Aseema january 2013 web by aseema magazine

Direct C Cash Transfer, a pipe dream of Congress India out of Olympic fold Why Cheap cooking gas for rich?

Modi Mesmerizes Again

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IN THIS ISSUE Direct Cash Transfer Cong’s Pipe Dream

Freedom of Speech & Misuse Law Detention

of two Mumbai girls on charges of angering Shiva Sena activists, who were mourning the death of their chief Bala Thackeray, has sparked off a debate over freedom of speech. Is provoking people to go on a ampage freedom?

Egypt: New Constitution with Islamic Flavor Egypt has adopted a new constitution but it sounds more like Islamic Sharia law. It seems that President Mursi is turning to Islamists to help him clinging onto power.

The Wheel of Justice After September 11 terror

attacks on New York, the United States waged two wars and hunted down Osama Bin Laden and killed him in a secrete raid inside Pakistan. But those who masterminded the Mumbai 26/11 attacks are walking freely in Pakistan.

Parental Abuse & Our Laws An Indian couple has been jailed in Norway for beating their own child. Does it happen in India?

India Out of Olympic Fold Following the suspension of Indian Olympic Association by the IOC, Indian athletes may now have to play under the Olympic flag rather than the tricolor. Why should the players pay the price for the mistakes of the IOA?

Cover Story: Modi Mesmerizes Again Modi’s victory is the result of his good work and the developmental programs

he launched in Gujarat. Therefore, this election sends out a clear message that “if you prove to be a good worker and administrator, you will be elected as long as you want.” Will other leaders understand this message from voters in Gujarat?

Illegal Mining: Goa Scores Over Karnataka

An Urgent Need to Control Media: Who’ll Bell the Cat? The Press Council of India (PCI) wants to oversee the functioning of even the electronic media and social media. But the people in the media are opposing its plan. But experts says someone needs to supervise the visual media as well

Exit BJP, Enter KJP Former Karnataka chief minister Yeddyurappa has resigned as legislative member, launching his own political party called KJP. The name of his new party sounds similar to that of BJP. His aim, it seems, is not to win back power but to finish off the party which made him the chief minister.

Why Cheap Cooking Gas for Rich? Under

the current system, every family is eligible to buy LPG cylinder at the subsidized price. But a parliamentary committee has now asked the government not to give subsidy to families with more than 6 lakh rupees of annual income.

License to Kill Licensed guns are killing not just

Americans. India is second only to the United States when it comes to owning guns. Look at how many lives are killed by these men with a license to own gun. Government will not act so long as someone carries out a massacre just the way the school-going boy did in the United States.

Murky Dealing Being a retailing giant, Wal-Mart invested crores of rupees into an unknown consulting agency in 2010. Once the country opened up the retail-

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IN THIS ISSUE ing sector to foreign investors, the consulting company got converted into a retailing company. Today it is WalMart company. What an idea Sir jee!

West’s influence on Ravi Shankar Popular

musician Pundit Ravi Shankar died recently.In this article, TJS George, country’s one of the best journalists and columnists, analyzes what an impact Western world had had on Ravi Shankar’s classical music.

Pak Extremists Target Polio Vaccination Program Islamic extremists in Pakistan have now started to target polio vaccination program assuming it to be a tool to undermine their religion. In the past, it was rumoured that the US spy agency had persuaded a Pakistani doctor to launch a fake vaccination program in Abottabbad in an attempt to confirm the hiding of Osama Bin Laden in the area. After the US com mandos killed Bin Laden, extremists in the country are suspecting the real vaccination program, sponsored by the United Nations (UN).

Convert and Migrate to Israel A large number

of people from Christian community in North East are migrating to Israel in large numbers. Israel is, interestingly, welcoming them with open arms. But they need to be converted to Catholic Judaism before packing their bags. And they will be converted formally once they arrive in Israel.

transcending boundaries Volume 14 Issue 6 Dhanu / January 2013 Editor Narayana Sevire Editorial Team Susheela H. Narayan A. Sridharan.M.K

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Cover Price: Rs. 20

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Direct Cash Transfer A Pipe Dream of Congress If you are wondering how to cash in on India’s poverty, then learn it from Congress

ry in 2014 general election. Its leaders are smiling all the while. They believe they have found a “gamechanger” that could help them retain power for the third time in succession. The magical formula is paying hard cash to the By Susheela H public saying ‘aapka paisa aapke haath’, and putting hese days, opinion an end to giving things polls after opinion to poor families at subsipolls are showing dized price. This mechaManmohan Singh gov- nism, the government beernment losing popular lieves, will not only help support, with people feel- in stopping misuse of ing angry at the way his crores of rupees but also administration handled ensure that only those are the rising tide of infla- in need are benefited. tion and corruption alleThe first phase of imgations. So much so that plementation will cover even friendly parties like as many as 42 plans, inthe Samajwadi Party and cluding old-age pension, the DMK have criticized scholarship, LPG subsidy, the government’s policies health plans and welfare and actions. Mamata Ba- schemes. Only food and nerjee’s TMC pulled out fertilizer subsidies are of the coalition and chose kept out of the most amto sit in the opposition bitious plan of the UPA benches. Then the party government for now. tried to put woo public by Nevertheless, about Rs putting Rahul Gandhi at 3,200 is transferred to the number two position. Ra- bank accounts of 10 crore hul failed to sparkle and families identified by the the party started feeling Unique Identification Auhelpless. thority of India (UIDAI), But things have changed every month. suddenly. The Congress is Although the plan cost sniffing the smell of victo- Rs 3.2 lakh crore a year, it

is touted as fiscal neutral as cash is given in place of only existing plans. This ambitious plan of the UPA is being launched this month in 51 districts spread across the country. Rahul Gandhi is likely to figure prominently throughout the implementation proceedings, because the party believes that his participation will ultimately help the party in elections. The Congress hopes even if half of the 10 crore families with a minimum of two votes return to its fold, it will ensure UPA’s win in 2014. The plan has instilled the lost confidence in the party. This in turn, has reinforced its strength to rein in alliance partners, as witnessed in the SP and DMK thaw over FDI in multi-brand retail. This could again help the UPA II to complete its term, the Congress dreams. The dream looks realizable, only if everything is as simple as it was laid out by the Congress spin masters. However, the devil lies in the details. Experiences from the pilot projects belie any expectation that the plan would sail

smoothly. For instance, Firstpost reported that field researchers visited Kotkasim in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, where cash was to be given, in place of subsidized kerosene, to 25,000 beneficiaries. Nine months into the project, 50 percent of the beneficiaries were found without a bank account, and many among those with bank accounts had not received the payments for months. In some cases, the beneficiaries had to spend more amount on travelling than they received in subsidy. One significant glitz likely to be encountered is the penetration of Unique ID or Aadhaar card. As beneficiaries are identified on the basis of UID, the plan works only if all BPL families get UIDs. So far only about 25 crore people, mostly in urban areas, have been given UIDs. And UIDAI has set a target of covering 50 percent of the population by 2014. Then, how would the government identify 10 crore families this year itself? Many experts think that the government did not do enough homework be-

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About three decades ago, Congress went to elections with the slogan of “Garibhi Hatao. The party won the elections, but the people remained poor. Now it has devised a new plan similar to that of the one Indira Gandhi had tested decades ago -- giving cash directly to poor people in the place of subsidied food grains and other benefits. fore rushing into the plan. Analysts are also skeptical about the claim that the plan would reduce leakages. Case studies on UPA’s other ambitious project National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) have shown

that direct cash transfer is no guarantee to stop pilferage. It was found that village strongman in collusion with bank employee could control money disbursement. Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council member Aruna

Roy has cautioned about problems arising out of middleman’s roles and delayed cash transfers. Reetika Khera, assistant professor at IIT Delhi has expressed apprehensions over aligning cash transfers with UIDs. Some economists have also expressed doubts over the government’s claim of fiscal neutrality as not properly identifying poor could lead to more burden on the exchequer. In the meanwhile political parties have strongly condemned the step. Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has dubbed the plan as a way of brib-

November. The police had arrested Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Srinivasan over a Facebook post criticiz-

ly condemned, Mumbai police took another youth into custody for adversely commenting on Raj

he misuse tion 66A IT Act in parts of country

of Secof the various has an-

Freedom of Speech Misuse of Law Facebook users ask for freedom to comment on anything and everything noyed even the Supreme Court. The apex court was about to take a suo motu cognizance of the arrest of two girls in Mumbai in

ing the bandh observed in the city during the funeral procession of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. Even as the arrests were fierce-

Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sene. In November, even as the SC was wondering why nobody was filing a petition against these arrests, it received a PIL by a Delhi student. The

ing the people. The Left has said that by doling out cash, the government intends to cut subsidies gradually as prices rise. The BJP has scoffed at Congress’s attempt to take political mileage by offering cash, while in fact not adding anything new to the basket. The Congress hopes “aapka paisa aapke haath” will bring back votes to its “hand”. However, political analysts are skeptical about it. Some even think that if not properly implemented, it may boomerang on the Congress in the next general elections.

PIL sought modifications to the Section. The court promptly sent out notices to the Centre and the five states where arrests under Section 66A had taken place. “Explain the arrest,” the court demanded. While experts pointed to the ambiguity and lack of clarity in the wordings of the Section 66A, Communications and Information Technology Minister Kapil Sibal argued the law is perfect, but the police interpreted wrongly. He also thought giving responsibility of taking actions under the Section should be vested with higher level officers. Hence, he came up with

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Detention of two Mumbai girls on charges of angering Shiva Sena activists, who were mourning the death of their chief Bala Thackeray, has sparked off a debate over freedom of speech. Is provoking people to go on a freedom of expresson? new guidelines on Section 66A, which says Station House Officers need to take prior approval from the Deputy Commissioner or an IGP-level officer before registering a case against the Section. Will this help prevent misinterpretation and misuse of the law? Experts are skeptical. Look at the wordings of Section 66A: “Any person who sends by means of a computer resource or a communication device any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or any information which he knows to be false, but

for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or illwill, persistently makes by making use of such computer resource or a communication device, any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.”

Anyone violating the Section attracts a jail term up three years. Under this Section, sending out messages using computers or a smart phone can be put behind the bars if it annoys or misleads or causes ill-will in others. The proposition seems bizarre as a message quite acceptable to one person can be annoying to another. Even a message written with a noble intention could annoy someone else. Experts say terms such as “offensive”, “annoying”, “menacing” and “ill-will” are imprecise. As these terms are not defined in the Section, it is open to misinterpretation and misuse. Experts also contend that Section 66A infringes on freedom of expression envisioned under Article 19 of the Constitution. Interestingly, the arrests

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made under 66A in various states indicate that the police acted as the messages criticized some powerful individuals. In West Bengal, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra was held for sending out a cartoon that mocked West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. In Pondicherry, businessman Ravi Srinivasan was arrested for tweeting against Karti Chidambaram, the son of Union Minister P Chidambaram. These arrests enraged free speech advocates, who despised the police action as misuse of power. The arrests also blunt Kapil Sibal’s argument that entrusting implementation power to senior officials would prevent misuse. For even senior officials are not immune to political pressures.

Egypt: New Constitution with Islamic Flavor By Aseema Staff

Egypt has adopted a new constitution but it sounds more like Islamic Sharia law. It seems that President Mursi is turning to Islamists to help him clinging onto power.

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ak latyest version slamists and liberals are locked in a fierce battle in Egypt over the government’s attempts to install a new Constitution based on sharia laws. The judiciary too has joined the battle with the Supreme Constitutional Court striking work for an indefinite period. The top court was likely to pass an order on Sunday, which would call the Constitutional Assembly “unconstitutional”. At the same time hundreds of people supporting President Mohamed Mursi gathered outside the court through the night. The judges said they were prevented from reaching the court. They said the court would not convene as long as psychological and material pressure against them continued. The Islamist-dominated 100-member Constitutional Assembly, the panel that drafted the new Constitution, met on November 29 and rushed to approve all the 234 articles by November 30, working through the night. The assembly also crafted a new article that makes consulting Sunni Muslim learning Centre Al-Azhar mandatory on matters related sharia. In a last minute move, the assembly added another controversial article that calls for change in the structure of the Supreme

Mohamed Mursi came to power in June 2012 with the help of Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. He became the first democratically elected president of Egypt. Mursi, who was a leading member of Muslim Brotherhood, wanted a Constitution that safeguards civil rights, but is enshrined in sharia.

Constitutional Court. The assembly was constituted in June, but 30 liberals and Christian members had accused that Mursi supporters were hijacking the drafting process, and quit the assembly over the preceding months. The new chapter of the Constitution would go to the people for a referendum on December 15, which is to be overseen by judges. However, the Judges Club has boycotted the referendum. In a bid to shield himself from the judiciary, President Mursi passed a decree on November 22. This angered many Egyptians, who held nationwide protests against the “power grab”. At least three protesters were killed in police action. Demanding the withdrawal of the decree, activists camped in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the seat of the uprising that overthrew President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Many judges

also joined the protest and went on a strike. Mursi maintained the decree would end soon after the referendum. Mohamed ElBaradei, who had contested presidential poll against Mursi, and other political figures opposing Mursi formed “National Salvation Front” against President’s move of granting himself sweeping powers. New wine in old bottle Mohamed Mursi came to power in June 2012 with the help of Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood. He became the first democratically elected president of Egypt. Mursi, who was a leading member of Muslim Brotherhood, wanted a Constitution that safeguards civil rights, but is enshrined in sharia. However, experts find the draft Constitution almost similar to the one written in 1971 by former President Anwar Sadat, except for mentions

of sharia. This may have been done in order to underscore the role of Islam in government and among public, they contend. However, some articles of the draft Constitution have infuriated liberals. For instance, it entrusts the responsibility of ensuring public morality with the government, which is open to misuse. There are also rules forbidding blasphemy and causing insult to any person, which, liberals think, could be used to stifle criticism. There are also complains that the draft Constitution does not uphold women’s rights in clear terms, while emphasizes religion, traditions and family values. Liberals fear this could lead to repression of women. On the positive side, critics maintain, the new Constitution permits presidents only to fouryear terms and introduces certain amount of civilian oversight over the military. However, enraged by the Islamic flavor in texting, opponents demanded a complete overhaul of the drafting process itself. They claimed that the draft Cosntitution was set to divide the country as never before. On the other hand, Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood believe the referendum would settle the battle once for all.

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The Wheel of Justice Kasab is dead but many of those who masterminded the Mumbai attacks are still at large

hen Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive in the 26/11 terrorist attacks, was hanged, many felt that justice was not done fully. For the mastermind, the planners, and others involved in the attacks are yet to be brought to justice. Many of these key conspirators are in Pakistan and the wheel of justice hardly seems to roll in that country in the 26/11 case. However, at least one more person, who provided material support for these deadly attacks on Mumbai’s landmark locations, is set to get the punishment this month in the far away United States. A district court in Chicago has fixed January 17 for awarding the sentence to David Coleman Headley, the Americanborn Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist. Headley’s childhood friend and a businessman in the US, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, was also indicted by FBI in the 26/11 case. But a federal court has acquitted him in the Mumbai attack case, while found him guilty along with Headley

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in another case. The court has fixed December 15 for awarding the sentence to Rana. Headley’s arrest by the US police in October 2009 unraveled a stunning web of terrorism spun by the Pakistanibased terror outfit, LeT. Born as Daood Gilani in Washington DC to a Pakistani diplomat father and an American socialite mother, Headley was first arrested by the US’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1997 on drug charges. And for the first time he offered cooperation with DEA for a lighter sentence. Later, he was arrested for smuggling heroin from Pakistan. Subsequently, he worked for DEA’s under surveillance operations, travelling often to Pakistan. During these trips Headley attended LeT training camps in Paksitan between 2002 and 2003. In late 2005, he was told by his LeT handlers in Pakistan to identify Indian targets. That was when Daood Gilani became David Coleman Headley in a bid to conceal his Muslim and Pakistani identities from Indians. He travelled five times to India, pretending to be setting up an immigration office in Mumbai, as he went on identifying targets for terror attacks. He made videos of all the targets. During his April 2008 trip, Headley brought a

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After 9/11 terror attacks on New York, the US waged two wars and hunted down Osama Bin Laden and killed him in a secrete raid inside Pakistan. But those who masterminded the Mumbai 26/11 attacks are walking freely in Pakistan. global positioning system (GPS) device along with him and went on a boat ride around the Mumbai harbor. He entered several locations into the GPS in order to help identify the entry points for the terrorists. After the 26/11 attacks, which left 166 people including 6 Americans dead and hundreds others injured, Headley made yet another trip to India in March 2009. This time he was tasked with conducting surveillance on the National Defence College in Delhi and several Jewish centres across India for future attacks. At the same time, LeT had asked him to conduct surveilla nce on a newspaper’s offices in Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark. The terrorist organization wanted to take revenge against the newspaper for publishing a cartoon of Prophet Mohammed. Headley made

several trips to Denmark and Pakistan and communicated with his LeT handlers via e-mail and phone in connection this task. In October 2009, he was eventually arrested as he was leaving for Pakistan from Chicago. Headley was carrying 13 surveillance video tapes at the time of the arrest. Later, Headley’s friend Rana was also arrested for letting Headley use his business. Headley had posed as a representative of Rana’s firm, First World Immigration Services Inc, during his trips to India as well as Denmark. The two men were slapped with federal charges for their involvement in committing and plotting terror attacks on overseas targets, namely in Mumbai and Copenhagen, respectively. Headley was indicted on 12 counts and Rana on 3. In March 2010, Headley pleaded guilty on all counts and offered cooperation with

the government in gathering information on national security. With this, he escaped harsher punishment for the second time. The US Attorney’s Office directed United States Attorney in Chicago not to seek death for Headley. In the meanwhile, Rana was acquitted of all charges in the Mumbai attack case, but held guilty in the terror plot of attacking

the Danish newspaper. Hence, no punishment for Rana for providing a business card to Daood Gilani aka Devid Coleman Headley, which was used by the latter while scouting targets in Mumbai. But kin of 26/11 victims will get some justice, when Headley is awarded punishment this month, though it is certainly “lighter” than death.

Yet to be brought to book Most key conspirators behind the 26/11 attacks are yet to be punished. In June, Delhi police arrested Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jindal, who had allegedly given telephonic instructions from Karachi to the attackers on the fateful day. Sources said he was deported by Saudi Arabia on India’s request. Jindal, a Maharashtra-born LeT operative, was also tasked with teaching Hindi to the Mumbai attack terror squad. Incidentally, he is wanted in several terror attack cases across India. Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi is another key conspirator from Pakistan, named in the Indian charge sheet on Mumbai attacks. He had allegedly acted as the chief of 26/11 operation. His telephonic conversations with the attackers have nailed him. India wanted to prosecute him and had asked for his custody. But Pakistan, despite admitting his role in the attacks, has refused to hand over him. India believes the mastermind behind the attacks is LeT founder and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. Confessions by Ajmal Kasab and David Headley have evidence to this effect. But Pakistan has been refusing to prosecute Saeed, saying confessional statements cannot be accepted as evidence. In April, the US announced $10 million bounty on him for his role in the attacks. When India demanded his prosecution, saying the bounty proved his involvement, the US authorities said the bounty was not to apprehend him, but to only gather prosecutable evidence against him.

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Parental Abuse & Our Laws T

he ordeal the Bengali couple Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya underwent in Norway is still fresh in the public memory in India. The coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little children, three year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya were snatched from their home and put under foster care on the pretext that the couple was unfit to take care of the children. Only after coming under an immense diplomatic pressure, triggered by the public outrage and endless media debate in India, Norwegian authorities handed over the custody of the children to Anurup Bhattacharyaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother. Now they have jailed an Andhra couple for abusing their children. The Oslo District Court found Chandrasekhar Vallabhaneni and his wife Anupama guilty of repeated maltreatment of their children. The husband got 18 months and the wife 15 months in jail. The couple was charged hitting repeatedly their 10-year-old son with a belt or similar object, burning his leg with a hot spoon or similar object, and threatening to burn his tongue with a hot spoon. The couple has rejected all the charges and decided to appeal in a

By Susheela H

higher court. Some media reports said that Vallabhaneni, an employee on deputation from IT major TCS, had threatened the son that he would be sent to India if he did not stop wetting his pants in school. The incident once again brought to the fore cultural differences of the two countries. In India, children are considered as parental property and parents are entitled to discipline them as deemed fit. Even Indian laws related to child protection are silent on parental care or neglect. The much touted The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, a special law to deal with all kinds of sexual offences against children, does prescribe punishment for family members including the father, but only if the crime is sexual. India is increasingly admitting that hitting children in school is an offence. The Section 17 of Right to Education (RTE) Act implemented in 2010, bars children from being subjected to physical or mental harassment. The Supreme Court had banned physical punish ment in schools in 2000 itself. In July 2012, the Ministry of Women and Child

Norway may have taken its child protection concerns to another level. But India could learn a lesson or two from the countries that recognize that children may be ill-treated by their parents as well. Development provided new guidelines banning corporal punishment of students. Any violation of these guidelines attracts jail term or fine or both. Repeated violations attract increase in the quantum of punishment. It is another matter that despite all these rules and guidelines, school teachers across the country do not fight shy of beating errant students black and blue. Last month, a 10-year-old boy succumbed to injuries, inflicted by his two teachers at a government primary school in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh. Last February, humiliation and corporal punishment drove a 12-year-old boy, studying in the prestigious La Martiniere School for Boys in Kolkata, to commit suicide. Extreme cases of corpo-

ral punishment in schools are regularly reported from across the country. This shows that the notion of disciplining children with physical punishment is deeply entrenched in the psyche of many people. Even the law, which has stepped into schools, does not dare to enter homes. It only forbids sexual assaults on children at homes. Otherwise, parents are the sole authority over their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care. In the US, assaulting anyone who is under age 18 is considered a child abuse, so are neglecting and inflicting mental cruelty on children. In the UK, parental duties are prescribed under the Children Act of 1989. Other European countries like Denmark, Sweden and Finland too have strong child protection policies. Norway may have taken its child protection concerns to another level. Its diminishing birth rate and increasing prosperity, resulted in rising grants to child care services, may have made the welfare machinery overzealous. But India could learn a lesson or two from the countries that recognize that children may be ill-treated by their parents as well.

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India Out of Olympic Fold W

orld sporting bodies are shunning India. First, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Then, the International Boxing Association (IBA) suspended the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF). Indian athletes could be left out of the next Olympics or Asian Games. The IOC may not treat India the way it treated South Africa during the period of apartheid. However, even its lenient consideration may force Indian athletes to participate as independent players under the Olympic flag, not under the tricolor. The extreme punitive step from the IOC came even as IOA was preparing to elect new office bearers under national sports development code (NSDC). The IOC had cautioned that NSDC did not conform to the Olympic Charter, hence the election would be null and void. However, IOA did not pay heed to the IOC

warning and went ahead with its election schedule. On December 5, the IOA conducted its General Body Meeting (GBM and elected unopposed Abhay Singh Chautala as president, Lalit Bhanot as secretary-general, N. Ramachandran as treasurer, and Virendra Nanavati as senior vice-president’s post. The GBM also elected the acting president Vijay Malhotra as life president by show of hands. The IOC was infuriated by the presence of Bhanot in the fray. Bhanot is out on bail after spending 11 months in jail in connection with the scam in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. IOA’s unanimous selection of key office bearers was possible as the rival faction led by Randhir Singh, the sole IOC’s representative in India, withdrew from the fray a week before. IOC president Jacques Rogge has severely criticized IOA’s steps of adopting election rules, which were not in conformity with the IOA statutes. He

said this threatened the IOA’s autonomy. The IOC has set several conditions to revoke the suspension. The IOA needs to guarantee its full autonomy. It needs to ensure free and fair elections in conformity with its own statutes and the Olympic Charter. And it needs to implement all basic principles of ethics and good governance in its daily operations. The suspension has serious repercussion on India’s Olympic ambition. IOA office bearers will not be invited to IOC meetings. In the worst case scenario, Indian athletes may be barred from participating in Olympic Games. If IOC shows a lenient consideration, they may participate under Olympic flag as independent athletes, but not as “Indian” athletes under the Indian flag during the suspension period. Also, IOA will not get IOC funds.

IOA’s argument The IOA maintains it has done nothing wrong by conducting elections as per NSDC guidelines and it just followed a Delhi High Court order. Newly elected president Chautala has dubbed the suspension as a unilateral decision by the IOC as the IOA was not given oppor-

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Following the suspension of Indian Olympic Association by the IOC, Indian athletes may now have to play under the Olympic flag rather than the tricolor. Why should players pay the price for the mistakes of the Committee? tunity to present its case. Now IOA plans to form a committee that can explain its position to the IOC. Bhanot, the new general secretary, too has claimed that he was not proven guilty. The IOA plans to apprise the IOC of the legal status of his case, which is pending in court. Interestingly, several Indian Olympic medalists have expressed hope that the suspension might help cleanse the IOA. In fact, flouting rules and guidelines has been rampant in the IOA. For instance, Olympic charter prescribes a tenure of 8 years for presidents, which can be extended to another 4 years. However, the erstwhile acting IOA president VK Malhotra, who has been again elected as the president of the Archery Association, has been in office for 33 years, exceeding his term

by 21 years. Jagdish Tytler, who has been heading the Judo Federation for the past 16 years, has also exceeded his term by four years. Also, while the age cap set by IOC charter is 70 years, Malhotra is 80. IOC president Rogge has noted that the IOA has been unable to adopt the basic principles of ethics and good governance. He also said the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had tried to help the IOA resolve these issues for more than two years. But the IOA and Indian government did not take these attempts seriously. India secured its highest tally of medals in 2012 London Olympics. Sportspersons and sports persons hope the IOA and the government would take appropriate remedial steps to get back into the Olympic fold.

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Hopes for “cleaner” IOA Wrestler Sushil Kumar has expressed hope that the suspension would pave the way for a better future. In an interview to a daily, he said Indian sports administration had hit a new low in the past few years, and some corrective action was needed. He was happy that the IOC acted. The two-time Olympic medallist said those who manage sports should know the sports, but in India those who do not know the basic of sports are at the helm of the affairs. He said sportsmen are struggling under these people, and they should be thrown out. Sushil Kumar said Indian sportsmen deserve efficient and caring federations. He hoped the suspension would trigger measures that could improve the governance of sports. India’s lone individual gold medalist Shooter Abhinav Bindra too has welcomed the IOC’s step, hoping that the IOA would emerge cleaner.

Modi Mesmerizes Again Modi’s victory is the result of his good work and the developmental programs he launched in Gujrtat. Therefore, this election sends out a clear message that “if you prove to be a good worker and administrator, you will be elected as long as you want.” Will other leaders understand this message from Gujrat voters?

he emphatic victory of the BJP in the Gujarat Assembly elections has demonstrated many a point. It bolstered the value of Brand Modi that is synonymous with development and good governance. It heralded a new path for the electoral politics of the country with a message that there is no need to resort to the politics of caste and religion, or entice the voter with freebies and quotas. It showed that clean hands and the will to make difference in people’s lives

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are well appreciated. The hat-trick victory of Narendra Modi, widely seen as a gate pass to his Delhi entry, has been greeted vastly by a positive and appreciative press. Columnists acknowledged that he really secured the positive verdict through an inclusive development plank, as all sections of the society seemed to have benefitted from the high growth trajectory in Gujarat. However, most of the pundits still doubted if the Gujarat model would work in other states. Once again, they dug up the Muslim card, vis-à-vis the possible stance of NDA partners, to red flag Modi’s likely march onto the national stage. However, more threatening remarks came from a few panelists on television. While a psephologist-turned-political activist described Modi’s victory as a danger to the

functioning of democracy, another analyst went one step ahead and said the victory posed a danger to the Constitution! At the same time, some columnists said Modi’s magic would not work outside Gujarat. In support of their argument, they cited election campaigns in UP, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh. They contended that Modi’s campaign could not win Himachal, hence he cannot win other states. These political pundits also argued that Modi’s strong personality and functioning style will scare away other leaders and hence, he will not be welcomed onto BJP’s national stage. The most significant threat pointed at by some analysts was Nitish Kumar’s unwillingness to align with Modi. According to them, Muslims, who voted for Modi, are different from those from

the community in UP and Bihar, or elsewhere in the country, and development agenda does not work with them. Whenever Modi sets out for a bigger role in the national politics, these voices will certainly get shriller. In the meanwhile, the Congress also did its bit to confine Modi to Gujarat by referring to him as “only a regional” leader. While External Affairs Salman Khurshid asked why Modi was not winning the whole of India, finance minister P Chidambaram was not even ready to acknowledge his hat-trick victory. Instead, he claimed since the BJP could not cross its 2007 tally of 117 seats, the Congress was the “clear” winner. It is another matter that it was not the Congress, but BJP’s rebel party of veteran leader Keshubhai Patel, which denied more spectacular victory

to Narendra Modi. Gujarat has not only handed a thumping victory for the third time in a row, against all odds, to Modi, its voters also want him to move forward, and contest for the top most job of prime minister. Incidentally, opinion polls after opinion polls have suggested that he is the preferred candidate of most people across the country for the much coveted post. Modi has also indicated that his Gujarat experiment could be extended to other areas as well. His victory speech on December 20 was full of symbolism, indicating his willingness to shoulder national responsibilities. It is true that many want his no-nonsense leadership at the Centre. And they do not want the trajectory of his upward journey gets decided by “liberal” pundits, instead of voters’ wishes.

Routine change in Himachal; it’s Cong’s turn now

imachal Pradesh remained true to its convention of dumping the incumbent since 1990s. It was Congress’s turn this year, and the result came as no surprise. In fact, the result from the hill state came as a face saver for the Congress, which had been clean bowled by Narendra Modi’s stunning victory in Gujarat. While the media attributed the Congress victory to the presence of the strong face, veteran leader Virbhadra Singh, the Congress claimed Rahul Gandhi’s campaigning helped. However, BJP

leader Arun Jaitely held the rebellion within the party responsible for BJP’s defeat. The ruling BJP’s poll planks included corruption charges against Virbhadra Singh and cap on subsidized LPG cylinders, along with governance. But results show these factors cut no ice with the voters. The Congress win has brought relief to the worried UPA leaders, who were apprehensive of losing popularity on the grounds of big ticket corruption cases and tough reform measures.

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A Peek into Future NDA T

he swearing-in ceremony in Ahmadabad on December 26 turned into a massive show of power of Gujarat chief minister. The presence of all BJP bigwigs from Delhi and all chief ministers from the party reinforced Narendra Modi’s prominent place within the BJP. Party patriarch LK Advani, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari were among those who graced the occasion, succeeding in putting a picture of unity on display, powerfully. The

The swearing-in ceremony provided some clue to the bigger picture that could emerge in 2014. presence of Vasundhara Raje, who is expected to win the next assembly elections in Rajasthan, along with Shivraj Chauhan, Raman Singh and Manohar Parrikar underscored the point that they could rally behind Modi, if needed. The state-level event naturally assumed a national prominence with major TV channels relaying the occasion live with experts’ comments. It was also an occasion that may have offered a

peep into how the NDA could look in 2014. Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, and Maharashtra leaders including Shiv Sena chief Uddav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, and Republican Party of India’s chief Ramdas Athavale were among the frontline dignitaries present at the swearing-in ceremony. The presence of Thackeray brothers has set off

speculations about an interesting political realignment in the state of Maharashtra that sends a significant number of parliamentarians. As expected, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar did not turn up. Rumours had it that he was not sent an invitation. His absence reinforced his continued aversion to a possible elevation of Modi on the national stage. However, the strong presence of all others, who matter in the event of Gujarat CM’s ascent, indicates that the loss resulting from the JDU’s exit may be well offset.

Illegal Mining: Goa Scores Over Karnataka K

arnataka Lokayukta’s revelation in 2011 of rampant illegal mining in the Bellary region had triggered huge public debates. People were stunned at the enormity of the loot of country’s natural resourc-

es, which was possible due to an unholy nexus between bureaucrats, politicians and businessmen. And miners had flouted every rule in the book: mining without permits and royalties, forest encroachment, violation of

lease rules etc. Now illegal mining in Goa seems to have scored over Bellary, under the previous Congress government in the state. What differentiates mining scam in Goa from that of Karnataka’s is the

absence media uproar. While Lokayukta report on Bellary mining garnered a good amount of media space for a long period, there has been hardly any talk about the mining irregularities in Goa. The Central Empower-

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In their hurry to make quick bucks, miners in Goa have allegedly violated almost every rule in the book. There are so many reports of violation that Goa’s mining scandal seems to have outshined Karnataka’s. ment Committee, a highpowered environmental panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India, has unraveled the many facets of illegal mining in the beach state. The CEC’s report has alleged that miners, with the tacit approval of the then chief minister Digambar Kamat, have brazenly violated all rules and regulations of mining. The report has also questioned the wisdom of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in giving green clearances to mines in the vicinity of national parks and sanctuaries. As many as 162 mines operated with the ministry’s clearance near such places, in breach of SC orders. Also, the ministry cleared 19 cases, in which the leased areas were shown to be outside the wildlife sanctuary, but in fact, the locations were within the sanctuary. The ministry had also given clearances for 23 mines that were within one kilometer from the sanctuary, and one mine within the sanctuary. The CEC noted that millions of tons of iron ore was mined from the overburden dumps outside leased areas with-

out a prior approval of concerned authorities or a green clearance. The CEC also found that several mines were operated without the approval of the National Board for Wold Life (NBWL) or the Chief Wild Life Warden (CWLW) of the state. In another shocking finding, the CEC has noted that several mines were operated by persons other than the lessees. This again is a blatant violation of the Mineral Concession Rules (MCR), 1960. For instance, a mining license was issued in the name of Badrudin Bavani, an individual. However, a partnership firm M/s Timblo Pvt Ltd has been operating the mining activities for the past several years. And there was no government order transferring the lease from an individual to a partnership firm.

The Goa government maintained that the change was effected through a Power of Attorney, which was executed by Badrudin Hussain Bhai Mawani (notice the change in name) in favour of the firm’s owner Radha Timblo. The Power of Attorney shows Mayani was stationed in Karachi, Pakistan at that time. But the documented was neither routed via the District Magistrate, nor signed by the Indian Embassy or Consulate as required by Rule 37 MCR, 1960. In another case, M/s Ajit Kadnekar had secured environmental clearance for mining, but M/s Magnum Minerals was operating the mine. The later is a subsidiary of Canadian company M/s Teera Nova Royalty Corporation. Checks and balances

The CEC found no check and balance system in Goa. Other major mining states like Karnataka and Orissa have mechanisms that keep a tab on the quantity of iron ore produced and the quantum of royalty paid. Also, the leased companies need to have permits for transportation of mineral by the mining department and permits of transit by the forest department. In Goa, there were no established coherent mechanisms. As a result, more iron ore was exported than the officially stated production. For instance, between 2006 and 2011, there was a total production of 1553.7 lakh MT of iron ore, whereas the export of Goan origin ore was of 1949.369 lakh MT. This excess of 395.645 lakh MT ore apart, there were also a good amount of domestic consumptions. It underscores the prevalence of unaccounted production and illegal mining. Revelations about Bellary mining scam have had some direct and indirect fall outs. Former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa had to spend a few days in jail in a quid-pro benefit case, while former minister Janardhana Reddy is still cooling his heels in a Hyderabad jail. Will Goan mining scam revelation produce such results?

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An Urgent Need to Control Media: Who’ll Bell the Cat? By Susheela Hegde

hould there be a regulatory body to keep a tab on Indian media? This question has come up again in the wake of the Justice Leveson Inquiry report that has called for an independent regulatory body, backed by law in the UK. Media persons in India, who wield considerable amount of clout over the media space, prefer self-regulations to institutional deterrents. They also argue that instances of paid news are exceptions and not the norm. In the UK also, journalists certainly may not welcome the idea of coming under a punitive body. Judge Brian Leveson, who has chronicled media excesses in his report, is apprehensive that British prime minister David Cameron could attract the ire of the press and his cabinet ministers if he accepted the report’s findings. The statement points to a deeply entrenched nexus between politicians and journalists. The situation in India is no differ-

ent. The Leveson Inquiry was constituted to probe into the phone-hacking scandal, involving reporters of the British tabloid, The News Of The World. In 2007, the tabloid’s royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed, along with a private investigator, for intercepting voice messages sent to royal aides. In 2011, another UK newspaper, the Guardian, reported that the tabloid had hacked the phone of a murdered school girl. Subsequent investigations revealed that the tabloid’s reporters hacked phones of thousands of people, including politicians, actors, sportspersons, and kin of dead soldiers. Justice Leveson’s inquiry looked into the culture, practices and ethics observed in the UK press, as well as the extent of illegal practices prevailed within media groups. He concluded that the press had failed to regulate itself effectively, for he found that the press had wreaked havoc in inno-

cent people’s lives. His finding also confirmed the relationship between the press and politicians. Justice Leveson strongly recommended for creating a tougher regulator that is supported by legislation to ensure effectiveness. These recommendations are significant for India too, as Justice Leveson’s findings mirror exactly the prevalent situation here. Leveson’s report has also brought back focus on a report by our own media watchdog, the Press Council of India. In 2010, under the chairmanship of Justice Markandey Katju, the PCI constituted a two-member sub-committee to examine the paid-news scandal that surfaced after 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Later the sub-committee, comprising Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and K Sreenivas Reddy, submitted its report to the PCI. In its report, the committee had explained corrupt practices of some of the media houses. But the PCI refused to act on the report.

A majority of its members, who represent several media houses, even refused to reveal the name of the newspapers that the subcommittee had made mention of. Eventually, the PCI reduced the report to a reference material and prepared another report. The revised report said, “Corruption goes beyond the corruption of individual journalists and media companies and has become pervasive, structured and highly organized. In the process, it is undermining democracy in India.” The suppression of original report disappointed several people in the media. P Sainath of The Hindu said that the PCI had lost a golden chance to rectify the Indian media. Justice Katju has, however, tried to expand the jurisdiction, as well as the power, of the PCI. In August 2012, the PCI passed a resolution demanding amendment of the Press Council Act, 1978, which was formulated before the spread of television and

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The Press Council of India wants to oversee the functioning of even the electronic media and social media. But the people in the media are opposing it plan. They prefer self regulation. the advent of social media. The resolution said journalistic ethics should apply to the electronic

averi, an indistinct place in the northern part of Karnataka, came alive in the second week of December, with people from across the state streaming into the town. The most prominent leader from a politically dominant community was making a significant transition that could change the face of Karnataka politics. Lingayat strongman and erstwhile face of the BJP in the state, BS Yeddyurappa, was floating a regional party, the Karnataka Janata Party. He did it with a bang, and vowed to finish off the BJP in the state. Less than four years ago, Yeddyurappa was hailed as the chief architect of BJP’s electoral vic-

media as well, as they “played havoc with the lives of the people”. The resolution demanded that the Press Club of India be converted into Media Council of India, and should oversee the visual media and social media. Justice Katju has also expressed his concerns over ‘media priority’. He says instead of focusing on real issues like poverty, unemployment, lack of facilities, and regressive practices, the media

Exit BJP, Enter KJP By Aseema Staff tory in the state. The May 2008 assembly elections, in which Yeddyurappa widely played the com-

devotes more coverage on issues like film stars, fashion, pop music, dance, cricket and astrology. He also noted that the media “plays a divisive role” more often than not and propagates superstition instead of scientific temper.The suggestion to bring electronic media under the purview of PCI has angered broadcasters as well as some people in the print media. They argued that any attempt to control the media would amount to gagging the

press. Justice Katju wants PCI to control the media, but the people in media want to be self-controlled. Katju says self restraint is no restraint. The increasing incidents of paid-news and exhortation by TV reporters had proved that media could not control itself. Justice Katju’s efforts to devise an institutional deterrent seem to be yielding no results. The question is who will bell the fat cat?

munity card, brought the party to power for the first time in Karnataka, albeit with three seats short of a simple majority. After becoming the first BJP chief minister in the South, Yeddyurappa grew from strength to strength both inside and outside the government. He stemmed the fragility of BJP’s position in the assembly by launching “Operation Lotus”, an innovative if dubious means, in which “willing” MLAs from opposition parties quit their assembly seats and later got elected on BJP tickets. At the same time, he expanded his clout in his community by offering generous grants to religious seats.

Despite his growing strength, it was not a smooth sailing for Yeddyurappa as chief minister. He faced revolts from MLAs several times, and had to face no confidence motion in 2010. He won the trust vote, again by “dubious” means according to analysts, as 16 MLAs who rebelled against his government were disqualified by the speaker at the time of voting. He also had to deal with an “unfriendly” governor in HR Bhardwaj, who recommended for a presidential rule. The recommendation was rejected by President Pratibha Patil on the advice of the Union government. Yeddyurappa’s chief minister’s chair became wobbly following the Lokayukta report on illegal

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Former Karnataka chief minister Yeddyurappa has resigned as legislative member, launching his own political party called KJP. The name of his new party sounds similar to that of BJP. His aim, it seems, is not to win back power but to finish off the party which made him the chief minister. mining. The report indicted him severely for allowing and benefitting from the massive loot of iron ore from Bellary mines. When the BJP High Command wanted him to step down, Yeddyurappa remained defiant for some time. The BJP found it difficult to continue its tirade against UPA’s big ticket scams and corruption, as the Congress and the media used Yeddyurappa as a stick to beat it. Finally, he quit when corruption charges were framed against in the Lokayukta court over his alleged involvement in the mining scam and illegal denotification of land in and around Bangalore City. But he quit on his terms. When the high command wanted to install another Lingayat leader, Jagadish Shettar, as chief minister, he vehemently opposed it. For, he did not want another leader from his community to rise to prominence. Eventually, DV Sadananda Gowda (DVS), handpicked by Yeddyrappa, was made to quit his Rajya Sabha seat and pitted against Shettar. Gowda

defeated Shettar in a secret ballot to become the second BJP chief minister of Karnataka. The move also heralded the split of the state BJP unit into two factions. Analysts said that Gowda was a proxy chief minister with the real power remained with Yeddyurappa. In the meanwhile, Yeddyurappa was denied bail in a land de-notification case and lodged in jail for 20 days. On his return from jail, he wanted DVS vacate the chief minister’s chair. But Gowda refused, which made him a friendturned-foe of the Lingayat strongman. This led to the churning of new political equations. Now, Jagadish Shettar identified himself with the Yeddyurappa camp that was baying for Gowda’s blood. DVS was accused of getting closer to the JD(S), led by the father-son duo Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy. Like DVS, these leaders belong to the Vokkaliga community, another dominant community in the state. The “Oust DVS” chorus from the Yeddyurappa faction reached the peak

during the budget session of the assembly in July 2012. The disgruntled leader herded several legislators, including minister, to a resort on the outskirts of Bangalore during the session. N o w,Ye d d y u r a p p a wanted Jagadish Shettar as chief minister. The rebel lawmakers refused to return to the session unless DVS stepped down. Not only did they stay away from the Assembly, nine ministers from this camp also submitted sent out resignation letters to put pressure on the BJP high command. The lawmakers returned to the Assembly only after the high command agreed to change the chief minister. Eventually, Jagadish Shettar was sworn in as the third BJP chief minister of Karnataka in July.

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But this did not put an end to the roaring factionalism in the state unit of the party, nor stemmed Yeddyurappa’s comeback efforts. Now lawmakers belonging to his faction began singing another chorus – “respectable position” for him. They wanted him as party’s state unit chief. The high command promised that he would be suitably reinstated after coming clean in corruption cases. However, Yeddyurappa would have none of it. He sent out singles that he would quit the party. He also did not mince his words while targeting party’s national leaders, including LK Advani, accusing them of back-stabbing him. Now, Yeddyurappa wants to take his Karnataka Janata Party to victory in the next assembly elections. But analysts say neither can he return to power going alone in the upcoming polls, nor it is the real motive of his party. His party can only damage BJP’s prospects, and thereby help the Congress. His critics also suspects that he might have been encouraged by the Congress to quit the party. They also hint that Yeddyurappa may have reached an understanding with the grand old party over the CBI cases against him.

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The Gang-Rape that Shook the Nation R

apes and gangrapes are not a rarity in India. Hardly a day is passed without a rape case being reported from some corner of the country. Rape in moving cars is a regular phenomenon in Delhi. However, no such case enraged people, especially students, across the country as the case of gang-rape of the 23-yearold paramedical student in the national capital. Students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, and Delhi University poured onto streets demanding justice. The chilly winter air of the capital was filled with an unprecedented level of anger. The young girls and boys, gathered in thousands, demanded nothing less than death to the rapists. Some even wanted them stoned to death, or hanged, in public. Furious protestors tried to lay siege to the residences of the top most people in the power corridor, namely, prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and President Pranab

The young girls and boys, gathered in thousands, demanded nothing less than death to the rapists. Some even wanted them stoned to death, or hanged, in public. Furious protestors tried to lay siege to the residences of the top most people in the power corridor, namely, prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and President Pranab Mukherjee. Mukherjee. The Delhi anger, which continued for over a week, also reverberated in different parts of the country. The nation never had witnessed this kind of sustained fury over rape cases. What made the paramedical’s rape on December 16 a tipping point? For one, the scale of barbaric cruelty involved in the crime is chilling. The victim needed to be kept in ICU at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital and the doctors were appalled by the intensity of the injuries suffered by her. Her intestines were totally damaged and had to be removed to prevent gangrene. The doctors said they never encountered such injuries in a rape victim before. And then, this rape did not look like a crime taken

place in some unknown moving car, involving unknown people. It happened in a school bus at as early as nine o’clock. Young girls and boys connected to the incident instantaneously as it could have happened to any of them. How many students can avoid taking a bus? How many of them can escape waiting on road for some kind of transport at nine in the night? The gang-rape looked so near. And the instinctive urge to act “now, and only now” arose in every heart like a fire. The fury was so strong that it managed to wake up the establishment from the slumber. Within days, five fast track courts were set up for handling rape cases. Delhi police moved swiftly in building up the case and conviction looked plausible in

months’ time. The irony is that public anger that manifested as never before did not touch some rapists. More rape cases were reported from the length and breadth of the country even as TV cameras were glued to the student fury storming the Delhi streets. A 38-yearold woman was raped by two men in the Gharota area of Jammu and Kashmir, while an 11-year-old was raped in Gulbarga district in Karnataka. At the same time, a twoand-half-year-old girl was raped in Vadodara, Gujarat, while a 40-year-old disabled woman was molested in Kolkata. It means, even if the Delhi gang-rape perpetrators are hanged, sensitization against the heinous crime need to be undertaken in a big way.

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Why Cheap Cooking Gas for Rich?

Under the current system, every family is eligible to buy LPG cylinder at the subsidized price. But a parliamentary committee has now asked the government not to give subsidy to families with more than 6 lakh rupees of annual income.

By Aseenma Staff

he parliamentary standing committee on petroleum and natural gas has pulled up the UPA government for not implementing its recommendations. The house panel, headed by Aruna Kumar Vundavalli, had asked the government to provide subsidized cooking gas cylinders to only those households with the annual income of less than Rs 6 lakh. The panel recommended excluding the rich families, and those holding constitutional posts and public offices from the subsidy cover. However, the government in September 2012 announced a universal cap of six cylinders a year. The move was hailed as a bold step by reformists as it would help save about Rs 14,000 crore a year. According to the new rule, every domestic LPG consumer is entitled for six cylinders at the subsidized price, and the market price should be paid for

additional requirements. Presently, subsidized cylinder weighing 14.2 kg is supplied at Rs 410, while market price is around Rs 930, which may vary every month. The cap drew sharp attacks from opposition parties, and sparked public protests. Even Congress MPs wanted the cap raised to 12 cylinders a year. But the government had refused to revise the cap. The governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy of universal capping, without any income stipulation, has enraged the standing committee. It has demanded that the cheap supply to the rich be scraped. Will the government pay heed? Polls and subsidized cylinder cap The cap on subsidized cylinders was a hot issue in the cold hilly regions of Himachal Pradesh during its recently concluded assembly elections. Apparently, there were attempts to cool down the tempera-

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ture. On November 3, 2012, the Times of India published a story that the cap may be raised to nine. But Himachal voters might not have been impressed. According to reports, the poll prospects of the Congress have suffered in Himachal because of the cap decision. The UPA government might have wanted to take a remedial measure to prevent the capâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on Gujarat voters. Union Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily told the media that the cap would be raised to nine cylinders a year. His statement

came on the eve of Gujarat assembly elections. The Election Commission took note of it and issued a notice. Announcing any kind of financial grants is violation of model code of conduct. And the severity of violation is more if the announcement is done within the 48 hours before polling, which was the case with Moily. However, he escaped with a warning from the EC. At the same time, he was succeeded in conveying the message to the Gujarat voter. It was unlikely that Moily was unaware that he was violating the model code of conduct. He was certainly aware that the EC would not let him implement the revision. Just a few days earlier, the UPA government was rapped on the knuckles for announcing the direct cash transfer scheme. The government was told to put the plan on hold until the assembly elections in Himachal and Gujarat were over.

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License to Kill By Narayan Bhat

hen a boy in a US state of Connecticut killed 27 people, many in India felt shocked at outraged about the America’s gun culture. Interestingly, India is second only to the United States in terms of the number of licensed guns in circulation. And here, too, licensed guns are increasingly used to kill –– to settle personal scores in most of the cases. A fortnight ago, according to a few newspapers in Delhi, a jobless father shot and killed his 18-year-old son with is licensed gun. Few days later, in Gurgaon, two members of a single family were shot with a licensed gun. Punjab’s well-known liquor baron Ponty Chadha, who was killed by his own brother at a farmhouse in Delhi, is also a victim of licensed gun. Do you remember the case of Nepal’s prince, who killed his entire royal family in a matter of seconds for their opposition to his love life. Had he had no licensed the gun, that incident would never have happened.

These are just the samples, or what we call a tip in the iceberg. According to GunPolicy.org, a website devoted to gun business, there are an estimated 40 million firearms in the hands of Indian civilians; only about 6.3 million of these are registered. Most of these legal as well as illegal guns are in circulation in Northern states, around New Delhi in particular. It is true that guns have not yet become so threatening in India as it has become in Latin American countries. But the rising economic prosperity has introduced a trend a own a gun. In some major cities, notably Delhi, owning a firearm is seen by some men as a status symbol. That’s what worrying the analysts, because fashions have the history of spreading countrywide in a matter of months. The more the government issues licenses, the more will be the incidents of senseless killings (the kind of senseless killing we heard recently from the United States). The Supreme Court has

asked the government to explain how it gave gun license to private security guards. In a country, where private security guards are outnumbering the police force, giving license to own guns is most likely to create trouble in the days to come. Americans started owning firearms saying the country’s police force was too small to protect everyone. In India, by contract, rich people are hiring security guards and then arming those men with guns. “The right to keep & bear arms was promised to all Indian citizens as a fundamental right throughout the freedom struggle and post independence it was finally enshrined as a legal right as per the Arms Act 1959,” according to National Association for Gun Rights, India (NAGRI). Giving guns to civilians in a country as corrupt as India leads to problems. BJP’s Promod Mahajan was killed by his own brother, who had a license to own gun. That’s precisely the loophole in the law. In other words, here there is

Licensed guns are killing not just Americans. India is second only to the United States when it comes to owning guns. Look at how many lives are killed by these men with a license to own gun. Government may not act until some school boy goes on a shooting spree as happened in the United States.

no need to obtain mental health certificates before applying for the license. Criminals are sent for such mental check-ups only after they are caught on charges of crime. Besides, anyone above the age of 18 can obtain a license to own gun, and there is no limits on the number of licences per family. If the trend continues, many places in North India will see private armies taking control of land and settling family disputes. There is absolutely no data as to how many people will be holding guns illegally. A rough esti-

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mation made by National Crime Records Bureau says there will be about four crore guns in circulation across the country. Most of the licensed guns are in Punjab, the fertile state where rich landlords believe owning a gun is a matter of prestige. In Punjab, as shown in a picture here, people gift

guns during marriage ceremonies. Whenever police seize illegal arms, which they most often find during their raids into terrorist hideouts, they hand them over to courts. Later such arms, including heavy weapons like automatic rifles, are auctioned off to politicians and govern-

ment officials. In India 37 percent of politicians have criminal background and nobody knows how many licenses they have to purchase guns. Analysts say government should destroy illegal weapons once they are seized. Auctioning them to politicians is another crime on the part of

Murky Dealing Did Wal-Mart know beforehand that India would open up its Retail Sector?

hen Wal-Mart poured Rs.500 crore in 2010 into an unknown company called Cedar Support Services, nobody guessed why the American retail giant was doing so. People, however, learnt about the real motive two years later, after the central government further liberalized the retail sector allowing foreign investors to own more than 50 percent stake in their Indian joint ventures. Until that moment, Cedar Support Services was a mere consultancy. Once the government made its announcement, Cedar became a retailer. In 2010, it was legal for foreigners to own consul-

tants but not retailers, so the shift in Cedar’s business description raised eyebrows. Financial regulators are now investigating whether the Wal-Mart did any wrongdoing by making its foray into the Indian retail market through Cedar Support Services. The question is whether Wal-Mart had invested in a consulting company or in a retailing company. Cedar Support Services later began its corporate life as Bharti Retail Holdings Ltd, according to documents filed with India’s Registrar of Companies. In statements issued in the United States, WalMart has denied any wrongdoing. But the com-

pany’s actions obliviously cause suspicion. The suspicion grew larger when the US supermarket giant revealed that it had spent 250 crore for lobbying to access new markets. Interestingly, Cedar changed its color soon after the government relaxed restrictions on investment in retail sector. According to a Reuters’ report, Cedar was running supermarkets though it was registered as a consultancy. Was it because of WalMart that Cedar was registered as a consulting agency? This is, of course, a difficult a question to answer for the Wal-Mart as well as for Bharti Enterprises, the domestic

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the government. When a legal gun owner dies, his family members must return the gun to the government. But that rarely happens in a country where money can buy anything. Even those family members, who illegally inherit guns from their grandparents, are rarely punished.

Being a retailing giant, Wal-Mart invested crores of rupees in an unknown consulting agency in 2010. Once the country opened up the retailing sector to foreign investors, the consulting company got converted into a retailing company. Today it is Wal-Mart company.

company which also owns Airtel mobile. Indians know that their law is murky and confusing, and Americans know how to make the most of that loophole. According to Reuters, the documents filed with Rregistrar show Walmart’s the investment in the form of debt convertible into equity. But that further confuses the

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matter raising questions as to whether Wal-Mart took a stake in Cedar or provided financing. Reuters further said that neither Bharti nor Walmart gave details on how the transaction was structured. Now the Enforcement Directorate is inquiring into whether Wal-Mart violated the law by investing in a supermarket retailer before foreign investment rules were relaxed. Despite all these, Walmart can get away with this, partly because RBI does not require Indian companies to declare what they do with money they receive from foreign investment. Bharti, therefore, would tell the investigators it was not bound by the law to declare what it did with the money received from Walmart. So long as it is not proved that Walmart’s money is not used for retailing business, government cannot do anything.

Lobbying is Common and Legal in the US Most key conspirators behind the 26/11 attacks are The Wal-Mart said revealed how much money it had spent on lobbying, politicians in India assumed that it was an admission of paying bribe. But lobbying is fairly common in the US and it is the “White Business’. As per the lobbying disclosure reports filed by Walmart with the US Senate, the company has spent close to $25 million (about Rs 125 crore) since 2008 on its various lobbying activities. Walmart spends crores of rupees for lobbying even in US. In the past quarter alone, Walmart lobbied for its case with the US Senate, the US House of Representatives, the US Trade Representative and the US Department of State, as per its own disclosure report. The companies are allowed to lobby for their cases in various departments and agencies in the US, but they are required to file their lobbying disclosure reports every quarter with the US Senate. The retail giant spent more than $3 million in 2012 on its various lobbying activities, including those related to India. As per its disclosure reports, the company has continuously lobbied for its India entry since 2008, except for a few quarters in 2009. BJP said the Prime Minister should make a statement on the issue as the reports of lobbying had raised questions about possible corruption.

West’s Influence on Ravi Shankar Phenomenon T

here is a big (896 pages) reference compendium called The Penguin Companion to Classical Music. Note that title again. It does not say western classical music, or Asian or African. Just “classical music”. So

we would think that this book, in convenient dictionary format, is about the classical music of the world. But it isn’t. In all those hundreds of pages, the word Hindustani does not appear, or Carnatic. There

is no Tyagaraja. Not one of the great Khan Sahebs of Hindustani classical music figures anywhere. The word India exists, to inform us that Indian music had the same sources as music in modern Europe. In other words, what we

have here is a companion to western classical music parading under false universal pretences. There is one, and only one, classicist of Indian music who was found worthy of notice: Shankar, Ravi. All right, he gets only

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5 1/2 lines, 3 1/2 of which are about his tour of Europe and contacts with Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison. But that is 5 1/2 lines more than what Muthuswamy Dikshitar, who re-invented the violin, got. The lesson to learn here is that recognition in any field of human endeavour assumes meaning only when it comes from the white west. This is of course no reflection on Ravi Shankar. His greatness was genuine and acquired through tortuous saadhana. But he became more equal than his peers because he was seen as part of the culture that the Beatles so brilliantly symbolised. Let it also be remembered that Ravi Shankar did not go looking for western recognition as a shortcut to success. Far from it. His westward gravitation came naturally. His father was already settled abroad when he was born. At 10, “Robu” was in Paris with his other brothers helping Uday Shankar, the eldest, to set up his dance troupe. It should be noted, too, that Ravi Shankar’s counterculture fling with the hippies did not dilute his classical worth. He was versatile. He was activist enough to be a part of the communist-inspired IPTA movement and multifaceted enough to contribute

Popular musician Pundit Ravi Shankar died recently. In this article, TJS George, country’s one of the best journalists and columnists, analyzes what an impact Western world had had on Ravi Shankar’s classical music. to the musical substance of Satyajit Ray’s Apu tril-

ented wife Annapoorna Devi was a major loss to music. By available accounts, this daughter of the great Allauddin Khan was more talented than Ravi Shankar. This was probably true considering that her disciples included the likes of Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Nikhil Banerjee. She must have been devastated by whatever happened during the flareups between her and the husband she married when she was 14. Some

ogy and Attenborough’s Gandhi. But a comprehensive look at his place in history cannot sidestep his combativeness and his flair for public relations. These played no small part in the stardom he achieved, and the way unhappy controversies were papered over. The withdrawal into silence of his hugely tal-

who knew the couple said Ravi Shankar was jealous of her musical virtuosity. The wife’s Bhishma-like resolve to remain silent only kept the chatter going. It is a fact that Vilayat Khan felt eclipsed by Ravi Shankar. To a large extent the reason was Vilayat’s acerbic personality and the contrast provided by

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Ravi Shankar’s cultivated charm. But Vilayat Khan had reasons to be haunted by the feeling that his contributions to music did not receive the recognition they deserved. He was a prodigy who began performing when he was 6. He modified the sitar and developed a revolutionary style of his own, the gayaki ang, which won devotees and imitators wherever he went. But the limelight was focussed on Ravi Shankar. Vilayat Khan showed his resentment in small ways -- rejecting the two Padma awards offered to him and accepting an unknown group’s title, Bharat Sitar Samrat. As in music, so in dance. The debate is still on as to who served Bharata Natyam better -- Rukmini Devi who “cleansed it” or Balasaraswati who took abhinaya to unprecedented heights of glory. But in the celebrity circuit the upperclass wife of an Englishman reigns. To what extent can art go without the backing of the west? Who wins in the end -the art or the glamour?

(This article is taken from TJS George’s blog http://tjsgeorge.blogspot.in)

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Pakistan Extremists Target Polio Vaccination Program By Aseema Staff

slamic extremists in Pakistan have now started to target polio vaccination program assuming it to be a tool to undermine their religion. It can be remembered that the US spy agency had persuaded a Pakistani doctor to launch a fake vaccination program in Abottabbad in an attempt to confirm the hiding of Osama Bin Laden in the area. After the US com mandos killed Bin Laden, extremists in the country are suspecting the real vaccination program, sponsored by the United Nations (UN). As many as eight health workers were shot dead in Pakistan in the 3rd week of December 2012. According to Associated Press, more than nine health workers have been killed by extremists in separate attacks across the country.

The ninth worker to be killed was a 20-year-old man who’d been shot in the head in Peshawar. Six people were killed in the first week of the month as they went house-to-house to treat children. Pakistani government has however vowed to continue with the vaccination program, however severe the threat from the extremists is. World Health Organiza-

tion says it is worried over the safety of health workers, and would wind up its program. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the slayings “senseless and inexcusable”. The health workers were killed in coordinated attacks. The first to be killed was a worker in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest port city. A day later, four women were shot dead. Then gunmen on motor-

cycles killed a woman vaccinating children in Peshawar, and a man in the same city the following day. An eighth victim, a woman in a town to the north, was killed later that day. WHO is now worried how to carry on with the program, and it is aware that women workers were the main target of terrorists. But the program cannot be successful with the participation of women. WHO says polio is widespread in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. The UN has confirmed that it was about to suspend its vaccination program. But the Pakistani government would not end the campaign and says the program was suspended only in Sindh province.

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A UN pat for Vinod Rai

he UPA government may have serious doubts over the auditing skills and manners of Vinod Rai, Comptroller and Auditor General of India. But Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations Secretary General seems to have full faith in him. Recently, Moon lauded the UN Panel of External Auditors, headed by Rai, for improving the governance in the United Nations system. Rai also got re-elected as chair of the panel while the CAG of the United Kingdom re-elcted vice-chair for the year 2013. Ironically, the appointment came when there were raging debates over Vinod Rai’s audit report of 2G spectrum. Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari had demanded that Rai explain how he arrived at the loss figure in the audit report. Tiwari also wanted Rai introspect on his auditing processes. Rai had mentioned in his audit report that the allocation of 2G spectrum without auctioning caused Rs 1.76 crore loss to the exchequer. Subsequently, the Supreme Court had cancelled all such allotments and ordered that the spectrum be redistributed through auctioning. However, the auctions brought only Rs 9,407 crore. It is another matter that a considerable part of spectrum was not put for auctioning, for which the SC pulled up the government again. Also, some observers had expressed suspicion that the government was aiming at low revenue by keeping a high base price to keep bidders away, in order to prove that Rai’s loss estimate wrong. At the same time, former CAG auditor RP Singh, who was heading the auditing team of 2G spectrums, went to the press saying he was made to sign the final report with the revised figure of Rs 1.76 crore, whereas his draft report had estimated the loss as less than 3,000 crore. Following this, Congress leaders were

seen engaged in a fierce debate that the loss figure was upgraded at the behest of PAC chairman and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi. There were also speculations that the Congress was mulling diluting power of the CAG, by making it a three-member team. Vinod Rai’s re-elction as Chair of UN Panel of External Auditors is a slap in the face of those, who were hell-bent on tarnishing is image.

Life sentence means …

ow many years a person, sentenced to life imprisonment, needs to spend in jail? Is it 14, 20 or 28, or jail till death? Apparently, the time-frame varies from case to case, confusing many. But, a recent ruling from the Supreme Court should clear any misconception surrounding the term “life imprisonment”. The apex court has stated that “life sentence” implies imprisonment of the convict until his death. However, the same may be reduced by an appropriate government through a specific order under CrPC or the Code of Criminal Procedure. The bench comprising Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Madan B Lokur has observed that there seem to be a misconception that a convict serving life imprisonment had an indefeasible right to be freed after spending 14 or 20 years in jail. The bench has also clarified that while governments could reduce life imprisonment by passing an order, they cannot reduce the sentence to less than 14 years. Making a note on the practice of en-masse release of prisoners on festive seasons, the apex court has ruled that each release should be done after a case-by-case scrutiny. The SC also has made an observation on the lack of

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uniformity in awarding death sentences by different courts. The court remarked the process of sentencing is not taken seriously and awarding capital punishment has become rather judge-centric.

Shortage of vets

pparently, working as veterinary officers in a rural set up does not excite many veterinary graduates. They would rather add another degree, such as MBA, to their qualification and land in more lucrative jobs. Many others also fly overseas and enroll in postgraduation courses, which require a four-year graduation certificate in any science subjects. As a result, there is a significant gap between demand and supply of vets in India. In Karnataka, there are only about 1,600 vets to treat the animal population of over three crore. More than 700 posts of the 2,393 vets were vacant as of November. The department of animal husbandry and veterinary services did try to fill some of these posts in 2011, by inviting applications for 400 posts. The department received 134 applications but only 90 candidates took the job. However, 35 of these recruits went on twoyear leave for higher studies. The situation is no different in other southern states. The Hindu reported in August that there was 45 percent gap between the demand and the availability of workforce in health care and veterinary services in Tamil Nadu. While the state needs 5,406 vets, there are only about 2,734 vets working in the animal husbandry department and 206 working in the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation. In Andhra Pradesh too, there were only 1,750 vets against the requirement of 4,000 professionals as of May this year. The state has five veterinary colleges with the combined intake capacity of 1,500 students.

However, around 40 percent of veterinary graduates from these colleges go overseas. Presently, only about 45,000 veterinary doctors work in India as against the requirement of about a lakh vets. One key reason for this gap is brain drain. The main destination countries for Indian vets are the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Denmark. The reason is very clear as while vets in India start off with a pay of about Rs 30K a month, they can earn more than 10 times that in western countries. Surprisingly, despite a huge demand for veterinary professionals, India has hardly any private veterinary college, which is in sharp contrast with that of the medical education field.

A software mogul and a murder

is name rings familiarity in many computer users across the world. The name pops up on the screen as soon as they switch on their systems. McAfee, the anti-software bears the inventorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name. Hence, when the news broke about John McAfeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappearance, juxtaposed with a murder incident, it became international. His story turned out to be nothing short of a Hollywood thriller. McAfee, who had made millions by his anti-software company, sold his business in 2009. He then left his country America to live in Belize, a Central American nation. In a picturesque beach town of Belize, the 67-year-old software tycoon was leading an eccentric life with five-six girl friends, some of them as young as 19 and 23, and four dogs. There would be frequent frictions between McAfee and his neighbor, fellow American Gregory Faull on accounts of dogs. On November 9, McAfee complained to police that

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somebody had poisoned his dogs. After two days, Faull was found dead with bullet wound on his head. McAfee rejected the authorities’ request for an enquiry with him, and then vanished. However, he was active on the internet, and even sent out a condolence message to Faull’s family. He also granted interviews to journalists to explain his fear that police wanted him dead. He evaded police by many acts of disguise -- he dyed his hair seven times in three weeks, stuffed his cheeks, and acted like a handicap. After spending three weeks on the run, McAfee surfaced in Guatemala seeking an asylum. But he was arrested there for entering the country illegally. In the detention centre, he complained of chest pain and expressed fear of getting a heart attack, but the doctors found no such case. At the same time, McAfee’s lawyer is trying everything to prevent his deportation to Belize. As the world was waiting for the next twist in the anti-virus inventor’s saga, he was deported to his country, the US. However, he is still not out of woods, and Belize may still seek his extradition, if he is made a suspect in the Faull’s murder case.

Knocking at UNHR door for justice

he wheel of justice doesn’t roll in some cases. The father of the Kargil war hero Capt Suarabh Kalia waited for justice for more than 13 years in vain. Capt Kalia, who first detected the enemy intrusion in the Kargil area, was captured by Pakistan army, along with five Indian soldiers in 1999. They were held captive for 22 days before being killed and then their bodies flown to India. Dr NK Kalia, who was shocked to see the severely mutilated body of his son and other soldiers, has been urging the Indian government, ever since, to take up the issue with Pakistan. The hurt father wanted Pakistan to apologise.

But his efforts with defence ministry, the army headquarters, external affairs ministry and the prime minister’s office did not yield any result. Notably, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, during his recent India visit, said he was not aware of how and where Capt Kalia died. His insensitive remark was in line with the callous attitude of his country toward India’s demands over war crimes and terrorism-related cases. Now Dr Kalia has approached the UNHRC seeking justice. He has also moved the Supreme Court, requesting it to direct the government to take up the case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The apex court has said that its intervention was not needed for the government to approach ICJ. The ICJ has power to arbitrate complaints alleging violation of UN rules on prisoners of war. The UNHR law prohibits torture and ill treatment. Now, one can only wait to see whether perpetrators of Kargil heroes are punished for their brutal acts.

Yoga and religious indoctrination

an yoga classes in schools turn into a programme of religious indoctrination? Some parents think so. Paul Ecke Central Elementary School at California in the US offers 30-minute yoga classes to its students. The optional course is funded by the Jois Foundation, an NGO founded in the memory of Krishna Pattabhi Jois, an Indian yoga teacher. The course, which is based on Ashtanga Yoga, has attracted the ire of a conservative advocacy group. The group believes yoga exercises are intertwined with the spiritual beliefs underlying them, and thus, practising them nudges the children toward ancient Hindu beliefs. Now, some parents are worried that yoga could impact their children beyond physical levels, and affect their thinking and decision making processes.

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Spurred by the advocacy group, the protest against the course is gathering momentum and an online campaign is going on. The president of a law firm that advocates religious freedom has threatened to sue the school. He alleges the school is promoting Hindu religious beliefs through Ashtanga Yoga. However, Tim Baird, the schools superintendent rejects the allegation. He says the course helps promote children’s physical and mental well being. He also points out that the course is optional. He contends that if some parents feel their children invoke Hindu gods by doing yoga poses, they can opt out of the course. Notably, along with an increasing number of schools, lots of hospitals and studios are offering yoga classes across the US. Many schools have found that yoga helps students stay calm and concentrated.In the meanwhile, both Congress and BJP leaders have flayed the ban. Congress leader Digvijay Singh called upon liberal Muslims to oppose it, while BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “discriminating people on the basis of caste, creed and sex when into comes to entry into a place is not right.” Sufism practised in south Asian countries is frowned upon by the followers of more radical schools of Islam, such as Sunni and Deoband. They maintain that Islamic law sharia forbids a woman from visiting a grave and Sufi saints’ shrines are nothing but graves. They also disapprove of intermingling of men and women in any place as un-Islamic. India has been witnessing aggressive form Islam for sometimes now. Imposing ban on women’s entry in Mumbai dargah’s is yet another instance of the ongoing radicalization of Islam in the country.

Economic offence a terror act

ecently, a bill was passed in Lok Sabha to bring economic offences under the ambit of terrorist acts. Economic offences include a slew of criminal activities, including fraud, financial scams, money laundering and counterfeiting of currency. Many of these activities pose serious threat to the governance and security of the nation. In India, these crimes are handled under different laws, including Indian Penal Code, Income Tax Act, Customs Act, Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. Now, Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, raising funds for terror activities, weapon procurement, counterfeiting of Indian currencies are considered as a terrorist act. The bill also extended the ban on organizations involved in economic offence to five years. The bill is aimed at eliminating deficiencies of the existing legal system. However, many parliamentarians found the amended law more draconian than the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act that were blamed to be grossly misused. The opposition to the new law mainly came from the Left parties and MIM. They were apprehensive that the law could be used to target minorities and other “disadvantaged” groups. Economic offenders use legal loopholes to commit the crime. India has witnessed several major economic offences in the recent decades. During 1990s, hundreds of companies came up with Initial Public Offers (IPO) and vanished after collecting thousands of crores of rupees from millions of small investors. At the same times several urban co-operative banks opened shops in several states and collected huge deposits by offering high interest rates. Then the founders lent them-

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selves and their cronies huge loans, which were never paid back, leading to the collapse of these banks. It is not clear whether the amended bill deals with these kinds of offences.

abortion law passed with the help of left-wing opposition members. If that happens, Savitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, an irreparable loss to her family members though, has served a cause.

Awakening after Savitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death

Blasphemy deaths piling up in Pak

he tragic death of Savita Halappanavar might have shattered many around the world. But it seems to have served a purpose by paving the way for saving many other women, whose lives are in danger owing to their complicated pregnancies. The Irish government is mulling making abortion legal. The archaic law of Ireland, which forbids abortions, drew a world-wide condemnation when the 17-week pregnant Savita died after being denied abortion at Galway University Hospital. After found to be miscarrying, Savita begged the doctors to conduct abortion. The doctors rejected her request on the pretext that there were heart beats of the foetus. Soon after, the 31-year-old dentist died. In Europe, Ireland has the strictest abortion law based on Catholic beliefs. In 1992, the Irish Supreme Court had ruled that abortions needed to be legalized in special circumstances. The court was ruling on a case involving a 14-year-old rape victim pregnant girl, who threatened to kill herself if abortion was not conducted on her. Subsequently, the Irish voters were asked twice, in 1992 and 2001, if abortion should be permitted in risky medical conditions. The referendum fell on both the occasions.

eople continue to be killed for alleged blasphemous acts in Pakistan. Recently, a traveler in the Sindh province of Pakistan sought to spend a night at a local mosque in a village. He reportedly recited a Hindu prayer during his stay. The next morning, the imam of the mosque blamed that the traveler had burnt copies of the Holy Quran. The traveler, who failed to identify himself, was handed over to police. The incident was announced on loudspeaker by the imam, following which a large number of people gathered and attacked the police station. They dragged the seemingly mentally unstable traveler out and brutally assaulted him, and eventually set him ablaze. The police took more than 100 into their custody, but soon had to face street protest from village women, who were waving copies of Quran. In Pakistan, burning of Quran copy is a blasphemous act that attracts death penalty. Since 1986, at least 52 people have been killed by angry people for the alleged act and 15 others have been handed the capital punishment by courts, after being found guilty. Incidentally, more than 50 people face blasphemy charges every year in Pakistan, and imams are generally instrumental in bringing up and strengthening blasphemy charges.

Even now Irish prime minister Enda Kenny may not get the support of all the lawmakers of his party decriminalize abortion. But he hopes to get the amended

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Convert and Migrate to Israel By Aseema Staff

A large number of people from a Christian community in North East are migrating to Israel in large number. Israel is, interestingly, welcoming them with open arms. But they need to be converted to Catholic Judaism before packing their bags. And they will be converted formally once they arrive in Israel.

large number of people from the northeastern states of Manipur and Mizoram are now migrating to Israel as the Jewish state has considered them the descendants of ancient Israelites. This group of community is called Bnei Menashe in North East, and Israel believes they are the descendants of their ancestors who disappeared centuries ago in the midst wars and famine. In 2005, Israel’s chief rabbi recognized the community as a lost tribe, soon the Jewish state offered them a visa to come and settle there. According to government estimation, there are about 8,000 Menashe people in North East. More than 2000 of them have already migrated to the Israel, and the others are quickly packing up their

bags. In 2007, Israel suddenly stopped issuing visas to the group but has recently reversed the policy. Some critics in Israel have questioned the authenticity of the tribe’s claims. To escape from Adolf Hitler and his Nazi army, thousands of Jews went to different countries around the world. But the group residing in India today does not talk anything about the World War. The community says it is one of the lost 10 tribes of Israel who were exiled when Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th Century BC. According to historians, the tribe travelled through Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet, China and on to India, where it eventually settled in the northeastern states of Manipur and Mizoram.

Israeli media has reported that there were emotional scenes at Ben Gurion airport as a dozen of Menashe people arrived last week. These newcomers were greeted by relatives who had moved to Israel during the first round of immigration in 2005. “Several hundred more Bnei Menashe members are due to arrive in the coming weeks,” said Michael Freund, chairman of the Shavei Israel group, in a media conference in Israel. “The members of this tribe have never forgotten where they came from and we are excited to be able to help them come back,” he told AFP news agency. But critics in Israel have continued to oppose their arrival and they suspect their links to Judaism. They accuse the community of using their status

to escape poverty India. In March 2005, Israeli Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar officially backed Bnei Menashe’s claims after an investigation lasting several years. Following this announcement, hundreds of people packed their bags and took a flight to Israel, the Jewish country. On their arrival in Israel, they were formally converted to Orthodox Judaism. Israel says it is ready to give visa to all of them. That means nearly every one of this community members are likely to migrate to Israel in the days ahead. When the Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic Jews, Shlomo Amar, informed the world that he had found a lost Jewish community in India, world did not take the matter seriously. Now, the subject has become big news in Israeli media.

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Once converted, the Bnei Menashe can apply for immigration to Israel under the Law of Return, without needing authorization from the country’s Interior Ministry. In the 1970s, when the Bible was translated into the local language, similarities with the customs and practices of Israeli people were noticed, Bnei Menashe members claim.

And, interestingly, members of the Bnei Menashe community are excited about the finding. The Rabbi’s statement has eased the tribes’ emigration to Israel from the states of Manipur and Mizoram. Bnei Menashe members say they will now go to what they call “the Promised Land”. In the meantime, the chief rabbi is now planning to convert more number of Bnei Menashe members to Orthodox Judaism. “We have always said we are descendants of Menashe (son of Jo-

seph) so it is great to hear our claims have been authenticated,” Lalrin Sailo, convenor of the SinglungIsrael association, an organisation representing the “Jews of Mizoram”, has been quoted as saying by the Israeli media. In Mizoram these people are generally considered as Christians. Following Rabbi’s statement in 2005, a team of rabbinical judges arrived in Mizoram and started converting the tribes to Orthodox Judaism. Once converted, the Bnei Menashe can apply for immigration to Israel

under the Law of Return, without needing authorization from the country’s Interior Ministry. In the 1970s, when the Bible was translated into the local language, similarities with the customs and practices of Israeli people were noticed, Bnei Menashe members claim. According to reports, a researcher of the Mizo tribe, Zaithanchuungi, developed the lost-tribe claims in 1981 and presented papers to various seminars in Israel. Some Israeli groups like the Amishav, now known as Shavei, which helps Jews

move to Israel, supported the claim and says it has brought 800 people from the Bnei Menashe to Israel. DNA studies at the Central Forensic Institute in Kolkota suggest that while the masculine side of the tribes bears no links to Israel, the feminine side suggests a genetic profile with Middle Eastern people that may have arisen through inter-marriage. But some political analysts in Israel say it was attempt by the Jewish state to increase its population in the areas that border with Palestine.

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[ From the world of books ]The Dalai Lama’s Cat: A Novel

The book may be a useful guide to those who are entering, or already doing business in, the world of international trade. It could also interest those readers, who want to acquaint themselves with global trade.

Author: David Michie

novel featuring a small kitten sends out a message about finding happiness. The warm-hearted kitten, which is rescued from a New Delhi slum, finds itself at the house of Buddhist spiritual guru Dalai Lama in the exotic locale of the Himalayas. After its innumerable encounters with various highprofile people from across the globe, which include Hollywood stars and famous philanthropists, in the spiritual guru’s house, the kitten discovers that one can find happiness by changing the way we experience the world, instead of seeking to change the world. The book permeates the compassion of His Holiness in each and every chapter, and offers the timeless wisdom of Buddhism. Publisher: Hay House India No of Page: 220 Published in: 2012

Strategies for the Future: Understanding International Business Author: Ajeet N Mathur

he book explores business avenues in the globalised world and offers tools to conquer international trade. At the time when international business keeps pushing the horizon, the book seeks to simplify the seemingly complex business dynamics. As the boundaries between countries are blurring, globalization is the buzz of the hour. The author provides tips to make decisions vis-àvis uncertainty, varied business environs, competition, rivals’ strategies at domestic and international levels.

Publisher: Random Business No of Page: 320 Published in: 2012

Indianomix: Making Sense of Modern India Author: Vivek Dehejia

re you haunted with questions like why does the share market fall during a lunar eclipse, or why did Jawaharlal Nehru undermine the Chinese strength before the 1962 Indo-China war? Then this book is a must read for you. It unravels reasons behind some apparent mysteries, and through this, unfolds the picture of the modern India in a different colour. Some of the questions tackled in the book include why NDA’s victory was wrongly predicted in 2004 and what could be the real reasons behind the alliance’s defeat. The book also tells you why we celebrate the Independence Day on 15th August wrongly. Publisher: Vintage Books No of Page: 248 Published in: 2012

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[ From the world of books ]The Great Degeneration

able values and by extending its focus to the global market and offering razor-sharp analyses, the company reached the coveted place. The story is a narrative of “doing right is doing well”.

Authors: Niall Ferguson

he author laments that the very pillars of West European and North American societies are deteriorating. The democratic government, the rule of law, the civil society and the free market had elevated the West to a dominant position since 1500. However, the author finds them degenerating, resulting in slowing growth, mounting debts, antisocial behaviour, and aging populations. He holds over-complex regulations responsible for market problems, and says the easy-going way and laziness of civil society compound problems. He emphasises the need of a heroic leadership and radical reform to a check the degeneration. The book also touches upon the political struggle in the Arab world, and China’s transition to a liberalized economy. Publisher: Allen Lane No of pages: 192 Published in: 2012

Doing what is right: The CRISIL Story Author: Hemanth Gorur (Author), Sumit Chowdhury

he book offers the story of CRISIL, India’s most respected credit rating company. The authors trace the audacious journey of the company from its birth in the late 19880s, the era of regulated economy in India. Armed with its intellectual capital and guided by a powerful vision, the company set out to offer credit rating service, when there were hardly any takers for it. Having no real assets, it seemed the company was bound to fail. However, with sheer grits and unshak-

Publisher: Allen Lane No of pages: 192 Published in: 2012

Bal Thackeray & The Rise of The Shiv Sena Author: Viabhav Purandare

he book looks at the incredible journey of Bal Thackeray, from an unassuming cartoonist to a powerful and fire-breathing politician. In the 1960s, Thackeray rose to prominence with the sons-of—the-soil movement that took the financial capital of the country, Mumbai, by storm. He spearheaded an agitation stressing on Marathi people’s employment rights, which resulted in violent attacks on south Indians. In the course of the time, Thackeray transformed from an aggressive Maharashtrian into a staunch Hindutva champion, which helped him become a major player in Indian politics. The author explores reasons behind Thackeray’s hold on Mumbai, his sway over Bollywood and his ability to capture the imagination of millions of people. Publisher: Roli Books No of pages: 288 Published in: 2012