breadth of Maharashtra to spread his message. Sometimes, the very people whom he wished to free from the clutches of superstition were against him. But he didn’t lose heart but kept fighting. Gradually, people realised the dirty tricks behind the miracles with Narendra’s sustained efforts. Narendra had fought for a superstition-free Maharashtra for 24 years and exposed the myths behind miracles. He also initiated movements against animal slaughter in the name of religion.

Apart from being an outstanding orator, Narendra Dhabolkar was also a well known author. He published more than 100 unique books and was also editing a weekly, ‘Sadhana,’ started by Sange Guruji. He valiantly fought for an anti-superstition law. Although the Maharashtra Government did not implement the law in his lifetime, it is at least thinking about that now. The government should also arrest his murderers and take strict action against them.

• By Prof. Bajirao Barge

NOVEMBER 2013

[ From the world of books ]

Tombstone: The Untold Story of Mao’s Great Famine By Yang Jisheng, translated by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian 629 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $35.

‘After I die, cut out my heart and eat it’

ang Jisheng is a Chienese Communist Party worker and a senior journalist. He silently toured all over China and meticulously documented the Great Famine of 1959-61, which is known as the largest man-made disaster. Mainly attributed to Mao Zedong, this famine also took Yang’s father. The famine resulted in the death of more than 36 million people. In `TOMBSTONE’, (Tombstone: The Untold Story of Mao’s Great Famine, by Yang Jisheng, translated by Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian, 629 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $35)Yang narrates the story in a tone void of emotions. Though his original work ran into more than 2000 pages, the translation is mostly abridged to cater the English audience. Yang’s methodology was simple. He spoke to the people who suffered and survived, including those who were on the ruling side. He also collected innumerable written Government documents and datasheets to fill up the blanks. He himself has defined

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the reasoning behind the title ‘TOMBSTONE’: One for his father, one for those 36 millions and one for himself, if the Chinese Government sees red. Though `TOMBSTONE’is banned in China, he continues to live there. He also accounts for another 40 million who were stopped from being born. Cannibalism, punishment/ struggle sessions, hunger, edema, murder, whipping, - all such events leading to death have been narrated in detail. One can experience the chilling effect just by going through a paragraph like this: Cannibalism occurred in many places. Among 41 production brigades in ten communes of Linxia City, 588 people ate the remains of 337 others. In Hongtai Commune alone there were 170 people who ate 125 corpses as well as killing and eating five other people. Cannibalism occurred in six places of the eight production teams of the Xiaogoumen production brigade, with 23 household eating 57 people. In some cases individuals barbarously consumed their own parents, children, spouses and siblings. Some ate corpsesof those who had just died, while others dug up bodies that had been dead for a week or even a month. In Qiezang Commune’s Jinguang production brigade, Ma Xishun ate the corpse of a diseased person and then died himself, along

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[ From the world of books ] with the rest of his eleven-member family. A commune member named Bai Yinu ate a total of eight dead bodies, including his father, wife and daughter. A poor peasant from Qiezang Commune, Ma Abudu, near death, enjoined his daughter Ma Hasufai, “There’s no meat left on my body, but after I die, cut out my heart and eat it”. His daughter followed his instructions. In Qiezang Commune’s Tuanjie production brigade, a poor peasant couple, Ma Yibula and his wife, killed and ate their fourteenyear-old daughter, and after Ma died, his wife ate him. ……” Many books have been written on the Great Famine. But `TOMBSTONE’ surpasses all in its originality and authenticity. Aung Chang in her book `MAO THE UNKNOWN’ (2005), has attributed Mao with the death of more than 70 million people, including this famine. China still runs hundreds of ‘Laogai’ camps across the country, and there are credible stories which say hun-

dreds are dying even now. Yang Jeshing is a no-nonsense journalist and says a sudden change in Chinese political leadership is also not a good idea. He aspires for a gradual understanding of the situation and a systemic change. `TOMBSTONE’ is a grim reminder of the largest, countrywide genocide after the World War II, committed on the people by the same Government. This part of the history is always forgotten by the intelligentsia of the world and Maoists. Those who died were part of Mao’s Long March, Communist Party and Communes; they were farmers and teachers and labourers; they were innocent children. No contemporary historian can dare ignore this book, but for escaping the truth. • Additional reading: MAO’S GREAT FAMINE by Frank Dikotter - Beluru Sudarshana

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