p g

peared that the government She went on a fast unto The government had hoped

A little help turns dreams into reality Meghalaya

was afraid of civil society
organisations.
Asked what she would like
to tell Prime Minister Man-
mohan Singh regarding her
campaign, Ms. Sharmila said
there was no point in telling
anything to a person who had
decided not to listen to any-
thing sensible. For 11 years,
the Prime Minister and oth-
ers had refused to listen and
they were likely to do so
again.
death from November 4,
2000 — when 10 innocent
persons were killed by troop-
ers of 8 Assam Rifles — de-
manding the repeal of the
Armed Forces (Special Pow-
ers) Act, 1958 from the State.
Since then, she has refused to
break her fast. As she had to
be force fed, a room in the
J.N. Institute of Medical Sci-
ences was declared a sub-jail.
She spends her time reading,
writing poems and articles
for a good response from the
extremists. However, they
launched an attack during a
Ras Lila dance festival at the
International Society for Special Correspondent bers divide the work among
tribal award
Krishna Consciousness here ,
killing six persons and injur-
ing many others. p
JAIPUR: Consistent support
provided
pp
d to a small communi-
themselves and skilfully per-
form the tasks of cutting big
marble slabs and rocks, giving
for Mandela,
Withdrawal of the Act had
not made much of a differ-
ty of artisans making sculp-
tures, statues and idols in
the stone the desired shape
through carving by manual and 3 scribes
ence, Mr. Singh said, adding Nagla Kala village of Bharat- electrical tools and decorating
that his government was un- pur district in Rajasthan
p j has them with colours and polish- SHILLONG: Former South Afri-
der great pressure to rein- p revive traditional live-
helped ing them to give them the final can President Nelson Man-
state the Act in the segments.lihood patterns
p and made the shape.
p dela would be conferred the
craftspersons
p self-sufficient The households regularlyg y People’s Parliament Global
by improving their efficiency. use generators
g for their work Award, a traditional tribal

Civil rights groups rally

The nondescript village has as power
p supply
pp y is restricted to institution of Meghalaya an-
taken a giant leap in prosper- three hours to four hours a day.
day nounced here on Friday.
ityy and entrepreneurship.
p Raghuvir Sharan, who runs the Mr. Mandela was chosen
Nagla Kala, situated 5 km biggest establishment in the for the award because of his

round Sharmila from Pahadi tehsil headquar-

ters,, now has a number of ex-
pert artisans who virtually
q

infuse life into stone and mar-

Staff Reporter
MUMBAI: Demanding that the
government engage in a dia-
logue with Irom Sharmila who
has been on a hunger strike
since 11 years demanding re-
pealing of AFSPA (Armed
Forces Special Powers Act),
many civil rights groups, ac-
tivists and student groups on
Friday evening held a protest
march at the Marine Drive
here as a part of the ‘Irom
Sharmila Solidarity
Campaign’.
“She [Irom Sharmila] is the
symbol of non-violence. You
[the government] want to re-
duce her to a non-entity by not
letting people meet her. No
one meets her. Those who
want are not allowed to. She
has grown so frail now, she
weighs only 35 kg,” Mukta Sri-
vastava of the National Alli-
ance of People’s Movement
said.
village, has employed about 25
people who are given wages in
accordance with the size of
sculptures fabricated by them.
sacrifice for the struggle
against apartheid, Grand
Council of Chiefs of Megha-
laya (GCCM) chairman
ble statues thanks to timely In addition to the local John F. Kharshiing told a
NAPM activist says the government wants to assistance p provided to them. youths who have obtained em- press conference.
reduce Irom to a non-entity Hard work,, good
g management
g ployment
p y in the village
g itself,
f,, a
and financial support pp have large
g number of youngsters
y g ‘Ethical reporting’
‘If Anna sits on fast for a few days, a red carpet brought the small village to from neighbouring
g g villages
g Besides, three journalists
is rolled out for him’ the national map of An artisan fabricating a statue at Nagla Kala come to Nagla Kala to work, — Aroon Purie, Rajdeep Sar-
sculpture-making. village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. said Mr. Gupta, adding that desai and Arnab Goswami —
A majority of the house- — PHOTO: ROHIT JAIN PARAS they are paid a handsome sti- would be given the People’s
“This is the beginning of the elections that matter to them. holds in the village belong to pend during training and their Parliament National Awards
12th year of her hunger strike. We have to make this move- the Adi Gaur Brahmin com- The Foundation — function- bad and fabricate statues of earnings increase phenom- for their “unbiased, ethical
This is probably the longest ment popular enough to make munityy who are considered ingg as the corporate social re- distinguished persons, idols enally on gaining proficiency and investigative reporting,”
continuous hunger strike. It is the government take it seri- expertsp fabrication
in statue fabr rication sponsibility
p y wingg of for temples and other decora- in the work. he said.
a shame on our democracy,” ously,” Vasant Shirali, anoth- as an old tradition.. Merelyy pharmaceutical
p major
j Lupinp tive stone items. However,r,, the Many entrepreneurs have These awards, instituted
Anand Patwardhan, noted er participant in the campaign three families were engaged g g in — adopted
p the village g two years
y margin
g of profit
p comes down installed machines for cutting by GCCM, would be confer-
documentary-maker, said. and the general secretary of this work until a couple of ago g and identified production
p due to expenses
p on packaging the rocks into small pieces in red at a function to be held at
“If we are to be a democrat- Maharashtra region of the So- years ago, g , apparently
pp y because of sculptures
p as the thrust area and transport. Pahadi town because of better Asananggre near Tura in
ic country, we have to respect cialist Party, said. the younger
y g generation
g had for its assistance. Its support Mr. Gupta points out that availability of power and other West Garo Hills District on
the rights of our people. But if “We have a few demands. lost interest in it due to the has enabled about 40 families the fabricators get marble facilities there. November 14, Mr. Kharshi-
you think they aren’t our peo- They are that: the govern- absence of any incentive. Sup- to take up work on a large scale mostly from Makrana, Alwar The prosperity
p p y makingg its ing said.
ple, then that is a different ment should talk to her; an port and encouragement g pro-
p with youngsters, the elderly and Rajsamand districts. The way into the rural households
issue,” he said. all-party delegation should vided byy the Lupin p Human and women equally utilising Foundation hass extended sup- p is evident from the improved Al Gore, earlier awardee
“The government and the meet her; the NHRC [Nation- Welfare and Research Foun- their skills for the gainful work. port p to the financiallyy weak standards of life of the artisan Earlier, former United
politicians have wilfully ig- al Human Rights Commis- dation has facilitated the According to Lupin Founda- families byy arranging g g loans for families, depicted through States Vice-President Al
nored her for the past 11 years. sion] should investigate emergence g g Kala as a tion executive director Sita them at low interest rates and their big houses, household
of Nagla Gore was conferred the Peo-
If Anna sits on a fast for a few AFSPA-related atrocities; the hub of sculpture fabrication. Ram Gupta, sculpture fabrica- with easyy repayment p y instal- gadgets and vehicles owned byy ple’s Parliament Global
days, a red carpet is rolled out government should repeal Manufacturers in the village tors in the village get orders ments from the Small Indus- them. Significantly, g y, girls
g in all Award for promoting aware-
for him. But the government AFSPA,” Guddi S.L. of Yuva regularly get orders from from cities such as Jaipur, tries Development Bank of these families are getting g edu- ness on climate change. —
has ignored her. It is only the Biradari said. across the country. Mumbai, Surat and Ahmeda- India. The T artisan family mem- cation at good schools. PTI

“Th Di t B h d d
the textiles industry. On the
issue of handloom census,,
Mr. Sharma said the hand-
loom sector was facingg com-
petition
p from the mechanised
sector and also from cheap p
imported
p fabrics. He said the
flow of credit to the handloom
sector had been characterised
byy high
g costs and low disbur-
sement levels. Mr. Sharma
said the Cabinet Committee
on Economic Affairs recently
Weft and warp of a crisis
Though more people in India are in the handloom-weaving
sector, than in any other of the economy, bar agriculture, hostile
and indifferent government policies are giving it short shrift
Vivek S. and
Aseem Shrivastava
H andloom weavers from all
over the country are on a
72-hour hunger strike at Jantar
Mantar in New Delhi from to-
day in protest against the gov-
ernment’s textile policy. The
protest is led by Rastra Cheneta
Jana Samakhya, the State
Handloom Weavers’ Union of
Andhra Pradesh. Weavers from
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Ker-
ala, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Ut-
tar Pradesh are participating in
it.
Some of the most pressing is-
sues of the handloom industry
relate to budget allocation and
policy-making. Hence the pro-
test is timed to coincide with
the winter session of Parlia-
ment. Its aim is to draw nation-
al attention to the
long-standing problems of this
industry before the Budget Ses-
sion. Meagre budgets for hand-
looms year after year have not
recognised the significance of
this industry in providing pro-
ductive livelihoods in rural
areas.
More people in India are in
the handloom sector than in
any other of the economy, bar
agriculture. Approximately,
one out of 12 households in In-
dia derives its primary income
from it. And the survival of one
out of 60 Indian households
(according to the founding
president of the National Hand-
loom Weavers Union, Macherla
Mohan Rao) depends on the
viability of the handloom
economy.
Debt, intermediaries
However, thanks to indiffer-
ent, even hostile, policies by
successive governments, hand-
loom-weaving is in severe crisis
he ad-
today. In some States, the
vent of intensified competition
in the era of aggressive glob-
alisation has forced scores of
liv
weavers to take their own lives.
Even official estimates show
that due to unbearable debt
burdens, about a 1,000 weavers
may have committed suicide in
Andhra Pradesh alone since
2002. According to the National
Handloom Census of 2009-10,
close to 60 per cent of India’s
weavers today fall below the
poverty line, and 80 per cent
face high debts, being at the
mercy of intermediaries who al-
so double up as moneylenders,
controlling access to both mar-
kets and raw materials. These
CM
DISCOLOURATION: Orienting the handloom industry
towards the international economy is a wrong step by
the government. — PHOTO: R.M. RAJARATHINAM
key inputs have become in-
creasingly more expensive
since the advent of globalisa-
tion in the 1980s.
Mechanisation
From the colonial era, the
handloom economy has had to
face the consequences of State
policies that have consistently
ncreasing mecha-
promoted increasing
nisation and automation. While
the mill sector — in the throes of
crippling debt — continues to
find favour with governments
ever willing to offer sops and
subsidies (often in the name of
scientific or technical advance-
ment) to it, the handloom econ-
omy has consistently received
third class treatment.
One metre out of every four
of the country’s cloth is pro-
duced in the handloom econo-
my, yet it gets just one rupee out
of 20 spent by the government
on the textile industry. Another
way to comprehend the injus-
tice is to remember that while
one out of five people working
in the textile sector as a whole is
a handloom weaver, s/he gets
just one government rupee for
every Rs.20 allocated per work-
er in the mill sector (and even
this is cornered by the captains
of industry).
For reservation act
At the heart of the weavers’
demands is that the govern-
ment redress the situation
through the implementation of
thee Handloom Reservation Act,
negated by blatant and illegal
duplication of handlooms by
powerlooms. They are also de-
manding their entitlement of
higher allocation in the central
budget and an assured, affor-
dable supply of the key inputs of
yarns and dyes.
The government has sought
to address the weavers’ crisis by
trying to orient the handloom
industry towards the interna-
tional economy. This is outra-
geous folly
folly.
Thee truth is that the hand-
loom economy is deeply rooted
in local cultures, traditions and
markets. To lose sight of this is
to persist with the mindset that
is the source of the handloom
industry’s crisis. Such an out-
look also betrays a poor under-
standing both of the
unemployment in the country’s
modern sectors as well as of the
handloom economy’s capacity
to meet the challenge of large-
scale rural employment, if en-
lightened policies are followed.
Those protesting at Jantar
Mantar from December 10 to 13
are there in the faith that the
resolution of these issues lies in
the strength of collective action
by weavers from around the
country.
(Vivek S. is a Hyderabad-
based analyst. Aseem
Shrivastava, a Delhi-based
writer and economist, is the
author, with Ashish Kothari, of
Churning the Earth: The
Making of Global India, Viking
Penguin, New Delhi, 2012).
 Rs. 6,234-crore package
u
-
announced for weavers
It includes Rs.3,884-cr. debt waiver; 13 lakh weavers to benefit
y C
d Special Correspondent
y NEW DELHI: The Centre on Sat-
t, urdayy announced a Rs. 6,234,
y crore package
p g for 13 lakh
r weavers. In Uttar Pradesh,,
e the package
p g will benefit debt-
e hit 2 lakh weavers, whose
d case Congress general secre-
- tary Rahul Gandhi had taken
d up with Union Commerce
and Industry Minister Anand
n Sharma.
- To be implemented
p from
- Januaryy 2012,, the package
p g in-
r cludes a Rs.3,884-crore
, debt
- waiver and Rs.2,350
, crore for
- a six-fold strategy gy to uplift
p next year, were left out of the lateral security.
m. weavers during the 12th Five
Year Plan. “The scheme will
- helpp 15,000
, weavers’ cooper-
p During his recent visit to the
- ative societies,, besides indi-
t vidual weavers. An individual
r. weaver will gget a benefit up to
m Rs. 50,000,” Mr. Sharma told
d journalists here.
e p
n N
N
r
S
N
s
Pointing out that the deci- handloom sector that has cess loans at 7-8 perp cent in- p
sion was taken on Friday at a come under stress due to stiff terest for three years,”
y , the d
meeting of the Expenditure competition and credit un- Minister said. Over 43 lakh A
Finance Committee in the availability. Mr. Sharma said weavers,, mainlyy Muslims,, are e
Capital, Mr. Sharma said: “In a decision for covering indi- confined to Uttar Pradesh,, s
August, weavers had come to vidual weavers, a large num- West Bengal,g , Odisha,, Assam t
Delhi seeking help… the ber of whom are from Uttar and some southern States. E
Union Finance Minister had Pradesh, will be sent for con- Under the package, an as- d
also announced a Rs.3,000- sideration to the Cabinet. sistance of Rs.4,200-Rs.5,400 o
crore loan waiver for the Underr the six-fold strategy,
gy, per weaver has been pro- p (
handloom weavers in his bud- weavers’ credit cards will be posed,
p , that will p
provide them
get speech of 2011-12.” issued to eligible
g individual leverage
g for borrowingg loans;; o
weavers who will be able to loans extended byy banks will M
Rahul’s letter access loans up p to Rs.2 lakh — be guaranteed
g byy the Credit s
However, a large number of generally
g y in the range g of Guarantee Fund Trust for a
individual weavers in Uttar Rs.35,000 , to Rs.50,000
, — for medium and small enterpris- p s
Pradesh, which goes to polls three yearsy without any col- es to the extent off 85 per
p cent C
of their outstanding. g A price
p a
scheme that was to mainly subsidyy of 10 per
p cent is pro-
p T
benefit cooperative societies. Interest subsidy posed
p for yarn
y supplied
pp byy the t
“The scheme has been fi- National Handloom Develop- f
weavers’ belt in eastern Uttar nalised and the banks will be ment Corporation and agen-
Pradesh, Congress general advised for its implementa- cies proposed by the State h
secretary Rahul Gandhi tion. We have recommended governments in order to o
wrote to Mr. Sharma seeking an interest subsidyy of 3 per p overcome the problem of D
a special package for the cent to enable weavers to ac- yarn supply. S
ON THE MARGINS
Yarns of woe
Bharat Dogra
Recent widespread protests
of handloom weavers across
several parts of the country
have emphasised that while
several new threats have
emerged for handloom-
based livelihoods, govern-
ment policy makers have
not done much to help the
weavers cope with the
changing situation. Even
the policy framework that
already exists for the pro-
tection and promotion of
handlooms is not being im-
plemented sincerely.
sincerely As a
result the livelihood of
lakhs of handloom weavers
stares at an uncertain
future.
The Reser-
he Handlooms ((Reser-
vation of Articles for Pro-
duction) Act, 1985 was
enacted in 1986 as an im-
portant means of protecting
the handloom sector by re-
serving certain products for
the handloom sector.
sector Poor-
ly implemented in the first
place, amendments and re-
forms that were needed in
this law or its rules after the
rapid spread of screen
printing and technologies
like the computers aided
Embroidery Design System
were also not made.
Mohan Rao, founder
president of Rashtra Che-
In the absence of reforms,
handloom weavers are fast losing
out to technological progress in
the textile sector
BUSINESS DRYING OUT: Raw material is hard to
come by. PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR
netha Jana Samakhya
(RCJS), a leading federation
of handloom weavers in And-
hra Pradesh, says, “The
spread of these new technol-
ogies is ruining the handloom
sector by fraudulently dupli-
cating the patterns of hand-
loom products. This is
threatening the livelihood of
lakhs of hand-embroiders
and block-printers
block-printers.”
This occurred partly be-
cause a clear definition of cer-
tain processes was not
provided in the law. Instead
of correcting this shortcom-
ing, amendments of the rules
in 2008 worsened the situa-
tion by doing away with de-
tailed descriptions that
existed for several protected
product
products.
Organisations of handloom
weavers say that the Act is ba-
sically “an act to provide for
reservation of certain articles
for exclusive production by
handlooms”; this legislation
has to be implemented in this
spirit so that certain areas of
work remain reserved for
handloom. Apart
amendments to cope with
from
new technological develop-
ments, strict action should al-
so be taken wherever corrupt
practices or other considera-
tions lead to violation of this
protective law.
la
Secondly, handloom weav-
ers have suffered as theirr ba-
sic raw material in the form of
hank yarn is not provided to
them properly. There are
problems
roblems regarding quantity,
quality and price.
price Soo weavers
have been demanding that
the spinning mills should ful-
fil their obligation to supply
hank yarn properly.
properly In addi-
tion, the government should
also establish spinning units
and silk reeling units in those
areas where weavers are con-
centrated in significant
numbers.
Another complaint of the
handloom sector is that the
share
hare of the handloom sector WEAVING A LIVING: Livelihoods under threat.
in the overall allocation for
the textile sector has declined velopment Commissioner, twists of warps and yarns,
significantly in recent times. Handlooms, pointed out that thick density, type of weave,
It is only when there is a sig- due to manual operations sev- type of fashion and process
nificant increase in the bud- eral combinations are possi- employed in printing.” This
getary support that various ble in handlooms with review goes on to detail many
schemes for the welfare of intricate designs. “The func- kinds of clothes which are
weavers, including insurance, tional properties like drape, best woven on handlooms.
distress relief and occupa- texture, strength, wrinkle re- With the increasing em-
tional heath will be able to sistance, dominant stability, phasis on reducing green
have a significant impact. etc. can be ingeniously ma- house gas emissions, the case
In a recent review of the nipulated through appropri- for protecting handlooms and
inherent strengths of hand- ate designs, exclusive types of hand-spinning becomes
looms, B.K. Sinha, former De- fabrics used, counts and stronger.
stronger
Team Anna is riding. g
While nobodyy is investingg
and manufacturingg is at a stand-
still, top-level
p indecision in the
ggovernment and the resultant
bureaucratic hijackj have com-
bined to create conditions which
could take the Indian bankingg
system
y to a catastrophe.
p Banks
have an exposure
p of nearlyy Rs 5
lakh crore to the power
p sector
which is now threatened byy the
self-inflicted confusion over the
availabilityy of coal. Anotherr RRs 1
lakh crore worth of loans to the
steel sector are similarlyy jjeopar-
p
dised because of the serial min-
ingg ban in iron as well as coal.
The telecom sector, with loans of
nearlyy Rs 3 lakh crore, is again
g in
a spin
p because of policy
p y confu-
sion and woolly-headedness.
y .
Add another Rs 20,000 crore in
aviation and other assorted
industries, and youy have India’s
banks lookingg att Rs 10 lakh crore
worth of loans threatened byy bad
ggovernment policy,
p y indecision or
the return of old-fashioned
extortion. No wonder Indian
banking stocks are declining
twice as fast as those of other
major companies.
icant improvement
p over the last 25 yyears.”
India’s rank in the 2011 Global Hunger g
Index,, at 67 out of 81,, places
p us seven notches
below Rwanda which apparently pp y handles
food securityy better. We’re also below Sri
Lanka (rank
( 36),), Nepal
p (54)
( ) and Pakistan
(59).
( ). The GHI 2011 states flatlyy that its data
“does not reflect the impacts of the 2010-11
food price crisis.”
HARD LOOK
Statistics Speak
Half of the 94 per cent of work force that constitutes
unorganised sector, is concentrated in four states
Preeti Mehra
Uttar Pradesh,, Maharashtra,,
Andhra Pradesh and West
Bengal
g make up p for nearlyy
half the 433 million estimat-
ed unorganised
g sector work-
ers in the country. AAccording
to the latest estimates firmed
up by the Ministry of Labour
and Employment, based on
the survey conducted by the
National Sample Survey Or-
ganization (NSSO)
( ) in 2004-
05,, the total number of la-
bourers was 459 million. A
total of 433 million (about
( 94
per cent)) of the total work-
p lack of sufficient targeting
force is engaged
g g in the unor-
ganized sector aand 26 million
in the organized sector.
Recognizing the need to
provide social security to un-
organised workers, the Gov-
ernment has enacted the
g
Unorganised Workers’ Social
200 The Act
Security Act 2008.
provides for constitution of
the National Social Securityy
Board to recommend social
securityy schemes for life and
disabilityy cover,, health ma-
ternityy benefits,, old age
g pro-
p 2008. MMore than 2.54 crore
tection and anyy other benefit
as mayy be determined byy the
Government for unorganized
workers. There are a host of
schemes that workers in the
unorganized sector can make
use of,, but thee problem
p lies in
and seeing that those most in
need are the beneficiaries,
said a union activist.
The Government launched
thee Rashtriya Swasthya Bima
Yojana
j for BPL families (a (
unit of five)) for the unorga-
g
nized sector in October 2007.
The scheme providing
p g for
smart card based cashless
health insurance cover of Rs.
30,000
, per
p familyy per
p annum
on a familyy floater basis be-
came operational in April
families have been covered
under the scheme as on No-
vember 30,, 2011. To provide
p
death and disabilityy cover to
rural landless households be-
tween the ageg group of the 18
to 59 years, the Government
launched the ‘Aam Admi Bi-
Yojana’ from October,
ma Yojana
2007, and by July 31, 2011
over 1.78 crore lives have
been covered under the
scheme.
The Hindu : Columns / Sainath : Corporate socialism's 2G orgy http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article1514987.ece?cs...

Opinion » Columns » Sainath

Published: March 7, 2011 01:00 IST | Updated: September 6, 2011 13:50 IST
Corporate socialism's 2G orgy
P. Sainath

The Union budget writes off Rs.240 crore in corporate income tax every single day on average — the same amount leaves
India each day in illicit fund flows to foreign banks.
In six years from 2005-06, the Government of India wrote off corporate income tax worth Rs.3,74,937 crore — more
than twice the 2G fraud — in successive Union budgets. The figure has grown every single year for which data are
available. Corporate income tax written off in 2005-06 was Rs.34,618 crore. In the current budget, it is Rs.88,263
crore — an increase of 155 per cent. That is, the nation presently writes off over Rs.240 crore a day on average in
corporate income tax. Oddly, that is also the daily average of illicit fund flows from India to foreign banks, according
to a report of the Washington-based think tank, Global Financial Integrity.
The Rs.88,263 crore covers only corporate income tax write-offs. The figure does not include revenue foregone from
higher exemption limits for wider sections of the public. Nor higher exemptions for senior citizens or (as in past
budgets) for women. Just income tax for the big boys of the corporate world.
Pranab Mukherjee's latest budget, while writing off this gigantic sum for corporates, slashes thousands of crores
from agriculture. As R. Ramakumar of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) points out, the revenue
expenditure on that sector “is to fall in absolute terms by Rs.5,568 crore. Within agriculture, the largest fall is to be
in crop husbandry, with an absolute cut of Rs.4,477 crore.” Which probably signals the death of extension services,
amongst other things, in the sector. In fact, “within economic services, the largest cuts are to be in Agriculture and
Allied Services.”
Even Kapil Sibal cannot defend the revenue losses as notional. For the simple reason that each budget sums up
these numbers clearly in tables within a section called ‘Statement of Revenue Foregone.' If we add to this corporate
karza maafi, revenue foregone in customs and excise duty — also very largely benefiting the corporate world and
better off sections of society — the amounts are stunning. What, for instance, are some of the major items on which
revenue is foregone in customs duty? Try diamonds and gold. Not quite aam aadmi or aurat items. This accounts
for the largest chunk of all customs revenue foregone in the current budget. That is, for Rs.48,798 crore. Or well over
half of what it takes to run a universal PDS system each year. In three years preceding this one, the customs write-off
on gold, diamonds and jewellery totalled Rs.95,675 crore.
Of course, this being India, every plunder of public money for private profit is a pro-poor measure. You can hear the
argument already: the huge bonanza for the gold and diamond crowd was only to save the jobs of poor workers in
the midst of a global economic crisis. Touching. Only it didn't save a single job in Surat or elsewhere. Many Oriya
workers in that industry returned home jobless to Ganjam from Surat as the sector tanked. A few other workers took
their own lives in desperation. Also, the indulgence for industry predates the 2008 crisis. Industry in Maharashtra
gained massively from the Centre's Corporate Socialism. Yet, in three years before the 2008 crisis, workers in the
State lost their jobs at an average of 1,800 a day.
Returning to the budget: There's also the head of ‘machinery' with its own huge customs duty concessions. That
includes surely, the crores of rupees of sophisticated medical equipment imported by large corporate hospitals with
almost no duty levied on it. The claim of providing 30 per cent of their beds free of charge to the poor — something

1 of 2 16-Nov-11 10:42 PM
The Hindu : Columns / Sainath : Corporate socialism's 2G orgy http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article1514987.ece?cs...

that has never once happened — is an excuse to dole out these ‘benefits' (amongst others) to that multi-billion rupee
industry. Total revenue foregone on customs duty in the present budget: Rs.1,74,418 crore. (Which does not include
export credit-related numbers).
With excise, of course, comes the standard claim that revenues foregone on excise duty translate into lower prices
for consumers. There is no evidence provided at all that this has actually happened. Not in the budget, not
elsewhere. (Sounds more like the argument now making the rounds in some Tamil Nadu villages that nothing was
looted in the 2G scam — that's the money translating into cheaper calls for the public). What is clearly visible is that
the write-offs on excise directly benefit industry and business. Any indirect ‘passing on' to consumers is a
speculative claim, not proven. Revenue foregone on account of excise duty in this budget: Rs.1,98,291 crore. Clearly
more than the highest estimate of the 2G scam losses. (The preceding year: Rs.1,69,121 crore).
Also fascinating is that the same classes benefit in multiple ways from all three write-offs. But how much does
revenue foregone under corporate income tax, excise and customs duty add up to across the years? We have baldly
stated budget figures for six years starting 2005-06, when the total was Rs.2,29,108 crore. To the current budget
where it is more than double that sum at Rs.4,60,972 crore. Add up the figures since 2005-06 and the grand total is
Rs.21,25,023 crore. Or close to half a trillion U.S. dollars. That is not merely 12 times the 2G scam losses. It is equal
to or bigger than the Rs.21 lakh crore sum that Global Financial Integrity tells us has been siphoned out of this
country and illegally stashed away in foreign banks since 1948 ($ 462 billion). Only, this loot has happened in six
years starting 2005-06. The current budget figure for these three heads is 101 per cent higher than it was in 2005-06
(see Table).
Unlike the illicit fund flows, this plunder has a fig leaf of legality. Unlike those flows, it is not the sum of many
individual crimes. It is government policy. It is in the Union budget. And it is the largest conceivable transfer of
wealth and resources to the wealthy and the corporate world that the media never look at. Oddly, the budget itself
recognises how regressive this trend is. Last year's budget noted: “The amount of revenue foregone continues to
increase year after year. As a percentage of aggregate tax collection, revenue foregone remains high and shows an
increasing trend as far as corporate income tax is considered for the financial year 2008-09. In case of indirect
taxes, the trend shows a significant increase for the financial years 2009-10 due to a reduction in customs and excise
duties. Therefore, to reverse this trend, an expansion in the tax base is called for.”
Rewind a year further. The 2009-10 budget says the same thing in almost identical words. Only the last line is
different: “Therefore it is necessary to reverse this trend to sustain the high tax buoyancy.” In the current budget, the
paragraph is absent.
This is the government that has no money for a universal PDS or even an enhanced one. That cuts anyway meagre
food subsidies from the largest hungry population in the planet. That, at a time of rising prices and a great food
crisis. In a period when its own economic survey shows us that the daily average net per capita availability of
foodgrain for the five year period 2005-09 is actually lower than it was in 1955-59 — half-a-century ago.
Keywords: corporate income tax, illicit funds, foreign banks

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Printable version | Nov 16, 2011 10:42:14 PM | http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article1514987.ece
© The Hindu

2 of 2 16-Nov-11 10:42 PM
LEFT
tion they deserve,” it concludes.
PRICE OF OIL
THE People’s Democracy editorial
focuses on the petrol price hike,
saying
y g the move will benefit the
ggovernment’s exchequer q the
most, as more than 40 perp cent of
this increase ggoes to the govern-
ment as taxes and duties.
“With this hike in 2011-12, the
Central government
g expects
p to
earn about Rs 82,000 crore as ex-
cise duty alone. Duringg 2010-11,
estimates show thatt the total rev-
enue from the p petroleum sector
to the Central government
g in the
form of all taxes and duties ex-
ceeded Rs 1,20,000 crore,” it says.
“In other words, the people are
subsidising the government and
not the other wayy around.”
It tries to debunk the two ar-
gguments in favour of the hike —
that oil companies
p are sufferingg
losses with under-recoveriess pro-
jected
j to
t touch Rs 1.32 lakh crore
in 2011-12 as compared p to Rs
78,000 crore in 2010-11, and the
concern over fiscal deficit.”
deficit.”Un-
”U
Un-
der-recoveryy is the difference be-
tween n the
t import
p parity
p y price
p and
the retail price of petroleum
p
products.
p It is, thus, a notional
loss that is determined byy the in-
ternational prices
p and not by the
actual costs domestically. ThisT is,
thus, a myth perpetuated by the
neo-liberal reformists admirably
aided by the corporate media,” it
argues. In fact, it says, the major
oil companies have been making
profits, quoting their audited fi-
nancial results. As far as the fiscal
deficit goes,
g it says
y thatt while the
government
g wants to cut subsi-
dies, the tax foregone
g in the last
three years
y was a staggering
gg g Rs
14,28,028 crore. “Of this, Rs
3,63,875 crore have been the con-
cessions to the corporates
p and the
rich. Comparep this concession,
Mr Prime Minister, with the esti-
mated fiscal deficit of Rs 4,65,000
crore,” iti says.
Compiled by Manoj C.G.
ourt has
stry to
quo. Ag- Notice over petition challenging Jnanpith award
h Court
tre had bestowed on
Court. —
construction in forest area Shrilal Shukla
Staff Correspondent in hospital
Administration-builder connivance alleged in
SHIMLA: The Himachal Pra- construction of road in a forest area LUCKNOW: The Jnanpith
p
e, desh High Court has directed Award was on Tuesdayy be-
various government depart- Roads not made earlier despite requests by stowed on ailingg Hindi novel-
ments and real estate agents residents saying they would affect area ecology ist and satirist Shrilal Shukla
to file their replies on a pet- in a private hospital here by
ition by Tikender Panwar Uttar Pradesh Governor B. L.
and Kuldeep Singh Tanwar turbing the forest ecology of ration shall not issue any Joshi.
ate. The challenging the grant of the entire area. No roads completion certificate or fur- Shukla,, 86,, has authored
has sub- clearance for construction to were constructed earlier for ther permission to occupy Raagg Darbari, Agyatvas
y , Bis-
m to the Bemloe Construction and In- adjoining villages despite re- the constructed houses. rampur
p Ka SantSan and many
rm reha- frastructure Company in a quests by area residents on The Court also directed other novels. His H works
ate. The forest area in Kanlog region the plea of disturbing the the Ministry to clarify throw light on the falling
nt has of the town. ecology. whether the construction of moral values of society in the
on relief Those issued notices in- The Division Bench com- the road undertaken till now post-Independence
p era.
nd pay- clude the Secretary (Forests), prising Chief Justice Kurian has any adverse impact on Shukla and Hindi author
n to the Secretary (Revenue), Princi- Joseph and Justice Sanjay the environment. It also di- Amar Kant were chosen on
. pal Chief Conservator of For- Karol also directed the Prin- rected the Deputy Commis- September 19 for the coun-
Manmo- ests, Shimla Municipal cipal Chief Conservator of sioner of Shimla to clarify try’s
y highest
g literary honour
unced a Corporation, Shimla Deputy Forests to clarify the amount how many villages of the dis- for 2009.
g f C i i B l C t t ti f th ti t t t t db K t l ll t i
Su. Venkatesan wins
Sahitya Akademi award
His debut novel captures 600 years of history of Madurai
B. Kolappan
CHENNAI: Tamil writer Su.
Venkatesan,, who capturedp
600 years
y of historyy of Mad-
urai between 1310 and 1920 in
his debut novel Kaaval Kot-
tamm, h
has won the Sahitya Aka-
demi award for the year 2011.
The 1048-page novel be-
gins with the pillage of Mad-
urai, known as Koodal
Maanagar by Allauddin Khil-
ji’s general Malik Kafur, and
the killing of Karuppu, a secu-
rity guard. Subsequently, it
fell into the hands of Vijaya-
nagar kings and the descend-
ants of Karuppu returned to
Madurai as security guards,
offering a unique security
system till the British took
over. All these have been
dealt with in a gripping
narrative.
Tamil film Aravaan, by di-
rector Vasantha Balan, is
based on one of the sub-plots
of the novel.
“The novel has its roots in
the research I did on the com-
pulsory settlement camp set
up by the British in the Good-
alur-Cumbum valley to lodge
the security guards of Mad-
urai after their defeat. It took
10 years to complete the nov-
el and it was published in De-
cember 2008,” the
41-year-old Venkatesan, hail-
ing from Tiruparankundram
near Madurai, told The
Hindu.
An active worker of the
Communist Party of India
(Marxist), he was fielded as
the party candidate in Tirup-
arankundram in the 2006 As-
sembly election. He was
elected the general secretary
of the Tamil Nadu Progres-
sive Writers and Artistes As-
sociation this year.
“My close association with
the CPI(M) for the last 20
years and my activism could
be said to have shaped my
novel,” he said.
Asked whether the politic-
ian in him did not come in the
way of his creativity, he as-
serted that politics and cre-
ative literature were
h
kaavalans (guards) and kal- Another interesting aspect
A
lans (burglars). The question of the novel is its strong wom-
was who was great: kaavalan en characters. Whether it is P
or kallan. But the kallan would the wife of Karuppu, a preg- a
not enter into any territory nant woman leaving the city c
which was under the control in the wake of its defeat to d
of kaavalan from his village,” raise a generation of great o
Mr. Venkatesan explains. warriors, or the queens of Vi- K
Kannakol poduthal (break- jayanagar or the wives of kal- n
ing into a house or palace by lans and kaavalans, they a
making a hole in the wall) is an possess in them an extraor- s
art perfected by these kallans dinary streak of independ- e
and one of them could even ence.
enter the palace of Thirumalai Mr. Venkatesan also deals I
Nayakar: he decamped with elaborately with the construc- K
the ring of the king. tion of the Mullaperiyar dam i
In the novel, the people of in the wake of the Thathu Va- t
Su. Venkatesan Thathanoor, a fictitious vil- rucha Pancham (drought) be- i
lage, are responsible for the tween 1876 and 1877. B
inseparable for anyone who security of Madurai and resist “Around 20 per cent of the t
loved society deeply. the attempt of the British to Madurai population perished a
Kaaval Kottam is about the demolish the fort for the pur- in the drought and the com- h
security system that prevailed pose of expanding the city. Af- mission constituted by the
in Madurai Fort. It was ter defeating them, the British government recommended m
unique in the sense that the settle them in camps and de- construction of a dam,” says A
guards would repay the mon- clare them as notified com- Mr. Venkatesan, who has pub- W
ey or goods if they were not munities. They were lished six poetry collections i
able to prevent the houses de-notified only after the and seven research works. p
from being burgled. country gained He is writing another novel w
“In every village there are independence. based on Tamil tradition. t
t
f
Guha wins it for narrative history c
r
Staff Reporter the award are: Kashinath h
Singh (Hindi), Kshetri Bira n
NEW DELHI: Novelist (Manipuri), Kalpanakumari d
Gopalakrishna Pai Devi (Odia), Baldev Singh a
(Kannada)) and eminent (Punjabi) and Atul Kanakk b
historiann Ramachandra (Rajasthani). h
Guha (English) aare among Lalit Magotra (Dogri), p
those who have won the Grace (Marathi) and Samala
prestigious
p g s Sahitya Sadasiva (Telugu) received p
Akademi aaward this year. the award for their books on m
Eight books of poetry, essays. t
seven novels, three essays, Mr. Guha for his a
one each of narrative narrative history, Mohan d
history, biography, play and Ramachandra Guha Parmar (Gujarati) for his o
short stories won the award short stories, M.K. Sanu H
this year. award are: ((late)) Kabin (Malayalam) for his t
Recommended by jury (Assamese),
Phukan (Assamese) biography and Mohan s
members representing 23 Manindra Gupta (Bengali), Gehani (Sindhi) for his book
Indian languages,
g , the Premananda Mosahari on plays have been t
awards weree approved
pp byy (Bodo), Naseem Shafaie honoured. e
the Executive Board of the (Kashmiri), Melvyn The books were selected t
Akademi w which met in the Rodrigues (Konkani), on the basis of e
capital on Wednesday under Harekrishna Satapathy recommendations made by i
thee chairmanshipp of (Sanskrit), Aditya Kumar a jury of three members in r
Akademi president
p Sunil Mandi (Santali) and Khaleel the concerned languages in a
Gangopadhyay. Mamoon (Urdu). accordance with the k
Poets honoured with the Other novelists who won procedure laid down.
h
Kannada author Bhyrappa
awarded Saraswati Samman
NEW DELHI:: E
Eminent Kannada
author S. L. Bhyrappa
y pp was on
Wednesdayy honoured with
Saraswati Samman in litera-
ture for his epic
p novel “Man-
dra”,, his musical take on the
question
q of art against
g moral-
ityy and other philosophies of
life.
The Saraswati Samman is
awarded byy the K. K. Birla
Foundation to a work pub- p
lished in the last 10 years,
y , se-
lected from among works
published
p in 25 Indian
languages.
who had risen from the
ground”, Rajya Sabha MP and
Chairman of the Indian
Council of Cultural Relations
(ICCR) Karan Singh lauded
his dedication to education
and knowledge all through his
life. “He did not leave the path
of education despite the
deeply tragic loss of his sib-
lings and mother at a young
age. He is truly a man who has
risen from the ground,” he
said after presenting the
award that carries a prize of
Rs.7.5 lakh.
early age, Mr. Bhyrappa said
it was the question of death
that drew him to philosophy
and pushed him towards ex-
ploring the meaning of life as
such.
However, he said, he was
against the stream of thought
that forces writers and au-
thors to revolve around the
current social challenges of
their society rather than al-
lowing them to unleash their
creativity.
He said he refused to give
in to “activists who try to con-
 http://hindu.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20130125300111400.htm&...

Vol:30 Iss:01 URL: http://www.flonnet.com/fl3001/stories/20130125300111400.htm

Back

PUBLIC HEALTH

Private leaning
T.K. RAJALAKSHMI

The finalised chapter on health in the 12th Plan document envisages a large role for the private
sector in health care.
C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM

A man affected by malaria at Pedabidda, an interior tribal hamlet of Anantagiri mandal in the
Visakhapatnam agency area. A file photograph. Activists have been maintaining that secure
access to quality health care can only be guaranteed by a well-resourced and accountable public
health system.

A chapter on health prepared for the draft 12th Five Year Plan Document in July received a lot of
criticism for its limited understanding of universal health care and its diluted commitment to increase
public expenditure on health. If the revised version is any indication, there has not been much change
in the official mindset.

Claimed to be prepared on the basis of the recommendations of a High-Level Expert Group (HLEG)
on Universal Health Care constituted by the Planning Commission, both the draft version and the
finalised one display a tilt towards the involvement of the private sector in health care. The only
substantive change is a slightly enhanced commitment of public spending, from 1.58 per cent of the
gross domestic product (GDP) mentioned in the draft chapter to 2.1 per cent, by the end of the 12th
Plan. This, too, is way below the demand for 5 per cent of public expenditure on health. The document
seeks to hand over health care to a network of public and private providers rather than increase
substantively the public provisioning of health services through an enhanced health budget. The
inevitability of the private sector playing a large role in health care is thus taken for granted.

The belief inherent in the present document as well as the previous one is that public services are
intrinsically inefficient and designed for failure. Apparently, the very idea of Universal Health
Coverage (UHC) touted by the government aggressively owes its genesis to a renewed emphasis

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several international agencies laid on facilitating and promoting the private sector in health care. While
the draft and the finalised chapter wax eloquent on the need to address out-of-pocket (OOP)
expenditure, it is baffling that the remedy is seen in regulating the private sector and not in widespread
public provisioning of health services.

In the finalised chapter, there is a slight dilution of the approach to reducing OOP expenditure.
Concerns were expressed in the draft to lower OOP expenditure to affordable levels in the 12th Plan
period; the finalised chapter says “the 12th Plan measures will also aim to reduce out-of-pocket
spending as a proportion of private spending on health”. There are no targets or time frame set. In fact,
the chapter takes solace from the HLEG report which admits that “the transformation of India’s health
system to become an effective platform for UHC is an evolutionary process that will span several
years”.

There is a tacit admission that OOP expenditure is very high, at about 4.1 per cent of the GDP in
2008-09. Public expenditure on core health (Plan as well as non-Plan and taking the Centre and the
States together) pales in comparison: 0.96 per cent of the GDP in 2007-08 and 1.06 per cent in
2011-12. “It needs to increase much more over the next few Plan periods,” the revised chapter
observes without making any substantive commitment as to how much is needed to cut down OOP.

While reviewing the progress of health infrastructure in rural areas, the final chapter is as candid as the
draft was in admitting that the creation of infrastructure has been slower in high-burden States and that
most of the facilities did not match the standards set by the Indian Public Health Standards.

Health insurance schemes

Although shortcomings have been acknowledged, there is no clear-cut commitment on strengthening

public health care and its infrastructure. For instance, notwithstanding the concerns expressed in the
document over the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), the flagship health insurance scheme
introduced for the poor in 2007, there is noticeable advocacy of handing over public funds to the
private sector through the insurance route. The document acknowledges a general problem with any
“fee for service” payment financed by an insurance mechanism—that it creates an incentive for
unnecessary treatment which in due course raises costs and premiums. It speaks about evidence that
this has been happening and about the necessity to devise steps to minimise it.

The revised chapter concludes that some groups oppose insurance schemes on the grounds that they
are not realistic. But the paragraph goes on to say that the beneficiary is able to choose from
alternative care-givers covered by a common insurance scheme and that experiences with the RSBY
and other State-specific insurance schemes need to be studied thoroughly so that suitable corrective
measures can be introduced before integrating these schemes into a framework of UHC.

The chapter also includes a critique of the RSBY but does not advocate a complete review of the same
or a discontinuation of the scheme. It says: “The shortcomings of the RSBY noted so far include high
transaction costs due to insurance intermediaries, inability to control provider-induced demand, a lack
of coverage for primary health care and out-patient care. Fragmentation of the different levels of care
can lead to an upward escalation towards the secondary level of patients who should preferably be
handled at the primary or even preventive stages. The RSBY also does not take into account State-
specific variations in disease profiles and health needs.” Health groups like the Jan Swasthya Abhiyaan
(JSA) have been demanding a rejection of the scheme.

The JSA has been insisting that public expenditure on health should not be less than 5 per cent of the
GDP. It maintains that secure access to quality health care can only be guaranteed by a well-resourced
and accountable public health system. Additionally, the implementation of insurance schemes also

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needs to be comprehensively inquired into, especially the financial sustainability of the schemes, the
health outcomes, and the financial risk production of the households.

The JSA has also pointed out that there is enough evidence internationally to show that the utilisation
of large, networked private care-providers to give insurance outcomes leads to high costs and poor
health outcomes. It has demanded the gradual dismantling of the current public-financed health
insurance schemes and the integration of those schemes into a universal and comprehensive system to
provide health care for all.

In a significant change, the title of the subsection “Key elements of the 12th Plan Strategy” in the draft
has been done away with in the finalised chapter. However, what is more significant here is that in the
finalised chapter, the key elements of the new strategy are described as part of a longer plan to move
towards UHC, which the HLEG points out is a process that may unfold over two or three Plan periods.
The draft clearly laid the time frame as two Plan periods. One of the key strategies involves the
expansion and strengthening of the public sector health care system to meet the health needs of rural
and even urban areas.

As if making a strong case for good and affordable public sector health care, the document says that
increase in supply in the public sector will cause a shift towards public-sector providers and free the
vulnerable population from dependence on high-cost and often unreachable private sector health care.
Clearly, it does not make the causal link between public expenditure on health and supply of public
sector health services. Perhaps reacting to criticism, a line in the draft chapter, “that private sector will
of course continue as an option to those who can afford it”, has been removed.

The introductions to both the draft and the final chapter are more or less the same, but nutrition as a
key component of health is absent from the list of other determinants. There is no reference to
universalising the public distribution system (PDS), a long-standing demand of activist groups.

Rural health

In the section on the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), a commitment to provide 30-50-bed
community health centres (CHC) per lakh population is missing from the main text. Whether this is an
oversight or a deliberate omission is not clear. Further, in the draft, 3.47 lakh accredited social health
activists (ASHAs), or less than half of the total number of them, were said to have received training up
to the fifth module. In the final version, this figure becomes 72 per cent.

The section on gaps in human resources is drafted flippantly. It says that “lack of skilled human
resources is a major constraint on any effort to upscale health service delivery and serious efforts were
made to address this problem in the Eleventh Plan. An important initiative was the addition of 8.66
lakh ASHAs under the NRHM to facilitate accessing of health care services by the community. ASHAs
have been very active in and effective in promoting institutional delivery and immunisation and to
some extent in increasing access to sterilisation services.”

ASHAs would be required also to deliver contraceptives at the doorstep for a “nominal” amount. A
new incentive-based scheme, the Home-Based Newborn Care, has been launched as a key
intervention to reduce infant mortality rate, and once again, through ASHAs. Depending on how
successful they are in improving newborn care practices at the community level and early detection
and referral of sick newborn babies, ASHAs would be paid Rs.250 a case.

First, to describe ASHAs as skilled human resources and then deny them a decent wage is one of the
biggest stories of denial in the grand architectural correction of the health system currently under way.
It has been rather easy for the government to recruit lakhs of poor women, who are dependent on

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meagre family incomes, to work as ASHAs. But it has been unable to recruit doctors, nurses and
specialists, the actual “skilled force” component of the health system. Payment to ASHAs continues to
be incentive-driven. In fact, the actual shortage in skilled personnel is striking. At the end of the 11th
Plan, the gap in staff position was 53 per cent for nurses, 76 per cent for doctors and 88 per cent for
other specialists.

The conclusion of the chapter is telling. There is a mention about expanding the NRHM into a National
Health Mission, but without the corresponding increase in budgetary expenditure.

The document also talks about putting in place a basic architecture for health security for the nation,
incentivising State governments to do what is needed to improve the public health care system while
“effectively regulating the private health care system, so that the two together can work to address all
possible threats to health and manage the delivery of essential preventive, promotive, curative and
rehabilitatory interventions”. This task, it says, cannot be completed in one Plan period but will “take
two or three Plan periods, with experimentation, to put the basic health infrastructure in place”.

Finally, the chapter does not display any urgency in addressing the very issues it poses in the
beginning, including those relating to OOP expenditure. The approach continues to be ad hoc and
non-serious and at the same time appearing to be self-critical.

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Impacting her world
A slew of gender-centric initiatives pepper the
12th Plan document
Aarti Dhar
 To ensure that women-cen-
tric legislations are imple-
mented effectively, the
government has included a
host of initiatives, including
appointing dowry prohibition
officers and protection per-
sonnel for domestic violence.
It will also encourage gen-
der messaging in major media
programmes and shows
across channels in the next
five years. This will entail
substantive engagements
with the executive producers,
content writers and editors of
all channels on critical gender
concerns and issues. Recog-
nition will be accorded to the
programmes that air messag-
es critical to the empower-
ment of women.
According to the 12th Plan
document, a new scheme
would be launched for ap-
pointment of sufficient num-
ber of dedicated, full time
Dowry Prohibition Officers to
enforce the Dowry Preven-
tion Act.
Similarly, under the Pro-
tection of Women from Do-
mestic Violence Act
(PWDVA) the State govern-
ments are required to appoint
Protection Officers, register
Service Providers and notify
medical facilities for women
in distress.
However, most of the
States/Union Territories
have given additional charge
to their existing officers to
perform the duties of Protec-
for strengthening the en-
forcement mechanisms for
the Act and making penalties
severe. Restrictions on sex de-
tection and sex selection ad-
vertisements must be
enforced, according to the
document which is expected
to be approved before the year
end.
Registration/Regulation of
sonography machines must
be ensured and it must be
mandatory for all registered
centres to maintain all re-
cords, charts, forms, reports
and consent letters for a peri-
od of two years or until per-
mitted by the concerned
appropriate authority. Decoy
and sting operations must be
an integral part of the strategy
ENFORCEMENT: Full time dowry prohibition officers to catch the doctors/clinics
on the cards. PHOTO: R.SHIVAJI RAO. indulging in the illegal prac-
tice of sex-determination and
tion Officer which is said to be Importantly, new initia- abortion of the female foetus,
affecting implementation of tives such as One Stop Crisis it points out.
the Act. “State governments Centres for providing shelter, Gender Resource Centres
must be encouraged to ap- police desk, legal, medical and will be established by the State
point personnel as needed and counselling services and Departments for Women and
provide support for establish- Women’s Helpline will be Child Development in all
ing Counselling Facilities or considered. pockets of disturbed areas on
Family Counselling Centres The Plan proposal also a priority basis in order to pro-
as well as for capacity building stresses on the need to effec- vide information and counsel-
of the officials and infrastruc- tively administer the laws ling for women, enable access
tural support to Protection which were conceived to pro- to justice, benefit from all
Officers,” the 12th Plan docu- mote the objective of women’s Central government schemes,
ment says.   equality and gender balance in including social protection
A scheme to this effect will society and hopes that the schemes and public services.
be introduced that would en- State would take primary re- District plans and funds will
sure appointment of suffi- sponsibility. The practice of be directed towards providing
cient number of dedicated, using technology for foetal sex sustainable livelihood oppor-
full time Dowry Prohibition determination to engage in fe- tunities, increased and equi-
Officers to enforce the DPA male foeticide needs to be ad- table access to land, common
Act. Training and capacity dressed stringently. The property resources, improved
building of law enforcement provisions of the Pre-Concep- social and physical infrastruc-
agencies and the judiciary on tion and Pre-Natal Diagnostic ture and governance institu-
issues concerning dowry re- Techniques Act (PC-PNDT) tions, greater coverage of
lated harassment of women Act must be reviewed to make MGNREGA and NRLM, and
and dowry deaths will also re- sex selection practices effec- better credit opportunities for
ceive attention. tively punishable. This calls women in the disturbed areas.
The Shilp Guru awards are conferred on legendary master crafts persons of handicrafts whose
work and dedication have contributed not only to the preservation of rich and diverse craft
heritage of the country but also to the resurgence of handicrafts sector as a whole. In addition,
financial assistance of Rs.6 lakh is also given to each awardee to innovate and create five new
products of high level of excellence, high aesthetic value and high quality befitting the stature of
the Guru.
The Sant Kabir Award is conferred on outstanding weavers who have made valuable
contribution in keeping alive the handloom heritage and also for dedication in building up
linkages between the past, present and future through dissemination of knowledge on traditional
skills and designs. Each award consists of one mounted gold coin, one shawl, a certificate and a
‘tamrapatra’. Financial assistance of Rs. 6 lakh is also given to each awardee to innovate and
create 10 new products of high level of excellence, high aesthetic value and high quality.
The National Awards for Master Crafts persons and master weavers were introduced in
1965. Each award comprises a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, a certificate, a ‘tamrapatra’ and an
‘angavastram’.
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Re-search (CSIR) announced here on Friday the U.N
Brahmachari Award for excellence in the field of re-search in combating infectious diseases.
The award is in honour of Dr. Brahmachari who discovered the treatment of Leishmaniasis (Kala
azar). Dr. Brahmachari played an important role in the field of medicines. He discovered Urea
Stibamine in 1922, the first pentavalent antimonial for effective treatment of Leishmaniasis.
Sanskriti
Awards.
The awards are given every
year to young talents in the
field of journalism, art, literature,
performing arts and social
achievement
 he world is a poorer place with the death of

T Swartz, the 26-year-old computer ge-

Aaron Swartz
nius and zealous advocate of free public ac-
cess to knowledge and content on the
Internet. Among other things, he was a Robin Hood of
Internet
modern times, who fervently believed that iff informa-
tion is power, then that power should be freely avail-
globe. And if that meant
able to people across the globe
freeing up, by whatever means, the information kept
behind paywalls, so be it. But the methods the digital
activist adopted were not always in line with law. If
downloading 4.8 million articles from the digital li-
brary, JSTOR in order to distribute them freely was not
legally right, the prosecution’s steely determination to
use a sledgehammer to punish him was completely
wrong. In the end, this overkill snuffed out the life of a
wrong
brilliant young man. But even in death, Swartz has
achieved something truly remarkable — he has galvan-
ised the scientific community into realising the impor-
tance of free access to academic work.
w The outrage by
scientists has manifested itself in several ways, one of
which perfectly reflects his ideals. Opposing the “priv-
atisation of knowledge,” researchers have begun shar-
ing their copyright-protected work on Twitter as a
tribute to Swartz, using the hashtag #PDFtribute.
While it perfectly resonates with his agenda, it may not
be legally tenable to do this for long, unless the copy-
right rests with the authors. Hence there
here is a need to
channel the emotion of scholars to finding a permanent
solution. As Michael Eisen, co-founder of the Public
Library of Sciences (PLoS) tweeted, “real
real #PDFtribute
shouldn't be putting your paywalled papers online, it
should be never letting them go behind a paywall
again.”
again.
In a parallel development, with nearly 60,000 pet-
itions, the U.S. administration is coming under in-
creasing pressure to quickly consider providing open
access to all papers arising from taxpayer-funded re-
search. Currently,
sear urrently, only the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) has such a policy in place.
place The least the
U.S. government can do to mitigate the indignation is
by quickly acting on the pending Federal Research
Public Access Act, that would make ‘green open access’
mandatory for all federally-funded research.
research More-
over, other
ther countries have already instituted similar
policies. For instance, starting this April, all papers
arising from Research Councils UK funding will per-
force be ‘gold open access.’
acces Effective January 1, 2013, all
results of research funded by the Australian Research
Council will become open access within 12 months of
publication. These policies will not set free the locked-
publication
up results, but will at least prevent future work from
hiding behind paywalls.
ck
Hallmarking of gold
x,
0-
on
36 made mandatory
le
f-
wo The move will provide value and authenticity
in
at Special Correspondent
rs
or NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at
rd protecting the interests of
r, consumers and prevent
ill frauds in sale of gold jewel-
ts lery, the Union Cabinet on
Wednesdayy approved
pp the
x, proposal
p p to make hallmark-
ly ingg of gold
g mandatory. pre-
y At p
up sent,, hallmarkingg of gold is
of voluntary in nature.
at The move to hallmark gold
g
ad will certainlyy provide
p value
or and authenticityy to the jew-
j
to ellery bought by the consum-
y. ers and amounts to purity 1986,
19866, that aims to expand
p the sent,, about 77 items,, includ- moved by the Consumer Af-
f- certification of the yellow ambit of mandatoryy hall- ingg cement,, mineral water fairs Ministryy soughtg to in-
to metal. The Bureau of Indian markingg to include more and milk products,
p , are certi- troduce registration
g of
Standards (BIS), under the products,, includingg gold.
g fied through
g mandatoryy hall- relevant standards as an al-
r- Consumer Affairs Ministry, is The BIS (Amendment)
( ) Bill,, markingg under the BIS Act ternative mechanism to the
d, the administrative authority will empower
p the govern-
g for conformityy with expected compulsory
p y certification re-
k. of hallmarking. ment to bringg in compulsory
p y quality levels. The BIS hall- gime
g to facilitate growth
g of
The Union Cabinet, headed certification regime
g anyy arti- mark bestows on the consum- sunrise sectors and protect
p
by Prime Minister Manmo- cle and/or
/ process
p that it con- er additional confidence on consumers from spurious
p and
se han Singh, cleared the pro-
p siders necessaryy from the the quality of products such substandard imports.
p
a posal
p byy approving
pp g point
p of view of health,, safety,
y, as gold jewellery. It also aims to strengthen
g
96 amendments to thee Bureau of o environment and prevention
p Besides mandatoryy hall- the penal
p provision
p for better
s- Indian Standards (BIS) Act, of deceptive practice. At pre- marking, the amendments and effective compliance.
l-
f
 CITY
NOIDA/DELHI

4 THE HINDU SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012

The ban on plastic carry bags in Delhi has led to chaos with shopkeepers and consumers
struggling to come to terms with the changed scenario. The government and
environmentalists insist that the ban would curb use of plastic bags which pollute the
environment and choke the sewers and drains. But bag manufacturers insist that such bags
constitute less than 1 per cent of the total solid waste and so the exercise is futile

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Struggling to come to terms
NEW DELHI: “Please do not em-
barrass us by asking for a po-
lythene bag for carrying milk
pouches. Get your own bag,’’
reads a fresh hand-made no-
tice on a cardboard above a
milk-vendors outlet in East
Delhi.
Naresh Kumar was quick
off the blocks. No sooner had
the Delhi Government ban
on plastic carry bags come in-
to effect on November 22 -- a
month after the notification
was issued -- the price of the
bags began going up sharply
and started eating into his
nominal profit of 50 paise per
pouch.
“The only other option was
that we had to start charging
the customers for the cloth
bags which cost about 10
times as much. So I thought
of advising my customers to
bring their own cloth or jute
bags for buying milk,’’ he
says. But even Naresh does
not know how he would pack-
age the loose paneer or cot-
tage cheese he sells. “As of
now I am providing the po-
lythene for it. Let’s see what
would happen later. Probably
I will have to wrap it in
newspaper.’’
Same is the story with
young Asad Qureshi, a meat
shop owner in Darya Ganj.
“My father says earlier too
meat used to be wrapped in
newspaper. Probably we
would have to go back to a
bygone era.’’ But isn’t the
newspaper ink harmful for
the human body? “Well, I do
not know and there is no oth-
er option before us,’’ he
insists.
Delhi Environment Secre-
tary Sanjiv Kumar differed
on this. “Meat
Meat sellers at many
places have started selling
meat in plastic and alumini-
um boxes,’’
boxes, he says, adding
that the ban is only on a cer-
tain category of plastic carry
bags. “Moreover,r, there are no
restrictions on use of plastic
articles.’’
for pre-packaged article
Asked if use of cloth, plas-
tic containers and other rela-
tively more bulky items like
aluminium in place of plastic
bags would lead to increase in
the quantity of solid waste,
the official said at least this
waste would be largely bio-
degradable. He also added
that more categories of pack-
aging material and pouches
may be banned in future.
The earlier Government
notification in January 2009
had banned sale and use of
plastic carry bags, but now
the ban has been extended to
cover the manufacture of
these bags as well.
The official said notices
have also been issued to
about 85 registered manufac-
turers of plastic bags across
Delhi to stop their produc-
tion. The manufacturers
have in the meantime ap-
proached the Delhi High
Court for relief under the
EASY TO CARRY: People seen carrying plastic bags
in Delhi. - PHOTO: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
banner of the All India Plastic
Industries’ Association.
Chairman of the Environ-
ment Committee of AIPIA
Ravi Kumar Aggarwal says
while the Association has
challenged
hallenged the ban on manu-
facture of plastic bags in the
High Court, it is also fighting
a case against the 2009 noti-
fication in the Supreme
Court.
Mr. Aggarwal says while
ban on plastic bags is con-
cerned, it is nothing but a
piecemeal approach. “Plastic
lastic
constitutes about 5 to 7 per
cent of all solid waste and of
this only about 10 per cent
are plastic bags. So all this
brouhaha is for less than 1 per
cent of the total solid waste.’’
waste
On the Government’s
claim that plastic pollutes the
environment and chokes the
drains and sewers, Mr. Agar-
wal says “this is just a myth –
drains get blocked as desilt-
ing does n not
ot take place and
debris also flows into itit.’’ He
insists that the problem ac-
tually lies in the civic agen-
cies’ failure to recycle
trashed plastic bags.
Environmentalists, how-
Call centre to be set up
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: A call centre
would be set up to receive
officially there are 200 man- complaints from people for
ufacturers of plastic bags in
Delhi, about 2,000 unregis-
violation of the norms of
the ban on plastic bags.
tered manufacturers are also We would be coming up
there. “The manufacturers in with a number for this
Delhi supply bags all over the service. The service is
country. So, the need of the expected to be launched in
hour is to curb sale of such a month’s time, said Delhi
bags in Delhi and prosecute Environment Secretary
and challan only those manu- Sanjiv Kumar.
facturers who sell in the local The official said under
market.’’ the new set-up people
Mr. Aggarwal says as far as
ever, have a different take on
this. Kushal Singh Yadav of
Centre for Science and Envi-
ronment was earlier quoted
as having said that “alterna-
tive’’ were bio-degradable
bags which are prepared
from cellulose that can be
easily processed and which
decompose in the natural
environment.
In the meantime, the ban
has meant a lot of inconve-
nience to the consumers at
large.
“Carrying cloth or jute
bags to every place is just too
much to ask for. Moreover,
why all this trouble when the
benefits from it would be mi-
nuscule,’’ asks Ashish Kaul, a
resident of Mayur Vihar.
would be encouraged to
report any violation of the
ban.
“We are looking for a
premises from where the
service would be
operated,’’ he added.
“Twin-pronged strategy”
In the meantime, the
Department has also put
up on its website,
www.environment.
delhigovt.nic.in, all the
details pertaining to the
ban and the kind of bags
which are permissible.

Sanjiv Kumar

A big blow to poor Students roped in to show the way Delhi Environment Secreta-
ry Sanjiv Kumar, who is-
To enforce the ban, 28
teams of the Environment

vendors, hawkers Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

sued the notification on ban Department had swung into
on plastic carry bags on Oc- action on December 1 and
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Govern-
tober 23 this year, believes it warned the sellers and users
ment’s Environment De-
is the responsibility of all of these bags to desist from
Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar quantity of plastic than the the citizens to protect and their use. We did not carry
bags. partment has enlisted the
support of the nearly 2,000
preserve the environment. out any prosecution as the
NEW DELHI: For poor vendors Ranjit Abhigyan, pro-
Eco Clubs operating in vari-
He spoke to Gaurav Vivek matter is being heard in
and hawkers, the ban on plastic gramme manager of National Bhatnagar about how he court. However, under Sec-
bags has come as a big blow. It Association of Street Vendors ous schools of the city.
The children in these
aims to successfully imple- tion 5 of the Environment
has simply made things more of India, said “experiences ment the ban…. Protection Act, there is a
complicated for them. from several countries show schools are being engaged in
In practical terms clause for a Rs.1 lakh fine or
While for many, the issue is that the blanket ban without poster making and cloth bag
what is different about even a jail term of up to five
of passing the burden to the any policy instrument, change manufacturing exercise to
the Delhi Government’s years for violations. In fu-
consumers, for others it is also in consumer behaviour and tell the community around
recent notification on ture, we would be invoking
a matter of how to sell goods, education programmes, cash them about the ways in
banning plastic carry these provisions.
especially food items that re- back scheme and other eco- which the transition from
bags? Are the other Govern-
quire polythene. nomic incentives has never plastic bags to other forms
We had earlier imposed a ment departments also
“I sell purii, cholay and rice worked’
worked’’. could be made.
ban on use of plastic bags in being engaged to prevent
along with chaach (butter Rather, he said, “it has cre- Dr. B. C. Sabat, Senior Sci-
commercial complexes and smuggling of plastic car-
milk). Most of my customers ated more and more problems entific Officer in the Envi-
malls. Now it has been ex- ry bags?
carry these articles home. for the working poor like street ronment Department, said
tended to cover the people. The Environment De-
While puri or rice can be vendors and consumers. When letters have also been issued
First we will target the sup- partment is in talks with the
packed in paper bags, we need vendors cannot pass the cost of to all the schools for involv-
pliers, then the shops and Value Added Tax Depart-
polythene bags for cholay be- using non-plastic bags like re- ing children in the campaign
finally the smaller vendors ment and the Transport De-
cause the gravy would drain usable cloth bags or synthetic against plastic bags.
and hawkers. partment to ensure that the
out. But if I keep these now, I woven bags on to the custom- He said the schools which
What is the strategy production and transporta-
run the risk of being harassed ers, how do the authorities are participating in the cam-
for enforcing the ban? tion of plastic bags is curbed.
by the police or the corpora- think that just using legislation paign include Kendriya Vi-
For a big city like Delhi, Creating awareness is
tion people,’’ said Sitaram. and orders as tools to coerce dyalayas, Sarvodaya and
there obviously would be an integral part of any
In fact, this is a problem be- them would prove productive.’’ Navodaya schools, Delhi
a shortage of manpower such drive. How has the
ing faced by almost all the res- Mr. Abhigyan said “when the government schools as also
to implement it all Environment Depart-
taurant and eatery owners
owners. government fails to bring in private aided schools.
across. ment gone about with it?
However, as a restaurateur change in the attitudinal beha- One such school which
We have adopted a twin- We have issued letters to
said most of them already use viour of consumers through has already started working
pronged strategy which all the market and traders’
plastic and aluminium con- awareness, education and pro- on making cloth bags and
seeks to target the supply associations informing
tainers which, ironically, are motional schemes, it falls back distributing them among
chain of polythene bags and them about the ban on such
permitted under the law de- to negative prevention to cam- people is Mt. Abu Public ECO FRIENDLY PRODUCT: Students of Mt. Abu Public Schools in Sector 5 of then the sellers and con- bags. Apart from this, post-
spite consuming a much larger ouflage its own failures.’’ Schools in Sector 5 of Rohi- Rohini with cloth bags that they have started making and distributing them sumers. When bags would
sume ers are also being put by the
among people no longer be there, shops department in various mar-
and consumers would auto- kets to create awareness
WEATHER ni. ment Department the kind Bhandari, adding that stu-
matically shift to greener about the issue. Besides,
The Eco Club in-charge of of bags that they are making. dents have been distributing
options. school children are being
the school Sumita Bhandari “We want to show the the bags and pamphlets with
Max Min R TR How is the ban being engaged through Eco Clubs
New Delhi (Plm) 25 10 0 9 and some students recently people how plastic can be re- messages on plastic ban in
enforced? to spread the message.
New Delhi (Sfd) 26 9 0 9 displayed to the Environ- placed with cloth,’’ said Ms. their colonies.
Chandigarh 21 9 0 3
Hissar 26 6 0 13
Bhuntar 16 2 0 20
Shimla 16 10 0 10
Jammu
Srinagar
Amritsar
Patiala
Jaipur
23
7
24
22
29
10
2
7
7
10
0
0
0
0
0
7
23
8
4
tr
Shopkeepers are at a loss finding replacements
Udaipur
Allahabad
Lucknow
Varanasi
Dehradun
31
27
27
28
23
18
11
9
11
7
0
0
0
0
0
0
tr
0
1
8
for polythene bags to sell their products
Agartala 25 13 0 102
Ahmedabad 34 16 0 0 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar ‘The ban does not cover pre-packaged heavy articles as their lin- even people carrying po-
Bangalore 29 17 0 174 ing often gives way and pa- lythene bags can be ques-
Bhubaneshwar
Bhopal
32
32
16
15
0
0
201
0 NEW DELHI: General grocers goods but covers all those packaged by per bags are both costly tioned from which shop
and other shopkeepers are b Earli-
and hard to come by. they got them from.’’
Chennai
Guwahati
32
28
22
15
0
0
518
121 at a loss finding replace- the retailers’ er, till the 1970s and early
Hyderabad
Kolkata
33
28
19
14
0
0
118
170 ments for plastic bags to 1980s, before the prolifer- Sari trader
Mumbai 35 24 0 127 sell their products. me Rs.10, then I will have So how would we be able to ation of plastic bags, so Apart from this, in the
Nagpur 34 13 0 30
Patna 26 10 0 47 “The price of the 5 kg po- no option but to pass on sell these articles in small many different kinds of ar- case of clothing, the clear
Pune 33 18 0 145 lythene bags has shot up the burden to the quantities?’’ ticles were not there. Also, polythene sheets used for
Thiruvananthapuram 31 23 1 355
Imphal 26 7 0 204 from around Rs.150 per kg consumer.’’ Another area of concern people indulging in sponta- covering saris, suits and
Shillong 16 9 0 150 to Rs.400 per kg. But we But more than the pric- is that even gunny bags of neous buying often do not other material is also cov-
The columns show maximum and still have to purchase these ing, the general merchants sugar and rice are these carry bags with them.’’th ered under the ban.
ban Vinod
minimum temperature in Celsius,
rainfall during last 24 hours (tr- as not all the consumers are worried how to handle days lined by polythene to Another trader said the Sharma, a sari trader, said
INSAT PICTURE AT 14.00 hrs. Observations recorded at 8.30 a.m.
trace) and total rainfall in mm since on December 8th. bring their own bags,’’ said various products in the ab- save the product from the ban has placed exceptional already some of the materi-
1st October. Harish Gupta, a general sence of polythene bags. conditio
weather condition. powers in the hands of the al has started coming in
Rainfall above normal in east Rajasthan, or two places over Jammu and
merchant of Shahdara in “There are many issues “What would happen police and other depart- rolls with a rubber band
East Delhi. here. We buy in bulk and now as even this plastic ments me to harass the trad- wrapped around it.
NEW DELHI: RAINFALL: Rain/ above normal in Jammu and Kashmir during next 48 hours and
snow has occurred at isolated Kashmir and west Rajasthan and mainly dry weather thereafter. then sell various articles cover would not be avail- ers. “But to protect the cloth
places over Jammu and Kashmir. normal over rest of the region. The Weather would be mainly dry over Consumer like pulses, rice, flour, sug- able? The
he food items would “Even if some categories from dust, we will have to
Weather was dry over the rest of lowest minimum temperature in rest of the region. Mr. Gupta said ultimate- ar and even spices in small get spoilt quickly,’’
quick said of plastics are permissible, take extra precautions or
the region. the plains was 03.9oC at Sarsawa FORECAST FOR DELHI AND
MINIIMUM TEMPERATURES: (Uttar Pradesh). NEIGHBOURHOOD VALID ly it is the consumer who quantities. The ban does Harmeet Singh, a trader of the police would not know cover the shops completely
The minimum temperatures fell in FORECAST VALID UNTIL THE UNTIL THE MORNING OF 10th would have to pay for the not cover pre-packaged Mayur Vihar. and those transporting or since wrapping in paper is
Punjab and changed little MORNING OF 10th DECEMBER DECEMBER 2012: Mainly clear
elsewhere. They were appreciably 2012: Rain/snow may occur at one sky. Mist in the morning. cost of the bag
bags. goods but covers all those “Besides, the cloth bags using them would be tar- not an option because of
“If a cloth bag would cost packaged by the retailers. cannot be used for carrying geted. We have heard that display issue.’’
CM ND-ND
YK
 On track
At last the distance between Jammu and the
Valley will be shortened
T
HE Jammu and Kashmir
railway line, conceived in an-
other age, and re-imagined
several times, proved to be as much a
marvel as difficult. The spectacle of
tunnel after tunnel and bridge after
bridge is a toast to the human engi- g
neeringg acumen. Next month, the
regions
g of Jammu and the Kashmir
Valley,y connected byy a solitaryy road
link through the Pir Panjal moun-
tains now, are set to come closer in
time and space.
p The 11-km-longg
tunnel between Banihal in the
Jammu region g and QQazigund
g in
Kashmir will shorten the distance
to 17.5 km from the 35 km on road.
And it will take all of six minutes to
cross the tunnel by train. On the
verge
g of completion,
p it will be In-
dia’s longest
g transport p tunnel and
Asia’s second longest,
g situated 440
m below the existingg Jawahar Tun-
nel used by vehicles currently. y
Jammu and Kashmir needed its
rail link for humanitarian and socio-
economic reasons, cut off by geog-
raphy as many parts of the state are
from the rest of the country and
each other. It is not surprising, there-
fore, that the idea of the railway is
more than a century old, although
the first of its four sections went op- p
erational onlyy in 2005. With thee 25
km Udhampur-Katra
p legg expected
p
to be completed
p alongg with the Ban-
ihal-Qazigund
Q g sub-section of the
Katra-Qazigund
Q g legg byy December, r
the focus will be on the most diffi-
cult segment
g of the project
p j — the
111.5 km Katra-Banihal stretch,
which has a 2017 deadline and
needs 31 tunnels and 62 bridges,
with a bridge over the Chenab at 359
m that will make it the highest rail-
wayy structure in the world.
The J&K railwayy will, of course,
languish
g as a standalone service till
its integration
g with the national rail
network. But let alone the benefits
the railway will bring to J&K even
before that integration, the primary
construction work, by building ap-
proach roads and tunnels to carry
men and material, has already im-
proved socio-economic conditions
in the surrounding areas by provid-
ing locals mobility and jobs, infra-
structure and connectivity. The one
thing J&K needs above all else is
growth and development. When
that is provided, the political reality
can more readily veer towards the
uneventful and tranquil.
‘PROSPERING’ BIHAR PLUSES
14.8% GROWTH RATE IN 2010-11,
TOP AMONG ALL STATES

PRESENTS ITS POORER

60,000 CRIMINALS CONVICTED IN 6
YEARS

4 CR SCHOOLCHILDREN GET HEALTH

CARDS UNDER SPECIAL SCHEME

3.5% DROPOUT RATE, DOWN

FACE
FROM 12
SEEKING TO BE PUT IN SPECIAL CATEGORY, STATE GOVT 25 LAKH STUDENTS GIVEN SCHOOL
UNIFORMS IN 4 YEARS
MAKES A CASE THAT CONTRASTS ITS GROWTH STORY 20 LAKH BICYCLES
DISTRIBUTED
SANTOSH SINGH
PATNA, APRIL 5
1.7 LAKH KM ROADS BUILT OR
REDONE

B
IHAR, THAT “model of MINUSES
growth” its government
never tires of promoting,
has at the same time been
14.8% GROWTH WAS PROPELLED BY
SECONDARY SECTOR BOOM,
HENCE NOT SUSTAINABLE
pushing for special category status
on grounds of how poorly placed it
is in comparison with other states.
1.45 CR
65 LAKH
BPL FAMILIES, HIGHEST IN
COUNTRY; CENTRE GOES BY

“As per 2010-11 figures (of the

Central Statistical Organisation),
per capita
p p income of Bihar
) 1/3 OF NATIONAL AVERAGE, PER CAPITA
INCOME; CONSISTENTLY GOING
DOWN SINCE FIRST FIVE YEAR PLAN
((Rs 13,632)) was about one-third of
the national per p capita income aver- 1.14% OF INDUSTRIES IN
INDIA
age (Rs 35,993) and was about one-
fifth of per capita income of Maha-
rashtra (Rs 62,729). The huge gap is
1/6TH BIHAR'S ELECTRICITY
CONSUMPTION AS A FRACTION
OF NATIONAL CONSUMPTION
a matter of serious concern and BOTTOM ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
needs to be addressed at the earli- INDEX
est,” reads a government presenta- LOWEST PER CAPITA
tion to the Planning Commission. DEVELOPMENT
This comes from a state that EXPENDITURE
prides itself in having topped even
Gujarat in the 2010-11 growth g
charts, its 14.8 p per cent being a
touch above the rival state’s. Gu-
jarat, incidentally, has a per capita
income of Rs 52,708, about four
times that of Bihar.
The growth story the Nitish Ku-
mar government has been selling is
hinged largely on a comparison with
the performance of its RJD p prede-
cessor. Successive RJD governments
g
spent
p onlyy Rs 25,000 crore in 15
yyears, a figure
g the current ggovern-
ment likes to compare p with Rs 28,000
crore, the budget for 2012-13 alone.
Other highlights g include con-
struction and repair p of roads
((170,000km in six yyears)) bringing g g
Patna within six hours of most
towns, a boost to health and educa-
tion byy attractingg more p patients to
hospitals
p and arrestingg the dropout
p C R SASIKUMAR
rate, and tighter
g control of crime
with highway
g y robbers vanishingg and
criminals no longer g assured police-
men’s protection.
It is when the government ex-
tends the comparison to states such
as Gujarat and Maharashtra that it
finds itself challenged by experts. At
the Bihar Global Summit in Febru- peaking at the 14.8 per cent of 2010- shot up to 67.7. In the 11th Plan pe- Rs 2,137. This implies that even to
ary, investors Bihar was trying to tap
advised Nitish to ensure proper
11, but that year the secondary sector
averaged only 6.3 per cent to the sec- GROWTH DUE riod, it iss 60.27 per cent.
The government
g admits there is
reach the level of national average,
we need to substantially step up de-
electricity supply first. And Plan- ondaryy sector’s 19.2. to telecom and construction no majorj industryy in Bihar. Of a total velopment expenditure by Rs 23,016
ning Commission member Abhijit Construction, for example, grew boom, says economist, 155,321
321 industries in India, Bihar crore per year.” This expenditure in
Sen rejected
j the ggrowth story,y say-
y 26.1 per cent in 2010-11. With in- had onlyy 1,774 (1.14 per cent) in 2009-10 was Rs 8,179, compared to
ingg it was onlyy “nurseryy and catch- vestor confidence boosted by the im- calling it ‘nursery and 2008-09. A About Bihar’s ppower short- Rs 16,540 of Gujarat, Rs 22,299 of
ment area” growth, and hence not provement in law and order, growth catchment area growth’ that age,
g it says,y “The p per capita
p electric- Andhra Pradesh, Rs 31,785 of Hi-
sustainable. of the sector has been generally is not sustainable. In appeal ityy consumption
p of Bihar ((122 units)) machal Pradesh and Rs 17,996 of
Sen attributed the ggrowth to a steady since the 24.1 p per cent of to Centre, Bihar highlights is about one-sixth of national per p Maharashtra. The state government
boom in the telecommunication and 2005-06. This has, however, been p electricityy consumption level,
capita has sourced these figures from “A
construction sectors. For the pri- p mostlyy Patna-centric, with the last six how per capita income is which is 778 units.
units.” study of budgets of 2009-10, RBI”.
maryy sector (agriculture,
( g animal yyears havingg seen over 10,000 apart-
p below those of other states On the human development p in- Bihar’s per capita plan outlay is
husbandry, y forestry,y fishing,
g miningg ments built and taking construction dex, Bihar is at the bottom of the Rs 1,931, compared to Gujarat’s
and quarrying),
q y g) it has been a roller- nearly to saturation point with few list with 0.449 in 2011, despite p the Rs 4,645, Haryana’s Rs 4,743 and
coaster ride with average g growth
g residential plots now available in department’s presentation, “Bihar: ggovernment havingg started over Karnataka’s Rs 5,594.
fluctuatingg from -7.5 p per cent in liveable areas. A case for special category status”, two dozen welfare schemes for Even when compared
p to the 11
2005-06 to 24.3 in 2006-07, -6.2 in Then, Nitish complained that shows how per capita income has women, the Scheduled Castes and states alreadyy enjoying
j y g special
p cate-
2007-08, 11 in 2008-09, -8.2 in 2009- Sen was only “finding fault and not slid consistently since the first Five minorities.
minorities gory
g y status, Bihar has the highest
g
10 and 6.3 in 2010-11. suggesting ways out”. Now, the gov- Year Plan period (1951-56) when it Bihar compares itself with the concentration of people living below
It is the secondary and tertiary ernment’s own bureaucrats have was Rs 4,707 against a national av- rest on per capita development ex- the poverty line. The Centre accepts
sectors that have grown,g Sen ex- meticulously compiled figures about erage
g of Rs 6,858, the gap
g p being be- penditure: “The difference of per 65 lakh as the number of BPL fami-
plained. Bihar has grown
p g 11.3 per
p what is wrong with Bihar. tween 30 and 35 per cent. By the capita development expenditure in lies in Bihar, which claims it has as
cent annually in the last few years, The planning and development 10th Plan period (2002-07), it had Bihar from the national average is many as1.45 crore.

Oi b ilt h t l
k
this
SS
The C in Congress
S What does it say about the
HOULD the Congress gest that it has become casteist in
party be described as this sense.
casteist and communal?
This is not merely a party if it has to identify It has also become communal
in the sense that Hamid Dalwai
rhetorical question. It goes to the
Sam Pitroda by caste?
so prescientlyy diagnosed
g decades
heart of the kind of India the ago.
g It p perpetuates
p the idea of
Congress
g has imagined.
g minorityy as a p political category,
g y
se Both caste and religious
g iden- PRATAP BHANU MEHTA so that it can keep p them in its
at tities are social realities. They
T are place and use them. And, in the
es also the axes along which a range context of the Lokpal bill, it has
ly of deprivations are structured. But there aree other subtleties dressed,, not byy reservations, but cynically used them again. The
n- Despite progress, the marginali- as well. Arguments that invoke by police reform. It is not in- Congress has ruled India for
of sation of Dalits in India remains merit in the context of attacking significant,
g for example,
p that at more than 50 years. But if India is
tyy morally obscene. And we have reservation are bad faith argu- g the level of high
g courts, quantita-
q more unjust along caste lines, mi-
ke produced a politics that increas- ments. The problem
p is not neces- tive evidence, judged
j g byy acquit-
q norities are more marginalised,
se ingly
g y marginalised
g Muslims. sarilyy that reservation is a devia- tal rates, suggests
gg that minorities surely the Congress is to blame.
ve Good social policy
p has to address tion from somethingg called are not discriminated against,
g What is it about its paradigm of
y- these realities. It will warrant merit. It is that the onlyy form of once the case comes to trial. This politics that it can effectively help
s. affirmative action. The case inclusion that the state can come same jjudiciaryy has upheld
p every neither Muslims nor Dalits? The
he made at the time of Indepen- upp with is one in which it is easyy to measure on reservation. But now caste parties may have narrow
r- dence that reservations may be mark groups
g p like Dalits as less we want to give members of agendas; sections of the BJP may M
m. necessary for Dalits remains competent. Reservation has, in constitutional bodies a caste and be pathologically incapable of ■
r- strong; in the current paradigm the form it is structured, in- a religion. thinking beyond identity. But c
er it is unfair to deny backward creased rather than decreased These are complex issues. But what is the Congress’s excuse? e
rs Muslims reservations. prejudice. And everyone has an under the slogan that caste and The Anna movement has v
or But social jjustice has been interest in perpetuating this vi- religion
g are realities in India, we rightly been castigated for the o
If reduced to mere political oppor- cious cycle. There are other sub- want to straitjacket every issue morally obscene use of the caste S
er tunism. T The price is being borne of children. Recently, it was re- a
00 by the very groups
g p we are trying y g Is it not appallingly diminishing when we create an ported that Rahul Gandhi re- w
to empower.
p The negative
g conse- institutional culture where the first thing we want to ferred to Sam Pitroda’s caste in b
k- quences
q of our discourse on an election rally. Is this really the u
re social justice are immeasurable
immeasurable.
point to is someone’s caste? I thought the idea of India party of Jawaharlal Nehru or s
e, First, a discourse of discrimina- was to escape this original sin. And now Lokpals, even Rajiv Gandhi? We ought e
ts tion and oppression that was spe- tomorrow judges, all will be identified through caste. not to disguise the appalling re- S
24 cific to the history of Dalits has alities of caste, where appropri- t
a- been hijacked
j byy all kinds of tle issues as well. The Indian pri-
p through g the prism of caste and ate. But using them in this way? I
ngg groups.
g p . So anyy discourse on so- vate sector’s record on inclusion religion. Ashis
A Nandy once made Someone remarked on reading t
at cial justice
j is now seen, not as is very weak. But in an economyy the ppowerful p point that commu- this story, “Rahul ne to Sam t
fi- rooted in ethical imperatives,
p but where labour laws are rigid,
g in- nalism was not about the “facts Pitroda ki bhi jaat dikha di.” Even s
a in an open grab for powerpower. The formalisation rampant,p educa- of religion”.
g It was about its self- if the intention was benign g there b
re specificity of morally appalling tional institutions do not per- p conscious use as a political tool, is a truth in this. Is it not ap- p h
ce discrimination has been lost un- form signalling
g g functions, Dalits often by people p who did not be- g y diminishingg when we
pallingly
p h
n- der the fog of demands for rep- p will find it harder to get entry. lieve in it. Casteism, is also not create an institutional culture s
resentation. Second, reserva- Take another issue which about the fact of caste. It is about where the first thingg we want to s
tions, in their current form, have should concern us all. Muslim the use of caste to make three point to is someone’s caste? I M
produced the worst of all worlds. yyouth are often unfairlyy and un- claims. First,
Fi that people
p p have thought the idea of India was to
Theyy are a cheap p ggesture that conscionably targeted by the po- compulsory
p y identities which they escape precisely this original sin.
disguises
g the root causes of mar- lice. A lot of this may have to do cannot transcend, ever. Institu- And now Lokpals, tomorrow
ginalisation. In politics, they have with discrimination. But it is tions should act as if no one can judges, all will be identified ■
diverted energies from address- equally likely that the roots of be more or less than their caste. through caste. c
ing the root causes of depriva- this are the same as those that Second, the p point of social ppolicyy Perhaps the Congress is in h
tion. If politics had the same una- make custodial violence in India is not to empower
p individuals to love with the “C” in its name. N
nimity over quality education as it so common: the weakness of the escapep the deprivations
p of caste, Corruption was not enough. It A
e- did over reservation, India would police force. Impunity in police but to trapp them in it. Third, that had to become corrupt, casteist, p
ey be a different p place. Third, theyy often has roots in weakness, not the onlyy possible
p test of the legit-
g communal and cynical. India’s c
n- have p perpetuated an interest in prejudice. When it does not have imacyy of institutions is if theyy tragedy is that there is no na- a
conflict. Lalu Prasad’s big crime the adequate means, social es- mirror social reality, y not if theyy tional level challenger to this a
to in Bihar was not just that he kept teem is low and it is put under transform it into something bet- party that is diminishing us all. L
es it backward. It is that the state pressure, police forces will do all ter. All
A of the Congress’s actions, s
ng encouraged violence so that kinds of thingsg to be seen to gget from its support of the method- The writer is president, Centre for
or caste polarisation would remain a results. So
o discrimination against
g ologically dubious caste census Policy Research, Delhi
ay factor of mobilisation. Muslims will be better ad- to its policies on reservation, sug- express@expressindia.com
al V

Ut i K th d
ly ■
h ‘
Total tab on mobile,
Internet planned
Sandeep Joshi has begun during 2011-12,” the
report says.
NEW DELHI: The next five years Explaining how the system
could change the way how se- would be upgraded and
curity agencies keep a tab on strengthened in the next five
your phone calls and flow of years,, the report p points out
p
content on the Internet as the thatt a facilityy for centralised
ggovernment has p proposed a monitoringg will be created
Rs.900-crore corpusp for set- throughout
g the countryy across
tingg up
p a ‘Centre for Commu- different telecom and broad-
nication Security Research band technologies and servic-
Monitoring’ to give law es at a cost of Rs.350 crore.
and Monitoring
enforcement agencies
g a free The system would be further
hand to intercept p calls and upscaled to take care of an ex-
monitor the worldwide webweb. panded network by creating
While Rs.800 crore would more facilities at an estimated
be invested in setting up a cost of Rs.150 crore. A sum of
“Centralised Monitoring Sys- Rs.300 crore would be kept
tem” for interception of all aside for operation and main-
types of communications tenance of the mammoth
through phones as well as In- infrastructure.
ternet, a ‘Telecom Testing and present,, the entire mon-
At p
Security Certification Centre’ itoringg of phone
p calls and In-
worth Rs.100 crore would ternet content is done,, after
come up for testing of all kinds manuallyy takingg authorisation
of equipment, says a Depart- at multiple p places
p on the
ment of Telecommunications premises
p of the telecom ser-
report.
p It has been p prepared
p vice providers (those giving
byy the workingg group
g p on the phone and Internet services).
telecom sector for the 12th While building the case for
Five-Year Plan (2012-17). the new monitoring parapher-
“For the assistance of the nalia, the report says: “Expo-
law enforcement [agencies], nential growth and quick
in the 11th Five-Year Plan, a technological development in
Centralised Monitoring Sys- the telecom sector further
tem (CMS) was envisioned. A compound the security chal-
proposal for the setting up of a lenges, because the expanding
Centre for Communication reach of the sophisticated
Security Research and Mon- telecom networks has also led
itoring has already been ap- to the communications sys-
proved by the Cabinet tems being used by however a
Committee on Security with a small number, individuals,
government funding of Rs.450 clans and groups, from within
crore…a good amount of re- the country and outside, for
search work on CMS has al- anti-social and criminal activ-
ready been done and rollout ities.”
GRIHA - FAQs http://www.grihaindia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

Sustainable Habitats | FAQs | Contact Us | About Us

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Home The Basics Rating System Registered Projects News and Events Resource Library

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Frequently Asked
Questions
ADaRSH
GRIHA
What is ADaRSH?
Fees and Payment
ADaRSH (Association for Development and Research of Sustainable Habitats) is an independent Workshop (Post
society for the interaction on scientific and administrative issues related to sustainable habitats Registration)
in India, founded jointly by TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) and MNRE (Ministry of
Manual
New and Renewable Energy), Government of India with experts in the domain of sustainability
Site Audit
of built environment . ADaRSH promotes GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat
Assessment) as a design and evaluation tool for green buildings and habitats. Documentation/Evaluation
Provisional rating
Top Energy Audit
Final rating

SVAGRIHA

What is GRIHA rating?

GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) is the National Rating System for
Green Building in India. GRIHA has been conceived by TERI and developed jointly with the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India. It is a green building 'Design and
Evaluation System', suitable for all kinds of buildings in different climatic zones of the country.

What are the thresholds for different rating levels under GRIHA?

GRIHA was originally developed to provide a series of guidelines and benchmarks to those
interested in construction of a sustainable and green building. It was understood that in order
to develop a proper understanding of the elements of a green building and to then construct it,
a comprehensive set of guidelines would be required to direct the interested party in the
appropriate techniques and processes towards building a green building. It was designed as a
point based system to give the interested party an approximation of how green the building
would be.

What are the thresholds for different rating levels under GRIHA?

Points scored Rating

50–60 One star

61-70 Two star

71-80 Three star

81-90 Four star

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91-100 Five star

What is the process of GRIHA rating?

Online registration for GRIHA.

Payment of fees by private projects/submission of undertaking by government projects.

Orientation workshop by ADaRSH.

Compliance on-site through site audit by ADaRSH.

Online Submission of documents by project proponent.

1st evaluation of documentation by ADaRSH.

Compliance of comments/observation on documentation by project proponent.

2nd evaluation by subject specific evaluators.

If required, clarifications sought from client, based on evaluator's observation.

3rd evaluation by evaluators.

Compilation of score by ADaRSH.

Provisional Rating awarded by NAC (National Advisory Council).

Performance audit/energy audit by BEE accredited auditor.

Evaluation of audit report by ADaRSH.

Award of final rating by NAC.

Please refer the GRIHA Manual for details of the process.

What is the size of project which can be registered under GRIHA?

For projects to register with GRIHA rating, their built-up area should be equal to or greater
than 2,500 sqm.

What about projects of less than 2,500 sqm built up area?

For projects with built up area less than 2,500 sqm, a new rating system called SVAGRIHA
(Small Versatile Affordable GRIHA) has been developed. SVAGRIHA is an extension of GRIHA
and specially designed for smaller buildings.

At what stage should the project be registered for GRIHA rating?

The recommended time for optimal results registering the project with GRIHA is at the start of
the design stage, however projects which are in the beginning of the construction stage can
also register, in case they can demonstrate compliance with all mandatory GRIHA criteria.

Can a GRIHA rating be applied for an already build structures?

No, GRIHA in its current version is applicable for new constructions only.

Whom to contact if there is a problem in registering the project online?

Contact at info@grihaindia.org or call +91- 11- 41510746 for any query regarding project
registration for GRIHA registration.

Top

Fees and Payment

What is the registration fee and how is it calculated?

For projects upto 5,000 sqm built up area - INR 3,14,000+ 10.3 % taxes
For built up area more than 5,000 sqm - (INR 3,14,000 + 3.75/ sqm) * 10.3 % taxes

What are the modes of payment available?

Modes of payment are as follows:

Cheque in the name of ADaRSH

DD in favor of ADaRSH payable at New Delhi

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Details for online payment are as follows:

Name of A/C Holder ADaRSH

Account Number 62122842289

Name of the bank State Bank of Hyderabad

Branch name SCOPE Complex, New Delhi-110003

Full address of the bank SCOPE Complex, Core-67,

Institutional Area, Pragati Vihar,
New Delhi-110003

Telephone/Fax SBHY0020511

RTGS IFSC Code SBHY0020511

9 digit MICR Code 110004005

PAN No. AABAA4699M

Service Tax Regn. No. AABAA4699MSD002

It is important to disclose the identity of the project proponent.

Is the fee submitted for GRIHA rating refundable?

The fee once deposited is non-refundable.

Top

Workshop (Post Registration)

What is a post registration orientation workshop?

Once the project gets registered and the payment is received by ADaRSH, a one-day
orientation workshop is conducted, wherein the GRIHA rating system is explained to the entire
project management team. Also, in the session the project team fills the target rating
evaluation sheet, which helps the team to plan the project carefully and economically with
regards to various GRIHA rating criteria as targeted.

At what stage is the workshop conducted?

The one-day orientation workshop is conducted once the project is registered, i.e. client details
and fees for private projects and undertaking in case of government projects are received by
ADaRSH.

Who all to participate in the workshop?

ADaRSH arranges for a workshop for the entire project team comprising of the owner, architect,
project manager, consultants for MEP, HVAC, Landscape, etc along with the green building
consultants.

Where is the workshop conducted?

The workshop can be conducted in TERI New Delhi or at their site/office location, as preferred
by the client.

Is there any additional fee for conducting the workshop?

There are no charges for conducting the workshop at TERI New Delhi. If the workshop is to be
conducted at any other location, the travel and accommodation of two professionals (to and fro)

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has to be arranged by the project proponent at their cost.

What is the tentative agenda of the workshop?

The workshop serves the dual purpose of awareness of GRIHA system for all involved and
identification and evaluation of the optional criteria (with applicability checks) to enhance the
rating of the project. The outcome of the workshop shall be a roadmap for the GRIHA rating
process along with identification of responsibilities within the project team for various GRIHA
criteria. Targeted level of rating is identified for all on the team to design the project and
implement accordingly.

Can a CD/soft copy of the presentation for workshop be obtained by the

client?

Yes, a copy of the presentation can be obtained from ADaRSH on request in a pdf format only.

Can the client access the web panel with project detail and how?

Yes, the client can access the web panel with the USER ID and PASSWORD sent to the client
after the workshop.

Can separate training session be arranged for client's employees?

Yes, the training session is possible, however a total number of participating candidates should
be at least around 25 to 30. The session will be chargeable.

Top

Manual
What are the contents of the GRIHA Manual?

The GRIHA manual is a collection of five sets of volume developed by ADaRSH in association
with TERI.

The first volume contains details on GRIHA rating system and a brief discussion on each
criterion within the rating system.

The second, third, and fourth volume contains detail description of each criterion with
descriptive procedure for submission of documents to obtain GRIHA rating.

The fifth volume is a guide to the evaluator's process and the validation of the documentation
submitted.

Where can the GRIHA manuals be purchased and what is the cost?

The GRIHA manual Vol. I is available on the website and can be downloaded free of cost. A set
of GRIHA manual is provided by ADaRSH to its associate members and project management
team of projects registered for GRIHA rating. However, more copies of the manual can be
bought from the TERI press (email: teripress@teri.res.in) at a price of INR 2,430/- only
(Containing all five volumes).

Top

Site Audit
How does ADaRSH help the project management team to ensure that the site
work is in compliance with GRIHA criteria?

ADaRSH team conducts three mandatory site audits during the construction period of the
project. It provides an assessment to the evaluators on the compliance of various site related
criteria. Also, it helps to keep a check of the site construction activity and quality. Generally, as
a mandatory procedure, the site visits are linked with the construction phases and time line for
the project. However, the number of site visits can be increased if a project needs more
attention and hand holding to comply with GRIHA criteria, at the discretion of ADaRSH.

When is the site audit conducted?

First site visit is proposed at the time of the foundation work of the project.

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The second site visit is proposed when the superstructure of the project is almost complete.

Third site visit is the final site visit and conducted when the building is almost complete with
interior finishes and installation of various renewable energy and Energy Conservation Building
Code recommended systems on site as specified in the documents, and is generally ready for
occupation.

Who conducts the site audit?

The site audit is conducted by ADaRSH team members.

Are there any specific criteria checked during the site visits?

1st site audit - The major criteria checked during the site visit include top soil preservation,
tree preservation, prevention of air pollution, project management of site, and provision of
infrastructure facilities to the labor working and living on site.

2nd Site audit - The visit is conducted to ensure that all pending compliance with criteria
evaluated during the first site visit are in place along with additional construction related
criteria such as waste and water management during construction of the project.

3rd Site audit - As the site visit is planned at the completion stage of the project, major
points evaluated include installation of renewable energy systems on site, compliance with the
Energy Conservation Building Code, the quality of interiors, and products utilized in the
building. Compliance with other criteria evaluated during previous site visits is also confirmed.

How is the project management team informed about the non-compliances

and recommendations on site?

Apart from conveying the observation verbally, a brief formal report (due diligence) is prepared
for all the three site visits by the ADaRSH coordinators during site visits and is uploaded online
to the project site. These reports provide a database for project management team to take note
of the short-comings and take effective and prompt remedial measures. These due-diligence
reports are also made available to the third party evaluator during assessment of the GRIHA
documentation of the project.

What are the expenses involved during the site audit process?

The travelling (to and fro) and accommodation expenses for two professionals from ADaRSH
has to be arranged by the project proponent at their cost.

Top

Documentation/Evaluation
When can the project submit the documentation? Can the documentation be
submitted in parts?

The entire documentation has to be submitted together and cannot be submitted in parts.
However, these may made ready progressively along with the progress of the project and
implementation of various criteria with nodal person designated by client for this process in the
project team. Finally all the documents have to be submitted to ADaRSH in one go, towards the
completion of the project.

What is the evaluation process?

The building is evaluated for GRIHA compliance in a three-tier process.

ADaRSH conducts the first review of the mandatory criteria and may reject a project in the
event of non-compliance with mandatory criteria. The team then checks the documentation
submitted for the optional criteria. The checking is done by ADaRSH to ensure that all
templates and drawings are filled-in and to ensure that the documentation is complete in all
respects (for the attempted criteria). All documents are checked and vetted through the
appraisal process as outlined by GRIHA.

ADaRSH compiles the first evaluation report, which is shared online with the client. The client is
required to submit the missing information as mentioned by ADaRSH in the first evaluation
report. The documentation is then sent to the GRIHA evaluators, comprising experts in

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domains such as landscape architecture, lighting and HVAC design, renewable energy, water
and waste management, and building materials.

The evaluators vet the documentation and independently review the documents for the award
of points. The evaluators award provisional points (if documentation is in order as per his/her
evaluation) and also comment on specific criteria, if need be. The compiled evaluation report
from evaluators is then sent to the project proponent by ADaRSH to pursue and comply, and if
desired, to take steps to increase the score. This report conveys the assessment of the
evaluation committee along with comments from evaluators. The report also lists the criteria for
which the documentation is incomplete/inadequate/inconsistent, to be addressed by the
project team.

The client/project team resubmits the document with necessary modifications. The resubmitted
report should comprise only of additional documents/information desired in the evaluation
report, which shall again be put through the vetting process as described above.

The evaluation committee shall then award the final score, which shall be presented to the
National Advisory Committee comprising of eminent personalities and renowned professionals
in the field for approval and award of provisional rating.

What is the duration of the evaluation process?

The evaluation process is a six-week process at the minimum. However, it may extend
depending on the time taken by the client to re-submit information requested by
ADaRSH/GRIHA Evaluator.

How are the documents uploaded online?

The documents are uploaded criterion wise on the internet portal available to the nodal person
designated by the client.

Who is an evaluator?

An evaluator is a third party professional who is assigned the responsibility of evaluating

documents in their area of expertise.

How can one become a GRIHA Evaluator?

ADaRSH conducts three-days Evaluator and Trainers programme across the country. During
this programme, participants can take the qualifying evaluator examination.

Top

Provisional rating
What is GRIHA provisional rating?

The 'provisional' GRIHA Rating is awarded after complete evaluation of project documentation
submitted by the project proponents.

Top

Energy Audit
When is the energy audit conducted?

Energy audit is conducted after one year of occupation of the building.

Who conducts the energy audit?

The energy audit is conducted by third party team chosen by the client. The team members of
the auditing team should be BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) certified.

Top

Final rating
When is the final rating awarded?

The 'final' rating is awarded after the building is fully commissioned as per the design intent
and has been operational for at least 12 months. An energy audit report by an energy auditor

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accredited by the BEE needs to be submitted to ADaRSH to achieve the final rating.

Should the project be fully commissioned for GRIHA rating?

Yes, all the renewable energy technologies should be in working condition to be awarded the
final GRIHA rating.

What is the time period for which the project GRIHA rating is valid?

The rating once granted is valid for a period for five years, after which it has to be renewed.

Are there any products certified by ADaRSH for GRIHA rated green building?

ADaRSH is in process of developing a product catalogue, which will include all certified
products and manufacturers' details. It will be ready for reference in the near future.

Top

What is SVAGRIHA System?

SVAGRIHA (Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA) has been designed as an extension of GRIHA
for projects with built-up area less than 2,500 sqm. SVAGRIHA can help in design and
evaluation of individual residences, small offices, and commercial buildings. The rating
comprises of only 14 criteria.

What is the process of SVAGRIHA RATING?

Registration of project with ADaRSH.

Online submission of completed calculations, drawings, and other documents as required

(quantity estimates) by ADaRSH.

Assessment/review as per SVAGRIHA.

Site visit and due diligence check post construction (mandatory) by ADaRSH.

Evaluation by GRIHA certified evaluator.

Award of rating by ADaRSH.

What are the thresholds for different rating levels under SVAGRIHA?

Points achieved SVAGRIHA Rating

25-30 *

31-35 **

36-40 ***

41-45 ****

45-50 *****

Top

GRIHA is an initiative of MNRE and

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Like vegetable for oil
By holding on to their guar crop in anticipation of higher prices, farmers have
brought Jodhpur’s most lucrative market to a halt and sent the global oil industry
into a tailspin
Mahim Pratap Singh
G uar gum, the glue that binds the
global oil and gas exploration indus-
together has ended up binding trad-
ttry ttogethe
ers and farmers of Rajasthan in a
deadlock, with no signs of a resolution in
sight.
The stand-off, triggered by the farm-
ers’ decision to hold on to their guar crop
in anticipation of higher prices, has
brought Jodhpur’s guar trading and
processing market, responsible for 40
per cent of the global guar gum supply, to
a halt.
So much so, the common refrain now
among farmers of Rajasthan is “sell gold
if you need to, but hold on to your guar.”
he humble guar or cluster bean (Cya-
The
mopsis tetragonolobaa) is an annual leg-
ume and the source of guar gum. Once
deemed fit only for cattle feed, it has now
made terms like futures trading, Nation-
al Commodity and Derivatives Exchange
(NCDEX) and Forward Markets Com-
mission (FMC) household names in Ra-
year
jasthan over the last three years.
Today, most farmers in western Rajas-
than, even those illiterate, know futures
trading, the functioning of the NCDEX
and its regulator FMC inside out.
Its use
Guar gum, a white free-flowing powd-
er derived from guar splits, is widely
used by the global oil and gas industry for
“fracking,” a hydraulic fracturing
technique.
Due its unique binding properties —
the ability to suspend solids, bind water
by hydrogen bonding, control the viscos-
ity of aqueous solutions and form strong
...............................
‘FALSE INFORMATION
IS BEING SPREAD BY
MULTINATIONAL
COMPANIES
REGARDING CHEAPER
ALTERNATIVES TO
GUAR IN ORDER TO
BRING DOWN PRICES
BUT FARMERS WILL
NOT GIVE IN TO THESE
RUMOURS.’
................................
tough films — guar gum is mixed with
water and sand to “frack” shale gas out of
formations
sedimentary shale rock formations.
Owing to unprecedented demand
from the United States, China, Germany,
Russia and Australia (top five impor-
ters), everyone in western Rajasthan
with a few bighas to spare decided to
jump on the guar bandwagon, forgoing
even cash crops like cotton to grow more
gua
guar.
Exports
Exports of guar gum from India, which
stood at 2,18,479.71 metric tonnes in
2009-10, rose 223 per cent to reach
7,07,326.43 MTs in
2011-12.
The rise in the
value of exports
over this three-year
period was more
outlandish, going
from $239.08 mil-
lion to $3446.36
million, a rise of over 1,300 per cent.
(Source: Agricultural Products Export
Development Authority)
Over the six months leading up to
March 2012, prices had jumped up by
1,000 per cent, with guar seed selling for
Rs.28,550/quintal and the gum going at
Rs.90,780 a quintal.
On March 21, the price of guar gum
created history by peaking to Rs.1,00,195
a quintal in the Jodhpur spot market.
(Source: NCDEX and FMC bulletin)
At that point, suspecting manipula-
tion of the market by select firms, the
FMC banned futures trading in guar in
arch last year.
March
While guar is grown in arid and semi-
arid regions of most of northern India,
including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,
proc
Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab, its proc-
essing and trading are almost exclusively
Jodhpur
confined to Jodhpur.
The wait
“The
The Jodhpur spot market decides the
international prices of guar and its deriv-
gum, claims a spot
atives, including the gum,”
trader there.
Before March last year, Jodhpur was
basking in its glory as the town that
worked the global guar trade. Today,
most processing units in Jodhpur that
turn guar splits into gum, have ceased
operations.
“My unit operates for only four days a
month. Most others have stopped their
operations entire-
ly,” says Manish,
who owns a proc-
essing unit in
Jodhpur.
“There is a lot of
guar out there but
none of it is making
it to the market be-
cause certain fake advertisements have
advised farmers against selling until
prices pick up.”
He was referring to full-page adver-
tisements in the local media by B.D.
Agarwal of the National Unionist Zamin-
dara Party.
These advertisements made farmers
aware of the demand of guar in western
markets and advised them not to sell
their produce till prices shot up further.
“False information is being spread by
multinational companies regarding
cheaper alternatives to guar in order to
bring down prices but farmers will not
give in to these rumours,” says Mr. Agar-
wal, a guar farmer.
Last year, farmers had benefited from
the exorbitant prices guar commanded.
So this year, they are in no mood to be
satisfied with a mere Rs.10,000/ quintal,
the current going price for the crop. Guar
gum is
Rs.31,000/quintal.
selling for
“What’s the rush? From what we hear,
about
the United Progressive Alliance govern-
ment will be going in for mid-term elec-
tions this year and in order to get the
votes of farmers, it will most likely re-
sume futures trading in guar very soon,”
says Rajender, who is in no hurry to sell
off his stock of 45 quintals, harvested last
year from his 30 bighas in Pokharan,
Jaisalmer.
In fact, only last month, the NCDEX
had applied to the FMC for resuming
guar futures and was hopeful of getting
the FMC nod within a month, according
to newspaper reports.
Chakravarti Singh, who is holding on
to his produce of 50 quintals for want of
better prices, has more ambitious plans.
Hoping that futures trading will soon
resume, he plans to buy guar from other
farmers at existing rates and then make a
killing once prices reach last year's
levels.
“Guar is a low input crop and can be
grown by even small and marginal farm-
ers. So lifting the ban on futures will be in
the interest of every farmer,” he says.
In his village Shiv in Nagaur district,
no farmer “with the right mind” is think-
ing of selling his stock of guar.
But not everybody is waiting for high-
er prices. Ahipal Singh, a farmer from
Kalau village in Shergarh, sold his pro-
duce for Rs. 10,000/quintal last month.
“Extremely low input costs, good pro-
ductivity, longer shelf life and the fact
that it restores soil fertility mean guar is
always a profitable proposition. So un-
less you get really greedy, selling it is not
a problem.”
“After I made the move, a lot of people
here began selling their produce. Over
the last 10 days, about half a tonne of
guar has made its way to the market,
which is a bit off the trend compared to
other areas,” says Mr. Singh.
Alternatives
However, the astronomical rise in
prices has led exploration companies to
scout for cheaper alternatives like Xan-
than gum and synthetic substitutes like
carbon methyl cellulose, resulting in a
gum
fall in demand for guar gum.
That, along with an uninterrupted
supply (once farmers begin selling), will
make it difficult for guar gum to regain
its premier rates.
If that happens, farmers holding on to
their produce for higher prices, would be
staring at a massive distress situation.
ND-ND
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Vol:29 Iss:01 URL: http://www.flonnet.com/fl2901/stories/20120127290109200.htm

Back

COLUMN

Red-green deal
PRAFUL BIDWAI

It is time to jettison neoliberalism for programmes that combine equity with climate-sensitive
schemes for universal public service provision.

AS global capitalism's worst crisis in seven decades continues unremittingly, it becomes obvious that
the shop-worn solutions recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States
Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other agencies devoted to neoliberal approaches are
failing. The combination of austerity, harsh budget cuts, bank bailouts, fresh capital infusion into
financial institutions, and further privatisation of public companies and services is just not delivering
results.

The entire edifice of the welfare state, built especially in Western Europe after the Second World War
with free or subsidised health care, educational and social services, including old-age pensions and
unemployment allowances, is being dismantled. This represents social retrogression on a historic scale.
Yet, the Great Recession shows few signs of lifting even as joblessness reaches new highs, particularly
in southern Europe.

In India, conventional indicators of economic performance are dipping. Gross domestic product (GDP)
growth is slowing down, inflation remains a worry, and the rupee has lost nearly 20 per cent of its
value to the U.S. dollar within a year. The stock markets have tanked, with the Bombay Stock
Exchange's (BSE) market capitalisation falling by 27 per cent over the year.

The cost of money is at its highest in more than a decade, with the government borrowing at almost 9
per cent and companies at 13 per cent. The current account deficit, already about 3 per cent of the
GDP, is set to widen. Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows remain sluggish. Meanwhile, there are
indicators that the sovereign debt crisis in the European Union (E.U.) could affect India adversely.
European banks' exposure to India now runs at about 15 per cent of the GDP.

The government's response to this situation has been to boost the capital markets artificially by
allowing foreign investors, including individuals, to invest directly in Indian corporate stocks. It is also
asking public and private financial institutions to set up a Rs.50,000-crore infrastructure debt fund.
Meanwhile, many oil-rich Gulf states or their sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Qatar and Abu Dhabi, are reportedly planning to pull their investments from the crisis-ridden
economies of the E.U. and the U.S. and shift them to India.

The Manmohan Singh government, under fire from Indian industrialists for “policy paralysis” is
bending over backwards to reassure them that “second generation reforms” are on the way. These
include environmental deregulation, mindless public sector divestment, more dole outs to business, and
pruning the fiscal deficit, just when more public investment and tighter regulation are needed.

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This largely replicates the bankrupt strategies being pursued in the West, to disastrous economic, social
and political effect. This approach will address none of the structural problems that this economy and
society face, including persistent mass poverty and widespread deprivation.

This translates into lack of assets (especially land) and purchasing power in the hands of the people,
comprehensive denial of social opportunity, cascading class inequalities and regional disparities, and
lack of food, water, shelter and energy security. The situation perpetuates a level and quality of social
bondage and economic servitude which are unbecoming of a minimally civilised society.

Any society that aspires to a modicum of civilised existence and social cohesion must define clearly
and pursue rapidly a project that aims to provide basic public services to all its people so that they can
lead a minimally decent existence free of want and realise their basic human potential. Half of Indian
children, malnourished, underweight and wasted as they are, cannot possibly realise their potential.
Equally vitally, the project must accomplish this task in an environmentally sound and climate-
sensitive way, while keeping the focus centrally and sharply on equity.

Here is a preliminary proposal, inspired partly by the “Green New Deal” Susan George proposes in her
new book Whose Crisis, Whose Future? This is best expressed as a people's charter for which all
progressive social and political currents must struggle. The charter at minimum must include land
reform and universal entitlements to adequate quantities of food through a public distribution system
(PDS), safe drinking water, basic shelter, health care (especially preventive care), education for 12
years, sanitation and electricity and other modern energy services, including clean cooking fuel. The
land reform must encourage cooperative farming and redistribute land without parcelling it out into
unviable plots.

To take one instance, a progressive approach to food security and food sovereignty must be based on
furnishing a strong infrastructure, including soil recontouring and topsoil conservation; sound drainage;
low-input, low-water methods of farming; minimal use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and shifts
to cropping patterns that are appropriate to specific agro-climatic conditions.

Thus, Punjab will have to move away from its current paddy-wheat-paddy crop cycle, which depletes
the soil of micronutrients, leads to salinity and waterlogging and necessitates the use of massive doses
of cancer-causing chemicals. Water-stressed western Maharashtra will have to abandon sugarcane
cultivation, which consumes eight to 10 times as much water as cereals per unit of biomass — and
more if millets are grown. The priorities of agricultural research will have to change. As will the
metrics for measuring productivity, which must include water and energy audits.

Agrarian transformation

And we will all have to accept that the future of Indian agriculture lies not in unsustainable water- and
energy-intensive Green Revolution practices but in dryland farming based on sturdy, moisture stress-
resistant seeds and methods that aim at maximising the useful biomass produced. Such an agrarian
transformation will need huge amounts of public works and billions of person-days of labour. But this
can be logically linked to and integrated with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(NREGA). The infrastructure needed for a universal PDS, including grain storage, can also be tied to
the NREGA.

Similarly, provision of water security will mean building a vast network of water-harvesting systems,
percolation tanks, bunds and small or micro dams, and collecting water where it falls, while reducing
runoff. Along with water purification facilities and adequate sanitation (essential for provision of safe
drinking water), this would demand large-scale investments running into thousands of crores of rupees.

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The schemes could be usefully integrated into a revised version of the National Water Mission under
the National Action Plan on Climate Change.

Again, we must abandon the illusion that the provision of adequate shelter both in the urban and rural
areas can be left to the mercy of private builders or crude individual/family efforts. If India is to have
sustainable habitats, with ecologically sound town and village planning and low-carbon, low-cost
building construction, the task must be addressed by the government, including local bodies, jointly
with community organisations, public-spirited and environmentally conscious architects, social
scientists and civil society groups.

At least 70 per cent of the Indian housing and infrastructure that will exist by 2030 is yet to be built.
How we conceptualise, design and construct it will determine how it will affect climate change
processes and how successfully we adapt to these with resilient forms of housing, low-entropy cities
that avert long commutes, reconfiguration of office work, embedding energy-saving approaches in
buildings, adapting them to energy conservation right from the start (and not as an afterthought), and
so on.

Perhaps the most challenging task is that of reaching electricity to the 500 million Indians who do not
have it – the largest such number anywhere in the world – some of whom live in our nearly one lakh
unelectrified villages, but the bulk of whom live in both cities/towns and villages officially declared
electrified on bizarre criteria.

The short answer is twofold: installing lakhs of home-lighting systems based on solar cells, in the short
run; and in the middle and long run, restructuring the entire power grid in a decentralised manner to
meet the needs of distributed generation and consumption, in which renewable sources and small-scale
power generation play a pivotal role, unlike in conventional grids based on centralised generation.
India has a historic chance to do the second by technological leap-frogging.

Solar home- and village-lighting systems are becoming increasingly competitive with grid-based power.
There is a veritable renewable energy revolution in progress, and costs of solar cells are falling by the
month. In the latest auction for solar generation in the 100 megawatt-plus range under the National
Solar Mission, bids were as low as Rs.7.49 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This is about half the feed-in tariff
being offered for renewables.

At the present rate of cost reduction, wind generation – the world's fastest-growing energy source for
two decades, with annual growth rates of 30 per cent-plus – is already competitive with gas-based
power. Biomass-based and mini- and micro-hydro are even cheaper. Soon, solar-thermal and solar
photovoltaics will join this league. India must not allow the renewables revolution to bypass it and
must exploit every opportunity to reorganise its energy system to promote and accommodate
renewables.

All this will need massive funding. But that can come from plugging the Rs.5 lakh-crore leak of
revenues forgone annually by the government, by taxing corporations and rich and upper middle-class
individuals who currently pay among the lowest taxes anywhere. But there is no substitute for a
green-red or “Green New Deal”.

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The number of night shelters in the Capital has gone up in the past three years. Their
construction and upkeep has improved, but several remain under-occupied as many homeless
continue to sleep in the open. The Hindu looks at this dichotomy and the reasons behind it….

Jiby Kattakayam
Improving, but more needed
land for erect- duction of Sanjeev Gupta is physically
ing shelters. porta cabins challenged and has been liv-
NEW DELHI: With winter begin- The 150 shel- instead of ing at a night shelter at NDMC
ning to send in the shivers, ters had also tents, in Park behind Gurdwara Bangla
one category of people resid- served as resi- which 17 fires Sahib for the past 11 months:
ing in the Capital without a dential address had broken ever since the porta cabins
roof over their heads, or lay- to nearly 6,000 out in 2011, were unveiled. “The facilities
ers of warm clothing or nutri- homeless per- resulting in here are excellent now. The
tious food will face a tough sons who en- death of two shelter is kept very neat. I
battle for survival in the days rolled in the children. U
Un- have no complaints,” he says.
ahead. Surveys put the num- recently-con- like earlier There are two porta cabins
ber of homeless in the city cluded voter years, when for men, one for boys and an-
anywhere between 70,000 registration temporary other for women/girls in this
and 1 lakh. Though the Delhi process by the shelters re- park. Six portable toilets for
Urban Shelter Improvement Delhi Election mained open men, four for women and
Board (DUSIB) is managing Commission. only during three for boys have been pro-
150 night shelters – 66 perma- “Many of the winters, a vided too. The shelters wear
nent and 84 temporary – the permanent much-appre- an empty look; most of the
maximum these shelters can shelters are lo- ciated deci- men and boys here are out
accommodate is 14,000 per- cated in inac- sion to keep working, thanks to the wed-
sons. But actual occupancy cessible places them open ding season and the multifa-
rates are far less. for the home- through the rious jobs like cooking,
It is past 10 p.m. and there less. A signifi- year was tak- catering, cleaning, decoration
are only 15 men at the blue- cant number of en this time. and music bands that the
coloured porta cabin shelter the homeless The 800 sq ft marriages generate.
besides the Akshardham are those who porta cabins The amenities at the shel-
flyover. Daya, one of the in- shun commu- can easily ters have also improved dra-
mates, is a casual labourer nal living, TOUGH BATTLE AHEAD: Scene at a night shelter for women near Gurdwara accommo- matically. Electricity
who occasionally gets house- while many Bangla Sahib in New Delhi. - PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA date 50 connections have replaced
painting jobs too. He is a Delhi others are drug people, but the earlier erratic solar light-
resident, not a migrant work- addicts or suffer from mental the functioning of the at Rohini for women and chil- occupancy varies from 20 to ing and there are fans and
er, who form the bulk of the ailments. Despite repeated shelters. dren, and for men at Tilak Na- 80 people. tube-lights now. Delhi Jal
Capital’s homeless. “My fam- counselling, many of them The total daily occupancy gar and Anand Vihar. With The first version of the por- Board tankers refill the water
ily owns a 100 sq ft jhuggi near prefer to sleep out in the open. at the temporary shelters has the cold at its severest from ta cabins had wooden floors tanks at all the temporary
Laxmi Nagar. But after my el- Shelters need to be located varied for the past three mid-December, NGOs run- with laminated vinyl exterior, shelters daily and civic bodies
der brother’s marriage there based on density of homeless. months between 700-800 ning the shelters are prepar- iron-sheet walls, fire-retar- clean out the portable toilets
were space constraints and I Several more shelters need to persons in the daytime and ing to send out night-vigil dant roof, and solar lighting every three days. A mobile
moved out. Now I find it more be opened in the Old Delhi 2,500-3,000 persons at night. teams to motivate the home- which cost the DUSIB Rs.3 team ensures that the shelters
comfortable to sleep here. area,” says Dr. Amod Kumar For this winter, eight new less to avail of them. lakh per structure. Butt by are swept clean daily. The
This shelter is more airy and of Mother NGO. Meanwhile, temporary shelters have been Since December 2011, there summer, the disadvantages shelters have also been ade-
spacious than my home,” he Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit proposed at Munirka and has been a qualitative im- became evident. evident The wooden quately stocked with blankets
says. has announced her intention Mangolpuri for families, at provement in temporary flooring was too weak and ac- now.
Daya and other inmates to conduct regular reviews on Chandni Chowk for children, night shelters with the intro- tivists complained the iron Every shelter has a caretak-
here will have to wake up and tin sheets used for the er and rules that all inmates
early the next day. A yoga in- walls and roof were unfit for have to follow. “Without some
structor has been giving
morning classes at the shelter
for the past three days.
Many remain underutilised the summer heat. The porta
cabins underwent a redesign
and now have concrete floor-
discipline, a shelter cannot
function. People are not al-
lowed to drink or smoke in-
In 2009, there were just 17 ing, cement fibre sheets that side. Those in a violent,
permanent and 42 temporary Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar year 2012-13 allocated a this committee are all are better-insulated and a intoxicated state are asked to
shelters functioning during sum of Rs.6 crore for the NGOs and volunteers roof covered with reflective wait a while and regain some
winter. On May 5, 2010, the NEW DELHI: Though the very construction, management working for the homeless. It plastic material which makes control of senses before being
Supreme Court passed a his- sight of people sleeping by and maintenance of also comprises nodal it weather-proof. The modifi- allowed entry. Everyone’s
toric order directing the State the roadside in winter gives shelters and the DUSIB has officers from different cation cost Rs.2 lakh per shel- name, hometown, occupation
governments to make large- an impression that the poor been entrusted with departments.” ter, but Dr. Amod says the and signature are recorded
scale arrangements for the in Delhi are uncared for, the implementing it. Apart He said for construction reinforcements have made before entry,” says H. D. Muk-
homeless. The DUSIB was administration is at a loss to from this, a nominal charge of new shelters, the DDA is the shelters comfortable and herjee of Janpahal, which
formed in July 2010, and the explain why only about of Rs.6 per night is being providing space in places improved the longevity of the runs two night shelters at
Mother NGO was named the 7,000 homeless people levied by the permanent like Dwarka and Rohini, the structures. Akshardham.
nodal agency for schemes for availed of night shelter shelters. Department was also
the homeless. facilities when Mr. Sinha said the NGOs looking at creating new
Since the death of a home- arrangements exist for over too are in favour of levying temporary structures in
less pregnant woman in Au- thrice the number. this Rs.6 charge as they feel areas where the number of
gust 2010 on a busy street According to DUSIB CEO it leads to development of a homeless is more.
after giving birth, the Delhi Shakti Sinha, though in “sense of belonging” among The Department is also
High Court has relentlessly some shelters there is the inmates of the shelter coordinating with the
pursued the cause of the city’s provision to accommodate and thus results in better Health Department to
homeless, with activists also 60 to 70 people, only about conduct. However, this provide periodic check-ups
intervening energetically. By a tenth end up using the charge is waived during the to inmates at these centres;
2010 end, civic agencies facilities. peak winter season. with the Delhi Police for
which routinely demolished “Some just like to sleep in “I have also constituted a security and safety; with the
tent shelters pitched by the the open. They would not Joint Apex Advisory Delhi Jal Board for water
NGOs were forced to back- come inside,” he quipped. Committee to look into the supply; and corporations
track and have shown in- For its part, the Delhi problems faced by for health and sanitation.
creased willingness to provide Government has for the homeless. The members of

Large at heart; short on resources KEEPING FIT l i i i h

 The Helpless
I Dwarka lesson: helps are
T will not be an exaggera-
gg
tion to call our large g ernment’s flagship programme
unorganised
g sector the
underbelly of the Indian
economy. Uncared-for
U sector
may be a more appropriate de-
p
scription g Its workers,
though.
mostlyy semiskilled or unskilled,
are engaged
g g in diverse activities
— at construction sites, in mines
and quarries,
q fields and farms and
in households as domestic helps. p
Theyy can also be found in local
p and bakeries and in zardozi
shops
or carpet-making units. Then
there are juveniles — girls and
boys — picking rags for a living
and so on. And we pause in
dilemma whether women and
adolescents in brothels should be
g
recognised as workers at all.
The International Labour
a Or-
g
ganisation reveals that in India
4.75 million workers are em-
p y in households, doingg do-
ployed
mestic chores. And 72 p per cent of
this huge
g number are women, in-
cluding adolescent girls. The re-
cent case of a 13-year-old girl em-
ployed by a doctor couple in
Dwarka, Delhi, shows how vul-
nerable these workers are. For
our collective psyche, led to
believe that families are the most
secure environment, particularly
for women, the treatment al-
legedly meted out to this girl came
as a rude shock. Good Samaritan
neighbours and an NGO came to
the rescue of the girl who could
only cry from the balcony of the
house in the hustle and bustle of
the National Capital Region. Sev-
eral newspapers in the West and
the Far East declared: In India
maids need protection and re-
spect. We may ask, didn’t we
know? No, we didn’t — or we
didn’t care.
Legally
g y speaking,
p g labour laws
do not cover domestic helps p who
are stay-in or part-time workers.
Many are migrants to the cities
and towns where theyy work.
Based on the nature of the of-
g
fences committed against them,
cases are filed under relevant sec-
tions of the IPC, the Juvenile Jus-
But in our country where the gov-
does not pay minimum wages to
vulnerable without the those who want “employment
guarantee”, such token gestures
cover of labour laws can’t take us far. Some have
pointed out that a home cannot
p
NIRMALA SITHARAMAN be described as a workplace
therefore, implementing
p
p and,
g laws ap-
p
plicable to a workplace,
p p such as
tice Actt or
o the Child Labour
a (Pro-
( year. While recalling the Dwarka labour laws, includingg minimum
hibition & Regulation) Act. maid’s case, the NGO also says wages, may face difficulties. B But in
Rarely and where relevant in a that several similar cases have this day and age, where profes-
few cases, provisions
p of the come to their notice, some even sionals are running home offices,
Bonded Laboura System
y ((Preven- more violent. These migrant the idea of home as workplace
tion)) Act or the SC & ST (Preven-
( working women are vulnerable to cannot be an insurmountable
tion of Atrocities) Act are in- trafficking, sexual exploitation, problem. It is also claimed that
p
voked. The
T law permits those who financial deprivation and forcible domestic helps p mayy soon gget
are above 14 years to undertake confinement. The better-off health insurance coverage g for
part-time work. However, the de- among these women end up themselves and three other fam-
finition of part-time is wide open working at least 12 hours a day, 30 ily members. However piecemeal
p
for interpretation. And, again, days a month, several years at a thiss benefit may
ay be, it is welcome.
who is to monitor if they are only stretch, for an average earning of There are two issues critical
engaged in part-time work? Rs 6,000 a month. to any debate on the issue of
Most of the domestic helps are It is worth mentioning here unorganised labour, which
brought in from villages through that a few years ago, the National seems to be nobody’s y baby. y One,
a well-connected network of Human Rights Commission had lack of a well-thought-out
g regula-
g
people. In metros and big cities, an eye-opening report focusing on tion regarding
g g unskilled workers.
where the demand exists, these trafficking and it detailed how and Such a regulation
g must be ap- p
are called “placement
p agencies”,
g from where these vulnerable plicable across the countryy and
p
often with ever-shifting addresses. women get picked up. Highlight- across various spheres
p of em-
ployment
p y — from infrastructure
A regulation for unskilled workers is needed, applicable buildingg to household work. It
across the country and across various spheres of work. It should address issues such as
should address issues such as terms of employment, terms of employment,
p y wages,
g
welfare, skill development and
wages, welfare, skill development and insurance. insurance. The prevailing system
Theyy aree often not registered
g and ing high-risk pockets spread in select sectors, such as con-
therefore operate unregulated. across several districts, the report struction, is more known for
Some run several parallel agen- brought out the many dimensions non-compliance by employers y in
cies at the same time and most of the problem. this regard.
g Two, there iss no ef-
leave no trail behind. At the supply Viewed from a different fective redress mechanism when
end, in villages, there are locals prism, we see a paradoxical situ- crimes against workers are al-
who promise well-paid jobs in ation. Indian metros and cities leged. Speedier trials, convic-
“good” households. Ironically, are the biggest consumers of tion, relief and rehabilitation are
these could be friends or even home appliances and consumer not seen to be done, leaving
well-wishers of families whose durables. Around September last them even more vulnerable.
women or children are brought in year, a study whose findings were Among unorganised labour-
as migrant labourers. Between widely reported by the media ers, there are about five million
these people and dubious place- showed that over the last 10 years working as domestic helps. Al-
ment agencies, there are a few there has been a 300 per cent though serving the urban middle
who operate as couriers — en- growth in the sale of home appli- and upper classes, the problems
abling women to reach the city ances. Notwithstanding, the de- of these rural poor are affecting
they are destined for. But when in mand for domestic helps is also hardly any of us.
trouble, these women are often growingg byy the day.
y
incapable of tracing them. Onlyy seven states have passed
p The writer is BJP’s national
A single NGO in Delhi claims laws bringing
g g domestic workers spokesperson
that it rescues 300-350 girls every under the Minimum Wages Act. express@expressindia.com
g heights of Nehru
eeds of his descendants
dia from fully
itical vision of
rime Minister
audience was a young law student named
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. Decades
later, Gorbachev recalled the impact Nehru’s
speech made on him. “Obviously, we [stu-
dents] were still very far from understanding
the principles of democracy,” he wrote in his
memoirs: “Yet, the simplified black-and-
white picture of the world as presented by
our propaganda was even then considered
rather sceptically by the students. Jawahar-
lal Nehru’s visit to Moscow in June 1955 was
an unexpected stimulus for me in this re-
spect. … This amazing man, his noble bear-
ing, keen eyes and warm and disarming
smile, made a deep impression on me.”
Thirty years after hearing Nehru speak in
Moscow, Gorbachev helped bring about a
peaceful end to the Cold War while permit-
ting a transition to democracy in Eastern
Europe. Unlike Soviet rulers in 1956, 1968
and 1979, he did not send troops into Soviet
satellites whose people wanted an end to
Stalinist one-party regimes. It appears the
early exposure to Jawaharlal Nehru played
at least some part in the reformist and recon-
ciling politics of the mature Gorbachev.
I quote these appreciations for three rea-
sons: because they are little-known, because
Mandela and Gorbachev are both consid-
erable figures, and because their admiration
as a runs counter to the widespread disapproba-
son tion of Nehru among large sections of India’s
n no youth, middle-class, and intelligentsia.
dela Turning anti-Nehruvian
ews. Greatly admired within India during his
deas lifetime, Nehru witnessed a precipitous fall
more in his reputation after his death. This accel-
so a erated in the 1980s and 1990s, when his ideas
the on the economy, on foreign affairs, and on
hru social harmony all came under sharp attack.
heid There was a vigorous campaign to free en-
hus, trepreneurs from all forms of state control
elhi and regulation; a major, countrywide move-
and ment to redefine Indian secularism by mak-
rica ing it more “Hindu” in theory and practice;
nue and a clamour from the media and business
946, elite to abandon India’s non-alignment in
rica favour of an ever closer relationship with the
the United States.
har- India has experimented now with 20 years
more of anti-Nehruvian policies in economics, so-
a in cial affairs, and foreign policy. These radical
shifts have shown mixed results. Creative
Ja- capitalism is being increasingly subordinat-
ion. ed to crony capitalism; aggressive Hindutva
the has led to horrific riots and the loss of many
L tt il d t l tt @th hi d i t
lives; and the United States has not shown
itself to be as willing to accommodate India’s
interests as our votaries of a special relation-
ship had hoped.
His ideas remain relevant
Among reflective Indians, there is a sense
that these decades of Nehru-bashing have
been somewhat counterproductive. It is true
that Nehru was excessively suspicious of en-
trepreneurs, yet some form of state regu-
lation is still required in a complex and
unequal society. His ideas of religious and
linguistic pluralism remain entirely rele-
vant, or else India would become a Hindu
Pakistan. And it suits India’s interests to
have good relations with all major powers —
China, the European Union, Russia, and the
United States — rather than hitch its wagon
to the U.S. alone.
Nehru’s respect for democratic proce-
dure, his inclusive social vision, and his inde-
pendent foreign policy all remain relevant.
Other aspects of his legacy are more prob-
lematic: these include his neglect of primary
education, his lack of interest in military
matters, and his scepticism of political de-
centralisation. However, a balanced appre-
ciation of Nehru’s legacy — its positive and
its negative aspects — is inhibited by the fact
that the ruling Congress Party is controlled
so closely by individuals related to him and
who claim to speak in his name.
In a recent interview to The Hindu,
Nayantara Sahgal pointed out that it was
Indira Gandhi who created the “Nehru-
Gandhi” dynasty, not her father. This is ab-
solutely true. In a book published in 1960,
the editor Frank Moraes (by that time a
sharp critic of the Prime Minister) wrote
that “there is no question of Nehru’s at-
tempting to create a dynasty of his own; it
would be inconsistent with his character and
career.” When Nehru died in 1964, another
bitter critic, D.F. Karaka, nonetheless
praised his resolve “not to indicate any pref-
erence with regard to his successor. This,
[Nehru] maintained, was the privilege of
those who were left behind. He himself was
not concerned with that issue.”
Living outside India, insulated in their
daily lives from the consequences of the
deeds or misdeeds of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv
Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and
Rahul Gandhi, both Nelson Mandela and
Mikhail Gorbachev could appreciate the sa-
gacity and moral depth of Nehru’s political
vision. We who live in India are however
inhibited from doing so by the unfortunate
accident whereby control of our most pow-
erful political party has passed on to Nehru’s
descendants.
(Ramachandra Guha’s new book, Patriots
and Partisans, has just been published by
Penguin/Allen Lane. E-mail:
ramachandraguha@yahoo.in)
th f ll
Rent-a-womb a thriving industry unbridled by law
Ethical, legal issues thrown to the winds as poor women play surrogate mothers
Aarti Dhar
ANAND (GUJARAT): Right in the
heart of this city, which found
a place on the atlas as the
Milk Capital of India, is a ‘fer-
tility clinic-cum-hostel’ to
house women who rent their
wombs, mostly for foreign
couples.
The facility, which runs un-
der the name Akanksha Fer-
tility Clinic, caters for 30
surrogate mothers at any giv-
en point. Driven by poverty,
the women bear and nurse a
child of another couple, for a
price.
Thanks to the emergence
of surrogate motherhood as a
multimillion-dollar industry
in the country, the clinic is
doing a roaringg business.
What is the success formula?
An unendingg supplypp y of poor
p ered of three children for two
and illiterate women and the
absence of laws have made
the trade the fastest way to
make money.
A peep into the clinic-cum-
hostel and random interac-
tion with some of the women
are an eye-opener. Nazira,
wife of a mason near a village
in Ahmedabad, chose to be-
come a surrogate to help the
family come of out a financial
crisis.
Now several months into
pregnancy, Nazira will get Rs.
3.25 lakh after the delivery as
per a contract signed by her
and the commissioning cou-
ple. This is in addition to a
monthly allowance of a couple
of thousand rupees for the
gestation period of nine
months. If she has twins, the
‘party’ (intending parents)
will have to pay her 20 per
cent more.
Another surrogate in the
hostel, who did not wish to be
identified, said she needed
money to get her daughter
married. She preferred for-
eign couples because they
paid in dollars.
Hansa Pramod, an employ-
ee of the clinic, has been deliv-
foreign couples. “First time I
moved from rented accom-
modation to my small house
and the second time, to a big-
ger house,” she told The
Hindu.
She admits that when she
gave away the children
(twins) to an American couple
the first time, she felt uneasy
but consoled herself in the
thought that they were not
hers.
Another inmate had four
foetuses in her womb, two of
which were aborted as the
couple did not want so many
children. There is no clarity
on whether two foetuses were
aborted for medical reasons.
“At the moment,, there is no
law in the countryy on surroga- g
cyy and therefore,, it is neither
legal nor illegal,” said
s a senior
Health and Family Welfare
Ministry official, admitting
that ethical, moral, social,
monetary and legal issues
were raised by various sec-
tions of society.y
Rent-a-womb is a thriving
industry today. With no
dearth of ignorant and poor
women, and no laws to regu-
late the mushrooming fertil-
ity clinics, it is the fastest way
to make money.
Costs less iin India
A commissioning couple
can get a surrogate for half the
price in India compared to the
cost in the U.S. or the U.K.,
where surrogacy is not al-
lowed or permitted onlyy in
special
p cases.. European
p coun-
tries do not allow surrogacy at
all.
A random scan of the web-
site and some telephone calls
to the in vitro fertility (IVF)
clinics across several cities
makes it clear that surrogacy
is rampant and could cost be-
tween Rs. 8 lakh and over Rs.
10 lakh,, though g the surrogate
g and had legally entered into
herself gets
g less than 50 per
p an agreement with the intend-
cent of the moneyy earned byy
these clinics as the doctors
double as agents.
g s. There is no
agents
mandatoryy health or life in-
surance for the surrogate in
case of her death. Surrogacy
S is
also advertised as an enter-
prise in newspaper advertise-
ments and clinics.
There iss no supervisory
p and
regulatory
g y bodyy under which
alll assisted reproductive tech-
nology clinics offering their
services could be placed, ex-
cept a set of guidelines,
brought out by the Indian
Council of Medical Research
in 2005, which, however, are
not legally binding, ICMR Di-
rector-General V.M. Katoch
told The Hindu. Based on
these guidelines, the ICMR
has now come up with a draft
Assisted Reproductive Tech-
nologies (Regulation) Bill,
2010, which is with the Minis-
try of Law and Justice for vet-
ting and is expected to be
tabled in Parliament in the
winter session.
Justifying commercial sur-
rogacy, Dr. Nayna Patel of the
Akanksha Fertility Clinic said
all surrogates were volunteers
ing parents. “We not only look
after them during delivery but
also impart them skills which
ensure them livelihood for the
future,” she said, dismissing
charges of moral and ethical
issues as the women were un-
educated and poor. “We fol-
low the guidelines and have
the best technology availa-
ble,” she said. The clinic cele-
brated the birth of 500th
surrogate child last month
and most newspapers front-
paged it!
But CPI(M) leader Brinda
Karat says ethical and moral
issues are certainly involved
in commercial surrogacy. “It
is the height of irresponsibil-
ity and shame that the govern-
ment does not have any law to
regulate these fertility clinics.
The government should bring
in the proposed law, though it
has many weaknesses.”
Patents in the cause of development
The author views trade and TRIPS not in isolation, but as a part of the development process
K. Subramanian
I n the post war years, i.e.
long before financial glob-
alisation captured the imag-
ination of economists as the
lever of growth, a great deal
of work in the U.S. and the
U.K. universities was on the
impact of technology on
growth. Many observed a di-
rect link between the two.
Joseph Schumpeter’s vision
of “innovations” lifting
economies to higher levels
of growth held sway. Allow
trade, especially interna-
tional trade, and the cross
fertilisation will generate
faster growth.
Technology development
had become a study by itself
and its nurturing was relat-
ed to the socio-economic
ethos of the country in ques-
tion. Development Econom-
ics came to be integrated
with technology economics
and planners in newly
emerging economies were
advised to promote technol-
ogy and, if necessary, to “re-
engineer” products made
abroad.
TRIPS
Indigenisation was at the
core of post-war import sub-
stitution strategies of many
developing countries. Coun-
tries like India and Brazil
which had reached high lev-
els of indigenisation began
to have their battles with
drug multinationals. These
dreams were in jeopardy
when trade related intellec-
tual property rights (TRIPS)
were linked to international
trade.
The linking of TRIPS with
trade was a strategic ploy
played on hapless develop-
ing countries by the ad-
vanced countries. The
background to the Uruguay
Round is well documented.
documented
So are later rounds of WTO
ministerial leading up to Do-
ha in 2001. The he attempt of
the advanced countries was
to enforce TRIPS as condi-
tion precedent to market ac-
cess. Even as the Doha
Development Round is mori-
bund, the larger question has
been haunting trade theo-
rists: How sustainable is the
regime?
TRIPS regime
In this book, Srividhya Ra-
gavan goes deep into sustain-
able issues. Her study differs
from many others in that she
views trade not in isolation,
but as a part of the develop-
ment process. Significantly,
the TRIPS regime visualised
in the WTO applies only to
developing countries, the as-
sumption being that the ad-
vanced countries have sound
place.
systems in plac
Ragavan’s book is rather
devoted to the impact of pat-
ents in the larger develop-
mental context than in mere
trade. Unlike many econo-
mists, who are apologists of
the WTO, she is not dreamy-
eyed about trade. She doubts
the role of trade as a tool to
achieve development. As she
explains, “TheThe concept of
trade is a market-dependent
beast; consequently, ‘trada-
bility’ is contingent on varia-
bles and disadvantages that
generally characterise any
market place. Hence, the de-
velopmental promises from
trade are limited to and com-
market.”
mensurate with the market.
Sustainability
ustainability transcends
‘trade’ and has to encompass
equitable development that
results without compromis-
ing the national framework
including the ecological, eco-
nomical and socio-political
complex. A As she says, the
book’s “ambit revolves
around the hybrid of interac-
tions between trade and sus-
tainable development. It is
PATENT AND TRADE DISPARITIES IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: Srividhya Ragavan;
Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building,
Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 1095.
the missing piece of the puz-
zle that has not been studied
by others.
The book is organised
imaginatively and driven by a
synthetic view of sustainable
development. Each chapter
deals with one aspect of pat-
ents and leads on to other
ramifications or what she
calls ‘building blocks’ to de-
velop a framework.
The first chapter describes
seminally the manner in
which developed countries
addressed questions over
patent protection in differ-
ent periods in history. The
U.S. and the U.K. took more
than a century and a half to
evolve a system and their ef-
fort was to promote national
objectives. NNow, the same
developed countries are de-
nying developing countries
the tools that they resorted
to in linking industrial pro-
gress through a flexible pat-
ent regime. Don’t these
countries need the “choice”,
the policy space and the
“time” to evolve a system
which does not compromise
national objectives? TRIPS
is a strait-jacket which is rig-
id and lacks flexibility.
Thereby they create distor-
tions and tensions across the
globe.
The second chapter stud-
ies at length the experiences
of India and
a Brazil in evolv-
ing a patent system and their
conflicts with the WTO re-
gime. She narrates the sad
story off India gradually suc-
cumbing to WTO pressure
and abandoning the healthy
national system it had legis-
lated way back in 1970s based
on Rajagopala Ayyangar
b
Report.
Drug industry
Protection for “process” as
distinguished from “prod-
ucts” led to the growth of do-
mestic drug industry and,
along with drug price con-
trol, ensured adequate and
reasonably priced supply of
drugs. These benefits are lost
under the TRIPS and the two
countries have paid a heavy
price in the process.
Ragavan excels in describ-
ing the need for enforcement
machinery to offer protec-
tion and how developing
countries are yet to evolve
them. This leads to conflicts
with big corporations, espe-
cially drug giants.
Developing countries may
not hope to have systems
comparable to those in the
U.S. or EU which were his-
torically the result of close
interaction between the na-
tional market, the corpo-
rates, government agencies
and courts. Without being
highly legalistic, she offers
rare insights into those de-
velopments.
Against this light, she ex-
amines, at several places, the
complexities attached to en-
forcement of “compulsory li-
censing” and how developing
countries are at a great disad-
vantage. She narrates how
the U.S. intransigence over
the issue in Doha was broken
by the threat of anthrax back
home and how the U.S. had to
force drug companies to li-
cense the drug. The same
U.S. was stubborn when Afri-
can countries were keen to
save millions of their citizens
afflicted with AIDS/HIV.
She gives a convincing ac-
K
count of how in Doha the de-
veloping countries won the w
limited battle over the issue.
Her accounts of India’s bat-
tles with Novartis, Roche and
‘
a
m
Bayer over life-saving drugs a
are valuable. These are con- T
tinuing struggles and devel- t
oping countries tend to get o
weaker in holding up and/or p
defending their national o
interests.
Equally interesting are the i
chapters dealing with pat- c
ents in biotechnology, plant g
genetics, biodiversity and ‘
plant protection. These are s
newer areas which bristle p
with legal, ethical, moral and m
political issues. She narrates a
how there is no common c
ground between the U.S. and t
the EU and the objectives of a
bio control vary. There are is-
vary.There d
sues concerning patentabili- n
ty of living organisms
(bacteria), genes, et al and
these are examined closely
and the differential ap-
proaches captured.
Ragavan offers evidence a
W
that the era of assured pat-
ents, as in the days of early in- i
g
dustrial revolution, are over.
The last two chapters o
highlight concerns over en- o
during conflicts between l
sustainable bio-diversity w
and promoting trade within c
the “compulsive one-dimen-
sional developmental per- t
spective promoted by the p
trade and intellectual prop-
erty (IP) agenda.”
agenda The issues S
she raises are constantly ag- fi
itated by NGOs, etc., with
great heat and passion. But, d
she does it with rare panache s
and scholarly detachment. t
Thus, it is a great help to de- a
veloping countries in their t
future negotiations with the a
advanced countries. It is also
a warning to those who
plumb for reforms through
TRIPS/WTO — the road is
paved with mines. w
The Hindu : News / National : In a victory for India and China, WHO e... http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3487009.ece?css=print

News » National

Published: June 4, 2012 00:58 IST | Updated: June 4, 2012 00:58 IST
In a victory for India and China, WHO evolves mechanism to define counterfeit drugs
Aarti Dhar
World-wide system will help to bring about uniformity in identifying them
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has put in place a mechanism to define counterfeit medical products.
The set of definitions of sub-standard, spurious, falsely labelled, falsified and counterfeit products will be globally
accepted and help to bring about uniformity in identifying such drugs, without interrupting worldwide supplies.
The decision to establish a member state mechanism was taken at the World Health Assembly, the WHO's
policymaking body, at a meeting held recently.
The meeting also limited the WHO's role to public health issues, taking it off Intellectual Property Rights matters in
the context of defining counterfeit drugs.
India was backed in this effort by Brazil, Thailand, Russia, China and South Africa, besides the South East Asia
Region Organisations nations.
An earlier working group of member states had recommended that a storm enforcement network be set up as an
informal group led by Interpol in collaboration with the WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office to strengthen
collaboration among relevant agencies in combating counterfeit medical products and other pharmaceutical crimes
in Asia Pacific. But there was no consensus on defining what these products were.
In the past, countries making generic drugs, especially India and China, have run into serious problems in pushing
consignments across the European borders for want of uniform quality standards. At present, there is no uniformity
on what constitutes a sub-standard, spurious, falsely labelled, falsified and counterfeit drug. Every country has its
own quality standards, which differ vastly from the developed and developing countries.
“The member state mechanism is expected to clean up the WHO's work on medicines with compromised quality,
safety and efficacy. This particular aspect of the WHO's program is directly under the control of pharmaceutical
multinational companies (MNC) and the developed countries, and they use this program to pursue Intellectual
Property Rights enforcement standards, instead of addressing issues relevant to tackling the circulation of
medicines with compromised quality such as high prices,” said K.M. Gopa Kumar of The World Network, a global
health agency.
“India should play an active role, along with the like-minded countries, to ensure that the WHO should not be a
forum for pharmaceutical MNCs' IP enforcement agenda, in the name of protecting quality, safety and efficacy of
medicines,” he said.
Sources in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare told The Hindu that some developed nations often brought up
Intellectual Property Rights issues to stall the supply of generic drugs to the less developed nations by questioning
their quality.
The setting up of this mechanism was also important from the public health perspective, the sources said, as it took
the WHO away from issues revolving round the trade and intellectual property considerations of medical products
that hampered the supply of generic medicines to poor countries from India and China, which turned out a bulk of
the world's generic medicines being used by millions of people.
According to the resolution adopted at the World Health Assembly, the mechanism will identify major needs and
challenges; make policy recommendations; and develop tools for prevention, detection and control of sub-standard,
spurious, falsely labelled, falsified and counterfeit drugs.
The mechanism will strengthen national and regional capacities to maintain the supply chain and facilitate
exchange of experiences, best practices and information on the ongoing activities at the national, regional and global
levels. It will also identify activities and behaviours that result in such drugs and make recommendations for
improving the quality, safety and efficacy of products.
Importantly, the mechanism will help to promote international cooperation in and collaboration on surveillance and
monitoring of such products.
Making an intervention on the resolution, India said the WHO's basic mandate was public health, and it should not
involve itself in issues of Intellectual Property Rights enforcement. It strongly opposed the involvement of the
WHO's Western Pacific Regional Organisation in enforcement activities to combat counterfeit products.
Keywords: WHO mechanism, counterfeit drugs

1 of 2 6/4/2012 7:24 AM
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2 of 2 6/4/2012 7:24 AM
Multi-Level Marketing
It is difficult for governments to write laws to prevent rogue companies and individuals from
rigging up “marketing” schemes to earn money from gullible investors. As the Speak Asia scam
showed, a variation of such schemes can even include foreign investment. This phenomenon
wreaks damage in two ways. The first is the problem of compensating the investors, as they
claim the government should have been able to block the operators ab initio; the second is the
impact on genuine direct selling companies that find the market is in tatters.
Currently, the only law that operates here is the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes Act,
which is meant to ban such activities instead of promoting them. The Centre could come up with
a model law, therefore, that the state governments can implement. Since the subject straddles
Centre-state relations, it will require coordination. The spin-off will be a push for investment in
manufacturing that will generate employment, especially among women. In the past decade, no
agency apart from Sebi has notched any success in prosecuting errant companies. This needs to
change. A clean-up along these lines will make it far easier for the clutch of central government
agencies, including CEIB, Sebi, MCA and others, to go after pyramid/Ponzi schemes.

Palmer index
Drought is an imprecise term. Arid conditions in one area might count as plentiful rainfall in
another. To make matters more exact, scientists employ an index, called the Palmer index, to
monitor changes in agricultural conditions. This index uses precipitation and temperature data to
calculate evaporation rates and hence moisture levels in the soil. Because temperature plays such
a big role, the index is sensitive to global warming.

BSE Carbonex
BSE Carbonex, the first carbon-based thematic index in the country, which takes a strategic view
of organisational commitment to climate change mitigation. This index has been launched with
the aim of creating a benchmark, and in-creasing awareness about the risks posed by climate
change. “It will enable investors to track performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100
index regarding their commitment to green-house gases emission reduction.

Social Infra
• All four sub-sectors within social infrastructure— health, education, family welfare and
the aim of creating a benchmark, and in-creasing awareness about the risks posed by climate
change. “It will enable investors to track performance of the constituent companies of BSE-100
index regarding their commitment to green-house gases emission reduction.

Social Infra
• All four sub-sectors within social infrastructure— health, education, family welfare and
scientific services —have grown faster than nominal GDP.
• Also, budgetary spending on social infrastructure heads grew at a com-pounded annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7 per cent, ahead of CAGR of nominal GDP at 15.3 per cent.
Tarangini, is an underwater depth and bottom hardness indicator that gives the user a fair idea of
the depth and nature of bottom surface of a water body. It has been designed by Naval Physical
and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), a Defence Research and Development Organization
(DRDO) Lab.
“Hot air”, the name given to Earthwarming greenhouse gas emission quotas that countries were
given under the first leg of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and did not use — some 13 billion tonnes in
total.

Veblen good
High-status items such as luxury cars, expensive shoes or pricey watches remain appealing
to certain consumers as long as prices remain high or increase. A decrease in the price of a
Veblen good could cause it to become less exclusive, which may reduce consumers'
fondness for it.
Dreamliner issue
It is made of carbon composite material rather than metals such as aluminum. Composite makes
it light and so fuel-efficient that Boeing estimates it consumes 20 per cent less fuel than any other
aircraft the same size would have. It uses electricity to perform tasks that other aircraft perform
with the use of hot air vented through internal ducts. Its other distinguishing features include a
four-panel windshield and noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles, making the cabin
much quieter. Most significantly, the Dreamliner is the first aircraft to extensively use lithium-ion
batteries. These have been the focus of concerns. The rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are
touted as major power and fuel savers, but the problem is the liquid inside them is flammable.
Taken together with the problem of fuel leaks, this makes the batteries a major safety issue.

Lobbying
• Lobbying in the corridors of power, whether local, national or international, is how policy
is deliberated, designed, passed, implemented and adjudicated in countries around the
world, including India.
• It includes: contributing money to political campaigns, sharing their technical expertise,
provide data and information, testify in front of committees, inform and educate the
public and political elite through studies, press conferences and workshops and mobilise
their members to take part in rallies and communicate with their representatives.
• For decades, organisations such as the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry among others have worked hard on
behalf of their members to influence key ministries and policies. In recent years, the need
for continuous engagement has increased and so has the sophistication.
• Lobbying holds both the promise of democratic participation and better policy, and the
threat of corruption and a state captured by special interests.
• Studies have shown that money is not a guarantor of policy influence there. Rather the
reputations that groups develop as providers of credible high-quality intelligence on
policies is a significant source of lobbying influence.
• Technical information was the single most popular means of influence in Brazil while
 • Technical information was the single most popular means of influence in Brazil while
financial donations to parties and politicians were the most popular means of gaining
influence in India. These numbers paint a damaging picture of the policymaking
environment in India and unfortunately explain why India has yet to develop the
rudiments of a regulatory framework for lobbying.
• MPs seem more interested in storming the well of their parliamentary chamber prior to
storming out in yet another meaningless protest rather than in engaging in a serious,
educated debate on the relevant issue — in this case, regulation of lobbying practices in
India.
• Since neither party leaders nor MPs see any gain to their careers by developing policy
reputations with voters or their peers, there is little incentive for business lobbies to invest
in and use policy expertise to build productive relationships with policymakers.
• There are enough examples of policy change through transparent means. Go back just
over a decade and look at how phone companies used an advocacy programme to
convince the government to slash import duties on mobile phones. Cheaper handsets
brought about a telecom revolution in the country. Electronic procurement by the
government is another example where advocacy helped introduce transparency in its
purchases of goods.
• In reality, lobbying is not corruption; at least not the western model that is increasingly
gaining currency in India, as an open economy pulls in new rules of engagement from
developed economies.
• We should, in India, put in place a system that allows everybody — from corporates
down to the man on the street — to push their interests. Lobbying is a time-tested method
to get what we want by engaging with decision makers. It is in the absence of transparent
lobbying that corruption flourishes.

Minimum Wages
Facts
• India was one of the first developing countries to introduce a minimum wage act in 1948.
The minimum wage rates are set by the “appropriate government” (mostly state
governments) for those employed in certain occupations (or “scheduled” employments).
Initially, there were 13 scheduled employments. However, the “appropriate governments”
were allowed to expand the list of “scheduled employment” if necessary. Over time, this
has resulted in a total of more than 300 different types of scheduled employments.
• The current National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW) fixed by the Centre in April
2011 is Rs.115 a day. But under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 States are free to set their
own minimum. As a result, the rates range from a maximum of Rs.203 a day in the
National Capital Region of Delhi, to a meagre 68.96 in Andhra Pradesh as on March
2011. Significantly, as many as 21 States still fall below the national minimum, whereas
14 pay wages above that amount.
• employment in the organised sector constitutes barely seven per cent of the total
workforce
• Labour is a concurrent subject
Concerns
• Based on official statistics, the recent ILO Global Wage Report 2012-13 indicates that
real wages are on a decline in India in the last few years.
• It has resulted in a complex system with a very large number of minimum wage rates
(1,171, according to one recent count)- different across different states for even same
occupation. India simply does not have the administrative capacity to monitor and
enforce all these different minimum wages.
• Only 68 per cent of the overall wage workers in India were actually covered by any
schedules of employment, and in the state of Haryana it was only about 50 per cent of
workers.
Debate
• It is necessary to emphasise here that in countries that have embarked upon the
deregulation of labour markets, social and welfare protection mechanisms exist which
provide a society-wide cushion to the unemployed or indigent
 provide a society-wide cushion to the unemployed or indigent
• India is a big country and there is considerable variation in the cost of living across states
depending on the level of development. Given these differences in the cost of living, it
would be more appropriate to implement statutory state-level minimum wages for all
workers, rather than considering national minimum wages.
• It would be much more realistic for governments and social partners to determine the
appropriate level of minimum wage at state level, by striking a balance between: (a) the
needs of workers and their families, taking into account the general level of wages in the
country, the cost of living, social security benefits, and the relative living standards of
other social groups; and (b) economic factors, including requirements of economic
development, levels of productivity, and the desirability of attaining and maintaining a
high level of employment.
• Setting a single national minimum wage for India has real costs. One, an academic
review of more than 100 major academic studies on minimum wages says that 85 per
cent of them find a negative effect on jobs for young and low-skilled workers. Two, 100
per cent of net job creation since 1991 has happened informally and artificially higher
minimum wages will increase informal employment. Three, higher inflation, because
most companies in India will pass on any "above productivity" wage increases to
customers. Four, lower skill development, because we have not figured out how to fund
skill development for informal employment. Five, a single national rate is more
vulnerable to trade union capture. And six, reduced competition between states for jobs.
• The single national minimum wage rate demand must be rejected just like the demand for
minimum wages in the MNREGS was. The MNREGS already distorts the labour market
for unskilled work because its wage levels act like the LIBOR rate used to price loans
• Higher wages don't create productivity but are a consequence of it.
Solutions
• Amendments to the Minimum Wages Act are thus critical to a guaranteed subsistence
income for millions of unskilled labourers, including women, who fall well below the
standard human development indicators.
• Minimum wages should not be restricted to particular “schedules” of employment or
certain occupations but should be extended to all wage workers. It would also eliminate
gender disparity and reduce gender-wage gaps.
• The long term solution to increase wage is increase in productivity which will not rise till
15 per cent of our GDP comes from 55 per cent of the labour force deployed in
agriculture. India cannot raise minimum wages without increasing manufacturing
employment

Housing Problem
• In a rapidly urbanising economy, the availability of affordable housing for the increasing
population of those migrating from rural to urban areas is already a serious problem that
will become larger over the years. There is, at present a shortage of nearly 20 million
housing units in urban India in the low income segment. This demand needs to be met
by increasing the supply.
• Private solutions have so far not been successful. There may be many reasons for this.
o The lack of good public transport systems that would encourage the use of
cheaper land and low-cost housing in areas surrounding cities might have played a
role.
o The structure of the construction sector itself, which is largely dominated by small
contractors, and which has a few builders catering to luxury housing in big cities,
has not created adequate companies building low-cost houses.
o The high margins of the luxury housing business have kept most builders away
from low-cost housing.
o The opacity of the land market and the case-by-case clearance required for change
in land use are also problems that have kept the business uncompetitive and in the
hands of a few players.
o The financial structure of the house building business that has involved payment
upfront by house buyers has made housing unaffordable for a large proportion
 upfront by house buyers has made housing unaffordable for a large proportion
o home loans for the poor are so difficult