Japan's Fukushima disaster, have brought back the fears we all tried to bury after watching James Bridges's 1971 epic "The China Syndrome’s." It has reminded us the fragility of our planet's energy sources and the safety of our nuclear power plants. Fukushima crisis has prompted a re-examination of the safety net for nuclear power throughout the world. Germany has already announced the shutting down of its 7 old reactors and US is also reviewing some.The catastrophe resulting from the devastating earthquake has raised concerns over the safety of Indian atomic power generators - particularly the proposed Jaitapur which falls in a seismically sensitive area in Maharashtra and others which are mostly in coastline, making them prone to accidents in case tsunami hits India.
Fukushima holds a number of lessons for India as it embarks on a massive nuclear power expansion programme. If the present crisis is the fate of a country whose technological & managerial capabilities are world renowned, where standards are generally maintained strictly to norms, what would happen in a country like India where these are routinely thrown to the winds with a ‘chalta hai’ attitude. We have already witnessed a trailor of this attitude when the Delhi University callously disposed its hazardous equipment resulting in the death of a scrap dealer due to radiations. We have witnessed heated debates in Indian news rooms on the use fullness of the nuclear power generation the past weeks. A strong call has been given by the environmentalist on clean renewable energy. The same concerns were raised around the world after the BP spill was making huge headlines. Since the human memory is short, the BP spill has already been forgotten and the same will happen to Fukushima. The pattern repeats itself all too often: crisis, followed by a spike in consumer interest in renewable energy and a rapid return to normal, as we hop into our big cars and laze around our energy-guzzling homes. In fact, we live this pattern every time we are struck by disasters.
With the rising expectations of winning the cricket world cup and the news of military operations in Libya, the Fukushima story is already through its own catch-and-release consumer interest cycle. Reports of unsafe water and vegetables, resulting in empty racks of bottled water in Japanese superstores should make us question what our own country's plans for nuclear power could mean for our present and the safety of future generations? What did we really learn from Fukushima? We need to discard the hubristic “it-can’t-happen-here” approach and introspect into our own nuclear safety record. We urgently need an independent and credible safety audit of India’s nuclear programme, in which people outside the Department of Atomic Energy participate. There must be an immediate moratorium on further reactor construction, including the untested models like Areva’s European Pressurised Reactor that India is planning to install at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
Indian consumers also have a responsibility to understand the impact of their energy choices. Fukushima should move us to support suppliers and purchasers of clean, safe and renewable energy from the sun, wind and geothermal sources. This doesn't mean switching to 100 percent solar power, or ceasing all use of nuclear energy. It means balancing our nation's energy portfolio, hedging against risks, uncertainties and rising energy costs over time. We need to change consumer attitudes on renewable energy. The Fukushima crisis is a bad one. But we owe it to ourselves to learn from it and work towards a long-term energy solutions.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
BATTERED & BRUISED
Battered & Bruised
Manmohan Singh’s speech in the Parliament accepting "an error of judgment" in the appointment of the CVC has severely dented his image. He looks weak & meek and a Prime Minister loosing control. The soft spoken man looked helpless and compromised due to compulsions of coalition politics and corrupt and inefficient ministers. Here is a man whose strongest asset is his integrity but who during his six and half years in power has been badly bruised and wounded by political maneuverings of his own party as well as those of the opposition. Singh's low-key manner may have impressed President Obama, but his mild-mannered style is wearing thin at home, with many Indians arguing that the country needs a firmer hand. The PM is beginning to look out of his depth in the cut and thrust of coalition politics.
Just a few days back while addressing a rare press conference, the reticent Mr.Singh appeared confident and bothered by how India's image might have been damaged by the media coverage of the rising tide of corruption. He gave reassurances that the government was "dead serious" in bringing to book "all the wrongdoers regardless of the positions they occupy". But that confidence was severely dented by the CVC fiasco. The blame game is still on in fixing the accountability for missing out the vital information of the charge sheet against Mr. Thomas. The result as to where the buck will finally stop is still awaited. We Indians may be inured to corruption, but the recent spate of allegations in the CVC case has taken the common man’s breath away. The developments on the Thomas case and its fallout could have serious repercussions on the way relations between the Prime Minister and his party are going to evolve in the near future.
The confidence which the PM spoke about the need for a "spirit of rejuvenation, and a spirit of self confidence.” at his press conference needs to be rekindled by renovating the credible mechanism of his government. This spirit is beginning to be visible in the thrust which the CBI is marching in the 2G scam. The speed and scope of the current investigation, has been unrivalled by anything India has witnessed so far. The same Prime Minister whose silence and ambivalence on 2G was seen by the Opposition and the public at large as weakness and even complicity has pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation into summoning and questioning top industrialists like Anil Ambani, raiding Kalaingar TV, the business arm of a key political ally, the DMK, questioning Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, and sending A. Raja, who was Telecom Minister till some time ago, to the confines of Tihar Jail. These are extraordinary developments by any yardstick and government managers have let it be known that there is further excitement in the offing. Such demonstrable action - and not stirring words alone - will rejuvenate the spirit of a nation which lives in hope and despair simultaneously.
Manmohan Singh is not a traditional stereotype politician. But someone who knows which side his bread is buttered. He is conscious of his strengths despite his numerous weaknesses. Unfortunately the Nation has no other choice at present. The Government and the PM still has much time left to salvage its image and boost up the mood of the citizens. Let us hope that Manmohan Singh may have been battered and bruised by the scams but he is not yet over
Manmohan Singh’s speech in the Parliament accepting "an error of judgment" in the appointment of the CVC has severely dented his image. He looks weak & meek and a Prime Minister loosing control. The soft spoken man looked helpless and compromised due to compulsions of coalition politics and corrupt and inefficient ministers. Here is a man whose strongest asset is his integrity but who during his six and half years in power has been badly bruised and wounded by political maneuverings of his own party as well as those of the opposition. Singh's low-key manner may have impressed President Obama, but his mild-mannered style is wearing thin at home, with many Indians arguing that the country needs a firmer hand. The PM is beginning to look out of his depth in the cut and thrust of coalition politics.
Just a few days back while addressing a rare press conference, the reticent Mr.Singh appeared confident and bothered by how India's image might have been damaged by the media coverage of the rising tide of corruption. He gave reassurances that the government was "dead serious" in bringing to book "all the wrongdoers regardless of the positions they occupy". But that confidence was severely dented by the CVC fiasco. The blame game is still on in fixing the accountability for missing out the vital information of the charge sheet against Mr. Thomas. The result as to where the buck will finally stop is still awaited. We Indians may be inured to corruption, but the recent spate of allegations in the CVC case has taken the common man’s breath away. The developments on the Thomas case and its fallout could have serious repercussions on the way relations between the Prime Minister and his party are going to evolve in the near future.
The confidence which the PM spoke about the need for a "spirit of rejuvenation, and a spirit of self confidence.” at his press conference needs to be rekindled by renovating the credible mechanism of his government. This spirit is beginning to be visible in the thrust which the CBI is marching in the 2G scam. The speed and scope of the current investigation, has been unrivalled by anything India has witnessed so far. The same Prime Minister whose silence and ambivalence on 2G was seen by the Opposition and the public at large as weakness and even complicity has pushed the Central Bureau of Investigation into summoning and questioning top industrialists like Anil Ambani, raiding Kalaingar TV, the business arm of a key political ally, the DMK, questioning Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, and sending A. Raja, who was Telecom Minister till some time ago, to the confines of Tihar Jail. These are extraordinary developments by any yardstick and government managers have let it be known that there is further excitement in the offing. Such demonstrable action - and not stirring words alone - will rejuvenate the spirit of a nation which lives in hope and despair simultaneously.
Manmohan Singh is not a traditional stereotype politician. But someone who knows which side his bread is buttered. He is conscious of his strengths despite his numerous weaknesses. Unfortunately the Nation has no other choice at present. The Government and the PM still has much time left to salvage its image and boost up the mood of the citizens. Let us hope that Manmohan Singh may have been battered and bruised by the scams but he is not yet over
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Back to Business
Back to Business
Parliament finally returns to business after the complete washout of the winter session due to the stand-off over the 2G spectrum allocation issue. This was the longest shutdown ever. The Government has finally got a chance to explain in Parliament what it is doing about corruption and inflation- the two burning issues faced by the nation. However, the blame game for the loss of valuable 77 days of business and parliamentary practices continues.
Lament on the decline of Parliaments is not new. There is a sense of unease with the way the Parliament and the State legislatures are functioning. It is due to a decline in recent years in both the quantity and quality of work done by them. Over the years the number of days on which the houses sit to transact legislative and other business has come down very significantly. Even the relatively fewer days on which the houses meet are often marked by unseemly incidents, including use of force to intimidate opponents, shouting and shutting out of debate and discussion resulting in frequent adjournments. There is increasing concern about the decline of Parliament, falling standards of debate, erosion of the moral authority and prestige of the supreme tribune of the people. Corrective steps are urgently needed to strengthen Parliament's role as the authentic voice of the people as they struggle and suffer to realise the inspiring vision of a free and just society enshrined in the Constitution. Also, it is of the utmost importance for survival of democracy that Parliament continues to occupy a position of the highest esteem in the minds and hearts of the people.
The most important mechanism that diminishes Parliament is the diminishing individual legislator. An individual legislator is even more dependent upon the party hierarchy than in the past. No more than three or four leaders have any social base that allows them to be secure in the knowledge that they can stand their own ground against a party hierarchy. The individuality of MPs has also been effaced by the anti-defection law, which has made party whips ubiquitous. Parliament can do itself a great favour by endorsing the sensible bill introduced by Manish Tewari, restricting whips to only certain classes of issues. This will allow the individuality of voices to emerge, and MPs can be judged on their record rather than a party whip. Otherwise individual MPs will remain hostage to the phenomenon James Bryce’s in his Modern Democracies so colorfully described: “Moreover, the so-called ‘Party Machines’, which have been wont to nominate candidates, and on whose pleasure depends the political future of a large proportion of the members, prevented the will of the people from prevailing, making many members feel themselves responsible rather to it than to their constituencies.”
Parliament is taken seriously when leaders take it seriously; the House of Commons retains interest because the prime minister directly answers questions. We underestimate how much Nehru’s personal presence in Parliament elevated it. The second temptation is this: as the TRS legislators hinted, after the JPC episode, every party is now learning the lesson that blocking Parliament is an effective way of getting an obdurate government to respond.
Parliament finally returns to business after the complete washout of the winter session due to the stand-off over the 2G spectrum allocation issue. This was the longest shutdown ever. The Government has finally got a chance to explain in Parliament what it is doing about corruption and inflation- the two burning issues faced by the nation. However, the blame game for the loss of valuable 77 days of business and parliamentary practices continues.
Lament on the decline of Parliaments is not new. There is a sense of unease with the way the Parliament and the State legislatures are functioning. It is due to a decline in recent years in both the quantity and quality of work done by them. Over the years the number of days on which the houses sit to transact legislative and other business has come down very significantly. Even the relatively fewer days on which the houses meet are often marked by unseemly incidents, including use of force to intimidate opponents, shouting and shutting out of debate and discussion resulting in frequent adjournments. There is increasing concern about the decline of Parliament, falling standards of debate, erosion of the moral authority and prestige of the supreme tribune of the people. Corrective steps are urgently needed to strengthen Parliament's role as the authentic voice of the people as they struggle and suffer to realise the inspiring vision of a free and just society enshrined in the Constitution. Also, it is of the utmost importance for survival of democracy that Parliament continues to occupy a position of the highest esteem in the minds and hearts of the people.
The most important mechanism that diminishes Parliament is the diminishing individual legislator. An individual legislator is even more dependent upon the party hierarchy than in the past. No more than three or four leaders have any social base that allows them to be secure in the knowledge that they can stand their own ground against a party hierarchy. The individuality of MPs has also been effaced by the anti-defection law, which has made party whips ubiquitous. Parliament can do itself a great favour by endorsing the sensible bill introduced by Manish Tewari, restricting whips to only certain classes of issues. This will allow the individuality of voices to emerge, and MPs can be judged on their record rather than a party whip. Otherwise individual MPs will remain hostage to the phenomenon James Bryce’s in his Modern Democracies so colorfully described: “Moreover, the so-called ‘Party Machines’, which have been wont to nominate candidates, and on whose pleasure depends the political future of a large proportion of the members, prevented the will of the people from prevailing, making many members feel themselves responsible rather to it than to their constituencies.”
Parliament is taken seriously when leaders take it seriously; the House of Commons retains interest because the prime minister directly answers questions. We underestimate how much Nehru’s personal presence in Parliament elevated it. The second temptation is this: as the TRS legislators hinted, after the JPC episode, every party is now learning the lesson that blocking Parliament is an effective way of getting an obdurate government to respond.
Monday, February 14, 2011
DESERT STORM
DESERT STORM
18 day of revolution ended 30 years of dictatorship with just 50 words announcement. Hosni Mubarak has finally left. The Egyptian protestors incredible ability to achieve their victory while remaining peaceful throughout is remarkable and reminds us of Martin Luthar King’s words. "It was the moral force of non-violence... that bent the arc of history towards justice once more." What follows it is yet to come. But to the protesters, the single objective of a Mubarak resignation drove the movement with single-minded obsession. Now the Egyptian military is in command. It played an instrumental role in the revolution by protecting the protestors on one hand and the establishment on the other. Mubarak’s ouster shows that anyone who might replace him can also be brought down if he does not fulfill the aspirations of its people. With that very clear and unmistakable message, the transition of power is much more likely to produce a successor for whom the will and well-being of the people is foremost. The U.S., a long-time supporter and trainer of Egypt's military, must make it clear to the Military that Egyptian people will not tolerate any more authoritarian regimes in Egypt. Democracy must come to Egypt -- and it must come now! "Even if a government has a monopoly of military force and even if a government has the support of the world's one remaining superpower," Steven Zunes wrote this week on Huffington Post, "it is still ultimately powerless if the people refuse to recognize its authority." This is the truth must not be forgotten.
How the Democracy will find its root in Egypt is anyone’s guess, but the winners and losers are clearly identified in this popular uprising throughout the Arab world. The cliché that tyrants are the biggest losers and people are the winners looks like to be a case in much of the Arab world. The courage that was shown by angry Tunisian youths has now spread throughout the Arab world. Rulers who were able to govern with little resistance for years are suddenly discovering that the seats they have been clinging to are becoming unbearably hot. Even without being provoked by their own people, some Arab rulers are already announcing that they don't intend to run for office again. Heads of state who have been harboring ideas of bequeathing their power to their children are declaring such ideas void even though their children are still running the army or such important senior posts. As people power increases in scope and courage, the desert storm spreads. Just like WikiLeaks statement on its site, “courage is contagious”.
On the other hand, Western powers that have for years propped up these rulers and failed to discourage them to deny political rights to their people are among the biggest losers in the post-uprising Arab world. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Middle East is facing a "perfect storm" of unrest and nations must embrace democratic change. (John McCain called it a virus).What is remarkable is that Democracy is breaking out in Tunisia and Egypt not because of U.S. actions in the Middle East, but despite them
18 day of revolution ended 30 years of dictatorship with just 50 words announcement. Hosni Mubarak has finally left. The Egyptian protestors incredible ability to achieve their victory while remaining peaceful throughout is remarkable and reminds us of Martin Luthar King’s words. "It was the moral force of non-violence... that bent the arc of history towards justice once more." What follows it is yet to come. But to the protesters, the single objective of a Mubarak resignation drove the movement with single-minded obsession. Now the Egyptian military is in command. It played an instrumental role in the revolution by protecting the protestors on one hand and the establishment on the other. Mubarak’s ouster shows that anyone who might replace him can also be brought down if he does not fulfill the aspirations of its people. With that very clear and unmistakable message, the transition of power is much more likely to produce a successor for whom the will and well-being of the people is foremost. The U.S., a long-time supporter and trainer of Egypt's military, must make it clear to the Military that Egyptian people will not tolerate any more authoritarian regimes in Egypt. Democracy must come to Egypt -- and it must come now! "Even if a government has a monopoly of military force and even if a government has the support of the world's one remaining superpower," Steven Zunes wrote this week on Huffington Post, "it is still ultimately powerless if the people refuse to recognize its authority." This is the truth must not be forgotten.
How the Democracy will find its root in Egypt is anyone’s guess, but the winners and losers are clearly identified in this popular uprising throughout the Arab world. The cliché that tyrants are the biggest losers and people are the winners looks like to be a case in much of the Arab world. The courage that was shown by angry Tunisian youths has now spread throughout the Arab world. Rulers who were able to govern with little resistance for years are suddenly discovering that the seats they have been clinging to are becoming unbearably hot. Even without being provoked by their own people, some Arab rulers are already announcing that they don't intend to run for office again. Heads of state who have been harboring ideas of bequeathing their power to their children are declaring such ideas void even though their children are still running the army or such important senior posts. As people power increases in scope and courage, the desert storm spreads. Just like WikiLeaks statement on its site, “courage is contagious”.
On the other hand, Western powers that have for years propped up these rulers and failed to discourage them to deny political rights to their people are among the biggest losers in the post-uprising Arab world. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Middle East is facing a "perfect storm" of unrest and nations must embrace democratic change. (John McCain called it a virus).What is remarkable is that Democracy is breaking out in Tunisia and Egypt not because of U.S. actions in the Middle East, but despite them
Friday, January 28, 2011
Black is Back
Black is Back
Indians love many things about Switzerland: chocolates, watches, Bollywood movie locales and secret bank accounts. No wonder trillions of dollars are satcked away in secure vaults in the scenic Alps. A recent conservative estimate by the US-based group Global Financial Integrity Index pegs illicit capital flows between 1948, a year after Independence, and 2008, at $462bn - an amount that is twice India's external debt. India's underground economy today is estimated to account for half of the country's GDP. The issue of black money is a national shame.It is one of the biggest loot witnessed by the country, the loot of the “aam aadmi”.
Thanks to opposition and public ire over a series of corruption scandals, "black money" is back in the spotlight. The Supreme Court has been chiding the government for not doing enough to unearth illicit money. "Is there no basis to figure out black money?" the court wondered on Thursday. "What is the source of black money, which has been stashed away in foreign banks? Is it from arms dealing, drug peddling or smuggling?" Strong words indeed. But they may not be enough to uncover India's biggest and longest-running scandal. This week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee unveiled what critics said was a laundry list of dreary platitudes and non time-bound plans to check the "menace of black money". This includes joining a "global crusade" against it, creating appropriate legislation and institutions to deal with such funds and imparting skills to officers tasked with detecting such funds. In effect, what the government is saying is that after 63 years of independence, we have no institutions or trained people available to curb a brazen and thriving underground economy which rewards tax evaders, humiliates tax payers and widens inequity. The government also talks about a new amnesty scheme for "black money", which is really a slap in the face of the honest tax payer.
Despite the government's recent noises, "black money" will continue to blot us and our economy. For one, it is a systemic problem. Those who stash away illicit money overseas comprise the political and professional creme de la creme - politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and judges. That the government is not keen upon cracking down on illicit capital flows was evident, when, in 2008, it refused to accept a compact disc from Germany containing names of account holders in a Liechtenstein bank. Last year, under opposition pressure, the government accepted the CD, but refused to disclose the 26 names of Indian account holders in it. By this time these intelligent and powerful people would have closed their account and transfered all funds to other places without leaving any trail.
What we need to do is build strong cases against people it suspects are guilty of tax fraud and graft. Unless there is political will to dig out black money, nothing will happen.
Indians love many things about Switzerland: chocolates, watches, Bollywood movie locales and secret bank accounts. No wonder trillions of dollars are satcked away in secure vaults in the scenic Alps. A recent conservative estimate by the US-based group Global Financial Integrity Index pegs illicit capital flows between 1948, a year after Independence, and 2008, at $462bn - an amount that is twice India's external debt. India's underground economy today is estimated to account for half of the country's GDP. The issue of black money is a national shame.It is one of the biggest loot witnessed by the country, the loot of the “aam aadmi”.
Thanks to opposition and public ire over a series of corruption scandals, "black money" is back in the spotlight. The Supreme Court has been chiding the government for not doing enough to unearth illicit money. "Is there no basis to figure out black money?" the court wondered on Thursday. "What is the source of black money, which has been stashed away in foreign banks? Is it from arms dealing, drug peddling or smuggling?" Strong words indeed. But they may not be enough to uncover India's biggest and longest-running scandal. This week, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee unveiled what critics said was a laundry list of dreary platitudes and non time-bound plans to check the "menace of black money". This includes joining a "global crusade" against it, creating appropriate legislation and institutions to deal with such funds and imparting skills to officers tasked with detecting such funds. In effect, what the government is saying is that after 63 years of independence, we have no institutions or trained people available to curb a brazen and thriving underground economy which rewards tax evaders, humiliates tax payers and widens inequity. The government also talks about a new amnesty scheme for "black money", which is really a slap in the face of the honest tax payer.
Despite the government's recent noises, "black money" will continue to blot us and our economy. For one, it is a systemic problem. Those who stash away illicit money overseas comprise the political and professional creme de la creme - politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants and judges. That the government is not keen upon cracking down on illicit capital flows was evident, when, in 2008, it refused to accept a compact disc from Germany containing names of account holders in a Liechtenstein bank. Last year, under opposition pressure, the government accepted the CD, but refused to disclose the 26 names of Indian account holders in it. By this time these intelligent and powerful people would have closed their account and transfered all funds to other places without leaving any trail.
What we need to do is build strong cases against people it suspects are guilty of tax fraud and graft. Unless there is political will to dig out black money, nothing will happen.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Inflation rekindled
INFLATION REKINDLED
Food inflation is a national and an international headline again. The
country was celebrating the regional harvest feativals over the
weekend with just a marginal decline in the inflation rates, but the
food supply is no more stable. India's embattled coalition government
failed to announce major policy decisions to tackle soaring food
prices after days of wrangling, taking only minor measures seen as
unlikely to make a major impact.
Rising food inflation is a global phenonmenen. It has sparked violence
across the Middle East and South Asia over the weekend, as
demonstrators protested the high cost of staple commodities like
sugar, rice and milk. Following good harvests over the last year,
nations bolstered their food stocks and all but ignored the precarious
nature of food production. This year’s weather events remind
policymakers that economies are one drought or one flood away from an
available food supply. Australia, Europe, North Africa, India and
Southeast Asian countries have all reported drastic food inflation
that illustrates how commodity prices and weather events affect food
prices. The outbursts ignited fears that the world is due for a repeat
of the 2008 food protests that rocked countries as far apart as Haiti,
Senegal and Bangladesh. Food prices are now at anall time high, and
are trending higher, indicating that this may be only the beginning of
the food riot problem. What's more, oil prices are also edging up,
reaching their highest level in two years.
The UPAgovernment is grappling with the problem of inflation. Today's
problem is onion prices.Last month, the discussion on inflation
focused on dal and meat. A while ago, it centred on sugar prices. Each
time we face high food prices, traders and speculators are blamed and
income tax raids are conducted. Sometimes exports are banned. At other
times, imports are permitted. Often, forward trading in the product is
banned. Either drought or excess rain is said to be the source of
inflation. Rising incomes leading to higher demand, and supply
bottlenecks in an unreformed agriculture, are seen to be ultimately
responsible. The solution needs a multi-pronged approach.
Over the last five or six years, as problems in food prices have
surfaced again and again, we have discussed the solutions endlessly.
However, very little has moved on the reform agenda. And when prices
increase sharply, instead of a commitment to reform, we hear
statements by the government on how it plans to clamp down on
speculators, or stop hoarding, or ban derivatives trading. Time has
come when we need to debate over agri-reform and fix supply
bottlenecks with improvements in cold storage chains; changes in the
mandi system; reform of the agricultural marketing system; research
support for high value crops; liberalisation of trade in agricultural
products; opening up the sector to organised retailing and FDI; moving
away from price support for cereals; and so forth.The Government which
has been endlessly anaylising the situation for the past few days now
needs to come up with some solid solutions.
Food inflation is a national and an international headline again. The
country was celebrating the regional harvest feativals over the
weekend with just a marginal decline in the inflation rates, but the
food supply is no more stable. India's embattled coalition government
failed to announce major policy decisions to tackle soaring food
prices after days of wrangling, taking only minor measures seen as
unlikely to make a major impact.
Rising food inflation is a global phenonmenen. It has sparked violence
across the Middle East and South Asia over the weekend, as
demonstrators protested the high cost of staple commodities like
sugar, rice and milk. Following good harvests over the last year,
nations bolstered their food stocks and all but ignored the precarious
nature of food production. This year’s weather events remind
policymakers that economies are one drought or one flood away from an
available food supply. Australia, Europe, North Africa, India and
Southeast Asian countries have all reported drastic food inflation
that illustrates how commodity prices and weather events affect food
prices. The outbursts ignited fears that the world is due for a repeat
of the 2008 food protests that rocked countries as far apart as Haiti,
Senegal and Bangladesh. Food prices are now at anall time high, and
are trending higher, indicating that this may be only the beginning of
the food riot problem. What's more, oil prices are also edging up,
reaching their highest level in two years.
The UPAgovernment is grappling with the problem of inflation. Today's
problem is onion prices.Last month, the discussion on inflation
focused on dal and meat. A while ago, it centred on sugar prices. Each
time we face high food prices, traders and speculators are blamed and
income tax raids are conducted. Sometimes exports are banned. At other
times, imports are permitted. Often, forward trading in the product is
banned. Either drought or excess rain is said to be the source of
inflation. Rising incomes leading to higher demand, and supply
bottlenecks in an unreformed agriculture, are seen to be ultimately
responsible. The solution needs a multi-pronged approach.
Over the last five or six years, as problems in food prices have
surfaced again and again, we have discussed the solutions endlessly.
However, very little has moved on the reform agenda. And when prices
increase sharply, instead of a commitment to reform, we hear
statements by the government on how it plans to clamp down on
speculators, or stop hoarding, or ban derivatives trading. Time has
come when we need to debate over agri-reform and fix supply
bottlenecks with improvements in cold storage chains; changes in the
mandi system; reform of the agricultural marketing system; research
support for high value crops; liberalisation of trade in agricultural
products; opening up the sector to organised retailing and FDI; moving
away from price support for cereals; and so forth.The Government which
has been endlessly anaylising the situation for the past few days now
needs to come up with some solid solutions.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Unfair Verdict
Unfair verdict
I disagree with what you say and I shall defend to your death my right
to stop you from saying it.The opposite of the famous Voltaire saying
is perfectly apt in describing in the verdict on Binayek Sen. A doctor
by profession and humanitarian by instinct, Binayak Sen was held
guilty for sedition and treason for being a conduit between Maoists.
Blaming the sins of the Maoists on Sen, the life sentence imposed on
globally acclaimed human rights activist is easily the most scandalous
abuse of a colonial remnant in independent India. Clearly, India
could do without the shame of jailing a humanist for sedition while
the hate-mongers responsible for the dreadful events of 1984 (Delhi
massacre), 1992 (Ayodhya demolition) and 2002 (Gujarat riots), who
roam around as patriots.
There is a serious problem in India with the lower judiciary which
does not seem to have any idea of its crucial role as a defender of
human rights in a democracy. Especially in a democracy in which the
majority of the people are not aware of their rights and are routinely
oppressed by governmental and private oppressors. The attitude of the
bureaucracy and the politicians in this country remains both feudal
and colonial they frequently use and misuse the law to stifle dissent.
The higher judiciary shows some awareness of its crucial democratic
role and that is somewhat of a relief as it frequently intervenes to
reprimand the executive for its unjust behaviour.
The story of Binayak Sen is the story of the dangerously thin ice
India's democratic rights float on. A dangerous trend is unfolding in
India today: State versus people. Urban versus rural, unbridled
development versus human need, Industrialist versus farmers, blind law
versus natural justice. It could be the story of all of us who are
fighting against injustices of the society in shinning India. Most of
all, it is the story of what can be done to ordinary individuals when
the State dons the garb of a dictator. The time has come to demand
drastic reform of the criminal justice system to ensure that it is not
manipulated by the state to persecute, prosecute and victimize
innocent persons.
This miscarriage of justice in the Sen trial has tarnished the
reputation of the country. He has become an international symbol of
the struggle of the poor and marginalized people for their legitimate
rights. The Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of
conscience. A man who has been honoured with international awards for
his work among the poor, and on whose behalf Nobel laureates have
pleaded with the government, should not be treated in a better way.
The Chhattisgarh police and the trial judge who accepted its story
uncritically have sent out a dire warning to all those who value and
work for human rights. It is the disregard for the rights of the poor
that has triggered the Maoist revolt. It is unfortunate that this
truth is not recognized.
I disagree with what you say and I shall defend to your death my right
to stop you from saying it.The opposite of the famous Voltaire saying
is perfectly apt in describing in the verdict on Binayek Sen. A doctor
by profession and humanitarian by instinct, Binayak Sen was held
guilty for sedition and treason for being a conduit between Maoists.
Blaming the sins of the Maoists on Sen, the life sentence imposed on
globally acclaimed human rights activist is easily the most scandalous
abuse of a colonial remnant in independent India. Clearly, India
could do without the shame of jailing a humanist for sedition while
the hate-mongers responsible for the dreadful events of 1984 (Delhi
massacre), 1992 (Ayodhya demolition) and 2002 (Gujarat riots), who
roam around as patriots.
There is a serious problem in India with the lower judiciary which
does not seem to have any idea of its crucial role as a defender of
human rights in a democracy. Especially in a democracy in which the
majority of the people are not aware of their rights and are routinely
oppressed by governmental and private oppressors. The attitude of the
bureaucracy and the politicians in this country remains both feudal
and colonial they frequently use and misuse the law to stifle dissent.
The higher judiciary shows some awareness of its crucial democratic
role and that is somewhat of a relief as it frequently intervenes to
reprimand the executive for its unjust behaviour.
The story of Binayak Sen is the story of the dangerously thin ice
India's democratic rights float on. A dangerous trend is unfolding in
India today: State versus people. Urban versus rural, unbridled
development versus human need, Industrialist versus farmers, blind law
versus natural justice. It could be the story of all of us who are
fighting against injustices of the society in shinning India. Most of
all, it is the story of what can be done to ordinary individuals when
the State dons the garb of a dictator. The time has come to demand
drastic reform of the criminal justice system to ensure that it is not
manipulated by the state to persecute, prosecute and victimize
innocent persons.
This miscarriage of justice in the Sen trial has tarnished the
reputation of the country. He has become an international symbol of
the struggle of the poor and marginalized people for their legitimate
rights. The Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of
conscience. A man who has been honoured with international awards for
his work among the poor, and on whose behalf Nobel laureates have
pleaded with the government, should not be treated in a better way.
The Chhattisgarh police and the trial judge who accepted its story
uncritically have sent out a dire warning to all those who value and
work for human rights. It is the disregard for the rights of the poor
that has triggered the Maoist revolt. It is unfortunate that this
truth is not recognized.
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